The Record of Orc Civilization

A horse-drawn carriage glided along the neatly arranged cobblestone road. The carriage was opulent and spacious, pulled by two mutated animal horses.

Although the streets seemed busy with pedestrians, no one dared to obstruct the carriage. The main reason was the crest adorning the carriage's body. Another reason was the procession of mounted mages guarding its flanks on both sides.

Inside the carriage, Moku sat with his legs crossed, gazing out the window with a relaxed chin. Despite his appearance of ease, he wasn't letting his guard down. This wasn't a measure he took to calm himself, but rather a message to someone in front of him that he was at ease.

Though the surrounding mages in the procession seemed to be safeguarding him, their true purpose was to watch over Moku. The reason is because right now the relationship between the arion and the elves was currently tense.

Initially, the arion attacked elven villages, razing every one they encountered to the ground. Then, Raiden and his forces entered the Bog Forest, where he was killed by Moku and other arion. Later, seemingly without remorse, Ez and his delegation returned to the Elf Alliance territory, bringing the decapitated bodies of Raiden and his troops.

Although Ez was initially received with hospitality, a woman claiming to be Raiden's fiancée attacked him. Ez was subsequently abducted by this fiancée and taken to the Water Elf Kingdom of Aquanorin.

No one knew what Moku's intentions were at this moment, so it was only natural that the elves were concerned he might go on a rampage and attack them. However, all of this was part of Moku's plan from the beginning.

Unlike the diplomacy with the Human Alliance, which was merely a path for Nevare's intentions, the relationship that Wilwatikta Kingdom was forging with the Elf Alliance was more intricate. Moku aimed to have the Elf Alliance as a primary façade for the arion to be recognized as an mana species.

For this purpose, a meticulous and cautious process was required. One crucial step was to have Ez captured. This was important not just for superstitious reasons, but also to achieve the desired impact.

With Ez's capture, the morale of the Elf Alliance would be significantly diminished. Wilwatikta Kingdom would have a foundation to help the elves forget the events involving the raided elven villages and the death of Raiden.

After concluding the negotiations with Grit, Moku promptly journeyed to the Elf Alliance territory, using the pretext that the arion king had summoned him back to Wilwatikta Kingdom. Moku wasn't overly concerned about West Fortress; Nevare and the others had learned about the secret passage that could facilitate their escape in case the Human Alliance decided to attack them.

"Ahem... ahem... Moku The Ku, please forgive me for failing to protect Ez The First Diplomat while he was under my care," a mountain elf siting before him uttered.

He was the same mountain elf who had welcomed Ez and his delegation. Feeling guilty, he had also been the one to fetch Moku as he exited the Bog Forest.

"I'd prefer if you just call me Moku. I'll address you as Gundrid. You needn't feel remorseful. Besides, you couldn't have done much when the Aquanorin King's daughter suddenly attacked you. I've read the letter Ez sent me, and there seems to be a clear cultural divide between the elf and arion species.

"If this had happened in the arion realm, Raiden's fiancée would likely have lost her head over her actions. Yet, it appears that the elf species still believes that blood relations and power are far more significant than strength," Moku stated.

He framed his speech not in a mocking tone but rather like a tourist surprised by the peculiar customs of the place he's visiting. It's akin to tourists arriving in a country where the traffic jam is caused by a sleeping cow in the middle of the road. While these tourists might not comprehend why no one honks or shoos the cow off the road, they understand it's a difference in belief.

However, despite Moku's non-mocking tone, Gundrid still perceived it as sarcasm. This was evident from the twitch in his facial expression and his forced smile.

"Thank you for your understanding, Moku. But once again, I can only apologize. My king, The King of Earth Elf, has spoken to the Water Elf king about this matter. I assure you that you will be well received in Aquanorin, and Ez, along with the other arion, will be treated with the utmost care," Gundrid said, slightly lowering his head.

"Hmm... If you insist, I'll accept your apology. Besides, I don't want someone as strong as you to lower their head to me. You seem to be mocking me, a weaker individual," Moku smiled.

"Ah? Is that so... Well..." hearing that, Gundrid's expression became increasingly perplexed.

