Chapter 336: Civilization Of Elves

Daniel glanced at Rynor and fell into thought. Lately, he’d been considering the idea of annexing different forces under his control.

But how? To pull it off, he’d need to place his own people in charge of ruling those forces. In fact, he already had some understanding of how to go about it.

He had decided to make use of Serys and Andreas, and now, luckily, Rynor was in the picture as well.

Although there were a few problems—he didn’t have enough information about Elven civilization. Not just him—most forces and races didn’t know much about them either.

After all, the Elves were a race that had isolated themselves to an extreme degree, rarely appearing in public and always keeping a layer of mystery around them.

A good example was their plan regarding Ilaris. For decades, no one had any idea that a branch of the World Tree existed in those mountains.

Still, there was one thing he was sure of—the Elves had enormous ambition.

"Tell me about the structure of Elven civilization," he asked in an indifferent tone.

Fortunately, after gaining control of this body, Rynor had also obtained its memories, so answering such questions wasn’t an issue.

"All Elves live under a central government. Their territory is divided into regions and districts, and each region is controlled by one of the seat-holders of the Elves’ High Council," Rynor replied, then continued,

"There’s a bit of rivalry between them, but despite that, based on this body’s memories, I have to say they are the most united faction and race I’ve ever seen."

"They are extremely arrogant and proud, and nothing matters to them more than their dignity. The stronger an Elf is, the more respect they naturally receive from other Elves."

"I see," Daniel murmured to himself, forming a rough image of the race in his mind. Their arrogance was hardly a secret.

"So the leaders of the Elven race are these High Council seat-holders?"

"That’s partially correct, my Lord. The most powerful individual is the Elf Emperor—the number one figure of the Elves, and if I’m not mistaken, a Demi-God."

"And everyone else is beneath him. According to this body’s memories, the Emperor’s words are like the words of God, and obedience to them is absolute," Rynor said with a nod.

"Interesting. So this Emperor is both the leader and the god of the Elves, huh?" Daniel frowned slightly. If that was the case, pulling off his plan might be more troublesome than he thought.

"Well, in reality, they view him more as a leader, my Lord. Their god is the World Tree."

Daniel said nothing and fell into thought again, his expression tightening slightly. Clearly, the idea of creating a pawn capable of ruling the Elves seemed nearly impossible now.

At first, he had thought maybe he could slowly strengthen Rynor and turn him into one of the contenders for the leadership of the Elves—but now, thinking about it, it felt completely unrealistic.

"What about the High Council’s seat-holders? Tell me more about them."

"My Lord, each seat-holder is a Heavenly Climber. They are the highest-ranking officials in Elven civilization and are greatly respected. Most major decisions are made by them, and they hold tremendous political power," Rynor explained.

"What about the Seventy-Two Generals? Where do they stand in the power structure?" Daniel asked.

"The Seventy-Two Generals are ranked fifth in terms of power."

"Oh, fifth rank? How does that ranking work?"

"The ranking is based on the power each official holds. First are the Seventy-Two Generals, then above them are the Forty-Eight High Generals in the fourth rank. Above them are the Twenty-Six Overlords in the third rank, then the Twelve High Council seat-holders in the second rank, and at the very top is the Emperor," Rynor explained respectfully.

"It’s a complicated hierarchy. Still, we’re talking about an ancient race with an extremely long history—it’s expected their power structure wouldn’t be simple," Daniel murmured to himself.

The plan to make Rynor a contender for leadership was now completely discarded from his mind.

’Should I just give up on the Elves? After all, they’re an entire race, and controlling an entire race isn’t exactly easy,’ he thought.

He could start by spreading the religion of Eternity among them, but he doubted it would become popular.

After all, the Elves already had long lifespans, and they were blessed by the World Tree, which allowed them to reincarnate as Elves after death.

"Does this leader of theirs have any children? Or, more importantly, what about contenders for the Emperor’s throne?" he asked next.

"In fact, the Emperor has 97—" Before he could finish, Daniel interrupted in shock.

"97? That many kids? Forget about his own back—shouldn’t he care a little about his wife’s health?" He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"...."

"Well, most of these children are young. The slightly older ones already hold the position of General, and the more mature ones are among the High Generals and Overlords," Rynor said, unsure how to respond to his Lord’s remark, so he simply continued with his explanation.

"That said, when it comes to succession contenders... it’s a bit complicated. A Demi-God lives for a very long time, and no one really believes anything will happen to the Elf Emperor anytime soon. Still, three of his children have the highest chances of inheriting the throne."

Daniel fell silent again. Rynor was right—no one really knew what the lifespan limit of Demi-Gods was, meaning the Emperor would likely remain in power for a long time.

Still, another idea came to Daniel’s mind.

"What about the High Council’s seat-holders? Do they also stay in power until they die?"

"They are replaced every three centuries. This is an order the Elf Emperor issued to prevent power from being monopolized by the same individuals," Rynor replied after a brief pause.

"When will the next change take place?"

"If I’m not mistaken, it should be within the next three to five years."

Daniel’s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, and then a spark of joy lit up in his eyes. If that was the case, there might be some moves he could make.

It wouldn’t be too difficult to come up with a plan to make at least half of the High Council’s seat-holders into his puppets.

But he’d need to find a way to turn Rynor into a hero for the Elves first.

"Are you sure the Elves can’t discover your real identity?" That was Daniel’s biggest concern.

"Don’t worry. The more time passes, the more I’ll merge with this body, and no one will be able to tell the difference or discover my identity," Rynor answered, arrogance flickering in his eyes.

Daniel nodded and let him go wander the city on his own. After Rynor left, Daniel planned to focus on refining his scheme.

However, one of his communication talismans vibrated

it was Lana.

Apparently, something had happened, and she wanted him to leave the Celestial Domain.