The Elven Cultivator

When Anton and Romance entered the grand hall side-by-side, the meeting table within was already surrounded by people.

All the clan’s upper echelon were gathered.

Romance, knowing her way around, walked over and sat down beside Eleanor.

Anton, in turn, sat next to Romance, with Darian on his other side.

It had been a while, and when Anton saw Darian again, he was momentarily taken aback. His Divine Sense immediately picked up on the change in the man’s aura.

“Teacher, have you advanced to the Golden Tier?”

Darian smiled and nodded. “I knew I couldn’t hide it from you. I just broke through a few days ago.”

“Congratulations,” Anton said with a smile.

Although the Silver Moon Race’s population had multiplied several times over, Golden Tier combatants were still very scarce.

The emergence of any new Golden Tier expert was a precious boost for the clan.

“Thank you.”

Darian’s smile was gentle, but his heart was filled with emotion.

He had only managed to break through to the Golden Tier so quickly thanks to the Spirit Gathering Array and Dragon Yuan potions invented by Anton.

Without the aid of those two things, it would have taken him at least another century to have any hope of breaking through.

Since they were in a meeting, the two exchanged a few brief words before falling silent.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, the Great Elder cleared his throat. His gaze swept over the crowd as he slowly began to speak.

“I have gathered you all here today to discuss two primary matters.”

“The first is regarding the matter of our resource tribute to Kresol Dragon City.”

At these words, the expressions on the faces around the table varied.

No one present was ignorant of the seismic shifts that had occurred on the Eldron Plain over the past six months; they had all discussed it privately many times.

There was the shock of the five Dragon Race regents being killed in battle.

And there was a sense of satisfaction at Dragon City’s crumbling prestige and grievous losses.

But most of all, there was awe and astonishment at Canglan’s strength.

They had also heard whispers that several factions were secretly manipulating their resource tributes.

“In half a month, it will be time for the clan to deliver its tribute to Dragon City. What does everyone think? Should we reduce it?”

The Great Elder got straight to the point, offering no preamble.

“My personal opinion is that we should.”

“The clan is in a period of rapid development and resources are extremely tight. Withholding a portion would greatly alleviate our pressure.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Third Elder immediately chimed in to agree.

“I agree.”

“Kresol Dragon City can barely manage its own affairs right now. How could they possibly have the energy to care about how much we’re offering?”

“Even if they decide to settle scores later, that’s a problem for another day. Besides, so many factions have already reduced their tributes. Even if Dragon City wanted to retaliate, they wouldn’t be able to go after everyone.”

Many of those present nodded in agreement.

This was merely reducing the tribute, not cutting it off entirely.

They would still be paying tribute to Dragon City in name, so there would be no official falling-out.

Even if Dragon City pursued the matter later, there would be room for negotiation.

It wasn’t like those factions that had cut off their tributes completely, severing all ties with Dragon City and leaving no room to back down.

Besides, there was safety in numbers.

Even if Dragon City did decide to take action, they couldn’t possibly declare war on all those factions at once. They would most likely have to just grit their teeth and swallow the humiliation.

“I agree as well.”

“Seconded.”

“I believe it’s feasible.”

The clan’s leaders present all stated their positions, and not a single one was opposed.

In recent years, the Silver Moon Race had developed at an incredible pace, and their demand for resources had grown with each passing day.

The annual tribute to Dragon City was no small sum. Even withholding just sixty or seventy percent of it would provide a substantial amount of resources, enough to greatly alleviate their current strain.

Seeing that everyone was in agreement, the Great Elder nodded slightly and finalized the decision.

He then moved on to the second item on the agenda.

“The second matter concerns our trade routes.”

“The Dragon’s Fang Line is now defunct in all but name. Three months ago, I sent a team to discreetly enter the Green Highlands and test the waters for trade. The profits were substantial, far exceeding our expectations.”

“I propose that we establish a trade route to the Green Highlands to create an additional source of revenue for the clan.”

At his words, a low murmur of discussion filled the hall.

Everyone’s eyes lit up.

It was common knowledge that due to the blockade imposed by the Dragon’s Fang Line, the prices for certain products from the Eldron Plain and the Green Highlands remained consistently high in the opposing territory.

The enormous profits, in turn, had led to rampant smuggling.

Even with Dragon City’s harsh crackdowns, it could never be completely eradicated.

Now that this barrier no longer existed, anyone could freely enter and leave the Eldron Plain. Commodity profits would surely drop, but they would still be quite substantial.

More importantly, the specialties from the Eldron Plain that fetched high prices in the Green Highlands included items unique to the Silver Moon Race, such as Honeybell Flower nectar and Moonlight Moss powder.

The Silver Moon Race held a natural advantage in this market.

If the trade route could be stabilized, the potential profits were tantalizing to even consider.

However, everyone was also well aware that while they called it a trade route, it was still smuggling in practice.

After all, the blockade on the Green Highlands’ side had not been lifted.

At best, the smuggling was less difficult than before, but the risks remained.

“I have already negotiated long-term cooperation agreements with several merchant guilds in the Green Highlands.”

The Great Elder continued, “Our task is to ensure the safe transport of goods back and forth. I will entrust this matter to the Forest Guard.”

“Yes, sir,” Cedric replied in a deep voice.

