Elven cultivators

A city of ten thousand trees, a palace atop the clouds.

Sunlight streamed obliquely through the gaps in the branches and leaves of the World Tree, casting a pale golden halo over the translucent tree-like dome within the hall.

"The Silvermoon Clan... they really are hiding their true strength."

Elder Lucien slowly put down the battle report he had just finished reading, letting out a low sigh, his expression filled with undisguised emotion.

The other two elves in the hall reacted differently upon hearing this.

While Alicia was overjoyed, she was also filled with a deep sense of disbelief and amazement.

Having failed to persuade the council to send troops to assist the Silvermoon Clan, she thought the Silvermoon Clan might be severely damaged or even wiped out this time.

But who would have thought that the Silvermoon Clan not only survived, but also crushed the Bloodclaw Clan with a resounding victory.

Even though she had already given a fairly high estimate of the Silvermoon Clan's strength, she had to admit that she had underestimated them.

How much unknown strength does the elven clan, which rose from a forest in just over a hundred years and whose influence now spans the entire eastern part of the continent, still possess?

Alvin, on the other side, had a completely different feeling.

His expression remained calm, but his eye twitched slightly.

The military strength displayed by the Silvermoon Clan far exceeded all his previous predictions and expectations.

A long-established, top-tier power that had operated for thousands of years was still defeated head-on by the Silver Moon Clan, even after uniting with twenty-four smaller powers to launch a joint attack.

This overwhelming victory cannot be explained by "good luck" or "effective tactics".

What weighed heavily on his mind was that the Silvermoon Clan's reputation would undoubtedly rise to a new level after this battle.

Even the royal court had to take this elven clan seriously.

This is definitely not good news for him.

If Alicia seizes this opportunity to completely win over the Silvermoon Clan, her influence within the royal court will be further enhanced.

His position will be further squeezed.

Lucien paid no heed to the two young elves' individual thoughts, and looked up at Alicia: "Has the matter of Strom been investigated thoroughly?"

Alicia snapped out of her reverie and nodded slightly: "It's basically confirmed. During the outbreak of the war, Strom, together with four saints from his clan, set up an ambush in the ruins of Deeprock City, intending to ambush Anton. However, all five of them were killed by Anton, with none escaping unscathed."

"This news has now spread throughout the eastern part of the continent, and the Silvermoon Clan has not come forward to deny it. All indications suggest that it is indeed true."

Lucien nodded slowly, his gaze darkening slightly.

"Two Resonance Realm experts and three Sainthood Realm experts joined forces to attack, yet Anton killed them all by himself. This is something that ordinary Saints could not do."

"Anton has most likely already stepped into the threshold of the Saint's Peak."

"A saint at the peak of his two-hundred-year-old status..." Lucien repeated to himself in a low voice, then shook his head, a complex expression on his face. "I've lived for so many years, and today I've certainly broadened my horizons."

Alicia wholeheartedly agreed.

In the Dawn Continent, the pinnacle of sainthood represents a small group of powerful individuals at the very top of the pyramid.

Throughout the entire Dawn Continent, there are no more than twenty beings who can reach this level.

Apart from those few divine beings who have already touched the threshold of demigods, no one dares to say that they can suppress the peak of sainthood.

Given Anton's current age and talent, barring any unforeseen circumstances, becoming a deity in the future is almost a certainty.

Given the rate of growth he has shown so far, it is not impossible for him to break through to a higher demigod realm.

If that day truly comes, the title of the strongest being on the Dawn Continent will undoubtedly fall upon his head.

Lucien gathered his thoughts and turned his gaze back to Alicia, saying, "Go to the Silvermoon Clan again and talk to them about cooperation. After this, the Silvermoon Clan might have a new idea."

"Yes, Elder."

Alicia responded, already planning in her mind how to phrase her words and lay the groundwork for this trip.

Alvin, who was standing to the side, listened with a slight twitch at the corner of his eye, his mood growing increasingly gloomy.

……

Primordial City, Nine-Tiered Tower.

Inside the Tianyuan Hall, the light from the magic crystal lamps fell from the dome, enveloping the entire hall in a stable and uniform cold white light.

Around the long table, the clan's high-ranking members sat together, each with a different expression.

After the Battle of Tal Plains ended, they were busy with their own affairs and only had time to get together today.

Anton sat at the head of the table, listening calmly to Eleanor's report.

"As of now, all twenty-four participating forces have been eliminated."

Eleanor's voice was clear and concise.

"Of the twenty-four participating forces, eleven surrendered and thirteen chose to resist stubbornly, but they have all been defeated by us head-on, and we have taken over the territories and resource points of all the forces."

"After this battle, the clan gained actual territory in many areas of the eastern continent, greatly enhancing its control over the entire eastern continent."

