Throne of the North.

Chapter 548: Division of [Woodland], the Noise of the Palace
There were no nobles in the Senate Palace where the nobles held a small meeting every three days and a large meeting every five days, because the emperor of the Flor Empire finally began to formally invite the nobles to participate in the discussion of the Southern War.

The nobles all headed to the palace.

Ryan did not go. The war in the south had not yet spread to the North Wind Province. He was trying to build a good relationship with the wizard Leman.

"I have always been curious about the Woodlands. Legend has it that the woodlands of the elves occupy a territory that is comparable to one-fifth of the southern land of humans, but the population of the elves is less than one thousandth of that of humans."

As the noble lord Gerald has reached an alliance with Ryan, Ryan's tentacles can be said to have finally collided directly with the elves. He is of course 200% curious about this race.

There is very little contact between humans and elves. It is said that humans learned the earliest etiquette from elves, because those guys with pointy ears look very noble and their civilization is full of sophistication.

"I heard that elves are very long-lived."

Ryan was most curious about this: were elves immortal? Or were only a small number of elves immortal?

After all, in this world, even legends can rarely live for two or three hundred years, but elves generally have such a long lifespan.

Humans are extremely envious. If the elves weren't so powerful, they would have been extinct long ago.

Mage Leman came to the Imperial Capital in order to enter the Magic Academy and become the master of the tower. Coming here from the distant East Coast itself was a change in his mentality, and he was unwilling to go back to the hard days he had once lived.

So he adapted to the civilization and rules of the nobles faster than he had imagined.

The communication with Ryan was quite pleasant, and he described the land that had never been set foot by humans truthfully.

"[The woodlands] belong to the elves, but the elves are not the only ones living in the woodlands."

"On that vast piece of land, the Elf King's Court divided the entire forest into four parts: Winter Forest, Spring Forest, Dark Forest, and the King's Court."

"The Winter Forest is the portion of the [Woodland] that was submerged by the North. In it live three or five tribes of elven peoples that have adapted to the cold of the North. There are also many druids living there. Those druids have their own chieftain."

"There are many monsters in the Winter Forest. The most powerful one is a giant wood dragon. It is rumored that it is the mount of the great being served by the elves."

"Every few years, there are magical beasts and monsters from the North that enter the Winter Forest, so that forest is the most lively place in the woodland."

"The Spring Forest is in the south of the woodland. It has the smallest area and only one elf group, the Wood Elves, which is the largest group among all the elves. Legend has it that the trees in the Spring Forest never wither."

"But the Spring Forest is not just populated by elves, there are also fairies, the kind of magical and pure life."

"The Dark Forest is a forbidden area for the elves. It is located to the east of the woodland. The outline of its territory is vertical on the map. The existence of the Dark Forest prevents other forests from seeing the ocean."

"That is the territory of the night elves. Those elves traveling through the mist and shadows are believers of the abyss. The night elves, led by the Fallen Valkyrie, are fighting against the Elven Royal Court."

"The last one is the King's Court. Humans don't know that the [Woodland] has so many divisions. They only know that the Woodland is the Elves, and the Elves are only the King's Court."

"That is the center of the elves' faith. The Royal Court under the World Tree possesses the most powerful and ancient power of the elves. The Royal Court rules over all elves. Even the night elves are nominally under the rule of the Royal Court."

Belongs to the Elf Royal Court, but is the enemy of the Royal Court?
Ryan was surprised and asked curiously:

"How could such a thing happen?"

"Because the night elves believe that they are the kings of the elves, not the moon elf royal family that currently rules the elves. And although they serve the abyss, what they believe in is not the demons of the abyss, but an elven god who fell into the abyss."

So they are still elves.

"A power struggle?"

Ryan asked, I didn’t expect that the immortals also have such contradictions?
"No, when I was on the East Coast, I was actually in the Mirkwood area. I met many night elves. They were very unfriendly to humans, and magicians were no exception."

"They are not just after the power of the elves. Strictly speaking, they want to become the only king of the world and lead the elves to rule the world. Humans, orcs, dwarves, goblins, monsters and giants will all become slaves of the elves."

"Before the Pan-Plane War of Gods, the elves were able to do it. They also had many wars with humans."

