Chapter 212: Chapter 189: I, the King of the Forest

But through it all, the Seventh Princess of the Elves, Wu Dingxiang, didn’t even frown. She simply blinked gently at the princes who had stepped forward.

The sacred water of the cold pool clung to her long white dress.

She stood there in the cold pool, gazing at the princes of other races by the water’s edge. Without uttering a single word, she put her beauty on full display.

Finally, a prince spoke up.

"I, the king of the skies, Fourth Prince of the Southern Winged People Clan, wish to take the beautiful Seventh Princess as my wife!" a youth with a pointed head and a pair of bird wings stepped forward.

"I, the king of the swamps, Fifth Prince of the Western Dragon Lizard Clan, also wish to take the beautiful Seventh Princess as my wife!"

"I, the king of the Underground City..."

"I, the king of the hills..."

"I, the king of the glaciers..."

"..."

Once one prince took the lead, many more stepped forward. One after another, they began to profess their love for the Seventh Princess in the pool.

When they had all finished speaking, the Seventh Princess finally broke into a smile.

It was like a shy blossom in the cold pool suddenly unfurling. The beauty that radiated from her very core captivated every prince present.

"I, Wu Dingxiang, Seventh Princess of the Dark Night Elf Clan, sovereign of the forest, am willing to accept your love. However, I require the approval of my mother, the Elf Queen!" Wu Dingxiang’s voice was crisp and clear, like a bird’s song in the trees, and its beautiful sound sent another tremor through the princes.

"Please, Elf Queen, tell us your requirements!"

"Yes, indeed!"

"We have all come with the utmost sincerity. We ask that the Elf Queen treat us in kind!"

"..."

The princes began to speak again.

The Elf Queen’s gaze swept over the crowd before landing on the Seventh Princess in the cold pool. After the latter gave a slight nod, she took another step forward.

"My daughter, Wu Dingxiang, Seventh Princess of the Elf Race, acknowledges but one word: Warrior! Only a true Warrior may wed my most beloved daughter!"

"A Warrior?!"

"I am a Warrior!" one of the Winged People declared, stepping forward.

"You call yourself a Warrior? You’re just a coward who only dares to fly! How dare you call yourself a Warrior in front of a prince of the Beastman Race! What a joke..." the Beastman Prince scoffed.

"Does your Beastman Race dare compare valor with the Hill Giant Race?" the stolid Hill Giant Prince stepped forward as well, his face a mask of contempt.

"Mere strength doesn’t make you a Warrior."

"A warrior is defined by victory. Without it, no one can claim the title!"

The princes began to bicker, each presenting their own arguments and boasting of their own valor. Soon, the area around the cold pool was filled with clamor, and the atmosphere grew tense.

Elf Queen Una and Seventh Princess Wu Dingxiang watched this unfold, both with smiles on their faces and no intention of stopping the princes.

Finally, one of the princes from another race resorted to spitting.

It was a prince of the Long Xi clan, the kings of the swamp. His saliva shot out like a sharp arrow, hitting another prince squarely in the face and drenching him.

And then, the two princes were at each other’s throats.

One spat a mouthful of water, and the other spat one right back.

Faced with this spectacle, the Elf Queen and the Seventh Princess still said nothing.

Soon after, the spitting match escalated into challenges to duel.

"Come and fight me one-on-one if you have the guts!"

"Bring it on! You think I’m afraid of a winged thing like you?"

"..."

The scene began to descend into chaos.

Two princes had already started trading blows, while the others crowded around them—arguing, brawling, and shouting—making the scene increasingly chaotic.

But even as the situation devolved, the Elf Queen still showed no sign of intervening.

Not until an urgent dispatch was brought before the cold pool.

"Urgent report from the front line!"

"Urgent report from the front line! The Human Alliance’s army has captured the Celestial Eagle Camp on our second line of defense! Two thousand of our Warriors at the camp have been killed or wounded!"

"Stop!" Elf Queen Una finally spoke.

The princes all stopped in their tracks.

And Seventh Princess Wu Dingxiang, who had been perfectly calm until now, suddenly looked anxious and distraught, a mist gathering in her beautiful eyes.

"Those detestable humans! How dare they slaughter my brave people!" Her voice was sharp with grief as two tears streamed down her cheeks and fell into the cold pool.

"Ding Xiang, today is the day of your betrothal, and your mother has proven incompetent, letting the humans invade our lands... Guards! I will personally lead the army to war!" Elf Queen Una was also filled with immense grief.

"No, Mother! I swear I will not marry until these detestable humans are driven out!" Wu Dingxiang flung herself down in the water, clutching the Elf Queen’s leg.

"Death to the humans!"

"Defend our home!"

"..."

The Warriors of the Elf Race began to shout.

The princes, too, were filled with righteous indignation, shouting that they would fight the humans to the death and that the other races would not tolerate such insults.

However, not a single prince actually made a move to lead their troops out.

They all stood by the edge of the cold pool, shouting slogans while watching the performance put on by the Elf Queen and the Seventh Princess.

Just as the moment turned awkward, the Third Prince of the Elves, who had been standing at the back, stepped forward and knelt before the Elf Queen with a THUD.

