714 Elders' Plan
Elder Silram grinned at the trio of the EmeraldLeaf Adventurer team with a genuine smile. He ruffled through Lilica's hair and gestured them to follow.
"How are things in the Untamed Jungle? We noticed that Michael has been sending us more weapons over the last few months. His trading business seems to be booming."
"Grandfather, you know as much about Michael's business as we do. Didn't he explain his strategy to you before?" Lilica asked her great-great-great grandfather.
"That…" Elder Silram grinned lightly, "It looks like I cannot fool you anymore. Yes, I understand about his trading cycle. Michael informed me beforehand to gather information about the Forest Elves' demands for armaments, Artifacts, and even Spirit Armaments. As you can imagine, we are very interested in his Spirit Armaments. He gave us three Spirit Armaments as presents. They're outstanding."
Mika couldn't hide his grin after hearing what Elder Silram said.
"Michael got you hooked really bad."
Lilica glared at Mika, but Elder Silram nodded.
"You could say that he got us hooked with the Spirit Armaments. We cannot afford to do that even if we were hoping to ask for more Armaments in exchange for less Agriculture Blueprints. Who knows what Michael will ask for once he sells Spirit Armaments in masses? We must please him to ensure we'll stay in his favor. But that is nothing new, right?"
He grinned at the trio, who knew precisely what the Elder was talking about.
"His Soultrait Symbols and Soultrait Upgrades helped us grow stronger quickly. We have yet to tap into the true potential of our Soultraits, but we're already stronger than Lexion and the other direct disciples. Only the Blessed Children are stronger than us…" Lilica said, only for her grandfather to finish her sentence, "...for now."
"Yes, for now." Lilica acknowledged in a whisper.
"Spirit Armaments will be very important, but the entire clan is more interested in Michael's Soultrait Symbols. Imagine how much stronger the Blessed Children could grow if they received one or two extra Soultrait Symbols. The Blessed Children who've already ascended to Higher Lifeforms would instantly transform into the strongest Forest Elves of the last few centuries. We could change our Clan's destiny altogether!"
Elder Silram's eyes glimmered. He recalled the Forest Elves' history much better than any other. After all, he'd lived through the centuries and both ups and downs of his people. He was one of the few survivors of the Great Elven War who was still alive. The other survivors died centuries ago, while Elder Silram stayed strong. He overcame all kinds of obstacles and was certain it was all for his granddaughter's encounter with Michael Fang.
"I don't think that Michael likes handing over Soultraits without having a safety net. The Untamed Awakened, including us, had to sign a Soul Pact with Michael. We understand that he sold some Soultraits to his people, but I know for a fact that everyone had to sign something."
Elder Silram nodded understandingly.
"That is understandable. Michael is doing a great job by making sure that his investments cannot come back at him. Betrayal is nothing new for Forest Elves. We have been betrayed way more often than you think. That is also why the Elders decided to offer Michael a Racial Pact. If the pact is broken by one of our kind, all Forest Elves will be bound to Michael. Breaking a single clause will transform the entire Forest Elven Clan into Michael's subordinates. You don't have to look like that, Lilica. It blemishes your beauty."
Lilica's expression was distorted as she listened to her grandfather.
"Why would you sign a Racial Pact with Michael?"
"Because we want to benefit from Michael's power. He is still looking in our direction because he needs us, but we are not a powerful race. We have lived for a long time, and our knowledge is vast. However, we are not the smartest or strongest race. Once a stronger and more knowledgable race offers to replace us…why would he reject them?"
"Michael is l–..." Mika was about to say, but Elder Silram intercepted him.
"Michael is loyal? I can tell he is a trustworthy and loyal man, but he is also a businessman and a Lord. His priorities are being a Lord, protecting his people, and expanding his territory. He will terminate his deals with us once his connections improve. And that…is just a matter of time. The High Elves wouldn't hesitate to offer their national treasures for the opportunity to procure dozens of Soultraits, which are not only upgraded to a high star rating but also highly compatible with their existing Soultraits. Their combat prowess would increase tens of times instantaneously. Their enemies would crumble, and their territories would expand. They would form the next Grand Empire with Michael's help!"
The trio of the EmeraldLeaf Adventurer group looked at each other, but Elder Silram was not yet done.
"The Racial Pact alone won't be enough to attract Michael's attention. We possess nothing we can give him that other races cannot give him. That's also why the Elders granted Michael 10% of the Forest Elven future racial achievements. The achievement points granted to the Forest Elves will be divided, and one-tenth will be given to Michael. In exchange, he will have to give us some Soultrait Symbols and Soultrait Upgrades!"
Elder Silram shared the Forest Elven's plan and continued telling the trio more and more about their plans. As the full extent of the Forest Elven Clan's plan unfolded in front of them, Opars, Mika, and Lilica frowned deeply.
"I think we understand what you're trying to do, Gramps…but I'm not sure what you want us to do. Michael doesn't mix business with private matters—at least, not in cases like this." Opars pointed out the obvious.
"I don't want you to convince him to accept the proposal. It will be enough if you hint that the Elders are trying to come up with a proposal. You don't need to be obvious. Saying it once or twice will be enough. He will be curious about our offer, and eventually, we can throw a great offer at him, an offer he won't reject once he knows the true value of Achievement Points."
The EmeraldLeaf trio wasn't convinced, but they nodded. They talked to Elder Silram about a few other things and received permission to retrieve a few more Artifacts from the treasury. They continued using the Pseudo-Legendary Bow Artifacts but added a few Epic Arrow Artifacts and one retrievable Legendary Arrow.
Natural Arrow Artifacts were hard to procure. It was possible to produce them, but most wouldn't reach the Rare rank. A few artificially produced Epic Arrow Artifacts existed, but only two with the Retrieve Rune had been created successfully. The rest were like Mika's Heirloom Arrow—one-
time consumable.
The EmeraldLeaf Trio was already stronger than their peers. However, they didn't feel special. Maybe they would have felt different in the past, but as a member of the Untamed Awakened, they could only be considered average or slightly above average. There were too many powerhouses who'd grown strong with Michael's help.
The competition was fierce, and it would only grow more vicious.
