Chapter 36: Phone Salesmen

Klair and Kale reached the entrance to the cave system they were familiar with not long before midnight. There were several pair of eyes watching them from the treetops, which were the night guard of the stone elves.

They recognized their own race, albeit exiled members, so they did nothing to stop them and let them enter their former home. They would not find a home there, but they weren't so reclusive as to deny visitors. The exiled were not criminals, after all.

"It has only been a bit over week, but it feel like its been months," Klair sighed with a heavy sense of nostalgia as they passed through the ever familiar tunnel system.

Kale grinned and answered with a bubbly spirit, "I know, but, I'm happier now for some reason."

"Bring back some of the growable products if you can. You can promise them repayment in metal," Styx's voice entered their minds, causing the twins to smile sheepishly at the thought of their recent frequent interactions with the dungeon.

There were tunnel systems in which were designated as farmland, where mushrooms of all kinds and other magical plants grew. The most valuable was a denka fruit, which was a light grey pear like fruit which could grow without sunlight. It was highly treasured by underground species whom were notorious for refusing to sell the fruits alone, let alone seeds.

The chatter of stone elves could be heard from various directions, echoing through the giant caverns which snaked through the earth like a maze. There were specific call they would make for when extra hands were required, or someone had become lost in an area they weren't familiar with, all of which the twins could easily still recognize.

The village wasn't very large, only about 800 stone elves at their peak, but they held a rigid control over their population as even that amount of elves would consume a large amount of food. There were currently only about 500 elves inhabiting the village, indicating how severe the current food shortage is.

"Halt!" Several of the inner guards stopped to duo as they got closer to the village. "What is your purpose in returning."

It was clear that the duo were welcome to visit, but the guards wanted to ensure they were aware they were not permitted to stay or eat the village's food.

Kale was familiar with one of the guards and quickly nudged closer to him in friendliness, "Jarole, there's no need to be so harsh, okay? We want to speak with the elders to provide information of where any outcasts can go if they are exiled. We know the rules, and won't be staying long, okay?"

The guard was clearly flustered about the female dark elf's closeness, and was completely unaware that she was already faithful to another. Styx had no doubts in his trust of the two elves, who used their wiles to gain a favorable position.

If anything, he applauded her for her ingenuity to take control of the conversation.

"That… well, of course you're allowed.. As long as you know the rules…"

"Hehe, thanks Jarule. You truly are the best, you know."

Kale skipped back to Klair and grabbed her sister who was helplessly sighing to herself before dancing around the guards and entering the heart of the cavern system where the village was.

The other guards sent a disdainful yet humored look towards Jarule who turned completely passive before the twins. They then simply returned to their duties, monitoring and patrolling the cave system.

~~~~~

The stone elf village was a bunch of wooden and stone block houses in an enormous cavern at the centre of the cave system. Houses of all shapes and sized were arranged with little concern on the overall structure and it could be seen where past generations had simply extended the village out during times of prosperity.

Houses were also carved into and up the lower half of the walls, with enormous walkways strung from the cavern ceiling.

On the center of the cavern ceiling, was a plethora of mana rich gemstones sending out hues of red, green and gold light, providing a small amount of light to the entire area. Whilst the stone elves had perfect night vision, that didn't necessarily mean they wished to live in total darkness.

It was still dark enough that alleys between houses and other tight spots were completely pitch black though, and even the natives would have trouble seeing deep into them without a mobile light source.

"Hey look, it's them…"

"…Do you think they are one of those who are going to petition to be let back into the village?"

"No way, there hasn't been a successful reversal of being exiled in over a hundred years…"

"But one of the sisters is a Novice Dimension Mage, the elders may approve of it if she is really determined."

"We will have to see, has anyone gone to inform the elders yet?"

"No, maybe I should."

"No way, let it be a surprise for them, it will make those old fogies bounce off their seats if they show up unannounced."

"Actually… that's a pretty good idea…"

Crowds watched the sisters and chattered among themselves as they headed toward the grand hall in the center of the village where the elders were constantly seated.

They were completely nonchalant to the words being spoken around them, even ignoring as small grey heads of children and adults alike peeked out of windows or stopped in their travel to stare from a distance.

Despite all the attention, they were still outcasts, so none of the elves approached them, as was an unspoken custom with those who had been exiled.

~~~~~

"Urgh, these stone seats are so uncomfortable," Urghar, a white haired stone elf elder squirmed on his stone seat in discomfort.

