Chapter 138 Chapter 138 Speech.
Su Cheng actually didn't go too far.
She simply teleported a few times, moved dozens of miles away, and sat on a hillside, waiting quietly.
About half an hour later, Ian's spiritual power swept over from afar, like a feather falling in the wind, carrying a certain sad breath.
Su Cheng sighed.
It didn't take long for him to find her.
Su Cheng realized that Laiya had passed away. "...I'm sorry."
She wasn't very surprised, because from the attitudes of the elves, it was clear that they were very reluctant to help.
The blond boy shook his head silently. "Mom actually committed suicide. She used her last bit of fighting spirit to shatter her heart. Maybe she didn't want me to beg them anymore, or maybe it was too painful—"
He spoke dazedly, tears welling in his beautiful eyes. "I was too willful. I let her suffer in pain for so long. Perhaps if I had known this would happen, I should have let her be free."
Su Cheng really didn't know what to say, "...then you'll probably regret not giving it a try."
"You're right. I'll regret whatever I do," he sighed self-deprecatingly. "Mom doesn't like her hometown. I plan to bury her in the Green Pine City cemetery."
In a town outside the grassland, the funeral home staff sorted out the bodies. Ian bought a coffin and a carriage and drove along the official road to the city ahead.
He was not very familiar with the affairs of human society, and coupled with his low mood, he was in a daze and cried many times along the way.
Su Cheng helped him with some things, and in the process he encountered people who deliberately made things difficult for him - Ian didn't cover his ears, and they could all see that he was a half-elf.
Leia was originally a citizen of the Empire, but her registered residence was not in Green Pine City, so it was a bit troublesome to buy a cemetery. However, when the person in charge heard that this was a great war master, he immediately changed his mind.
When the burial was complete and everything was settled, the cedar trees in the cemetery were lush and green, and their branches and leaves made slight noises in the wind.
"...Thank you." Ian thanked him hoarsely, "If it weren't for you, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
Su Cheng shook his head silently, "You're welcome. I really don't know how to say anything comforting, and I can only help you up to this point."
The blond boy turned his head to look at her, "Do you have any family?"
Su Cheng: "...only some distant relatives."
Probably the kind that goes back eighteen generations.
Even this number is conservative.
Ian nodded and asked casually, "Before... you said you weren't human, so how do you view humans?"
"An intelligent race."
"?"
"That's it," Su Cheng said dryly, "To some extent, I think everyone is essentially the same. I've seen many kind and upright people who sacrificed for others, and I've also seen some very bad ones."
Ian stared at his mother's tombstone in silence. "There are hundreds of high elven lands, large and small, across the territory of the Scarlet Sun Empire. There are grassland elves, forest elves, mountain elves... In order to attract elves to join the government or serve in the Emperor's Palace Guard, the Empire actually treats the elves quite favorably. My mother said that because of this, many people actually have complaints about the elves."
Su Cheng was about to speak when he suddenly realized that this kind of thing would not happen thousands of years later. In a sense, it was because the Chiyang Empire at that time had become a tool for the Church and the Secret Cult to fight for power, and the elves had already gone to where they could stay.
Ian looked up. "Mom once said I should look for my future in the human world if I wanted to achieve success. She also said if I just wanted to live a happy life, then I could go anywhere."
Su Cheng blinked, "So what do you think now?"
"I want," he said, his voice so soft as a pinprick, barely perceptible, "to avenge them and make the noble darlings of the Peering Maggots disappear from history."
Su Cheng didn't fully understand the last sentence, but at least he understood who he wanted to take revenge on.
Su Cheng: "...If you need me, I can go back with you to beat up the people. I can handle all those elders who just came out by myself."
Ian turned his head and looked at her meaningfully, "I believe you can do it, but I don't just want to beat them up."
Before she could reply, the blond boy stood up and said, "Come on, I'll treat you to dinner."
Although most of the day had passed, he was still obviously in a very low mood. Su Cheng could fully understand that it was normal for this state to last for several days or months.
They then stepped into the city where the heat was surging.
Green Pine City is located in the north-central part of the Chiyang Empire. It is already quite hot in spring, with a thick moisture that feels like the sea surface covering your skin.
They walked through the long, bustling street, surrounded by the shouts of vendors and the sounds of wheels clattering over the hard, stone ground.
Ian was very familiar with this place. He crossed two streets and led her into a busy pub.
As the two men climbed up the stairs, several tall and strong mercenaries came out and rushed towards them without any intention of avoiding them.
Ian subconsciously dodged to the side.
