We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 246 The Great Assembly of Nations, Dark Elves

"The International Conference?"

Upon hearing this unfamiliar term, Xia En's heart stirred.

It's easy to tell from the name that this seems to be a meeting held by multiple kingdoms.

Perhaps it's a joint conference like the World Expo on Earth?
If Xia En is not mistaken, the timeline of his travel this time should be after the Wrath of Gods occurred on Emerald Isle.

In this era, the continent was dotted with kingdoms of all sizes.

Each race also has its own country.

Unlike later times, the vast ocean made communication between the islands much more difficult.

It is perfectly normal for these kingdoms to have exchanges and communication.

However, what intrigued Xia En was...

Why was the International Conference held in the Elven City of Giantwood?
Could this be related to the [Filthy Fate] who spyes on the human world?

As Shane pondered these questions, the suspicion in George's eyes grew stronger.

Hiding their heads and tails, their identities remain unknown.

These days, even answering such a simple question takes me a long time.

This is becoming increasingly suspicious.

Thinking of this, George silently took half a step forward, shielding the boy behind him, and prepared to leave.

A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall.

Someone of Your Highness's noble status would be best advised to stay away from these two mysterious men in black robes as soon as possible.

Shane quickly realized that he had hesitated for too long, which aroused George's suspicion once again.

He originally wanted to avoid these two people, but now that he has been discovered, he might as well treat them as a source of intelligence so that he can integrate into this era more quickly.

With a thought in mind, Xia En spoke.

"That's right, we are tourists attending the conference."

"I just happened to see this elven temple, so I came in to take a look."

The young nobleman was noticeably slow to react, not noticing anything amiss, and instead asked curiously.

"So, what country are you from?"

Xia En was taken aback.

This demonstrates the disadvantages of not having a good understanding of history.

How could he possibly know what kingdoms existed in this era?

Wait, there actually are two?

One is the Kingdom of Shudon, which later became the "City of Coral," and the other is the Kingdom of Turin, which has close ties with Anne.

The former is clearly a relatively small country, while the latter is one of the top powers on the continent.

Thinking he could intimidate others, Xia En decisively said, "We are from the Kingdom of Turin."

Just like when traveling abroad, mentioning the name of a major country gives you more confidence than mentioning a tiny, insignificant country, right?

But to everyone's surprise, the young nobleman's eyes lit up slightly upon hearing the name "Kingdom of Turin".

"Great, so they are citizens of our country."

"We are also citizens of the Kingdom of Turin!"

The boy relaxed considerably and became naturally friendly, giving off a feeling of meeting a fellow villager on a trip.

George, standing to the side, was clearly not as easily fooled as him.

Judging from this guard's extensive experience...

Meeting someone from your hometown isn't necessarily a good thing; it could easily lead to someone stabbing you in the back.

However, the naive noble boy didn't think too much about it and enthusiastically said, "My name is Edward."

“This is my bodyguard, George.”

"What are your names, both of you?"

Seeing this, Xia En generously introduced himself, "I am Xia En, and this is Yan Yan."

"Yan Yan? What a strange name."

Edward silently scoffed to himself before continuing, "I'm from the capital. What about you?"

Xia En only knew the name of the kingdom of "Turin" and knew nothing about its geography, so he could only say...

“We come from a small country town, which Your Excellency Edward has certainly never heard of.”

"impossible!"

Edward said confidently, "I've known every province in the country since I was three years old, and I've also memorized the names of the larger towns."

“If you tell me, I’m sure I’ll recognize them.”

"hiss……"

Xia En gasped; he hadn't expected the boy to be so serious.

It's just a place name, why do we have to investigate it so thoroughly?

Fortunately, George's cold snort interrupted Edward's question: "Young master! You've said enough!"

Clearly, Edward's words subtly revealed his true identity.

But Xia En and Yan Yan were not from this era, so of course they couldn't recognize anything.

This guard is being far too cautious.

This, in fact, proves that Edward's identity is extraordinary.

