Chapter 348: Half-Elf
Especially when he saw the natural, familiar interaction among Kraft, Kurtz, and Serie, the last trace of doubt in his heart vanished, replaced by sudden, enlightened understanding.
It turns out that Hero Kraft was indeed an old acquaintance of Lord Kurtz and Lady Serie.
Moreover, judging from the situation, their relationship was definitely not ordinary.
At that moment, Leggett felt an almost absurd sense of mockery toward those nobles who dared to attack Kurtz. These idiots had no idea what a terrifying existence they were facing. Not only were there god-slayers and elven saints, but even legendary heroes who had long been recorded in history were their close friends!
Their pitiful power and intrigues were child's play compared to the legends of those who truly wielded extraordinary power. They were just asking for trouble.
He composed himself and greeted Kraft. "Greetings, Your Excellency Kraft."
After Kraft replied, his gaze shifted between Leggett and Kurtz, as if he understood something. "It seems I've arrived at the wrong time? Have I disturbed your important discussion?"
"No, you've come at the right time." Kurtz smiled and said meaningfully, "There are some things you should probably hear."
In Kurtz's mind, a vision for the future of the elven race finally found the right moment to be put forward.
"Kraft, regarding your request for the continuation of the elven race that you mentioned last time," Kurtz said slowly, "I have thought of a suitable solution."
Kraft perked up, and Leggett also composed himself. Although he didn't fully understand the details, he realized that this seemed to be a major event related to the elven race, and perhaps even the future of the Kingdom of El. Otherwise, why would Kurtz allow him to stay? It couldn't just be that Kurtz wanted someone to listen, could it?
Kurtz continued, "Since the current rate of reproduction among elves cannot meet the needs of their population, it is indeed necessary to seek union with other races. Creating a magic system that allows offspring to be born between different races would likely require a long period of research. During this time, however, a more feasible direction has gradually become clearer in my mind."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two. "Those are half-elves."
"Half-elf?" Kraft frowned slightly. He was somewhat unfamiliar with the term, but he could vaguely guess its meaning: a race with half-elf blood.
While there were precedents throughout history of elves falling in love with other races, such love was often unequal. Because elves had an exceptionally long lifespan, almost infinite, the time spent with other races was far too short for them. Not to mention that the two were unable to have offspring, leaving only the elf to cherish this love alone.
In fact, neither the Elf King nor Kraft would have asked Kurtz for help unless there was absolutely no other way.
At this moment, Kurtz turned his gaze to Leggett. "Among the many races, humans are undoubtedly the best partners to realize this possibility."
Upon hearing this, Leggett leaned forward slightly, somewhat surprised. He wasn't stupid. From what Kurtz had just said, he immediately realized that the other party seemed to want to create a completely new race between humans and elves, so as to continue the bloodline of the elves.
Is this really possible?
"Humans," Kurtz explained his reasoning, "possess the most outstanding reproductive ability and adaptability among all intelligent races, making them undoubtedly the best option for intermarriage. Furthermore, human emotions are quite rich, and perhaps this can be inherited by the offspring of half-elves, thus enabling the elven race to better understand emotions."
"Of course," Kurtz changed the subject, "the huge difference in lifespan between the two sides is also an issue that cannot be ignored. Moreover, the lifespan of half-elves may not be as near-infinite as that of elves, at most only a few thousand years."
A brief silence fell over the room.
Leggett was processing this amazing idea, while Kraft was weighing its feasibility.
"What you said does make some sense, Kurtz," Kraft said. "Compared to the potential barriers and uncertainties that might arise from mating with other races, mating with humans was at least more similar in terms of appearance and intelligence. Perhaps their offspring would inherit the strengths of both parents, possessing both magical talent and physical attributes. At present, this seemed to be the most reasonable choice."
"So what should we do?" Leggett asked. He had some doubts about whether those aloof elves could really develop such feelings for humans.
Kurtz didn't answer Leggett's question alone, but looked at both him and Kraft at the same time. "So, my idea is to do it both ways."
"On the one hand, Kraft, you can gradually loosen the restrictions on communication between the Elven Kingdom and humans, encouraging both sides to establish deeper ties, thereby laying some foundation. On the other hand, Leggett, you should try your best to cooperate with this exchange, and even introduce some incentive policies to create favorable conditions for friendly exchanges between the two peoples."
"Once my magical research is complete, and I create magic that allows offspring to be born between different races, everything will fall into place naturally."
"I understand," Leggett replied first.
He had a premonition that he might not live to see the emergence of the half-elf race. After all, he had some understanding of magic and knew that anything related to life magic required an extremely long time to study. Even though Kurtz was a renowned legendary hero, life magic involving two different races would inevitably take decades to study.
Otherwise, why hadn't the other party had any offspring with Serie over the past thousand years? Did they not expect it?
Moreover, he realized that this was not only an opportunity for the elves but also for humanity. If a deep integration between the two races could be achieved, the Kingdom of El would gain unimaginable assistance.
Serie, who had been listening in the background, still had no expression on her face, but she was clearly deep in thought. Kurtz, though sometimes had wildly imaginative ideas, always had a sharp and far-sighted vision when it came to major issues concerning the future of civilization.
"Phew..." Kraft finally spoke. "I understand. I will tell the Elf King about this later, and I'm sure he won't refuse. I'll have to trouble His Majesty Leggett then." Kraft then bowed slightly to Leggett.
After all, without the other party's cooperation, subsequent plans would be difficult to carry out. Moreover, with the Kingdom of El, the most renowned nation among humans, taking the lead, other human nations could follow suit and deepen their exchanges and connections with the Kingdom of Elves.
"Rest assured, Lord Kraft, I will naturally cooperate, and my descendants, and even future emperors, will do their best to meet the needs of the elven race," Leggett promised.
[End of Chapter]