However, the man seemed to be deliberately making things difficult for him, and deliberately bumped his shoulder into that overly handsome face.
The blond boy simply stopped.
Bang!
The mercenary let out a scream.
His shoulder collided with the boy's nose, which was like hitting a steel nail, and he grimaced in pain.
"You!" The mercenary cursed, clutching his shoulder. Suddenly, he caught sight of the boy's ears, and his expression suddenly became even more vicious. "You pointy-eared monster! Why did you hit me?!"
As he said this, he swung his fist at me angrily.
Ian didn't seem to be good at dealing with this kind of situation. Apparently, it was Leia who had handled this kind of thing in the past.
After a brief moment of confusion, he showed a look of disgust and waved his hand, completely breaking the man's arm.
The mercenary took a few steps back and fell to the ground, hugging his twisted arm, with the white bones even exposed at his elbow.
"My bones are broken! My arm—"
The mercenary opened his mouth and shouted loudly in a crying tone full of grievance and resentment.
"Hey!"
Just as Su Cheng was about to speak, he was stopped by Yian.
"No," a strange look appeared on the latter's face. "Let him talk. I want to see what he wants to do."
This place was originally near the commercial street and at an intersection, with people coming and going around, and soon a lot of spectators gathered.
The man hugged his horribly damaged arm and began to wail. "Look! This is the empire's distinguished guest! A noble immortal! I simply didn't give way to him, and he broke my arm!"
As he spoke, he squeezed out a few tears and his voice was full of grief and indignation. Several other companions also looked unwilling and joined in his voice.
"Yes, we humans have a short lifespan. We either work hard to farm or make a living on the edge of a knife. Even if we work hard, we can only earn a few silver coins to keep our families from starving to death and to buy medicine when we are sick—"
"But what about them? They are born with a lifespan of thousands of years. Not only are they eternally youthful, but they are also free from illness and disaster, and can easily learn fighting magic!"
One mercenary grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, pounding his chest. "We've been working so hard that our hair has turned white, while they're still teenagers. Even a nap takes longer than our entire lives..."
The crowd around began to stir, many people were whispering, and many people looked a little annoyed.
Those people became more and more excited.
"The Empire treats them with favor. His Majesty the Emperor and the members of the Imperial Council all wish to recruit these ancient wise men, the followers of the God of Truth—"
The injured man screamed at the top of his lungs, "The Empire gave them high positions and generous salaries, and gave them gold, silver, and treasures. They were able to obtain titles and nobles simply by virtue of their status, things that ordinary people could never obtain in their entire lives! And now what have they got in return? They use their wisdom on us short-lived people, showing off their arrogance in front of us! Look at his handsome face, look at his golden hair, without a trace of wind and frost. Does he know what it means to struggle for survival? Does he know what it means to be hungry? Does he understand the joys and sorrows of ordinary people? He doesn't understand. He only looks at us with the same eyes as if he were an animal rolling in the mud. So what makes them qualified to lead us—"
A single stone can cause a thousand ripples. These tearful accusations seemed to have ignited the emotions of the audience, and many people showed sympathy, indignation, and obvious hostility on their faces.
They looked at the beautiful blond boy.
Some parents pulled their children aside and whispered, "Don't mess with those arrogant elves. They can kill you without paying the price—"
Someone spat on the ground. "Pah, they're right. We've been working from dawn to dusk for years and our bodies are ruined. They can just sleep in the woods and it'll pass by..."
Someone holding a book shook his head. "Any elf willing to register for citizenship can receive a substantial subsidy based on this alone. That's enough to send dozens of children to magic school. And all of this is supported by our tax money..."
"Yeah, what wisdom do they have? They just rely on their long life. If I could live for a thousand years, I would know much more than them..."
"Go back to your mountains!"
"Be careful! Don't mess with him!"
The shouting continued one after another. Although people shouted loudly, no one dared to take a step forward. Many people even retreated after shouting.
So the open space in the middle became larger and larger.
Ian saw those faces filled with jealousy and anger. They didn't dare to take action, but enjoyed the pleasure of dragging the so-called noble people into the quagmire with words.
As if this could smooth out the injustice of being treated harshly by fate.
He exhaled, said nothing, turned around and looked at the slender figure still standing behind him.
The black-haired girl stood there motionless, her face looking very unhappy, as if she was suppressing something, and she looked ready to rush out and start a quarrel.
Or kill people.
Ian gently tugged at her sleeve, "...Take me on a teleport, away from here, okay?"
Su Cheng actually wanted to have a good argument with him.