With that matter settled, the meeting drew to a close.

The Great Elder addressed a few more routine matters before declaring the meeting adjourned.

The attendees rose and left one by one, their steps light and smiles on their faces.

The two most important topics of the day both promised immense benefits for the clan.

The clan’s thriving progress ignited a fervent hope for the future deep within each of them.

Anton, however, did not leave with the others, instead remaining behind.

The three elders glanced at him and understood immediately. After everyone else had left, they had the guards outside close the doors to the grand hall.

In an instant, only Anton and the three elders remained in the hall.

Only then did the Great Elder ask, “Anton, is there something you wish to discuss?”

Anton got straight to the point. “Great Elder, I believe it’s time to deal with the Mind Flayer city-state.”

The hall fell deathly silent.

The three elders exchanged glances.

The Great Elder hesitated before speaking. “Anton, according to the intelligence you gathered previously, the Mind Flayer city-state has nearly ten High Tier Mind Flayers at the Golden Peak. Our clan, even including you, only has three combatants at the Golden Peak. We are far outmatched in this regard. If we rashly declare war, I’m afraid our chances of victory are slim.”

“That’s right,” the Second Elder added with a grave nod. “Even if we were to cooperate with Gray Rock Castle, they could at most send one Golden Peak combatant. That wouldn’t significantly change the situation.”

“Unless we can find more partners, but…”

The Second Elder didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone present understood his meaning.

In the eyes of the Silver Moon Race, the Dark Nether Realm was both a danger and an opportunity.

If they sought cooperation from multiple factions to attack the Mind Flayer city-state, it would certainly eliminate the threat that had been hanging over their heads, but they would also have to share the spoils afterward.

The benefits the clan stood to gain would be drastically reduced.

Anton listened patiently, his expression remaining calm throughout.

Only after the three elders had finished speaking did he say, “What if I told you I have a way to deal with those High Tier Mind Flayers?”

The three elders froze, looks of shared shock and confusion appearing on their faces.

“How would you do that?” the Third Elder asked reflexively.

Anton didn’t answer. Instead, he showed them.

His face and figure transformed in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, he had become a plain-looking young man.

At the same time, a flash of silvery-white sword light leaped from his chest, dancing and weaving around him.

Seeing this, the three elders stood frozen on the spot, their faces slowly filling with shock and utter disbelief.

Thanks to the bounty placed on his head by Kresol Dragon City, Canglan’s appearance was no longer a secret on the Eldron Plain.

Even the sharp, brilliant sword light he wielded in battle was widely known, having become a common topic of conversation among Adventurers and Mercenaries.

Naturally, the three elders were well aware of this.

Anton’s current appearance, along with that flash of silvery-white sword light, was identical to the legendary Canglan.

“Anton, you… you’re…”

The Third Elder was so shocked that he could barely speak properly.

His mouth opened and closed, then opened again. For a moment, he was at a complete loss for words.

Anton explained, “Canglan is one of the aliases I use when operating outside the clan.”

After a long moment, the Great Elder finally recovered, a wry smile on his face. “You’ve certainly given us one hell of a surprise.”

The expressions on the faces of the Second and Third Elders were also incredibly complex.

Mingled with their shock and astonishment was a sense of elation and excitement.

They never could have imagined that the infamous terror who had reportedly forced Dragon City into full retreat—the very same figure whose name shook the Eldron Plain—was actually Anton.

The fact was simply too incredible to process.

So much so that even after witnessing Anton’s transformation with their own eyes, they still felt a sense of dreamlike absurdity.

Thinking back on it now, Canglan’s fighting style did seem quite similar to Anton’s.

They had simply never made the connection.

After all, while Anton had always been outstandingly talented and powerful, his strength still seemed to be more than a step below Canglan’s exaggerated battle prowess.

Who could have guessed that Anton had been hiding his true abilities all this time?

The crucial point was that even while hiding his true strength, Anton had still displayed an astonishing rate of improvement. That was what was truly outrageous.

In the entire Eldron Plain—no, in the entire Dawn Continent—it was unlikely you could find a second person capable of such a feat.

But along with the shock, the thought that the number one expert below the Legend Tier on the Eldron Plain was a member of their own clan made the three elders unable to suppress a rising tide of elation and excitement.

The Third Elder sighed. “Anton, you really kept us in the dark.”

Anton smiled faintly. “Please don’t be angry, esteemed elders. I did it for the good of the clan.”

“If it became known that the Silver Moon Race was Canglan’s hiding place, Dragon City would surely attack with its full might. The consequences would be unimaginable.”

The three elders fell silent for a moment, forced to admit that Anton was right.

Every single thing Canglan had done over the years was enough to make Kresol Dragon City hate him to the very bone.

If Dragon City found out that Canglan was a member of the Silver Moon Race, they would undoubtedly attack at any cost.

With the Silver Moon Race’s current strength, they were still no match for Kresol Dragon City.

Anton was right not to reveal his identity.

It was just… for this young man to have accomplished such earth-shattering deeds outside while they, the old guard, were kept completely in the dark… it left a somewhat sour taste in their mouths.

After a moment of silence, the Great Elder returned to the matter at hand. “Are you confident you can deal with the Mind Flayer city-state?”