Chapter 63: The Elf Emperor’s Advice and a Lingering Mystery

The Third Battle Sovereign was the Elf Emperor, Ifis. He was currently Lin Ling’s fifth elder brother. While the title felt a bit odd to her, he was an elder brother nonetheless.

Surprisingly, the ranking of Battle Sovereigns wasn’t determined by their birth order, but by their overall strength. Only the eldest brother and second sister held the titles of First and Second Battle Sovereign respectively; the rankings of the Original Battle Sovereigns born afterward were somewhat disorganized.

As a newly awakened Battle Sovereign, Lin Ling’s strength had yet to be evaluated, so she remained in seventh place for now.

On the surface, the ranking seemed to be a mere title, serving no practical purpose. In reality, however, it reflected a race’s overall strength, influencing its standing and authority within the Anska Alliance.

Overall, Lin Ling harbored a competitive spirit. She was somewhat interested in the strength of the higher-ranked Battle Sovereigns.

However, interest was one thing.

Lin Ling’s first impression of the Elf Emperor was far from positive; in fact, she felt a slight aversion.

She knew this might not be right.

But how to explain it?

Unlike the immediate sense of familiarity she’d felt upon meeting Bisika, Ifis’s gaze gave Lin Ling an uncomfortable feeling. It was akin to an elder looking at a junior, or, to put it more bluntly, a superior observing a subordinate. This air of condescension stirred a subtle resentment within Lin Ling.

More importantly, the fellow had green hair. When Bisika had shown Lin Ling the projection, it hadn’t seemed unusual. But now, having encountered a complete imbecile like Qingfeng Immortal, Lin Ling’s impression of green hair had become rather nuanced. Coupled with the fact that in Huaguo, her homeland, green on one’s head was hardly a good omen, her feelings grew even more complex.

And finally, to add insult to injury:

This guy was just too damn handsome!

His demeanor was also incredibly unique!

‘Mother Goddess’s exquisite craftsmanship and perfect aesthetics truly are to be admired,’ Lin Ling thought. ‘This guy is so handsome it makes me jealous! I was clearly a man back then! Why did Mother Goddess have to mold me into a beautiful girl? How much better it would have been to be a handsome man like this!’

‘So beautiful, and so strong. Heh, I’m a little envious.’

Under the influence of multiple factors, Lin Ling’s favorability towards the Elf Emperor, Ifis, was gradually declining, even though he hadn’t actually done anything wrong. He was, admittedly, a bit unfairly judged.

Outwardly, Lin Ling remained expressionless, gazing steadily at Ifis.

Just as she was about to offer a polite greeting, he unexpectedly spoke first.

“Hmph, what are you doing now? Wasting time currying favor?” Ifis spoke with mild displeasure, his gaze shifting to the Extreme Dust Bird in the distant sky.

He was genuinely displeased with his little sister’s actions. A Battle Sovereign had no need for such unnecessary efforts.

‘This guy is so confrontational right from the start,’ Lin Ling mused.

Nevertheless, she replied with a pleasant expression, “I’m not wasting time. I’m just trying to eliminate humanity’s prejudice against giant beasts; we’ll have to live together eventually.”

Upon hearing this, Ifis’s gaze returned to Lin Ling, meeting her golden pupils.

‘Why are they golden?’

A Battle Sovereign’s pupil color always aligned with their internal spiritual energy attribute, and his little sister should possess silver-white, attribute-less energy. Though doubt lingered, Ifis didn’t let it show.

He continued the previous topic, his expression unchanged.

“Then it’s an even greater waste of time. You have three years of freedom; you should be doing something more valuable, not painstakingly trying to change human prejudice or whatever. You could simply force them to accept the existence of giant beasts.”

‘This guy… it’s like he’s trying to tell me what to do.’

Her favorability continued to plummet.

Lin Ling countered, “Then what do you think I should do?”

