Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

Eugene's expression turned sour for a moment, but he quickly adopted a gentle demeanor and introduced the Elf King in the manner of an elder.

"Elwin is from the Erskine family and is the youngest Archmage in our Temple of Light."

“I’ve been feeling quite tired lately and am considering resigning from my position at the Temple of Light. Elwin is the most likely candidate to succeed me.”

There's a lot more to this statement than meets the eye.

The Erskine family has kinship ties with the royal families of many countries, and more than ten countries have bestowed titles upon them. The queen of the Sheraton Empire, one of the three great empires of humankind, is the daughter of the Erskine family patriarch.

If Erwin truly becomes Eugene's successor and the head of the Temple of Light, it's hard to say whether the Temple of Light will maintain its independent status or become a tool in the hands of royalty and nobility.

However, the term "most likely" means that Erwin is not the only candidate; there are others who can compete with him.

The Elf King maintained a distant demeanor: "Hello."

Erwin did not feel slighted by the Elf King's coldness.

Because that's how the Elf King is perceived to the outside world—like the bright moon in the sky, unattainable.

Seeing the Elf King's demeanor, Eugene's mood improved completely, because even after making things so clear, the Elf King still showed no respect to Erwin.

In private, the Elf King was not like that to him, especially after that previous admonition.

Although Eugene still feels unhappy when he thinks about it, he feels that many of his current constraints are related to that purge.

But he had to admit that if the Elf King hadn't been his friend, he wouldn't have been able to talk to him so much.

Stella could vaguely sense some of Eugene's thoughts.

It can only be said that human nature is to have double standards, and people are happy to enjoy being treated with double standards by others.

Eugene did not stop Erwin from getting close to the Elf King, and did not even care that the people of the Temple of Light were still worshipping the Archmage who came from a noble family.

He lagged behind, watching Elwin's futile efforts with a cold eye, while explaining the situation inside the temple to Stella.

Stella, pretending to be young, didn't notice his unusual behavior. She only asked him questions quietly from time to time while he was explaining the temple, and she watched very attentively.

Soon, they encountered Dragon King Savison, who had arrived earlier.

Dragons are proud, and after the incident of the dragon cub being kidnapped by humans, Savison treated all humans equally without any courtesy, which made Erwin, who didn't know much about him, take a second look at him.

“You’ve finally come,” Savison said. “I thought you wouldn’t come this time either.”

and also?

Stella feigned confusion, and just as Eugene was about to explain, Erwin spoke first.

With a look of regret, Erwin said to the Elf King, "We originally planned to invite the Merfolk as well, but unfortunately they sealed off their territory too thoroughly, and the invitations couldn't be delivered."

Mermaids are the favorites of the sea god. When they decide to hide in the sea, almost no one can find them unless they want to.

Stella, a little imp who was "not yet good at hiding her emotions," showed just the right amount of regret on her face.

But in fact, both the Elf King and the Dragon King knew that the Temple of Light could not find the Merfolk.

The mermaids weren't originally that well hidden, but after discovering that humans were trying to abduct a baby mermaid and had actually kidnapped a dragon cub, they even severed ties with the dragon race.

If anyone can still contact them now, it's probably only the Elf King.

Of course, the Elf King would never reveal this to the people at the Temple of Light.

"If they can't come, they can't come," Savison said nonchalantly. "It'll disturb their peace and quiet. Even if we asked them to come out and join the fun, they'd give us the cold shoulder from the start to the end, which would ruin their mood."

After Savison said that, the people of the Temple of Light suddenly felt that losing the merfolk was not such a regrettable thing.

Stella thought, "If he can even say things that sound derogatory but are actually helpful, it seems that Savison and the Mermaid King have a really good relationship."

Since they were meeting an old friend, Erwin didn't want to linger, lest he upset Savison, who had been in a bad mood lately.

After leading the Elf King to his lodgings, Elwin tactfully took his leave.

Eugene hadn't originally planned to go with them.

Upon noticing this, Erwin quickly said, "Although it may have been a bit of a disturbance to the reunion of the Archmage and the Elf King, matters concerning the Temple of Light still require your decision. What do you think?"

