novel bin Chapter 39 Becoming a vassal state?
Chapter 39 Becoming a vassal state?
Alarie's gaze fell on Lin Mo, her light blue eyes seemingly containing stars, carrying both kindness and scrutiny as she smiled and spoke.
"Welcome to Avenor, visitor from another world."
Lin Mo smiled, stepped forward, and, mimicking the other person's etiquette, placed his right hand on his chest and bowed slightly, saying:
"Your Majesty, seeing you is like a spring breeze sweeping across the grasslands, or summer rain nourishing the earth. Your radiance makes even the sun in the sky pale in comparison."
"It is my honor to meet you in person."
Alarie's blue eyes gleamed with a deeper smile, making the entire square seem a little brighter.
The elder beside him stepped forward and bowed in greeting.
"Your Excellency Lin Mo, Princess Fendona, His Majesty has prepared a banquet for you in celebration of your arrival from afar. Please follow me."
The banquet hall is located inside a tree trunk that is so huge it's unimaginable.
The walls are the natural inner walls of trees, and countless luminous fungi hang from the dome, casting a soft glow that is both dreamlike and magical.
Lin Mo was seated to the right of Queen Ellari, with Fendona right next to him.
He gazed at the row of at least seven or eight exquisite pieces of tableware in front of him, crafted from moonshine jade and mithril, and fell into deep thought.
Which one should we use first?
Ella raised a shimmering crystal glass, her voice rich and melodious:
"A toast to the guests from another world, and to Lostia's resounding victory!"
Lin Mo quickly followed suit, picked up a glass, and gulped it down like he was drinking beer.
A sweet liquid slid down my throat, instantly turning into a warm current that washed over my entire body, sweeping away the fatigue of the past few days.
After several rounds of pleasantries and toasts, the Queen finally steered the conversation onto the right track.
"Lord Lin Mo," Ella's pale blue eyes gazed at him.
"Fendona said that you come from a country called 'Great Xia'."
"We are full of curiosity about your world. Could you tell us about it?"
coming!
The think tank had a plan: the true situation on Earth could not be exposed to prevent the other side from becoming suspicious and affecting the grand plan.
So Lin Mo smiled innocently and said:
"Your Majesty, our world is rather ordinary compared to the great continent of Terra."
As soon as he said this, the elven elders present all showed curious expressions.
"We humans are physically inferior to the races of Terra. We are not as naturally agile as elves, nor as strong as dwarves."
"Speaking of which, I must thank His Majesty for his reward, which has made me less frail."
He paused, then continued:
"When we travel long distances, we rely heavily on tools."
"Tools?" Ellary repeated with interest.
"Yes! A metal box that doesn't need horses or carriages, we call a car."
"It functions similarly to your horse-drawn carriages, except... it can run a little faster."
"The advantage is that it doesn't need to eat grass, but it uses a lot of fuel, which is a hassle!"
"If you want to go to a more distant place, it will be even more difficult; you'll have to take one of those big things called an 'airplane'."
He struggled to organize his thoughts, describing it as follows:
"Probably... like a giant dragon that doesn't know magic, it flies quite high and fast, but it's a bit loud."
"As for the battle..." he sighed.
"We cannot sense magical elements, let alone cast spells. We can only rely on some technological creations."
"For example, we have a weapon called a gun. You can think of it as a... crudely made miniature crossbow, except you don't have to pull the string."
"It can shoot small iron pellets, and their power... is probably about the same as the arrows you shoot."
"Of course, there are also 'cannons,' which are larger crossbows that can shoot larger iron pellets farther."
"Well, that's the general idea."
After these heartfelt words were spoken, the elven nobles present looked at an elf standing in the corner.
The other person shook their head slightly, indicating that they were not lying.
Clearly, at some point, he had used his lie-detection skills.
Lin Mo understood everyone's reaction perfectly.
I knew they had all sorts of amazing magic before, I'm not kidding, but I didn't say you can't add filters!
The elders whispered amongst themselves, making no attempt to hide their conversation.
"Did you hear that? Their bodies are so weak that they need external aids to move."
"That thing called 'airplane' sounds like a cheap alchemical artifact, yet it's compared to a dragon? Ignorance is bliss."
"It seems that this otherworldly kingdom is much weaker than we imagined."
"Apart from that composite bow which is somewhat interesting, the rest... are probably not even as good as the Holy Human Militia."
An elder stroked his beard and shook his head dismissively.
Queen Ellari maintained her smile, elegantly sipping a glass of wine, remaining noncommittal and leaving everyone guessing her thoughts.
But the condescending sense of superiority and pity in the banquet hall was obvious to anyone with eyes to see.
Fendona sat next to Lin Mo, her cheeks flushed red, her emerald eyes filled with shame, indignation and apology, her hands clenched into fists under the table.
The atmosphere in the banquet hall became subtle.
"Excuse my intrusion, Your Majesty."
A voice rang out, and the conversation in the hall gradually subsided.
Elder Varelius of the elves stood up, first bowing a noble salute to Queen Elari, and then turning to Linmer.
He had a smile on his face and spoke in a gentle tone.
"After hearing the description from the visitor from another world, I was filled with admiration."
"A civilization abandoned by the roots of the world, unable to perceive magic, yet able to create such...interesting creations using external objects—that in itself is a miracle."
He emphasized the word "interesting".
"A metal box without horses is a brilliant idea."
"It may never be as swift as a hippogriff rider, but it embodies a commendable wisdom that belongs to mortals."
Varelius chuckled softly and slowly shook his head.
"As for that weapon called a 'gun,' comparing it to the arrows of our sharpshooters, which are infused with the power of nature, is probably a naive misunderstanding of 'archery skills.'"
He then changed the subject.
"Lord Lin Mo, your people are so physically weak, they're probably not even as strong as the untrained militia of the Holy Human Race, are they?"
Upon hearing this, many elven nobles let out suppressed chuckles.
Varelius was pleased with the reaction; he cleared his throat and raised his voice.
"But! The Goddess of Nature is merciful, and so are we elves!"
"I have a suggestion that would be a divine blessing for your 'Great Xia'!"
He opened his arms,
"I propose that our Elf Kingdom accept 'Great Xia' as our vassal state!"
"???" Everyone was stunned.
Fendona's expression changed.
The composure on Lin Mo's face also disappeared.