"I know, would it be so much to ask for some passing human adventurers to carry some comfortable seats with them?" An elderly female elf also chimed in.

"Sigh, you all have it easy, I had to get medical attention because my arse started bleeding from sitting for so long on these damned chairs."

Of the seven elders, six of them coughed awkwardly and a seventh complained about his hemorrhoids once again. Although he was the only one which always complained about them, he wasn't the only one who had suffered from this issue. These elves were only of the First Step after all, so their bodies weren't so strong they were immune to mundane illnesses.

At this moment, the door to their meeting room where they were seated slammed open, Kale standing in the opening with her hair swaying in the wind caused by throwing open the doors.

"Kale! We can't just barge in. This is where the elders are!" Klair nervously tugged on her sister's arm.

"You worry too much, Klair. You heard the villagers, right? We need to give them a surprise."

The elders in question looked at the sisters with their brows furrowed. Their former nonchalance and complaints about the stone chairs being too uncomfortable was replaced with the dignity of authority.

"You two girls… what are you doing here?" The elderly woman quizzed the two intruders.

"We wanted to talk with you about spreading word among the villagers for a land for the exiled."

Klair explained their purpose and respectfully bowed to the assembly.

"A novel idea, having somewhere for the exiled, to go. Come in, explain to us more about this place."

Kale was the main speaker, as she talked up Styx and the dungeon to be the equivalent of a utopia for all, while Klair blushed at the straight up bootlicking and told some more concrete details.

The elders all frowned as they learned of the dungeon, and what was expected of those who join them.

"You girls have changed a lot in a very short time," One elder closely scrutinized them with his gaze. "And you have given yourselves to this dungeon for… breeding?"

Whilst the stone elves were a more reclusive race, they also knew about the breeding dungeons could do to create unique and stronger monsters.

"Yes, but please do not be completely adverse to the idea," Klair frantically explained while flailing her arms in the air. "Styx will not do anything to harm them, and it is fully controlled. If anything…"

Both sisters deeply blushed in unison as they both thought of their shared experience at the same time.

"If anything, he will nurture the body, increase your mana network, which is even better than most spiritual herbs for increasing mana capacity. It also increases potential that the body can store, raising an elf's Max Level, and increasing the strength scaling with each level up."

"It is also not a requirement," Kale joined in while hugging her sister. "Nobody is forced to do so, but any rules he makes are the law. Rhea is currently partnered with Theo, whom is apparently very fond of the dungeon now, although he has to do whatever Rhea says as she is stronger."

The sisters explained several other benefits with fanaticism, such as mana sight.

"What about the males?" One of the male elders asked while stroking his chin in thought.

"The males will be assigned work, and or partners to mate with if they are single as increasing the population is currently one of Styx's main goals. They however won't get the same benefits as the females as the process is… very intimate."

Klair's ears turned entirely red while Kale was also vividly amorous.

"Bah, do you think I don't know where this will lead to?" One of the male elders jumped up in protest. "A pure matriarchal society, in which the women are dominant over all the males."

"But Styx is male, and he stands at the top?" Kale tilted her head in confusion.

"Perhaps, but the societal trend will be pure matriarchal as women hold all the power."

"Oh shut it, you old coot," The sole female elder in the room cussed at the old man causing a scene, forcing him to grudgingly sit back down. "This world is determined by strength, and whoever is stronger, is dominant. That is perfectly normal."

"But still…"

"Rejected, I approve for knowledge of this dungeon accepting outcasts to be spread among the people. Do any of you wish to oppose this?"

Under the pressure of the female elder, all the other male elders ended up caving in and agreeing to the proposition.

"Perhaps we are already a bit of a matriarchal society," The final elder laughed as he also agreed.

With approval by the elder council, a cry was sent out into the cave system to summon all the stone elves working on the farms and patrolling the area.

Everyone gathered at the central square of the village where the twins explained everything to the people under the supervision of all the elders. Many dark elves seemed against it, but even more were favorable to the increase of strength or potentially getting a mate they otherwise wouldn't have a chance with.

"You know, Styx is also willing to take in the entire village should you decide to migrate," Kale sheepishly informed the council during the meeting with the villagers, putting them on the spot.

"I'm afraid these old bones can no longer support the Styx's demands," The female elder brushed off the idea with experienced wisdom. "Our entire history lies in these walls, we cannot simply leave."

"It was worth a try," Kale giggled and finally departed with her sister.

Either way, the seeds were planted, and only time, and perhaps some manipulation in secret, would determine how well they flourished.