Free Web NovelChapter 46: The Kingdoms of the Elves
When Etham received no response from Rios, he continued,
"My liege, the Forest of Light was originally home to over a billion people from various races and tribes. Every year, the City of Light collected taxes from them in exchange for allowing them to remain within our lands. But when the Giants invaded the Forest of Light ninety-five years ago, all the settlements and cities throughout the forest were gradually destroyed over the following decades. More than ninety percent of the population was slaughtered, while the rest fled."
Etham clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, then continued with sorrow and anger.
"As for the City of Light, it originally had a population of just over twenty million Elves. We possessed an army that had been built over decades and centuries, numbering nearly one million soldiers, with hundreds of third-level Masters among them. But now... everything has been reduced to nothing!"
Etham’s eyes turned red with rage, while Elena and Thandria clenched their teeth in grief and fury over the fate of their city and their King.
"More than eighty percent of our city’s population was killed, and our army was almost completely wiped out. Only the three of us remain at the third level. We were forced to abandon the elderly, the weak, and the sick so we could save food for the remaining soldiers and workers, and our food reserves were on the verge of running out. Most of our population today consists of women, after the majority of our men sacrificed their lives to save what remained of our city."
Rios listened silently until the very end as he studied the map, committing every detail to memory.
The Forest of Light was merely one point among thousands scattered across the continent.
More than ninety percent of the map was colored red, representing the uninhabited regions filled with countless powerful beasts.
Hundreds of green dots were scattered across the map, representing the inhabited regions.
The closest green point to the City of Light lay to the west, representing the Silver Highlands, which had already been occupied by the Giants. South of it, between the Silver Highlands and the Forest of Light, lay the Wild Plains.
The nearest point to the east was the Storm Mountains, ruled by the Falcon race. It wasn’t particularly close to the Forest of Light, but neither was it too far away.
To the north, the nearest inhabited region—and by far the farthest among them—was the Silent Forest, ruled by the Silent Crow race.
As for the south, there wasn’t a single green point.
It was completely covered in red.
Naturally, the Forest of Light wasn’t the only territory ruled by the Elves. freёwebnovel.com
Like the other races, there were dozens of green points representing regions under Elf control, but they weren’t subordinate to the Forest of Light.
The Elves had settled countless forests and established independent cities and kingdoms across different regions, just like the other races.
There was the Forest of Fire, the Forest of Shadow, the Forest of Darkness, the Forest of Lightning, and the Forest of Nature.
All of them belonged to the Elves.
This was only natural, considering the Elves’ history stretched back one hundred thousand years. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Naturally, throughout that immense span of time, there had always been those who wished to found kingdoms of their own and split away from the Forest of Light, seeking new lands. Others had ventured into exploration and ended up building cities, along with countless other reasons.
"Who drew this map?" Rios asked.
"It is said that the ancestor of the Dragon race was the first to begin drawing it, my liege, one hundred thousand years ago after reaching the fourth level. Later, the ancestor of the Golden Lion race expanded its details. Then the Tree of Cradle and the ancestor of the Falcon race added even more. After that, the major cities and kingdoms took over the task of updating it regularly. Every city and kingdom possesses a copy of it," Etham answered in detail.
Rios nodded, then turned around and walked back toward the throne.
There were countless tasks awaiting him.
The burden upon his shoulders was immense.
There was also the system quest demanding that he conquer the world and bring it under his rule within fifty years.
The penalty for failure...
Death.
And what did he possess?
Almost nothing.
Only himself and a crumbling city populated mostly by non-combatant women, surrounded by enemies on every side, along with a horde of Giant bastards capable of fighting opponents an entire level above themselves.
Rios sat upon the throne, pushed those troubling thoughts aside, then looked at the three Elves before him and ordered,
"From this day onward, every boy who comes of age is to be married. If a man already has one wife, marry him to a second... then a third... and even a fourth.
I don’t want to see a single person capable of having children remaining unmarried.
I don’t want to see a single woman capable of bearing children remaining unmarried.
Marry every boy and every girl as soon as they come of age. During the coming period, focus on defending the city, maintaining order, increasing our population, and stabilizing the new system.
As for food... leave that to me."
After hearing Rios’s orders, the three Elves looked at one another before nodding in complete agreement.
"Your Majesty’s command shall be carried out."
"Mm."
Rios nodded, then looked toward Etham.
"Did you gather everyone I told you about?"
"Yes, my liege. They’re all waiting in the rear garden, just as you ordered."
"Good. Take me to them."
Rios stood up and descended the steps.
"This way, Your Majesty."
Etham stepped aside to allow Rios to pass before following behind him along with the others.
---
Outside the palace, across a vast stretch of green land spanning several hundred acres, tens of thousands of Elves stood gathered.
Their condition was pitiful.
Some had lost a leg.
Others were missing an arm.
Some had lost an eye.
Thousands more suffered from chronic illnesses.
Yet for some reason, they had all been gathered here today.
Rios entered the garden, followed by Elena, Thandria, and Etham.
His eyes swept across the wounded, and he nodded before asking Etham,
"Are these all the wounded and sick people in the City of Light?"
