Gou is a dark elf in Warhammer

"I……"

Renn was stunned.

Darkus's sudden, unpredictable leaps in thought, coupled with his almost instinctive, precise insight, instantly disrupted his speech. All the groundwork, descriptions, and gradual recommendations about Eldrasil were now stuck in his throat, leaving him momentarily at a loss for where to begin.

“We’re all family, so let’s not be like strangers, Renn.” Darkus extended his hand, making a gentle yet undeniable gesture of restraint. The movement was slow, but carried a natural weight. “You must remember that we, and all those familiar faces who have come this far, are always one.”

He paused slightly as he spoke, his gaze returning to Ryan's face.

"If I remember correctly, Eldrasil is a commoner? A Lorthorn?"

“Yes.” Renn nodded without hesitation.

What kind of life does he want to change to?

Dakos leaned back in his chair, relaxed, and his tone became more inquiring.

Renn took a deep breath and finally regained his rhythm.

“He is excellent and very focused,” he said, his speech becoming more fluent and his eyes brightening. “During the round trip, I felt a kind of… upward energy in him.”

This word was clearly a choice he made after careful consideration.

“He was also present when the Skylight Network system was discovered,” Ryan continued. “He took out his notebook and sketched out a diagram of the energy flow nodes on the spot, and calculated the preliminary conversion efficiency. It wasn’t just an interest; it was an instinct to see problems and immediately start solving them.”

Dakos listened quietly without interrupting, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of his chair, the rhythm steady and restrained, as if he were assessing whether a melody was worthy of being included in a musical composition.

“He’s not content to just use his talents within the framework of the Stormweavers.” Raine’s voice held a newfound certainty. “He sees the new institutions, new functions, and the huge gaps between them that come with the new system.”

“The lifestyle he wants is not to leave,” Ryan emphasized the word, “but to be more deeply and systematically involved in building it. He feels he can play a greater role in planning, coordinating, and overseeing the implementation of these new networks.”

“I understand,” Darkus said, his tone calm and decisive. “He wants to switch careers and take a step further in a new field.”

“Yes.” Renn nodded. “He believes that his professional background, his understanding of magic and energy, and… his pragmatic perspective from a commoner’s background are a good fit for that place.”

After saying that, he subconsciously observed Darkus's reaction.

Dakos did not respond immediately. He remained silent for a moment, his gaze lowered, as if he were quickly reviewing the scattered impressions of Eldrasil in his mind: name, face, occasions where they had brushed past each other, and some inconspicuous but solid details.

"can."

He suddenly spoke.

“This is a very good discovery, Renn.”

This time, there was no joking, no trace of his usual teasing or banter. His approval was genuine, his tone steady and resolute, like a ballast stone settling on a table.

"The Phoenix Royal Court needs commoners, Renn," he continued, his gaze passing over Renn as if piercing through the room, landing on the pillars and council seats of the future, yet-to-be-formed royal court. "And not just one or two, as mascots, to serve as decorations."

“We need a batch!” He deliberately slowed his speech. “We need them to walk the corridors of the royal court, sit in the council seats, and make their voices heard.”

He bent one finger.

"First, they are the brand, living proof. Proof that in the new era, talent and loyalty are far more important than bloodline and surname."

"This will allow countless ordinary people like Eldrashir to see a clear and accessible path to upward mobility, thereby unleashing an amazing drive to strive. Because they know that hard work can truly change their destiny, instead of being forever isolated under an invisible and insurmountable glass ceiling."

The second finger then rises.

"Secondly, they are the catfish. The war is over, but a complete purge is not possible in the current situation. You know, the aristocratic system has been passed down for too long, and it is inevitable that it will become rigid, arrogant, and deeply entrenched."

He tapped the table lightly.

"We need these ordinary people who have no historical baggage, only their own skills and ambitions, to squeeze in and keep stirring up that pool of water with their different ways of thinking and pragmatic style."

Competition will wake up the lazy.

"It will also embarrass those who are complacent and stuck in their ways."

He paused for a moment, then tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, as if to put a perfect period to his words.

"Third, they are the link. The royal court cannot be just a club for nobles and spellcasters. Officials from commoner backgrounds can bring the real voices of the grassroots to the halls of power, and also allow the royal court's decrees to find a more grounded place to land. They are the most sensitive tentacles of royal power reaching into the vast society."

Darkus's gaze deepened, the light no longer sharp, but like a star sinking underwater, calm and constant, as if he were examining a future trajectory that had not yet fully unfolded but had already taken shape in his mind.

