When mentioning a certain word, the girl's expression carried a tinge of reverence, longing, anticipation, along with a hint of sorrow and perplexity. These wonderfully vivid emotions reflecting perfectly in her red pupils.
"Presently, we have an awkward situation where the only way for us to survive is to have girls marry early and bear multiple children. However, having too many children makes it difficult to support them. So, I hope you won't mind everyone's... odd behavior. We are all dealing with many hardships."
A slight misstep can lead to substantial losses, severe enough to obliterate an entire village.
In such a harsh environment, it's inevitable that one's mentality will be skewed, and behaviors of introversion, paranoia, and xenophobia can be seen as justified. No one can guarantee that they would still be worry-free and cheerful in such circumstances every day. Even if some distorted mental issues exist, the elves still essentially maintain their simple and honest folk customs.
They have done commendably well; they should not be blamed anymore.
Li Lin had no intention of being overly critical either.
"Your discomforting situation is not entirely bad. At least, you know that danger lurks all around and are ready to face sudden threats at any moment. Maintaining constant vigilance is one of the basic conditions for the survival of a race. If some chose to ignore danger, seeking only to survive in the short term, no matter how prosperous or powerful they may seem, their doom would eventually find them."
The girl found a warm strength in Li Lin's flat tone, which, though perhaps lacking in humanity, was his unique way of comforting others.
"While the elves' current living conditions have indeed declined compared to the past, you are still alive, right? Making changes for survival is the basic survival instinct developed by living organisms, and it's not blameworthy. After all, this isn't survival trading dignity as its cost. I think…"
Pausing, as if considering his words carefully, a gentle smile bloomed on the face of the young man before Brynhild.
"It's as splendid and dazzling as a flash."
A truly sincere, heartfelt appraisal.
Over the course of thousands of years, the survival of their species has not relied on methods such as peace talks, submission, or providing women, etc., as a means to ensure the continuation of their kind. Although begging for survival can be deemed disgraceful, it doesn't necessarily lead one into a corner as tough as the Niflheim Valley. Basic living provisions for ordinary folks and a certain level of prosperity for the ruling class could all potentially be secured.
All elves in the village, from top to bottom, are struggling to survive in such extreme conditions, even falling to the brink of extinction. Yet, they have never given up their "dignity." Even if they were struggling to survive in the mire, they would never grovel to their enemies.
An excellent resilience and wisdom of survival have thus been fully proven. The "Wisdom Species," the Elves, fully meet the standards and elements in the plan.
—A force that could potentially be nurtured and strengthened, then utilized for their own purposes.
Currently, the Elves are vulnerable, and there are numerous problems within the village that limit their development. At a glance, the gap between their circumstance and the standard seems vast, but in Li Lin's eyes, these are not significant issues at all.
Weakness could potentially grow into strength, and problems can be solved with the allocation of resources, effort, and capital. The gap with the standard can be bridged with time and effort. The Elves possess an abundance of patience and tenacity.
What they lack is direction, environmental suitability, an opportunity… a guide who can tell them what to do.
—To consolidate the ideal of the forsaken, to bestow upon them the name of [King], to transcend worldly norms and conventional wisdoms is a great existence.
"Not a heroic demise, nor an inferior survival. This binary choice is monotonously bereft of creativity and mercilessly brutal. You must be getting tired of this grim cycle. So, in response, how would you like it if I gave you a new option?"
A charming and menacing smirk etched onto the thin lips, the deep red pupils seemingly extracting the very soul, Brynhild's heart began pounding under the weight of something immense.
"What... what are you saying?"
"Up until now, the framework of the Old World has only allowed you to accumulate pain and despair. Even when trying to live with integrity can end up cornering you, only awaiting the arrival of the last moment, right? This is because the world order was not established by you, but by your enemies. Humans and beastmen do not want the Elves to re-emerge as a threat to their dominance. The system they have put in place is only for exploitation and oppression. So, are you still harboring any illusions? What are you holding out for?"
"What do you mean... I don't understand."
"You do, and everyone in this village does. When you decided to mine gold with all your might; when you moved into the Niflheim Valley; when you were driven to wander; when human forces trampled and slaughtered you. No, even before that—a thousand years ago, from the day the Gilmania Kingdom collapsed, the Elf Clan already knew the answer."
"That... that is..."
Her trembling body, overwhelmed by a mighty aura, longed to step back, her sense of self nearly consumed by the teenager's presence. As if enchanted by the sweetly tempting words still echoing in her ears, she couldn't help but meet his sharp, piercing gaze, transmitted from the red gem-like eyes that were staring straight into Brynhild's face, leaving no room for avoidance or refusal.
"To overthrow the ancient world order, to burn away all the disgusting ugliness of this world, and to create a brand-new world, a brand-new order from the ashes of the old one."
Trembling.
Shaking violently.
Caught in a wave of emotions—whether terror or excitement—her body quaked as these conflicting sensations swirled within. Her tightly clenched hands, nails digging into her palms, blood oozing from the wound. The pain reached the top of her arm, and her consciousness, which had been slightly revived from the stimulation, suppressed her desire to shout with excitement.
The slender fingers, unassociated with labor, floated before her, stirring the air like a whirlpool. His right hand, which was placed over his own heart, drew in Brynhild's sight along with the tense atmosphere.
"To rectify the absurdity and injustice of the world, to bring change that sweeps away all corruption—this is my wish, my goal. The only method, the only path to achieving this, I call it—"
Pausing for a moment, his right hand reached out towards the flabbergasted elf girl, the open palm seemingly extending an invitation. The almost frenziedly confused Brynhild truly saw it happen.
"[Revolution]."
The heavy burden, seeming to carry the weight of the world itself, dropped at the mere utterance of the word, and there in the small palm suspended in air, was indeed—the world.
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PS: The ultimate weapon of magic and science—the novel—has been established. If anyone is interested, they can go to our public forum. To celebrate the A-ranking of this book, and the fact that the story is finally moving in the direction of "World Change," a bonus MV "Meteor Tears" has been released. Yes, it's in Mandarin, and wonderfully sung. If this book has the good fortune of being turned into a comic or animation, I hope that it will also have an MV. Lastly... *cough cough* My cold and keratitis have gotten worse; I feel like I'm dying...