Chapter 87: The Demand

The powerful humans in this world truly are all aristocrats. The resources they are born with far exceed those of commoners, something adventurers like Luke simply cannot compare to.

Although Seta has reached Level 60, he has not advanced to the Demigod Rank. After all, Special Skills are still relatively scarce, and obtaining a Demigod Rank Blessing is extremely difficult.

Xiong Da’s Level isn’t very high, as he has been living in human cities all along. He goes out to hunt Magical Beasts even less than Xiong Er, absorbing fewer Magic Crystals, so his Level is only 37.

While it’s a pity that Submission control cannot be used, with Xiong Da present, even if surrounded by a group of Soldiers, most of them would lose their combat ability as long as Xiong Da lets out a loud shout.

Now, Zhai Guangyi wants to see how this fellow named Seta will handle the matter of the Forest Elves.

“Everyone has come to attend this banquet, I believe, because you’ve heard about the issue concerning the Forest Elves due to the Kingdom’s regulations. Coincidentally, in order to comply with the Kingdom’s rules, I have already captured all the Forest Elves carrying unstable elements within Banwang City and imprisoned them in the underground dungeon. I am currently troubled over how to deal with the Forest Elves.”

Seta put down his wine glass, looking at the various aristocrats below with a pained expression, one hand supporting his head, as if this matter truly caused him immense distress.

“Honored One Seta, there’s no need to be so troubled. The Forest Elves themselves are a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. The Kingdom also has regulations: foreign races who violate human laws within human City-States lose their personal freedom rights. Selling them to us would resolve the City Lord’s troubles.”

A portly aristocrat below the stage narrowed his eyes, responding to the troubled Seta. This aristocrat was the same fellow who had relieved himself in the alley of the outer city earlier. From the moment Zhai Guangyi and Xiong Batian entered the banquet, his eyes had not left Zhai Guangyi, his expression utterly lewd and vulgar.

“That’s right, we’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. Honored One, there’s no need to keep hiding things.”

Hearing the City Lord finally mention the matter of the Forest Elves, the aristocrats below the stage appeared extremely excited. Forest Elves are an exceptional race—not only rare, but their appearance is also among the finest on the continent. When the Elven Kingdom still existed, humans could hardly set foot among the Elven race; they were too Holy and noble.

Since ancient times, Elves have been seen as angels in human eyes, representatives of the Deities, bestowing Magic Knowledge upon humans and providing them with the power to resist the Demon Race. Even the Royal Magic Academy of the Kingdom has erected many statues of Elves. The human Kingdom treated Elves quite favorably; when the Elven Kingdom was destroyed, the Kingdom also provided aid to the fleeing Elves.

But now it’s different. Due to the destruction of the Elven Kingdom, a large number of Forest Elves have appeared all over the World. As people have more contact with that mysterious and noble race, their thoughts naturally grow more numerous.

Even unconscious and mentally unstable Forest Elves are highly sought after in human aristocratic society. After all, as long as enough money is offered, Magic Artifacts capable of restraining Demigod Rank strength can be commissioned. Moreover, the current Forest Elves aren’t particularly powerful; the strong ones have already perished in the Elven Kingdom.

“Regarding the matter of the Forest Elves, I may not be able to handle it alone. I have specifically invited the faction to which the Forest Elves belong to come and discuss this matter together.”

In truth, the negotiation team dispatched by Seta had only just entered the Mesopotamia Forest, and it would take at least a month to reach the location of the Spirit King Tree. But now there was no other choice—he had to brace himself and discuss it with Zhai Guangyi and the others.

“Our goal is simple: release all the Forest Elves.”

Zhai Guangyi had no intention of beating around the bush with Seta. If money was demanded, Hong Ren and Lvqi would provide it; if a fight was needed, Hong Ren and Lvqi would handle it. With the protection of two Demigods like Hong Ren and Lvqi, why should he be afraid? Moreover, he had already used Appraisal on everyone present—there were no Demigods, though there were a few individuals stuck at Level 60 who likely possessed considerable combat strength, but they were still far from matching a Demigod.

Outside the venue, a small green-skinned old man stood beneath the dark night sky. Zhai Guangyi had only discovered his arrival inside Banwang City and his position right outside the window through the Appraisal Skill. If not for Zhai Guangyi’s habit of using Appraisal on everyone, he would never have noticed Lvqi’s location.

However, Lvqi’s Magic Power was now less than half, likely depleted from his earlier battle with Amutate. The fact that he rushed back to protect him as soon as the fight ended showed how dedicated the Demon King’s people were—there was no such thing as clocking out; everyone seemed to love working overtime voluntarily.

“Is this a Forest Elf? Currently, Forest Elves are not permitted to enter cities within the Kingdom. How can we release all those Forest Elves when they are breaking the law? Guards, seize this audacious Forest Elf!”

A noble in the audience, looking at Zhai Guangyi’s appearance, thought to himself how arrogant a mere Forest Elf could be. Did this fellow not know the fate of Forest Elves nowadays? A flicker of desire for Zhai Guangyi appeared in the noble’s eyes—he yearned for these Forest Elves to become his slaves.

Moreover, the Forest Elf before him was an absolute dream come true, utterly captivating. Since the Kingdom had already enacted this law, having this Forest Elf seized wouldn’t be illegal. And he wouldn’t have to pay a high price to buy one from Seta—this one was perfect.

These visiting nobles had no understanding of Zhai Guangyi’s situation. They had merely been invited and were unaware that Xiong Batian was a Demigod.

This was exactly what Seta wanted to see—his invitation list always included a few nobles who lacked common sense.

The noble’s subordinates began moving toward Zhai Guangyi. Zhai Guangyi didn’t even bother with these guards, who were only around Level 20, and it wasn’t even his turn to act.

“Roll away.”

With just a single word from Xiong Da, the guards lost control of their bodies and actually began rolling on the ground, heading straight toward the noble who wanted to capture Zhai Guangyi.

Honestly, Zhai Guangyi hadn’t expected Xiong Da to use his Special Skill so casually. If it were recognized as a Special Skill, it could cause quite a bit of trouble.

But aside from a hint of panic, the nobles present didn’t notice anything unusual, and even Hong Ren showed no abnormal reaction.

Xiong Da quietly explained the situation to Zhai Guangyi.

“In fact, there is a Skill called Divine Pressure, which is a Skill that Human Aristocrats are very fond of learning. Although its practical use is limited, it involuntarily makes those of lower status feel a sense of Submission toward oneself.”

In other words, they were led to believe that their Special Skill was just an ordinary Skill. The Divine Pressure Skill truly has little practical use—if the opponent’s will is strong enough, it won’t have much effect. This Skill is more often used in speeches to inspire and motivate people.

However, Submission, as a Special Skill, carries a much higher level of compulsion and cannot be resisted through sheer willpower alone.

In fact, as the highest-ranking Fantasy-type Skill, ‘World’ should also have lower-tier alternatives. Naturally, it could also be mistaken for another Skill, since it’s impossible for everyone to know the true effects of their own Skills.