The man didn't see the ears at first, and didn't know the boy in front of him was a half-elf.
——He just felt jealous when he saw a good-looking person of the same sex and wanted to bully the thinner one.
If he was really an ordinary handsome boy, he would probably be knocked down and rolled down the stairs with a bleeding head.
If the angle is not right, you might even fall to your death.
"All right."
Su Cheng nodded, then threw out a wind blade with his backhand.
When the mercenary covered his face and screamed miserably, she pulled Ian and directly launched space magic.
Su Cheng was not very familiar with this place, so he subconsciously chose the farthest diagonal direction.
They landed in a spacious square. In front of them was a tall, white staircase leading to a magnificent palace-like building.
The building was carved from white jade, and its dome was inlaid with polished lapis lazuli, like a starry sky that never faded.
Dozens of people gathered at the bottom of the steps, with some gorgeous carriages parked around, and more people were constantly joining the crowd.
"What's this?"
"...That's the library of Green Pine City," Ian whispered, "It was built by the lord's ancestors, and their family has funded its maintenance for generations..."
In front of the huge door carved with epic scenes, stood a middle-aged man in gorgeous clothes and with an arrogant look.
His robe was a deep purple, with the family crest, a Pegasus with outstretched wings, embroidered on it in gold thread.
"Everyone, please look at the city beneath our feet, a miracle built by the wisdom and strength of our ancestors. Then look at ourselves: magicians, warriors, scholars, and noble ones favored by the gods, those who bathe in blessings."
His voice was high and penetrating. "Why can we stand here, blessed by the gods, drinking the sweet rain of knowledge and being influenced by art, while the peasants in the lower city can only commit crimes by the filthy ditches for a few copper coins!"
The audience below listened quietly, many of them nodded in agreement or looked at him with disdain.
"The answer lies in our blood!" the man shouted, raising his arms. "Our ancestors were great men who danced with dragons and swore oaths with elves! Their descendants are therefore endowed with the power of a noble race. We have sharper perceptions, more intelligent minds, and gifts unmatched by mortals. The gods will also favor us first!"
He said this while looking into the distance with contempt.
——Su Cheng noticed that the direction the other party was looking was exactly the direction he and Ian came from.
"However, our sacred bloodline is in danger of being polluted!"
The man changed the subject and said in a sad tone, "I've heard rumors that some families, for the sake of wealth and land, are willing to stoop to marrying commoners. How depraved is that? Don't they understand that a drop of dirty water can destroy a pure spring?"
The crowd was in an uproar, and many people expressed their approval.
"We have inherited the power of dozens of generations of ancestors. Our children are naturally more noble and closer to the true meaning of magic. If you allow a man or woman with mortal blood to become the father or mother of your child, you will dilute the most precious legacy we have inherited from our ancestors! It is a betrayal of our past and a stifle of our future!"
The crowd below applauded enthusiastically.
They did not shout wildly, but spoke in restrained and low voices, but their faces were full of recognition.
"I hereby appeal that in order to maintain the purity of our bloodline and protect the foundation of this city, we must draw a clear line and not let those dirty desires pollute us—"
"That's very well said!"
"Yeah, those who can't even recognize all the words in a tavern menu shouldn't live in the same city as us..."
"Yes, Your Excellency the Viscount said it very well. My daughter married a dragon-born husband, and now my granddaughters have all tested positive for exceptional talents. Our family has a successor..."
Su Cheng gradually couldn't hear what they were saying.
She and Ian had come a long way.
"Honestly," she looked back, "is there even one normal person left in this city?"
Ian looked thoughtful.
After two seconds, he suddenly came back to his senses.
"Sorry," the boy said helplessly, "I wanted to treat you to coral shrimp skewers and fish soup dumplings. They're really delicious. Before I tried those, I only ate fruits and vegetables..."
His voice grew quieter and quieter, his thoughts seeming to drift away.
"They're all stupid, aren't they?"
Ian suddenly said, "The people we just met."
"Um?"
Su Cheng looked at the bustling crowd in front of the library, which was obviously full of rich people and nobles.
"If you ask me, anything anyone said just now is nonsense. Don't worry about it. There are different idiots in every race—"
"I don't care," Ian shook his head. "I once thought that if I were to live in human society, I would have to make them accept me. But these people? Their approval is worthless. They're so easily manipulated. Just give them a little resonance, and their emotions will be stirred. Cries of suffering or hymns of glory are actually just excuses for them to vent their anger and pressure, or to seek a sense of superiority. If you can grasp that string, they will all become your puppets."
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