Eugene gave him a nonchalant look.

Erwin sensed it, but he wouldn't budge an inch, and the people behind him chimed in, "Yes, the Archmage is our backbone."

Eugene's eyes flashed with mockery as he said, "You go ahead, I'll follow shortly. I'm sure the Temple of Light will still be functioning well in a short while."

“Otherwise… I think I should question whether some people are truly capable of succeeding him. Erwin, don’t you think?”

Having said all that, even if Erwin suspected Eugene wanted something from the Elf King, he could only let them stay for a while.

“Of course,” Erwin said with a smile, looking very respectful.

Just as he turned to leave with his men, Stella noticed that his gaze turned cold, and his entire demeanor immediately changed.

After Erwin and the others left, Savison could no longer hide his displeasure.

The Elf King noticed Eugene looking at Savison and spoke up at the opportune moment: "It's hard to imagine that someone with your temperament would be willing to let someone act so presumptuously in front of you."

Savison wasn't truly ignorant; he went along with his words and transformed his unusual behavior into dissatisfaction with Erwin and the others.

"If this were a dragon, I would have already pinned it to the ground and beaten it. It wouldn't have the chance to bark at me."

Eugene completely disregarded Savison's attitude and became even closer to him, but he didn't forget to answer the Elf King's question.

He sighed: "The Temple of Light is full of factions; it's not so easy to deal with them."

"Besides, my body has already begun to decline, and it won't be long before it's time for me to go and serve the gods."

“My status as a deity is about to become a thing of the past, so of course they need to raise up a new symbol.”

Savison asked casually, "A new symbol? The one from before?"

Eugene sensed his indifference and his smile became even more genuine: "That's just one of them, but it's also the one with the most powerful noble backing."

Eugene gave a wry smile: "I've always worried that if he inherits my position, commoner mages will lose their path to advancement, and the Temple of Light will become a place where the nobility have absolute power."

"Perhaps it was precisely because of my opposition that he hated me and began to disrespect me in every way."

As he spoke, Eugene shook his head: "But there's nothing I can do about it. My family doesn't yet have an heir who can truly shoulder the responsibility. If I offend the nobles too much... I have to think about them."

They have ideals, but they also make no attempt to hide their selfishness.

Stella thought that if she didn't know Eugene's true nature, Savison might already be advising him right now.

“You humans are so complicated,” Savison shook his head, turned away with dissatisfaction, leaving the Elf King and his companions alone.

But we've said enough; to repeat ourselves would be going too far.

Eugene waved to Stella and took out some more things: "I knew Stella would come along, so I prepared a gift for you."

"So many!" Stella exclaimed like a child as she looked at the mountain of gift boxes. Instead of flying over to collect them immediately, she looked expectantly at the Elf King, waiting for him to speak.

"It does seem like a lot, but you came in a rush last time, and I didn't have time to prepare it for you. Plus..."

Eugene paused, then looked at the Elf King: "I certainly won't be able to attend Stella's coming-of-age ceremony, so there are also gifts here to congratulate Stella on her coming of age and advancement in rank in the future."

The Elf King turned to Stella, a hint of gentleness in his eyes: "Since it is Eugene's good intention and blessing, you should accept it."

Stella nodded, flew over to Eugene to thank him, and then circled around him in a seemingly magical way, showering him with golden stars.

"This is a return gift of blessings from the little fairy."

Eugene was all smiles after being coaxed by Stella, and when it was time to leave, he was still a little reluctant: "Stella, if you want to go out for a walk, just have someone come and tell me."

"Although there are many disobedient people with ulterior motives in the Temple of Light, I can still arrange for people to play with you."

After saying this, Eugene bid farewell to the Elf King and left.

He had just closed the door when Savison came over.

The Elf King raised his hand and used magic to check the room, confirming that there was nothing that shouldn't be there before setting up a magic circle to isolate the room from all prying eyes.

Savison squatted by the coffee table, picking and choosing, savoring the scent of the gifts Eugene had given him. Only after the Elf King stopped what he was doing did he speak with relief.

