It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

"Don't be so discouraged, Holy Son. That world isn't as wonderful as you think. It took us thousands of years to comprehend the secret of world creation, and thousands more to slowly transform that dimension into a beautiful world. Even today, many young elves still come to this world out of boredom to travel the continent and kill time."

"The road ahead of you, that path to saving the world, will undoubtedly be bumpy, but you will surely find the right direction. You should know that we've spent so much time, and all we can do is create a path to salvation, not save it. While that may be somewhat troublesome, you'll be far superior to us in this regard. So, there's no need to ask us for favors, and certainly no need to even think about following our example."

Listening to the Elf Queen's words, Bai Lin sighed and answered sensibly,

"Um, sorry, I was too anxious."

The Queen's words sounded a bit psychedelic, but the logic was clear. To Bai Lin, this was the truth. Humans couldn't live as long as elves, so it was difficult for them to master the so-called method of creation. Even if they could survive, Bai Lin couldn't wait. By the time a hundred years had passed, all her friends and family in reality would have died.

Bai Lin currently has no idea about the so-called other paths, but she doesn't think that these big-name people she has met would have nothing better to do than to play tricks on her, so she doesn't take it to heart for now, but she will just listen to it for the time being.

Chapter 615: Talking

Seeing Bai Lin's answer, the Queen's smile softened. She looked at Bai Lin in front of her and said,

"That was a bit off topic just now. I asked you to come here because I actually had something else to say. From your aura, I can sense that you are a follower of that Kress. I'm curious about what kind of relationship you have with her."

Bai Lin's nerves tightened when the Queen asked about serious matters. She straightened her expression and replied after thinking for a moment.

"I'm not so close as to call us friends... maybe we have some acquaintance, but it's mainly a business relationship. If you insist on saying there's any special affection, she often says she wants to eat me? Does that count?"

Bai Lin spoke hesitantly. It wasn't that she was trying to make up a lie, but because she herself wasn't sure what kind of relationship Chris had with her, so she answered more conservatively and also brought up some of Chris's desires for her.

Hearing this somewhat strange answer, the Elf Queen did not show any surprise. Instead, she chuckled and replied,

"As expected, that little girl would say something like this to you."

"Hmm??? Does she often say this? But you elves don't really have a penchant for eating people, do you?"

Bai Lin was surprised. Although she could see that Kress was half joking when she said this, there was indeed a serious element in it. Seeing the Elf Queen's behavior, Bai Lin couldn't help but have more doubts in this direction. The Queen waved her hand and replied with a smile,

"How could that be? Why eat humans when there's nothing to do? Let's not even talk about the taste. When encountering something beautiful, would a normal person think of cooking it, arranging it beautifully, and finally chewing and swallowing it? It's not just humans. The lives of many creatures are short enough for us. To actively end this beauty is probably something only a very few cruel people would do."

"Compared to appetite, the possibility of possessing love and lust is slightly greater. Many elves aren't interested in those within their tribe, but their standards are too high. Outside, creatures like you are relatively rare. If you encounter an elf who wants to pursue you, or even rape you, the scope of understanding is a little wider."

A string of very fierce yet direct words came out of the Queen's mouth in a gentle voice. Although it was very tender, the slightly teasing look in her eyes made Bai Lin himself have some wild thoughts...

She had never imagined she'd be raped. After all, she was very powerful. Killing Bai Lin was easy, but capturing him alive would require a powerful force like the one she'd used against the guy chasing her. Even then, the chances of successfully taking him were very low. But after witnessing the elves' methods today, she didn't think it was impossible.

A chill emanated from the back of Bai Lin's neck. If she were to be treated like that, she could only pray that her girlfriend would come down from heaven to help her keep her chastity.

"Don't be so worried. There are only a few people who would actually do that. At least I wouldn't do that."

The Queen added a sentence at the right time, pulling Bai Lin back to his thoughts. Bai Lin quickly shook his head at the Queen and replied,

"No, no, I don't think so..."

