Legolas

The night in Rivendell was exceptionally beautiful. Silver moonlight bathed the earth; though it was not as bright as day, it had a charm of its own.

After Josh and his group, along with Elrond and the other two, enjoyed dinner, they each returned to their residences to rest.

Through the banquet, Josh had also learned a great deal of new information about this world. Although he had only been gone for around twenty days, the changes in Rivendell could be described as different with each passing day.

The most notable change was that methods of cultivating Battle Qi and magic had gradually begun to spread, and the Elves had started learning these new powers.

This was all very unfamiliar to them, but after witnessing the performances of the three Elf Kings, they no longer doubted it.

The Elves’ talent was plain for all to see, and this held true even in this world.

These Elves had never been poor to begin with, especially those who had joined the army. Their combat ability was already considerable, and with a certain foundation in place, they learned very quickly.

The more talented ones had already nearly reached Fifth Tier, though most had only broken through to Second or Third Tier.

Legolas had exceptional talent. Although he had been in Rivendell for less than a week, he was already close to Third Tier. He was considered one of the more gifted Elves.

The benefits brought by growing stronger were numerous. Though the Elves did not feel the changes to their lifespan as strongly, they could perceive the changes in their bodies with absolute clarity. Such improvement raised their respect for Josh to new heights.

With that level of respect in place, Elrond and the others soon put forward the plan to establish the Elf Empire.

It was easy to imagine that although the Elves were all astonished by the idea, none of them resisted it. On the contrary, they thought it seemed rather good.

Gathering all the Elves together to build a brand-new and vast empire would naturally bring certain conflicts, the greatest of which would be the distribution of power.

However, the system of this Elf Empire gave every Elf a fresh perspective. They would not have to worry that their own race would receive unfair treatment.

The Elf King would merely be an honorary position, respected by all but without any authority.

Those who held power would still be their former Elf Kings, only with a new title: Speakers. Each Speaker would also have enough seats to bring in councilors.

As for who would guide the empire’s course, that would depend entirely on the thoughts of the three Speakers and the councilors. Whoever’s ideas best suited the needs of the people would become the ruler.

Even ordinary residents would have the right to vote and choose what they believed was right.

Such a political system had not merely never appeared in this world—it had never even been heard of!

Thus, after learning about it, practically no Elves objected. In fact, they eagerly anticipated the swift establishment of such a nation.

Josh also learned about other matters, such as the coming darkness and the whereabouts of the Dwarves.

To be honest, even with Battle Qi and magic, the Elves were still somewhat worried whenever they thought of the boundless, innumerable Orcs. Josh had no way to solve that concern.

The only way to solve it was to let them fight the Orcs once. In Josh’s eyes, if they could not completely crush those Orcs—who were no better than rotten fish and shrimp—from every direction, then this world truly had no hope left. Of course, Josh did not believe that would happen.

As for the Dwarves, they had chosen to leave shortly after Josh departed from this world. Josh was not surprised in the slightest. Those fellows had always harbored hatred toward the Elves. Although he had heard that Elrond had taught them a lesson and made them restrain themselves somewhat, their nature was simply like that.

Josh had also learned a rather interesting piece of news: Thranduil intended to send his son to track down those Dwarves so that he could catch up to them and reclaim the gem that belonged to him.

Josh’s expression turned very strange when he heard that. After all that circling around, had the plot somehow returned to its original track?

However, Josh had said nothing at the time. Letting these Elves come into contact with the Orcs and gain a better understanding of their own place was not a bad choice.

"I just think it’s strange that after going in circles, it feels like we’ve returned to the plot."

Lying on a comfortable bed with Natasha in his arms, Josh sighed helplessly. This was the first time he had encountered something like this. But when he thought about the meaning of that gem to Thranduil, it seemed only natural. In any case, it was not a bad thing.

"What is a plot? Is it something determined by fate? Aren’t you the one who believes least in fate?" Natasha asked with a faint smile as she lay in Josh’s arms.

"It just feels a little strange. It’s nothing major. Besides, strictly speaking, it’s a good thing. These Elves seem rather lacking in confidence."

"Oh? Like you?"

"Bullshit!"

Josh’s face darkened. That might have been one of his old flaws, but the current Josh had absolutely no such bad habit as a lack of confidence.

Without another word, Josh pressed Natasha beneath him. Natasha did not act coy in the slightest, merely looking at Josh with a bright smile.

"I think I should prove that I’m not the coward I used to be," Josh said viciously.

"Is that so? All right, I believe you. What are you planning to do afterward?" Natasha said, though she did not sound frightened in the least.

"Afterward? Naturally, I’ll catch up to those Dwarves, see if I can deal with that dragon, and take as much as I can from their treasury while I’m at it!"