The thought had just crossed Xia En's mind when he heard Edward ask in confusion, "This... Mr. Yan Yan, why are you staring at me?"

Xia En turned his head and saw that Yan Yan was indeed staring intently at Edward.

This surprised him greatly.

Through their time together, Xia En had already discovered that Yan Yan's personality was actually quite unambitious.

It's best if there's food to eat and people to chat with on the ship. Even if no one pays attention to him, he doesn't feel lonely being alone.

He rarely showed Shane what he wanted to do.

Yan Yan also has a very unique habit: every morning he watches the sunrise alone on the deck.

Xia En asked him why he did that.

Yan Yan said that during his years on Ice Island, he watched the sunrise day after day.

Otherwise, he seems to completely forget the passage of time.

Xia En guessed that it was because the years he was frozen were too long, causing Yan Yan to lose the desires that a normal human should have and become somewhat morbid.

Perhaps he could even endure not saying a word for several whole years.

Go with the flow.

Be content with whatever comes your way.

This is Yan Yan's current personality.

That's why Xia En was so surprised when Yan Yan explained his intention to burn down the [Giant Tree City] last time.

At this moment, Yan Yan's unusual attention to Edward surprised Xia En for the same reason.

A moment later, Yan Yan said in a strange tone.

"I feel like... I've seen this Mr. Edward somewhere before?"

"Ok?"

Xia En raised an eyebrow, realizing that something was amiss.

He looked Edward over carefully, and then noticed...

He actually felt that the boy looked somewhat familiar?

It was strange enough that Yan Yan alone felt a sense of déjà vu, but when Xia En himself joined in, it made the matter even more perplexing.

At this moment, George quickly stepped forward, watching the two men warily.

He suspected that Prince Edward's true identity had been exposed, and since it was unclear whether these two were friend or foe, perhaps he should strike first...

Just as George gripped the longsword at his waist.

Edward, however, spoke up: "Uncle George, step back."

"Don't worry, I can tell that these two gentlemen have no hostility."

"So... nothing will happen."

The boy's voice was still youthful, but it carried a subtle firmness, a silent confidence. His earnest expression was also subtly different from his previous innocent demeanor.

George felt a strange sense of déjà vu in him, as if he were seeing the shadow of the man who ruled the entire kingdom, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

'Your Highness, you've finally grown up.'

George stepped back, standing like a shadow behind Edward, but no longer interfering with Edward's judgment and actions.

"Thank you, Uncle George."

After offering a polite and gentle thank you, Edward turned to Shane and said, "Let me reintroduce myself."

“I am Edward Phoenix, and also the fifth prince of the Kingdom of Turin.”

"You probably recognize me because you've seen my portrait in the country."

Yan Yan: "..."

Shane: "..."

Although Edward spoke with great composure, perfectly embodying the demeanor of a prince.

But both Xia En and Yan Yan knew clearly that their feeling that Edward looked familiar had absolutely nothing to do with his status as a prince.

Edward has clearly misunderstood!

Xia En's lips twitched.

He was also helpless; how could he encounter a prince right after transmigrating?
Moreover, judging from the guards' strict protection of George and the ranking of him as the "Fifth Prince".

The prince is clearly in a bad situation!
There might even be assassins trying to kill you at any time!
Getting to know a prince like that might not be a good thing.

However, Edward was so honest, Shane couldn't possibly blame him for it, could he?
at this time.

A shout came from outside the Elf Temple.

"Who has trespassed into the temple? State your name!"

The tone of the voice sounded a bit strange at first glance, and Xia En was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses.

'This is Elvish!'

Shaen glanced at the panel and found that [Elven Language (Proficient) (Temporarily)] had reappeared.

It seems that as he traveled back in time, this skill also broke free from the constraints of the present world.

Beside him, Yan Yan and Edward also understood the question.

As a prince of this era, mastering a few foreign languages ​​is practically a must.

Edward frowned, instinctively feeling something was off, but still responded loudly in Elvish.

"We mean no offense, we're just taking shelter from the rain here for now."