"Let's put that aside for now and continue our previous topic. Someone like Chris, who's talking about wanting to eat people, can only be understood as an extreme form of possessiveness of beauty. On the one hand, it's a certain curiosity that drives this idea, but on the other hand, just listen to me as I explain."

The queen sat upright, looked at Bai Lin, and continued to narrate,

"We elves have extremely long lifespans, and that world, devoid of other races, is far less exciting and rich than this one. For many young elves, life there is quite dull and boring. While there are plenty of entertainment options, our lifespans are indeed too long, so many young elves choose to travel."

"We won't impose any restrictions on this matter. Our only requirement is that they avoid damaging the reputation of the elves. It's normal for conflicts, large and small, to arise, but if the entire race is tarnished, it will be troublesome for the next generation who want to travel."

As she spoke, the queen raised one hand. In her hand, a small gold-thread bracelet appeared. The bracelet looked extremely slender, and its complete shape could not be seen unless one looked closely.

"So we, the old folks, invented this thing to help monitor their behavior. We don't infringe on their privacy, but we can help curb any negative and extreme behavior. For example, we often stop them from doing anything straightforward like stealing before they even have a chance to do it."

"As their behavior became more restricted, these children's rebellious psychology actually emerged a little. But they had no choice. If they crossed the line, they would be caught. So what could they do? In the end, their restraints opened up in one direction, which was—"

"Just kidding."

These two simple words almost made Bai Lin cough because of her own saliva. If she was drinking water at this time, she would have sprayed it out. She took a breath, looked at the Elf Queen in front of her in disbelief, and asked,

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me right, it's all just talk. It's literally like, 'I'm going to kill every species in this world except elves and drive them all out.' Of course, that also includes Chrissy's talk about cannibalism."

Queen Pinghe responded to Bai Lin's shock, and then continued,

"You know, it takes a lot of effort to spread a rumor, but it takes a lot of effort to dispel it. Even though elves really haven't eaten humans, rumors of them still spread a lot. All of this is thanks to these children who love to talk nonsense."

"Of course, talking too much is also considered a disgrace to their reputation, and they are aware of this. So we, the elders, will also bring them back for correction and temporarily prohibit them from traveling. But they are not fools. It is obviously not worth giving up their free life just for a moment of verbal pleasure, right?"

The queen looked at Bai Lin. This sentence sounded like a rhetorical question, but it actually directed the conversation to Bai Lin.

Chapter 616: Revealing the Essence

Bai Lin was well aware of the issue of boasting. In her original world, there were countless people online who loved to boast. However, the internet was different from reality. Most people could boast without paying any money, and no one would even care about what you boasted about or whether it could be realized.

The situation here is obviously different. This is actually a real-life example of talking nonsense in front of others, and then being arrested by the parents for excessive language. This is obviously a very unprofitable deal.

Based on her own experience, Bai Lin thought hard and finally came to a conclusion. She asked the Elf Queen tentatively,

"Could it be that someone is deliberately stirring up trouble?"

The phrase "leading the conversation" sounds simple, but it encompasses a wide range of meanings. When a group of migrant workers, owed wages, protest outside their boss's office, someone in the crowd claims the contractor has absconded with their wages, thus turning the crowd's attention on the contractor rather than the boss, this is called leading the conversation. Similarly, when you encourage a group of well-behaved, idle, and well-behaved elves to talk loudly in front of them, filled with pent-up dissatisfaction, frustration, and even a bit of confusion, this is also a form of leading the conversation.

"Yes, someone is stirring things up. I don't need to say much about the person leading the charge. She's an old acquaintance of yours, Christina. She's truly a prodigy when it comes to stirring things up."

