"Is there a famine?" Lilican quickly asked.
"We don't know," the goblin confessed honestly.
They were goblins. Why would they care about human affairs?
Hearing this answer, Lilican knew he had gotten excited for nothing.
Yes, what did the affairs of humans have to do with magical creatures?
It was not that the various races discriminated and excluded each other; it was that this world was big. So big that each race could occupy a territory for centuries and never meet the others.
The only exception was here, in the Dragon King's territory, where creatures all over flock to be close to the Evil Dragon. Although the Evil Dragon was notorious, it was precisely because of this that no one dared to mess around in his territory.
How could the small villains act arrogantly in front of the biggest villain? Did those bad guys think they lived too long?
Breiroc saw the Queen's frustrated look. Fearing that Cilestras would do something irreversible to appease the Queen, he suggested, "Your Grace, why not ask a human?"
"A human? Who?"
"The holy priest is still in the castle. Shall I fetch him for you?"
"No need," said Cilestras with a wave of his hand. Like how he summoned the dark elf and the two goblins, the holy priest was also brought to the great hall with a spell.
Unlike the other three, however, the holy priest was much more panicked at this sudden change of place.
He fell to the floor, wanting to shout. One moment, he was dozing off in a chair, and the next, he teleported without warning. Who wouldn't be scared?
Before he could scream, Breiroc pulled him by the arm and whispered, "Do not mess up if you want to live."
Serizain certainly understood. He could not forget, even if he wanted to, that he was in the Evil Dragon's castle.
Now the Evil Dragon and his wife were in front of him.
Under Breiroc's warning gaze, he made a shaky bow. "I am Serizain, from the Temple of the Holy Saintess Nihmea, at your service, Your Highnesses."
Lilican watched quietly as the human priest introduced himself without making eye contact.
This is the fourth creature Lilican had met so far, and all of them refused to look the dragon in the eye. Even Breiroc, the so-called magical attendant, would only glance to see what expression Cilestras had.
They all bowed as if their heads were being pressed down by an invisible force.
Fascinating, he thought. Perhaps the Black Dragon was feared not just due to his reputation.
While Lilican was observing the new arrival, Cilestras asked, "Is there a famine in the human kingdoms?"
"Y-yes, Your Majesty. Several kingdoms have been experiencing drought for three years now."
"And what did the kings and queens of those kingdoms do?"
"They said there's nothing they could do." Serizain paused, not wanting to continue. Feeling the dragon's gaze burning the top of his head, he had no choice but to say, "They say it's because of the dragon's wrath. They are being punished by His Majesty the Black Dragon."
When Breiroc heard about this, he thought it was ridiculous.
If the Evil Dragon was truly angry, would he be so gentle as to starve them to death?
No, the dragon's wrath was a calamity. It would shake the land and bring thunderstorms to strike everything in its way. It would call upon a tsunami to flood the lands and wash the world of its filth.
A true Dragon's Wrath would leave no survivors.
If it wasn't for his quick thinking earlier, they wouldn't even be experiencing Cilestras's questioning now. They'd all be dead.
The "dragon's wrath" was probably just some excuse the humans made up.
Whether it was to hide their incompetence or to besmear the dragon's image, it didn't matter to Breiroc. It had nothing to do with him, a dark elf, anyway.
What mattered to him was to survive and graduate successfully. Then he'd be a rich and prestigious elf like no other.
If Lilican could hear the dark elf's thoughts, he would've been closer to unveiling the truth.
Alas, it was a pity he didn't have any mind-reading skills.
"So I was sent as an offering to end the famine?" Lilican asked to no one in particular.
If so, it explained why he was called a traitor.
He didn't die, which meant the dragon wasn't appeased, so the famine continued.
Although the logic was twisted, it was an explanation. After all, this world evolved from a book. If a story had perfect logic, he wouldn't be sent here to fix things and resolve resentment in the first place.
When Lilican was thinking about how to solve the problem of famine in the human kingdoms, Cilestras had already started to act. This little problem was nothing for the great Black Dragon.
Cilestras waved his hand, and a topographic projection of the world appeared. This projection showed the landscapes, from mountains to valleys, as well as places where all the creatures resided in intricate detail.
It was the first time Lilican saw something like this - like a 3D projection he saw in one of his previous worlds, but more solid, massive, and active.
He couldn't stand his curiosity. He raised his hand, wanting to touch it and see if it was truly alive.
Cilestras let him, not caring that if Lilican pinched a mountaintop, that mountain would flatten in real time. He didn't think it was a big deal if Lilican changed the world's terrain with a single touch.
When Lilican curiously zoomed in, even the sheep that were grazing quietly were shown.
He tentatively poked one sheep and was surprised when the sheep moved accordingly. The sheep, startled from being moved by an invisible force, ran.
Lilican didn't follow, dragging the projection to another place instead.
Cilestras let his wife play with the magical projection, not bothering to inform him that this was more than just a map.
Breiroc and Serizain, the two top scholars in their field, were amazed. They had seen maps and projections at their school's respective libraries, but nothing like this.
The maps in their schools were all flat, often on a piece of parchment or paper. Even when the elders used magic, it was to simply magnify the map into a bigger proportion so that more people could see it at the same time.
It wasn't like this, where someone could play with it and toss the world around in his hands.
Although the two still had their heads down, they were already thinking about how to maximize the benefits from this discovery.
They were buzzing with excitement inside.
Breiroc, in particular, was thinking that his application to work under the Black Dragon was really foresighted. Although it was dangerous, the yield was equally great.
Cilestras didn't bother with the two insignificant creatures' thoughts. When Lilican's curiosity subsided, he called him and said, "Watch."
With another wave of his hand, rainclouds gathered all over, surrounding the projection in dense darkness.
Then, in the silence, they all watched as the rain nourished the land again.
Lilican saw little people leave their houses and cheer.
Farmers toiling for what little they could harvest dropped their tools, cupping their hands to catch the falling rain with tears in their eyes. Some even knelt to the ground and prayed.
None of them minded that they were soaked, cherishing each drop with a look of piety.
The system that was watching this all unfold finally couldn't help it, so it came out to ask, "It was solved just like that?"