Hearing Eliana's words, Hao Yun and Dao Lao were instantly petrified, their faces turning somewhat green. Hao Yun quickly put down the piece of fish he was about to eat and began to retch violently, seemingly wanting to vomit out the fish he had just consumed. Dao Lao discreetly spat the fish into his napkin and took several large gulps of fruit wine, trying to wash away the foul taste lingering in his mouth.
"Why are you two not eating? Is the fish not tasty enough? Ha ha ha," Eliana said with a malicious smile as she observed Hao Yun and Dao Lao's miserable expressions.
Faced with Eliana's mockery, Hao Yun and Dao Lao had no time to retort. Their minds were filled with images of the bones scattered along the seashore. Catching fish from a sea filled with corpses and making dried fish? How revolting! Who knew if the fish had fed on the corpses or drank the blood seeping from them? Just the thought of drying fish meat in the foul sea breeze made Hao Yun feel like he was tasting the stench of decaying bodies rather than the marinated dried fish.
"You are truly insane!" Hao Yun glared at Eliana, a surge of unnamable anger welling up inside him.
Seeing Hao Yun on the verge of attacking Eliana, Dao Lao quickly intervened, wiping the corners of his mouth as he commanded, "Hao Yun! Calm down!"
Simultaneously, Dao Lao quickly reminded Hao Yun through their system channel that they still needed to gather as much information as possible from Eliana. Now was not the time to confront her directly. Dao Lao urged Hao Yun to stay calm and not fall into Eliana's trap. Clearly, Eliana was deliberately trying to provoke them. The angrier Hao Yun became, the more pleased Eliana would be.
Under Dao Lao's reminder, Hao Yun spat a thick glob of phlegm on the ground. Then, suppressing the nausea in his stomach and the anger in his heart, he said, "I'm sorry, I just thought of something unpleasant, so I lost my composure. Please excuse my rudeness, Lady Eliana."
"Ha ha ha, it's alright. It's your first time tasting such exotic food, so it's normal to feel a bit uncomfortable," Eliana said, waving her hand in a pretended gesture of magnanimity.
"I was just joking with you two. Please don't take it to heart. Since you both have finished eating, shall we get to the main topic now? Ha ha ha," Eliana said, signaling the servants to clear the messy table.
After leaving some drinks, fruits, and a large basket of freshly baked Elven cookies, the servants silently withdrew again, leaving only the three of them in the vast hall.
Fortunately, Hao Yun's body had been enhanced, allowing him to recover quickly from the intense nausea. He instinctively reached for a freshly baked cookie to suppress the lingering queasiness. But as he extended his hand, he hesitated and pulled it back halfway.
Seeing Hao Yun's actions, Eliana laughed, "Lord Hao, don't worry. These cookies were not made by the sea. You can eat them without worry!"
Not wanting to appear weak, Hao Yun suppressed his anger, resolutely grabbed a cookie, and, closing his eyes, quickly chewed and swallowed it. Fortunately, though the Elven cookie tasted mediocre, it was not as appalling as the dried fish. Plus, Eliana didn’t follow up with any shocking remarks about its preparation. As a result, Hao Yun's fear of another bout of vomiting slowly subsided.
After Hao Yun finished the cookie, Eliana shifted her gaze to the window. Outside, the sky was still dark, indicating it would be a while before the first rays of dawn appeared.
"Since it's still early, we don't need to rush. Now, let's continue our previous topic: why are the Dark Elves and Light Elves engaged in this prolonged war?" Eliana said, returning her gaze and speaking again.
"You should already know that the Light Elves are a race that reveres white magic. White magic here symbolizes purity and life. Because the Light Elves practice white magic, they prefer a lifestyle close to nature. This way, we can communicate more deeply with nature and receive its blessings, greatly benefiting our study of white magic."
"Because of this, the Light Elves have been diligent in protecting their natural environment. In such a pristine ecological setting, abundant natural resources thrive. Among these resources, Dume Ore, Amanthine Flowers, and Aegis Herbs are the most precious," Eliana explained.
"Of course, Dume Ore, being a unique underground mineral, has many veins scattered across the entire Elven planet. Whether in the territory controlled by the Light Elves or the Dark Elves, the reserves of Dume Ore are substantial."
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Eliana took a bite of an Elven cookie and continued, "However, Amanthine Flowers and Aegis Herbs are unique to the Light Elves' territory. Their high requirements for natural growth conditions mean only the pristine lands where the Light Elves live provide the ideal soil for their growth."
"So, the war between the Dark Elves and Light Elves is over these three resources?" Dao Lao asked.
