The final group was led by Archbishop Anxilin himself, comprising a trade negotiation team. Their objective was to negotiate the purchase of Ambert flowers and Agaric grass with the White Magic Association of the Light Elf tribe, hoping to use this opportunity to ease the increasingly tense relationship between the two sides.

After all, this was the first time the Archbishop of the Dark Magic Association had intervened after the two tribes had conflicts again, and he had taken the initiative to propose a friendly visit to the territory of the Light Elves. Therefore, even though the Light Elves had closed the border, they had to give face to the current Archbishop of the Dark Elf tribe. While allowing passage for the trade negotiation team led by Archbishop Anxilin, they also provided the highest level of reception.

Since there were Light Elf officials responsible for reception at the border, Sevin successfully contacted the owner of the Mafulin Pure Natural Winery, with whom they had only crossed paths once. Although Sevin did not intend to buy flower wine from him but wanted him to provide Ambert flowers and Agaric grass for the Dark Magic Association. However, since it was a business deal and quite a lucrative one, the winery owner naturally agreed to cooperate with the Dark Magic Association. Sevin's move also fulfilled the promise he had made to the winery owner to collaborate if the opportunity arose.

Of course, it was also because of this that the winery owner, having lobbied with the White Magic Association, played a significant role in facilitating the major business cooperation between the two sides.

The subsequent work progressed smoothly. With their rich teaching experience, the Dark Magic Association completed the writing of the tutorial for breaking through the bottleneck effortlessly.

With the winery owner's assistance, the trade negotiation team led by Anxilin successfully reached a trade agreement with the White Magic Association to purchase Ambert flowers and Agaric grass. Of course, besides the credit given to the winery owner for facilitating this cooperation, the inherently peaceful nature of the Light Elves also played a crucial role.

Because, from the perspective of the Light Elves, if they could get the Dark Elf troublemakers to focus on practicing dark magic again, those annoying troublemakers who often caused trouble at the border would naturally cause less trouble. So, with the mentality of "less trouble is better than more," and wanting to enjoy more peaceful and leisurely life, the White Magic Association eventually agreed to the deal.

Of course, given that the Dark Elf tribe was gradually declining due to practicing dark magic and did not have enough wealth to pay for Ambert flowers and Agaric grass, the Dark Magic Association agreed to provide stone materials for building houses to the Light Elves in exchange. They also agreed to teach them the technique of constructing stone buildings and promised to teach them more about metal smelting techniques.

For years, the Light Elves had only envied one aspect of the Dark Elves, which was their ability to wear metal armor and live in buildings made of stone. To the Light Elves, these stone buildings and metal armor better suited their noble status. Therefore, allowing the Dark Elves to exclusively enjoy these construction techniques was truly unfair. So, obtaining these two long-desired technologies was a more valuable wealth for the Light Elves.

As for mining and quarrying, and other such techniques, those could be left to the Dark Elves! Those things sounded like very tiring and laborious work. Working in the tunnels every day, getting dirty and messy, seemed far from the elegant and hygiene-conscious Light Elves.

Compared to the work of the other two groups, the task of mining Dume ore was obviously more complicated. However, the Dark Elves had quite a wealth of experience in mining. So, they actually found the source of the Dume ore vein about a hundred meters deep below Blackstone Castle quite smoothly.

With this, all three groups successfully completed their tasks. The preliminary preparations were all ready, and now they only needed the Dark Magic Association to stock up on sufficient auxiliary resources for practicing. Then, they could reveal the method to break through the bottleneck of practicing dark magic to the world.

On the evening when it was confirmed that all the work was ready, Anxilin came to the panoramic open-air balcony at the top of Blackstone Castle, feeling relieved. While enjoying the cool night breeze, she quietly surveyed the barren land below her feet, feeling a mixture of emotions but not knowing where to start expressing her melancholy.

"Archbishop Anxilin, it's late. You should rest early!" Sevin's voice came from behind Anxilin.

"Sevin, look at this land. We've paid such a huge price to pursue powerful dark magic!" Anxilin said with mixed feelings.

"Sigh! There must be sacrifices for rewards. Since we chose the path of practicing dark magic, we must accept its negative effects," Sevin replied.

"Yes! Compared to gaining powerful dark magic, what are these losses? Otherwise, we wouldn't have persisted until today, nor would we have found a way to break through the bottleneck! However, looking at the little progress we've made after hundreds of years of effort, I sometimes doubt whether this kind of dark magic has a future?" Anxilin revealed her thoughts.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Sevin has never doubted the Dark Magic Association's choices, nor will Sevin ever doubt the Archbishop's abilities. Sevin has always believed that the Archbishop will lead us Dark Elves out of the trough and stand at the pinnacle of dark magic," Sevin said respectfully.

From Sevin's tone, it was easy to tell that he was not flattering Anxilin. He spoke these words completely from his heart.

"Sigh! Thank you for your support. I also hope that one day we can truly comprehend the power of dark magic. I really hope that day will come soon." Anxilin sighed, expressing sincere gratitude to Sevin for his unconditional support.

Upon hearing this, Sevin respectfully bowed to Anxilin again and said, "By the way, Archbishop, the elders have already used the first batch of raw materials obtained from the Light Elves to make new smoked biscuits. After comparing them, it was found that these biscuits made from Ambert flowers and Agaric grass grown in a better environment not only taste purer but, more importantly, can store more Dume energy."

