The Natural Empire of the Oceanic Dragon

Through the various goods that the halfling caravans carried, Artilan noticed a significant difference in sales between the regional towns and the capital, Ningfeng Harbor, discovering that the water elf kingdom had developed class divisions based on region and profession.

The mages and warlocks of the capital, Ningfeng Harbor, were truly upper-class people with both power and wealth, but there were only ten thousand elves in Ningfeng Harbor. In contrast, the number of elves outside Ningfeng Harbor exceeded one hundred thousand.

And the professions of these one hundred thousand elves were all warriors, rangers, and druids. It's not that these professions can't produce strong individuals, but one thing is very important: the Elf King who established the Water Elf Kingdom was a legendary mage!

Mages are the orthodoxy of the Water Elf Kingdom; all other professions are second-rate. The number of various professionals among the more than one hundred thousand commoners doesn't even add up to the number of mages in the capital.

Among these commoners, some have the talent to become mages, but their talent isn't outstanding enough to be envied and become a member of the mage faction. They can only turn to druids or even become rangers, which have lower barriers to entry.

Although the resources needed for druid cultivation aren't as completely money-burning as those for mages, the resources and environment needed for druid spells and meditation are also not low.

The biggest reason for the popularity of warrior-type professions is that they consume fewer resources.

The reason why the commoner elves in the regions don't rebel against the rule of the Mage King is naturally because the existence of elf druids and rangers ensures that the commoners' survival needs can be met.

And most elves don't have the intention of becoming superior people. The Mage King's tax requirements for these villages and towns are almost non-existent, just some grain, fruit, and the like. The total tax revenue from all the towns in the Northern Territory may not be as high as the income from a single trade mission of the fleet.

For rulers with limited talent, an excessive population will only become a burden on their governance, causing regional and even national unrest and undermining their rule.

The elf commoners in the Eastern, Western, and Northern Territories are a threat to the Mage King.

The possibility of ambitious individuals appearing among the elves is relatively low, but it's not non-existent. Even special environments can give rise to unimaginable ambitious individuals; otherwise, the dark elf branch wouldn't have been born.

In theory, the Mage King should regard the ranger corps as a confidant to confront the councilors of Ningfeng Harbor. However, although there are some frictions between the Mage King and the councilors, they can barely be considered harmonious.

Because they have a common enemy, a level 20 Grand Druid!

Elves already have a very long lifespan, and after becoming a Grand Druid, this elf's lifespan is at least another thousand years. Just imagine if there is such a master in your country.

Moreover, he has political disagreements with your grandfather. What would you think of him? Would you worry that he would bewitch the ignorant elf commoners who are druids and rangers?

Especially since this old fellow is constantly recruiting apprentices with druid and ranger talents in the remote towns of the Water Elf Kingdom.

The Mage King doesn't open up the quota for the number of rangers in the ranger corps because he is worried that the ranger corps will become an organization for the Grand Druid to plot a rebellion, the best knife to use.

Didn't the bear people once tell Artilan that the Water Elf Kingdom had signed a mutual defense alliance with a bronze dragon? The person who signed the contract with the bronze dragon at that time was the previous Mage King and this Grand Druid.

The Mage King is dead, but the Grand Druid is still alive. If you summon the bronze dragon, do you think the bronze dragon will listen to the words of the modern Mage King or the words of the Grand Druid, this old acquaintance?

This is also why the Mage King is working hard to expand the number of mages, but only selects suitable elves from the towns within the influence of the royal capital, in order to reduce the influence of the Grand Druid.

This Grand Druid, who has been around since the founding of the kingdom, should have been the stabilizing force of the Water Elf Kingdom, but because of her prestige in the hearts of the common people, she has always been a thorn in the side and a thorn in the flesh of the elf royal family.

However, because of the existence of the bronze dragon alliance, the Mage King can't touch her, and besides, this is a Grand Druid, and it's not so easy to kill her.

Furthermore, as long as the Grand Druid doesn't explicitly rebel, then this double-edged sword is more beneficial than harmful to the Water Elf Kingdom. The Grand Druid is a great weapon to deter other kingdoms.

As for the Mage King?

An upper-level mage who only just broke through to level 14 at the age of four hundred, even if he possesses the royal family's exclusive Tide Mage advanced profession, is not a particularly outstanding ruler on this continent.

