I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The main structure of the Elf Royal Palace is a sacred silver tree, said to have been planted by the goddess herself.

Its roots extend hundreds of feet into the ground, its branches spread out like an independent sky, and its canopy is inlaid with crystals formed by the magic of life, which emit a soft silver-blue light in the night.

Inside the royal palace's administrative hall, the Elf Queen Serintil sat behind a long table that had grown naturally from tree roots. Her long, silvery-white hair cascaded down her shoulders, the ends almost touching the chair surface, gleaming warmly in the light of the vines.

Her eyes were a very pale blue, like the surface of a frozen lake on a winter morning, clear and indifferent, and were now lowered, focused on the documents in front of her.

To her left were seven border supply requests awaiting approval, and to her right were five controversial documents concerning artificially bred monsters that had recently spiraled out of control. In front of her lay a trade agreement that required her signature, the ink still wet. Next to it was a negotiation summary between the Elven Royal Court and the Dwarven Kingdom regarding the mining rights for a new mineral vein.

Of course, these are just the documents that urgently need to be processed; the documents almost as tall as the table itself are the most troublesome.

She held a pen made from the tender branches of an ancient tree, the nib moving swiftly across the paper, producing elegant and graceful handwriting.

The sound of orderly footsteps came from outside the door.

Queen Sereneth did not look up; the pen continued to move across the paper.

The footsteps stopped at the door, followed by two soft knocks.

"Your Majesty, I have important matters to report."

"Enter."

The door was pushed open silently, and an elderly elven man walked in.

He appeared to be around sixty years old, but in reality, he had lived for over two thousand five hundred years. He wore a silver-gray robe with a family crest on his collar, symbolizing the family responsible for diplomacy and etiquette among the five great noble families.

He walked to the long table, bowed slightly, and said respectfully:

"Your Majesty, the legendary mage in charge of security around the royal city has just sent word that the hero's team arrived in the capital this evening and is currently staying at the human kingdom's embassy in the elven royal court."

Serenetil's pen finally stopped.

She raised her head, her icy blue eyes appearing exceptionally clear in the light of the vines.

"Is that the hero who carried the Holy Mountain to my Elven Kingdom?"

"That's right. It is said that he used that sacred mountain in the border region to wipe out hundreds of fire demons with a single sword strike, and he has now entered the capital through the southwest gate."

The Queen put down her pen, leaned back in her chair, and a few strands of her long, silvery-white hair slipped from her shoulders as she moved.

"The arrival of a hero is important, but look at this pile of stuff," she gestured with her chin toward the stack of documents on the table, "the northern mining disputes, the eastern border defense deployment, the trade agreements with those city-states in the south... none of these can be delayed."

As she spoke, she stood up, walked around the desk to the window, and looked down at the lights of the royal court gradually illuminating the night. Her tone became more casual: "How about this, you handle these documents, and I'll go and receive that brave man carrying the mountain."

The Minister of Protocol, Arwin, froze.

Although the five noble families in the capital all had some desire to advance further, the demigods of the royal family were not to be trifled with.

It doesn't matter how much the younger generation within the royal family fights for the throne, but if another family wants to become king, they don't mind waking up and letting the other party experience what true power and influence are.

He bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not overstep your bounds. Only Your Majesty's personal decision on these matters can convince the people."

The Queen sighed, not expecting the other party to handle political affairs for her.

She walked back to her desk, leaned against the edge, and crossed her arms. Her gaze fell once more on this veteran official who had served three dynasties. "Regarding the hero team's attempt to approach the Tree of Life, you should have prepared two sets of explanations by now, right?"

"Your Majesty is indeed a prophet! One approach is to politely decline, citing that 'the Ancient Tree of Life is a sacred object of the Elven Royal Court, and only royalty and priests are allowed to approach it,' supplemented by an appropriate compensation plan, such as providing copies of ancient magic manuscripts from the Elven Royal Court's collection as an alternative."

The other option was to agree, but with strict restrictions, such as limiting the number of participants, the scope of the event, and requiring a royal priest to accompany them throughout.

The Queen thought quietly for a moment before speaking, "Agree to their request. There are no bad heroes. For thousands of years, none of those chosen by the Holy Sword have ever truly harmed the world. I believe this time will be no different."

Seemingly recalling the hero's glorious feat of pulling the sacred mountain from the ground, she added:

"But we must get them to promise that they will not damage or harm the ancient tree of life in any way. The ancient tree is the foundation of the royal court and a gift from the goddess; I cannot allow anything to go wrong with it."

Arwin nodded solemnly and replied, "I will convey your message immediately."

He bowed, took three steps back, and then turned and walked towards the door.

……

The next morning, when Ji Tian changed into his Warrior Light Armor and stepped out of his room, he could already hear Lilith's hushed voice in the corridor, chattering like an early bird chirping and discussing something with Elena.

Upon seeing Ji Tian approach, she quickly greeted him:

"Master, I slept so soundly last night! I even asked my second senior sister to do a divination, and she said I didn't even turn over, I just kicked off the covers once."

"That's pretty safe... Also, you don't need to report to me about sleeping or anything like that."

Elena leaned against a pillar and handed over a flatbread that she had just warmed with magic: "Eat before you go. The royal envoy is already waiting in the reception room."

Ji Tian took it, tore off a piece and put it in his mouth. The aroma of wheat mixed with the sweetness of honey melted on his tongue.

He ate as he walked, and when he arrived at the reception room through the embassy's short corridor, three elven messengers dressed in silver and emerald green were already standing in the room.

The one in the lead was a bit older, with silver hair tied in a high bun, and ear tips that were longer than those of ordinary elves, like two crescent moons peeking out from his hair.

She wore a neatly tailored short robe, with a short cane inlaid with emerald crystals hanging from her waist. When she saw Ji Tian enter, she bowed slightly, her posture as dignified as an ancient tree.

"Hero, I am Eileen Morning Dew, a special envoy from the Royal Court's Foreign Affairs Department. I have been ordered by the Royal Court to escort you to the palace. If you and your teammates are ready, we will depart immediately."

Elven surnames are like this: except for the royal family and the five noble families whose surnames are bestowed by the Goddess of Life, most other surnames are directly derived from names of natural phenomena, such as "Dawn," "Sunrise," and "Star Song."

The villages I've encountered before are similar, except that they are usually named with the character "moon," such as "Moon Creek Village" and "Silver Moon Town."

Ji Tian stuffed the last piece of bread into his mouth and patted the crumbs off his fingertips: "Let's go."

Eileen's gaze lingered on his holy sword for a moment before she looked away and gestured for him to enter.