The Third Elder laughed and said, "The Bloodclaw Clan has created a great opportunity for us this time."

The elves present all wore knowing smiles.

With the military strength of the Silvermoon Clan, they already had enough power to unify the entire eastern part of the continent.

After all, there are no first-rate forces in the eastern part of the continent; they are all small and medium-sized forces that are divided up. There is simply no opponent that can directly confront the Silver Moon Clan.

If the Silvermoon Clan so desires, they can simply push forward and completely conquer the entire eastern region within a few years.

But they never did that, and the reason is simple.

First of all, the five major powers will never allow a "sixth power" that could threaten their position to emerge.

If the Silvermoon Clan shows any signs of conquering the eastern part of the continent, it will inevitably face joint suppression from the five major powers.

Even the Emerald Court, which is on good terms with the Silvermoon Clan, would not be happy to see this happen.

The current power structure of the Dawn Continent is "five superpowers and many strong forces". Any force that tries to break this structure will become the target of everyone's criticism.

This situation will continue indefinitely unless there is a sufficiently strong external impact.

Secondly, there are population restrictions.

The Silver Moon Clan's own population was ultimately too small.

Even if they conquered more territory, they didn't have enough manpower to manage, garrison, and rule it, so they could only rely on vassal races to fill the gaps at the grassroots level.

If territory expands too rapidly, it must simultaneously recruit a large number of vassal races, which can easily lead to uncontrollable forces and disloyalty.

It is precisely for these two reasons that the Silvermoon Clan has not taken the initiative to expand outwards in recent years.

Whether it was the Green Highlands or the Thunder River Basin, the local forces actively provoked the Silvermoon Clan, were defeated by the Silvermoon Clan, and then took over their territory.

This "forced counterattack" model, on the surface, neither excessively provokes the vigilance of the five major powers, nor hinders the steady expansion of territory.

For the Silvermoon Clan at present, the ideal situation is to focus on low-key development.

Given enough time, it's only a matter of time before they catch up with, or even surpass, the five major powers.

This time is no different; it's territory that many forces have offered up voluntarily. We can't just refuse, can we?

I had no choice but to accept it reluctantly.

Anton pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Does the clan have enough manpower to manage these territories?"

Eleanor shook her head: "The clan currently has a population of just over 130,000. Managing multiple newly acquired territories with such a small number of people is extremely difficult."

"However, I have already started contacting several elven clans. After this war, our clan's reputation has soared, and many elven clans have clearly expressed their willingness to join us. Several of them have a population of over five thousand. If all goes well, the clan's population can increase by tens of thousands in the short term."

Anton nodded, not too surprised.

In recent years, wars on the mainland have become increasingly frequent, and small forces are on the verge of collapse. Any group with a bit of foresight will seek the protection of a large power, or simply join one in order to survive.

The Silvermoon Clan's target was precisely these Elven groups who were willing to submit.

Eleanor continued, "In addition, the clan's birth rate is also steadily rising. More than 500 newborns have been born every year in recent years. If this trend continues, it will not be difficult for our clan's population to exceed 200,000 in a few decades, at which time the pressure on manpower will be greatly relieved."

Improving the birth rate has always been one of the long-term goals of the Silvermoon Clan.

The bio-fertilization array, the high-energy-concentration living environment, and a series of policies that encourage people to have more children all revolve around this goal.

However, the birth rate involves limitations at the level of racial origin, and it cannot be achieved overnight; it can only increase slowly and gradually.

After more than a century of continuous accumulation and development, the Silvermoon Clan's birth rate has finally reached a significant turning point in recent years, and it is likely to usher in a golden period of rapid population growth.

Perhaps in a few hundred years, a population of one million will no longer be a distant dream.

"At this stage," Eleanor added cautiously, "I suggest selecting sufficiently qualified personnel from among the half-elves to fill lower and middle management positions. Their loyalty has been tested over the years and is quite solid, making them far more reliable than temporarily conscripting other vassal races."

These words elicited a brief exchange of glances within the hall, but no one voiced any objection.

Unlike other elven clans, the Silvermoon Clan does not adhere to the pure-blood threshold; this has long been a consensus.

After all, the Silvermoon Clan has a population limit, and in order to maintain and rule its ever-expanding territory, it must promote people from other tribes to assist in management.

Half-elves have at least half-elf blood, making them closer to other races than purely non-elf races. They have a natural advantage in cultural identity and loyalty, so promoting them is always better than promoting other races.

Of course, the Silvermoon Clan does not completely exclude other vassal races.

The clan has always been generous in giving opportunities to talented individuals from other ethnic groups who have excelled in other fields.

Even among the disciples of Taichu City, some came from vassal races.