397: Survival in dire straits

"Hey, did you see that?"

"The old man's magic-suppression chains need to be locked tight at the joints, otherwise this old bag of bones might still be able to squeeze out half a spell."

"That prince's arms are about to be rubbed raw; the skin of a male elf is just too delicate. When the orcs make the sale later, we need to make it clear to the buyer so they don't come looking for trouble afterward."

"Expecting a discount from the nobility? Keep dreaming."

"The little princess was tied up perfectly—it looks loose, but she can't break free. Those teardrops hanging on her cheeks really look like pearls from a broken string."

"If we replaced the hemp rope with silver chains, the resale price would probably double."

"..."

Kailanthos listened to this vulgar conversation and turned his face away in humiliation. Ilena sobbed quietly, her body trembling slightly from fear.

Once all the elves were subdued and strung together on a heavy iron chain, the Blood Elves squad leader waved his hand, still seemingly unsatisfied: "Alright, get them out of here quickly. Don't attract the patrol."

"These are top-tier goods; don't let anything go wrong on our turf."

"No need for you to worry," the orc leader, played by You Yu, replied gruffly. "Keep your own people in check; don't let them get the urge to pounce and take a few bites, breaking the rules."

The Blood Elves squad leader chuckled, revealing his fangs: "Don't worry, we have plenty of 'food.' Now get lost." With that, he led his subordinates off, disappearing leisurely into the forest.

You Yu yanked hard on the iron chain and roared gruffly: "Get up, all of you, move!" He kicked an elf guard who was moving a bit too slowly.

"What are you dawdling for? Waiting for the Blood Elves to come back and treat you to a meal?"

Escorting this group of high-profile captives, the slave-hunting party quickly disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

Inside a hidden valley.

The captured elves were driven to an open space. Arathmir had already fallen unconscious due to his severe injuries.

Kailanthos and Ilena sat back-to-back, covered in dust and bloodstains, looking utterly disheveled, yet the stubbornness in their eyes had not extinguished.

Kailanthos stared intently at You Yu, who had shed his disguise to reveal black robes and a mask, as well as the calm and composed Tudor standing beside him.

His heart was filled with suspicion.

These people did not have the lingering stench of orcs, nor the nauseating, corrupted aura of the Blood Elves; instead, they exuded a trace of cold, gloomy air.

[This is definitely not an ordinary slave-hunting party.]

"You aren't orcs?" Kailanthos's voice was raspy from thirst. "Who exactly are you people? What do you want by capturing us?"

Tudor did not answer immediately.

His gaze fell upon the unconscious Arathmir.

He walked forward slowly, extended a finger, and a wisp of pure Nether aura quietly probed into the old mage's body.

"Don't touch him!"

Kailanthos sternly tried to stop him and struggled to stand up, but was pushed back down by You Yu behind him.

"If anything happens to Master Arathmir, the Emerald Kingdom will never let you off."

"The Emerald Kingdom?" You Yu scoffed.

He added a bit of force to his hand, pinning Kailanthos firmly in place. "You should worry about whether you can survive until then first."

Tudor seemed not to have heard the commotion.

That wisp of Nether aura dispelled the blood-flesh power in Arathmir's internal organs while simultaneously nourishing his nearly exhausted life source.

In just a moment.

A hint of color actually returned to the old mage's gray, haggard face, and his breathing became steady and deep.

Kailanthos and Ilena watched this scene in shock.

This system was not any Elf magic or divine art they knew of, yet the effect was so obvious, leaving both of them shocked and suspicious.

"Who... who are you exactly?"

Kailanthos's tone was full of uncertainty; the scene before him had overturned his understanding.

Only then did Tudor raise his eyes and look calmly at Kailanthos: "Your Highness, the Eternal Song Fortress cannot be held. If you stay there, you only have two paths: be eaten by the Blood Elves, or be sold by slave-hunting parties to the Human Kingdoms to suffer endless humiliation."

"No, the Elf Goddess will protect us!!!" Ilena couldn't help but shout, "She will never abandon her people!"

"Heh, protection?"

Tudor shook his head lightly, his eyes still fixed on Kailanthos's face. "If the Elf Goddess could provide protection, why would you need to flee in such a panic? Look at your current situation."

Kailanthos pressed his lips together tightly, unable to refute.

This cruel reality was like a basin of ice water poured over his head, making his whole body run cold.

"We are not your enemies," Tudor continued. "On the contrary, we can provide a safe place—a place where the Blood Elves and slave-hunting parties will absolutely never find you."

A glimmer of faint hope appeared in Ilena's eyes as she looked at Kailanthos: "Royal Brother, perhaps they..."

Kailanthos's eyes tightened, and he interrupted his sister: "Then why did you save us?"

"What do you want? Ransom? Or do you want to use the royal family to threaten the Royal Court?" He stared intently at the other party, trying to discern something from that calm face.

"State your purpose!"

You Yu, who was standing to the side with his arms crossed, spoke coldly at this moment: "Threaten the Royal Court? Do you still have that value now? The Eternal Song Fortress is almost gone; who can you royals who escaped even command?"

Kailanthos's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

The Elf Race's homeland was about to perish, and they, the escaped royals, were no longer important bargaining chips.

Tudor's tone remained flat: "What we want is not ransom, nor is it leverage. It is just... an investment in the future."

His spiritual sense swept over the elves present. "Choose to trust us, and you will survive, and you can preserve the last dignity and bloodline of the Elf Race. If you don't believe it,"

He paused and pointed toward the valley exit. "We can let you go now, and leave the Elf Race to fend for itself. Of course, you can try to see how long you can survive in this forest in your current state."

Kailanthos struggled intensely within.

Leave?

With the heavily injured Arathmir, the terrified Ilena, and these remnants of their troops, where could they go?

Return to that homeland which had already become a hell?

Kailanthos felt as if he could already see the scene of his kin being devoured by the Blood Elves.

His gaze shifted from Tudor's bottomless eyes to Arathmir, whose breathing was gradually stabilizing.

The old mage's condition had indeed improved; this was an indisputable fact. His responsibility as the Crown Prince ultimately outweighed his personal pride and suspicion.

Kailanthos took a deep breath, as if using up all his strength, and gambled: "Fine, the Elf Race will go with you."

Ilena looked at him in surprise: "Royal Brother!"

Kailanthos shook his head at his sister, signaling her not to say anything more.

Tudor nodded slightly and said nothing more.

He raised his hand and waved it in the air, and a portal with edges shimmering with dark light opened silently.

"Go in. Behind the door, you can be safe for the time being."

Kailanthos took one last deep look at Tudor, helped the semiconscious Arathmir up, and was the first to step into the portal of light.

Ilena bit her lip, and surrounded by the other elf guards, she followed him in, with no one looking back.