"Right now we’re pressed for time, and there’s no way to waste it tracing things all the way back, so this time I came mainly because Louis asked me to bring a message for him."

"What is it?"

"He wants to know what exactly happened back then between elves and fairies.

If possible, it’d be best if you could talk about the cause, the process, and the result."

Mr. ONE pondered for a long time, then looked at the other four members of the O5 Council.

The four could see they couldn’t dodge this, so they nodded and said:

"We can tell you everything we know, but if possible, I’d also like to share intel on your side’s investigation."

Olivia nodded in agreement.

That was a reasonable request.

At this time, Ms. Five, who was in charge of Am’s main cultural legacy, used a few methods, quickly gathered the intel on elves and fairies, then opened her eyes and said:

"Then let me be the one to talk about this."

She began recounting the information left by their predecessors.

The first thing was the rumors about fairies.

"When the five powers of O5 were founded, fairies were already no longer active on the continent.

At that time, for some reason, they all went to Lalama Land together, that place that is now where the Golden Land lies.

Back then, out of respect for the fairies, all factions marked that region as fairy territory, and swore that as long as they weren’t attacked first, they would not attack them.

At that time, fairies had not yet become the kind of monsters they are now, killing any living person they see.

Their nature made them closer to what later fairy tales said: innocent and kind, they could even grant wishes for you.

But not long after the Golden Land was sealed, according to unofficial histories we ourselves don’t dare guarantee, the World Tree that supported the crystal wall of the continent vanished."

Olivia was a bit shocked at these words.

Things like the World Tree—she had truly only seen it in myth and legend.

But if she traced the Golden Land’s history, then didn’t that mean that eight to ten thousand years ago, the World Tree was still standing on this continent?

This length of time was very short for most humans.

But for the oldest Demigods among some long-lived races...

There’s a decent chance they saw the true form of the World Tree when they were young.

Ms. FIVE frowned and said:

"Within O5, Old Three’s faction was established the earliest. That period just so happens to be when the elves came out of the Underground City, right?"

Mr. Three nodded and said:

"Yes. There was even a period where we traded with the elves that had just come out—of course, back then they weren’t yet called elves."

Olivia’s eyes lit up.

She hadn’t expected that right after meeting the O5 Council, she’d so quickly find people who’d dealt with elves in those years.

"Were any related records left from that time? I’d like to see the specific details of your trades with the elves."

Ms. Five said:

"According to the records left by our ancestors, although the fairies didn’t wage war on the outside world at that time, they were ferocious and hideous in appearance, and actually not very likable.

There’s written record saying that back then an elf once scared some chieftain’s child into tears.

But they told our ancestors those vicious Warriors were veterans tempered in battle in the Underground City; war had ravaged their bodies and made them look horrible.

Other residents weren’t affected as badly—but I found something very interesting in the ancient texts."

Olivia raised a brow. "What is it?"

Ms. Five said strangely, "Starting from the second round of trade, our ancestors gradually noticed that elves began to have individuals who matched the normal aesthetic of other races.

And as trade increased, the proportion of such individuals grew larger and larger.

Then at some point, they never again saw that first batch of elves."

All of this came from the oldest classics.

To be honest, in the past, even as the one responsible for this work, Ms. Five didn’t have the energy to comb through them word by word.

Being able to skim them roughly was already doing her duty.

To sort out the situations of every major race and carefully study the details was even harder.

So even for her, this was the first time she’d really understood this "unofficial history."

At this moment, Mr. Three spoke up:

"We no longer have any of the original trade samples, but we do have a habit of copying past bulk records, so we preserved a small portion of the early bulk-goods trade records."

Olivia said at once:

"Can you show me the records?"

"Sure, but they’re just some scrap paper that’s been kept around. The only reason it’s still here is because of the habits of our elders."

He waved a hand.

A few sheets appeared in the air.

There wasn’t much recorded, only a dozen or so bulk trades and some notes.

Olivia glanced at them.

Just as expected, the main content was mostly fixed materials consumed by Elf Archers, and it wasn’t until the last few entries that she saw a handful of materials related to enchanted arrows.

After a moment of silence, Olivia said:

"In the early years, the dwarves of Furnace Castle had the most contact with fairies, right?"

Everyone nodded.

Olivia sighed and said:

"Give me a moment, I’ll send this intel to my clone in Furnace Castle first."

Their expressions turned subtle.

This princess really couldn’t be bothered to hide anything.

Seemingly sensing their subtle looks, Olivia smiled slightly and said:

"The power of the Sin of Sloth is enough to easily extract this clone—whether it’s the one here, or the ones in Furnace Castle, the Dragon Empire, the Supreme Forest or the Hidden Grove.

It’s nothing but a thought. No one can stop me from leaving."

Such an arrogant line.

But...

If it’s a Sin, that actually sounds pretty reasonable?

A moment later, Olivia opened her eyes and said:

"I’ve confirmed it with the dwarves of Furnace Castle: the materials the fairies needed in the early years are very similar to the materials you later traded with the elves."

For a moment the O5 Council members didn’t react, but then their expressions turned horrified.

"The same as the fairies?"

"Did they learn the fairies’ techniques?"

"Impossible. Back when we traded with them, they hadn’t gone to the Golden Land yet!"

At this point, Olivia said faintly:

"According to our investigation, Tieflings had dealings with the elves back then, and we didn’t find any traces of Magic usage among the elves. I only just got that intel."

Tieflings are derived from human bloodlines and broadly still look human.

However, their devilish bloodline leaves a clear imprint on their appearance.

And as everyone knows, both demons and devils perceive Magic far better than ordinary humans.

Or rather, Magic—its earliest meaning was the spells used by demons and devils.

It was only later, as the Weave expanded, that the power of Magic gradually spread to all races.

By now, the O5 Council members already faintly had a guess.

Until Olivia nailed it down for them:

"There are a lot of old dragons on the dragon side, and during the Dragon Madness Calamity, dragons and elves fought each other to the death.

According to them, the later elves were simply nothing like what they used to be.

But thanks to the changes in the new elves, the later elves became much tastier."

This line was very Hell, but it undoubtedly nailed one thing into the coffin.

And that was...

The earliest elves couldn’t use Magic at all.

Dragons are likewise among the oldest batch of beings to master Magic.

Which made them very interested in massive concentrations of Magic Power.

The improved "flavor" of the elves indirectly indicated one thing: the elves’ Magic Power was acquired later, not innate.

But if it was only through studying, then given how short the time after the elves left the Underground City was, on what basis did they so quickly master the power of Magic and carry it forward to become one of the races most adept at Magic on the continent?

Humans live far too short. Even Demigods, compared to Demigods of those long-lived races, are at a distinct disadvantage.

The O5 Council members had actually never cared much about that slice of ancient history.

But now that they were cross-checking intel from all sides, they could feel something was off.

Weird.

Far too weird.

At this moment, a ring of light suddenly appeared at Olivia’s side.

Louis stepped out of it.

The O5 Council members’ faces instantly froze.

"Mr. One, long time no see."

Mr. One stiffly said:

"Your Highness Louis, why are you here?"

"Helmer ran over to your place. I had Olivia come here so I could use her clone to jump over to you."

He said calmly, "Relax, I have no interest in the Am Empire. What I want is only Helmer’s death."