329: Chapter 330 The Father and Son Who Trusted Lilia So Much

"This wasn't entirely an act," Elandir said, his smile fading as he turned serious. "It was actually a suggestion from Lord Lin Muyang. He said he intends to establish a completely new order on the Velos Continent—a world where all intelligent races, especially our Elves, can live in true peace, freedom, and dignity, no longer fearing capture or enslavement."

His gaze grew profound. "This new order needs leaders, and it needs supporters. Because of Lilia, the Sunlight Elf Clan is destined to stand at the core of this new order. But we cannot, and should not, stand alone. We need to understand who, in times of crisis, are true allies we can rely on, who can share hardship; who are fair-weather friends, only there for prosperity; and who, deep down, have lost the courage to resist, seeking only a cowardly peace."

He looked at Xiyier, his eyes carrying appreciation. "Today's meeting was the touchstone. Regrettably, apart from the Wind Whisper Elves, the other four clans failed the test. Therefore, in the future construction of the new order, the distribution of resources, the arrangement of status, and even the guarantee of living space will naturally differ. Only those who can share hardship are qualified to share peace and glory. Those are Lord Lin Muyang's exact words, and I find them very reasonable."

Xiyier listened quietly, waves of shock crashing within her heart. That Lord Lin Muyang, whom she had never met, was thinking so far ahead! He wasn't just solving the immediate crisis; he was planning to change the entire continent's landscape!

A tremendous sense of opportunity and a heavy weight of responsibility pressed down on her heart simultaneously. She felt immensely grateful that she had chosen to stand with the Sunlight Elf Clan. It wasn't just a gamble; it was a crucial alignment, betting her entire clan's future. Now, it seemed she had bet correctly.

"So that's how it is..." Xiyier murmured, but then a new doubt surged within her. "But, Patriarch Elandir, Laigong, how can you be so certain that Lord Lin Muyang truly possesses the strength to resist, or even overthrow, the Canglan Empire? Even if he is from another world, even if Lilia has become very strong, the Canglan Empire is, after all, a behemoth with centuries of history, boasting billions of people, countless armies and powerful individuals, and more than one Dragon Rider!"

This was her deepest doubt. Trust was one thing, but the disparity in strength was an objective reality. Could one person, or a few people, no matter how strong, truly be stronger than a nation?

Elandir and Laigong exchanged a smile, one that held a hint of "it's time to open your eyes."

"Hearing is not as good as seeing," Elandir said, standing up and gesturing for Xiyier to follow. "Patriarch Xiyier, come with me. I'll show you a small bit of the reliance our Sunlight Elf Clan now possesses."

Filled with intense curiosity and trepidation, Xiyier followed Elandir, his son, Queen Yiselah, and several elders. They left the council hall, traversed moonlit winding paths, and headed towards a vast, restricted forest clearing behind the ancient trees.

After walking for several kilometers and passing through a natural archway guarded by awakened ancient trees, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

This was a meticulously maintained forest garden, filled with deep blue flowers and moonlight grass, vast in area with a small, star-and-moon-reflecting spring at its center. However, the most eye-catching thing in the garden at this moment was definitely not this scenery.

On the soft grass near the spring, a figure so immense it made one's soul tremble lay quietly resting!

It was a dragon!

A colossal being over fifty meters long, and even while lying down, over ten meters tall! It possessed dark green scales that looked as if carved from the finest jadeite, flowing with a deep and magnificent life luster under the moonlight. Its slender, elegant neck rested on its foreclaws, and its massive head, even with its eyes closed in slumber, naturally exuded a suffocating majesty born from the top of the food chain.

The pair of wings folded at its sides had sturdy bones and tough membranes; fully extended, they could likely blot out nearly half the garden's sky! Even the faint airflow from its natural breathing was enough to make the surrounding flowers and grass sway as if in a gentle breeze.

A dragon! And not just any dragon, but one of such immense size and perfection that Xiyier had never seen in her life, nor even heard of in legends!

"This... what is..." Xiyier's breath caught, her emerald-green pupils contracting to pinpoints, her heart pounding wildly, almost leaping from her chest. She had seen dragons before; the Canglan Empire's Dragon Riders occasionally provoked at the borders. Those flying dragons were fierce, but compared to this jade mountain-like beast before her, they were like geckos to a prehistoric crocodile! They were not even in the same league!

"As you can see, it's a dragon," Elandir's voice sounded beside her, carrying unconcealed pride and a touch of emotion. "Its name is Little Green. It is Lilia's mount. It obeys her commands completely."

