Volume 4: The End of the World Chapter 8: Offer
In William's view, the current changes in the Temple of the Mother of the Holy Trees are themselves the best symbol of the Riel Empire's conquest of Ravenwood.
The Temple of the Holy Mother Tree was not like this in the past - it had no traces of artificial carving, no decoration of those bright and beautiful magic crystal lamps, no regular and symmetrical internal structure... In short, it did not have all the solemnity and majesty bestowed by humans, but was in a more primitive and natural state.
Although it was called a temple in the past, in essence, it is just an ancient, winding and deep tree hole. In the past, the ancestors of the forest elves were in this darkness. After sucking the sap with strong hallucinogenic effects, they saw the existence called "Big Mother" in the illusion that was enough to paralyze and kill people, and established a spiritual connection with her.
The temple itself is the embodiment of the forest elves' philosophy of being one with nature.
Whether it is the "Great Mother" or the "Father of the Wilderness", anything that builds the foundation of the forest elves' cultural beliefs will more or less reflect the elements of the cycle of life. Reproduction, growth, death, and passing away become part of the new life. Mortal races with limited lifespans achieve infinity from the finite through the cycle of life. Everything is an indispensable part of the great cycle.
It can be said that Ravenwood's philosophy is diametrically opposed to the human style of constant expansion and plunder, and continuous improvement and progress through consumer behavior - it can even be said that the two sides are at two extremes of civilization.
Of course, William had no intention of commenting on the pros and cons of the two civilizations. Anyway, judging from the results, the Seven Holy Spirits emblem, which symbolizes the cornerstone of the empire's faith, has now been moved into the temple as a winner. This shows that at least in terms of violence, the forest elves who emphasize integration with nature cannot be compared with humans who transform or even enslave nature.
In the most sacred place of the forest elves' faith, the seven holy emblems of the alien faith were placed. Even the "Great Mother" itself, which was the core of the faith, had to be attached to the "Mother" of the Holy Spirit Church before it could be worshiped. According to William's impression of the forest elves, this was definitely a trauma that was enough to shake the foundation of the entire race's faith.
Therefore, the effect of William's previous words was particularly obvious.
As soon as he finished speaking, the originally calm expression on the face of "His Majesty the Ebony" was ignited almost instantly. His chest swelled like a bellows, and he gasped heavily in the humid air in the temple, and the gray-white fur draped on his body rose and fell - this made him look more like an enraged beastman.
Considering the reason for the other party's anger - the spiritual temple of the forest elves actually enshrined the totem of human faith. William thought with a little bit of evil taste, it was a pity that the other party was wearing deer horns instead of cow horns on his head.
Fortunately, the loss of control of emotions only lasted for a moment, and the other party did not do anything unwise because of it. In fact, his face quickly returned to its previous calm expression.
"If it weren't for the fact that the Great Mother's revelations never go wrong, I would never have imagined that the one who would liberate us from the tyranny of the Empire as predicted would be a human."
Taking a deep breath, Ebony did not directly answer William's question, but said so.
Although his expression had returned to calm, his voice, compared to the calmness he had maintained before in order to play tricks, contained a hint of suppressed anger.
It sounded like he wanted to save face for his previous gaffe, but in William's opinion, this approach made no sense at all - at least it didn't sound like the attitude of asking for something from others.
After lowering his opinion of the other party in his heart once again, William said:
"Wait a minute, how can you be so sure that I will definitely help you? Just based on the hallucinations you had of the 'Great Mother' after drinking the sap of the World Tree? Besides, you don't even know who I am. It's just the first time we met, and you dare to close the door and talk about big plans without even testing me? Aren't you afraid that I'm a spy from the Empire?"
If Li Shimin had dared to do this back then, he would have been shot to death by arrows before he even reached the Xuanwu Gate.
If the other party is really of this level, then even if William's Jade Province really intends to help the forest elves get rid of the empire's control and strengthen his own power, he is absolutely unwilling to be an ally with such an IQ person.
In comparison, even the establishment faction that incorporated the Jade Province Empire was much more reliable. At the very least, they were willing to work hand in glove with the Empire most likely because of their own interests. For such people, he could still implement a carrot-and-stick policy to treat their symptoms.
Greedy people can maintain a minimum level of rationality, and this rationality can be the cornerstone of cooperation. But if it is replaced by a completely fanatical believer, there is no guarantee of cooperation at all.
