Chapter 104: Phoenix King: The Elf is a Race That Should Have Died Long Ago

For the Phoenix King, being able to change his appearance, race, and even his own thoughts was as simple as instinct. As the greatest assassin among the entire Elf race, the hidden mastermind, and even the driving force behind the entire plan, Phoenix King Orivien had witnessed many, many scenes of disaster.

He was an Elf who had truly lived from the ancient era to the present; his childhood was exactly when the great schism and bitter war between the Dark Elves and High Elves were in full swing. He witnessed a brutal war that lasted for a thousand years.

He saw much, much more; he saw the deceit and treachery of the Elves, saw the shameless acts behind every pure and beautiful Elf, and saw the rot and decay that had once lurked beneath their seemingly proud and noble forms. One must know that the coming-of-age ceremony for the entire Elf race is around two hundred to two hundred and forty years old, and when is the common time for a female Elf to lose her purity? Thirty years old.

Yes, only thirty years old. And every Elf was happy to see it, even feeling somewhat tireless in their pursuit of it. They did not feel this was a problematic behavior, believing that every emotion should be released passionately.

But Orivien had never thought so. He never felt that things like emotions should rage everywhere like a wildfire. Emotions should be restrained, should be tranquil, and when the true emotion finally arrives, it should be more intense than any action.

Thus, Orivien chose to travel.

He had walked in every corner of the world. He had witnessed battlefields where Orcs and Humans fought side by side, and he had seen the shocking scenes where countless people offered their lives on mountain peaks under the radiance of gods.

He saw great kings give everything for the light of their world, throwing their souls into the fire like firewood. He also saw the noble qualities and epic, great characters displayed by Humans and other species who lived and died like mayflies.

Perhaps it was because their metabolic time was faster that these Humans could burst forth with brilliant flashes.

Perhaps it was because Dwarves were born stubborn that they would hold fast to their promises.

Perhaps it was because Orcs were reckless and without schemes that they would fight for their feelings until the very last moment.

Perhaps for this reason, or perhaps for that reason, almost every race could find its own shining point; they looked brilliant and incomparably wonderful.

Even in civil war, their performance was more decisive than the lingering, indecisive Elves. Since there is a civil war, let the flames of war burn through every corner, let conviction and justice reach every one of their regions. And can the Elves do this? Do the Elves have such resolute emotions?

No. They would rather hold banquets day and night, dedicating their emotions to some dark gods.

He went down to kill cultists, and nine out of ten belonged to the Lord of Pleasure. All the Elves were immersed in great dreams; they didn't even care that every generation of Elf King was a lunatic or a psychopath.

Of course they didn't care, because what could threaten the Elves? As long as the Great Vortex that sealed countless demons existed, as long as the White Tower of Hoeth still shone, as long as the sacred fire of Asuryan never extinguished, as long as the amulets of Vaul were not damaged, as long as the four great white gates had not fallen, and as long as the Phoenix King's palace still glimmered, they would be free from all worries.

So they destroyed everything of their own, still enjoying this pleasure of destruction.

Whether it be Grassland Elves, Wood Elves, or Sea Elves, in the eyes of the Phoenix King, they were also a group of incompetent people. Although they realized the problems, they lacked the determination for reform and change.

A great conqueror once appeared among the High Elves; he had almost conquered half the world in another great world. The legions of Jadar were majestic, and their reputation even made everyone in that world remember the name and appearance of the Elves. But what of it?

The subsequent Elves were still falling apart; their manner of retreat was even more pathetic than the short-lived races.

Having clearly witnessed the power and majesty of true kings, and having clearly known how true sages acted, why could the Elves still maintain such a rotten and decayed attitude toward life and spirit? Some Elves even boasted of being descendants of gods, occupying certain ruins of the Ancient Ones from the ancient era, lording over everyone without any mercy or tolerance. After the Phoenix King traveled through many worlds, he finally confirmed this fact.

That is, all Elves deserve to die.

They were the race that first defiled the will of the Ancient Ones; in the background of their enjoyment, the existence of the God of Pleasure was born. It was they who first turned this paradise into a kingdom of disaster.

Moreover, the Elves had no intention of repenting; even now, with only four Elf leaders appearing, court intrigue was still the mainstream of Elf life. They were still striving for some petty matters; you wouldn't even know what those bright and beautiful Elves had on their lower bodies.

Orivien had seen more than once those guys who called themselves princesses speaking with a majestic appearance, as if they were moral models, but that stench of squid made even passersby wrinkle their noses.

