Chapter 3116: Prosperity
Chapter 3116: Prosperity
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Lil’ Red Storm Realm
"Your Highness, I wouldn’t dare. That is not what I meant," Thalorien hurriedly clarified.
He could already tell that Dalia was twisting his words deliberately, forcing him to define exactly what he meant by prosperity. Unfortunately, he had no room to complain. He was the one who had chosen to negotiate with a Celestial while bound in her roots.
"Then what way did you mean it?" Dalia pressed. "Prosperity can mean many things. You are asking my younger brother to guarantee the prosperity of your entire race without specifying what that prosperity actually entails. Am I supposed to assume that your heart isn’t where your mouth is?"
Every word carried an intimidating weight. Thalorien could feel the pressure bearing down on both his mind and soul. He understood what Dalia was doing. She wasn’t merely demanding clarification. She was testing whether his loyalty to the Snow Elves was genuine or merely a convenient bargaining tool.
"Forgive my incompetence, Your Highness." Thalorien immediately abandoned the elaborate diplomacy. "When I speak of the prosperity of my race, I mean one thing. My life’s dream is to use the Celestial blessing of the Froslings to elevate the innate potential of the Snow Elves and turn them into a true Ruler-class race."
His voice became noticeably firmer as he finally revealed the heart of his research. "That is the purpose behind my experiments. Everything I have done concerning the Froslings and the Half-Bloods ultimately serves that goal."
Thalorien’s eyes hardened with determination. He took a breath before continuing. "I am not asking His Highness to guarantee that the Snow Elves will rule the Myriad Realms, nor am I asking him to shelter us forever. I only ask that he allow me to complete what I began."
"If Your Highness can swear upon the Origin Source that I will be allowed to pursue that goal, then I am willing to lay down my life here and now and enter eternal servitude without further conditions."
He had finally revealed his bottom line. There was no clever wording left to hide behind. No deliberately vague definition of prosperity. No additional bargaining chips waiting beneath the table. This was the one thing Thalorien absolutely refused to compromise on. His own freedom could be surrendered. His pride could be discarded. Even his life could be offered. But the dream he had carried for the Snow Elven race could not be abandoned.
He watched Dalia carefully, waiting for her response. The negotiation had finally reached the point where there was nowhere left for him to retreat. Now he could only hope that the Celestial before him considered his dream worth the price of gaining his eternal servitude.
"Is that all?" Dalia asked sternly. Thalorien met her gaze and nodded without hesitation. "Then fine. Prove it."
Dalia extended her hand. A strange core appeared above her palm. It wasn’t large, barely the size of a pill, yet the moment it appeared, the surrounding space seemed to become heavier. Even Thalorien, whose senses were exceptionally sensitive to Rule Power, couldn’t immediately determine what he was looking at.
"Swallow this core," Dalia said. "If you aren’t lying, it will not only bind you to eternal servitude but give you the power to achieve your goal, but if you are lying, you will pay a price worse than death."
Thalorien’s expression changed. He stared at the core for several seconds before his vast knowledge finally allowed him to identify some of its characteristics. In absolute terror, he stuttered, "Is that... a World-Devouring Tree seed?"
Dalia raised an eyebrow and replied with a smirk, "No. Something far better."
Thalorien’s eyes narrowed. "Better?"
"It will make you like me." Dalia’s casual statement struck Thalorien harder than any attack during their battle. Dalia didn’t elaborate on what like me meant.
She didn’t explain the origin of the core, the process it would trigger, or exactly what transformation awaited him. Instead, she continued. "With its power, you won’t merely be able to finish your little experiment. You could lead your race to conquer the Dark Realm itself."
Thalorien’s pupils contracted. For someone who had spent his entire life dreaming of elevating the Snow Elves, those words carried an almost irresistible temptation. Yet Dalia’s next words immediately tempered that temptation.
"Of course, that is assuming you weren’t lying." She casually tossed the core toward him. "If your loyalty is genuine, it will bind you to eternal servitude and power to gain everything you desire. But be warned, only take it if you’re prepared to pay the price, otherwise a fate considerably worse than either servitude or death."
Dalia deliberately left the details unspecified. She didn’t need to explain everything. In fact, she very much preferred not to. Thalorien had asked for an oath witnessed by the Origin Source. Dalia had no intention of making such a troublesome promise when she could just bait him.
This was less messy. If he swallowed the core and remained sincere, the matter would be settled. If he wasn’t sincere, the consequences would settle it for them.
Either way, Dalia wouldn’t have to swear an oath whose wording could potentially bind her younger brother or impose obligations neither of them intended to accept.
She folded her arms and watched Thalorien, "Well?"
The Snow Elven Crown Prince stared at the mysterious core floating before him. For the first time since their negotiation began, he realized that Dalia wasn’t asking him to promise his loyalty. She was asking him to prove it. Now that was tricky.
Thalorien realized they had reached a stalemate. Both sides wanted the most while giving the least. Dalia wanted his eternal servitude, while he wanted a guarantee for the future of the Snow Elven race in exchange for it. Neither was willing to concede first. The core floating before him only complicated matters.
At first glance, it resembled a mutated World-Devouring Tree seed, but Thalorien couldn’t determine its true nature. Dalia claimed that consuming it would make him like her and would only help him finish what he started but grant him enough potential to lead the Snow Elves to conquer the Dark Realm itself. It was an absurdly tempting offer. It was also an offer he couldn’t blindly trust.
For all he knew, the moment he swallowed the core, it could consume him from within, erase his consciousness, or transform him into something that no longer had the freedom to pursue his own goals.
Dalia had deliberately withheld the details, leaving him with nothing except her word. And Thalorien had learned enough about Dalia to know that trusting her blindly would be foolish. Unfortunately, Dalia didn’t seem particularly concerned about his doubts.
From her perspective, Thalorien had very few choices left. He could swallow the core and prove that his declaration of loyalty had been genuine, accepting whatever transformation awaited him. Or he could refuse. And if he refused, there was little reason for Dalia to continue negotiating.