Chapter 74: The Reformation

Chapter 74: The Reformation

After Linis voiced her concerns, Domiya calmly replied, “Linis, is that all you’re worried about?”

Domiya’s nonchalant attitude made Linis a bit angry as she retorted, “If this isn’t handled well, it could spark a civil war among the Elven Race! Right now, our Elven Race can’t afford such chaos.”

“I can’t believe you, as the Grand Priestess of the Life Temple, can’t muster any courage during such times! A civil war? Haha! What waves can those folks even make?”

“Domiya, please don’t underestimate them.”

“I’m not underestimating them, it’s you, Linis, who underestimates us.”

Linis looked at Domiya, puzzled.

Seeing Linis’s confusion, Domiya felt a sense of satisfaction inside.

It was about time to put Linis in her place!

To perfect her performance, Domiya cleared her throat and organized her thoughts before speaking, “Linis, our Your Majesty has already gained the recognition of the World Tree, right?”

“That goes without saying.”

Linis nodded.

“This means her strength will surge in the near future. With her talent, it won’t be long before she reaches our level with the World Tree’s assistance.”

At this point, both Domiya and Linis wore grim expressions.

Especially Domiya; if Linis hadn’t told her earlier, she wouldn’t have known just how extraordinary the World Tree was!

Yet, they couldn’t really envy it either.

Among the two, even though Linis was the Grand Priestess of the Life Temple, to put it bluntly, she was just a high-ranking maid.

The Elven Queen had the closest relationship with the World Tree; that’s what one would call the “Son of Heaven.”

Before long, they both gathered their thoughts.

Domiya looked at Linis and continued, “Once Your Majesty reaches our level, we’d have three top-tier warriors at the twelfth rank on our side.”

Saying this, she revealed a slight smile.

Linis continued to gaze at her with confusion.

It was true they had three powerful warriors, but in a battlefield, it wasn’t just about competing with senior combat powers.

They also had to consider whether the battle was worth it.

In Linis’s eyes, if a civil war broke out within the Elven Race and resulted in large-scale bloodshed, it would definitely not be worth it.

Seeing Linis still not grasping it, Domiya desperately wanted to thump her head.

Is she really the Grand Priestess?

Where has she been all these years?

“With our three top-tier warriors around, those folks wouldn’t dare to make a fuss. Besides, we have more than just the three of us. Not to mention you, Linis; can’t your Life Temple pull some strings to make the dogma more legal?”

“Well… that might not be good!”

Linis hesitated.

Such words would mean falsely transmitting divine edicts.

“There’s nothing wrong with that! I don’t believe these dogmas were genuinely set by the World Tree for us; they were created by earlier generations. Since they were made by predecessors, why should we be bound by their dogma?”

Domiya’s words stirred something in Linis.

Domiya was indeed right about the dogma.

While the World Tree had its own will, it didn’t really care much about the development of the Elven Race.

Linis hadn’t received any divine edicts during her years in power.

Thus, it was only natural that it wouldn’t set any rules for the Elven Race; those dogmas were merely interpretations made by earlier generations to control the populace.

Without rules, chaos would abound, leading to all sorts of trouble.

“Domiya, thank you.”

Linis expressed her gratitude after resolving her inner conflict.

“You don’t need to thank me; Linis, you were just trapped in your own perspective!”

Just a moment ago, she attempted to put herself in Linis’s shoes and realized she probably wouldn’t do any better than Linis.

Of course, this wasn’t her underestimating Linis; it was just that their strengths lay in different specialties.

She would continue to stick to her magical research and coaching students; if she needed to go out and fight, then she would.

Linis displayed a wry grin.

Even if she had been trapped in her perspective, it was Domiya who helped her see clearly.

However, since Domiya didn’t want to claim that credit, she wouldn’t force it upon her.

With her worries cleared, Linis decided not to linger with Domiya any longer and returned to the Life Temple to prepare a few things.

Although it was easy to talk about with Domiya, putting it into practice would still be far from simple.

This was a monumental change that hadn’t happened for millennia.

Putting the matter of the Elven Race aside for now.

Across the continent, the shadow of war had not yet dissipated.

Although the Dwarves had captured the royal city of the Georgia Kingdom, their inadequate troop strength made it impossible for them to expand their territory further.

Even though they had recruited many servile troops, the Dwarves had little faith in them.

“Not of our kind, their hearts are bound to be different!”

The Dwarves firmly believed in this principle.

Especially those nobles holed up in their castles in the countryside.

At any moment, they could emerge to cause trouble.

As for capturing those castles one by one?

That was utterly impossible.

Such fortresses, big and small, were everywhere, and sending in fewer troops wouldn’t take them down, while sending in too many wouldn’t be worth the effort.

Those fortresses offered little value in attack; all they yielded would be mere ruins.

Instead, they would increase the strain on their already scarce troop strength.

Of course, the Dwarves weren’t without countermeasures.

Since their forces were insufficient, they could recruit more from their homeland.

Even if new recruits were weak, as long as they could help guard the rear, that would suffice.

This would free up a significant number of troops for them.

Those wandering soldiers popping up occasionally could also help serve as practice for them.

Meanwhile, the humans were planning a counterattack.

With their growing understanding of the Dwarven firearms, they came to acknowledge the impressive strength of these weapons while also recognizing their flaws.

Aside from being poor in accuracy and requiring a time-consuming reload, they shared a lethal vulnerability—like ordinary crossbows, they were weak against water or dampness.

In this fantastical world, casting a magical rainstorm was no big deal for any competent Mage.

Even if they rendered the firearms useless, the Dwarves’ melee combat capabilities remained formidable; their innate strength paired with sturdy armor was enough to give them a significant edge in close combat, but the humans were not lacking in experience against such foes.

With a countermeasure in mind, and seeing the Dwarves’ ruthless rise to power, the humans naturally planned to engage in battle to show the Dwarves that even with their new weapons, humans remained the rulers of the continent, leaving the Dwarves to stand on the sidelines.