These freaks, losers, fallen bastards, and those who betrayed the Ancient Ones, must all die.

They must die miserably, die tragically, and die in obscurity for Orivien to feel happy and at ease. He did not understand why, having inherited so much legacy, the Elves had never made any progress in these tens of thousands of years. So his conclusion was: only killing.

The Elves were an overly urbanized race; only blood and death could make these races recall the respect for those with great power and the consideration for their own race that came from their bloodlines.

At least that was how Orivien did it, and he had truly taken action.

He sent all the old, weak, sick, and young Elves into the Forest of Silence to wait for death, let the Elves outside continue to revel, and then coldly watched as these pigs began to touch the side of Chaos uncontrollably, then appeared from the shadows himself to personally send these traitors into eternal purgatory.

But now, there was a truly living god here, which gave Orivien a new idea. Since this god liked entertainment, then give him a way to be entertained.

Aren't Elves a perfect entertainment tool? They have sensitive personalities and special constitutions, and they often develop emotions at the drop of a hat.

Moreover, their private lives are chaotic, and they have no moral concepts, so there is absolutely no need to show mercy.

"I think you could build an Elf breeding station."

Orivien looked at Li Ang, who had his mouth wide open and was already terrified, and very seriously proposed his Elf extermination plan.

"Elves are a race of incompetents who pursue happiness and pleasure. They find it hard to resist delicious food and fine wine like this. As long as you poison the drinks and wine—or even without poison—they will naturally develop the desire to mate and then begin to engage in decadent intercourse with each other."

"Although these losers like desire, their survival rate is not high. I suggest practicing eugenics: select the stock first, then breed. Those without ability can be thrown out directly to serve as labor."

"You seem to be very short of labor here, and I have certain troubles on my end as well."

"So let us agree on a price. For every ship of five hundred Elves I send you, I will compensate you with about five hundred standard gems. If you accept enough of them, I will also provide you with some special technology and specialties of the Elf race to support and maintain things. I believe we will become good allies."

"..."

Li Ang already had no idea what to say.

He just looked at the Elf King before him in shock, feeling that his own way of thinking was still not broad enough.

Have you ever seen a king who, from the bottom of his heart, truly and genuinely wants to exterminate his entire race? At least Li Ang hadn't. This was his first time seeing such a crazy guy. And the price he proposed—honestly, Li Ang was very tempted.

Who is this guy? Some number one good person in the world? Sending a ship of slaves to him directly and even paying him extra? Is there something wrong with you, Phoenix King? But even so, Li Ang shook his head and sobered up.

"I will not do things that go against my values, Phoenix King. Accepting your people is actually an act that benefits me. And since it benefits me, I must certainly give you some compensation. Because I resist this so-called act of taking advantage and getting something for nothing."

"How could that be? You are also helping me, and you could even say you helped me solve a major problem. How can you think you are taking advantage? Those are Elves, and those Elves will even have self-will..."

Speaking of this, Phoenix King Orivien looked at Li Ang in astonishment, revealing a surprised expression as if he were somewhat shocked.

It was a very strange thing for a guy who was like a piece of wood just a moment ago to reveal a surprised expression.

And Li Ang also realized that he was about to say something even stranger.

"... Perhaps you are a gathering of benevolence from the Subspace? That's right, the Subspace is full of all kinds of monsters and demons, but there should also be gatherings of benevolence. Based on your abilities, your personality, and your actions, you should be a gathering of benevolence within the Subspace."

"I don't think I am... At least for now, I think my identity should be defined as a player." "Then that makes sense."

"Huh?"

"Because a player is just a form of projection, and after this large-scale projection method appeared, your existence also became aware of this phenomenon that appeared on a global scale, which is why you instinctively chose this image."

"..."

I don't think that's how it is.

Looking at the Phoenix King, who seemed to sincerely believe that he had profited, Li Ang opened his mouth to say something, but eventually gave up.

He had no way to persuade a Phoenix King who was single-mindedly determined to have his own race die. Because the man had truly lived for a very, very long time, and the things he had seen were unimaginable. And he was even firm in his sanity, not like those players who were all talk and had complicated emotions.

A Phoenix King who had lived for nearly ten thousand years and was firmly determined to wipe out the Elf race—if he profited, then so be it.

"... I will accept the slaves you send and turn them into Star-Bearers. My Star-Bearers do not care about race or original concepts; they will quickly join my ranks."

"That's great, thank you very much. If you had really refused, I wouldn't have known what to say."

"However, I don't want the valuables; I'm not lacking in those things. Could you exchange them for those Magic crops or some planting techniques and Magic techniques? I am quite lacking in those."