"That guy is full of bad intentions. You dared to let Stella accept the things he gave you?"

“If he’s willing to send it, why not accept it?” the Elf King said. “Stella is in front of me every day. If he’s not afraid of being discovered and having his family wiped out, he can send something with problems.”

Savison realized what was happening and put the gift box aside: "You see everything, and I'm the only one who's worried?"

Stella quickly stepped forward to comfort him: "Thank you for your concern, Your Excellency Savison."

Stella is petite, cute, and has a lovely voice.

Her words interrupted Savison's anger, which could no longer be contained.

"Little Stella, why don't you come with me to Dragon Island this time?"

The Elf King reached out and lifted Stella, placing her on his shoulder. He moved his head slightly, his hair cascading down, obscuring Stella's figure until only her silhouette remained.

The Elf King said in a warning tone, "Savisen, you are not allowed to abduct the little goblins."

Savison had no objection to the Elf King's protective behavior towards his child, and said emphatically, "How can this be called abduction? I sincerely invited little Stella to be my guest."

The Elf King didn't even want to answer him this time. He took out a storage ring, picked up the gifts on the ground, and then casually transformed them into a small half-flower crown, handing it to Stella.

The crown was beautifully designed and matched Stella's dress perfectly. She happily accepted it and put it on her head.

Seeing that neither of them was paying attention to him, Savison shrugged and simply sat down on the sofa next to him.

“I say, Thranduil,” Savison called out with unusual seriousness, “if you accept these gifts, do you really intend to protect Eugene’s descendants?”

"Have you forgotten the malice Eugene showed to the children of our races?"

“Of course not,” the Elf King sat down opposite him. “So it’s perfectly normal that we can’t receive many messages when the Elf Forest is inaccessible for some reason.”

Savison rolled his eyes: "Those humans who praise you for your elegance, nobility, and kindness all day long should come and see that your true nature is clearly cunning, wicked, and full of evil."

"I wonder what the God of Light added when he created you."

“This cannot be blamed on the God of Light,” the Elf King said calmly. “All the gods have bestowed blessings upon me.”

Stella brushed aside the Elf King's hair that was blocking her view: "Savison, you should say that the King is wise and intelligent, able to see through all conspiracies, and good at adapting."

Savison choked: "Stella, I really want to grab you and dump the water out of your brain, and while I'm at it, check if your eyes are damaged."

“Of course it’s not bad,” Stella said matter-of-factly. “You’re just jealous of the King’s intelligence.”

Savison stared at her for a long time, then slumped back in annoyance.

"Forget it, I won't argue with a little devil like you."

Stella tilted her head cutely and looked at the Elf King: "Your Majesty, is Savison tired?"

“Yes, he’s tired,” the Elf King began to urge the dragon back to its own abode.

Savison reluctantly got up, leaving with the remark, "They're all from the same clan, from top to bottom, they're all cunning and ruthless."

Stella was displeased: "How can you use such words to describe a young lady, Your Majesty? Savison really doesn't know how to speak."

The Elf King was in a good mood: "Then next time I'll take you to Dragon Island and get all the treasures from his cave for you, and then he'll learn to speak properly."

Stella's eyes lit up: "Are there really a lot of gold coins in Savison's cave?"

“Not only that,” said the Elf King, “there are also many beautiful gems and all sorts of glittering treasures.”

“We should go and see,” Stella said, cupping her face in her hands and smiling sweetly. “Even if we can’t have it, it’s good to broaden our horizons.”

The Elf King was quite certain: "If you want it, you can have it."

The guests had all left, and since they had arrived via a magic circle, Stella hadn't suffered any hardship from the journey, so she didn't want to rest yet.

Not long after, Stella, who had been flying around, had already figured out the layout of the entire room.

She finally landed, wanting to rest for a while, and was eating a piece of fruit when she heard a knock on the door.

Stella took flight again: "Who is it?"

The voice outside replied politely, "I am a guest who made an appointment with His Excellency the Elf King in advance."

“Open the door,” the Elf King said to the puzzled Stella. “This is our new friend from the future.”