AEKMEM chapter 58

“Crack—” An Qiao indifferently crushed the white porcelain teacup in his hand.

“Today, everyone in the empire will see an elf.”

If what he said was true, did they find out that he was an elf and want to force him? Or did they create a fake elf?

After all, if it were a real elf, he, the Elf King, would have noticed.

Either way, it was a provocation!

“Does your hand hurt?” Chu Heng quickly grabbed An Qiao’s hand, which had crushed the teacup, and examined it.

He seemed truly enraged. An Qiao rarely showed such anger.

But, thinking about it, it made sense. After all, being provoked like that was bound to make anyone furious!

An Qiao: “… ”

An Qiao: “…I’m fine.”

He wasn’t so angry as to lose his temper and hurt himself.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qi stared blankly as An Qiao effortlessly crushed the teacup in his hand. Then, he watched as Chu Heng grabbed An Qiao’s hand and asked, “Does it hurt?” Jiang Qi was unsure whether to be shocked by An Qiao’s ruthless strength or retort that the two were unconsciously showing off their affection in front of him again.

Although Jiang Qi had gathered clues over time and suspected that An Qiao wasn’t weak and helpless, seeing the seemingly fragile An Qiao effortlessly crush a teacup without getting hurt was shocking.

Moreover, An Qiao’s aura was terrifyingly low.

Even someone as experienced as Jiang Qi was taken aback by this imposing presence.

Why was An Qiao so displeased? Was it because his enemy, Mo Zhiyuan, had encountered the elf first, making An Qiao unhappy?

An Qiao’s brows furrowed.

He suddenly remembered the Demon King’s remnant spirit appearing last night. At the time, he had been puzzled, wondering if the Demon King’s remnant soul had lost a powerful fragment just to provoke him with words and cause him to suffer the backlash of the Demon King’s curse?

But now, An Qiao thought of the blood he had coughed up because of the Demon King’s curse.

One drop of blood wouldn’t have mattered on its own. But this world contained elves with elf genes. For an elf, the blood would be useless, but the Demon King’s remnant soul possessed strange abilities.

An Qiao suspected that the Demon King’s soul had created a fake elf with a short-lived effect.

This was a blatant provocation and an insult to the elf race!

It could not be tolerated!

**

Not long after, at 9:44 a.m., Mo Zhiyuan posted a video online announcing that the “elf” would appear in the square in front of the Blue Star City government building in ten minutes, at 9:54 a.m., and that the event would be broadcast live, allowing the “elf” to meet the entire empire.

The news came as a complete surprise.

Originally, everyone thought Mo Zhiyuan’s promise to “let everyone in the Empire see the elf today” would be in the evening or afternoon since preparations were needed. Unexpectedly, it happened so quickly!

And it was broadcast live!

This news caused an uproar throughout the empire.

The elf!

The elf had actually appeared!

When Mo Zhiyuan announced he had seen an elf in Blue Star City, some people were skeptical. Now, they were absolutely convinced.

Unlike the elites who already knew about the elves in the Star Beast Forest, most of the empire had only just learned that elves had finally reappeared after so many years!

And what’s more! They could see the elf with their own eyes through a live broadcast!

The entire population of the empire—especially those in Blue Star City—was ecstatic and wished they could throw a grand feast and celebrate for days and nights.

However, many were filled with regret. With only ten minutes, they simply couldn’t make it to the square in front of the Blue Star City government building to see the elf in person.

In contrast to the overwhelming joy of most of the Empire’s population at the elf’s appearance, the various factions in the upper echelons of the Imperial Capital Star had more complicated feelings.

Initially delighted by the news that “His Highness the Crown Prince will soon meet the real elf,” those who supported Crown Prince Chu Heng now felt somewhat worried upon learning of the announcement from the Second Prince’s cousin, Mo Zhiyuan.

Mo Zhiyuan had met the elf first and might already have a good relationship with it. If the elf supported the Second Prince, it could cause trouble.