The Queen sighed, her smile vanished, her eyes gleaming with memories, and she continued,

"Elves are naturally a relatively perfect race. They don't need attention and don't have many material needs. However, getting along with one another isn't as easy as it is for you humans. Most elves live stress-free lives, and their lives feel quite empty. Even when they communicate with one another like other species, they often don't know what to talk about."

"Most hobbies and interests are quickly discovered by young elves, but unusual pursuits are often not permitted by tribal rules. And to be honest, those who enjoy unusual pursuits are still a minority. They desperately need an outlet, an outlet to vent their desire for fun, a platform where they can communicate with one another, showcase themselves, and share joy with others."

The Elf Queen paused, rubbed her brows with a headache, and then said,

"That Chris and her big talk plan also came into being under such circumstances."

"At first, Kress started with the dumber ones, or those she knew better. She used targeted tactics, gradually guiding them to spread her plan and encouraging its wider adoption. Then, quite a few elves started gathering together to chat. They chatted about things they hadn't dared to think about before, things they'd only heard from outsiders, adding in some of their own understanding, and they found great pleasure in doing so."

Hearing this, Bai Lin tilted his head and asked the Elf Queen,

"Isn't this good? I can have some fun among myself, so it won't affect anything..."

"The problem lies in what happens next, Holy Son. As the scale of this spread, this kind of bragging gradually became a trend among young people. Finally, under the manipulation of that damn kid, Kress, some elves began bragging to the outside world."

While internal bragging is a normal way to vent stress, external bragging is quite different. The elves who use bragging for entertainment truly see it as a healthy trend. They don't think it's wrong, and they even enjoy it.

First, the target group is screened, and after confirming its effectiveness, the product content is gradually expanded. At this point, users have become completely dependent on the product, and the subsequent development is naturally -

"When we started cracking down, the elves who hadn't been captured actually rebelled even more vigorously. This trend even spread to more people, and more and more children began to rebel against us old people. Thus, a new purpose for talking nonsense was born, and thus, this twisted form of venting became more and more widespread."

At this point, the Elf Queen's expression darkened. She looked as if she had suddenly become haggard. She slumped weakly in her chair, muttering to herself,

"Just when things were just beginning to show signs of happening, the old man, who was hiding a joke, said he wanted to see how things continued to develop..."

Helpless, difficult! Bai Lin sensed these two words in the Elf Queen's demeanor and tone. It seemed she wasn't the type to have complete control over everything, and there were some issues within management she couldn't resolve.

That's right. After all, the lower beam is so crooked, so the upper beam can't be straight either.

Bai Lin thought so, but did not say anything to the Elf Queen, who continued to say to Bai Lin,

"So, our temporary measure is to continue strict supervision. Even now, many young elves still enjoy bragging, and even take pride in it. And the clever culprit took advantage of us to deal with the mess, completed his own plan, and ran away."

Why would Chris do something so meaningless? Promoting the hype certainly benefits her. Those behind this kind of thing are often smart people.

Although Bai Lin never thought that Kress was a sinister person, after hearing what the Queen said, she couldn't help but feel that Kress was dangerous. She also murmured unconsciously,

“…Is she such a smart person?”

"She's not only smart, but also incredibly bold and eccentric. She's willing to do whatever she wants. Even if someone were to indenture her body to a demon, I wouldn't find it surprising at all."

The Elf Queen responded to Bai Lin's mumbling very naturally, and her expression seemed to have returned to seriousness from her previous helplessness. Then, she said,

"Let's get back to business. Although this incident was large in scale, its overall impact wasn't significant. The young elves don't make up a large group, and this has merely caused some unrest. Most importantly, this incident reveals a fundamental fact: the paucity of life for the young elves."

"Like chess and card games, the elves learn them quickly, but they can't play them for very long before abandoning them. Even the most novel rules and trendy designs are only enough to while away their time for a while."

Chapter 617 Old Thing

Just like a good student who studies games seriously, their skills are usually quite good. The same is true for elves: intelligent people are not bad at anything. They can easily understand things like magic, so playing cards and playing games is easy for them.