"Didn’t you just get a huge sum of money?"

"Who would ever think they had too much money? Besides, these things are decorations at best. They can’t be used on the Muya Continent."

Josh shrugged. Just as he said, this money could not circulate on the Muya Continent.

However, Josh did not care. Who would mind having too much money? And even if it could not be used on the Muya Continent, could he not use it in other worlds? At worst, it would still make fine decoration.

"All right, let’s stop talking about things so far in the future. Let’s discuss something in the present first. Just now, did you say I was a coward?"

"Oh? Did I? Oh, damn it! Wait, Josh, are you sure Akathosh isn’t here?"

"I’m absolutely sure! I kicked him out! And to make sure we won’t be disturbed, I’ve set up a barrier around the entire room. No one can get in! I also took precautions for soundproofing! Not even a fly can get in, and not a single sound can get out!"

"…You really came prepared."

"Of course!"

A gentle breeze blew, and wonderful times always passed quickly.

After a night of fooling around, Josh stretched lazily, feeling refreshed. Of course, he would have felt even better if his waist had not seemed a little sore.

A mage competing with a warrior in stamina and endurance was never a wise choice.

However, Josh did not care. He even turned to glance at Natasha, who also seemed somewhat low on energy, and wore a smug expression.

Garen looked at the two of them speechlessly. Although the night had been very quiet, the obvious magical fluctuations, along with Akathosh spending the entire night in his room, meant that even an idiot would know what those two had been doing.

Especially after listening to Akathosh sing "Choosing Women Over Friends" and "Josh, You Bastard" all night, Garen felt utterly helpless.

A thousand words of speechlessness could only turn into a sigh. He patted Josh on the shoulder and said, "Take it easy, Josh. You’re still young. You have a long life ahead of you."

"?????"

Josh looked utterly baffled, but he quickly shook his head. A new day meant a new beginning, and they still had things to do, so Josh did not bother arguing with Garen.

Well, perhaps Josh also felt that last night had been a little too wild, leaving him too tired to argue with Garen.

Following the Elven guards who had been waiting outside Josh and the others’ residence, they soon arrived at the reception hall.

Elrond, Thranduil, and Celebrían were already seated inside waiting for them. After exchanging brief greetings, Josh and the others sat down and enjoyed breakfast with the Elves.

"How did you rest last night? And please forgive us, but we still cannot quite adapt to eating meat, even though we know how important it is for us."

"It’s fine. Habits need time to change, and having some vegetarian food early in the morning isn’t a bad thing."

What warrior did not eat meat?

The Elves on the Muya Continent also ate meat. This was probably because, after learning Battle Qi, their bodies naturally developed a craving and need for foods high in nutrition and calories. Josh had learned this during last night’s conversation.

Simply put, the Elves had initially thought they were sick. They had never eaten meat, yet they had begun to feel a need for it. To them, that was simply unimaginable.

More and more Elves who had begun cultivating were experiencing the same feeling, including Elrond and Thranduil.

However, the two former Elf Kings did not panic. Instead, they carefully recalled Josh and the others’ manner of speaking and behavior, arriving at a conclusion—this was something that would happen naturally.

Furthermore, after the two Elf Kings tried eating meat, they discovered that it truly benefited their bodies.

Thus, the Elves gradually calmed down. They simply did not have the habit of eating meat; it was not as though they lacked the habit of hunting prey.

Still, habits required time to change, so Rivendell did not keep much meat in storage. Anyone who wanted some generally went hunting for it themselves.

"Your Majesty Josh, are you leaving again soon?" Thranduil asked seemingly casually as they chatted about the future direction of the Elf Empire over breakfast.

"Yes. I’m only going to track those Dwarves down, then deal with Smaug while I’m at it. Didn’t I already tell you all that?" Josh did not think much of it and directly told him what he intended to do.

"Then would you need an Elf skilled in tracking to accompany you?"

"You mean your son, Legolas?"

"Yes. He is an outstanding ranger, and in the future, he will also be one of your academy’s students."

"Is that so? Then let him come along."

Josh nodded indifferently. In truth, he had no need for a ranger skilled in tracking.

A dragon’s sense of smell was no joke. Josh had two dragons with him. Even if Akathosh refused, Hosdena could easily handle it.

But Josh did not mind bringing another Elf along, especially since he had a certain fondness for this fellow.

When Josh had watched The Lord of the Rings, he had been utterly captivated by this handsome, incredibly skilled fellow. Since he was already in this world, there was no harm in getting to know him.

It seems Howard and the others all know about The Lord of the Rings. I wonder what would happen if I brought Legolas before them?