With his 3S-level strength, military achievements, and prestige, which surpasses even that of the Emperor, the Crown Prince has a strong chance of victory, even against the Second Prince, who has the elf’s support.

However, the elf’s power is unpredictable, and its influence within the Empire is significant. There’s a fear that it might interfere with Chu Heng’s ascension to the throne.

Still, it’s uncertain whether this elf will support the Second Prince.

They could send someone to contact the elf and try to win it over. Fortunately, the Crown Prince is currently in Blue Star City, which makes reaching the elf convenient.

Meanwhile, the Second Prince’s faction, which had almost given up hope, felt a glimmer of hope upon hearing this news.

Since Mo Zhiyuan, the Second Prince’s cousin, had the privilege of meeting the elf first and arranging for the elf to meet the empire’s people in person, it seems that he has a good relationship with the elf.

—Which meant they might have the opportunity to draw this elf into the second prince’s camp.

If the elf supported the second prince, he might be able to rival the crown prince.

The Mo family, who considered themselves the biggest winners, were preparing a celebratory banquet when Mo Zhiyuan claimed to have seen the elf in Blue Star City.

Their scion had actually gotten involved with an elf!

The Empire’s top military academy had previously refused Mo Zhiyuan’s request to “elf search” in order to curry favor with Crown Prince Chu Heng’s wife, An Qiao.

Now, were they regretting it? Had they been slapped in the face?

Crown Princess An Qiao and the three so-called “outstanding freshmen,” Chu Wen and Xiong Yi, hadn’t seen the elf at all! Mo Zhiyuan of the Mo family was the first to see the elf and gain its friendship.

Given Mo Zhiyuan’s good relationship with the elf, the Mo family’s advancement would be easy!

The Mo family was excited. They planned to invite all the prominent figures in the capital to a celebratory banquet for the elf’s public appearance, ensuring it would be grand and lavish.

The banquet hall had to be large and magnificent. Furthermore, the music, fireworks, lighting, and food had to be impeccable.

Almost the entire Mo family was mobilized, and their spirits soared as they prepared for the banquet, which would undoubtedly be the talk of the town.

However, the Second Prince, Chu Feiyu, was excited yet somewhat displeased upon learning about the “elf livestream.”

What was wrong with Mo Zhiyuan?
Not notifying him when he first saw the elf was bad enough, but now the elf was about to livestream to the empire, and Mo Zhiyuan still hadn’t notified him?

Moreover, such a crucial and inspiring event—one that could have greatly boosted his reputation and built momentum—should have been left for him, the Second Prince, to handle personally upon arriving in Blue Star City instead of letting Mo Zhiyuan waste such a good opportunity.

Disobeying his orders to notify him in advance and blocking and ignoring his messages—if it weren’t for Mo Zhiyuan’s merit in finding the elf first, Chu Feiyu would give Mo Zhiyuan a good scolding! Now that he’s grown up, he thinks he can be disobedient?

While everyone else was focused on the news of the “elf’s appearance,” An Qiao immediately noticed that something was off about “Mo Zhiyuan.”

“Mo Zhiyuan” clearly seemed possessed by the Demon King’s remnant soul—or at least severely influenced and controlled by it.

The Demon King’s soul had blatantly set a trap for him, knowing he wouldn’t tolerate a “fake elf” appearing in public. It used this to lure him out and force him to reveal himself.

**

An Qiao excused himself and left alone.

Chu Heng didn’t need to guess—An Qiao was definitely out because of the “elf livestream.”

Was An Qiao’s unusual anger over this matter likely stemming from something wrong with the “elf livestream”?

According to Mo Zhiyuan, an elf will appear, but it won’t be An Qiao. Could another elf be appearing in the Empire?

That shouldn’t be possible, should it? Elves like An Qiao are already quite rare in the Empire.

Chu Heng’s intuition told him that the “elf” about to appear in the square in front of the Blue Star City government building was problematic.

An Qiao was probably off solving this “problem.”

He wondered if it would cause trouble.

Chu Heng had a bad feeling about this.