Moku understood what Gundrid was feeling at the moment. Gundrid's emotions were mixed between being pleased that Moku was praising his strength and being puzzled about how to react.

One of the tools Moku employed in diplomacy with the elf species was exploiting the cultural and perceptual differences between the two races. The greater the cultural and perceptual disparity, the easier it was for Moku to make the elves forget what happened in the Bog Forest.

"Ah, it seems we've arrived at the Water Elf Kingdom. Am I correct?" Moku asked as he noticed they had passed through the grand gates.

"Actually, we haven't entered Aquanorin precisely, but we have entered the territory of the Water Elf Kingdom," Gundrid explained after looking out of the carriage window.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Moku inquired.

"Hahaha... actually, Aquanorin isn't situated on the surface but beneath Lake Toba," Gundrid replied.

"Under the lake?"

"Yup, that's right. The Lake Toba I'm referring to is a vast lake with a diameter that might be over three times larger than the largest lake in the Human Alliance territory," Gundrid tried not to sound conceited.

He even forgot that the individual he was conversing with was unaware of the size of the largest lake in the Human Alliance region. Nevertheless, this aligned with the content of Ez's letter, which mentioned that Gundrid held disdain for humans and enjoyed highlighting the superiority of the elf species over humans.

As a good listener, Moku had to praise him now, right?

"Wow, that's truly astounding! Three times larger than the largest lake in the Human Alliance territory? Truly awe-inspiring," though Moku struggled with the art of praise.

Fortunately, Gundrid couldn't decipher his stiff compliments and beamed with joy. He began to elaborate on the greatness of the Elf Alliance compared to the Human Alliance, without Moku needing to ask anything.

Easily, Moku acquired all the information that couldn't be conveyed in Ez's letter. If it were like this, Moku wouldn't need to strain his brain to extract information from Gundrid about the Elf Alliance.

Gundrid continued to boast about the Elf Alliance to Moku until they arrived at the lake mentioned by Gundrid earlier. When Moku saw the lake in person, only then did he truly comprehend the vastness of Lake Toba.

The body of water before him could no longer be called just a lake but rather an ocean. Perhaps the expanse of Lake Toba could rival that of the Red Sea in his previous life.

Despite this, Moku didn't spot any structures apparent on this vast expanse of water. Nor did he see any way to reach Aquanorin located beneath this lake.

Moku could see a wide grin on Gundrid's face, as if to say, "Prepare yourself for a surprise." So, Moku held back his questions and waited for the surprise that Gundrid was hinting at.

*GLUGLUGLUGLU

Suddenly, a powerful vibration occurred, causing the water of the lake before him to tremble intensely. Moku observed the once calm lake now being ruffled by large waves, as though a colossal hand was stirring Lake Toba.

*DANG!

Following that was a loud groaning sound, akin to a massive iron door being forcefully opened. And suddenly, the water in the lake split in two. It widened gradually, forming a path that could be traversed.

Moku was astonished by the unfolding scene. He could sense the mana roiling within the lake, as if some magical mechanism was at work. Whatever technology the Water Elf Kingdom employed was so massive that it could split a lake of this size.

Seeing Moku's astonishment, Gundrid beamed with delight. He signaled to the coachman to proceed. Their procession entered the path formed by the split lake.

Moku saw fish swimming leisurely in the water, seemingly unaware that their habitat had just been cleaved in two. But his eyes were soon treated to something even more wondrous.

Clusters of elegant towers soaring into the heights. The tops of these towers appeared to align with the elevated water level of the split lake. These towers were adorned with colorful shells, coral, and luminescent plants.

The structures were made of materials not only resilient to water pressure but also emitted a gentle, captivating light, illuminating the depths with a soft and enchanting radiance. Bridges crafted from sturdy aquatic plants and adorned with glowing flowers elegantly connected different parts of the kingdom, forming a network of winding pathways within the water.

The Aquanorin garden was a sight to behold. The vibrant underwater flora adorned the tapestry of stunning colors, ranging from the gentle hues of seaweed to the brilliance of coral reefs.

With great enthusiasm, Gundrid exclaimed, "Welcome to Aquanorin, The Kingdom of Water Elf!"