Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 791 - 732 The Queen in Action

The trio of Elders, having dealt with complicated matters, entered the interior of the council chamber, where twisted vines had been shaped by Druids into seats for resting. Lush plants were blooming inside, and staff responsible for arranging the chamber were placing newly grown furniture. The Moon Crown Council was not a meeting held at night. Rather, its name came from the Moonlight Flower. It was a pale blue flower that could glow on its own in dark environments. These flowers were favored by Tree Monsters, who liked to adorn formal and important events with Moonlight Flowers. The natural Druids were not exclusive to the Elves; Tree Monsters, Forest Spirits, and various ancient trees with sentient intelligence had arrived early at the council, greeting their familiar elven friends.

"Hey, Doludo, you’ve become cuter." Mr. Berserker’s back was gently tapped by a leaf, and when he turned around, a large figure was growing on the banyan tree roots that served as the walls of the chamber. The figure had undergone rapid growth, sprouting and expanding with lush branches and leaves. A four-meter-tall Twisted Tree pulled its roots out from the banyan tree, moving its newly grown limbs. Its facial features, outlined by the wrinkles in its bark, looked at the doubled size of Doludo.

"Ent, you haven’t changed at all... Is one of your branches missing?" Doludo stared at a gap in the canopy, remembering that a year ago, Ent had bragged about three buds on that "proud" branch.

"I have replanted my ’pride’ in a sunny, fertile piece of land. In a decade or so, it will grow into a lovely little one." The Twisted Tree took root beside Doludo, its re-stabilized ancient face showing a satisfied expression, "My elven friend, your tribe has really changed a lot. Underneath the ground, in the roots, one can always hear voices about you."

Doludo paid no mind to Ent’s astonishment; among long-lived species, ancient trees had the most unusual concept of time, calculating in centuries. To them, nearly any race they came in contact with seemed to change rapidly. Forest Spirits were adept at accepting change, which is why they always appeared calm and unhurried. Doludo was quite aware of how much the Dream Elves had changed recently, and these ancient spirits of nature had evidently caught wind of it. Essena was chatting away with Tree Monsters, and Charles had already been ensnared by a Forest Spirit. The council attendees had arrived in full force this time. They liked to join in the bustle, and this meeting promised to be bustling.

Druids from the Elders’ Council trickled in one after the other. They weren’t any more diligent about wearing their Druid robes either, sporting hunting bows, cowls, and small round shields, turning the council into what looked like a masquerade ball to the surprise of other friendly races. The commotion quickly subsided, followed by the entrance of the nobles from the Queen Faction and the Elf Queen Tiffany.

All Druids bowed their heads amidst the skirts of the new generation of Nature’s Light, while the ancient life tree that served as the chief priest wove the Queen’s small throne with its vines and Moonlight Flowers. Once Tiffany took her seat, the council officially began.

What caught attention was that neither the green dragon priestess Irason nor the governess Susanna had arrived. In theory, both should have attended as representatives, their presence underscoring the legitimacy and authority of Tiffany’s heirship as the spiritual leader of the Dream Elves. Now, with both absent, neither mother would likely rebel, and the implication was clear.

Doludo lowered his head, trying to maintain the same height as the other Elves. The two were avoiding suspicion, which meant this council was mainly about the Dream Game that several people had promoted. Recently, there had often been rumors of Dream Elf players falling into crazed dreaming, becoming slow and fast knife victims. Doludo’s heart clenched. Could it be that today Queen Tiffany would propose notions like "Dreamwalking leads the nation astray" or "Dream Enterers are potential criminals"? That raised the question: if the Queen were to ban the game, should Mr. Doludo switch sides to the Witherer’s nephew?

"Ladies and gentlemen, the primary topic of this council is related to the Dream Game. I have received complaints from our subjects about issues concerning the players. This year’s food harvest and magical research have not met planned standards. Members of the Druid Elders’ Council, can you give me a reasonable explanation?"