Although it seems that whether or not the monarch is the best fighter is no longer a necessary condition for becoming a monarch, a monarch must not be too weak.

The root cause of the turmoil in the Northern Human Kingdom is that the king is not in good health and is not strong enough. If the eldest prince hadn't shown extremely strong talent.

I'm afraid some dukes would have already been unable to restrain their ambition and started a rebellion.

This simple elf ranger general, her father is a disciple of the Grand Druid, and also the only confirmed disciple.

The fact that she can become a ranger general at such a young age is not only because her own talent is strong enough, but also because her relationship with the Grand Druid is also key to her rise.

Otherwise, how could such a simple fellow snatch the position of ranger general?

Whether or not a position can be held and how it is held is not just about strength. As long as the people above want to, they can always find a suitable reason.

Even elves from other kingdoms, as long as they are excellent enough, then it is not impossible to relax the requirements and let them take up suitable positions in the Water Elf Kingdom.

For example, the natural druid elves of the Frostflower Forest in the far north, and the true high arcane elves in the east, are more excellent than the Water Elf Kingdom in some professions.

In recent years, the councilors have not selected suitable children from their territories and sent them to these two places to study. There is no way, who let these two elf kingdoms be more prosperous than the Water Elf Kingdom.

The councilors have also spent a lot of resources to change the identity of their children from the Water Elf Kingdom to the Frostflower Forest or the Elf High Arcane Kingdom.

It is precisely because there is a subtle connection between the three elf kingdoms that Artilan cannot directly usurp the Water Elf Kingdom, but needs a suitable puppet.

Artilan has reason to believe that the Mage King chose Vereesa as the ranger general because he valued her simplicity and loyalty to the Water Elf Kingdom.

Through simple contact, Artilan found that it would not be easy to fool this simple fellow into 'cleansing the monarch's court'.

Vereesa is simple, but she is not stupid, she knows what can be done and what cannot be done.

Besides, even if she usurped the throne, the living standards of the elf commoners might not necessarily improve.

The core secrets of the Water Elf Kingdom, that is, the money-making technologies, are actually in the hands of the Mage King and the councilors. Even if Ningfeng Harbor is captured, the mage towers and product formulas for producing goods will not be obtained.

It would be better not to rebel!

Losing the occasional allocation from the Archmage would reduce the risk resistance of the elven farmers by at least half. To win the hearts of the people, the Archmage is frantically and rationally throwing money around.

You have to say, directly sending money has made the Archmage's position in the hearts of the elven people not too bad.

After exiting the underground space, the most important thing is naturally to eat.

Attilan, through some clever manpower and cunning minotaurs, subtly probes the elves for information during the meal. The information, when summarized in his hands, is what was mentioned above.

After the soldiers fighting on the front lines have all eaten, Ranger-General Vereesa ends her patrol and comes to attend the banquet prepared by Attilan. She has been busy this whole time, and Attilan has already finished reading the collected intelligence.

Through the public opinion poll, Attilan discovers that promoting Vereesa to the throne might be a bit more difficult than he imagined. Fortunately, conquering the aquatic elven kingdom is not the primary task.

Attilan can wait ten years, or even a hundred.

Looking at the rich dishes on the table, Vereesa frowned and said:

"Dragon Lord, the soldiers are eating ordinary vegetable soup and gray bread, while we are enjoying roast suckling pig, fresh fish soup, and honey bread. Isn't it a bit too extravagant?"

"I think on the battlefield, generals should eat the same food as the soldiers."

Attilan's mouth twitched. He didn't expect Vereesa to be such an egalitarian, but this is also a good opportunity to influence Vereesa's thinking.

"No, I think it's more helpful for generals to eat well to stimulate soldiers' thoughts of earning merit and getting promoted. If they want better treatment, then they have to fight."

"As long as there is enough military merit, you can completely give my food to these generals. I'm looking forward to seeing such a general appear."

"For example, the Centaur General who was responsible for contacting you today, but was intercepted and killed by the Blue Dragonkin on the way, should now be walking around the barracks with the roast suckling pig I rewarded him with."

"He is a target, telling my soldiers that as long as they work hard, they can also get rewards like Old Murk-Eye."

Vereesa frowned. She vaguely felt that something was wrong, but she also felt that what Attilan said seemed to make sense.