Furthermore, these elves had plenty of time to delve into the game's content; years passed in their time, but only a few months. Using these things to kill time was indeed a bit difficult.

Bai Lin thought for a moment, tilted his head, and then asked the queen,

"Wouldn't it be better if I shifted my focus to creative work? For example, writing novels, developing games, or something like that? That way, it would take a lot longer, right?"

Hundreds of days and nights of development, tens of millions of dollars invested, often result in a game that only takes twenty or thirty hours to create. Creation requires meticulous craftsmanship, whether it's a game or anything else. It sounds like the elves themselves lack time-consuming tasks, so Bai Lin suggested the same thing.

But the Elf Queen quickly shook her head and rejected Bai Lin's statement. She said,

"That won't work either. What they're actually lacking is entertainment, and not all elves enjoy creating. If we force some elves to develop and create, we'll lose our principles. As for the existing creators... it's just that the younger generation's demands are too great, and they're being consumed too quickly."

"If we're talking about games that take a bit longer to develop, there have been some. A while ago, a creator created a mimicry space, giving the elves a completely new hierarchy and recreating a world in the form of a game. This captivated most elves for a while. But as mentioned before, the pace of creation simply couldn't keep up with the players' exploration. Later, the number of users began to decline, and updates only became more frequent. But those elves who didn't play were once again idle."

Unlike modern gamers, elves are a vast, unemployed mass of people, with no classes or education. They barely need sleep, so it's normal for creators' output to keep up with consumption. Furthermore, running a game often requires a large number of people. Even though the Elf Queen didn't mention it, Bai Lin felt that something like a simulated space would definitely require maintenance. The manpower consumption was quite excessive.

The elves who are creators do it just out of interest and not as a job, so their output can be even less expected.

"Although the simulated space is well done, the original world is the one with the richest content and the fastest update speed...Is that right?"

Bai Lin quickly came to a conclusion and said so. The Elf Queen also nodded and replied affirmatively,

"Well, that's about it."

Compared to creating a world out of thin air and traveling through a world that elves don't usually come into contact with, the world Bai Lin currently lives in is the most effective way for elves to spend their time. But the problem is that this world already has many things that can lead elves astray, and there are also people like Chris who want to play pranks. This reputation...

The question came back to her. Listening to the Elf Queen's back and forth, Bai Lin's brows furrowed slightly. However, she wasn't as troubled as the Elf Queen. She thought, "What does the elves' entertainment have to do with me? I'm not a real elf." They're so bored, I wish I had three hundred hours a day to myself.

But soon, Bai Lin's idea was dispelled.

"As for the entertainment aspect, we're currently slowly developing some ideas, but the progress hasn't been ideal. After all, us old folks don't think the same way as the young ones. You humans also have generation gaps every few decades, right? We have generation gaps of thousands of years, so you should understand."

The Elf Queen naturally referred to herself as "old thing", which had gradually made Bai Lin accustomed to it. When she said this, Bai Lin could understand what she meant. However, the Queen's next words began to make Bai Lin unable to understand.

"So, Holy Son, you're an adventurer who takes on various commissions, right? Since you're young and intelligent, I'd like to invite you to come up with some proposals and, if possible, help implement them."

"Ah, um ok…what did you just say?"

Having given up on thinking about the elves' entertainment, Bai Lin became a little absent-minded about the topic. Little did she know that her moment of distraction would land her in big trouble like a bolt from the blue. She looked at the Elf Queen with a look of astonishment, a bit stunned.

Are you kidding me?! I'm only in my twenties. How can I be compared to the young elves like you? I'm already completely baffled by Kress alone. Do you really think I can understand the others?