Ifis shook his head before elaborating on his thoughts: “Make rational use of these three years to help Blue Star develop quickly. Look at humanity now; they’re still caught up in internal strife. Blue Star is located at the very edge of the Origin Star Universe, with threats from the outer realms close at hand, yet they possess no sense of crisis. The people of Blue Star probably don’t even know what the outer realms are.”

Lin Ling’s brow twitched.

“Knowing now would only cause panic.”

“Pressure breeds motivation,” Ifis insisted, undeterred. He continued, “Races capable of birthing Original Battle Sovereigns possess immense developmental potential. Mother Goddess granted you a three-year protection period, on one hand, to allow you to handle your family affairs peacefully, and on the other, to give you a chance to resolve your race’s internal matters. A race that constantly engages in infighting and lacks unity will find its development severely restricted.”

‘This green-haired guy… no wonder Bisika said he was troublesome,’ Lin Ling thought.

“I have no intention of doing those things right now. I don’t know how to manage this race. Forcing them to cooperate might backfire, and I’m unwilling to take that risk. I’ll wait for the racial leader to emerge and guide them.”

Ifis frowned, seemingly displeased with Lin Ling’s answer. “Management isn’t difficult. You have Mother Goddess’s AI, which records the management methods of various civilizations; having it assist you is no problem. Moreover, racial leaders have the same lifespan as ordinary people, barely a hundred years. If you pave the way for them beforehand, you can accelerate future development, as the leader wouldn’t need to spend precious time uniting Blue Star internally. As for dissenters, eliminate them.”

Lin Ling looked directly into Ifis’s eyes, speaking each word with seriousness and gravity. “Don’t forget, humans are not like your race.”

Ifis fell silent.

Lin Ling continued, “Little White’s AI system does indeed contain records of various races’ internal governance, including the elves. However, humans develop in a completely different way. You advocate for individual power, but we don’t even possess spiritual energy. Your methods might not be viable. I’m unwilling to take that risk.”

Seeing that Ifis intended to debate further, Lin Ling decided to cut straight to the point. “Furthermore, according to Mother Goddess’s commandments, you, elder brother, should not interfere in my race’s internal affairs.”

Upon hearing this, Ifis fell silent, swallowing the words he had been about to say.

He could only sigh. “Indeed. Consider it merely a suggestion.”

‘Perhaps he’s right, but if he’s wrong, this small place called Blue Star can’t withstand too much upheaval. Killing a chicken to scare the monkeys is a method, but Lin Ling didn’t want to resort to such violent means, and this approach might only be a temporary solution. She couldn’t possibly stay on Blue Star forever. It was better to wait for the future racial leader to handle it.’

‘As for internal unity, Blue Star isn’t large, and its population is negligible compared to other civilizations. When the time comes, she could help the leader deal with it; resolving internal racial issues shouldn’t take too long. For now, the main focus should be on the Star Origin Adepts and the giant beasts.’

To be honest, Lin Ling herself was a bit conflicted about whether her idea was reliable. If the three-year protection period was wasted like this, there would be no going back.

‘Sigh, ⊙﹏⊙’

“There’s one more thing,” Ifis suddenly spoke.

‘What now?’

“Xi Yue, she was your former partner, wasn’t she?”

!!!

Upon hearing this, Lin Ling’s heart immediately tensed again. ‘Why is he bringing up Xi Yue?’

“Yes, she was. Why do you ask?” Lin Ling probed cautiously.

“Bisika also asked us to look for clues about this girl, but we haven’t found anything so far.”

Lin Ling responded, “Is that so…”

Ifis floated closer to the somewhat dazed Lin Ling. “Bisika must have told you about the unknown positioning particles around Blue Star; they don’t belong to any known methods within the Origin Star Universe. And the time these particles appeared coincides remarkably with the time Xi Yue dissipated. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Did Xi Yue come from the outer realms?” Lin Ling murmured.

Although Lin Ling had long suspected this internally, she had always hoped that Bisika’s investigation would prove Xi Yue was merely an ordinary alien, not from the outer realms. For a moment, Lin Ling’s heart was filled with a mix of emotions.