321: Chapter 322 The Brutal Empire

Hearing her brother's guess, Lilia couldn't help but burst into a giggle. Her mood, which had been somewhat low due to her clansmen's suffering, lightened a bit. She stepped forward, affectionately pulling on Laigong's arm, her pale green eyes holding a trace of smugness as well as seriousness.

"Big brother, you guessed wrong!" Lilia shook her head, her voice crisp. "This shield wasn't given to me by some elder; it's Brother Muyang's own method! It's a defensive skill he has mastered!"

She paused to organize her words, attempting to explain the situation that exceeded their imagination to her brother and the clansmen who were listening intently. "During this time, I went to a very, very distant place called the Blue Star. Brother Muyang... he's actually not from our Velos Continent; he came here from another world. On the Blue Star, he was very good to me, and there were many other powerful and kind sisters there. I was very happy there—it was much more interesting than being shut in the Sunlight Palace and learning those boring etiquettes and history every day!"

Lilia's words were like another giant boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up even more turbulent waves in the hearts of the elves who had just been shocked by the shield.

His own method? From another world? Blue Star? And many sisters?

Every word challenged their common sense. The shield was this young human's own skill? How was that possible? How old was he? Even if he had started cultivating from the womb, it would be impossible to reach such an unfathomable level in defensive magic! Unless he wasn't an ordinary human at all, or the power system of the world he came from was completely different from that of the Velos Continent?

As for "other worlds" and the "Blue Star," these concepts left the elves feeling bewildered and vaguely uneasy. There were worlds beyond their own? Her Highness had actually crossed a world barrier? This sounded like the most absurd epic sung by a bard.

Laigong's expression froze completely. He opened his mouth, only to find that he had lost his voice for a moment. His sister's words were too subversive; he needed time to digest them.

"I summoned her there," Lin Muyang spoke up at the right time, his voice gentle as he broke the brief silence. He looked at Laigong with a frank gaze. "It was a cross-world summoning contract. Originally, the contract was not mandatory; she could freely choose to stay or return. It's just that this girl felt that in the Sunlight Palace... well, in her words, it was too boring, so she chose to stay on the Blue Star most of the time to be with her sisters."

Lin Muyang's explanation, though still brief, combined with Lilia's words and the undeniable facts before them, forced Laigong and the surrounding elves to begin accepting this unbelievable possibility—the person before them truly came from beyond the heavens and possessed power they could not comprehend.

Laigong fell silent. He looked at Lin Muyang, then at his sister, who was leaning against Lin Muyang with a face overflowing with heartfelt happiness and reliance. The Lilia in his memory, though lively, often carried a gloom from being bound by rules, with a longing for freedom occasionally flickering in her eyes. But the current Lilia had bright eyes and a more composed and confident aura; that happiness radiated from the inside out and could not be faked.

If this human from another world with unfathomable strength could truly make his sister so happy and even help her become better... then it seemed not entirely unacceptable? At least, his care and affection for his sister appeared genuine.

A complex mix of emotions surged in Laigong's heart. Inherent hostility toward humans, annoyance at his sister being taken away, shock and a trace of awe at Lin Muyang's strength, and relief at his sister's current state... These various emotions intertwined, finally turning into a long sigh of relief and helplessness.

He sheathed his sword, and though his expression was still not great, the tense hostility had mostly dissipated. He stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation, his tone stiff but trying his best to remain polite. "In that case... everyone, please follow me. My Royal Father, Royal Mother, and the elders must have sensed the commotion here as well."

Lin Muyang nodded, showing understanding of Laigong's change in attitude. He took Gui Wanwan and Feng Ling and followed behind Laigong and Lilia, walking toward the deeper parts of the ancient trees, where clusters of magnificent treehouses were built on massive branches and root platforms.

Along the way, countless elves still cast curious, wary, and probing glances, but they lacked the initial intense hostility, showing instead a complex watchfulness toward the unknown and the powerful.

Walking on a winding path naturally paved with glowing moss and sunlight flowers, Lin Muyang looked at the surrounding elven architecture that blended perfectly with nature and was full of artistic beauty. Feeling the rich magic elements and life aura in the air, he suddenly asked, "Prince Laigong, I'm a bit curious about something. Does the Sunlight Elf Clan seem to hold a deep prejudice against humans? When we first met, everyone's hostility was not feigned."

Laigong's footsteps paused slightly. He didn't look back, but his voice lowered, carrying a suppressed hatred and helplessness. "It's not prejudice, but a bloody reality. Human greed, hypocrisy, and cruelty are lessons written with the blood and tears of our countless clansmen."