Upon hearing his voice, several elves entered from outside the hall.

Upon seeing the four, the leading elf sternly asked, "Who gave you the audacity to enter and leave the Elven Temple at will?"

"Come here, arrest them!"

"Considering that tomorrow is the day the Elf Queen ascends the throne, we will not punish you severely. We will simply lock you up for half a day."

Upon hearing this, Xia En also vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

When he last crossed the Elven Temple on Emerald Isle, there was no rule prohibiting entry and exit.

In fact, there were no guards in the temple before, and anyone could freely visit the statue of the goddess of life.

According to Lyra, this appears to be a unique custom among the elves.

After all, with the blessing of the Goddess of Life, no outsider could possibly cause any damage to this temple.

There was nothing else of value inside the temple, so it was unrealistic to steal anything.

Therefore, in Xia En's view...

The appearance of this group of elves is too coincidental.

As Shane looked at the elves' clothing, his suspicions grew.

Suddenly, he remembered the [Eye of True Sight] that String Song had used before.

Now that I have regained my mastery of Elvish, will I be able to use this skill?
Thinking of this, Xia En did not hesitate and silently recited the incantation that Xiange had recited.

Soon, dark golden runes began to swirl in his eye sockets.

He thus saw through the true nature of these elves...

……

……

the other side.

Neither Edward nor George considered rebelling against the elves.

the reason is simple.

This is the kingdom of elves!

It would be a very unwise choice to clash with the elves here.

Not to mention, if you really want to be honest, they were indeed at fault first.

—If you trespass into someone else's sanctuary to take shelter from the rain and happen to be caught, you deserve some punishment.

Half a day of confinement is not a serious punishment; you can just endure it and it will pass.

With this idea of ​​keeping the peace, George did not draw his longsword, allowing the elves to approach his side.

"Is it alright to confiscate this weapon?"

"It was an elf who said this calmly."

Although George was unwilling, he dared not go against the elves and could only acquiesce to them taking away his weapon.

Just as the elf's hand was gradually approaching the sword hilt.

Suddenly, Xia En behind him shouted, "Yan Yan, make your move!"

Yan Yan had complete trust in Xia En and, without hesitation, punched the nearest elf.

The flames engulfed the opponent's body.

George was stunned.

Are you guys fucking crazy?!

How dare they attack an elf in the City of Giant Trees?

But soon, the elf beside him seemed to realize that the situation had changed, and directly stretched out the dagger that had been hidden in his sleeve, and stabbed it straight at George's heart!
This stab made George realize something was amiss.

The way the other person wielded the dagger was nothing like the combat skills of a normal elven race; it was more like the style of an assassin he had encountered many times before.

'No! They're not elves!'

George immediately realized what was happening, roared, and turned to the side, barely dodging the fatal blow.

But the dagger still managed to leave a deep wound on his waist and abdomen.

George drew his longsword and beheaded the man in front of him.

As the man's head rolled to the ground, his skin suddenly turned light gray.

His appearance also underwent subtle changes; his temperament became cold and sinister, and his pupils turned a deep blue.

"Dark Elf!"

George's expression changed drastically.

Although this race has the word "elf" in its name, it is essentially a completely different race.

Legend has it that in those ancient times, some of the elves betrayed the goddess of life and were banished to the dark underworld.

In that harsh environment, these elven traitors not only did not die, but underwent an unprecedented transformation and prayed to another underground god.

From then on, a new generation of elves was born.

They named themselves "Darkness" both to commemorate their past history and to inscribe their hatred for the elves.

In some communities, they are also called "Drow," meaning those who have returned from darkness.

However, compared to this matter and his own injuries, George was more concerned about Prince Edward's safety.

He turned to look.

Suddenly, a figure clad in a black robe appeared and blocked Edward's path.

Several dark elves wielding weapons crashed into him, as if they had hit an indestructible wall, and were sent flying backward.

Keng!
Just then, a dark elf lurking in the shadows suddenly appeared behind Shane, viciously stabbing down with a dagger in his hand...

(End of this chapter)