"More importantly, they are relatively pure. Without too many complicated family marriages and concerns, their loyalty and interests are more easily tied to the royal court, this new community we are building. They will be the most steadfast and eager cornerstones to prove their worth. If such people are placed in the right positions, the light they ignite will be brighter and more enduring than that of many nobles who rely on their ancestral legacy."

He looked at Ryan and concluded.

"Therefore, we should not only accept people like Eldrashir, but also make good use of them. Give them a stage, give them resources, and let them succeed. Their success will become a beacon to attract more talented commoners, and it will also become a gentle but not insignificant spur hanging over the heads of the old nobles, promoting ethnic integration. A considerable part of the vitality of the royal court, and even the driving force for the iteration of the entire civilization, depends on this."

“You did a great job finding him and recommending him,” Darkus said finally, his tone calm but more certain than any praise. “This is not just adding a man to the royal court; you are injecting healthy new blood into the circulation of the entire new order.”

He paused, as if letting the words settle naturally, or perhaps preparing his words.

Actually, this combo was specifically designed for Asul. Since it can't be cleaned up, we have to find other ways...

"And you...would you be interested in becoming the deputy head of the Resonance Institute?"

Seeing that Renn seemed a little stunned, as if he hadn't heard the sudden appointment clearly, he added another sentence.

"I was serious."

"What about diplomacy?" Ryan asked without hesitation or much thought. He wasn't concerned about promotion, but rather whether the responsibilities he had long embraced and considered his mission would be severed or even quietly removed.

"As before, you will remain fully responsible for diplomatic affairs, with Adria continuing to assist you as your deputy. As for the Resonance Institute, Walter will be in charge, and you will serve as his deputy. The two will run in parallel without conflict."

Darkus's proposal to establish the Resonance Institute was by no means a spur-of-the-moment decision. In the new power system he constructed, it was an indispensable core cog, its position so crucial that it even subtly surpassed many traditional departments.

Aside from Trudeau's society, which is ushering in a new era, other societies and regions lack systematic mechanisms for selecting, evaluating, and cultivating talent. Ability, background, and luck are intertwined, determining an individual's potential and often burying true potential within outdated systems.

What Darkus wanted to build was an efficient, loyal, and competence-oriented elite system, which required a strong dedicated agency to ensure its stability and direction.

From the vast sea of ​​people, systematically discover and identify those truly capable, promising, and aligned with our ideals, allowing them to resonate with the needs of the royal court and enter our reserve pool, rather than continuing to be consumed and ignored on the margins.

A comprehensive assessment of background, competence, and loyalty is conducted for all candidates for key positions to ensure that appointments are not based on personal preferences or factional deals, but rather strictly serve the overall strategy. This will act as a calibrator and firewall for personnel appointments, preventing short-sightedness and corruption.

Plan the growth path of key talents, conduct necessary job rotation and professional training, and establish a promotion, reward and exit mechanism that is linked to merit and contribution to form a healthy elite cycle and keep power and responsibility in dynamic balance.

Through systematic record management, regular assessments, and ideological guidance, scattered individual loyalty is systematically woven and strengthened into identification with the Phoenix Royal Court, creating a core team with unified ideals, clear goals, and high efficiency in execution.

With his calm demeanor, extensive experience, and familiarity with the intricacies of various factions, Wartl was able to maintain composure and ensure the organization's smooth start as its leader. His management of Ashriel was impenetrable, with clear hierarchies and rigorous processes. Besides the nobles of the Krakarond lineage, many of the management were commoners from the Duruch faction whom he had personally discovered, selected, observed, and gradually trained.

This successful experience in building an efficient management system from scratch is precisely the core capability that the Resonance Institute needed most in its early stages. It can systematically "create people" and "establish systems," rather than doing things haphazardly.

It's about mastering rhythm, pace, and patience; knowing what should be fast and what must be slow; knowing that before a system is truly implemented, people need to be molded into a form capable of carrying it.

Compared to Ryan, however, he has a significant drawback: a relatively narrow power spectrum and a lack of 'lubricating' qualities. This isn't due to a lack of ability, but rather to his temperament. He excels at tailoring, calibrating, and shaping, rather than navigating the gray areas. Walter's authority is built on discipline, efficiency, and stern fairness. He commands respect from subordinates and recognition from colleagues, but he struggles to establish the kind of charismatic trust and connection he can with diverse backgrounds like Ryan. His presence is more like a precise measuring tape, always straight, but incapable of bending.

Besides personality, there's also the reality: although various races are active in Ashriel, the scope of contact is ultimately limited. It's an efficient but closed workshop, not a true place of exchange.

Therefore, Darkus planned to have Water concurrently serve as the deputy head of the Corridor while serving as the head of the Resonance Hall. This was not an overlapping of positions, but a deliberate attempt to force his institutional abilities into contact with more complex interpersonal interactions.

