Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Proposal
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The branches of the Sky Tree, spread wide like a giant umbrella, were adorned with mystical blue leaves that shed a sparkling dust.
It grew on the highest peak of the Mierba Mountains.
Beneath it lay four flat rocks, arranged like chairs.
The four individuals seated there each possessed a unique appearance.
An elf with ears as long as her picturesque beauty.
A dwarf, short in stature, with impressive bicep muscles and a beard.
A Zaimon, three times the elf's height, his entire body covered in muscle.
Even Aisi, with her human form, could be considered to have a unique appearance in this place.
The four gathered here were the leaders of their respective races.
The Beastkin and the Dwarf were Chieftains.
The Zaimon was a Lord.
The Elf was an Elder.
Though their titles differed, all four were leading their races through a time of crisis.
“We welcome our new friend.”
The Elf Elder was the first to speak, looking at Aisi.
Her voice, holding an ancient wooden staff, was as beautiful as her appearance, but it lacked any emotion.
“We dwarves also welcome our new Chieftain.”
“In the name of the Zaimon Lord, I welcome our new friend.”
They each acknowledged Aisi in their own way.
“Thank you. I hope you’ve all been well.”
Aisi eased the stiff atmosphere with a simple greeting.
She had met them all as a child, accompanying her father. Unlike the Beastkin, their leaders were chosen by their supporters, so their positions didn't change often.
“Your father was a fine leader. I trust you will also lead your tribe well.”
Elves always spoke kindly, but it never felt sincere.
They were a race that neither harmed nor befriended other tribes.
That was why, even in her childhood, she had never been particularly close with the elves.
“You used to call me uncle, but I suppose I won’t be hearing that anymore.”
“I still remember the beer you gave me, Uncle. How could I forget that memory?”
“Haha! So you do remember! You plucked out half my beard and then pretended you had no memory of it!”
“I still don’t remember. But I’ll apologize again.”
“Ho ho. Don’t be like that. It was as fun as my beard was long. And hasn’t it grown back even more splendidly now?”
Unlike the elves, the dwarves were a festive people, and friendly with everyone.
“A gift.”
The gray-skinned Zaimon Lord extended a massive hand toward Aisi.
Like his hard, statue-like appearance, his people were of few words and lived at a leisurely pace. In battle, however, they stood at the forefront alongside the Beastkin.
They were the closest allies of the Beastkin, more like comrades-in-arms. That was why he was giving her a gift.
“Thank you, Uncle Balkan.”
“You are a Chieftain now.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind, my Lord.”
The gift Balkan offered was a bracelet. It was made of silver thread with five gems embedded in it. Due to the size difference, Aisi had to wear it around her neck.
Even then, it was large enough to hang loosely.
After the simple greetings, they naturally began to discuss the state of affairs in the Mierba Mountains.
In truth, there wasn't much to discuss.
Nothing had changed in the last ten years.
They were still under the Empire's surveillance, and there was nothing they could do besides preserve their races.
As the conversation progressed, the atmosphere inevitably grew heavy. The Dwarf Chieftain asked Aisi,
“When do you plan to go to the Empire?”
Aisi knew what the dwarf meant.
Paying respects to the Empire.
As the new Chieftain, she was expected to go and greet the Empire.
It was a form of reporting, in a way. It was humiliating, but that’s how it had always been.
Aisi’s demeanor changed as she answered the question.
“The Beastkin will no longer pay respects to the Empire.”
At her words, the expressions of the other three leaders hardened. This wasn't just a Beastkin problem.
It was a matter that could give the Empire an excuse to intervene.
“We have a duty to uphold as a community.”
“That’s right, a community. A community that has lost its home and is now trapped. The Empire calls this place the Inhuman Races’ Prison.”
They were even paying tribute to the Empire under the guise of cultural exchange.
“The Beastkin are leaving this place.”
It was a bombshell.
The Elf Elder, clearly not expecting to hear such a thing at their first meeting, furrowed her brow and said,
“Be careful.”
“Is it strange for us to seek out our own home?”
“As I said, we are a community. For better or worse, we share the same fate.”
“That’s right. Which is why I’m making you all an offer.”
Aisi looked the three of them straight in the eye and said,
“Let’s escape this prison together.”
No one agreed with her, but Aisi remained unshaken.
Someone was waiting for Aisi when she returned to the Beastkin village.
A short individual with a sharp impression.
He was a warrior with one of the rarest souls among the Beastkin, second only to the saber-toothed tiger—a man who could transform into an eagle.
Upon seeing Aisi, he immediately placed a hand over his heart and bowed.
It was the proper etiquette when addressing the Chieftain.
“I have delivered the message to the Consort.”
“Is he safe?”
“Yes. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“That’s a relief.”
“He said he will visit in person in one month.”
“In a month?”
Aisi, who had expected him to rush over immediately, felt a pang of disappointment. But his next words sparked a question.
“He said it will take some time to prepare a gift.”
That was the end of the report.
As the man who delivered the message departed, Aisi was lost in thought for a moment.
‘A gift?’
She had expected a ring.
She had experienced not only the culture of the Azelan Continent but also some of Earth's.
But a ring wouldn’t take a month to prepare.
‘A month is…’
She pondered for a moment before turning to the elder who had approached her and gave an order.
“Please summon the squad leaders.”
“Yes, Chieftain.”
As the elder moved to deliver the message, Aisi muttered to herself.
“Then I should prepare a gift, too.”