The Queen’s demand for accountability silenced the entire council, and it was especially quiet on the side of Doludo. The Druid Elders’ Council, which was a direct subordinate of governess Susanna, had the highest degree of involvement in the Dream Game. As Druid researchers and the kingdom’s main production personnel, it was hard to expect they would attend to research and production properly during the day after being slaughtered by bosses at night. What was more absurd was that these Druids were the top masters of the way of nature, and when it came to choosing their professions, no one chose Druid, all having switched to experience new professions. After a month of flaunting swords and dancing with knives, the number of personnel that could still handle the Druid’s substantial workload was uncertain.

It wasn’t that no one had realized this problem, but rather they had chosen to ignore it because, frankly, the game was really fun. Bullying was indeed bullying, but it was so entertaining.

The direction in which the topic was headed couldn’t be clearer to those with discerning eyes. Both the members of the Queen Faction and the Elders’ Council had their heads lowered. Under normal circumstances, the Queen Faction would have taken a good bite out of the Elders’ Council for such a blunder. Yet this time, Kylo Servblade was like a man dead. The Queen’s Eye Guard had followed Tiffany’s orders to infiltrate the Dream Game to gather intelligence. They became overly involved and hid in the shadows to become harvesters of player heads, assassins. The assassin squad would never admit that the fragile state of paranoia some people were experiencing was their doing.

Tiffany looked around, and all the Dream Elves lowered their heads, while Tree Monsters, Forest Spirits, and other natural spirits watched with curious eyes. The Elf Queen propped her head up and sighed, a sigh like a sweeping north wind that gave the Dream Elves goosebumps.

"So, in the name of the Dream Elf leader and the Elf Queen, I have decided..."

"Your Majesty, please hold on!"

"My Queen, please forgive my presumption..."

Kylo Servblade and Charles Nightingale were pushed forward, glaring fiercely at each other before turning to Tiffany with embarrassed expressions.

"The Dream game is a vast dream created by the Druid leaders, and naturally possesses mysteries beyond our comprehension. We have deeply experienced its immense allure and capability to change our tribe. Therefore, Your Majesty, I believe that banning the Dream game is akin to shutting ourselves away from the world; it is not advisable to discard the wheat with the chaff. In this dream, we can find many more opportunities," Kylo said.

"He’s right, my Queen," Kylo said, placing his hand over his chest in a salute, "What is mistaken is not the Dream game, but those Dream Enterers who choose the wrong path. An outright ban will only incite a rebellious spirit among players. Rather than prohibition, I suggest we control the game time of these negligent individuals, meaning regulated dreamwalking or reward-based gaming. All underage Elves must have time restrictions, and adult workers should be able to exchange labor for game time! This will also motivate them to work enthusiastically and achieve a balance between work and entertainment."

No sooner had Kylo Servblade finished speaking, the Druids from the Elders’ Council wished they could swallow him whole. The most prominent difference between the Queen Faction and the Elders’ Council was the direct leadership. As the stern governor, Susanna would set harsh and demanding benchmarks that nearly pushed every Druid to the limit of their abilities, while for the Queen Faction, it was still unclear who the leader actually was. Plainly put, Kylo, that mischievous wretch, had blocked the Council’s game time without suffering any loss himself.

Tiffany nodded, "Your proposal is rather intriguing; I’d like you to lead by example in implementing it. To ensure impartiality, I will ask Mother Superior Susanna to tailor benchmarks suited for your guards, so you and everyone from the Elders’ Council can work together to maintain a positive and harmonious Dream game environment."

Kylo stood in silence, the sneers of the Druids echoing behind him. It served him right. Everyone would now have their game time restricted together—a fair trade.

Tiffany, seated regally, suddenly let out a chuckle and playfully revealed her true intention.

"I never intended to ban the Dream game to begin with. Not to mention the pressure from my mother and godmother, I have had discussions with Mister Lyle, the administrator, and am a staunch supporter of the Dream game. I had only planned to use this meeting as a warning to not indulge excessively and neglect your duties. But since you all came so well-prepared... pfft, I am a monarch who enjoys accepting advice, my loyal subjects, haha!"

The players looked at the smiling Tiffany with mixed feelings. The exemplary legacy in their blood made them subconsciously define the Queen as a harmless figure, yet beneath that sweet and charming facade was a dark heart shaped by the education of the governor.

They had lost out big time.