Chapter 64: Honorary Elder 2

“The Bread Tree...”

“This really is fruit produced by a Bread Tree!”

One of the elders held the fruit in his hands, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

“This fragrance...”

“This pure aura of nature...”

“And this sweetness...”

“It is nothing short of a miracle!”

He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the taste as though he were experiencing something sacred.

“How many years has it been?”

“For countless generations, we could only imagine its existence through the records left in our ancient histories.”

“The Bread Tree...”

“The blessing bestowed upon the elven race by the Goddess of Nature herself!”

“With the Bread Tree...”

Another elder spoke emotionally.

“Our elven people may finally escape the calamity that has haunted us for so long.”

“Hel.”

One of the elders suddenly turned toward the City Lord.

“Tell us everything you know about that human.”

“Even if we ignore the astonishing magical weapon he created...”

“The Bread Tree alone is enough for us to treat this matter with the utmost seriousness.”

City Lord Hel smiled respectfully as he stood before the elders.

There were seven elders on the Dark Elven Council.

For ordinary affairs, most matters concerning the dark elf race were decided through discussion among these elders.

Only events of truly enormous importance would be reported directly to Her Majesty the Elven Queen.

After all...

The Queen was currently in secluded cultivation.

According to rumors, she had already begun attempting to break through into the Legendary realm.

Hel had expected that the report he submitted would attract the attention of the elders.

But even he had not expected such a reaction.

Out of the seven Dark Elven Elders...

Five had personally come to Muan City.

Only two remained behind to guard the Elven capital.

And from the moment these five elders entered the City Lord’s residence...

They had been completely captivated by the Bread Tree fruit Hel presented to them.

Hel had just been wondering what rewards he might receive for such an enormous contribution when one of the elders suddenly called his name.

“Honorable Elders.”

Hel immediately straightened his posture.

“Kent truly comes from the surface.”

“According to what I have learned, an enemy used a Random Teleportation Scroll on him, and as a result...”

Hel respectfully began recounting everything he knew about Kent’s origins.

Although Hel himself was also a Level-Nine professional...

The five elders before him were completely different.

Every one of them had remained at Level Nine for several hundred years.

They were ancient monsters in everything but name.

Hel, on the other hand, had reached Level Nine less than a hundred years ago.

Compared with these elders...

He was still considered part of the younger generation.

So he did not dare show the slightest disrespect.

“A Random Teleportation Scroll?”

Another elder clicked his tongue in surprise.

“There are still people reckless enough to use something like that?”

“That boy is unbelievably lucky to still be alive.”

“Yes.”

Hel nodded.

“Afterward, I personally inspected the place where Kent first appeared.”

“The cavern was only a little more than ten meters high.”

“Everything above it was solid rock.”

“And the surrounding ground was covered with sharp stone formations.”

Hel paused.

“To survive being randomly transported into such a place...”

“His luck was truly extraordinary.”

Another elder leaned forward.

“Then what materials did that human use to manufacture the magical weapons during this battle?”

Hel immediately answered.

“The materials were actually very simple.”

“Refined iron.”

“Water-element magic crystal powder.”

“Fire-element magic crystal powder.”

“Some ordinary beast hides.”

“Obsidian powder.”

“And a small amount of venom.”

“That was essentially everything.”

Silence.

Absolute silence.

The entire room suddenly became so quiet that even breathing seemed unusually loud.

The five elders looked at one another.

Then they looked back at Hel.

Their expressions were filled with disbelief.

They knew exactly how many kobolds had died around Muan City.

More importantly...

Not a single defender of Muan City had died in the battle.

Such a result was almost unheard of in the Underdark.

Throughout the recorded history of the Underdark, which stretched back more than ten thousand years, there had been many instances of kobold armies surrounding settlements belonging to humans and the other civilized races.

And nearly every time...

The result had been the same.

A disastrous defeat.

The settlement would be destroyed.

Most of its inhabitants would die.

At best, only a handful of powerful professionals would manage to escape.

But this time...

Muan City had lost no one.

Not a single person.

Yet hundreds of thousands of kobolds had been destroyed or driven away.

There was no other word for it.

It was a miracle.

And what truly shocked the five elders...

Was what had created that miracle.

The materials Kent had used were among the cheapest and most worthless things in the entire Underdark.

Magic crystal powder?

It was made from inferior magic crystals left behind after higher-quality crystals had already been selected.

Those worthless fragments were crushed, sorted, and crushed again.

Only then did they become magic crystal powder.

Ordinary beast hides?

They were barely worth mentioning.

Much of the leather available underground was considered little better than discarded scraps.

And obsidian?

In the Underdark, one could practically bend down, pick up two random stones...

And one of them might be obsidian.

Other than being extremely hard, the material had almost no value at all.

And yet...

It was precisely these worthless materials—

Things that most people would barely bother picking up from the ground—

That Kent had transformed into weapons capable of stopping an army of hundreds of thousands of kobolds.

The five elders fell silent once again.

Their eyes gradually changed.

Their breathing became slightly heavier.

Because all five of them understood the same thing.

If those weapons could truly be produced from such cheap and abundant materials...

Then their value could no longer be measured by the number of kobolds they had killed in a single battle.

What Kent had created...

Might change the way wars were fought throughout the entire Underdark.

“No matter where he came from or what kind of person he is, we dark elves have always been a race that remembers its debts.”

One of the elders slowly spoke, sounding as though he were testing the reactions of the others.

“That human has allowed us to taste the Bread Tree fruit that, until now, existed only in our ancient records.”

“In that sense, he is already a benefactor of the dark elf race.”

“So I propose that we grant him the title of Honorary Elder.”

“What do the rest of you think?”

“I agree.”

Another elder nodded.