"In every war, too many elves died, causing them to return to the woodlands."

"Elves are long-lived. Ordinary elves can live for more than 200 years, and according to legend, there are examples of moon elf royal families living for thousands of years."

"The Elf King of the current Elf King Court, from what I know of history, there were records about him six hundred years ago."

They are really able to survive! Ryan was very envious, but he didn't expect that not all elves are hermits.

"Mage Leman, can you tell me more about these night elves? And the fallen Valkyrie?"

Ryan felt that he would probably come into contact with the elves soon. The reason was that when all the land in the north was under his rule, the woodland became Ryan's new neighbor.

Whether it is active or passive, it is unavoidable.

Lehman thought for a long time. He lived on the east coast, which was the edge of the Dark Forest. He was most familiar with those dark forests, but precisely because of his familiarity, he didn't know where to start.

"Let's talk about their beliefs first."

Ryan knew that the elves served the moon in the sky and were equal to the sun, but compared to humans who believed in the sun, the elves were so unique.

"They are the people of Lady Moon. Before the Pan-Plane War of Gods, Lady Moon's power was active, but her faith was not spread to places other than the elves."

"He only has the elves as his only people."

"In the elves' memories, the night elves were born in the shadows under the moonlight, so they were able to obtain a portion of the Moon Lady's power and liked to live in dark caves."

"It's just that the shadows under the Moon Lady's light contain many negative emotions, so the night elves do not have the beauty that other elves have. Instead, they are full of cunning and evil."

"The ancient night elves crawled in the shadows of the forest and dared not expose themselves. Until later, a great being fell into the abyss. The night elves found their own faith and began to grow stronger. From the weak elves at the beginning, they have become the most powerful elf race now."

"The leader of the night elves is the Fallen Valkyrie, who are formed by the fall of the Valkyrie of the elves."

Lehmann seemed very interested in this group, his eyes revealing excitement and helplessness.

"The Valkyries of the elves are similar to the angels of the Lord of the Morning. They serve beside the great beings and are the tools of the gods to rule over their believers."

"The fallen Valkyrie is naturally the fallen follower of the god."

"In many wars in the past, the night elves accumulated a large number of fallen Valkyries."

Ryan came back to his senses and asked:
"You're not saying that these fallen Valkyries are the extraordinary legions of the night elves?"

Lyman thought about it, then nodded.

"You can say that, but... from what I know, even an ordinary night elf has power that is not weaker than that of a formal knight."

The Fallen Valkyrie is naturally the most terrifying and can be used to fight against the power of the Lord of Dawn's angel army.

The Extraordinary Legion? That shouldn't be just the Extraordinary Legion.

"So, the most unstable factor in the entire [Forest] is the night elves?" Most elves are beautiful, natural and harmonious, and do not fight with the world, except for the night elves.

"Yes, but the east coast is shrouded in poisonous fog all year round. Many monsters invade the land every year, and the night elves are exhausted."

Ryan thought of a previous incident. The bishop sent by the Dawn Church to the Serra Kingdom disappeared in the woods, and there has been no result until now.

Perhaps, that land is no longer the same as it used to be.

"Did anything happen there before you left the woodland?"

At this point, Lehman fell silent. The reason why he appeared in the land of human civilization was that he had to have a reason.

After thinking for a long time, he did not speak casually, but became cautious.

"The west coast is prosperous, but the east coast of Norris Continent is full of chaotic fog and danger. No human can live in such a place for a long time. And unlike the waves on the west coast, the ocean on the east coast has almost no ups and downs because of the eternal fog."

"But... just before the Divine Grace Festival last year, there was a huge tide on the east coast."

"I……"

Master Leman did not continue speaking. There was fear in his eyes. He did not dare to speak it out for fear of being stared at by some terrible person.

"Deep in the ocean off the east coast, there is a disaster."

Finally, he said this, unwilling to continue recalling.

Ryan did not ask any more questions. This kind of thing was nothing more than something related to the gods. It was understandable that Mage Lehman was afraid. After all, if there was no interdimensional war among the gods, those great beings would not be easily seen and spoken of by mortals.

Not even qualified to understand.

