Reaper of the Martial World

historical

Book 11: Chapter 15: Think (3)

The meeting hall was filled with a solemn atmosphere.

Usually, for a place of such importance, there would be grand pillars and elegant embroidery. However, this so-called elders’ gathering hall wasn’t very grandiose at all.

In the background, a raging river that could swallow up even a whale rushed on. Its waters were so dark that one would think it was flowing with oil instead of water.

Before this lake, there were several dozen elders. Some were aged, some were youth, but each of them had the signature drooping ears and elegance appearance of dwarves.

There were no seats or thrones. In fact, each one of them stood tall. It should have been an odd atmosphere, but it was actually awe inspiring. There was an aura that could make one’s bones quack in the air.

Dyon stood amidst all of this with a calm expression. To his side, Calen explained the situation with a bowed head. When he finished, he didn’t dare to raise his gaze and instead continued to stare at the moist dirt beneath his feet.

Dyon, however, met the gaze of each and every elder. It seemed he was keen on seeing through each and every one of them.

“Are you aware of the history between the dwarves and elves, young man?”

The dwarven elder who spoke didn’t seem to be in charge. Or, more accurately, it was hard to tell whether or not he was. Dyon could easily tell that they were all Half-Step Transcendents, but there didn’t seem to be different rankings among them.

From this, Dyon concluded that the true powerhouses of the clan were not here, but this was to be expected. After all, to them, he was a youth of not even 1000 years old. And, even if he was older, it wasn’t as though Calen had the power to invite individuals of that level out. Dyon would have to rely on himself for that.

“I am not…” Dyon responded frankly. He could have probably asked the World Tree for the details, but he had neglected to. To Dyon, the truth wasn’t truly all that important. Whether or not the dwarves were hostile to him didn’t make one difference. With his strength, he could come and go as he pleased.

Plus, this wasn’t his true appearance. If things went south, in order avoid unnecessary trouble, he would just revery back to his true appearance and pretend as though he had never come across the dwarves. Then he would silently make contingency plans in case they planned on attacking his wife and her clan simply because they were elves.

“… The only history I’m aware of is elven, and that history alone is tragic enough. You could say my race tore each other apart in your absence.”

After some thought, Dyon decided on adding these words. If the dwarves were hostile, this would likely lighten a load on their hearts because their enemies would get what they deserved. If they weren’t hostile, this would show both Dyon’s humility and express a will to rise to the top once more as one.

The elder who spoke raised an eyebrow, his faint wrinkles slightly smoothing out. What this meant, Dyon wasn’t entirely sure just yet.

“Do explain.” He said without hurry.

“My Acacia Clan, along with the Flourence Clan, were betrayed by the Mathilde Clan due to a prophecy. In the end, until just recently, my Acacia Clan didn’t have even a single dao expert. I was only lucky in receiving the legacy of a Sect you’ve likely never heard about. This is the reason for my success today.”

The gazes of the elders flashed with rage.

Even though they had been separated for a long time, they knew the three Ancient Elven Families well. After all, they had existed in the Golden Era as well. The betrayal of an ally wasn’t something they could easily accept.

“If what you say is true, then how can you guarantee that your elven clan will be of any help to us? It can’t be that you want us to rely on you alone?” Another elder asked.

“Whether you want to cooperate with me or not for the second phase is something you can slowly decide for yourselves. However, regardless, cooperating with me for the first phase will only help you.”

“You have cultivated an undefeatable spirit?”

“Yes.” Dyon said confidently. “I am willing to represent your dwarven clans for the first phase and help you to accumulate Faith.”

“Are you aware of the danger of such a thing for yourself? And even if other Clans won’t attack us lightly, they won’t sit idly by as we increase our strength through you either. If they truly fail in killing you, their spears will turn toward us.”

“Whether or not you took me to your side, you would have to battle those clans for a right to return to the mortal plane. You’ve said it yourselves, they won’t attack you all lightly. They will first take the easiest path, which would be to kill me.

“Rumors about my battle will Calen spread, but in the end, they will just be rumors. There will be no shortage of people who don’t believe them, or even people who think themselves intelligent who will assume those rumors to be fabricated in an attempt by you all to protect me.

“I believe this will buy us at least a few years before they even think of mobilizing their forces against you all. By then, the Faith I’ve accumulated by doing away with these naysayers will reach a high enough point for you to face most of these Clans will little apprehension.

“What do you think?”