He took a deep breath, seemingly to calm his emotions, and then slowly said, "On the Velos Continent, the Seven Human Kingdoms stand tall, each a colossus with a population of billions. They occupy the most fertile lands and have established the most brilliant civilizations, which have also bred the most inflated ambitions and desires. To us, elves are a race that coexists with nature, possessing a long history and wisdom, but in the eyes of many human nobles, wealthy merchants, and even some fallen powerhouses..."

Laigong's voice carried a barely perceptible tremble. "We are merely rare collectibles and top-tier playthings with beautiful looks and long lifespans!"

"Slave-hunting teams, black markets, underground auctions... countless elves, regardless of gender, face shackles and cages once they are separated from the group at the forest's edge or if their settlements are breached by human armies. They are sold like livestock! Most female elves become the forbidden playthings of nobles or the private pets of wealthy merchants, while male elves might become gladiators or toys for those with special fetishes. Those who can barely save their lives and gain a place in human society by pleasing their masters are few and far between. The vast majority wither away early in humiliation, torture, and the despair of homesickness."

He pointed to a young female elf warrior not far away on a thick branch, who was silently wiping her bow and arrows with sharp but sorrowful eyes. "Her sister was abducted by an elite slave-hunting team of the Canglan Empire half a month ago while gathering Moon Glow Grass on the eastern side of the forest. We pursued them for three hundred miles, only to find a few corpses of the team's lackeys and scattered elven ornaments... The person had already been moved away."

Laigong's words made the surrounding air feel a few degrees colder. Lilia clenched her fists tightly, anger burning in her pale green eyes. She had known that her clansmen were often captured, but hearing a specific example still made her heart ache. Gui Wanwan and Feng Ling also frowned slightly. Though they came from different worlds and had seen various cruelties, this kind of systematic enslavement of intelligent beings as mere goods was still despicable.

"Canglan Empire..." Lin Muyang repeated the name. His tone was flat, but those familiar with him could hear a trace of coldness in it.

"Among the seven human empires, it has the widest territory, the strongest national power, and is also the most domineering and greedy," Laigong said through gritted teeth. "Their slave-hunting teams are the most rampant and well-equipped, often having the secret support of official imperial officers or even Royal Knights."

"In recent decades, over sixty percent of the missing members of our Sunlight Elf Clan have had their final clues point toward the Canglan Empire! They are located in the east of the continent, and the part that borders our Dark Blue Forest is the longest, making conflicts the most frequent."

It was precisely because of this that Lilia, as a princess, was strictly forbidden from leaving the core protected area of the ancient trees without permission. The entire population of hundreds of thousands of elves could not remain hidden forever; they needed to hunt, gather, and trade with other intelligent creatures in the forest. Every excursion was accompanied by risk.

The elves would also fight back fiercely, killing or capturing many human slave-hunters or explorers who attempted to infiltrate the forest every month, and the fate of these people was often extremely miserable. But with the temptation of huge profits, there were always people willing to take risks, and some always succeeded.

This ongoing bloodshed and hatred, which had lasted for centuries with no end in sight, had long been deeply etched between the two races. The Sunlight Elf Clan's hostility toward humans, especially toward the human nations, was rooted in this soil nurtured by blood, tears, and humiliation.

"Compared to us, the situation of the Orc Race is even more tragic," Laigong's tone carried a hint of sorrow for their fellow non-humans. "They mostly rely on brute force, and their resistance appears even more futile against the sophisticated equipment, organized legions, and powerful magic of the humans. Today, over eighty percent of the orc tribes on the continent have surrendered or been wiped out. Almost all surviving orcs have become the bottom-tier laborers, miners, and gladiators of human society, living without any dignity."

Listening to Laigong's narration, Lin Muyang gained a clearer understanding of the racial landscape and the dark side of the Velos Continent. This was a world where strength was revered, and naked plunder and oppression were hidden beneath the veneer of civilization. Human hegemony was built upon the blood and tears of other races.

"Canglan Empire..." Lilia murmured the name. She looked up at Lin Muyang, her beautiful eyes nearly spitting fire. It wasn't the petty anger of a young girl, but a settled fire of revenge filled with sadness and determination. "Brother Muyang, shouldn't we take a trip to this Canglan Empire?"

The reason she had worked so hard to learn various offensive skills on the Blue Star and pestered Lin Muyang for powerful equipment was that, besides wanting to help him, she harbored a deep desire in her heart—if she could ever return one day, she would definitely seek justice for those clansmen who had been taken away to suffer or had perhaps already perished! She would make those high and mighty humans who viewed elves as playthings pay the price!

Lin Muyang looked at the fire burning in Lilia's eyes and reached out to gently ruffle her long hair, his movements tender.