Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Chapter 817 Yesterday's Illusion

In the elven elder's perception, a black beast pounced on Falga, then the black, gooey monster exploded, and two people sprang out. The black-armored man was holding a woman in his arms. The familiar aura made the elder lower his guard, and they went to meet him, quickly accepting the change.

The High Elder took Irason from Susanna's arms, glanced at the green dragon priestess in his hands, and tossed her to his brother. Turning to touch Susanna's towering armor, his face quickly turned from pale to red. He roared to mask his unease, saying to Susanna, "I told you to always be careful, Falga! What have you done to yourself! You've torn your soul in two? And expelled the flawed part? I taught you to look at your heart and your flaws correctly."

Irason didn't linger long in the Second Elder's arms. After handing the woman over to the Third Elder, the Second Elder channeled the healing power of druidic magic into his black armor. His expression was grave as he said worriedly, "Tearing the soul apart is dangerous, Falgar. Do you feel any discomfort? Don't rush, patiently assess the situation. Are your thoughts distorted? Are your memories hazy? Be careful; there are cases where someone behaves normally in a dream but becomes an idiot upon returning to reality. Let me examine you."

The Third Elder watched as his brothers flanked Susanna, leaving him only able to stare at Irason in his arms, their eyes meeting in disbelief. The woman in his arms had innocent eyes, like a docile deer—no, the more he looked at her, the more she seemed a little foolish, like a silly roe deer.

Surrounded by the elders, Susanna felt somewhat lost and flustered. Her inner turmoil was palpable, but her muscle memory kicked in, and she behaved normally in front of her adoptive father. The feeling of being both reprimanded and cared for was strange, yet also warm.

“I am Susanna.” The scalp deepened her voice, its icy tone no different from that of the former queen. The elven elder understood the meaning of “Susanna”; it was the name given to Falga’s deceased sister.

“In other words…” The three elders turned their heads in unison, their gazes shifting to the mysterious woman on the third elder’s chest, “This is where Falga’s true form is.”

Irason remained expressionless, then flashed a peace sign at the corner of her eye, "Yay."

With a thud, he landed on his bottom. "Ouch!" the Green Dragon Priest cried out, rubbing his backside and looking at the Third Elder with a puzzled expression.

"I'm sorry, I never expected Falga to do this. I'm a little horrified." In the end, it was Susanna who helped Irason up. She removed her armor, and the two, who looked exactly alike, stood before the elven elder.

"I encountered a bit of an accident, my soul was traumatized, and I had to split into two. She is Susanna, and I am Irason." The green dragon priest explained to his foster fathers in a cheerful tone the result of his daughter's split.

"How are we supposed to explain to our people that their queen has fallen apart?"

“Use prophecy, I had everything planned long before the split.” Erasson proudly recounted Falgar’s arrangements, “Announce to the people that Susanna is Falgar’s sister, the other queen on the opposite side. She will take charge of the Druid Elder Council and become the Elven Archon. Susanna has no Dreamwalker’s talent, no aura of fear, and no need for a mouthpiece.”

The elder stroked his beard and said, “The opposing queen’s authority needs to be built on the foundation of ‘defeating Falga’. As long as you are still here, Irason and Susanna’s authority will be greatly diminished, and the people may not accept her, even if she is part of you.”

"Then why not just make 'Falgar' disappear?"

"Then who will manage the royal court? The council of elders cannot be above the queen, you said that yourself."

"Let my daughter Tiffany inherit the throne. Susanna will become the consul, controlling the council of elders, and Tiffany will become the new Elf Queen, managing the royal family. As for me, I will remain hidden. My presence or absence makes no difference. As you can see, I am no longer as clever and authoritative as before. In case Queen Falga's reputation declines, I advise you not to let me interfere in politics. You have no idea what I'm thinking."

"I want a vacation! I've toiled for the Dream Elves my whole life, now I need to enjoy myself. I'll leave the political affairs to Susanna, I'll leave Tiffany to Susanna, and I'll be free! Hahaha!" Irason laughed, his beautiful face contorted with desire. "Oh, right, big daddy, big daddy. Could you give me a nominal position, like, the fifth of the four Elven elders, the Fifth Elder Irason? From now on, we'll be equals, we can call each other father and daughter in private, and brother and sister in public, okay?"

The enraged elder grabbed the green dragon priestess by the neck and punched a hole in her forehead.

"You have no manners! You brat!!!"

"Ouch!! Second brother, save me!! Second brother, you're the best!!" Ira Songen pleaded for off-field assistance.

The second elder shook his head helplessly and said to his elder brother, "Elder brother, haven't you eaten?"

"Ouch! O ...!!!"