Bai Lin laughed awkwardly twice, then put his hands in his pockets and said very sincerely,

"Your Majesty, I'm just a rough guy who knows how to fight. I don't quite understand how to do this kind of thing. So, let's just—"

"Regardless of whether or not the task is accomplished, I will forgive you for using your elf identity to conduct your business. In the future, you can continue to use your elf identity to conduct your business. As long as you don't use your elf identity to act arrogantly and cause trouble, the elves will be able to protect you within a certain range."

"Also, depending on your final results, I might even give you some extra rewards. This is a reward from the Elf Queen. You should know how precious it is, right?"

The extremely tempting voice and words abruptly cut off Bai Lin's refusal, and the Queen's face, which seemed calm but also revealed the beginnings of "intention", was revealed. The word "inducement" was completely on the table. Things that value profit must be suspicious. Who would not know this? Would Bai Lin really fall for this temptation?

"Okay, I'll do it."

Of course.

Bai Lin answered without hesitation. Although she knew it was a mess, she had no reason to refuse since the Queen had said so.

Judging from what was said just now, the elves still attach some importance to their reputation in the outside world. People like Bai Lin who borrow the identity of troublemakers in their own race to get things done are people who have violated their principles and are not worthy of the elves' trust.

Chapter 618: Coercion and Inducement

The Queen's words were very clear. "Let bygones be bygones" meant that if Bai Lin didn't accept the terms, she would definitely be held accountable. This was undoubtedly a threat, but Bai Lin certainly wasn't someone who would easily succumb to threats, so why would she accept it?

Earlier, the Queen had said, "No matter what the outcome," and the implication was clear: Bai Lin could do whatever he wanted, as long as he could get the job done. She was probably trying to give Bai Lin a way out so she could explain herself to her tribe. So, while this matter seemed complicated, even if Bai Lin was just doing it casually, it would be fine as long as he followed the procedures.

What's more, there is the possibility of additional rewards, and the Queen also emphasized this point. You know, Kress casually gave Bai Lin a set of armor that she had used for a long time. If the Queen gave it to him, could it be a defective one? Although Bai Lin's mission was heavy, spending some time on getting equipment - ahem, spending time on building friendships with the elves was definitely the right choice.

Perhaps this is the legendary "an offer that cannot be refused."

As expected, after receiving Bai Lin's affirmative answer, the Elf Queen seemed to be deflated suddenly. She slumped down in her chair, yawned, and said,

"Alright, my duties are over now. I've informed five elves of this commission in advance, and I'll have them work with you to complete it. These five are young men we've captured for their boastful behavior. To fully understand the elves' needs, it's best to start by communicating directly with them."

"I'm going to leave work now, and I'll leave the rest to you."

The Elf Queen, who was suddenly filled with the aura of a decadent office worker, said this to Bai Lin and said goodbye to her in an instant.

-

"Nice to meet you. My name is Mephistopheles Ven Buchaologus. Everyone calls me Xiao Mi or Mi Mi. You can call me whatever you want."

Standing before Bai Lin was an elf-like girl of similar height, with smooth, straight red hair and lavender eyes. Her features were sharp, and she wore a dark, fitted shirt. Beneath her calm eyes, a certain depth and aggression lingered. Meeting those eyes was like gazing up at the night sky; even if one glimpsed them daily, they still held a special feeling.

In short, it is cooooool

Despite wearing rather androgynous clothing, Mephistopheles' figure is exceptional and striking. The word "perfect" finds a whole new meaning in her: she embodies a perfectly formed figure. From the outside, she appears to be a cool, stylish, long-haired woman, the kind you can rely on and appeal to both men and women.

So when she spoke, her gentle and ordinary tone actually scared Bai Lin. However, Bai Lin did not express much, she just replied in the same reserved and calm tone,

"Well, hello, but I'd better call you by your full name. To be honest, I'm not so used to using nicknames for people I just met..."

The girl in front of her was not only slightly older than Bai Lin in appearance, but her actual age was more than ten times that of Bai Lin. She really couldn't bring herself to ask Bai Lin to call her "Xiao Mi".