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Chapter 703 Transformation
The originally joyful Light Elf Castle was now replaced by a tense atmosphere.
For thousands of years, due to their living environment, Light Elves rarely experienced the emotion of anger. However, now facing their kidnapped cub, they were experiencing it to the extreme.
The spears in their hands were creaking from being gripped so tightly. If not for the kidnapped child, these sharp spear tips would have already poked dozens of blood holes in Malekith's body.
"I'll ask you again, Malekith," the Elf Queen said, lightly gritting her silver teeth. "What exactly do you want?"
Even though Malekith held a hostage, the Elf Queen did not lower her form. Although she was currently in a weaker position, blindly yielding would only lead to a deeper passivity. A certain degree of firmness could maintain a slight initiative.
But this was just a drop in the bucket. The Elf Queen was now like a wasp whose stinger had been removed, merely struggling in vain.
"Knowledge," Malekith slowly uttered a word. "I need all the knowledge that the Light Elves have accumulated since their birth."
"That's impossible!"
"That's what we've accumulated over time, step by step, through hard work! How can we give it to you, a villain!"
Before the Elf Queen could even speak, the surrounding servants couldn't help but curse out loud. Knowledge, no matter where, is the most precious thing. It was no exaggeration to say it was priceless.
The knowledge accumulated by the Light Elves since their birth was vast and unimaginable, including magic, botany, astronomy, and so on. Each piece was precious. Among them, the most important was magic, and the rest of the knowledge was basically a byproduct of studying magic.
Light Elves were not stingy people. They were generally not stingy with their knowledge towards guests. However, it also depended on who it was. Villains like Malekith, who came uninvited, were definitely not within this category.
Moreover, Malekith's infamous reputation was known throughout the Nine Realms. If he were to obtain the Light Elves' vast knowledge, who knew what kind of catastrophe he would unleash.
Hearing the servants' objections, Malekith paused his hand stroking the child's face. The next second, the vein on his palm bulged, and he suddenly pinched the child's face hard.
"Stop!" the Elf Queen quickly cried out, her eyes fixed on Malekith and the child. This allowed her to react when Malekith suddenly turned aggressive.
"I am speaking with your Queen," Malekith said with a deceptively harmonious smile, which sharply contrasted with the terrified expression of the child in his hand. "You little pawns should just stand there quietly."
"You know, I'm quite timid," Malekith continued. "If I get frightened by you rough-voiced servants, my hand might just slip and twist this child's head off."
The servants were unwilling, but they could only allow Malekith to act recklessly. For long-lived races like them, having offspring was a very troublesome affair. Otherwise, with their lifespan, even if they only had the same reproductive rate as Midgardians, it wouldn't take much – just two or three hundred years, and Alfheim would be overflowing with Light Elves.
This was perhaps for the sake of ecological balance. The fertility rate of long-lived races, including Light Elves, was relatively low. Therefore, children were extremely important to them, which was why Malekith was so fearless.
"Now, it's time for you to give me your answer, Queen," Malekith said, still with a refined demeanor. "Is it the knowledge accumulated in the past, or the future of your race? What choice will you make?"
Neither the servants nor the watching common folk wanted the Queen to agree to this deal. Currently, only the Light Elves were being harmed, but if that knowledge were given to Malekith, then the entire Nine Realms might fall into great danger.
But to err is human. Even if Light Elves were kind and beautiful, they still had selfishness. That was a child, the future of the Light Elves. Clearly, it was just a word of rejection, but at this moment, no one could bring themselves to say it.
The Elf Queen was the same. Her brow furrowed deeply as she entered a state of inner turmoil. Malekith remained silent, for he most enjoyed watching others struggle in pain. Of course, if the person in pain was Thor, it would be even better.
Finally, the Elf Queen's brow relaxed, and she lightly parted her red lips. "I... refuse your request!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell into a solemn silence. Malekith looked at the Elf Queen, slightly stunned. Clearly, this outcome was beyond his expectation.
"Abandoning a compatriot is indeed difficult to say," the Elf Queen said, closing her eyes in pain. But she quickly opened them again, staring directly into the eyes of the kidnapped child.
