I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

"Something related to elves? There are quite a few elves coming and going on this road, most of them disembarking from merchant ships heading to Lionfang City. They wouldn't bother coming to a small village like ours unless they were changing weapons."

As he was saying this, the old dwarf looked up at Ophelia's silver hair, blue eyes, and elven ears, and was clearly taken aback, as if he remembered something.

He squinted, put down his carpentry work, lingered on her face for a moment, and then looked away.

"...Let me think. When I was a child, my grandfather told me something. He said that his father had seen a special elf in the village."

That elf also had rare long silver-white hair and ice-blue eyes. She was so beautiful that even we dwarves, who value a strong physique, felt that the aesthetics of elves and humans had their merits. My great-grandfather remembered her even in his old age.

She's lived here for almost twenty years... Little girl, you wouldn't happen to be her daughter, would you?

"?" Ophelia looked up in confusion.

Ji Tian and Elena exchanged a glance, and the latter asked:

"What was the situation with that elf at that time?"

Perhaps it was because the holy sword at his waist possessed a special affinity, the old dwarf recalled carefully and said:

"It is said that she was young when she came, accompanied by an elder who looked older than her, who seemed to be her mother, but her appearance and demeanor were not like those of a mother and daughter, but more like that of a maid."

They didn't explain why they came, and simply built a hut on the edge of the village and settled down.

The elf was very quiet and almost never spoke to the villagers, but she was a kind person and would occasionally help the village children treat minor injuries.

After her elder passed away, she lived in the village for a few more years before leaving.

When did your great-grandfather first meet her?

The old dwarf squinted and calculated, "My grandfather told me about this more than a hundred years ago. Let me think, it was about seven hundred years ago. Back then, this place was just a remote fishing village."

There was once a joke about dwarves circulating on the mainland: dwarves live about twice as long as humans, but their height is the opposite.

Ji Tian's heart stirred slightly.

Did your grandfather ever tell you what she looked like?

The old dwarf squinted and thought for a long time before saying, "Grandfather said that whenever his father mentioned her, he would unconsciously smile, saying that her smile was particularly beautiful, like the first ray of sunshine when the snow melts in spring, and that she never looked down on anyone because they were dwarfs."

Ji Tian nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

Queen Serintil of the Elven Kingdom has reigned for over six hundred years, and her relationship with the previous Elven King is extremely poor...

If the Elf Queen did indeed flee to the Southern Territory during her youth due to a royal upheaval, then everything makes sense.

In other words, Her Majesty the Queen may have experienced a period of exile similar to Lilith's before ascending the throne.

She lived in a dwarf village for nearly twenty years as an ordinary elf, learning how to get along with different races and seeing the world beyond the royal court.

This may not be unrelated to her later becoming a queen with a relatively mild style.

I never expected the Elven race's inheritance method to be so hardcore.

After learning everything, Ji Tian thanked them and turned to lead his team away from the village entrance.

After walking a distance from the village entrance, Elena couldn't help but whisper to him, "Do you think that 'elf' was Queen Serendil herself?"

"It should be. The timing matches, and the physical characteristics match. Seven or eight hundred years ago, she wasn't the queen yet. She had probably just experienced internal changes within the royal family and was forced to flee to the southern border."

Lilith suddenly remembered something.

"So she also left the Elven Royal Court because of royal family upheavals? It's a bit like my situation back then? No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity with her when I first met her."

Isn't it because the other person gives you a motherly feeling?

"She was a little luckier than you; she had someone with her the whole time, and she eventually went back."

Lilith stopped talking.

She silently followed behind him with her head down, and after a few steps she muttered to herself, "I don't envy her at all. I have you all with me. I can consider the hardships I endured during my six months of escape as the accumulation of good fortune to meet you."

Ji Tian was somewhat surprised to hear this, as he hadn't expected Lilith to say such a thing.

Shaking her head, Lilith forgot her previous sadness. "Does Your Majesty remember that she lived here for twenty years? I remember that the lifespan of these elven royalty is three thousand years, isn't it?"

"Of course she remembers, otherwise she wouldn't have told us to stop by on our way."

"I see... If she has so much power, why doesn't she go and see for herself?"

"I don't know, maybe they're too busy with official duties to have time."

"Oh, is that so? Then I won't inherit the throne after I get my revenge."

"So what do you want to be?"

Lilith counted on her fingers seriously, "I'll find a village by the sea and settle down there, fishing, sunbathing, eating fruit every day... basically, I'll live a very leisurely life."

"Then you need to cultivate to the point where no one dares to order you around."

"Waaah, Master, what you said hurts so much... So, when I reach that level of cultivation, can I command you? I'll appoint you as the Regent of the Demon Clan and have you build up the Demon Clan for me."

Ji Tianzhen laughed in exasperation, "You can try it once you reach that level of cultivation."

Ophelia walked at the back of the group, listening with a smile to the intermittent conversations ahead.

When the group returned to the Seagull, Captain Evelyn was leaning against the ship's side, polishing a dagger. Seeing them return, she casually put it away: "You're back? Any discoveries at the mine?"

"No, but we stopped by the Dwarf Village on the way. Let's set sail for White Gull Port."

Evelyn nodded, signaling the sailors to stow the gangplank and set sail.

……

White Gull Harbour, side hall of William Manor.

Adrian lay on his bed on the second floor, breathing steadily and looking perfectly normal, as if he were taking a nap.

The butler stood guard outside the door, while several attendants waited outside the hall.

A tall, slender young man in dark gray hunting attire entered the side hall. He was in his early thirties, with sharper facial features than Adrian, and his eyes and brows carried the typical demeanor of the William family.

His name was Maximilian von Wilhelm, the eldest son of Count Wilhelm, the designated heir of the Wilhelm family, and Adrian's cousin.

The steward immediately bowed upon seeing him: "Young Master."

Maximilian ignored him completely, walked straight to the bedside, and looked down at the boy who used to follow him around like a shadow for a moment.

"How long was he unconscious?"

"More than an hour."

"What did the priest say?"

"They said it looked like he was struck by lightning, but there were no burn marks on his body, and his vital signs were normal; he just couldn't wake up for the time being."

"What did he go out for today?"

The butler lowered his voice: "Go to the equestrian center in the south of the city and find a retired lance captain to spar with."

"and then?"

"The man's wife and daughter were also present. The young master may have said something he shouldn't have... and then he was struck down."

Maximilian's eyelids twitched as he listened, and he couldn't help but feel a little angry at his son's lack of ambition.

How could such an idiot come from my William family?! How could such a thing be done openly?

"Send someone to deliver an apology to that equestrian school. It doesn't need to be expensive, but it should be presentable. Just say that the second young master misspoke after drinking today and has offended us. We will come to apologize in person another day."

The butler responded, then hesitated, "And what about the young master...?"

"Let him sleep. When he wakes up, have him come to me. Also, send a few people to investigate the source of that lightning; it definitely wasn't natural lightning."

"Yes."

The butler withdrew from the side hall.