Chapter 538 - The Bluff (2) (1/2)

Chapter 538: The Bluff (2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

On this day, the sun shone brightly while the sea breeze rolled in gently.

Seagulls screeched in the sky, squabbling with each other over scraps thrown out by the guests of a nearby inn. A few kids frolicked around the port’s open plaza. Near the docks, workers called out to each other as they bustled about, loading and unloading cargo from their ships. Further away, shop houses were in the midst of construction.

It was an ordinary day like any other.

At noon, a seemingly ordinary merchant vessel appeared on the horizon. It slowly made its way towards the port of Ferde.

High Elf merchant ships were a familiar sight to the port’s inhabitants. Though nothing stood out from it on the surface, this particular merchant ship was different from the others that came before it.

On the outside, the merchant ship and its deck seemed normal enough. In reality, it had an extremely spacious hold beneath its deck. Only a small portion of that space was reserved for holding cargo. The rest of it was emptied out for its passengers. There was even enough space for a great hall.

It was lunchtime. In the ship’s great hall, eight High Elves were seated around a long table. The three High Elf Legendary masters, Bryant, Sonya and Milose were in their midst.

The other five High Elves were no ordinary folk. One of them was a young High Elf who bore a resemblance to the Elf Princess Milda and was almost as old as her. He was Prince Phillip, who also happened to have been saved by Link once. The four High Elves around him were among the best diplomats and negotiators the Isle of Dawn had to offer.

When the port of Ferde appeared before their ship, the voice of a sailor called out to them from the deck, “Your Highnesses, Ferde is just ahead of us.”

Hearing this, Bryant turned to Sonya and Milose. “It’s time. Go get ready.”

“Yes, Prophet.” The two young Magicians wiped their mouths clean with their napkins. They then rose from their seats. With a slight movement, their bodies dissolved into a green mist and vanished from the ship’s hold.

The merchant’s vessel was just a facade. Its true cargo were the negotiators inside its hold. Six Silver Storm Sparrow ships hung back a few thousand feet from the merchant’s vessel. If anything went wrong, the Silver Storm Sparrow’s magic spells would descend upon the port of Ferde in retaliation, which would result in grievous injuries on both sides.

Of course, this was only a contingency plan. If Ferde would peacefully accept their terms, they would not need to resort to violence.

There were two reasons as to why the High Elves preferred a peaceful resolution with Ferde.

The first one was that the Army of Destruction had amassed its forces in the northern region. The Isle of Dawn needed the humans to be their first line of defense against the Army of Destruction there.

The second reason was that Ferde now possessed a powerful army of 30,000 men. It also had a Legendary master watching over it. They could not possibly ignore such military might. Even if the High Elves were to act against Ferde, they still had to make thorough preparations for such a confrontation.

The merchant’s vessel continued on its path. Prince Phillip had just finished his meal as well.

He had been to Hot Springs City. Back then, Link was the one who had rescued him. He had felt much gratitude for what he had done. Even now, Prince Phillip still had a high opinion of Link.

It was a shame, though, that good and evil never meant much when it came to dealing with interracial issues.

“Prophet, do you think he’ll be willing to hand her over?” Phillip asked. Deep down, he knew that Link would resist. He still remembered the time they met at the magic market. Back then, Link had faced off against three masters all on his lonesome without even a hint of panic. He had beaten all three of them up, leaving two dead and one running off with his tail between his legs.

There was no way someone with a strong will like Link’s would ever submit so easily to others.

Even Bryant could not say anything for sure. He was silent for a moment. Then, he spoke, “If what we’ve heard of Ferde’s military strength is true, Link will probably hand Evelina over to us. He’s an intelligent man, and the port is the lifeline of Ferde.”

Phillip was no longer the naive young man he was before. He sighed. “I hope so.”

After a moment of silence, he asked again, “What will happen to Evelina? Will she really be executed?”

Though Evelina was a half-elf, she had lived in the High Elf royal palace, Andwar ever since she was little. Phillip knew her for as long as he could remember. Among the High Elf Princesses, Evelina was always so full of life and good-tempered. He would always follow her around wherever she went when Phillip was still a child.

They had played many pranks together, like the time when they threw a beehive into a guard post where the imperial guards were having their afternoon naps. There was also that one time when they poured unicorn urine into the wine barrels in the wine cellar. At a banquet on the next day, most guests felt that the wine did not taste quite right, but finished their glasses anyway out of courtesy. A wide smile would spread across Phillip’s face every time he thought of all the pranks he pulled together with Evelina.

But now, they had both grown up. With the power she possessed, Evelina posed a real threat to the safety of the Isle of Dawn. She had even defected from the Isle of Dawn. As a High Elf prince, Phillip was ordered by her mother to bring back this traitor to the island.

Big Sis Evie, why would you do this? Phillip sighed inwardly.

In truth, he knew the answer to this question. But he could not bring himself to say it out loud. He was also powerless to change anything.

Bryant too had conflicted feelings about this. Due to her half-elf identity, Evelina had suffered constant discrimination from the other High Elves. As a former human Magician, Bryant’s life was also anything but an easy one. He understood more than anyone what Evelina was going through. His granddaughter had paid the ultimate price for it.

After a long silence, Bryant finally said, “Probably not. Once we bring her back, the elders will then decide her fate.”

This meant that certain death awaited Evelina back on the island. The elders had already made their decision, and they had all come to the conclusion that Evelina would be sentenced to death if any evidence of her committing treason against the Isle of Dawn could be found. Evelina had indeed betrayed them and nearly killed Elovan.

They fell silent again.