"No problem, I will do my best to help you coordinate."

The Phoenix King nodded quite naturally.

In the eyes of this madman, his actions were not betraying the Elf race; on the contrary, he believed his actions were purifying the entire Elf population.

Because their original lives were decadent and insane, everything about them seemed filled with sin and pain. In the eyes of Orivien, these Elves who had lost their purpose should have been killed long ago. But if he killed them, it would cause problems for his status as the Phoenix King.

But now with the existence of Li Ang, things were much simpler.

"Nominally, I will use the excuse of discovering abnormal movements in the surrounding environment and the need to dispatch an Elf expedition team to send them to your ships. You can use them as you wish."

"Don't you need to worry about time? Won't it be troublesome for you if too much time passes?"

"No. According to the Elf lifestyle and their perception of time, it will likely take hundreds of years for them to realize that the Elves might have been assimilated by you. They have no way to correctly perceive this crazy and changing world. So we can complete our handover very smoothly."

Watching Li Ang, who was somewhat unable to keep his composure before him, the Phoenix King Orivien instead offered some words of comfort.

"You are a newly born deity and the leader of a race; your Star-Bearer has great potential. Even if these Elves arrive on your side, it can be considered making use of waste."

"In the original Evermeet, they are all a group of rotting and degenerate maggots, knowing only how to drink and make merry day and night, worshipping their so-called God of Pleasure. So I am sending them here to purify their ugly and insane hearts. In their world, there is no longer any existence of light."

"So what I am doing is not just to satisfy my own preferences, but for the revival of the Elves."

"……Then let me sign a contract; how about I return these Elves to you after fifty years?"

"If you can ensure that the stale concepts in their hearts and the impurities in their Soul are all purified, I will take them back. But if not, it is better for these Elves to remain in your hands."

The Phoenix King wore a very serious expression, as if he had seen through someone's treacherous behavior.

Someone who didn't know better would think this Phoenix King was working so hard for the sake of the Elves.

But to a certain extent, he was indeed doing his best for his own race. The corruption of the Elves was already inevitable, so it was better to throw some losers, some dregs that looked useless, in front of a living god at this time, and earn some favor in the process.

Although Orivien was a madman, he actually had his own logic of behavior. Watching Li Ang's uncomfortable expression, Orivien knew that he had made this deal.

"I know your personality doesn't allow you to take what you call 'advantage,' but for me, this is the greatest help. Because I can use the names of these wastes and trash to destroy all the areas that have grown into aberrant branches of the Elf race, and then hand over all their things to these trash."

The food you bring will also bring a huge shock to the Elf society. Only by destroying these senile and corrupt fellows completely, and letting you display powerful strength and faith, will the Elves have a day of rebirth.

Perhaps you want to ask if this is worth it, but for me, this is my path as the Phoenix King. I will support you until you destroy this ugly race."

"……"

Well, there's no need to be so extreme.

Li Ang looked at the Phoenix King, who spoke with such resonance and whose eyes were filled with faith, and for the first time in this other world, he felt a sense of speechlessness.

Although he had profited greatly, looking at the Phoenix King with his face full of piety and faith, as if he were about to eradicate all injustice and ugliness, Li Ang always felt that he had somehow already lost to this Phoenix King.

Destroying one's own kin just to let the places that were rotting in his eyes be completely reborn. At least if it were Li Ang, he probably wouldn't be able to make such a decision or choice. But this Phoenix King just did it. And as a matter of course, he even found a bunch of suitable reasons and areas for Li Ang along the way.

To send the Elves away directly, he even gave Li Ang the forbidden lands and markers known to the Elves for free.

Facing this scene, Li Ang, sitting within the illusory Veil, could only sigh.

Watching the Phoenix, who had finished signing and had branded the inscription with an oath and will, Li Ang slowly extended his palm and asked somewhat tentatively:

"Then... happy cooperation?"

"Happy cooperation."

The Phoenix King put away the duplicate scroll, his expression remaining serious and calm.

"I will send you more than three ships of Elf slaves within three days as soon as possible, please pay attention to receiving them. Subsequent shipments might be slower because they will become more sensitive, but as long as I have a breath left, I will not let this trade stop."

"……"

There's no need to be so fast, it's fine to take a break...

Watching the Phoenix King, who bowed his head to him and then instantly disappeared into flames, seemingly using the power of some Wonder to return to Evermeet in the blink of an eye, Li Ang vividly felt the diversity of this world.

Ten thousand words to go!

(End of this chapter)