Chapter 1800: Heart of Independence, Struggling to Survive

The Langasi on the Langas Plain at least have a decent Shaman heritage, yet they are still dismissed as barbarians by the Netherese; what then of the Ilusk People, whose Shaman heritage is even more pitifully weak?

Do you really think that just because we are all human, we will be treated as equals?

Ever since the first time he entered an Elf city and was gawked at like an animal by those golden-skinned, long-eared beings, Laian had abandoned all naive notions.

He poured all his focus into how to survive—not just for himself, but for his family and friends; situated beside Illefarn, he could access Netheril Magic, but he must never abandon Elven Magic.

Because to do so would mean the Ilusk People had blown their own heart of independence, and having started down that path, it would mean the Ilusk People's road to survival would be completely severed.

The few leaders continued to deliberate for a while before dispersing; there was still significant resistance to the autumn harvest, and it wasn't enough for just the leaders to agree—they still needed to persuade various factions, which was no easy task.

……

After the other leaders left, Laian did not immediately summon his subordinates to discuss the autumn harvest; instead, he went to the wharf on the west side of the settlement.

Upon seeing a sea ship docked at the wharf that clearly possessed an Elven style, Laian felt a sudden sense of relief; he grabbed a person on the road at random and asked:

"Where is Mate right now?"

"Ah—Lord, Captain Mate is still on the ship; you can see him if you go there, my Lord."

Laian nodded and walked toward the direction where the ship was docked; just as he approached the vessel, he heard a familiar, gruff voice scolding:

"I don't know what you're thinking all day long, are you all pig-brained? How many times have I taught you? This is a Magic Ship; don't touch the places with Magic Rune, don't touch them! Why won't you listen!"

"But Captain, it's already damaged here; if we don't repair it, something might go wrong the next time we go to sea!" a voice said weakly.

"I said no, and I mean no! Do you know how much this ship is worth? Even if we sold you, we couldn't afford it!"

Laian listened from outside, his eyes dimming slightly; he understood that Mate might not actually be unaware that this so-called Magic Ship possessed no true Magic capabilities, but having paid such a high price, if he didn't treat it as a real Magic Ship, he always felt a sense of unwillingness in his heart.

Sigh—

After a silent sigh in his heart, Laian walked into the cabin; after chasing the repairman out, he pulled Mate to sit on the toolbox inside the cabin, looked straight into the other's eyes, and said slowly:

"You know, this ship is not a Magic Ship!"

"But why! We clearly paid the price of a Magic Ship! Do those long-ears really think we are even worse than barbarians!"

"There's no need to say these things; who knows if there are Elven ears around here." Laian calmly reminded him, cutting off the topic.

Mate seemed to have sobered up at this moment, "I understand, I will have them properly repair and maintain this ship, don't worry, my Lord, it won't delay the important matters."

"In that case, you still didn't have any harvest on this voyage?"

"I can't say completely none; about two days' sailing to the northwest, I discovered a small island, but it was completely covered in ice and snow, making it impossible to farm; however, the catch in the surrounding waters was quite good, so it could barely serve as a temporary shelter."

"Didn't I tell you to look to the south? Why did you go north?"

"Didn't someone see the shadow of an island to the north before? Now that we have an advanced Elven sea ship, we have to confirm the existing clues first; if we really find a suitable island, we won't need to search for a long time."

"You—"

Laian did not blame Mate; sailing risks were immense, and even with an Elven sea ship, there was no guarantee of a safe return every time; confirming existing clues was not a bad idea.

Furthermore, he had another layer of worry hidden in his heart: Illefarn to the south also bordered the sea; if there were habitable islands in the southern waters, might they have already been discovered and occupied by Illefarn?

Thinking of this, Laian reminded him again: "When exploring to the south, pay more attention to signs of Elves, and never get into a conflict with them."

"My Lord—"

"Did you remember!" Laian straightened his face and said sternly.

Although Mate was very reluctant, he still agreed; he clenched his right fist and struck his chest heavily to show he would never disobey.

Seeing that Mate had remembered his words, Laian's tone softened, "I will find a way to buy a sea chart from the Netherese, but for now, I still need you to take a little more risk."

"The space for development here in Ilusk is too small; even if all the Orcs north of the Milar River are wiped out in the future, such a fertile piece of land cannot be left for us to decide; we must find more suitable space for development."

"I understand, my Lord, just wait for my good news!"

"There's no rush for a day or two; this is a long-term plan. Spend these few days fixing the ship, and also go home to rest for two days; in a couple of days, we might be retreating to the south."

"Retreating to the south? Is it because of the recent change on the World Spine to the north?" Mate asked hurriedly.

The recent change had happened too quickly; he had been busy repairing the ship and hadn't paid much attention, and by the time he came out, it was already over, but he could still see that the World Spine to the north had changed from its original white-top-gray-bottom to the current gray-top-white-bottom.

If they were to retreat to the south, according to past experience, didn't that mean the Orc Tide was coming soon?

Mate's mind was in a mess; seeing this, Laian comforted him:

"Yes, we will start retreating in the next day or two; if you are worried, you can take your family to that small island in the north to stay temporarily, and bring them back after the Orc Tide ends."

"Will there really be an Orc Tide this year? With such a natural disaster, shouldn't the Orcs have suffered heavy losses? How could there still be an Orc Tide?"

Mate did not doubt Laian's judgment; he just found it hard to accept; every year during the Orc Tide, even if they could retreat into the Liweier Forest, many people still died.

However, upon hearing Laian say he could take his family to the island, Mate was tempted but still refused, "The situation on that island is unclear, and I don't want to make things difficult for you, my Lord; let Lily and the others retreat with everyone else."

His Elven sea ship was no secret, and there had been many voices of opposition when it was purchased; if he were to use a public ship for private purposes, not only he, but the Lord would likely find it very difficult.

Laian felt very gratified by Mate's choice, while also secretly telling himself that he must protect Laian's family well.

Before leaving, he gave one last reminder, "Sailing on the sea far from land makes people's hearts fickle; be good to the crew, it can avoid many accidents."

"Mm, I know."

Laian observed Mate himself, and seeing that he had truly taken it to heart, he left with peace of mind.