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Chapter 550 - Elves are Elves

To diffuse the hostile glares directed to the intruders, the high elf village chief smiled warmly.

"Don’t do that, they are guests. Undo their ropes and leave us."

The wood elves were still wary but did as they were told and Zero wondered if the high elf was a friend or foe. He didn’t give Zero a good impression simply because he reminded Zero about the story of oppression from high elves. Why would this man be so well-fed when the wood elves were all skin and bones? Something didn’t add up.

Once they were given some privacy, the high elf bowed to them. "Thank you for feeding them. I can tell that both of you mean no harm. They are only hostile because they live in fear. Ever since King Sharo started capturing wood elves remaining in Altear to set an example of high elf supremacy, these poor wood elves are the only ones remaining in Altear who aren’t reduced to serving high elves."

Truen raised a brow. "And why would a high elf like you who is well-fed and all, help these wood elves? I’m assuming you’re also quite a powerful high elf with rank from your behaviour and the amount of magic you poured into making this barrier."

The village chief smiled. "I’m not a pure high elf. These people can be considered my relatives. I’m a quarter wood elf even if I don’t seem like it."

Zero appraised this man and nodded. He wasn’t lying and Zero didn’t feel any triggers to warn him about a lie. Hence, the doctor decided to believe in him.

"We just came from Windy Wood Town. The scholar sold us a map and we were thinking of visiting some wood elf settlement before heading to the main city of high elves. What happened here? Why are high elves hunting wood elves?"

The chief sighed. "Blame it on the previous king for poisoning King Sharo’s mind. It’s another one of Sharo’s whims, honestly. If I could beat Sharo in combat, I would have challenged him to end his reign. Unfortunately, he is the strongest elf alive in Altear."

The village chief introduced himself as Torran and is officially a magician from the main city of high elves.

"I used to be an adventurer but I’ve retired. Many years ago, I was the top graduate for magicians in Altear. A few of us who graduated from the Academy tried to challenge Sharo for the position of King or Queen but he was simply too strong. Some say that Sharo might be stronger than his father because he received some sort of blessing from Alex the Spriggan."

Zero was intrigued. High elves were treating wood elves as inferior because of King Sharo. However, what did other high elves think about the situation?

"Did nobody speak up for the wood elves?" he asked.

Torran frowned. "The council did but Sharo replaced them all. He’s a tyrant that we cannot defy. Those who could leave like me have left. However, those who had no valid reasons were trapped in the main city. It’s like an invisible prison that high elves were stuck in. Everyone depended on Sharo to live or die, it’s madness."

Zero and Truen shared a look and asked for more information. Torran looked like someone willing to talk and they needed more information. Zero was determined not to involve himself in any more royalty if he could help it.

"Tell me more," Zero looked at Torran and the village chief quickly put up a soundproof barrier.

"You don’t seem to be an ordinary adventurer," he told Zero. "What I’m about to say is classified. How do I know I can trust you?"

Zero smiled and pulled out the royal letter appointing him as Smargdas’ envoy. "I’m here to clean up some of the mess between Altear and Smargdas. However, we decided to come undercover to investigate the situation. It doesn’t look too good from what we’ve seen. Won’t you help us help you?"

Truen was impressed by Zero’s way with words. Torran agreed and spilt everything he knew about Altear, including the secrets about the Weeping Willow.

"Your map is mostly accurate but there are changes. These settlements no longer exist and I would be cautious of the guards on the main path in this area," Torran marked it out.

"As for the Weeping Willow, it should be located in the middle of a lake within this shaded area. If I recall correctly, it would be located right here or near it. The map really isn’t very accurate. Who drew this?"

Zero didn’t know the name of the scholar in Windy Wood Town who sold it to him but he let Torran know where it came from. The elf simply clicked his tongue and redrew it more accurately.

"There should be a small side path that is less travelled by adventurers and merchants but it does lead to the main city. There shouldn’t be any guards there and if there were, it would be less heavily guarded than the main road. You can bypass the checks and reach the main city without issues. They don’t like wood elves so if your friend here doesn’t have a pass, he would be in trouble. I would suggest buying a pass for yourself at the main gate and passing it to your wood elf friend here before heading to the main gate together to buy another pass for yourself."

"Won’t they require some form of authentication for registering? I’d be in trouble if they have to register twice, won’t I?" Zero asked.

Torran shook his head. "Not really. They don’t register it, they simply check it on the spot and sell you a travel pass for ridiculously high prices. Money talks in the main city as resources are scarce."

Truen smirked. If it was money, they had more of that stuff. They probably had enough to make King Sharo cry in envy at the amount they had given all the business deals Half Moon Trading has been getting.

Zero had one more question and Torran didn’t know how to answer it.

"You can’t waltz in and out of the Weeping Willow’s lake. It’s more heavily guarded than the castle and only King Sharo has access to it. Either way, you need to get his permission to visit the Weeping Willow. The magic barrier created only allows him to enter. To everyone else who tries, they will be s.u.c.k.e.d dry of their life energy and suffer a painful death before they could even reach the World Tree."

Truen cringed. That sounded horrible and while Zero didn’t have to worry about such things, the same couldn’t be said about him and Bob.

Zero thought about it deeply that night. He had two tasks and neither of them was easy to resolve.

"Hey, Truen. What do you think? Should I deal with King Sharo and make the deal first so that King Brice can have some peace of mind or get his approval to see the Weeping Willow first? Do you think he will change his mind once he finds out that I’m not just an envoy but also the ’chosen one’?"

Truen didn’t know. However, he could advise Zero to make a backup plan in case one didn’t work and Zero spent the whole night tossing in bed, thinking about what he should do if negotiations fell apart.