He pointed towards the dragon's head. "That night, the Canglan Empire's arrogant Third Prince, Byron, was... well, instantly dealt with by a single blast of Little Green's highly toxic dragon breath. His flying dragon and those Griffin Knights didn't even have a chance to escape."

A single dragon breath instantly killed a Dragon Rider and his entire escort? Xiyier drew a sharp, cold breath. Looking at Little Green's body, which seemed to contain destructive power even in slumber, she believed it without a doubt. This dragon absolutely had that kind of strength! No, it was more like overwhelming, crushing strength!

"But, Father," Laigong added from the side, his tone a mix of awe and helplessness, "I heard from Lilia that this Little Green's strength is actually considered relatively weak within their little group. In real battles, they usually don't let it fight, saying it's too slow, can't keep up with the pace..."

"What?!" This time, even Elandir showed a surprised expression, let alone Xiyier. Such a terrifying dragon, in Lilia and her friends' eyes, was just a relatively weak, slow mount? Then what must their true strength be like? How powerful must Lord Lin Muyang and the other girls around him be?

Elandir composed himself and looked at Xiyier, who had completely frozen in shock. He shook his head with a wry smile. "Now, you should understand why I have confidence in Lord Lin Muyang and his companions? However..."

He changed the subject, his tone taking on a hint of the worry Xiyier had mentioned earlier. "Patriarch Xiyier, your concerns are not unfounded. The Canglan Empire is only one of the seven human nations. If we truly go to war with the Canglan Empire, or even overthrow it, the other six nations will definitely not sit idly by. The principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold' applies to human empires as well. At that time, what we might face is the hostility of the entire human realm. No matter how strong Lord Lin Muyang and his companions are, can they oppose all the humans on the continent? That remains an unknown."

A brief silence fell in the garden. The night breeze carried the dragon's faint, ancient forest-like scent. The jade dragon, Little Green, seemed to dream of something, its massive tail unconsciously giving a slight sweep, causing a faint tremor in the ground.

Xiyier gazed at the colossal beast symbolizing absolute martial power before her. The wild joy and relief that had just risen in her heart were once again diluted by the grander, more terrifying prospect Elandir had raised.

Opposing one nation might be possible. But opposing the entire human civilization of the continent?

Was that mysterious Lord Lin Muyang and his companions truly already that powerful?

In truth, for some members of the Sunlight Elf Clan, the question of whether Lin Muyang could truly single-handedly oppose or even overpower all the human kingdoms on the Velos Continent lingered like a shadow, not completely dispelled even after witnessing the might of the jade dragon, Little Green.

Killing an arrogant Third Prince, or even routing a vanguard force, was a completely different concept from openly opposing, let alone overthrowing, a centuries-old, massive empire. If war truly broke out with the Canglan Empire, it would inevitably touch upon that sensitive, common nerve among human nations—vigilance and suppression of non-human races.

At that time, what the Sunlight Elf Clan might face was not just the Canglan Empire's full-scale wrath, but also the hostility and encirclement from the entire human civilization sphere. This prospect alone was enough to suffocate any rational Elf.

However, amidst this haze of doubt, Elandir and Laigong, father and son, stood like two unwavering mountains. Their confidence did not stem from a blind overestimation of Lin Muyang's power, but was built upon absolute trust in Lilia.

Lilia was innocent and carefree, yet also intelligent and sensitive. Having grown up among the Sunlight Elf Clan, she had a clear, intuitive understanding of the strength levels of the clan's elders and masters. She had witnessed the brilliance of Elf magic, experienced the precision of Elf archery, and understood the power of nature a fully unleashed Elf elder could command.

Precisely because of this, when she evaluated the jade dragon, Little Green—powerful enough to instantly kill a Dragon Rider—with such a casual, even slightly dismissive tone, calling it relatively weak and unable to keep up with the battle pace, the matter-of-fact plainness in her words carried unparalleled persuasiveness.

Lilia wasn't a child prone to exaggeration, especially on serious matters of life and death. Since she dared to say 'Brother Muyang and the others can handle it,' dared to propose taking the fight directly to their stronghold, then, in Laigong and Elandir's hearts, this was the most reliable guarantee.

They trusted Lilia's judgment, believed she wouldn't gamble with the fate of the entire clan, and believed even more that she wouldn't misjudge the person she had chosen to follow. This trust, rooted in familial bonds, became their greatest source of confidence in facing the unknown storm ahead.