‘Wasn’t she just trying to get something for nothing? Does the Queen want benefits? On what grounds? Just because she’s pretty? There is no such thing as a free lunch.’
Terili blanked for a moment, then chuckled softly. “Is our relationship not good enough for that?”
Aililan smiled. “Relationship? What relationship? We are meeting for the first time.”
Terili raised her hand, remained silent for a moment, and then let it drop with a light sigh.
“Money?” she asked.
“Does the Queen think I look like someone who lacks money?”
“Then what exactly does the Saintess want? To establish a long-term alliance with our Elf race? If you can help me, I… or rather, we Pureblood Elves, can promise you that.”
Aililan laughed. “You certainly have a vivid imagination.”
“You!”
Aililan waved her hand. “Don’t be in such a hurry. Why don’t I analyze the situation for you again?”
Terili fell silent.
“Listen well,” Aililan said. “Your greatest conflict lies between the Pureblood Elves and the Gestation Elves. The solution is actually quite simple. It is nothing more than taking the interests belonging to the Pureblood Elves and proactively distributing them to the Gestation Elves, achieving a new balance and coexistence.”
She paused, offering a meaningful smile.
“But the problem is that the hardest thing for anyone to do is to give away the cake already in their hands. This isn’t something you can decide personally; you simply cannot shake the collective will of all the Pureblood Elves. Once you betray the Pureblood Elves, they will betray you in turn. What is that called again?”
Aililan chuckled. “In Human history, this kind of thing is all too common. Even though the ruling class only needs to let a few crumbs of profit slip through their fingers to alleviate the conflict, they would rather carry the whole cake with them to their graves.”
Terili was just about to speak.
“Shut up,” Aililan interrupted in a cold voice.
Terili immediately grew quiet. Despite being the Queen of an entire race, at this moment, she was completely suppressed by the other woman’s aura, finding herself without even a reason to resist.
Aililan held up three fingers.
“Three paths. First, self-revolution. From top to bottom, revolutionize your own lives and redistribute benefits to reach a new balance with the Gestation Elves, while simultaneously allowing the Mother Tree to stop excessive birthing so she can recover. Second, trade. A large influx of cheap goods can temporarily relieve the pressure on the lower classes. However, the greed of nature is endless; within a few years, these trade channels will be seized by the Pureblood Elves again, and everything will return to the starting point. Third, external war. As everyone knows, external war is the most effective way to shift internal conflicts.”
Terili’s eyes narrowed. “So that is your true goal? You want to ally with us against the Orcs. Then — what can you Humans give us?”
Aililan looked at her as if she were a fool. “I truly don’t know how you, the Elf Queen, even managed to sit in that position.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can’t win.”
“Can you Elves defeat the Orcs?”
“No.”
“Can you defeat the Demons?”
“No, we cannot.”
Aililan’s tone suddenly turned frigid. “Then do you think you Elves can defeat me, or do you think we Humans are easy targets? Do you want to go to war with me?”
“I… I didn’t mean it like that,” Terili said, looking somewhat flustered. “You said it yourself; if you start a war, you also need the assistance of the Elves.”
“Terili.”
“Call me Queen.”
“Fine, Terili,” Aililan said flatly. “I told you already: look at the situation. Currently, I am supporting both the War Pig Tribe and the Jackal Tribe in the Southern Orc Plains. The Demon Lands are also temporarily at peace for various reasons.”
She reached out, appearing as if she wanted to flick the other woman’s forehead, but she restrained herself.
“Use your brain and think — the Southern Orcs plus the Humans can scrape together a 400,000-man army.”
(In reality, this was an exaggeration, but in politics, a little boasting wasn’t out of line.)
Terili’s expression changed. “400,000?”
Aililan smiled slightly. “And what about you Elves? What can you give me? An army of 200,000? Or is 50,000 your absolute limit? Do you think you’re even qualified to sit at the table?”
Terili’s face turned pale at first, then flushed a deep red. “What are you thinking? You have nothing, yet you want everything. I… Human Saintess, your words are far too crude.”
Aililan walked slowly toward her. Despite being a support-oriented Saintess, she possessed a more oppressive presence than any monarch Terili had ever seen.
She reached out and lightly tilted Terili’s chin upward.
Terili froze instantly.
Aililan tilted her own chin up, her tone haughty and cold. “Terili, go back and think it over carefully. Once you’ve figured out exactly what you can give me, then we can talk about cooperation.”
Terili gritted her teeth. “You are too insolent.”
A short while later, the door to the Vine Hut opened once again.
Aililan walked out with a relaxed expression, causing the anxious onlookers outside to breathe a sigh of relief. However, in the next moment, the Elf Queen followed with an expression of gritted teeth, causing the atmosphere to tighten once more.
Along the border line, the Elven archers quietly gripped their arrows.
Gareyas immediately issued orders.
The heavy shield-bearers raised their shields, spearmen formed their ranks, crossbowmen drew their strings, and the cavalry prepared to charge. As long as a single arrow was fired, this place would instantly transform into a battlefield.
Aililan, however, waved her hand with a smile. “Don’t be nervous. The Elf Queen and I had a very pleasant chat.”
On the other side, Terili also gave an order. “No one is to act rashly. There is no conflict between the Human Saintess and me; we simply have some disagreements on certain issues.”
As for the other woman’s dominance, the pressure, and even that nearly provocative gesture from moments ago — she certainly would not mention any of those.
She was the Queen, after all.
She still needed to maintain her dignity.