"Exactly. More precisely, it's because the Dark Elves want to seize the Misty Forest, which is perfect for growing Amanthine Flowers and Aegis Herbs, as well as the vast fertile lands of the Light Elves, that they launched this war," Eliana replied.
"Why do the Dark Elves want these resources? What is their purpose?" Dao Lao inquired.
Eliana stared at the wine swirling in her glass, her expression complex. It seemed she was recalling something. After a while, she sighed, "Ah, this all started from the very beginning."
The planet Elfer, although almost identical in environment to Earth where Hao Yun lived, was nearly the same size. This vast planet was exceptionally rich in natural resources. Due to the limited number of elves living here, they never had to worry about food and had been living carefree lives since their appearance on this planet.
However, since Elfer's continents were composed of two major landmasses connected by only a small portion, and the area linking the two continental shelves was a barren plain with sparse trees, it was not a preferred habitat for the elves. Consequently, elves living on the two continents seldom set foot on this desolate plain, instead, they concentrated in the forests of their respective continents.
Over time, as few tree-loving elves left their forests and grasslands to step into the desert-like plain connecting the continents, the elves living on the two landmasses gradually formed two distinct races: the Light Elves and the Dark Elves.
Among them, the Light Elves revered nature, their temperament relatively gentle. They dwelled deep in forests or grasslands, living peaceful lives isolated from the world. Although they learned some necessary combat skills, as their hard work made their lives more prosperous, these combat techniques gradually turned into a form of physical exercise.
Similarly, even though the Light Elves had a great talent for magic, their content lifestyle led them to stop delving deeply into white magic. They only learned some "everyday white magic" related to daily life, aimed at making their lives more comfortable and convenient.
On the other hand, the Dark Elves lived a life entirely opposite to that of the Light Elves. These elves had a more fierce temperament. Unlike the refined Light Elves, Dark Elves preferred a rough-and-tumble lifestyle. Naturally inclined toward strength, they showed little interest in personal cultivation, often appearing unruly and rude.
In fact, although the Dark Elves had a natural affinity for combat, their magical talents were average. Their progress in studying white magic was very slow. However, this did not dampen their enthusiasm for learning magical skills. Instead, it made them more dedicated to their study of white magic.
Because of their growing obsession with magic, the Dark Elves devoted all their energy to learning white magic. This resulted in poor management of their own continent, leading to increasingly dirty and disordered living environments. The Dark Elves didn't care about this, becoming even more obsessed with learning magic, neglecting agriculture, craftsmanship, and other activities that could advance societal development. This continuous consumption of existing natural resources, without considering resource regeneration, led to many resources becoming non-renewable. The forests and grasslands in the Dark Elves' territory shrank continuously, and large areas began to desertify.
As they fully dedicated themselves to magic, the Dark Elves’ living areas became increasingly filthy and chaotic. Aerial views easily revealed the dense forests of the Light Elves and the barren lands of the Dark Elves.
With the growing differences in lifestyle, the relationship between the Light Elves and Dark Elves began to strain. To the Light Elves, the Dark Elves were a bunch of unkempt, ragged, foul-smelling vagrants. Although they appeared to be diligently studying white magic, they were actually lazy, dirty, and rude. The Dark Elves were seen as ingrates who only consumed nature's gifts without giving back. Their degenerate lifestyle meant they could never grasp the true essence of white magic.
Conversely, the Dark Elves viewed the Light Elves as soft, clean weaklings, a bunch of lazy, aimless beings. The Light Elves had high magical talent but only wanted to enjoy a comfortable life instead of diligently improving their white magic abilities and fulfilling their potential. The Light Elves were seen as resource-wasting and life-wasting failures.
During this period, though the Light Elves and Dark Elves despised each other, their animosity remained in the realm of mocking and disparaging each other verbally. They continued to live separately, without any serious conflicts.
Everything changed one night when twelve Dark Elves, fanatical about magic, held a magic power invocation ritual. By chance, they unlocked a mysterious power and discovered black magic. From that moment, Elfer's situation began to spiral out of control.
According to rumors, during that gathering, the twelve Dark Elves suddenly grasped a new magical concept, feeling an unprecedented powerful force. Along with this newfound power, they felt the call of black magic, which thrilled them. They believed their relentless efforts had finally moved the gods, who bestowed this new magic upon them.
After this incident, the twelve Dark Elves became the most devout followers of black magic. They called themselves the "Holy Black Magic Evangelists." While diligently studying this new magic, they also zealously promoted it among the Dark Elves. They claimed that black magic was the most suitable magic for the Dark Elves, and only by mastering it could they become truly powerful.