Meanwhile, Elliot and Kumoko quickly entered the land filled with natural energy. In the Forest Nation, there was only one major city.
The total area was 4.8 million square kilometers, almost half the size of a large food-loving country!
Arriving in the Forest Nation, Kumoko and Elliot didn't have to worry too much about the Demon Lord's immediate pursuit.
However, neither Elliot nor Kumoko knew that just after they left, Administrator Gülie had told Demon Lord Ariel their destination.
After all, Elliot had only asked him to delay Ariel, not to keep their whereabouts a secret from her. So, the seemingly honest Gülie had, without a shred of guilt, spilled all the information about their heading to the elf territory.
In the not-too-distant future, this forest would be completely trampled by the Demon Lord's army...
Elliot and Kumoko were walking through a forest. This was already elf territory. The elves in this primordial forest nation were skilled in magic and archery.
But ever since Potimas used MA Energy to evolve himself into an elf-like species, Potimas and a small faction of his elf followers had surprisingly taken a technological route.
This was just ridiculously out of place. Imagine elves wielding machine guns, piloting Gundams, equipped with radios and night vision goggles, fiercely battling other races.
Elliot felt an unparalleled sense of incongruity. Yes, under Potimas's leadership, many elves had abandoned magic and turned to technology.
"Technology is the primary productive force," as they say. Under Potimas, the elves continuously climbed the technology tree, while some traditionalist elves also made achievements in magic.
Simultaneously, through technology, the elves enslaved various other races like giants, dwarves, druids, goblins, etc.
Free labor, plus the immense productivity brought by technology, allowed the elf race, despite being slightly weaker in combat than demons and having a smaller population than humans, to become the third major race in this world after humans and demons.
The Forest Nation had no city-states or towns, only tribes. In an unimaginably vast forest, most of it was covered in green. There was no slash-and-burn agriculture, no skyscrapers.
Forest-dwelling races generally had few desires. So, even when spring arrived, most of them had little urge or thought to reproduce, keeping their population extremely low.
The utilization rate of this entire forest was probably less than 5%. It was that exaggerated!
"...Finally reached the Forest Nation. The Demon Lord probably wouldn't dare to follow us in here, right?" Elliot muttered to himself. He wasn't entirely sure.
After all, that was the Demon Lord, and she had fused with Body Brain, making her mental state very unstable. If she suddenly decided to send the demon army to attack the Forest Nation tomorrow, it wasn't entirely impossible!
"Fruit! So much fruit!" Kumoko was delighted. She didn't have so many worries.
After leaving the Elroe Labyrinth, her mood had lightened considerably. No more nagging from her mom, no more pursuit by the Demon Lord, and Elliot was by her side.
Moreover, the Forest Nation was incredibly rich, with an abundance of fruits and magical beasts. As a certified foodie, she felt like she had arrived in paradise!
But... just as Kumoko plucked a fruit from a tree and was about to take a delicious bite, an elf man suddenly stepped out.
"Outsiders?" Elves were extremely xenophobic. Don't be fooled by the fact that countless races lived in this vast forest.
Under Potimas's leadership, the elves had grown strong, crushing all other races. Therefore, other races had become lower-class citizens.
Only elves were the Brahmins of the Forest Nation. Even their close relatives, the forest fairies, had a lower status, akin to Kshatriyas.
They controlled all the resources in the forest. Every single tree, including the fruit on it, every single leaf, was the wealth of the elf race.
Any other race wanting resources had to kneel and beg them for scraps.
Elves were not a peace-loving race. Quite the contrary. They were extremely warlike. They didn't have strong reproductive desires, nor did they pursue any particular faith.
So, their simple, desire-free life ironically fostered a strong belief in war, because that was the only remaining desire of their race.
It was like a castrated eunuch; after losing something important, his desires would shift towards gluttony and greed for wealth.
Exactly.
When this elf man saw Kumoko pluck a fruit right in front of him, he instantly felt immense shame and anger. An outsider, daring to disrespect him like this! He immediately strode forward, standing arrogantly before the two of them.
His actions caught the attention of both Elliot and Kumoko. They knew nothing about elves yet and had assumed elves were a peace-loving, pure-hearted race.
Although Elliot had "read the original story," his impression was that the elves were ultimately slaughtered by the demons because of the scapegoat Potimas; he didn't realize the entire elf race was extremely warlike.
His image of elves in the Forest Nation was based on some Western fantasy novels and... certain doujinshi featuring elves paired with goblins.
Evil goblins surrounding a beautiful, sweet-voiced, voluptuous elf, doing unspeakable things...
Looks are everything. Good looks plus strength there will always be fanboys willing to whitewash anything. Why don't you say the elves exploited the poor, weak little goblins instead?
"Hello," Elliot offered a friendly smile.
Kumoko was still munching on her fruit. The fist-sized fruit filled her small mouth, making it impossible for her to speak. She just nodded in acknowledgment.
"Hmph!" The elf man struck a inexplicably/bafflingly arrogant pose before them and said coldly,
"Outsiders! Only by performing a solemn kowtow and, with utmost sincerity, kissing the soles of my noble shoes, may you receive the glory of the elf race."
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze. Elliot almost cringed so hard his toes tried to dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the ground. What the heck is this...?
Kumoko, not understanding, continued to munch on her fruit. She wasn't good at talking to anyone besides Elliot anyway and didn't want to bother. Was talking to others tastier than the fruit in her mouth?
….
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