"We are currently within the human sphere of influence, so when walking in a beast's lair, we must keep our eyes and ears open, collecting all available information and being wary of any anomalies. This is a matter of life and death, not an insignificant detail. In the future, we will continue to interact with various human forces and those of the beast-people, so it's best to get used to paying attention to human intelligence. At critical times, seemingly inconspicuous pieces of information can make the difference between victory and defeat, life and death."
A playful smile reappeared on his face, and he raised his middle finger.
"As for that magic, I have no intention of keeping it a secret and want to explain it in detail. However, I'm not sure where to start, so after much consideration, I've decided to—"
The elves held their breath, focusing on the elongated words as if they were a group of gamblers waiting for the winning numbers to be announced after wagering their last coin on a fraudulent lottery ticket. They stared intently at his slightly curved lips.
"After returning home, I'll give you lessons every evening, as there is so much for you to learn."
Li Lin's tone was not merely sarcastic, nor was it joking. After looking at his absolutely serious face without any room for compromise for a short moment, the elves found that their heads began to ache.
According to some smug, discriminatory divisions between urban and rural inhabitants, there is little difference between elves, especially the younger generation, and country bumpkins: uncouth, barbaric, loud-mouthed, without manners, nor any sense of order.
Discarding the toxic divide between city and countryside, these rural youngsters are simply more energetic, with a relatively direct way of thinking, and a tendency to occasionally use their fists rather than their brains and mouths to solve problems.
Would these lively kids honestly sit their butts on chairs and listen to teachers prattling away for half the night? Except for a very few, those who had been busy with farm work, hunting, and village defense during the day would most definitely lay their heads on the desk and enter sleep mode automatically. The snoring would certainly be louder than the voice from the podium.
It was a humorous and ironic scenario that would likely occur over eighty percent of the time, practically sticking to Li Lin's seemingly excellent and powerful teaching plan as a highly accurate label.
"This isn't just my personal opinion or problem."
Li Lin said seriously, and a discouraged voice interjected from the side.
"Yes, it's our problem."
The amber eyes glanced at the burly elf boy, as the usual carefree Thor kept his head down, seemingly not yet free from his self-reproach and despair.
It was not because he interrupted Li Lin's speech. Li Lin had not yet established a relationship of authority between himself and these strong-willed youngsters. The elf boys and girls admired his profound knowledge, appreciated his abilities and tactics, and hoped that he could bring about a positive change in their cornered village. However, these unruly elves were far from putting Li Lin's words first. They were just temporarily obedient.
Thor's despondency might have resulted from his inability to settle scores with the scum fighters personally, leading Li Lin not only to intervene with his repulsive magic but also to conclude that the elves needed education and knowledge and to formulate and implement the "Night School Knowledge Supplementation Plan."
[A subtle deviation.]
Li Lin gave a fair, objective rating of Thor's thoughts, which were not self-centered, but rather stemmed from an overly strong sense of responsibility, connecting others' predetermined matters to his own failures. The face-off between Thor and Qiao Li was not planned, nor was there a winner. However, the encounter itself could be considered successful. Regardless of the outcome, the young Thor fought against a strength-based magician without being defeated, even gaining the advantage at times—a heroic feat that could be classified as a 'legend.' There were fewer malicious stares at them in the marketplace. Aside from Li Lin's cruel performance, Thor's bravery also played a significant role.
Allowing Thor, who had made a contribution, to remain disheartened was not a good idea. Li Lin spoke softly in a more gentle tone:
"What I meant to say is that attending classes is not just for your own benefit but also for the village and even the entire elf clan."
The lofty rhetoric in his words remained secondary; the central idea was [for the plan]. Li Lin's somber expression and tone successfully concealed the unspeakable core, laying out the very reason the youngsters cared about most and the argument they could least refute.
"Everyone witnessed today's events. Our lack of understanding of human society's rules, customs, and combat capabilities were laid bare. Fortunately, being labelled as '[country bumpkins]' masked our ignorance of even the most basic magic knowledge. However, gentlemen and ladies—"
The tone became even more serious and solemn, as amber eyes filled with strict warnings swept over the solemnly seated or dismayed elves.
"We cannot always rely on luck. If we discover problems and do not deal with them, allowing issues to accumulate and fester, eventually, all the problems will break out at once. In the face of powerful enemies and without even the most basic self-protection capabilities on our side, this is definitely not a good situation. It is precisely because of these dangerous circumstances that I propose finding, discussing, and correcting mistakes through evening study sessions, so that we can at least help the village's construction and development proceed more smoothly."
Each elf—including little Freya—nodded solemnly, lowering their voices to say 'yes (Ja),' echoing only within the small circle where they could hear one another.
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Explanation theater time
Nidhogg: Lord Li Lin, why are elves' rations jerky? Is there no bread?
Li Lin: There is bread, of course, but unless it's crumbled and boiled with soup, only shark-like sharp teeth can bite into that stuff.
Nidhogg: Though I'm a dragon and this is no issue for me, I must still ask, is bread that terrifying? And what does the jerky taste like? Is it delicious?
Li Lin: Medieval European bread is not the same as what we consider bread today, which is soft and made with fermented sugar and cream. Instead, it is more like compressed biscuits that are dry, hard, and tough. In medieval Europe, there are many stories of unsuccessful thieves who broke into poor farmers' homes only to die under the family matriarch's black bread; and when family disputes arose, countless men met their ends at the hands of their wives' black bread attacks. You can imagine just how hard those things must have been. The jerky should actually be called air-dried meat. It is made by placing the meat in the north wind to dry it out like a mummy. Air-dried meat can be preserved for a long time, even decades (if it doesn't kill you). Before consuming aged air-dried meat, you must first scrape off the surface oil and oxidized layer with a knife, then soak it in river water for a day or two before cooking and eating. The taste is best described as 'non-lethal.'
Nidhogg: What a terrifying dark cuisine! Moreover, Thor mentioned that roasting a whole cow is done without salt, what's up with that?
Li Lin: Although Europe is near the sea, the price of salt is high there. In some regions, it's even higher than the price of salt during China's official monopoly. For instance, the emergence of Northern Europe's famous product, the fermented herring can, was due to salt conservation measures. In that era, some European households couldn't even afford salt.
Nidhogg: Thank you for the explanation, Lord Li Lin.
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PS: I have officially signed a contract now, thank you all for your support!