When he saw “Mo Zhiyuan” on the screen, he felt that something about him seemed off. He had beaten up the real Mo Zhiyuan before, so he was somewhat familiar with him.

Seeing the “Mo Zhiyuan” on the screen filled him with a strange sense of disgust.

It felt… like a completely different person.

Chu Heng frowned as a sense of unease crept into his heart.

He had a feeling that Mo Zhiyuan’s appearance in front of the Blue Star City government building and his live broadcast of the meeting with the citizens were specifically targeted at An Qiao.

Thinking of this, Chu Heng’s eyes darkened.

An Qiao said he wanted to go for a walk alone and didn’t want Chu Heng to accompany him. But he could go directly to the scene.

He was about to follow An Qiao out the door when Jiang Qi stopped him. “Your Highness, quite a few people want to contact you.”

The elf was about to appear in the square in front of the Blue Star City government building to meet with the imperial people in person—this was a momentous event that could not be ignored. Moreover, the Second Prince’s cousin, Mo Zhiyuan, facilitated it.

The Crown Prince’s faction couldn’t help but feel worried.

Crown Prince Chu Heng was in Blue Star City at the moment, and they hoped he could do something.

“Tell them—” Chu Heng said to Jiang Qi as they walked.

“I understand your concerns,” he said slowly, his tone resolute. “Rest assured, the elf are definitely on our side.”

“All right, I’m going to see the elf leaders now. Adjutant Jiang, handle whatever needs to be done.” With that, he strode out.

Jiang Qi: “… ”

Given Chu Heng’s impatient manner, Jiang Qi knew without a doubt that he had gone to find An Qiao. He even made up an excuse, saying he was “going to see the elf”!

However, An Qiao should have gone to the square in front of the Blue Star City government building. If Chu Heng was following An Qiao, then he could at least be said to be “going to see the elf.”

**

A slender young man wearing a hooded cloak arrived at the square in front of the Blue Star City government building.

From afar, an elf appeared on a makeshift platform in the center of the square. He had silver hair, wore a white robe, and had pointed ears.

The square was already densely packed with people, making it impossible to squeeze in.

“An elf!”

“An elf!”

People kept shouting excitedly.

Without the staff from relevant departments maintaining order and the elf’s inherent influence, the scene would have probably descended into chaos.

An Qiao, a slender young man wearing a wide-hooded cloak, took a deep breath.

The Demon King’s remnant soul had actually created a fake elf!

Through some strange means, the remnant soul of the Demon King had managed to incorporate a drop of his blood into the “fake elf,” allowing the elven-human to maintain an “elven” appearance for no more than half an hour.

This was a profound disgrace to their elven race!

Their dignity must not be desecrated! Anyone who dares to desecrate it will pay the price in blood!

Before he could react, the fake elf stepped onto the stage and declared,

“Crown Prince Chu Heng will surely bring immense disaster to the Empire. I, an elf, guarantee this.”

These words immediately silenced the entire hall.

Clearly, no one had expected the “elf” to say such a thing, and they were all stunned.

An Qiao was furious.

They dared to slander Chu Heng!

They falsely accused the crown prince of bringing disaster to the empire!

And they did it as an “elf”!

You modified, counterfeit product dare to use the identity of an elf to slander Chu Heng!

The usually aloof, elegant, and self-possessed Elf King was enraged.

An intense volcanic eruption of anger surged through his heart.

Impersonating an elf! Using the identity of an elf to slander Chu Heng!

And the remnant soul of the Demon King is the mastermind behind it all!

He wouldn’t let any of them get away with it!

“Crack—crack—”

The hard stone floor beneath his feet cracked and splintered from the uncontrollable force of his extreme anger.

He pulled back the wide, white hood of his cloak.

His waist-length silver hair slowly grew down to his ankles.

A pair of pointed ears, characteristic of elves, were half-hidden beneath his hair.

Of course, he had used light-attribute magic to add “special effects” to his face, creating an aura of unseen light that ensured no one could clearly see what he actually looked like.

Weren’t they all looking for elves?

Then he’d appear as they wished.

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