Chapter 26: Elder Iiscate
After calming Airael, Hela turned her attention to the ancient Treeman and said, “Esteemed Elder, please state your name and position before Her Majesty.”
Hela spoke with calm and poise.
Airael couldn’t help but feel envious of her.
If only she could display such grace like Teacher Hela!
But alas, her heart was willing but her skills were lacking!
Unlike magic, which she could enhance using the Staff of Eternity in her hand, this all had to come from her own persistent practice.
The Staff of Eternity wouldn’t assist her in this regard.
Though it was a heritage artifact of the Elven Race, it wasn’t like those intelligent staffs from the anime she watched in her past life.
Those things were filled with heaps of data, possessing a degree of wisdom and offering proactive help to their masters in solving problems.
Sigh—!
Thinking about this, Airael let out a deep sigh in her heart.
“A book only turns useful when one starts to study!”
Having neglected her practice usually, this was the result.
Though she believed she had put in a lot of effort, it was evidently still insufficient.
Not to mention the complex thoughts swirling in Airael’s mind.
After Hela spoke, the ancient Treeman turned his gaze to her.
In response to Hela’s address, the ancient Treeman said nothing and focused back on Airael, who seemed a bit dazed, and spoke, “Iiscate! My name is Iiscate, the current Elder of the Treemen!”
Hela’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and she said, “So it is your Excellency Iiscate. I apologize for my earlier rudeness, please forgive me.”
The Treemen didn’t have the concept of “king.”
Their race’s leader was simply the Elder.
The decisions made by the Treemen were determined by the Elder and the council of elders he organized.
And if this ancient Treeman was the Elder, then those Treemen beside him were clearly council members.
In terms of status, Elder Iiscate was equivalent to Airael, the Elven Queen.
However, Iiscate currently held real power, while Airael had yet to ascend the throne.
“No worries!”
Iiscate responded indifferently.
His gaze remained on the dazed Airael, and he continued, “Your Majesty the Elven Queen, may I ask why you have come to us?”
Airael snapped back to reality.
Faced with Iiscate’s question, she felt a bit nervous and didn’t know what to say at first.
She glanced at Hela beside her.
Encouraged by Hela’s gaze, Airael mustered her courage and said to Iiscate, “I’m here seeking the Treemen’s help.”
“Oh? You Elves need our assistance?”
Iiscate looked quite puzzled.
Other Treemen had varying reactions.
Some, like Iiscate, appeared confused, while others displayed mocking looks.
The mocking Treeman was clearly the one who held a grudge before.
“Indeed!”
Airael nodded.
“At present, our Elven Race is in trouble, so we need the help of our friends, you Treemen.”
Iiscate didn’t refuse Airael’s request but asked, “Could you elaborate on what difficulties you Elves are facing?”
“Of course!”
Airael nodded excitedly.
Since the other party had said so, it indicated a willingness to help them.
Now the task was to earnestly secure their assistance.
“Please, go ahead.”
Iiscate said little more and began to listen.
“Your Majesty, allow me to explain our troubles to your Excellency Iiscate.”
Just as Airael was about to speak, Hela suddenly interjected.
Airael looked at Hela.
Hela gently nodded at Airael.
Airael bit her lip and, after a moment, nodded in agreement.
She knew Hela was worried about her possibly making a fool of herself again.
Although she understood Hela’s good intentions, still, it was a bit discomforting.
One, because her own shortcomings led to this situation; two, because she felt a tinge of resentment, thinking Hela stole her “spotlight,” interrupting her words.
“Your Excellency Iiscate, I trust you wouldn’t mind if I explained the difficulties faced by our Elven Race.”
“Not at all!”
Iiscate replied.
He seemed quite easygoing, the type of all-around good guy.
His gaze then shifted to Hela, who was about to speak next.
Hela immediately began to explain to Iiscate, “Your Excellency Iiscate, this story begins several days ago. Ever since we Elves withdrew from the mainland, we have been living a peaceful, conflict-free life. However, just a few days ago, the Humans, who have gradually risen on the mainland, set their sights on our Elven Race after conquering other races.
The Emperor of the Humans has declared war on us Elves, and he has already assembled his army, preparing to launch an attack on Avalon! Therefore, we Elven Race hope that the Treemen can join us to resist the invasion of the Humans.”
Hela spoke fluently and clearly, and Iiscate listened attentively.
Especially towards the end, she used the term “Avalon” instead of repeatedly mentioning “Elven Race.”
The Elven Race resides in Avalon, but Avalon was home to more than just the Elves; the Treemen lived there too.
This was a reminder to Iiscate that his people could also be in the Human Emperor’s plans; they should not do anything that might harm their own kind.
As such, Iiscate looked quite serious after hearing it all.
Though the Treemen had been living in seclusion, it didn’t mean they were entirely out of touch with the world.
They would still actively gather information about current events.
For instance, the former dominant Elven Race was gradually declining while the once lesser Humans were rising.
Though he understood the deeper implications within Hela’s words, Iiscate didn’t respond immediately.
That might be true.
But the reality didn’t always align with Hela’s description.
Perhaps the Humans were merely looking to defeat their former big brother—the Elves—without much thought about the Treemen.
In that case, did the Treemen truly need to risk their lives for the Elves?
Elven kin were hard to come by, and it was even more difficult for Treemen to be born.
New Treemen were born entirely through nature’s provision.
During this process, the chance of premature death was significant.
Thus, the death of each Treeman was a major loss for their race.
