This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 287 - 266: There Are As Many Excuses As You Need_2

Chapter 287: Chapter 266: There Are As Many Excuses As You Need_2

When the only outsider had left, the Old Elven King could no longer contain himself. He said to Aldalian, "What madness is this? If this matter isn’t resolved quickly, who knows how many unexpected things will happen. Do you not understand how greatly this affects Laine?"

The young Elven King did not immediately answer the question. Instead, he personally brought a chair over for Katherine, and after she was seated, he said to the Old Elven King, "Grandfather, didn’t you see that Sister Katherine is unwilling? Are you going to force her for the sake of an outsider?"

The Old Elven King said angrily, "You are now the King of the Elf Tribe, not the little brat who used to follow Katherine around all day! Can’t you figure out what is more important? Whenever it involves Katherine, your rationality completely disappears, how can I entrust the Elf Tribe to you?"

Katherine, feeling incredibly embarrassed as she watched the Old Elven King’s anger, thought that their arguing because of her was not a first-time occurrence; the feeling was truly uncomfortable.

Unable to hold back, Katherine said, "Aldalian, do not make a foolish decision for my sake. Your grandfather is right, you are now the King of the Elf Tribe, and you should consider the entirety of the Elf Tribe."

The young Elven King gave Katherine a radiant smile, then said, "Sister Katherine, don’t worry. I am stopping this precisely for the sake of the Elf Tribe."

Aldalian turned his head and looked seriously at his grandfather before saying, "I do not think that handing over Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit to Laine is a good thing. Grandfather, what benefits does it bring to our Elf Tribe if Laine obtains this Heroic Spirit?"

Still angry, the Old Elven King said, "It doesn’t do any harm either. Laine is our ally! Isn’t it what we should do to help our allies?"

Aldalian chuckled, then said, "Grandfather, I know you were a friend of the Saint King of Laine. I know how deep your bond was. Therefore, you’re unwilling to let Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit fall into the hands of a Lich. You want your old friend’s spirit to return to his Empire. But Laine is no longer the Laine it used to be; until when will you continue to deceive yourself?"

The Old Elven King fell into silence.

Seeing the change in expression on the Old Elven King’s face, Aldalian continued, "Grandfather, can Laine still be counted as our ally today? Are you sure that the Emperor of Laine isn’t considering attacking the Silvermoon Tribunal and exterminating all of us? Who is really letting their emotions affect their judgment? We should use this to our advantage, to give the Elf Tribe, which has just fallen into decline, a breather. This is what an Elven King should do."

The Old Elven King couldn’t counter the argument; indeed, that was his problem.

He had lived from the Era of the Magic Dragon to the present, witnessed the establishment of Laine, and its transformation. How could he not know that Laine had changed, yet his feelings toward Laine were not so easily altered.

That was the brother he had shared life and death with; that was the Empire he had built with all his life’s strength—the once most radiant and splendid kingdom in all the continent.

As one grows old, it’s easy to become nostalgic. Indeed, it was he who had let his emotions sway him this time.

Just as the Old Elven King was about to admit his mistake, he saw Aldalian looking at Katherine with a full, beaming smile.

"Sister Katherine, rest assured, I will not let you suffer the slightest grievance. What’s Laine considered anyway? If you don’t want to deal with that old man, don’t bother. I’ll kick him out directly!"

The Old Elven King roared, "You’re making all this up on the spot, aren’t you? These reasons are all recent fabrications of yours!"

Aldalian coughed awkwardly; indeed, his grandfather understood him well. The words he had just spoken were indeed made up on the spot. If Katherine wasn’t feeling troubled, Aldalian wouldn’t mind proceeding with the matter as his grandfather wished.

But Katherine was unhappy, so of course, he had to side with her.

Political interests aren’t clearly defined as right or wrong. Even if they unconditionally supported the return of Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit, Aldarrian could still come up with a myriad of reasons.

From a positive perspective, they could curry favor with James Watson and establish good relations with the Supreme Decree of Laine, and the benefits would certainly be substantial.

From the negative side, what the Laine Empire fears most is the return of Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit. Considering how much today’s Laine deviates from the Holy King’s original ideology, his return would certainly cause great turmoil within Laine. Weakness in this ally would also be advantageous for the Elves.

Either way, it’s just a matter of what Aldarrian chooses to say.

From a very young age, Aldarrian knew that politics was like a dough that could be shaped in any way one pleased.

Unlike other kings on the continent, Aldarrian disliked grand directions and big plans; he preferred things that were practical, a preference likely influenced by his adventures with his parents in his youth.

Both of Aldarrian’s parents were members of the Dusk Guard and were the adventurous kind; in fact, Aldarrian was even born during one of their adventures.

As a result, the upbringing Aldarrian received was quite different from that of traditional Elves. He grew up in the deceitful life of an Adventurer, seeing the truest form of civilian life during his childhood. Therefore, Aldarrian believed that what really affected a nation’s operations were not these ambiguous grand principles but the tangible details and rules.

When assisting Katherine, each policy was established after field investigations and visits, and was fine-tuned according to the different situations in the cities of the Silvermoon Tribunal.

How many issues did Elves from different professions and regions have to deal with from birth to death, what could be optimized, what problems needed to be solved... Aldarrian spent decades studying these questions. The objective was to reduce the working hours of Elves, increase work efficiency, lower production costs, and enhance productivity and social welfare.

By optimizing every aspect of the Elf Tribe, Aldarrian achieved a result—the Elves were willing to have children. During his time in office, the birth rate of the Elf Tribe increased significantly, which was his greatest accomplishment.

Aldarrian disliked these empty political excuses, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t use them.

It’s all made up anyway, with good and bad being just a matter of speaking. The true nature of good and bad has never been about the relationship between two countries, but the disparity in national strength between them.

The Silvermoon Tribunal is now greatly weakened, with half its population sealed and only capable of the most basic labor, even unfit for the battlefield—troubles that will persist for hundreds of years to come.

Aldarrian’s only goal was to recover national strength as quickly as possible. The return of Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit was completely irrelevant.

Since it was irrelevant, of course, the most important thing was to consider the feelings of those around him.

The emotions of the Old Elf King were more important than his own views, and Katherine’s emotions were more important than those of the Old Elf King. Aldarrian did not hesitate to make a decision—it was up to Katherine.

With all seriousness, Aldarrian promised, "Katherine, you can handle this matter however you want. Don’t be afraid; whatever you decide to do, I will help you solve it!"

Katherine did not expect the final decision to fall into her own hands. Having gone through a major upheaval, she no longer had confidence in handling such national issues. After hesitating for a while, Katherine tentatively said, "Maybe, I should ask the Lich."