"But the Light Elves should not drag the entire Nine Realms down for the sake of selfishness. Malekith, you are the embodiment of darkness and depravity. I absolutely cannot allow you to obtain the knowledge of the Light Elves. The Nine Realms should not endure war again."
As she said this, the Elf Queen raised her hand, about to activate the communication crystal she had been holding. But Malekith was faster. His hand, already prepared, surged with purple energy and pierced through the child's belly. Fresh blood immediately flowed out.
The dazzling color burst into the eyes of everyone present. Malekith's act of killing the hostage was too swift and decisive. Everyone present failed to react. The Elf Queen, who was looking directly into the child's eyes, even witnessed the process of life fading away little by little.
Her heart skipped a beat, almost as if all her strength had been drained away. It was because of this momentary shock that she failed to activate the crystal immediately.
Malekith seized this opportunity. He threw the child's corpse in his hand towards the Elf Queen, who was stunned by the shock. Having lost his hostage, Malekith was immediately overwhelmed by the furious servants.
Watching the child fly through the air towards her, the Elf Queen felt as if her world had fallen into slow motion. She could clearly see the terrified, disappointed expression on the child's face. These seemed to transform into knives, piercing her heart.
Perhaps wanting to try and save the child who hadn't been dead for too long, or perhaps not wanting the child's body to suffer further damage, in any case, the Elf Queen reached out and caught the child hurtling towards her.
Despite the fresh blood flowing from the wound, the Elf Queen cradled the child in her arms. Healing magic was immediately cast. To the Queen's surprise, the wound was actually healing, little by little.
Healing magic was ineffective on a corpse. This meant the child could still be saved! The Elf Queen was overjoyed. She continued healing and gently moved her hand to support the back of the child's head, hoping to make him a little more comfortable – a small compensation, perhaps.
But as the Elf Queen gently lifted the child's head, she froze, stunned. Because the child's face had changed. It had transformed from childish innocence to maturity and breathtaking beauty. It was a face that would stun any woman, a face that one would involuntarily fall in love with.
"Your heart wavered, my Queen~"
(End of Chapter)
The originally joyful Light Elf Castle was now replaced by a tense atmosphere.
For thousands of years, due to their living environment, Light Elves rarely experienced the emotion of anger. However, now facing their kidnapped cub, they were experiencing it to the extreme.
The spears in their hands were creaking from being gripped so tightly. If not for the kidnapped child, these sharp spear tips would have already poked dozens of blood holes in Malekith's body.
"I'll ask you again, Malekith," the Elf Queen said, lightly gritting her silver teeth. "What exactly do you want?"
Even though Malekith held a hostage, the Elf Queen did not lower her form. Although she was currently in a weaker position, blindly yielding would only lead to a deeper passivity. A certain degree of firmness could maintain a slight initiative.
But this was just a drop in the bucket. The Elf Queen was now like a wasp whose stinger had been removed, merely struggling in vain.
"Knowledge," Malekith slowly uttered a word. "I need all the knowledge that the Light Elves have accumulated since their birth."
"That's impossible!"
"That's what we've accumulated over time, step by step, through hard work! How can we give it to you, a villain!"
Before the Elf Queen could even speak, the surrounding servants couldn't help but curse out loud. Knowledge, no matter where, is the most precious thing. It was no exaggeration to say it was priceless.
The knowledge accumulated by the Light Elves since their birth was vast and unimaginable, including magic, botany, astronomy, and so on. Each piece was precious. Among them, the most important was magic, and the rest of the knowledge was basically a byproduct of studying magic.
Light Elves were not stingy people. They were generally not stingy with their knowledge towards guests. However, it also depended on who it was. Villains like Malekith, who came uninvited, were definitely not within this category.
Moreover, Malekith's infamous reputation was known throughout the Nine Realms. If he were to obtain the Light Elves' vast knowledge, who knew what kind of catastrophe he would unleash.
Hearing the servants' objections, Malekith paused his hand stroking the child's face. The next second, the vein on his palm bulged, and he suddenly pinched the child's face hard.
"Stop!" the Elf Queen quickly cried out, her eyes fixed on Malekith and the child. This allowed her to react when Malekith suddenly turned aggressive.
