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by adminIt was clear that the intention of the council was to have both sides confront each other directly, on one hand to hear the opinions of both parties, and on the other hand to raise the stakes and seek benefits. However, from this, it could also be seen that the council of the high elves had not yet been dominated by the pro-human faction, which slightly reassured Chen Xuanfeng and others.
The permanent residence of the council, the "Hall of Harmony" (Harmony, right...), is located at the center of the "Forest Island," the largest city-state of the high elves. Contrary to its name, this place is constantly filled with heated arguments and shouting.
In a sense, high elves are indeed peace-loving creatures, but precisely because they dislike fighting, they often prefer to resolve all disputes through language. Coupled with the elven language's richness and the time high elves can freely squander, it often leads to debates on a single issue lasting for over a decade. Therefore, in private, the council's residence is often referred to as the "Hall of Noise."
Today, this "Hall of Noise" is even more bustling than usual.
Due to the maneuvering of certain council members, the human representative managed to speak before Chen Xuanfeng's group, fully exploiting the advantage of the first move.
The female martial arts school inheriting the skills of the "Ancestor of Sword Saints"—the Moonlight Tower—has been intricately linked with the human forces of the eastern continent since its establishment. It is said that in terms of bloodline, the founding emperor of the Yellow Dragon Empire was a distant descendant of the first "Moon Celestial Maiden." After the establishment of the human empire, the Moonlight Tower continued to exert its influence in significant events and frequently recruited children of the Yellow Dragon royal family or married disciples into the royal family. Over several hundred years, it has almost become the royal family's exclusive martial arts school. Therefore, compared to other martial arts schools, disciples of the Moonlight Tower are required to master various political skills in addition to martial arts.
Although Tan Yueer is only seventeen or eighteen years old, she excels in both martial arts and intellectual prowess, standing out as an elite of the Moonlight Tower. Coupled with her identity as a royal princess, she showcased her charm to the fullest when facing the entire high elven council, dazzling many council members and earning their admiration.
Her speech, organized with elegant and ornate language, cited numerous exquisite and profound allusions. She first took advantage of the fact that the Yellow Dragon Empire and the high elves had no direct conflicts or hatred, fully expressing her goodwill and drawing closer to the council members. Then, she told a touching and legendary story, explaining the reason why the Yellow Dragon Empire possessed the "Chant of the Night Moon Ring" in a reasonable and convincing manner, genuinely moving some of the more emotional council members. Next, she fully expressed her aversion and rejection of war, her sympathy for the victims of war, and her longing for peace, winning the favor of all anti-war council members. Finally, she thoroughly analyzed the potential casualties and risks the high elves would face if they joined the war at this moment, presenting a shocking number that completely extinguished the fighting enthusiasm of those who were originally pro-war, before gracefully concluding her speech.
Perfect language, perfect demeanor, perfect talent, perfect influence—so-called eloquence and persuasion, perhaps nothing more than this.
Tan Yueer's performance earned her a long round of applause from all the council members. Regardless of whether they agreed with her opinions, the quality of her speech alone was enough to make these council members, who take pleasure in eloquence, shine with admiration. Compared to the brutal and lascivious orcs, although humans also have a deep-seated hatred with the high elves and pose a more practical threat to their survival, the high elves, leaning towards aestheticism and romanticism, are still prone to have a favorable impression of humans, especially elegant ones. This, too, is a kind of racial nature.
Then it was Chen Xuanfeng's turn to speak.
The opportunity for the pro-human high elven council members was quite sinister. They knew well of this werewolf lord's commoner background. If the silver-haired werewolf were truly a country-raised orc, no matter how outstanding his talent and martial arts skills, he could not compensate for the lack of cultivation, knowledge, and especially temperament. After all, "it takes three generations to make a gentleman" is not a groundless statement. Compared to Tan Yueer, he would immediately lose the support of many council members. Unfortunately, they encountered a reincarnated werewolf. In his previous life, Chen Xuanfeng was from Peach Blossom Island, and his master Huang Yaoshi always modeled himself after the Wei-Jin scholars and the sages of the Spring and Autumn period. He was not only skilled in pure talk and philosophical debate but also familiar with the strategies of the political strategists. As the saying goes, "one takes on the color of one's company." Under the influence of such a master, although Chen Xuanfeng usually lacked grace and temperament, when needed, he could be more elegant and composed than anyone else.
Of course, the miscalculation of the pro-human faction was also because they had not previously understood Chen Xuanfeng's performance in front of the Queen. Contrary to Chen Xuanfeng's prediction, although the council member Andofeya, who stood by the Queen's side that day, was a staunch member who hated orcs, she was not a core figure bought by humans. Therefore, she did not disclose the details of the conversation between the two sides, and since the council had no authority to magically monitor the Queen's palace, the arrangements of the few council members who truly made decisions inevitably had some flaws.
However, even so, Chen Xuanfeng faced considerable difficulties. After all, his identity as a werewolf itself was prone to provoke the high elves' aversion. Coupled with Tan Yueer's approach of goodwill and peace, which was clearly more in line with the high elves' nature than his upcoming war incitement, the possibility of successfully moving the high elves was quite low.
The fragments of the "Forbidden Curse Mark Crystal" had been confirmed by the high elves, and Tan Yueer, knowing that she could not deny it, also generously admitted the matter, but still emphasized that humans still possessed three Forbidden Curse Marks, which would remain a significant threat to the high elves if they chose to fight.
Chen Xuanfeng did not intend to take the emotional route, nor did he plan to avoid the losses the high elves would suffer in the war, because he knew it would be futile. His audience was a group of old monsters who had lived for hundreds or thousands of years. It would be strange if they did not have a sufficient understanding of the situation. Therefore, in his speech, Chen Xuanfeng, with the most calm attitude and the most impartial stance, listed out the implications of the high elves joining the war, how they would join, and the various choices they might face, presenting a clear attitude of letting the high elves decide for themselves, without resorting to any inflammatory rhetoric.
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