Chapter 85: The Three-Hundred-Year Gamble
Hearing this, Linis and Hela exchanged glances, completely bewildered by Airael’s thought process.
After a moment, Linis looked at Airael and asked, “Your Majesty, could you provide some examples?”
“Let me give you a relevant one. Since I’m supposed to marry into the Human Race, but I’m still so young, it’s clear that I’m not of marrying age. I mean, I should at least wait until I come of age, right?”
Linis nodded, finding Airael’s logic quite sound.
However, for Airael to reach adulthood, it would take about three hundred years.
Three hundred years is nothing for Elves, but could Humans wait that long?
This concern remained unvoiced by Linis; she figured Airael had already thought of it.
If Airael was insisting on this path, there must be a reason behind it.
Airael continued, “Also, as the Elven Queen, the Human who marries me can’t just be some nobody; he must be a great hero I recognize.”
The word “recognize” was punctuated with emphasis by Airael.
Though it seemed like just a single word, adding it gave her immense leverage.
After hearing Airael’s words, Linis finally spoke up, “Your Majesty, your requirements are quite reasonable. However, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a deeper meaning in this. Could you perhaps enlighten me?”
“Linis, did you catch on?” Airael replied, surprised.
“I have an inkling,” Linis smiled back.
“Your first requirement is about timing, and the second concerns the individual. Viewed separately, they seem a bit off, but together, it becomes quite clear.”
“Exactly, what I’m doing is buying time. More precisely, I’m setting up a gamble between our Elven Race and the Human Race. If three hundred years later, the Humans can still stand strong and produce a hero like Alexander, while our Elven Race remains weak, then I’ll accept that.”
Linis nodded, agreeing with Airael’s logic.
“Now, what I need to do is get the Humans to agree to this lengthy gamble.”
“Linis, it will be up to you from here on out. But I truly believe my requests are not excessive! After all, I am the Elven Queen; anyone wishing to marry me must have the capability to do so.”
Seeing Airael smile, Linis stifled a laugh, replying, “Your Majesty, rest assured, I will complete this task and have the Humans accept this gamble.”
If we set aside other matters and just discuss marriage, those two requirements really were not that unreasonable, and could even be considered lenient.
After bidding farewell to Airael, Linis dispatched an elf to summon Suratu, the Human envoy.
When he received Linis’s invitation, Suratu hurried over.
He had been in the capital for several days, plus the travel time, which meant it had already been over a week.
Due to limited information, he was completely unaware of how his disciple Alexander was faring.
At this point, whether Linis sought him out or not, he would have sought her out to deliver their final ultimatum regarding the Humans.
Continuing to drag this out would mean his disciple Alexander could perish.
Life Temple, the same reception room.
But this time, it was Linis sitting in the main seat with Suratu in the guest seat.
“How have you found your stay in the royal city these past few days, Lord Suratu?” Linis began with polite small talk.
“Thank you for your concern, Grand Priestess. I am quite satisfied with the arrangements made for us nobles.”
After some initial pleasantries, Suratu narrowed his eyes, directing a pointed question at Linis. “But I wonder, when can I expect a definite response from your nobility?”
Seeing Suratu’s directness, Linis decided to drop the pretense.
“We, the Elven Race, can agree to your Human Race’s requests; however, we do have some additional conditions that we hope the Humans can accept.”
Suratu’s expression shifted; he had originally been somewhat pleased, but now it turned serious. “What conditions?”
“Your Majesty is our most esteemed Elf, and her marriage is naturally not a simple matter. I hope you understand this, Lord Suratu.”
Suratu nodded, indicating his comprehension.
Linis then expressed the Elven demands: “Firstly, our Queen is currently underage and not of marrying age. We hope for her to marry into your Human Race only after she comes of age.”
Suratu’s face immediately changed.
“Underage? That’s way too young!”
However, this wait would last several centuries!
Of course, Suratu didn’t show much disturbance; he was actually pleased.
As mentioned before, he only needed the Elven Race to agree to the marriage; everything else was secondary.
Ignoring Suratu’s reaction, Linis continued, “Secondly, our Queen must marry a great hero from the Human Race, and moreover, this hero must gain her recognition.”
At this, Suratu couldn’t help but retort, “Grand Priestess, you Elves are being unreasonable. To put it bluntly, what if the Elven Race doesn’t acknowledge our great hero in the end?”
Linis promptly shot back, “If we’re talking about unreasonable, wouldn’t your Human Race’s requests be even more so? The Elven Race has already grit our teeth and agreed; shouldn’t the Humans also accommodate some reasonable requests from us? As for playing tricks, you can rest assured, we will subject your great hero to some appropriate trials. Only if he passes them will our Queen acknowledge him. Or do you, Lord Suratu, lack confidence in the future of the Human Race and its heroes?”
Suratu stared intently at Linis, momentarily at a loss for words.
Linis matched his gaze, remaining silent.
The reception room fell into a temporary quiet.
Following this, both the Elf and Human engaged in a vigorous debate over their demands.
For her requests, Linis was just as unyielding as Suratu had been over his.
In the end, Suratu conceded.
After all, everything had aligned with his wishes.
Now it was up to the younger generation of the Human Race to prove themselves.
As for the elders like him, they could do no more than this.
That afternoon, Airael stood on the balcony, admiring the beautiful city that was not yet hers, a subtle smile gracing her face.
From her demeanor, it was clear she was in a good mood.
This time, she pushed all thoughts aside and genuinely wanted to enjoy the view of the city.
