Chapter 350

The waiter's response surprised Firebeard greatly.

He initially thought it was a long-term commercial cooperation between Blackrock City and some human kingdom on the surface, but to his surprise, it turned out to involved the elves instead!

Firebeard's curiosity propelled him into deeper conversation with the waiter, as the latter freely talked about the events that unfolded in Blackrock City over the past year, revealing intricate details about the elves' active presence within the city.

And with each revelation, Firebeard's sense of wonder grew more and more, painting a vivid picture of astonishment across his face.

So Blackrock City had indeed withstood the siege of tens of thousands of the Shadow Army, but the biggest contribution came not from the Dark Dwarves themselves, but rather, from those weird elves!

In addition, from the waiter's explanation, it seemed that these elves were actually mercenaries from the surface...

They were very resilient and tenacious in combat, with a passion for hunting monsters...

Moreover, they had settled in the Elven Forest and even reportedly established their own city within it!

These elves were completely different from elves in the traditional sense.

Not only were they strong warriors, but they were also the shrewdest merchants, and furthermore... the most enthusiastic allies.

They began trading with Blackrock City, bringing abundant food from the surface while also accepting various commissions from the Dark-Dwarves, launching campaigns against monsters in the Deep Rift Cavern, and even assisting in combating the remnants of the shadow army.

Furthermore, they indeed followed a new patron deity, but its not an evil god, but rather a new deity that inherited the Divinity of life and nature!

The Goddess of Life — Evé.

Rumors circulated that she might have ascended to godhood with the assistance of the Goddess of Death and maintained a positive relationship with Her Majesty, Hela. Additionally, there were rumors suggesting that she was, in fact, a subordinate of the Goddess of Death.

Moreover, the Orc War half a year ago did indeed occur, right at the border between the Dark Mountains and the Elven Forest, and the ones who defeated the orcs were... these elves just as the rumors suggested!

When Firebeard inquired with puzzlement about how many of these weird elves there were and where they came from, the waiter only sighed softly:

"No one knows how they arrived; it's as if they appeared in an instant... However, although they may seem strange at times, they are indeed elves without a doubt."

"I also don't know how many of them there are or where they came from...but it's said that they appear to have their own elven legion, and it was precisely because of this that they were able to defeat the orc army..."

An elven legion fully capable of defeating an orc army!

Upon hearing this news, a spark of hope ignited within him, lifting his spirits.

Perhaps... this elven legion was much stronger than he had imagined, and their main force was likely composed of silver-ranked experts!

Vaguely...Firebeard felt he already knew the reason why the Goddess of Death had ordered them to come to this small remote city on the outskirts of the underground...

After a hearty meal, the delegation once again arrived at Death's shrine and met with the dwarven high priestess and the high-ranking officials of Blackrock City in the shrine's council chamber.

Seeing Firebeard's expression, which was now less melancholic and more nervously expectant, one of the elder clergymen smiled faintly:

"Lord Firebeard, it seems... you already understand the intention behind Her Majesty's oracle."

Firebeard took a deep breath, asking with some hint of anticipation:

"Is it... because of those elves operating here in Blackrock City? They are mercenaries is it now? Perhaps we can hire them?"

"That's right."

The elderly clergymen nodded.

"They will be our allies and shall also reinforce us in this upcoming war..."

"I have already informed them of our intentions, formally asking for their support, and I estimate that soon, their representatives will also come here to discuss the terms of our alliance."

Back in the Chosen City, Li Mu, who had recently completed the "Goddess of Life" questline, was going about his daily tasks, when Little Salty Cat suddenly appeared and conveyed a message to him.

"Lady Alice asked me to go to Blackrock City, and she even called you guys too?"

"That's right, it's not just you, but the leaders of several major guilds have also been notified as well."

Sitting on a nearby rock, the Little Salty Cat swung her legs, her expression somewhat excited.

"Did they say what it's about?"

Li Mu's curiosity piqued, carefully asking.

"It seems to be related to the matters regarding the underground! There seems to be a brewing war between two underground factions, with one aligning with Blackrock City. They've asked for help from Blackrock City and now from us as well!"

