Chapter 117

An imperial scholar in the early days once said:

"The arrogance of the elves living beyond the western forests knows no bounds. They believe they are superior to humans in every way, viewing humanity as an inferior species."

Upon hearing this, any human would feel indignation. "How dare they act like that—who are they to think so highly of themselves?" And many would question just how much better the elves could really be. But there is more to this proverb:

"The tragic thing is that we cannot deny their words. While humanity may someday surpass the elves, today is not that day."

The elves, a race long past their prime, saw their population gradually decline as they fell into a slow, inevitable decline. And yet, humanity had not surpassed them. Physically robust and agile, the elves retained ancient magic lost to humanity and continued to practice techniques for creating enchanted artifacts that had long disappeared from human knowledge.