When Zhang Yi arrived in this Small Magic Plane, before Elf Elder Amos had presented him with the grape seedlings, his plan was to acquire what he needed by selling crossbows and profiting from contract manufacturing.

His reasoning was simple. First, based on his observations, this world had no crossbows, so he planned to sell them. Compared to the bow and arrow, the crossbow had the advantage of being easier to operate and more accurate. However, it also had the disadvantage of being unsuitable for open-field battles, making it better suited for defense. Zhang Yi’s idea was to first sell crossbows to the weaker Elf Tribes within the Elf Alliance—the ones that could be united. With crossbows that were easier to operate and better for defense than bows and arrows, their strength would increase. At the same time, Zhang Yi could collect his initial capital from them.

Once they had crossbows, these Elves would want even more weapons. At that point, Zhang Yi would roll out his contract manufacturing service. The Elves would only need to provide the raw ore. Zhang Yi would then take the ore and give them finished weapons in return.

These Elves, who still lived under a feudal system and had willingly left the Elf Main City after refusing to accept the faith of the Moon Elves, had no complete production industries of their own. As such, they had no idea how much raw iron ore was required to forge a given weapon. And as for how much iron ore could produce how many weapons, that was entirely up to Zhang Yi! Through this process, Zhang Yi could make a killing. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

If they had no raw materials, that was fine too. Zhang Yi would also offer a barter service. He would provide these small Elf Tribes with a list, and as long as they could provide the specified items, they could trade for what they wanted. In this process, Zhang Yi was the supplier and the other Elves were the buyers. In a market where demand outstripped supply, all the prices would be set by Zhang Yi.

Once Zhang Yi had these Elf Tribes under his economic control, it would be too late for them, even if they realized something was amiss. Zhang Yi was already the most powerful military force; what right did the other Elves have to oppose him?

After that, all Zhang Yi had to do was tell these small Elf Tribes that they shared a common faith—they all believed in the great Elf God and opposed the Moon God. He would tell them that the Moon God was the source of all their current suffering. With a little training, Zhang Yi would command an Elf army far larger than before.

Of course, there was one potential problem: the elders of these small Elf Tribes might not stand for this situation. But Zhang Yi had a solution for that, too. After joining Zhang Yi’s side, Elf Elder Amos had actively written letters to contact the other small Elf Tribes. With Elf Elder Amos staking his own reputation as a guarantee, the elders of these tribes finally agreed to gather in Moon City.

In less than a week, the hundred or so Elves from Elf Elder Amos’s small tribe had fully integrated into Moon City. The integration process went smoothly, without a single ripple, and they integrated even faster than Zhang Yi had anticipated.

The Elf Warriors and Elf Mages from the small Elf Tribe were all tested. Those who passed were assigned to their corresponding Elf Corps. Elves with prior farming experience, especially those who had grown grapes, were all assigned to the agricultural department. Even Elves with no particular skills were put to work on the construction of Moon City, as long as they were obedient.

With the aid of the Elf Mages’ Magic, the grapes, which would normally have taken several months to ripen, were successfully brought to maturity before the elders from the other small tribes arrived. Then, with Zhang Yi’s Divine Power and Time Acceleration, the fermentation period was drastically reduced, successfully producing a wine with an exceptional taste. It was met with unanimous approval from the Wood Elves and Fire Elves in Zhang Yi’s Divine Realm.

「A week later.」

"Amos, what could possibly be so important that we had to travel all the way to this place to discuss it? And you had to lead the way personally!"

The speaker was Falco, an elder from another small Elf Tribe who was on relatively good terms with Elf Elder Amos. Beside Elf Elder Amos stood Elf Soldiers from Elf Corps Commander Feiyana’s command, who were currently serving as his guards. Behind the two of them were more than a dozen other elders from small Elf Tribes, along with the Elf Warrior guards they had brought. If not for Elf Elder Amos’s excellent reputation and the considerable help he had given them over the years, they would never have trusted him. Otherwise, if the Moon Elves had set a trap, they could all have been wiped out in one fell swoop.

"Just a little further. You’ll see when we get there!" Elf Elder Amos said with a smile.

Ever since he had pledged himself to this Elf—one of unknown origin, but who was incredibly powerful and also a believer in the great Elf God—this past week had been free of worries about his tribe’s affairs. He ate and drank well every day, and he felt as if he’d grown much younger!

Of course, Elf Elder Amos hadn’t let his guard down completely. Over the past week, he had secretly observed the city many times, confirming that the Elves from his tribe had integrated without facing any discrimination. He also confirmed that they all still believed in the great Elf God. Only then did he finally write the letters inviting his old friends to Moon City to discuss the important matter Zhang Yi had mentioned: forming an Elf Alliance.

"When we get there, try not to be too shocked!" he said. "And don’t gasp in surprise!"

Thinking about the scene that was about to unfold, Elf Elder Amos couldn’t help but chuckle.

"What are you laughing at, Amos?" Elf Elder Falco asked, frowning. "What’s so funny?"

"You have to understand, if I’d stayed in the Elf Main City, I would’ve been the first person those Moon Elves wanted to kill!" Falco said. "If I hadn’t been quick on my feet, you probably wouldn’t even be seeing me right now!"

Elf Elder Falco sounded quite smug as he recounted this, making no secret of the fact that he had been the Moon Elves’ number one target.

"Weren’t you just a Little Priest serving the great Elf God?" Amos retorted. "You barely even saw the Elf God a few times. How can you have the nerve to boast?"

"Hmph. Is that what I meant?" Falco shot back. "What I mean is, I used to be a Priest for the great Elf God. What sights in the Main City haven’t I seen? What treasures haven’t I seen? What could you possibly show me that would shock me?"

Elf Elder Falco certainly had reason to be proud, and what he said was largely true.

"Alright, you remember what you just said," Elf Elder Amos replied with a laugh. "Just don’t be too surprised when we get to Moon City!"