Attilan decided to add more fuel to the fire.

"Compared to the little food I enjoy, I think your country's king's casual meal is more expensive than all of us here, right? The Archmage has earned so much money, why not take some out and share it with everyone?"

"If there was this money, I think everyone's life wouldn't be so tight, right?"

Vereesa frowned, completely not understanding why Attilan would say this.

The Dwarf King nodded repeatedly. He thought this was a good idea. If the king directly gave everyone money, if he also gave the dwarves in the kingdom money, wouldn't everyone be able to live a happy life?

Oh, right, the Dwarf King suddenly remembered something. Whether it was the royal family or the national treasury, it seemed like there wasn't much money.

This made the Dwarf King suddenly feel a little embarrassed.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit heavy, the Flower Fairy quickly waved her hand and said:

"Let's not talk about these things, let's eat. These are all animals carefully cultivated by the druids in our forest. Try this mushroom fish soup, it tastes very good."

"The soup is white and the taste is right, it's absolutely amazing!"

The Ranger-General took a sip with a spoon, and her eyes widened instantly. She seemed to see a silver-scaled fish jumping in the vast lake.

And in the deep forest, the scene of mushrooms emitting a faint blue light breaking out of the ground instantly.

She immediately widened her eyes.

"The taste is great, and I seem to see the scene of the ingredients growing. It's incredible. Even with the Pearl Rice from Grandma's house, I haven't seen the process of pearl grass growing after eating it."

Wait a minute, Pearl Grass!

Attilan couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise.

Larune said that she and Bloodied had eaten a plant fruit somewhat similar to pearls at an elven druid in the south, like some kind of mutated rice.

"Vereesa, is your pearl grass grown in water?"

Vereesa nodded slightly differently.

"It's because it grows in water, and after the fruit is shelled, it's as white and bright as a pearl, so I call it pearl grass."

"Especially after generations of improvement by Grandma, the fruit of pearl grass is no different from real pearls. The only difference may be that pearl fruit is cooked in water."

"It turns into edible pearl rice, while the pearls of river mussels are still so gritty, and the powder is very uncomfortable in the throat, and I can't swallow it."

Attilan's mouth twitched. Pearls are gritty, and the powder is very uncomfortable in the throat, haven't you eaten them before?

Everyone's expressions were a bit strange. After Vereesa saw it, she blushed and explained:

"I just mistakenly regarded pearls as pearl fruit, and thought they were failures cultivated by Grandma. I didn't expect them to be real pearls. If I knew they were real pearls, I definitely wouldn't eat them!"

"You must believe me!"

She was anxious, she was anxious, Attilan quickly said:

"Don't worry, we absolutely believe you!"

As soon as the Flower Fairy heard this, she knew that this was the rice that Attilan had been pursuing, and it was also a specialized variety, pearl rice, and she quickly curiously asked:

"Vereesa, if you have the opportunity, can you let me see this pearl fruit? Of course, it would be even better if you could send me some fruits that can be planted."

"I won't take it for nothing, I can exchange it with you for the seeds of the Thunder Lotus."

Vereesa shook her head and said:

"We are friends, there is no need for this. I just happened to bring some pearl fruit, intending to use it to restore my strength when necessary. If you need it, I can give you a few."

"It's just that it's very difficult to plant pearl fruit."

Saying that, Vereesa took out the pearl fruit from the dimensional bag and handed it to the Flower Fairy.

"This is unshelled, and I also have some shelled ones here, you can see, after seeing it, you will know why I made a mistake."

Saying that, Vereesa put her hand into the dimensional bag again. After spreading her hand, her palm was actually a few pearls.

At first, even Attilan almost thought it was a pearl, but after carefully sensing the aura of the pearl in front of him, he found that it was indeed pearl rice.

It's just that it is covered by the thick aura of water element, and coupled with the round shape like a white jade pearl, anyone who sees it will think it is a pearl.

"Is this too much like a pearl?"

The Flower Fairy was shocked, the gap between this and the foxtail grass they were cultivating was too big.

Attilan was filled with emotion. As expected of a Great Druid, as long as you put your heart into it, you can cultivate pearl rice into pearls.

It is clearly rice, but the quality is so good that it can be used as jewelry. Sure enough, there are people beyond people, and there is a sky beyond the sky. There is still a lot he needs to learn.