"I am speaking with your Queen," Malekith said with a deceptively harmonious smile, which sharply contrasted with the terrified expression of the child in his hand. "You little pawns should just stand there quietly."
"You know, I'm quite timid," Malekith continued. "If I get frightened by you rough-voiced servants, my hand might just slip and twist this child's head off."
The servants were unwilling, but they could only allow Malekith to act recklessly. For long-lived races like them, having offspring was a very troublesome affair. Otherwise, with their lifespan, even if they only had the same reproductive rate as Midgardians, it wouldn't take much – just two or three hundred years, and Alfheim would be overflowing with Light Elves.
This was perhaps for the sake of ecological balance. The fertility rate of long-lived races, including Light Elves, was relatively low. Therefore, children were extremely important to them, which was why Malekith was so fearless.
"Now, it's time for you to give me your answer, Queen," Malekith said, still with a refined demeanor. "Is it the knowledge accumulated in the past, or the future of your race? What choice will you make?"
Neither the servants nor the watching common folk wanted the Queen to agree to this deal. Currently, only the Light Elves were being harmed, but if that knowledge were given to Malekith, then the entire Nine Realms might fall into great danger.
But to err is human. Even if Light Elves were kind and beautiful, they still had selfishness. That was a child, the future of the Light Elves. Clearly, it was just a word of rejection, but at this moment, no one could bring themselves to say it.
The Elf Queen was the same. Her brow furrowed deeply as she entered a state of inner turmoil. Malekith remained silent, for he most enjoyed watching others struggle in pain. Of course, if the person in pain was Thor, it would be even better.
Finally, the Elf Queen's brow relaxed, and she lightly parted her red lips. "I... refuse your request!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell into a solemn silence. Malekith looked at the Elf Queen, slightly stunned. Clearly, this outcome was beyond his expectation.
"Abandoning a compatriot is indeed difficult to say," the Elf Queen said, closing her eyes in pain. But she quickly opened them again, staring directly into the eyes of the kidnapped child.
"But the Light Elves should not drag the entire Nine Realms down for the sake of selfishness. Malekith, you are the embodiment of darkness and depravity. I absolutely cannot allow you to obtain the knowledge of the Light Elves. The Nine Realms should not endure war again."
As she said this, the Elf Queen raised her hand, about to activate the communication crystal she had been holding. But Malekith was faster. His hand, already prepared, surged with purple energy and pierced through the child's belly. Fresh blood immediately flowed out.
The dazzling color burst into the eyes of everyone present. Malekith's act of killing the hostage was too swift and decisive. Everyone present failed to react. The Elf Queen, who was looking directly into the child's eyes, even witnessed the process of life fading away little by little.
Her heart skipped a beat, almost as if all her strength had been drained away. It was because of this momentary shock that she failed to activate the crystal immediately.
Malekith seized this opportunity. He threw the child's corpse in his hand towards the Elf Queen, who was stunned by the shock. Having lost his hostage, Malekith was immediately overwhelmed by the furious servants.
Watching the child fly through the air towards her, the Elf Queen felt as if her world had fallen into slow motion. She could clearly see the terrified, disappointed expression on the child's face. These seemed to transform into knives, piercing her heart.
Perhaps wanting to try and save the child who hadn't been dead for too long, or perhaps not wanting the child's body to suffer further damage, in any case, the Elf Queen reached out and caught the child hurtling towards her.
Despite the fresh blood flowing from the wound, the Elf Queen cradled the child in her arms. Healing magic was immediately cast. To the Queen's surprise, the wound was actually healing, little by little.
Healing magic was ineffective on a corpse. This meant the child could still be saved! The Elf Queen was overjoyed. She continued healing and gently moved her hand to support the back of the child's head, hoping to make him a little more comfortable – a small compensation, perhaps.
But as the Elf Queen gently lifted the child's head, she froze, stunned. Because the child's face had changed. It had transformed from childish innocence to maturity and breathtaking beauty. It was a face that would stun any woman, a face that one would involuntarily fall in love with.
"Your heart wavered, my Queen~"
(End of Chapter)
