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He could certainly understand Elowen\'s thoughts. After all, his relationship with Elaria was no longer a secret. But for a human like him to become the Elven King, it still felt a bit strange.

"Well, you two brothers go ahead and complete your mission. I\'ll go ahead with your queen."

"Yes, Elven King!"

Under the watchful eyes of Perkins and Palmer, John took Elaria\'s hand and walked past the checkpoint, prompting a look of envy from Perkins.

"Master John and the queen really are a match made in heaven..."

"Indeed, Master John is so capable, handsome, and most importantly, powerful. It\'s really enviable. But to be honest, I always thought only someone like Elowen would have a chance to win the queen\'s heart."

"Elowen? He\'s too young, isn\'t he? How could the queen like a kid?"

"What are you talking about? Master John is not even thirty yet. Does that make him a little kid?"

"Uh... seems like you\'re right?"

-chapter

...

On the other side, John and Elaria had just arrived at the outskirts of the habitat and immediately caused a cheer from the elves. They shouted for the queen and the Elven King, attracting even more onlookers who didn\'t know what was going on.

"Everyone seems to like me, hahaha!"

"You\'ve done so much for this place. The people have remembered it in their hearts. Of course, they would respect and adore you. In fact, even if you announced that you wanted to stay in the Elven tribe as the Elven King, no one would object."

"Well... let\'s skip that. I still prefer a bit of adventure."

John gave a silly laugh and nodded to the surrounding crowd, making his way forward with difficulty.

It had only been a month, yet John felt that the number of elves had more than doubled. Listening to Elaria\'s explanation, he understood that the Deep Forest was home to many small elven tribes, not just their own habitat.

Now, under Elowen\'s leadership, their elven tribe had grown stronger, and these smaller tribes had accepted this fact and were willing to join Elowen\'s tribe for protection.

"Thriving and flourishing, my former ideals have truly come to fruition. John... I am really grateful to you."

"There\'s no need for thanks between us. Alright, the fan meeting has gone on long enough. Let\'s go find Elowen and discuss some serious matters."

With that, wings unfurled behind John. The pitch-black feathers, like an ink painting, lifted John and Elaria into the air.

Avoiding the crowd, John landed steadily in front of the palace, where Elowen had been waiting for quite some time. Seeing John and Elaria again, Elowen\'s eyes filled with tears.

"Master John, Your Majesty, welcome home!"

"Not bad! I\'ve only been gone for less than a month, and it seems you\'ve grown quite a bit. Your shoulders are broader now."

John walked up with a smile, patting Elowen\'s shoulder, and continued, "It must have been tough during this time, right?"

"Until I temporarily took on the queen\'s responsibilities, I never realized the burden she carried. If my shoulders weren\'t broad enough, how could I bear the hopes of our people?

As for whether it was tough... to be honest, it was a bit. Since Master John and the queen left, I haven\'t had a full night\'s sleep. But amidst the hardships, there was more fulfillment.

Seeing the smiles on our people\'s faces, all the fatigue just melted away."

Hearing this, Elaria\'s eyes reddened. She had long regarded Elowen as a younger brother, and seeing his growth made her very gratified.

"You\'ve done wonderfully. Don\'t put too much pressure on yourself. You have to know that every task you\'ve completed now, neither I nor any previous Elven King could have accomplished. Elowen, you\'ve surpassed us."

"Your Majesty, please don\'t say that! Master John left everything ready for me before he left. I just had to follow the plan. There\'s really nothing worth praising.

As for the Elven King... I admit, I did feel a tiny bit tempted, but only a tiny bit. You are the queen of the elves. That will never change."

Meeting Elowen\'s determined gaze, John suddenly smiled.

"Alright, we\'ll talk about this later. Once your strength improves, you won\'t be able to avoid it even if you try. Let\'s go inside. I have some things to discuss with you. No one has entered Elaria\'s chambers, right?"

"Elaria... You mean Her Majesty? Of course not! I\'ve only kept part of the palace open for receiving guests and conducting business. The rest has been sealed off, with regular cleanings and no unauthorized entries."

"That\'s good."

John couldn\'t help but admire Elaria\'s judgment. Elowen already had the demeanor of a leader, far exceeding his peers in both ability and temperament.

It seems responsibility is indeed the best catalyst for a man\'s growth.

As they entered the palace, Elaria was momentarily dazed.

The palace she had lived in for hundreds of years was still spotless, but now it had more decorations, adding a touch of prosperity.

"Your Majesty, Elven King, please take your seats!"

Elowen knelt on one knee, and for a moment, Elaria felt like she was back a month ago, before she had left.

But now...

"Elowen, stand up. I\'ve told you, you are the leader of the elves now. You don\'t need to kneel to me or anyone else!"

"But..."

"Stand up!"

Elaria commanded sternly, and Elowen stood up like a robot, not daring to hesitate.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, John quickly smiled and said, "Alright, alright, listen to me. Today, there are no queens or subjects, just friends who haven\'t seen each other for a while. Let\'s not bother with those formalities."

"...Let\'s do as John says. Elowen, you really don\'t need to be so formal."

"Understood, Que... Sister Elaria."

"That\'s more like it."

Satisfied, Elaria nodded, then passed the initiative back to John.

"Elowen, tell me about the current state of the Elven tribe. How many guards do we have, and how strong are they? What\'s the resident population in the habitat, and how many are transient? How\'s the trade situation? You know all this, right?"

"Don\'t worry, Master John, I\'ve kept records. Currently, the Elven Guard has over two thousand members, with their strength around level 35 on average. We also have an elite squad equipped with special armor."

"Additionally, the habitat has a permanent population of 640,000, with 550,000 being elves and 90,000 from other races. Most of these non-elf residents are from small tribes and have been placed on the outskirts of the habitat after undergoing multiple tests and approvals, pending further assessment.

This month, the peak transient population reached 150,000, mostly humans and dwarves coming here for trade. They usually don\'t stay long but bring rare materials and weapons, which we\'ve bartered for."

"Not bad... Although there\'s still some discrepancy from my expectations, given that our defensive strength is still somewhat lacking, this is an excellent result.

Rest assured, I\'ve returned to help you solve this problem. Armor production is now scalable; as long as we have enough materials, producing 5,000 sets shouldn\'t be an issue. Additionally, I can provide three contract monsters. Tomorrow, choose three of your most trusted lieutenants and have them meet me. I\'ll prepare the contract ceremonies for them.

Also, the golems I taught you about can now be upgraded. You should stay and oversee that as well."

Hearing this, Elowen\'s eyes lit up, feeling a deep sense of gratitude.

"Master John..."

"Enough with the formalities. You call me \'big brother,\' and I won\'t let you down. Take this. If you encounter a major disaster that the contract monsters and golems can\'t handle, crush it. I\'ll be alerted and will come to help immediately."

As he spoke, John split a jade talisman in half, handing one part to Elowen and keeping the other for himself.

This was the communication talisman John had earned as a reward from his first dungeon raid, now proving its worth here.