"Mother, Your Majesty, you must remain calm! The Human Alliance came prepared this time, launching a surprise attack on our territory. We need to gather proper intelligence before we devise a plan!"

"Please, Her Majesty the Queen, think this through!"

"Please, Her Majesty the Queen, think this through!"

Immediately, Warriors from the Elf Race echoed the sentiment.

"The humans have assaulted our Elf Race, and now they’ve even occupied the Celestial Eagle Camp, burning, killing, and pillaging! How can we possibly wait any longer?" the Seventh Princess, Wu Dingxiang, immediately retorted.

"Seventh Sister, don’t be rash!"

"Third Brother, if you don’t dare to go, I will!"

"Seventh Sister, you can’t!"

"No, don’t try to stop me! I must go and avenge my people!"

"Quick, stop the Seventh Princess!"

"..."

After a brief struggle, the Seventh Princess was restrained by two elven women.

"Alright, take the Seventh Princess away for now. I will personally lead the army into this battle." Elf Queen Una wiped away her tears, quickly regaining her noble composure.

"Mother! Your Majesty!..." The Seventh Princess screamed until her voice was hoarse, but she was ultimately led away.

Silence returned to the scene.

The princes all looked at one another, helplessness in their eyes.

’The courtship contest is only halfway through, and now it’s canceled? What the hell?’

They had traveled from far and wide to be here. It was only halfway done, and the Seventh Princess had been taken away. How was the courtship supposed to continue?

Of course, with the Elf Race’s lands under invasion, they couldn’t very well say much.

"Princes, this open call for suitors by our Dark Night Elf Clan was made with the utmost sincerity," the Third Prince spoke again. "However, it has been temporarily delayed by recent events. Please, do not be offended. The contest will resume. We have already arranged suitable accommodations for all of you. Once we have driven out the humans, we can proceed!"

"Hmm, I suppose we can only wait, then."

"Yes, let’s wait."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Her Majesty the Queen and Third Prince!"

The princes began to offer their salutations one by one.

But just then, another twist occurred.

Another elf came running over, his face a mask of panic.

"Her Majesty the Queen, this is terrible! The Seventh Princess injured us and left the city with a few of her attendants!"

"What?!" The Elf Queen was aghast.

"Say that again! What happened to my seventh sister?" the Third Prince asked, equally panicked.

"The Seventh Princess said she had to defend her people! We couldn’t stop her. She broke free and took her attendants... She’s going to the front lines to fight the humans!"

"Quickly, assemble the army!" the Elf Queen shouted.

"We can’t! Because of Seventh Sister’s public courtship, all soldiers are on leave today. Even if we recall them now, it will take at least an hour to fully assemble the army." The Third Prince’s face was red with anxiety.

"Ah... Xiang’Er!" Upon hearing this, the Elf Queen fainted dead away.

"Her Majesty the Queen!"

"Her Majesty the Queen!"

"..."

The scene erupted in panic.

"Warriors of the Beastman Race, on my command! Follow me to rescue the Seventh Princess!" Seeing this, the Beastman Prince could no longer stand by and roared.

"Yes, sir!" two hundred Beastman Warriors immediately answered.

"We of the Beastman Race cannot stand by and watch the Seventh Princess come to harm! My love for her is as clear as the sun and moon! Charge! For the Seventh Princess!"

"Charge!"

"We of the Winged Race cannot lose to the Beastman Race! Everyone, charge with me!"

"Charge!"

"Warriors of the hills! Our valor can move mountains and fill the seas! This battle will be the proof of your courage! Let Her Highness the Princess see who the true Warriors are!"

The Hill Giant Clan charged out as well.

Following their lead, more and more princes began to give orders.

The remaining princes, who had been hesitating, saw that the majority had chosen to act. They finally cast aside their doubts and began shouting their own battle cries.

"The North Mountain Cave Race fears no death! We swear to protect the Seventh Princess!"

"Protect the Seventh Princess!"

"Charge, Warriors..."

"..."

...

While the princes in the Elf City were shouting their calls to charge, far beneath their feet, Gao Neng and Fang Tangtang were happily mining ore.

Seventy-three pieces!

Seventy-four pieces!

Seventy-five pieces...

"Oh, sky, you are so very blue... Oh, earth, you are so very yellow..." Gao Neng hummed happily as he swung his iron shovel.

With every few swings, another crystal ore would fall into his grasp.

This feeling of getting rich overnight...

He felt he could get used to this.

It was just too wonderful.

He was so immersed he couldn’t pull himself away.

He prayed he would never wake up, that he could just keep digging like this and strip this entire, massive crystal deposit clean, leaving not a single scrap behind.

Just as he was getting into the swing of things...

Fang Tangtang suddenly cried out.

"Whoa, Gao Neng, come look! It’s the Spring of Life! There’s actually a Spring of Life here! We’re not just going to get rich this time... we might become immortals!" Fang Tangtang was so excited she was practically dancing, her eyes glued to the ground at her feet.

"The Spring of Life? No way, there’s something this good here too?!" Gao Neng was just as surprised. He immediately ran over and looked down at Fang Tangtang’s feet.