Like any stubborn grandfather of advanced age, Emil would not approve of the dangerous notion, let alone permit those damn youngsters to carry out this audacious idea.
He would definitely stop it from happening, whether by tying up the village's young ones with ropes or breaking the rascals' legs with his walking stick.
The rascals may leave the Niflheim Valley, but they would have to cross over the body of an old elf who truly loved the village and cherished life!
With the resolve to risk death, Chieftain Emil, leaning on his walking stick, was staring intently at the young man in front of him, who was wearing a bitter smile. His normally authoritative and dignified eyes seemed capable of spurting deadly flames at this moment.
It's this boy again!
Emil hated humans, despised beast-people, was wary of dangerous species, and on guard against dwarves and gnomes...
Apart from Mother Goddess Mafa, whether it be the wisdom species or the dangerous species, anyone who wasn't an elf would receive hostility from Chieftain Emil. Yet Li Lin, who had only recently arrived in the valley, had effortlessly become the most hated target of the elder chieftain among many strong contenders -- there was absolutely no 'one of' about it!
He deceived his kind-hearted granddaughter, had the audacity to move into this peaceful valley under false pretences, constantly tinkered with wicked contraptions, and now, corrupted those little rascals in the village to venture outside of the valley!
What did he want to do? Wasn't his luck with the ladies enough? Did he want to pursue a mixed dating lifestyle?
Chieftain Emil, enraged to the extreme, failed to recognize that due to his emotional excitement and prejudice, his speculation about Li Lin had already strayed entirely from the truth, bordering on the realm of "delusion".
[Even though he's a chieftain, his composure is only that much.]
Underneath the bitter smile, a detached comment flashed by. The old man's face turned beet red and his body trembled incessantly, showing this revered elder elf was very angry, and wasn't open to persuasion, nor willing to make any compromises.
It didn't matter.
No matter how angry the elderly elf was, it wouldn't change the decided matters and pace unless something went wrong with his health due to anger... That situation would be more troublesome.
It wouldn't be an impossible mess to clean up, but the sorrowful sentiment diffused within the village would undeniably damage the image Li Lin had established in the elves' hearts up to this point. Undoubtedly, as the incident's instigator, Li Lin should bear direct responsibility for the sudden health issue of the chieftain. Furthermore, the time and energy spent waiting for Chieftain Emil's health to recover, as well as to rebuild the foundation for interaction with the elves would gradually increase, or even double, making it an unnecessary hassle.
It was best for the current plan that Emil Friedrichsia remained healthy. Yet, at this moment, the old chieftain was extremely upset, which could lead to severe consequences.
There wouldn't be any terrible outcomes.
With a carefully devised contingency plan fed into the AI beforehand, Li Lin's bitter smile faded a bit, as he respectfully handed over a parchment filled with meticulous details about assassins.
An appropriately apologetic smile, a respectful but not subservient attitude, a body slightly leaning forward, both hands holding the parchment in an offering pose.
Even the most critical etiquette connoisseur couldn't pick on any part of the entire process.
The rejection and disregard lasted for a while longer, but the old man, his face filled with indignation, took the thin paper like a sulking child.
Whilst the Old Chieftain may have occupied a moral high ground, it wouldn't remain this way indefinitely. After all, Li Lin had shown him enough respect from the start and not been insubordinate. If Chieftain Emil didn't want his tribe to see him as an "irrational old stick in the mud", he too must show some tolerance.
Indeed, the Old Chieftain was very angry, but not to the point of losing his reason.
— Precisely because he could control his emotions and think rationally, Li Lin's little trick had a chance of being executed.
As a Chieftain, one must have literacy skills. Even during the diaspora years, the elves never relaxed their education of the next generation and miraculously retained most of their customs, language, and culture. Given the harsh environmental factors, it was indeed an arduous process with great difficulties.
At this moment, this "arduous process with great difficulties" caused Elder Chieftain Emil, his withered hands shaking and trembling as if he had suffered a stroke or another acute disease. After reading the final line, the old chieftain widened his eyes as if he had read his elder's will and found that his name didn't appear in relation to the property allocation, and he began to read more carefully. In the end, he was dumbfounded in the middle of the village, at a loss as if he'd seen some inexplicable and bizarre event.
Livestock, farming tools, ironware, seeds, timber...
The parchment listed the names, quantities, and estimated prices of necessities, a considerable expense for this impoverished little village. Even if they gathered all the sellable items in the village, they might not be able to afford these highly coveted "good things".
What did Li Lin want to do?
"Honourable Chieftain Emil, the earnings from the sale of newly-produced porcelain will be used to purchase the goods on this list. All these livestock, farming tools and so on, I can't bring back to the village by myself, so I have to ask the village youths to help. Of course, I won't need all of these goods, so aside from the necessary quantities, the rest will be distributed throughout the village as a reward for everyone's hospitality towards me and my subordinates during my stay. I apologize for not consulting you beforehand."
Behind the gentle smile, Old Emil faintly spotted the flicker of the little fox's tail, as well as the hopeful looks written all over the villagers' faces, be they the young, children, or adults.
A profound feeling of isolation, along with a sense of helplessness for being stuck between a rock and a hard place, hit the elderly elf. He stood still for a moment with a furrowed brow, and then let his hand fall—with the piece of parchment in it—as if sighing or deflating. It felt too heavy to hold.
"Let me... Let me think about it..."
He had to sort out the knots in his heart earnestly, even though the answer was already predetermined.
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Note: For those who have watched "The Year After the Rabbit", you should have some understanding of the complex relationship between the rabbit and the eagle. Yes, in many matters, these two families are in collusion. Let me give you an example: The unfortunate "Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty" has not yet taken effect because many countries have not signed it. For example, white elephants, baboons, North rods, East Timor, Sudan, Palestine; and those who have signed but not ratified by their country, such as the Persian lion, David Kingdom, Ghana, Liberia, Nepal, Gambia. The rogue leaders of the eagle and the rabbit, who were the first to sign, did not approve of the treaty's entry into force, and both rogue nations were on pause. Our country and the people's congress are busy, this matter must be thoroughly investigated... Therefore, the Gallic rooster and the Russian bear found out that they were tricked because their parliament and duma moved faster and had already ratified it.
PS: I'm back from the hospital, and the situation is not optimistic. I have viral influenza + mild pneumonia + acute conjunctivitis, and I need to go for an IV drip in the afternoon. I will update depending on how I feel tonight. For those who understand Japanese, you can ignore the video... The speech of the unethical Major is probably a reflection of Gen Urobuchi's inner thoughts.