As the head of the Resonance Institute, Walter's task is to institutionalize and expand the model of forging commoner elites that he has verified in Ashriel, translating experience from individual ability into a replicable and sustainable structure.

He is both the supervisor of the core component forging workshop, ensuring that every gear and every bearing is sturdy and reliable; and one of the engineers in the assembly and commissioning of the whole machine, ensuring that these parts can be correctly installed into the machine, work together, and drive civilization forward, instead of spinning idly and becoming scrapped due to friction with each other.

Besides being a familiar face, Ryan possesses keen insight, cross-disciplinary practical experience, and a relatively detached stance, which can be an important complement to Walter. He can bring different perspectives, more down-to-earth judgments, and the courage to break with convention to the Resonance Institute, pointing out those overlooked blind spots before the system is fully solidified.

“Walter… Bell-Aihol…” Renn murmured, the names rolling between his lips as if he were taking inventory of precious parts. His voice was extremely soft, yet carried a certain weight of caution. He paused, frozen in place, as if suddenly discovering a blank at the end of the list.

In his internal assessment, Walter was undoubtedly the most correct and irreplaceable candidate. From his qualifications, abilities, and experience to his track record of successfully managing Ashriel, he was impeccable in every aspect. As Walter's deputy, he could indeed leverage his strengths in communication, insight into people's hearts, and extensive network of relationships to form an effective complement. On paper, this was almost a perfect combination.

Besides himself and Walter, after much thought, it seemed that only Bel Eihol could barely be included on the list. However, Bel Eihol had already been entrusted with a heavy responsibility—leading the Holy Resurrection Weavers of Ausuan, a heavy burden that required complete dedication and no distractions.

No, there is actually a fourth name—Darkus.

But to even consider this name is almost absurd. Dacules has far too many aspects to manage, like a helmsman standing at the confluence of countless rivers. No single tributary has the right to monopolize all his energy, and even the river itself must learn to flow on its own.

And so, the problem came full circle. Ryan felt a deep contradiction and tug-of-war, an inner tension that was quietly but steadily tightening, pulling back and forth between a sense of responsibility and reality.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to take responsibility, but rather that he clearly foresaw that if he accepted the position of deputy director of the Resonance Institute, he would inevitably fall into a state of inner conflict: it wasn't emotional hesitation, but a calm and almost cruel prediction.

After King's Landing in Ausuan, diplomacy will be less important, but it will still be necessary and will need to be transformed.

This meant a great deal of unseen but equally demanding work: drafting rules, building institutions, defining the boundaries of authority, and training a generation of diplomats. He knew very well that this required him to invest a lot of time in architectural design, talent development, and personal visits abroad; it was by no means a sinecure that could be carried out in name only.

Furthermore, his inherent tendency towards secrecy and maneuvering destined him to be more than just a typical office bureaucrat. He would always be tasked with highly sensitive, extremely dangerous, and indispensable critical missions. These missions were never scheduled in advance, only occurring when needed, requiring him to be ready to depart at any time, with unpredictable whereabouts and sometimes no clear explanations.

If he were to simultaneously shoulder the heavy burden of daily management and long-term planning for the Resonance Institute, he would likely find himself in a predicament, unable to focus on either one. He would be unable to dedicate himself to personnel and organizational development with the same single-minded devotion as Walter, nor would he be able to guarantee the flexibility and focus required for diplomacy and special missions.

That would be a slow drain, dulling what was once sharp abilities and dragging what was once clear responsibilities into chaos.

He stood there, not out of fear of difficulty, but out of a realistic anxiety about the purity of his duty. He feared he would be overwhelmed and ultimately fail to excel in any area, thus betraying Dakota's trust and hindering the emerging new order.

What he needs is a position that allows him to leverage his strengths without locking him onto a single path. The current proposal seems to be pushing him toward that crossroads he's trying to avoid—a point where his energy is scattered.

“The key has been found. The emergence of the Skylight Network and the Echo Network has solved my problem. Disarmament is imperative, and we need time to digest it.” Dakous said, extending his palm. “Fifty years, two plans, each plan has a cycle of twenty-five years, five years per phase.”

As he finished speaking, his hand slowly closed, his knuckles coming together, and finally he made a fist. The movement was brief and resolute, as if he were marking a long but unwavering decision.

Raine understood. He stood up and instinctively straightened his back, but Darkus pressed him back down with a restrained yet clear gesture.

“Kohei will become the acting governor of the province of Charis,” Dakos said, his tone calm yet unquestionable.

