Chapter 7
Inside the room where Leia and Maya were currently staying, they chatted about the advanced technology around them, amazed at how much it surpassed their own.
"Leia, what should we tell your parents about this place?" Maya asked, sitting in Leia's bed.
"I don't know. Maybe my uncle knows what to do," Leia replied, sitting beside Maya. "This could help us advance our technology if handled properly."
"What if the humans try to find this place?" Maya said with a concerned voice. "Did you hear what Ai just said? When it comes to technology, especially their weapons, they are far ahead of us."
"We shouldn't worry about that for now," Leia reassured her. "The world we're in is undergoing significant changes. They won't have the time to recover this place, especially if other races combined with this world are spread out. There might be bigger and more important threats they need to deal with than finding this location."
"You might be right; we shouldn't worry too much," Maya agreed.
"Well, I'm very thankful that the god of life has blessed us all with the ability to communicate in others' languages, or there would be a big problem," Leia added.
After the Great Merge between worlds, the god-like beings of each world granted their respective races the ability to communicate with all beings that merged with the planet, including the humans. It felt as if the curse of the Tower of Babel had been broken, allowing all races to converse freely.
"How are your parents going to make a peace treaty with the dwarves anyway?" Maya asked, curious about the diplomatic negotiation between nations.
"They said they plan to arrange a location where both parties agree to meet," Leia explained.
If one party were to choose a location without informing the other, it might lead to suspicion that the other party intended to do harm.
That's why the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Garden Forest decided that the negotiations would take place in a mutually agreed-upon location.
"How can you be sure this plan will work?" Maya questioned this plan, still in doubt.
"Well, I'm going to show the dwarves that we are willing to risk a member of royalty just for a successful negotiation," Leia said confidently.
"Well, you aren't really in danger because your uncle will be accompanying you," Maya pointed out her uncle.
Her uncle, Jing, was one of the Elders of the Kingdom. The status of an Elder among elves is attained through accomplishments, be it power, wealth, or fame.
The council of elves and the royal family decides the merits that grant this status.
Each elf has their rank, starting with younglings—children under a hundred years old who have no accomplishments—and moving up to:
Elven Status: Full-fledged adults aged one hundred and above.
Knight or Noble Status: Nobles often have social connections and are typically merchants or governors, while knights possess similar influence but achieve their status through strength rather than governance.
Elders: Their status is determined by the elven council and royalty, based on contributions to the kingdom.
Elven Councilors: They decide the kingdom's policies, subject to royal approval, holding the second-highest power in the realm.
Royalty: The rulers of the land, governing the kingdom, a status reserved for the founders of the realm.
"I heard your uncle was once a knight who defended an entire kingdom and led them to victory against a lich. That's how he became an Elder, right?" Maya inquired.
A lich appears when a concentration of death energy is sufficient, creating an abomination that is a natural enemy of elves, as they are connected to life. Liches control the undead, creating armies of the dead, but Jing managed to lead an army and defeat the lich.
"Well, he is of royal blood, and his strength comes from our lineage," Leia stated, feeling proud of herself, even though she wasn't the one who made the accomplishment.
Jing wasn't just a common elf; he was once royalty but chose to become a knight, willingly regressing his status to prove his true worth. Fighting a lich alone would be a death sentence for elves, especially since their magic is centered around life, making liches their natural enemies who dominate through death.
But Jing was different; he chose to be different. The strength he displayed was akin to that of a fictional character. Even though the lich was his natural enemy and a significant weakness, he demonstrated to the world what true strength is by defeating the lich all on his own, without any help.
Suddenly, the monitor in front of them glowed, displaying a pixelated happy emoji. It was Ai.
"I heard that you haven't eaten yet," Ai said, and the monitor changed to show a list of food options. "Choose from any of the dishes presented. There are various culinary delights available; please select whatever you like. Swipe from left to right to see other types of food."
Both of them walked forward to view the available menu, which was split in half so they could choose separately.
After they finished selecting their meals, the walls beside each of them opened, revealing the food they had ordered. Maya's selections included fried chicken, fried rice, ramen, curry, siopao, and numerous other Asian dishes. Meanwhile, Leia opted for donuts, pancakes, cakes, cupcakes, and many more sweet treats.
"Leia, I advise you not to eat too many sweets while you're traveling; it will hinder your health and deteriorate your stamina. Just eat in moderation," Ai warned her of the risk of eating too many sweets.
"Well, what's the worst that could happen?" Leia replied, not caring.
They both began to enjoy their meals, amazed by the delicious flavors.
"Leia, you have to try this fried chicken; it's incredibly crispy, juicy, and tasty!" Maya urged her to try the chicken, extending her hand with the chicken.
"And you should try this donut; it's delicious and sweet!" Leia answered back, urging her to try the donut.
"Would you like to watch a series while you're at it?" Ai suggested a film while they were eating their food.
"Sure," Leia asked, curious what a film is.
The monitor switched to a movie and series section and highlighted a series called Cyberpunk. "I recommend this," Ai said, with some hidden intention.
The series started, and both of them watched intently as they ate their food, happily sharing bites from each other's meals.
What they're going to watch will leave them in tears after finishing the series, but they were innocently watching, without knowing anything.