Beneath the Red Dragon

Under a tall Tree of Life, the elves who used to be free and enjoy life, always strolling under the Tree of Life, no longer wore relaxed expressions on their faces, each fully armed, whispering in pairs or threes.

This Tree of Life is incredibly ancient, the most ancient and tallest Tree of Life in the Greenfield Forest World. The tree’s trunk is hundreds of meters tall, and its lush canopy shields the entire Elf Tribe beneath its shade.

This towering Tree of Life has grown to its peak, qualifying for evolution towards becoming the World Tree.

This Elf Tribe is also the most powerful tribe in the Greenfield Forest World, with about twenty thousand elves. The legendary King of Elves, Natis, also comes from this tribe.

But even this tribe with its glorious history and formidable strength, all elves feel a bleak future, amidst the storm and uncertainty.

Because the tribe’s sacred guardian, the Tree of Life, has issued a deadly warning to all the elves of the tribe.

Whether their future holds survival or destruction, the power to decide does not rest in the hands of these anxious ordinary elves, but rather in those few elf leaders who hold the power.

So these elves, who make up the vast majority of the tribe, are eagerly looking up to the towering canopy almost reaching the clouds, where the decision-makers of the tribe convene in the council hall.

Most of the elves do not wish for another supreme ruler above their heads, but more elves absolutely do not want to step into death prematurely.

These elves, born as a long-lived species, cherish their lives more than the ordinary short-lived ones.

At this moment, they instead harbor resentment and complaints towards the few Elf Tribes that first initiated the attack, although those tribes in some manner were protecting this world, yet this is the inherent nature of all intelligent creatures.

But gathered under the canopy of the Tree of Life, the decision-making leaders far surpass the expectations of the ordinary elves below.

This expansive hall, constructed entirely of wood, houses hundreds of powerful elves. Every single one is a leader among the tribes, either an Elf Elder or an Elf Druid.

The young Elf Druid Aiya can only sit at the edge of the hall; although she once held a high status in her Elf Tribe, she could only sit among the crowd now facing so many Elf Elders.

Moreover, her tribe had long been annihilated, and her presence here was only because, as the Red Dragon stated, she spread Karon’s will.

The gathered Elf Elders here almost included all the notable tribes of Greenfield Forest, except for elves from three tribes.

The atmosphere within the hall was heavy, yet not panicked; all elves’ eyes were focused on the elderly male Elf Elder sitting in the center, whose eyes were closed, communicating with the Tree of Life.

This Elf Elder Kaid, the only Natural Mage able to communicate with the tribe’s Tree of Life, had lived close to two thousand years, a living history of elves.

”Being here together at this moment, surely everyone has some understanding of each other’s thoughts,”

Suddenly, Elder Kaid opened his eyes; his emerald eyes grew slightly dimmer, his aura faintly weaker, showing that communicating with the Tree of Life was not easy for the elderly elf.

The many Elf Elders below, each holding an esteemed position within their tribes, now exchanged glances without easily speaking, as obviously what they had to say was hard for them to voice.

A young female Elf Elder stood up, her calm eyes sweeping over all the Elf Elders present, then scoffed: ”Since deciding to submit to the Giant Dragon, what’s the point of putting on these proud postures? You male elves are not as straightforward as I am!”

After her scoff, the young female elf turned to the serene Elder Kaid, respectfully saying: ”Grand Elder Kaid, I don’t know what choice you and your tribe will make, but our Cyan Leaf Tribe will firmly stand behind you, whether it be submission or war!”

”Hehe, you little girl, your words are pretty, but too cunning.” The aged Elf Grand Elder squinting slightly with eyes somewhat clouded, waved his hand to signal her to sit down.

Seeing someone speak first, another Elf Elder from a tribe stood up, addressing the crowd: ”Though the newly appointed Cyan Leaf Tribe Elder may not speak Elvish well, her words make some sense, though not much.”

”Since everyone could simultaneously gather here, we must have all received a warning from the Tree of Life; that Dragon is already growing impatient. From the warning from the Tree of Life, we know the opponent not only has a Giant Dragon, but a whole Dragon Group.”

”Even the Red Dragon is not something we can oppose; we cannot defeat it, let alone it has countless mighty and fearless warriors, braver than us elves. My suggestion is, heed the Tree of Life’s revelation and submit to the Giant Dragon!”

”Hehe, your backbone is weak, willing to kneel to others. I don’t have such weak bones,” another Elf Elder within the crowd voiced a covert mockery; these two tribes have always been in a hostile relationship, often enticing and bribing each other’s Elf Druids to switch sides.