“The North?”
Mommy Vyvyan paused, and then followed up by asking, “Son, do you want to go to the North of the large canyon?”
“Mommy doesn’t know about the area North of the large canyon…”
Mommy Elizabeth pondered to herself for a while before saying, “Based on what I know, humanity has been to the North of the large canyon, but the information left behind on it is scarce. The elves occupy the land to the south of the large canyon. After I was born, nobody went to the North of the large canyon again. Hence, Mommy doesn’t know much about it.”
“Mommy doesn’t know about it, either despite being an elf. The only thing that Mommy can confirm is that there are, indeed, living organisms over there. I am referring to the trolls that rob us in the winter. Mommy doesn’t know any more than that. It’s too cold in the North. Elves can’t survive there. As a matter of fact, we must trace it back to hundreds of years ago.”
Vyvyan looked at my face and spaced out a little. She then elaborated, “The history goes back a long time ago. At the time, elves were still the leader of the continent and humans were just a small race that the elves protected. At the time, the elves were split among themselves. In other words, the elven war. Son, you know where the source of elves’ mana comes from, right?”
“The elven spring water?”
“Correct. The elven spring water is the source of elves’ mana. Put another way, it’s where the source of all mana for all living organisms is sourced from. It’s precisely because of that spring water flowing through the lands that the areas contain mana. For elves, mana was the right to rule. Mana is power. Therefore, all of the elven tribes revolved around the spring and fought a long war.”
I know about that part of history. It was the war where the elves fought amongst themselves. The elves that once flourished suffered a lot as a result of the war, which led to humanity suddenly replacing the elves as the ruler of the continent. The Galadriel Tribe, which defeated all of the other tribes, also became the leader of the elves for centuries, and they still are the leaders of the elves.
As the elves’ spring water is filled with mana, the Galadriel Tribe was able to purify their bloodline over the centuries to nurture Vyvyan, the most fearsome elf. While my mana is berserk, my mana purity level is still extremely high. If Elizabeth didn’t give birth to me once, I, myself, might be a demi-god.
“Our tribe emerged victorious in the end and acquired the elven spring water. At the time, the elven spring water wasn’t controlled. When it wasn’t controlled, the spring water freely flowed in every direction. At the time, the large canyon hadn’t been completely split open. It consisted of many small paths. It was the exact same as the elven lands at the time. It was a place with birds chirping and fragrant flowers. After our tribe won, a number of elves that refused to submit to us were annihilated while others fled to the North and would occasionally attack us from time to time.”
Vyvyan looked at me with a slightly complex gaze. This part of history was, in essence, a dark part of the Galadriel Tribe’s history. But it was a necessary manoeuvre as the ruling race. Elizabeth and I let her continue without interruption. Mommy Vyvyan paused for a bit, and then went on, “You are a descendant of the Galadriel Tribe, too, Son, so I don’t need to hide anything from you. The Galadriel Tribe actually underwent an internal purge. At the time, the Galadriel tribe… It’s actually the same now. By that I mean the emphasis on lineages. All those with inferior lineages, those in opposition, prisoners of war and people viewed as insignificant were exiled to the North by the tribe. They were sent there under the pretext of aiding in development, but it was, in actual fact, a big exile movement. The elves that were exiled at the time made up about half of the Imperial Capital’s population. All of them were driven out to the North…”
“And then the road to the Imperial Capital was cut off after?”
Vyvyan shook her head, “It wasn’t just that simple. Son, you must know that going from having mana to lacking mana will cause an elf to die. By the same principle, land which lacks mana will also die. The reason the weather in the elven forest doesn’t show any changes is because it’s maintained by mana. At the time, the Galadriel Tribe – in other words, our ancestors – did the most vicious thing possible. Not only did they destroy all the small paths that could connect the two places, but they even sealed the paths which the elven spring water could flow to.”
“Isn’t that the equivalent of…”
“Exactly. The elves on the other side lost their source of mana supply henceforth. They couldn’t plant crops on the land, the weather became freezing, and it became impossible for them to return. After one winter, we were no longer harassed by elves from the North. We never heard any news from the elves, who were exiled North, ever again from then.”
Vyvyan sighed. She then smiled as if she was mocking herself. She said, “Son, does that sound unbelievable to you? Mommy was, honestly, very shocked when Mommy first heard it, too, but it has already happened. Mommy can’t change that. The North is doomed to be a cemetery for elves. Elves never knew what the North how the North is thereafter. Mommy doesn’t know, either. If it wasn’t for the trolls coming over, Mommy wouldn’t even know that there was life there.”
Elizabeth hugged me then looked at Vyvyan coldly and remarked, “You elves are seriously filthy.”
“The last people I want to hear that from are you humans.”
Vyvyan responded indifferently then looked at me with concern and carried on, “Son, the North is by no means a comfortable place. It’s just a land of ice there. Also, for some reason, the land there is even colder than usual this year. It seems that the mana there has crumbled once again. Mommy doesn’t know exactly what happened there, either. Son, you can establish your own land, but can you not choose the North? Mommy honestly can’t provide you with anything if you’re in the North of the large canyon. The elves have no means of withstanding the cold there.”
“We can.”
Mommy Elizabeth, who was next to me, suddenly spoke up. She solemnly said, “If that’s my son’s wish, Mommy can help you accomplish it. Mommy’s army isn’t used to fighting in snowy lands, but Mommy’s soldiers at Socina City’s garrison are all locals. They’re residents of snowy lands; therefore, they’ve adapted to the snowy climate and are experts in at combat in snowy lands. Alternatively, Mommy will send an envoy to Socina to help you form an army.”
Vyvyan fired back without holding back at all, “You humans sure are lowly beings, so low that you can survive anywhere.”
Elizabeth proudly responded, “That’s why we’re the rulers of the continent.”
I nodded. I then looked at the two of them and responded, “I understand now. Thank you for the information you both have provided. I’m grateful for your assistance, as well, Mommy Elizabeth; but, I want to personally accomplish this, nevertheless.”
Elizabeth froze up, and then looked at me, “Son, what do you want to do?”
“I want to personally go to Socina. I want to personally go there to gather information and find help. I’ve been under your protection for too long. I want land that belongs to me, which means that I must use my own strength to conquer the place.”
I looked at my two moms and solemnly said, “As such, I must complete this task alone. I must complete it on my own.”
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