The group returned to reality, where the Fourth Elder arrived with Tiffany. Tiffany quickly located her mother with her eyes, which made Irason extremely happy, as the awkward situation of mistaking one's true form was averted. Irason squatted down and playfully rubbed Tiffany's chubby cheeks, and the little girl laughed happily, thoroughly enjoying her playful interaction with her mother. She noticed Susanna's figure and sensed a familiar feeling emanating from the unfamiliar silhouette.

"Mom, who is this older sister?"

The words "Mom" and "Sister" made Irason's smile freeze for a moment. She retaliated by pinching a smiley face on Tiffany's face and chuckled.

"This is the stepmother that Mom found for Tiffany."

"Eh?"

A swift chop to the head sent the green dragon priest crouching in defense, begging for mercy.

"Godmother! Godmother! Susanna is the godmother of the Tiffany babies!"

Susanna gently embraced Tiffany, removing her visor to reveal a loving smile on her familiar face. She stroked Tiffany's back, her captivating blend of authority and maternal love making the little girl blush slightly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tiffany."

As it turned out, Susanna was more effective with children than Farga and Irason. Tiffany, head bowed in Susanna's arms, softly replied in a sweet voice, "Me too, godmother."

"I will raise you to be the most outstanding queen, my child."

"Ah."

Suddenly, a sour sound appeared.

"Okay, hello you and your daughter, I'm going out to play now."

"Mom! Tiffany wants to come along too."

"No!" Irason refused outright. "Tiffany needs to do her job as Queen properly so that Mom can have fun outside in peace!"

What a wicked woman, actually dumping her work on her daughter! Even though the adoptive fathers were somewhat prepared, they were still dumbfounded by Irason's self-righteousness. Unfortunately, it was no use; her split personality had already triggered Irason's hidden switch, and she had become a lazy monster.

Finally, under Susanna's cold gaze and Tiffany's tearful eyes, Irason hugged her daughter and comforted her, "Falga won't leave you, my daughter. I promise to come back to see you once a month." (She didn't! She never even thought about going home to visit her family; she was out having a good time and forgetting all about home.)

With Susanna's assistance, Tiffany ascended the throne as Queen of the Elves, while Susanna took control of the Council of Elders, intimidating everyone with her ruthless methods. To the subjects, the governor's decision to force Falga to resign and then support her daughter as the new queen was seen as extremely benevolent, perfectly mirroring the prophecy of Falga's opposite. Meanwhile, the druids in the Council of Elders, directly under Susanna's leadership, were overwhelmed by the newly enacted ironclad laws, even questioning whether Falga was truly the benevolent queen.

Is kindness relative? Is malice eternal?

Where did Irason go?

When Hines discovered she was mixed in with the Witherers, he nearly had a heart attack.

"Your Majesty!"

She waved her hand, demanding that Hines address her as Elder Irason.

“I have also been exiled, dear Hines. Treat me as an ordinary elder.”

Where did this ordinary elder come from? I'm the only elder in this group. How could I possibly manage you?

Then, Irason asked, "Hains, have you found the way to your people?"

“Yes, my female elder, I have found a lush forest for the exiled people. The climate here is suitable and the resources are abundant. We will surely be able to…”

"Hains! Don't you understand the meaning of exile? If I only wanted you to choose another camp, why would I have driven you out of Dream Forest! How could you be so depraved!"

Hines lowered his head and immediately began to reflect on his actions.

“You’re right! I’ll immediately abandon our original destination and find a nearby desert to cleanse the hearts of the withered souls with barrenness, and let the harshness of nature sculpt the resilience of my people…”

"Hains! Our people are already suffering so much, how can you torment them like this! Is your heart made of stone? Can't you see how exhausted they are?"

The Withering Druid Hines felt a wave of dizziness wash over him; he sensed his true torment. Irason was his torment. This woman, what a nuisance!

"Your esteemed and great Lord Irassorn, please show our people a way out!"

Irason looked into the distance, full of vigor.

"Let's go visit the Blue Dragon Priest's territory; new opportunities await us." Starting from scratch is exhausting. I'm going to go play with Brother Moroki, cling to his coattails, and live a life of luxury using his wealth. You guys are getting a great deal.

With the death of Morok'i, Moonnefar ascended to the City of Wanderers. This exiled elven race survived in the wild for a year before setting foot on the land of the City of Wanderers.

"Brother Morokui!!!" In the central area, the scholar who had just finished the Twilight Memories event saw a large green mass rushing towards him and decisively opened a portal, letting the green dragon priest eat mud with his mouth.

"Hmm? Farja, it's been a long time." The scholar chuckled a few times, delighted to see his old friend.

“Brother! I miss you so much! And I have now changed my name to Irason, just like you, I have inherited the name of a dragon.”

“I understand, Irason,” the scholar said. “How have you been lately?”

The Green Dragon Priest's acting skills came to life, and tears welled up in his eyes.

