The princess smiled, seemingly lighting the entire room. “Our plans are for the long term.
Zaltarish is being groomed for the next kingship, and we’ve noted the underworking of a marriage alliance between those two families using him and Mithrandir Norville.
I’m sure you’ve seen the words in the sky above the castle…” the princess spoke with clear sadness in her voice, “so, you can tell the kind of pressure such an alliance puts on us.
Mithrandir is already an unparalleled genius in her own right. But, with the addition of Zaltarish, this is a couple the neutral major families might not be able to continue to ignore…
However, the pressure you apply as the sole holder of the innate aurora in the entire universe is something that doesn’t pale in comparison to the talent those two display. In fact, despite the bravado of Zaltarish’s manifestation, I’d dare to say that it pales…”
The princess paused before continuing. “I’m sure you’ve had many talks with my cousin… I love her like I would my own sister. We are close as could be and I know her like the back of my hand. There was no one more excited than her when she learned of your innate aurora.
“The impact you could have on campaigns alone is staggering. To some, you may be the only hope us elves have of ever returning to our original universe.”
Many elves sighed with emotion. Not all universes were created equal… if you fell from great heights, it would be almost impossible to make up. A prime example was the demon sage. When he came out of the Timeless Library, his talent hadn’t been reduced at all. So, why couldn’t he simply reclaim the things he had lost overtime?
The answer was simple… once you fell to low ranking universes, the gates fell in cultivation limits along with them. Meaning, you could no longer rely on yourself to improve, you could only rely on your subordinates. But, what did this mean? It meant that you only had one chance and one road to success. If you ever stumbled… it would be near impossible to catch up.
So, the elves were in an endless cycle. They wanted to return to their home lands but could only rely on their younger generation to conquer the gates. But, because they were in such a low-ranking universe, the gates capped at the peak of essence gathering… and at the same time, their younger generation kept declining!
And now, the opposing universe had grown innate aurora talents and were pressing against this universe endlessly. Although there were talents like Thor and Madeleine, there was also more than one gate in this universe… they couldn’t be everywhere at once… and their effects on a battle field could never hope to match someone with an innate aurora.
Finally, Dyon spoke, “so… your plan is meant to span decades. You want to use the time I have between now and before I enter the saint sage, to gain the elves a foothold in the next universe so you can slowly make your way back?”
The princess nodded. “Contributions to campaigns, and especially contributions to gate conquerings are all kept track of via arrays provided by the guild headquarters. This is because they’re the only faction that has consistent communication with universes outside of ours.”
Dyon’s eyes flashed with something imperceptible… it was clear that the guild headquarters were all being monitored on a large scale… and it was clear that this connected back to the suppression of array alchemy.
The princess continued, “this is necessary because this universe had fvie total gates connecting to a single other universe,” the princess sighed, “this is both a blessing and a disgrace… a blessing because we have only one other universe to deal with… but a disgrace because connecting to only a single universe means that we’re so far to the edge, that that’s all we’re worth…
“That aside… because we have five gates and multiple planets, gates aren’t exclusive at all. Meaning, although it’s rare, people from the other four planets can come campaign at our gates, and we at theirs. Combine this with a myriad of clans, families, and sects, and it becomes difficult to tell who is contributing the most.
“As such, ranking systems were put in place for each gate using complex arrays given to campaign leaders. By doing this, should a gate be conquered, a universe would know exactly which clan contributed the most, and know exactly which clan would be heading the negotiations.”
A look of realization flashed across Dyon’s face… so they wanted him to campaign under the Elvin banner so that he could work his way to the top of the leader boards, conquer the gate, and allow the Elves to lead the negotiation for their foothold in the next universe so they could slowly make their way back…
“I see…”
The princess nodded. “So, what do you say?”
Dyon thought for a bit before nodding. “I’ll join you. I have no reason not to. I want to make it to other universes anyway… if you give me added protection while I do so, I have no issue with allowing the elves to decide the terms of the negotiation.” .
The crowd was stunned. Dyon’s words were resolute and held no doubt. He didn’t say he would try his best. He didn’t use soft words like ‘maybe’, he only spoke in absolutes. Leaving himself no room to backtrack.
The princess’ eyes glistened, causing Elder Flyleaf who was near the back to smile knowingly.
‘It seems wooing girls really isn’t all that difficult for you, hmm? I guess I underestimated you.’
Jade giggled. ‘Won’t even let the princess go? And after all those things you did to me? What a bad boy.’
The princess smiled. “Then it’s official. About two months from now, the youths of the major and sub-families will be holding a banquet. At that time, I’d like you to make your alliance with us clear. I want no room for doubt,” suddenly the princess thought of something, “oh, and see if you can get Ri to go as well… she usually hates these sort of things, but, it’s important that she’s there.
“The last thing is for all of you,” she looked up with her deep blue eyes, “I’ll be making a brief appearance at this banquet as well. It’ll be short, but I believe it’s necessary. I think it’s time people knew that the king’s faction isn’t so weak as to allow his daughter to suffer or bow her head in fear,” turning to Dyon she spoke again, “once everything is settled properly, I won’t be protecting those who’ve offended you. You may do as you please with them.”
Visit 𝘳𝑎.𝗇t