Aisi entered the Chieftain's tent and waited for the squad leaders.
She had gathered ten of the strongest warriors, including the elder.
They were the squad leaders who led the tribe, each of the ten managing fifty residents.
Aisi, holding a sort of leadership meeting, recounted what had happened at the meeting of the inhuman races.
“If they refuse, our tribe will move alone.”
“Understood.”
No one present raised an objection.
The Mierba Mountains were the worst possible environment for them to live in anyway. There were few opponents to fight, and their territory was small.
At the mention of the Decartes Mountains, the ten squad leaders seemed rather excited.
The problem was moving without being detected by the Empire, but since the Chieftain said she had a way, they accepted it without issue.
“But the dwarves must come with us.”
“Is there a reason?”
“They are essential for our human friends who will be helping us. They will form a good cooperative relationship for each other's benefit.”
At those words, the elder’s expression darkened.
“They will not welcome help from humans. We will follow your orders absolutely, Chieftain, but they will not.”
This was something Aisi had anticipated.
“It’s not humans we distrust, it’s the Empire. They are enemies of the Empire, so we share a common foe.”
“Even so, convincing them will not be easy.”
“I know. But we have to try. This isn’t a request; we’re giving them an opportunity. It’s the right thing to do for everyone.”
Everyone present had sworn absolute loyalty to Aisi, but they weren't confident about this matter.
The dwarves were under special management by the Empire and engaged in active trade. Although they had suffered many injustices, it was also true that they received ample support.
Despite this, Aisi was certain.
“They, too, will want unrestricted freedom. Just like us.”
True freedom.
Aisi knew its value, and she believed she could persuade the dwarves.
A month passed.
The Magic Tower had searched the entire continent but couldn't find the culprit.
Eventually, they had to request help from the Empire and even mobilized Spirit Masters.
It was a blow to their pride, but they had no choice but to use every method available.
Through this, they managed to uncover one thing.
—The Shadow of Dark Moon.
The name that had come up during the Architect Guild incident was mentioned once again.
The culprit was identified, but the image was not clear.
It was only an assumption; in the memories summoned by the Spirit Master from the earth, the face was blurry, and more importantly, Dark Moon had vanished.
They had only managed to identify the Shadow by comparing the memory to the one from the assassination of the honorary knight.
In any case, with the culprit identified, the Magic Tower began to search the entire continent.
Their first target was Dark Moon.
But Dark Moon was already gone. So they started searching for its remnants, but even that wasn't easy.
The few survivors from Dark Moon's fall had completely disappeared.
Nevertheless, the Magic Tower continued its search, even stirring up other assassin organizations.
With the culprit identified, the Magic Tower's disruptive presence in every city ceased. People returned to their daily lives and no longer had to walk on eggshells around them.
Thanks to this, Oh Min-jae was able to leave Magit and head west as planned.
“Aren’t you a little too excited?”
Wang-sik was accompanying him, just in case there was any danger.
“Hyung, aren’t we going too slow?”
They were deliberately traveling on Hadis to conceal their tracks.
Even while flying through the sky, Oh Min-jae felt it was slow.
“Keep that up and I’ll leave you behind.”
“You’d abandon me? I know you can’t.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Because I can’t abandon you. So you can’t abandon me either.”
Wang-sik couldn't help but laugh at the cute reply.
After a long journey, they reached the entrance of the Mierba Mountains.
As the forest where light shattered came into view, they disembarked from Hadis, and soon, someone appeared before them.
“Aisi!”
The person waiting at the mountain entrance was Aisi.
Wang-sik gave the lovers a moment before being guided to the Beastkin village.
Even though Aisi had informed them, the Beastkin's gazes toward the humans were not friendly. If not for the Chieftain's orders, they probably would have had to fight their way in.
‘If the Beastkin are like this, I can imagine what the other races are like.’
From Wang-sik’s perspective, it wasn't a great situation. Nevertheless, he was brimming with confidence.
‘This isn’t an offer they can refuse.’
He believed the inhuman races wouldn't be able to say no.
“Aisi, what’s the situation?”
Wang-sik asked as soon as he entered the Chieftain's tent after greeting the tribe members.
“There’s no significant progress yet. The dwarves seem to be considering it, but the other races are actually pressuring me.”
They wanted her to withdraw the plan for the sake of everyone's peace.
“In a month, the Empire's regular exchange delegation will arrive. We need to leave before then.”
The Imperial exchange delegation came once every three months.
They called it an exchange, but it was really to monitor the inhuman races and collect tribute.
“Still, you’ve done well. The fact that the dwarves are even considering it is something.”
“I haven’t gotten a definite answer.”
“That’s good enough.”
Having grasped the situation, Wang-sik continued.
“Can you tell them I want to meet them?”
“It won’t be easy. They’re already on guard just because a human has come here.”
“I figured.”
Wang-sik didn't blame them.
He, too, had experienced the injustice of being powerless. It wasn't something to be criticized.
It couldn't be helped.
“It doesn’t matter if they refuse. Just get in touch with them.”
“Do you think that will mean anything? A forceful request might just increase their resistance. They might even see it as an invasion.”
“No. They will definitely meet me.”
At Wang-sik's words, Oh Min-jae also nodded.
“You’ve prepared something, haven’t you?”
“Ask Min-jae.”
As Wang-sik stepped back, Oh Min-jae spoke to Aisi.
“It’s a proposal gift. It should arrive tomorrow.”
“What is it?”
Oh Min-jae just smiled instead of answering.