"Why wouldn't they want to return to the Wind Forest? Only there would they be able to receive the blessings of the God of Life and be protected by more powerful elves. Those who roam outside the Wind Forest must deal with threats from beings of foreign races every day; even survival is a problem for them, so what kind of happiness and freedom could they possibly derive from such a lifestyle?" Sally asked.
"I've only left the Wind Forest several times before, but in my opinion, this world is different from the one you see. The roaming elves on the continent do not come under constant threat from beings of other races as you claim. Instead, many elves are able to quickly adapt to their new lifestyle. For example, in Chaos City, many elves have joined the city lord's castle and Gray Temple, thereby becoming regulators of the city, allowing them to live peaceful and free lives." Blour shook his head in response.
He looked at the indignant Sally with a mocking smile on his lips as he continued, "Also, why would they leave the Wind Forest in the first place? Are you unaware of the reason behind their decision? Following the war among species, Mistress Helena began to revolutionize the elven race. Ever since then, more and more elves began to leave the Wind Forest. They haven't been abandoned by the God of Life; this was their own choice. They don't need protection; they need freedom. The elven race is protected by nature, and the God of Life won't abandon them just because they left the Wind Forest."
"I only trust in what I have seen. In the Wind Forest, our brethren lead safe and peaceful lives. Also, the number of elves leaving the Wind Forest has decreased significantly in the past few years. Instead, more and more elves are returning to the Wind Forest; doesn't that mean that the Wind Forest is becoming a better place?" Sally was still clinging to her beliefs, but her voice was clearly no longer as certain as before.
"They're not leaving, because they've been shackled to the Wind Forest. An invisible wall has been established around them, preventing them from leaving. As for the elves that returned to the Wind Forest, do you think they willingly came back so they could become slaves for the major families? You live a free and carefree life in the Wind Forest, but do you know how many elves were reduced to slaves in order to support your lifestyle? They don't have a single shred of freedom to speak of." The mockery on Blour's face grew even more pronounced, and he looked at Sally as if he were looking at a silly little girl. She was a typical young mistress of a major family who had been brainwashed by the elven education system.
If it were someone else, Blour would have definitely already turned away and left. However, Sally's identity was rather special, and he could also sense the sympathy that she had toward other elves.
From her perspective, Helena's revolutions had made the elven race more stable and powerful. The major families were stronger than ever, and they were making the entire elven race far more efficient. Those were the main benefits brought about by her revolutions.
He had also been of this same opinion once. There was even a time when he had been a strong advocator of Helena's revolutions, thinking that what she was doing was making the elven race a better society.
That was until he began to come into contact with the elves of the lower social classes, and those elves that had supposedly come back voluntarily to the Wind Forest. Only then did he discover the dark underbelly of the elven race. He knew then that Helena's revolutions were nothing less than disastrous for the elven race.
As such, Blour felt as if he could see a younger version of himself reflected in Sally. Back then, he'd also hoped that the elves roaming the continent could return to the Wind Forest, where they would then be able to live in safety and comfort.
However, what he wanted now was to help more elves escape the place that was once considered to be the holy land of the elven race. He wanted to release them into a wider and freer world where they could find happiness.
Sally looked into Blour's eyes, and she felt as if each and every one of his words had dealt a heavy blow to her. She thought back to the servants tending to her family. They seemed to never have time for rest, and were constantly busy. If they made the slightest mistake, they would be scolded, and even receive physical punishment.
Are they really happy? Sally thought back to all of those exhausted faces and shook her head internally. She rarely ever saw them smile, so how could they possibly be happy?
They had been enslaved and lost all of their freedom. They were even prohibited from leaving the territory of the major families that they served.
Even though the major families had enslaved elves according to the new elven laws, Sally discovered upon deeper thought that those elven servants hadn't done anything wrong to deserve enslavement. In fact, some of them were enslaved simply as they had accidentally trespassed onto the territory of one of the major families. What a sick joke!
In that instant, the ideals that Sally had firmly upheld for the past two decades began to crumble. She was even beginning to suspect whether the elven race had truly become more powerful.
"Elves don't need stable lives. Nature is our home, and without freedom, we will lose our souls." Blour looked at Sally with a serious expression as he said, "If you want me to help you stay in Chaos City, then promise me one thing: if you become the leader of the Brewster Family or even the elven queen, give all elves true freedom rather than this supposed life of safety and stability."
Sally pursed her lips as she looked at Blour, but she didn't respond to his words.
"I'll come to Mamy Restaurant again next evening. I hope to hear your decision then." Blour didn't pressure her any further, and nodded before departing What is true freedom? Sally was left standing alone under the moonlight. She stared at her own shadow, and fell deep in thought.
In the restaurant, Amy had just taken a bath and put on her pajamas, but she no longer felt like sleeping. Instead, she turned to Mag with a beseeching look in her sparkling blue eyes. "Father, can we go look at the stars?"
"Alright." Mag was about to tuck Amy into bed, but he simply couldn't refuse her adorable request.
"Yay! Let's go look at stars, Ugly Duckling!" Amy picked up Ugly Duckling with elation, and began to rush toward the balcony on the third floor.
Mag followed Amy upstairs with a smile on his face.
"The moon is so round and beautiful today. It looks like it would be really delicious to eat." Amy looked up at the bright moon with a joyful expression.
Mag also looked up at the bright moon in the sky, only to find that it was almost a perfect full moon. After hearing Amy's words, he began to reminisce about the days when he would enjoy mooncakes during the moon festival. It was sad that those days were gone.
"Father, can the moon be eaten?" Amy asked with curiosity etched on her little face.
According to the time in this world, it should be the moon festival in three days. Even though the moon festival doesn't exist in this world, it couldn't hurt to have some mooncakes and celebrate the occasion. A plan began to hatch in Mag's mind.