“However, we should first test that magical weapon he created from such inexpensive materials.”

“I also agree, but I do not think testing him is necessary.”

A third elder shook his head.

“The most important matter is ensuring that the Bread Tree comes under the administration of our dark elf race.”

“That is what truly concerns the survival of our people.”

“I oppose testing him as well.”

Another elder spoke.

“Do you really think an alchemist’s creation is something that can simply be copied after looking at it a few times?”

“Exactly.”

“We need not even discuss anything else.”

“As long as he becomes an Honorary Elder of the dark elves, would he really refuse to give our people priority access to the Bread Tree?”

The five elders each expressed their own opinions.

But on one matter, they were completely united.

Kent would be granted the title of Honorary Elder.

Of course...

The Bread Tree was the true reason behind their decision.

After all, the Bread Tree was directly connected to the future survival of the dark elf race.

As for Kent’s alchemy?

The elves possessed their own ancient inheritances.

Furthermore, humans and elves differed greatly in aesthetics, habits, and many other aspects.

Kent’s style of alchemy might not necessarily suit the dark elves at all.

So there was little reason to obsess over it.

The most urgent matter was something else.

They needed to regain control over the thirty-percent share of the Bread Tree that belonged to Kent.

Something so important could not be allowed to pass casually into the hands of outsiders.

There was also another consideration.

An Honorary Elder did not participate directly in the internal administration of the dark elf race.

However...

The Council of Elders still possessed authority over an Honorary Elder.

Naturally, none of this would ever be stated openly.

But all five elders were old foxes who had lived for centuries.

How could they fail to understand such implications?

And so...

That was why Kobi had come looking for Kent.

The elders were even worried that Kent might refuse.

Therefore, at almost the same moment the decision was issued...

The official announcement had already been posted throughout Muan City.

The news immediately caused an uproar.

At first, everyone was stunned.

A human?

An Honorary Elder of the dark elves?

But once people thought about it carefully...

It no longer seemed unreasonable.

Even if everything else Kent had done was ignored...

The Bread Tree alone was enough.

That enormous tree, dozens of meters tall and spreading hundreds of meters across, was more than sufficient reason for the dark elves to make such a decision.

So the initial shock gradually turned into acceptance.

In the end, most people felt that it was only natural.

Kent, meanwhile, had been busy inside his laboratory.

Dark elf guards were stationed outside as well.

If Kobi had not personally come to inform him...

Kent might still have had no idea what had happened.

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations!”

Kent smiled politely.

“The same to you.”

“Congratulations, Elder Kent!”

“Thank you, thank you.”

“Congratulations!”

“Thank—”

And so it continued.

Every person Kent encountered along the way greeted him with a broad smile.

Everyone wanted to congratulate him.

Kent could only respond politely each time.

After a while...

His throat began to hurt.

His voice was becoming hoarse.

Yet people continued approaching him.

At that moment, Kent finally understood something.

Being famous really isn’t easy.

The distance from the laboratory to the City Lord’s residence was barely more than a kilometer.

Yet Kent and Kobi took almost an entire hour to walk it.

And congratulations were only part of the problem.

Some people wanted to become Kent’s apprentices and learn alchemy from him.

Others wanted to invite him out for drinks.

A few wanted to discuss business.

There were all kinds of strange requests.

At one point, a gnome even pushed through the crowd and asked Kent whether he was married.

Kent looked at the gnome.

The fellow was only about 1.3 meters tall.

Kent gave an awkward laugh and quickly changed the subject.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Whatever else you say about me, I’m still a perfectly normal man.

“Kent, come over here.”

Hel immediately waved him forward.

“Let me introduce you to the elders of our elven race.”

He gestured toward the five dark elves seated inside the hall.

“This is the Second Elder.”

“The Third Elder.”

“The Fourth Elder.”

“The Fifth Elder.”

“And the Seventh Elder.”

Kent blinked.

“Uh... greetings, Honorable Elders.”

For some reason, he suddenly had the strange feeling that he had walked into some suspicious little company back on Earth.

Second Elder? Third Elder? Fourth Elder?

Do none of them have actual names?

Why did everyone sound as though they were identified only by numbers?

Kent could not help letting out a puzzled sound.

The Second Elder looked him over carefully.

Then he nodded.

“Mm.”

“Not bad, little fellow.”

“Now, we have a question for you.”

“Would you be willing to become an Honorary Elder of the dark elf race?”

Kent immediately froze.

“I’m sorry...”

“But I still don’t really understand what an Honorary Elder is.”

He genuinely did not know how to react.

The situation felt absurdly unreal.

It was almost as though an ordinary citizen had suddenly been approached by the president of a country and asked whether he wanted to accept some extraordinary position.

Within the Underdark, the influence wielded by the elders of the dark elves was enormous.

In terms of status and authority, they were hardly less important here than the leaders of powerful nations back on Earth.

And now...

Five of them were sitting in front of him, asking whether he wanted to become one of their Honorary Elders.

No wonder Kent felt completely unprepared.

“I absolutely disagree!”

“The Bread Tree could never have survived without the Water of Life!”

Kent had barely finished asking his question when a sharp voice suddenly came from outside the hall.

The doors burst open.

A group of dark elves hurried inside.

The one leading them was a female elf.

Kent turned to look at her.

To be honest...

Dark elves were simply too beautiful.

Their features were so uniformly refined that Kent still had difficulty telling one person from another at a glance.

Most of the time, the easiest way for him to distinguish between male and female dark elves was by looking at their figures.

It reminded him of how people from one distant region of Earth sometimes struggled to distinguish between Chinese, Korean, and Japanese faces when they were unfamiliar with them.

Kent looked at the newly arrived group.

Then at the five elders.

And immediately realized—

Things were about to become complicated.