Chapter 35: The Clash of Magic and Technology
After signing the military expansion agreement, Airael let out a sigh.
It’s certain that the Elven Race, previously calm for hundreds of years, is about to be thrown into turmoil once again.
But unlike the turmoil of the past, this time she would be at the helm!
So, she planned to lead the Elven Race towards glory amidst this storm.
Bringing her focus back from the documents, Airael turned to her ever-loyal companion Celia and said, “Celia, please go to the Life Temple and tell Linis to come to the Royal Palace tomorrow morning. I have important matters to discuss with her.”
“Yes!”
Celia responded promptly and stepped out of the office.
Although such matters could easily be handled with a magic communication, sometimes it’s just better to speak face to face.
Besides, while Airael is quite versed in magic communication, Linis, being an older elf, might take a bit longer to get used to it.
With that arranged, Airael dove back into her tasks.
Unbeknownst to her, she had already grown accustomed to this lifestyle.
Morning office hours, afternoons spent with Anna.
Time flew by without her noticing, and soon it was lunchtime.
Finishing up her work just before noon, Airael headed to the dining hall as usual.
There, Hela was already waiting with Anna and the others.
As she entered the dining hall, Anna’s eyes lit up, and she sweetly called out, “Mommy!”
The little one was over a year old and nearly two, so she could talk and even run now.
But to prevent any accidents, she couldn’t just run around freely except in secure areas.
Hearing her daughter’s sweet call, Airael smiled brightly, feeling her morning’s fatigue melt away.
She walked up to Hela, taking Anna from her arms.
Anna happily leaped into Airael’s embrace, and Airael planted a kiss on the little one’s tender cheek.
The little girl beamed with joy; such interactions, although not their first, brought them immeasurable happiness.
“Your Majesty, it’s time for lunch.”
After their mother-daughter moment, Hela reminded her.
“Mm-hmm.”
Airael nodded and said to Anna, “Little treasure, let’s go have lunch.”
Of course, Anna’s lunch primarily consisted of Airael’s milk.
The nutrients in her milk were rich and brimming with life force, which was vital for Anna, a half-elf still growing.
This also benefited her future training.
Knowing this left Airael both amused and exasperated.
It was as if her milk had become a rare treasure.
Naturally, currently, only Little Anna was lucky enough to enjoy this “treasure.”
Airael had grown accustomed to personally feeding Anna.
Though, of course, Anna was to be weaned eventually.
According to Linis’s suggestion, it would be best to wean Anna around the age of four or five.
That meant Airael would be feeding Anna for another three years.
In the grand scheme of things for the Elven Race, that’s not a very long time.
As Airael ate, Anna nestled against her chest, her little mouth opening as if she wanted to munch on something.
After swallowing what was in her mouth, Airael looked down and said, “Anna, just wait a bit. Let Mommy finish lunch, and then I’ll feed you.”
Her milk didn’t come free; it was something her body produced.
Thus, her body needed to replenish energy to sustain that output.
The little one pouted her lips, clearly eager.
The good stuff was right there but off-limits for now.
Seeing Anna’s impatience, Airael couldn’t help but speed up her meal.
After Airael finished eating, the little munchkin finally got to devour what she craved.
“Burp~!”
After a satisfying meal, Anna let out a little burp, wearing a blissful expression.
Airael couldn’t help but scratch her little nose.
The tiny girl immediately wrinkled her nose in discontent, clearly annoyed by Airael’s teasing.
With their brief moment over, Airael carried Anna back to the bedroom.
Though she had grown a lot, Anna was still just a little one.
After being well-fed, she dozed off as soon as they reached her bed.
Airael watched over her.
This had been her life for the past year.
Sitting by the little one’s bedside, Airael suddenly drifted into thought.
The Elven Race was on the brink of turmoil, and from what she had gathered, the Human Race had never truly settled down.
For starters, the battles with the Orcs had never ceased.
Orcs didn’t fear death.
In this regard, humans simply couldn’t compete.
Ultimately, humans were part of a civilized society.
Excessive deaths would lead to societal unrest.
Many schemers took advantage of such chaos.
And the Orcs? They didn’t care; death was merely part of life for them.
Next, there was the issue of the dark world.
In times of frequent war, darkness thrives, especially with the vampires lurking among humans, always causing trouble.
Whether large or small, humans couldn’t afford to underestimate this frightening race.
Finally, there were internal issues within the Human Race.
Humans were not a monolith; nations had both conflicts and cooperation.
Lately, new tensions had emerged among human nations.
That being the struggle between technology and magic.
The power of magic was mysterious and potent, but the introduction of gunpowder made many realize that magic might not be everything.
With powerful gunpowder technology, even a child could, after a bit of training, kill a seasoned warrior with a firearm.
It wasn’t as easy for mages to achieve that.
As for high-level mages, the power of technology extended beyond firearms to artillery.
Training soldiers to use weapons like rifles and cannons was much easier than nurturing a mage.
Thus, mages faced significant pressure within the human nations.
Of course, it was merely pressure; their status would no longer be so untouchable, but magic could still survive in human territories.
After all, many would still aspire to become mages if they could.
The allure of wielding great power personally far outweighed any reliance on external gadgets like firearms.
Therefore, the clash between magic and technology was more like a struggle for power—a new force challenging the old order.