Today, the "Big Mother" made them believe that a foreigner in a foreign land is their savior and they believed it. But tomorrow, if the "Big Mother" asks them to stab William in the back, do you think they will hesitate?
Therefore, William did not speak politely at all, but directly asked the question.
The other party did not get angry when he heard this, but nodded and replied:
"You are joking. After all, you are the one who pushed for the independence of Blackwater Province and resolved the internal turmoil in Ava behind the scenes. Based on these two things alone, no matter who you are, you can't be on the side of the Empire."
Ebony seemed to inadvertently say something that only a very few people were qualified to know.
William sensed the suppressed pride in the other party's tone . The reason why he had been reluctant to mention this key information before was that he hoped to play it as a card in his hand at this time.
But in response, William simply raised his voice and said a small "oh" in a rising tone.
It was not that he was shocked by the other party's words, but William's previous expectations of the other party were too low, so after hearing that the other party was able to collect this level of information, he couldn't help but be a little surprised.
"Could it be that the 'Big Mother' also told you these things in a dream?"
William asked with a sneer.
The other party shook his head:
"In order to break away from the control of the Empire, we are always paying attention to the situation in the entire Vic Continent, and even in Ava Continent and Daemon Continent. I spent a lot of money to buy this information about you from the Broken Sword Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild long before the 'Great Mother' gave me the revelation."
If this is true, then the person in front of him can still be saved, at least he still has some value in forming an alliance.
"Oh? Then, was my true identity mentioned in detail in the information you bought?"
Thinking of this, William asked calmly.
"They are just some fragmentary rumors and records. What we can infer from that little information is extremely limited. But for us, it is enough to know that you are very, very powerful... and that you stand against the Empire . I think this explanation is enough to answer your previous question - 'Why should we trust you?' The enemy of my enemy is my friend. At least in opposing the Riel Empire, we have the possibility of cooperation."
Ebony replied.
"Well, I guess I can only do it reluctantly... After all, even if I am willing to help Blackwater Province and Ava Continent, that doesn't mean I will be willing to help you, right?"
William spread his hands slightly.
But Wu Mu waved his hand as if he had expected it.
"I understand that, so...just name your price."
"A price?"
Although he had pointed out the other party's true purpose earlier in order to make the conversation more direct, William had never expected that the other party would be so direct.
"Wealth? Status? Or the inheritance of power? As long as we can take back everything that belongs to me, drive out the witch who kowtows to the platinum throne, and let Ravenwood once again become the Ravenwood of the forest elves, what price do we have to pay?
"So direct?"
"After dealing with humans for so many years, I can at least understand your negotiation style based on maximizing interests. In this case, why don't we save those unnecessary probing and directly negotiate on the essence of the matter, which will save both of us time?"
Hobien Ebony added this after noticing the puzzled look on William's face.
Before William could speak, the other party continued as if asking and answering his own questions:
"Of course, for someone who can stop the tide of the Corrupted Moon Undead and defeat the Moon Realm Demon Army in the Moon Realm, he must have no shortage of wealth, power, and status, so the price I am willing to offer will be higher..."
"Don't say that it's the price you offered, or the support you'll get after you become the king of Ravenwood, or something like that that can only be fulfilled after your grand plan succeeds."
William interrupted, saying that the nature of this kind of thing was just as unreliable as "I, Qin Shi Huang, want to send money." This kind of behavior of prepaying the achievement of the original goal as a reward would make William feel that he was being fooled.
Of course, William didn't think the other party could really come up with anything to impress him. At least, everything that could impress him in the world a thousand years ago was now in William's treasure hall.
Seeing that William didn't look interested, Wu Mu didn't keep him in suspense and said directly:
"In addition to the price you mentioned earlier, I am willing to give you the following: a Judgment Weapon, the life condensation of the World Tree accumulated over a hundred years, and a small wooden box."
Just like the old joke "I'm going to invade Afghanistan and paint all the road signs green, I know people don't have any objections to the former", compared to the first two things that he could understand, William subconsciously asked:
"A wooden box?"
Ebony nodded and said:
"Yes, it's a wooden box made from the dead buds of the World Tree. It has extremely powerful magic. But these are not the main points. The main point is what's inside - the ashes of Frost Witch Niehe, the third member of the Judgment Seat of the Endwatch."
"That wooden box is his phylactery."