Ryan looked towards the direction of the imperial palace. He had a good relationship with Mage Lehman in the past two days. Both sides had needs for each other, so they just let things take their course.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Master Leman, you will have the opportunity to travel south soon."

"Would you like my advice on the war in the South?"

Leman was already worried about the coming of war. Although the magicians possessed powerful magic, the word "war" was too unfamiliar to Mage Leman, and it was not a war that belonged to them, such as the magic war.

His intention of showing goodwill to Ryan and accepting his friendship was to get closer to this northern military noble.

"What does Baron Ryan want to say?"

"As a friend, I give you a piece of advice. No matter how successful the war is, do not leave the territory of the empire."

"For example, entering the land of the Kingdom of Kalos."

……

In the Flor Palace, a large number of nobles from the southern lands gathered here and quarreled endlessly. The reason was simple: if the emperor wanted to start a higher level of war, it would inevitably require the work of these nobles.

The nobles' respective interests were wavering in the war, and of course they were red in the face and ears. If they were weak, they would lose a lot of wealth.

"No matter what, the war must enter the Kingdom of Carlos, rather than continue to be fought on the land of the Empire. The war we have started must not fail!"

The one who spoke excitedly was a count, Count Castro.

Ryan knew that the earl had not left his castle for several years, but today he appeared in the imperial capital, the center of the empire.

He suffered greatly from the war, and he could not imagine the cost of failure, so he became the emperor's most staunch supporter at this moment, determined to push the war to the land of the Kingdom of Carlos in the south.

He had not had time to wait for the benefits and disadvantages after the end of the war, but during the outbreak of the war, the wealth of this noble earl shrank to the bottom.

He dared not to support the escalation of this war.

"We have proven the immortality and greatness of light in the north, but we should not erase all past victories because of an angel apostle. She appeared in the Holy Mountain because of the vast power of faith that the Dawn Church had accumulated. Light is eternal, and the Lord's apostles will not become accomplices of the Dawn Church."

"We will definitely win."

"Your Majesty will lead the Flor Empire to greater glory!"

Count Castro spoke loudly, trying to use his voice to suppress those nobles who refused war. To be honest, the majesty of this great noble still made many nobles excited.

However, no matter how much the nobles wavered, it was useless because each noble had his own political group and it was difficult for him to break away from his personal ideas.

Interests, the key is still interests.

"This war shouldn't end like this. The Empire has been preparing for several years. There is no reason for it to end in failure."

Grand Duke Meyers also said that the Grand Duke's ideas can influence many people.

"We have gained the advantage. As long as we keep doing this, with the help of the magician, we will not fail."

The one who spoke was another Grand Duke Rodrigo, who was actively planning the Magicians' Association, and the war was the driving force behind this.

Although the meeting became formal, it was obvious that only one day of discussion would produce no results. The nobles were always like this. Unless it was urgent, they would postpone a matter for a long time.

However, at today's noble meeting, the pro-war faction clearly had the upper hand, but they were still unable to make a final decision on the matter.

There were many nobles who were against the war. The most important thing was that the nobles who advocated war wanted to drag all the nobles into the war. In this way, even if the war brought huge losses, they would be shared by everyone instead of them bearing them alone.

The reason why the nobles opposed this was simple, and that was to weigh the interests involved.

The difference is whether the losses caused by the war are greater, or whether more benefits are gained after the war.

Whether advocating war or opposing it, it all revolves around one's own interests.

It is easy to weigh the interests of two people, but it is simply a fantasy to balance the interests of so many nobles in the empire.

Therefore, if we want a result in this matter, it is definitely not possible to settle it by making a scene in the palace.

The nobles are all waiting for what is going to happen. How much further will the war hawks push before they can make a final decision to escalate the war?

Archduke Rodrigo, Elector Volvo, and Emperor Flor must do more to gain the nobles' agreement.

Ryan told Master Leman that he would probably go south soon because Ryan guessed what these big shots wanted to do.

It was not an unfounded guess, but had a basis. After all, Master Ryan did have his own allies in the imperial aristocratic circle.

Count Pascal had recently told him that Otis Brooks had given him a fortune worth millions of gold coins.

(End of this chapter)