Chapter 15
"The elves arrived with the princess of their kingdom, demonstrating their blind trust in us by putting her in potential danger," the guard said formally, without looking at the king's reaction. He was trying to convey to the king that the elves were trusting enough to warrant a degree of respect.
The king sneered at this, finding the guard's words absurd. "Exposing her to danger? I doubt they're that naive. They must have sent someone powerful to protect her."
The king wasn't gullible enough to believe that the new guests in his city were truly that trusting. There is always someone powerful assigned to protect an important figure like a princess from another kingdom. And he was right—Jing was there to protect the princess. He was chosen not just for his strength, but because he could escape with her if things went wrong.
"What should I say to them, my lord?" the guard faltered, realizing how foolish it was to assume the elves were genuinely trusting.
The guard was uncertain. If they dismissed the elves outright, it might raise tensions between the two nations. They couldn't risk angering another kingdom, especially since their allies from the previous world were now scattered across different parts of this new realm following the Great Merge. Currently, the only two civilizations they could interact with were the elves and the goblins.
However, the goblins were still too primitive to form a solid alliance as they remained behind in their development, making it difficult for more advanced races to trust them.
The king thought for a moment before deciding that the best course of action was to meet with the elves and attempt to negotiate. "Tell them I will meet with them tomorrow morning."
"Yes, sire," the guard responded, placing his right hand over his left chest without touching it, and bowed at a 90-degree angle before leaving the office.
As the guard walked out, the king returned to his work, but his mind lingered on how the upcoming negotiation would unfold.
---
The next day. Early morning. Inside the inn.
A knock at the door was heard from the room where Jing was staying. Jing was washing his daughter, Lana, who had black hair and slight scales around her eyes. Lana was enjoying a bath in a tub full of bubbles, playing with the toys Jing had given her. Just like her mother, Lana was able to transform into human form.
"I'll be right back, sweetie," Jing said as she stood up, finishing washing her hair. The knights of the king were calling for her to come out. They were there to inform her about the schedule for meeting the king that day.
"What's going on, Papa?" Lana asked, looking up at Jing with concern. She had hoped to spend time with her father during this trip, but their plans were interrupted by the knights. She felt disheartened at the thought of not being able to be with him today.
"I'll be gone for the whole day. There's an important meeting I need to attend," Jing explained, lifting Lana out of the bathtub and wrapping her in a white towel. "You can join the others and look around the city, but please don't cause any trouble, okay?"
He wanted to enjoy time with her, but the meeting would delay their plans. Still, he hoped his daughter would have fun during the trip.
"When will you be back, Papa?" she asked, tilting her head and trying to look cute in front of him.
"I'll be back tonight," Jing replied, playfully pinching her cheeks. He couldn't resist the urge. "Just behave while I'm gone."
"I will behave!" Lana said, rubbing her reddened cheeks. "Can we go out together tomorrow, just the two of us?"
Jing thought for a moment but eventually nodded. He reassured himself, thinking, 'What's the worst thing that could happen?'
---
Inside the room where Alex and James were staying, Alex was in the shower. It was difficult for him to take a proper shower because the shower stall was quite small for their size, so he had to sit down while washing himself. After finishing his bath, he walked out of the room, wrapped in a white towel covering his lower half.
"It's your turn to take a shower," Alex said, wearing the new clothes that Ai had produced for him. "I'm done."
Ai could create items out of thin air, similar to a 3D printer, but she accomplished this by absorbing the Anima in her surroundings. This ability allowed Ai to think like a normal human, but she was still just a machine, following the commands of her creator.
"Thanks." James looked at Alex, envying his perfect physique. His own body was just average with some muscle, but Alex seemed molded into perfection. James went into the bathroom to take a shower.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Alex opened it to find Jing standing outside.
"What can I do for you, sir?" Alex asked, lowering his head in fear. Jing nodded and looked around, searching for James, but he wasn't inside.
"Can you tell James to bring my daughter along on their trip to the city?" Jing requested, eyeing Alex earnestly. "She'll be alone in her room, and it's difficult to contain her energy when she gets bored. Please be careful, okay?"
If they left Lana alone in the inn, she might start acting out due to boredom. It was also challenging for Jing to bring Lana along to the meeting, as it could disrupt their negotiations.
"Okay," Alex nodded, glancing toward the bathroom to indicate that James was inside, taking a shower. "I'll tell James."
"Thank you." Jing left the room, preparing for his meeting with the dwarven king.