“A Slave Contract Letter?! The legendary one?”
The elves exchanged glances, their eyes a mix of anger and confusion.
One of the younger male elves suddenly gasped.
“I think... I've heard of something similar in storybooks,” he said hesitantly.
“In the legends of heroes slaying dragons... there's a kind of 'Contract Book'.”
“It requires the consent of both parties, using their heart's blood as a guide, to swear an oath to the God of Contracts.”
“Once violated, they will suffer divine punishment.”
The expressions of the other elves grew even stranger.
From the description, it did sound... a bit like it.
But did such a thing really exist?
If it did, why would there be so much betrayal and infighting in the world?
If there were indeed something witnessed and enforced by the gods,
the High Elves would not have become the shame of the elves, the sinners who took away the World Tree.
All the elves stared at the letter with deep suspicion.
A few elven warriors, who had possessed decent strength in life, quietly released their soul power to probe it repeatedly.
The result was...
It was just an ordinary letter.
The paper was ordinary paper, and the ink was ordinary ink.
It didn't have even a trace of magic fluctuations; it couldn't even be considered a magic item.
“Elune above!” an elven civilian suddenly whispered in panic.
“I... I was curious before... and looked at those opened letters outside!”
Her spectral body trembled slightly, her eyes filled with fear as she recalled those of her kin who had ultimately taken their own lives after being rescued.
“I didn't... already become a slave, did I?!”
Lin Gui immediately nodded and said with a straight face, “Yes! Exactly!”
“The seed of slavery has already been planted in your soul.”
“Now, you are a slave at my mercy, mwahaha.”
He tried his best to make the last few words sound more villainous, but the effect was lackluster.
But a companion beside that elf whispered:
“I also looked at those letters.”
“But the contents of those letters... didn't seem to mention slaves, masters, or anything like that.”
“I caught a glimpse of it, and it looked like... a poem written by one of our kin?”
“I think I even saw a familiar name in there.”
“It seemed to be Filna from the procurement team.”
Lin Gui's expression remained unchanged as he spoke:
“That's a disguise. If not for that, how would you have stepped into my carefully prepared trap?”
“A trap written in elven script?” another elf couldn't help but ask.
“Of course!” Lin Gui raised his chin. “Only then could I lower your guard!”
“Then do you understand the elven language?” The elf blinked and suddenly chanted a string of strange syllables rapidly:
“Washey li tiyah iwolie rae.”
Then she asked with an innocent face, “What did I just say?”
Lin Gui: “...”
How the hell should I know?
Elven writing was notoriously obscure and difficult to understand.
Lin Gui had no interest in learning this largely useless elven script and language.
Lin Gui's mouth twitched slightly as he said tentatively, “...It means 'filthy human'!”
The elf shook her head and said sincerely, “No, I just made that up. It's not elven at all.”
Lin Gui: “...”
The air suddenly fell silent.
There was only the rustling sound of snowflakes falling to the ground.
A subtle, almost awkward atmosphere spread through the air.
Lin Gui could almost hear a snort of laughter from Miss Eve, who was quietly listening behind him.
Lin Gui took a deep breath and decided to abandon all detours.
He swung the wooden stick sharply, pressing it against the neck of the little elf in his arms once more.
“A-Anyway!”
He raised his voice, trying to drown out the bizarre atmosphere.
“One person isn't enough! I want one hundred and three elves!”
“Sign the 'Slave Contract Letters' I've prepared for you!”
“If you don't want this little one's soul to be utterly shattered,”
“do as I say!”
These words finally reignited the elves' fury.
The suspicion and awkwardness were instantly swept away, and waves of indignation surged once more.
“Evil human!”
“Despicable!!”
“Despicable! You will get what's coming to you!”
“If you want to capture someone, come at me! Let the child go!”
Lin Gui ignored the cursing, looking down at the list.
His gaze landed on the first name.
He took a deep breath and read as fast as he possibly could:
“Eärendil-Telcontar-Amenlote-...Shadow!”
After reading the complex name of over twenty syllables in one breath, he almost ran out of air.
That was just how elven names were.
They would pack them with a bunch of tongue-twisting words expressing various beliefs, worship of natural creatures, and the parents' hopes for their child's future.
Theia's name used to be just like the ones on the list.
Just like the long line of names belonging to the elves standing before him.
There was a long string of words in the middle.
But ever since Theia was banished from the Elven Forest,
her titles had all been stripped, leaving her with only "Theia Windrunner."
These were things Theia had told Lin Gui in Avalon after they had become intimate.
Because Theia hoped to add her lover's name to her own.
This was an elven tradition.
It was proof of an elf entrusting their entire life to another.
Lin Gui took a moment to catch his breath before raising his voice:
“Eärendil Shadow! Step forward!”
“Otherwise... don't blame me for being ruthless.”
An elven soul floated forward without hesitation.
He was slender, with a resolute face and eyes burning with rage.
“Filthy human!”
“Elves will never yield!”
Expressionless, Lin Gui continued to read the next name.
Another elf stepped forward, glaring at him.
Just like that, one tongue-twisting long name after another rang out from Lin Gui's mouth.
One by one, the elves fearlessly stepped forward to confront him coldly.
The empty space where only Alyia had stood was quickly filled with angry, fuming, and righteously indignant elven souls.
Right at that moment,
a slender, fair hand gently slipped the list out of Lin Gui's hand.
Eve had stood beside him at some point.
She elegantly snatched the list, her purple eyes scanning the paper as a faint, slightly mischievous smile curved her lips.
Then, imitating the pretentious tone of a noble lady, she read clearly and fluently:
“Phyllis Shadow.”
“Galadriel Shadow.”
“Thranduil Shadow.”
With each name she called, an elf would freeze before stepping forward with gritted teeth.
Eve would even wave her small hand occasionally, adding a few improvised, biting, and theatrical lines:
“Oh! This elven lady would surely fetch an astronomical price in the market!”
“Large eyes, a high nose bridge, a tall figure—those fat noble pigs will definitely empty their purses for you.”
She read with ease and fluidity, in stark contrast to Lin Gui's teeth-gritting struggle with the roll call just moments ago.
The open ground grew more and more crowded.
More and more angry elves gathered.
Lin Gui quietly pulled back the wooden stick pressed against the little elf's neck.
The "hostage" in his arms also quietly lifted her small face, curiously looking at the group of passionate kin before her.
The scene was, for a moment...
very lively.
Lin Gui also seemed to notice the movement of the little elf in his arms.
He looked down and whispered to her with a smile, “Don't worry, it'll be over soon.”
Rate on N.U.