"Hmm, very good. It seems our speculation was indeed correct. The Amadeus flowers and Egan herbs from better origins indeed absorb more Dume energy." Anshilin picked up a freshly baked biscuit from the plate held by Xia Siewen, expressing her satisfaction.

Then, Anshilin adjusted her mood and smiled at Xia Siewen, saying, "Xia Siewen, your performance in searching for a breakthrough in dark magic cultivation has been outstanding, and you have provided me with much-needed assistance. Therefore, considering your excellent work, I hereby promote you to be the personal steward of this archbishop, in the name of the current Archbishop of the Dark Magic Association. From now on, you will accompany me and handle matters on my behalf. Xia Siewen, are you willing?"

"Oh! Almighty Archbishop, it is my great fortune to become your steward. Xia Siewen will pledge to follow the Archbishop faithfully, even if it means facing any danger!" Hearing Anshilin suddenly promote his position, Xia Siewen, who had served in Blackstone Castle for countless years, felt a great joy in his heart. He hurriedly knelt down, expressing sincere gratitude for Anshilin's promotion.

Although the position of the Archbishop's personal steward had no real power, anyone who could occupy this position was considered superior to thousands of others. Moreover, once in this position, one became a trusted confidant approved by the Archbishop, a coveted position for any servant in Blackstone Castle.

"Oh right, Archbishop. The reason Xia Siewen came over was because Elder Patrick asked me to consult with you about this smoked biscuit. Do we need to give it a formal name?" After adjusting his excited emotions, Xia Siewen respectfully inquired again.

"Giving this biscuit a new name? Hmm..." Anshilin briefly pondered, then snapped her fingers and said, "Why not call it 'Elf Biscuit'? To thank this miraculous planet for supporting our cultivation of dark magic and gifting us the magical and precious ingredients necessary for making these biscuits!"

"Elf Biscuit, Elf Biscuit, what a smooth and pleasant name! Xia Siewen will inform Elder Patrick of this name!" While admiring Anshilin for giving this biscuit such a good name, Xia Siewen once again bowed respectfully to Anshilin before taking his leave.

As Xia Siewen left, he kept repeating the name "Elf Biscuit" in his mouth, constantly expressing his admiration for Anshilin's erudition and talent in naming. Of course, anyone could see that Xia Siewen was clearly using an innocent manner to flatter Anshilin.

Facing Xia Siewen's somewhat childish flattery, Anshilin just smiled indifferently. Then she instructed, "Oh right, Xia Siewen. I need to meditate here for a while longer. When you leave, remember to close the gate tightly, and tell the guards outside that no one is allowed to enter the terrace without my permission."

After Xia Siewen left, Anshilin stood again at the edge of the terrace, quietly gazing for a while at the darkened sky that couldn't conceal the gloomy world below. Then, she took out the notebook again and began to read it carefully.

Upon hearing this, Hao Yun and Dao Lao both froze in mid-air holding the Elf Biscuits. The next moment, both of them simultaneously grabbed the fruit wine and gargled it, spitting mouthfuls directly onto the floor. Both of them looked at Elinna with an expression that said, "Are you kidding me?" once again feeling angry at being teased by her. At the same time, they regretted not realizing sooner that the smoked biscuits she mentioned were these Elf Biscuits.

Seeing their reactions, Elinna made a reassuring gesture and smiled, saying, "Hey, don't worry, gentlemen. These Elf Biscuits are only effective for Dark Elf practitioners of black magic. Just like you Light Elves, even if you eat many Elf Biscuits, it won't have any effect. Because you don't have an affinity for dark magic and can't absorb Dume energy at all. So, while you eat those Dume energies, they will all leave your bodies along with the melted biscuits."

"I know it won't work, I'm just afraid that eating too much of this stuff might be poisonous! Cough, cough, cough!" Hao Yun coughed violently twice, then took several large gulps of fruit wine.

"Humph, how could that be? How dare I be bold enough to poison the two honorable priests?" Elinna said insincerely with a smile, then picked up another biscuit and put it in her mouth.

"Only those who practice dark magic like the Dark Elves can absorb the Dume energy in these biscuits and convert it into a catalyst for dark magic. However, that kind of dark magic can only be learned by the Dark Elves. Do you see the numerous restrictions involved? So, apart from the Dark Elves, others can only treat these biscuits as desserts after meals." Elinna explained.

"So, do these Elf Biscuits work for you as well? After all, you still retain the power of dark magic from your previous life, and your original label as a Dark Elf hasn't completely faded away," Dao Lao questioned.

Upon hearing Dao Lao's question, Elinna's smile paused for a moment. But soon, she immediately resumed her casual expression and responded, "Well, that's true. At the time of my death, I did belong to the Dark Elf tribe; but in reality, I still belong to the Light Elf tribe."

Hao Yun felt a little dizzy from Elinna's contradictory words. What did she mean by being a Dark Elf when she died, but actually still a Light Elf? Elinna's words made no sense at all. However, Hao Yun was also curious about Elinna's identity because the information provided by the system indicated that Elinna belonged to the Dark Elf tribe. But Judge Yan had also said that Elinna was a member of the Light Elf tribe.

So, Hao Yun asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that? Which tribe do you actually belong to?"