"The underground? Requesting aid from us and a brewing war?"

Li Mu's eyes brightened upon hearing this.

"Is this... a new questline?"

A new questline might be looming on the horizon!

This news quickly spread among the players as Alice, Zero, and other NPC leaders prepared to lead the high-ranking members of several major player guilds to negotiate with Blackrock City and the Dark-Dwarves.

In no time, the Elven Forest, which had already become lively due to the recent addition of the newcomers from the fourth beta, became even more bustling.

"A war in the underground? Are they going to open a new map?"

"I'm not sure yet but I heard Brother Mu and the others are going to Blackrock City for a meeting..."

"Oh cool! It's been a while since we had new questline that involved major battles. If it's really a war, then that would be really great!"

"Let's go! Let's follow them and see for ourselves!"

As the news spread, they found themselves being followed by a long string of players eager to join in the excitement as Alice, Li Mu, and the others were about to set off.

And when the delegation from the Hermetic Alliance, which had been staying in Blackrock City, finally saw the massive elven procession, which crowded the streets to the point of congestion, they couldn't help but stare in sheer disbelief.

"Merciful Death...how come there's so many elves? Lord Firebeard, are these the reinforcements you and Lady Enno mentioned?"

An underground dwarf widened his eyes, visibly astonished.

Firebeard had already made some speculations, so he wasn't as surprised as his compatriots, but... what disappointed him somewhat was noticing that the overall strength of these elves wasn't particularly high...

Most of them were mostly at iron-rank, with the majority being mid-tier Iron-ranked experts.

He had thought that since they were able to annihilate the orc army, they must have had plenty of silver-ranked experts among them.

Unfortunately...

The strength of these elves is relatively low compared to their enemies. It would be alright if they could form a large army, but if their numbers were few, then...the assistance of these elves might not be enough to win their side the war.

Furthermore, realistically speaking...just how many reinforcements could these elves send anyways?

A few hundred?

A few thousand?

...Surely not tens of thousands?

They were the aid that their Patron Deity had ordained, which might give their side the leverage to win this war, after all.

However at most, these elves could only serve as mercenaries, plus with their lackluster strength, they might only just end up as mere cannon fodder in the end...

Moreover, it would be impossible to ask them to fight desperately for their sake...

Of course, although somewhat disappointed, Firebeard wouldn't voiced out these thoughts.

Since their Patron Deity had directed their side's hopes towards these elves, then surely there must be another reason for Her Majesty's beliefs towards them...

With this sentiment in mind, both sides began to negotiate in the council chamber of the death shrine.

Surprisingly, the entire process of seeking support went smoothly, to the point where Firebeard was astonished to find that these elves were even more proactive about these matters than he had initially imagined.

Upon learning that the Hermetic City-State Alliance needed reinforcements, these elves took the initiative to offer their support without even waiting for their side to request it.

To Firebeard, it felt as if these elves couldn't wait to get into battle themselves.

What a strange group of battle fanatics...

The elderly dwarf inwardly thought with slight amusement.

However, when Firebeard inquired about how many reinforcements they could actually send, the response they gave him was somewhat peculiar.

"We can send out as many people depending on how much weaponry and equipment you guys can provide us!"

Depending on the weaponry and equipment we can provide?

The world underground is in a constant state of war, and as such, the one thing they lacked the least was weapons and equipment!

Although these elves had different body types compared to them, this issue isn't really much of a problem. With the strength and efficiency of the Hermetic Alliance, their blacksmiths could easily modify the equipment to suit their more bigger and slender figures.

Although it was somewhat strange, Firebeard ultimately chose to accept this condition.

According to Lady Enno, providing such equipment was one of the oracles of the Goddess of Death.

Thinking about it, Firebeard even felt that the this condition was too low.

And so, as the news of the new questline continued to spread further in the Elven Forest, the two sides quickly reached an agreement regarding the Elven support for the underground war.

— 350 —

[ NEW QUESTLINE APPEARS ]

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