“Brother!!! I, I’m suffering so much!!! My soul was severely wounded in the war of the gods, and I can’t even handle daily life and government affairs anymore. My people have started to despise me, my daughters despise me, my sisters despise me. Now, I’m leading those war-wounded people to live a life of hardship in the open. I have… nothing left!!!” Irason stared at Moroki with his big, bright eyes, his gaze fixed on “work injury, hunger, food”.

The scholar had already sensed the difference in the dragon priestess's companion; she might have truly been wounded in the soul and gone mad. Former comrades had come to this end. The scholar said quietly, "You wouldn't have run away from home because you didn't want to work, would you?"

"..." Irason put on a great performance, wiping away her tears with her sleeve, her swollen eyes full of sincerity and confusion, "Why does my elder brother doubt me so much? Did you really think of me as a lazy good-for-nothing before?"

The scholar recalled the former Falka, who at that time was more like an ambitious person disguised as a good person, a solemn and dignified leader with a smile that hid a knife.

"I'm sorry, I've just been through a bit of a shock lately. I thought it was common for rebellious offspring to run away from home with the family fortune."

"..." Irason looked at the stone bricks under his feet and exchanged a glance with the scholar. "Brother, you seem to be working very hard too..."

The scholar, whose son had run away with his family and whose grandson had blown up the grave, almost embraced the green dragon priest and wept. He patted his companion's shoulder and said, "Now I am engrossed in my research and no longer concern myself with the affairs of the dragon priest. Welcome to the City of Wanderings. The current lord is my son, Carlos, who is unaware of my whereabouts. Let your people speak with him; he will give you a good place to stay."

"But, elder brother..."

The scholar waved his hand to stop Irason, saying, "I'm currently engrossed in my studies and don't want to be disturbed. Good luck, Irason."

A few minutes later, Irason kidnapped a sorcerer patrolling the street and used a communication crystal to directly contact Lord Carlos of the city.

"Are you Carlos, the eldest son of Moroki's brother? I'm your Aunt Irason! Don't recognize me? No problem, you just need to know your father! You're looking for him, aren't you? I've gone to great lengths to find my brother, the Blue Dragon Priest. Isn't the City of Wanderers promoting multi-racial integration? I have an elven tribe that wants to rest here. Yes! Not too good land, the newly planned Zone 5 is perfect, plenty of sunshine. Also, give us a whole set of preferential policies. Your father and I are really close! Decades of comradeship! I even held you when you were born, you can call me godmother if you want. Oh, right, we're family! Good child, I'll share the coordinates of your brother's frequent locations with you now..."

Irason turned back to Hines, who was sweating profusely, and made a gesture that everything was going well before continuing to haggle with her newly adopted godson.

"You said the coordinates are within your territory? So what! Do you think you can find your father's whereabouts if I don't tell him? Please! Your dad is the Magic King, the Blue Dragon Priest! The strongest spellcaster! Do you even know how prestigious a Dragon Priest is? Alright, go and mark your aunt's territory properly, or I'll tell your dad!"

Irason returned the crystal to the arcane mage, walked over to Hines, and extended his hand.

"?"

"Pocket money, huh? I helped the Withered Ones solve a huge problem at their base, shouldn't you give me some pocket money to buy some good food?"

"But isn't Lord Irason our elder?"

"What's wrong with elders?! Elders are human too! Elders have the right to enjoy life! Be smart and adapt to local customs, okay? If you want to survive in the City of Wandering Humans, you have to understand this. Do you understand, Hines?!"

Irason ran off with all the money on Hines, shouting as he left.

"No money? No problem! Remember to buy on credit from Carlos and the others! Don't come to me if you have any trouble, go to the city lord! We're all family, let's treat Wandering City as our own home! Have a good life! Hines!"

Several days later, Irason was found by the enraged scholar.

On that day, the roar of the Blue Dragon Priest could be heard throughout the entire City of Wandering.

"Irason!!!"

The green dragon priest ran and shouted.

"Brother Moroki! Let's talk this out, brother! Have some cookies, brother! Your snacks are so delicious! Even the lich ate them and said they were good! Oh dear, oh dear! I'm doing this for your own good! Old bones need to get some exercise! If you're slacking off, what am I supposed to do?! I was wrong, brother!! We're family, brother, we're family!! A beating is a sign of affection!! The children are watching!! I won't say anymore! I won't say anymore!! Don't chase me, brother!!"

Carlos and Hines stood to one side, watching with strange expressions.

"Is that your parent?"

"Ah."

"Brother, you've worked hard."

"Ah."

"According to my father's circle of friends, that adult who ran away, could he be the Elf Queen...?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I warn you, Lord City Lord, you must provide evidence before you speak. Your casual remarks insulting us Dream Elves will cause diplomatic problems between our two races! Our Queen is Princess Tiffany, and our Governor is Lady Susanna! Lady Irason is just an ordinary elder!"