Chapter 3114: Way Out

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Lil’ Red Storm Realm

If Dalia had genuinely wanted him dead, this was the perfect opportunity. He had voluntarily dismantled his strongest defensive form and exposed his original body while already restrained by her roots. She could have killed him effortlessly. But she hadn’t. That didn’t prove all of his suspicions.

It didn’t tell him what Dalia wanted. It didn’t reveal whether the ancient force he suspected existed actually wanted his cooperation. But it proved one crucial thing. They didn’t intend to kill him unless it became necessary. And as long as that remained true, Thalorien still had room to negotiate.

Now that his survival was out of the way, he needed to figure out how he could get out of his predicament and turn this loss into a win for the Snow Elven race. Just then, the suns and moons the Celestial Treant move to their original place while the Celestial Treant also morphed to its original realm form.

Thalorien found himself on the surface of the Lil’ Red Storm Realm, his body bound from the neck down by thick roots that had emerged from the ground beneath him. The roots weren’t merely wrapped around his body. They had taken root within him, suppressing his movement while continuously siphoning his Frost Rule Stream.

He didn’t have to wait long. In the distance, ground slowly sank as numerous colossal roots tore out of rocks and mud, the entire surface of the realm seemed to shift. Moments later, the roots joined to form a humanoid figure before Thalorien, it was Dalia. She appeared much smaller in her current form, but Thalorien knew better than to mistake her reduced size for reduced strength.

"Where has all your arrogance gone?" Dalia asked with a teasing smile. "Was this Black Water Realm too much for you to handle?"

Thalorien remained silent for a moment. He had already accepted that continuing to fight would accomplish nothing. More importantly, Dalia was finally willing to speak with him. That alone was enough to confirm that surrendering had been the correct decision.

"Your Highness, I apologize for my rudeness earlier," Thalorien said sincerely. "I failed to recognize your greatness and offended you with my ignorance. For that, I am willing to accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate."

His words were carefully chosen, and his tone was remarkably humble for someone who had spent most of his life standing at the peak of his chosen field.

Internally, however, Thalorien was relieved. Dalia hadn’t killed him. Despite everything that had happened between them, she had given him an opportunity to speak. To Thalorien, that meant his earlier deduction was most likely correct. There was something the force behind Dalia wanted from him.

And also, he was a little astonished to learn that even an existence as extraordinary and taboo as Dalia couldn’t simply disregard the interests of whatever ancient force stood behind her on her whim. This brought Thalorien a strange sense of satisfaction. After all, his bet despite the risks proved to correct.

"My, my. You can certainly be quite the talker when you want to be, can’t you?" Dalia said, her smile widening with unmistakable satisfaction. "You’re right, though. I am great, and so is my brother. You should be grateful to him. If it weren’t for him, I would have killed you long ago."

She leaned slightly closer, her expression becoming almost haughty with pride at finally seeing the previously arrogant Snow Elven Crown Prince brought to his knees. "Since you have finally recognized our greatness, it isn’t too late for you to repent."

Thalorien listened carefully while doing his best to conceal the thoughts racing through his mind. So he had been right. At least one member of the ancient Ruler-class force behind this bizarre Celestial was apparently interested in him. More importantly, Dalia had openly mentioned her younger brother and implied that he was the reason Thalorien was still alive.

That meant his earlier speculation about his research was probably correct. They wanted something from him. Most likely, they had discovered the significance of his Froslings and Half-Blood experiments. But another question immediately surfaced. How had her younger brother learned about the experiment?

Thalorien had guarded that research extremely carefully. Only a handful of the highest-ranking ministers who had served under his father knew about it. Even within the Snow Elven royal court, knowledge of the true purpose behind the Half-Blood project had been tightly restricted.

The Froslings themselves certainly didn’t know. They were test subjects, not participants in the research process. So how had Dalia’s younger brother discovered it? Thalorien briefly considered several possibilities.

Perhaps the ancient Ruler-class force possessed an intelligence network that extended into the Snow Elven Region. Perhaps they had obtained information from the Demon Merchant Code. Or perhaps they had some ability capable of seeing through secrets that he considered impossible to uncover.

The last possibility made him particularly uncomfortable. But Thalorien quickly pushed the question aside. It wasn’t important right now. He didn’t need to know how they had learned about his experiment. He only needed to know that they wanted something related to it. And that changed everything.

For the first time since surrendering, Thalorien felt that he wasn’t standing at the edge of a cliff with nowhere to go. There was a negotiation table somewhere beneath all this chaos. He simply needed to find it.

And now that he had a rough idea of what his captors wanted, he finally knew how to approach the negotiation. He would give them something they valued. In return, he would demand something even more important to him.

The survival and continuation of his research. For the sake of the Snow Elven race, Thalorien was prepared to bargain with his life and life’s work on the line.

"Your Highness, I am grateful for your discretion, and for His Highness’s decision to spare my life. If there is anything I can do to repay that consideration, I would be honored to do so. Please, name your price."

Thalorien spoke politely, his posture as respectful as the roots binding him allowed. There was no trace of the arrogance he had displayed earlier. Every word had been carefully chosen, and every compliment was delivered with sincerity rather than desperation.

But beneath that composed exterior, he was throwing out bait. He wanted Dalia to reveal what she and the force behind her actually wanted from him.

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