Ryan paused for a moment, his thoughts momentarily lost, before slowly nodding in approval of the appointment. He raised no objections, nor did he inquire about the details.

However, the thoughts surging behind this recognition are far more complex than they appear on the surface.

In his heart, the Kingdom of Charis was always a distant and heavy "anchor" for the Takaia family.

This anchor point is not a warm hometown, but more like a cold touchstone, an ancient mark that must be borne.
All the family traditions seem to revolve around it. The cruel trial of adulthood—returning to Charis to hunt the white lion—is less about gaining glory and more about reminding every member of the Takaya bloodline not to forget that the family's roots come from these harsh mountains, and not to lose themselves completely in the treacherous Nagaros.

It is a bitter wake-up call, etched into the very marrow of the white lion's dying roar, making it unforgettable and inescapable.

But if one were to say that one harbors some deep longing, yearning, or sense of belonging to Charles...

Yes, but not many.

At least for the three Takaya siblings, Charis was more like a family history textbook that they had to read thoroughly but might not necessarily enjoy. Every page was heavy, every word important, but it was never exactly intimate.

In this respect, he was no different from the elves who lived in Elsin Alvin.

Therefore, when Darkus appointed Kohein, Renn felt a sense of relief and satisfaction.

It wasn't joy, excitement, or anger, but a sense of relief that, after much deliberation, he had finally found the right place, as if a heavy stone that shouldn't have been his responsibility had been steadily moved away.

If Darkus were to choose either his brother Flannery or himself to act as Charis's proxy...

Ryan shook his head inwardly. The thought flashed through his mind, but it brought a slight yet clear resistance, as if he had touched a place that did not belong to him.

Returning home in glory, returning in triumph?
The moment the thought crossed his mind, he ruthlessly extinguished it.

He absolutely did not want to.

He preferred to continue wielding the blade of reality, navigating through unknown dangers, engaging in the precise and probing diplomatic maneuvering within the courts of humans and dwarves, exploring the next lost temple, or unraveling the next ancient mystery sealed for thousands of years.

There was no applause or certainty in those places, only risk, the unknown, and moments when he had to make judgments on the spot—but it was these things that made him feel alive.

These are the challenges that get his blood pumping and his mind on edge.

It felt like forcibly confining a sea eagle, accustomed to battling raging waves and undercurrents, back to its old nest on a high mountain cliff. The nest was still sturdy, the view still expansive, and the wind still biting, but the scope was ultimately smaller, the flight path limited, and the sky fragmented.

For him, returning to that anchor point was not a homecoming, but rather a form of exit.
He's already in the royal court, so why would he want to go back to the local area, even if it's the same rank? And his brother is of a higher rank than him.

The sequence of events in the royal court is clear and cold.

Without a doubt, the Phoenix King is the highest, followed by Darkus and Finnubal, who are the Phoenix King's right-hand men, in terms of domestic affairs; in terms of military affairs, there is Darkus, the leader of the Thryrope, and Nykl, the leader of Tarrendan.

Next was his brother, Vranes.

For a long time, Franes was in charge of the office.

There are four groups in the office.

The guard group was headed by Wettier, who was responsible for security work as well as counter-infiltration and personnel investigations; the secretariat was headed by Franes, who controlled the pace, documents and information flow; and the investigation group was headed by Rein, who was in charge of foreign intelligence and would act as his envoy when needed.

The Prime Minister's team was headed by Genevieve, who was responsible for Dakos's daily life, as well as all the Prime Minister's affairs, and ensured the smooth operation of the administrative and logistical work, so that the entire system would not come to a standstill due to details.

The office department differed from the other departments; it was a department established specifically to serve Dakos during a particular phase. However, this did not mean that the department lacked political influence.

On the contrary, its location is too close to the core of power.

The head of the group, Vranes, who also serves as the secretary, needs to cooperate with Dakos in handling internal affairs. He is Dakos's de facto administrative secretary, filtering, integrating, and executing his will. He is one of the top figures in Nagalus.

Raine knew that the subsequent offices would be abolished and reorganized into formal departments, each responsible for specific functions. He would be in charge of foreign affairs, and Vetier would be in charge of internal security.

His brother will be in charge of leading the royal court's various tasks and will be regarded as the royal court's chief steward, managing all daily affairs and ensuring the stable operation of this massive machine.

Darkus watched Renn deep in thought, remaining silent. Despite his political maneuvering and choices with Renn, Renn was still the same Renn, the one who had always stayed by his side.

"We'll still reclaim the family territory, and the manor will continue to be built; there's no conflict." Seeing that Renn was no longer thinking, he stood up and announced decisively, as if pressing the end button on the report. "It's noon, time for lunch!" (End of Chapter)