Chapter 204: Xeila’s Choice

“Tagraedi can counteract my abilities,” Red Moon whispered to Dark Moon in the carriage. “Moreover, he seems capable of dispelling the influence I impose on others.”

Dark Moon narrowed his eyes and nodded.

“What should we do?” 

“What else can we do? We certainly can’t force them to stay.”

“But the cause of resisting the elves’ tyranny has finally seen a glimmer of hope. Are we just going to watch this opportunity slip away?”

Dark Moon let out a long sigh. “What else can we do? Could we force others to join us in resisting tyranny at knifepoint? Wouldn’t that make us just like the elves? I just didn’t expect them to disregard the bigger picture entirely.”

Red Moon sighed as well. “It’s all my fault. Perhaps using my suggestion abilities on them actually led to their rebellious mindset.”

“How can you blame yourself? You merely amplified the thoughts they already had. You can’t make them do something they don’t want to do. If Twilight Moon didn’t hate the elves, no amount of persuasion would have convinced her to undertake the assassination. If Ram didn’t want to use this opportunity to create chaos and give Silver Moon a chance to breathe, she wouldn’t have agreed to let Tagraedi take the risk. These ideas were already in their minds, their own desires. You just helped them make the right choice.”

Dark Moon shook his head and said, “Don’t be too hard on yourself. We’re not doing this for our own wealth and glory. We’re doing this for the welfare of all beastfolk, so that everyone can stand tall and not be slaves to the elves. They clearly lack trust in us today, but that’s okay. Let them calm down. We’ll continue doing what we need to do and arrange a safe evacuation route for them as quickly as possible. When they see our sincerity, they’ll naturally let go of their prejudices and listen to us seriously. Next time, don’t use your abilities. Let’s be honest and tell them everything. If they’re willing to stay and help, our cause against the elves’ tyranny will have a greater chance. If they still don’t want to, then we’ll just let them go back.”

Red Moon remained silent.

“The elves are too powerful, and our forces are too weak. In such circumstances, any force that can help us defeat the elves is our ally. We can tolerate pirates, bandits, zealots, and those short-sighted, foolish, and greedy chieftains, so there’s no reason we can’t tolerate Tagraedi and his people.”

“But this opportunity really is…”

“Don’t think too much about it. I believe they will make the right choice.”

***

“Did they really say that?” Ram asked.

“My hearing is always good, and my memory isn’t bad either,” Xeila replied.

“They should know what your ability is?” Wu Qingsong asked.

“They know I can turn invisible and sneak around, but they don’t know my ability can be enhanced, and even less what it can do once awakened.”

Wu Qingsong shook his head. Xeila had clearly been swayed by Dark Moon and Red Moon’s words, but he still couldn’t trust them because their words sounded too righteous, too purpose-driven, almost like they were specifically tailored for them to hear.

“Xeila…” he began.

Xeila shook her head at him, indicating that some things were not appropriate to discuss in front of everyone. Wu Qingsong sighed and held back his words for the moment.

“So what should we do?” Daryl asked. “Just go back? I think they’re right. If we can get Sentalus in trouble, or even get them to fight with that other family, wouldn’t that be good?”

“How?” Ram shook her head. “Continue with the assassinations? Daryl, it’s not that simple. The elves aren’t fools. They’ve managed to dominate almost the entire continent, and you think they did it all by brute force? Schemes and tricks have never been an issue for them. Killing Daan Sentalus might have been a clever move. It creates suspicion and enough cracks among them, but too much of this will backfire. Continuing the assassinations will only make the elves more vigilant, causing them to doubt their initial conclusions. Moreover, their defenses and tracking will become far stricter than before. Any misstep could ruin everything.”

Wu Qingsong nodded. Ram’s words were exactly what he wanted to say, and she had considered things even more thoroughly.

But looking at Xeila, he saw that she was just nodding thoughtfully, without any sign of completely changing her mind.

“Rushing things will only make them worse,” Ram continued. 

Whether it was due to spending a lot of time with Harold or not, her way of thinking had clearly been influenced by him. 

“Even with the elves’ immense power, it took them nearly five hundred years to conquer the entire continent. Do we think we can completely topple them in just a few years? Even if the elves do start fighting among themselves, our current strength won’t be enough to change the big picture. Creating momentum, leveraging it, and acting accordingly isn’t impossible, but first, we must have enough power ourselves. What can a sheep gain from a fight between two packs of wolves? No matter who wins in the end, the sheep will still be eaten. The only ones who will benefit are the third pack of wolves hiding in the shadows.”

Daryl looked completely confused, clearly not understanding her words. Ram could only sigh.

But Xeila seemed to understand.

After they finished their conversation, Wu Qingsong made a point to speak with her again.

“Are you here to persuade me to go with you?” Xeila asked.

“Don’t you want to?” Wu Qingsong asked. There were things he couldn’t say outright, but he felt Xeila should understand.

“We both know that Orgrimmar isn’t my stage,” Xeila said, walking over and gently touching his face. “I’ll relay Ram’s words to Dark Moon and Red Moon. They’re smart people. They’ll understand these principles.”

“You should realize that they’re not exactly good people,” Wu Qingsong said.

“They’re definitely not good people. Assassination, smuggling, running casinos, trafficking illicit drugs, creating and selling false identities—how could anyone doing these things be a good person?” Xeila said. “But their goal isn’t wrong. The elves’ rule is a disaster for this world. Countless beastfolk suffer every day, while the elves… We’ve seen how they live, and we know that their luxurious lives are built on the blood and sweat of beastfolk. Wu, I want to see those bastards suffer. I want to see them pay the price!”

“Xeila…”

She gently lifted her veil and kissed Wu Qingsong on the lips.

“You don’t understand my pain, Wu. I once thought that killing that man would make all my suffering disappear. But after I succeeded, I realized it was just an illusion. The source of my pain isn’t just that man, but the world that created monsters like us. As long as this world exists, as long as people like him exist, my pain will not disappear. It’ll only get worse. It’s not just Dark Moon that needs me. I need them too, do you understand, Wu? My wish is too distant to achieve alone. I can’t do it by myself. There are many people in this world who resist the elves, but from what I can see, Dark Moon has gone the farthest and has the most hope. I’ll be careful and not become their pawn or tool. But right now, only they can help me achieve my wish.”

Wu Qingsong was silent for a long time, questioning himself. Did he like Xeila? Could he give her what she wanted? He couldn’t find the answers.

“If one day, I become stronger than Dark Moon, will you leave them to join me?”

“As long as you truly need me, I will leave them to be by your side,” Xeila replied. “But right now, you don’t need my strength. So, let me stay here.”