FPE Chapter 39

The Dwarven Elves

Chi Yizhen wiped away a nonexistent nosebleed with the back of his hand while frantically asking in his mind, “Game, game! Are you sure these are Dwarven Elves? How come they look nothing like the video footage you showed me before!”

Chi Yizhen hadn’t chosen the Dwarven Elves on a whim — he had done his research before coming. The intelligent races of this world all possessed extraordinary power. Unlike humans, who needed post-natal cultivation or medicinal assistance to acquire such power, every other intelligent race was born with it, and it could never be changed. Dryads were of the plant element, with extraordinary abilities that leaned toward healing support — driving plants, and crafting tiny sprites from petals and leaves — though the sprites had low intelligence and, like the dryads themselves, were essentially incapable of combat. Beautiful and useful, yet weak — that was the fundamental reason dryads were seized by humans and enslaved.

Dwarven Elves, on the other hand, were an all-around race with both offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as support skills. For offense, they relied primarily on their claws and weapons; for defense, their thick hides made them exceptionally resilient; they could also burrow and construct fortresses. As for support, Dwarven Elves were born with the innate ability to transform ingredients into delicacies — food made by their hands would taste exquisite to any race, regardless of preference. It was deeply unscientific, but the moment one remembered it was their extraordinary ability, it all made perfect sense.

More importantly, food sincerely crafted by Dwarven Elves would carry various effects to varying degrees — healing, mana restoration, health recovery, and so on. The specific effect depended on the ingredients used and how much extraordinary power was channeled into the cooking. Of course, the results couldn’t compare to proper medicine; a gravely injured patient hoping to fully recover by eating Dwarven Elf food alone would likely eat themselves to bursting before seeing any such miracle.

All things considered, Dwarven Elves were mediocre in every individual aspect, yet lacked nothing overall. Add to that the fact that their numbers were large and their unity unshakeable, and it was no surprise that from ancient times to the present, Dwarven Elves had always been one of the dominant races of this world.

On one hand, Fantasy Amusement Park wasn’t suited to having too many ordinary human employees. On the other hand, the breach in the world’s barrier was growing larger by the day, and discovery was only a matter of time — better to build good relations now than to deal with the friction of suddenly gaining a strange new neighbor later. Third, the Qixi Festival was approaching, and Chi Yizhen still had a PK mission to complete. It would be the perfect opportunity to promote the restaurant with a big splash. Chi Yizhen also harbored a quietly delicious hope: there were so many otherworldly evil gods in this world, all scrambling and bloodying each other over followers — what would they feel if they discovered, one fine day, that someone had long since been undermining them?

Like the dryads, the Dwarven Elves had not yet pledged faith to any evil god, which made them exactly the kind of group Chi Yizhen could scheme around without drawing the attention of any deity.

For all these reasons, Chi Yizhen had decided to work with the Dwarven Elves. But the Dwarven Elves he had seen in the video footage beforehand were a short, large-eyed, grey-skinned, and heavily wrinkled race — in appearance quite similar to the goblins of Earth’s fantasy literature, which was perhaps why their race name had been translated as “Dwarven Elves.”

Never in his life had Chi Yizhen imagined that Dwarven Elves would be entirely fluffy little adorable creatures! Had he known, why would he have waited until now? He would have come long ago and swept them all up in one go — cough — extended them an invitation.

Faced with Chi Yizhen’s bewildered questioning, the game system gave a light “oh,” and replied: [Please look carefully, Player. There is no difference.]

Chi Yizhen scoffed, “How could they possibly be the same? The gap between the video footage and reality is like the difference between a hairless cat and a Shandong Lion Cat, okay?”

(TL: “Shandong” here refers to the Shandong province in China, but in the context of cats, it’s likely meant as a type of long-haired or local Chinese cat.)

The game replied: [Due to changes in their living environment, the Dwarven Elves had no choice but to grow a thick layer of fur on their surface for warmth. Is the Player dissatisfied with this?]

Satisfied! Chi Yizhen couldn’t have been more satisfied — he was itching to sign contracts and open a restaurant on the spot.

Still, one thing puzzled him. “The environment in Fantasy Amusement Park is nothing like it is here. What if we bring them back and open the restaurant, and they feel the warmer climate and all their fur falls off? Won’t the tourists tear me apart?” Natural evolution certainly wouldn’t happen that fast under normal circumstances — but a world with extraordinary powers was a different matter entirely.

The game responded: [Please rest assured, Player. Even if the environment changes, so long as the Dwarven Elves remain within Fantasy Amusement Park and the tourists’ expectations of them remain unchanged, they themselves will not change.]

Hearing this, Chi Yizhen suddenly recalled something the game had once said: “Gods are born from the hearts of men.” In an idealist world, all things would in all likelihood come into being in accordance with human thought. That was how Sal’s and Chi Xiaozhen’s skills had come to exist. Gods, too, were born from human thought — though it wasn’t simply a matter of people wishing for something and having it appear. There seemed to be one crucial missing link: a divine kingdom. Fantasy Amusement Park possessed the attributes of a divine kingdom, and since Sal and Chi Xiaozhen belonged to Fantasy Amusement Park, the thoughts and impressions of people would influence their very existence. Dwarven Elves had not previously possessed this quality — but once they took up residence in Fantasy Amusement Park, they too would undergo subtle changes in the direction people envisioned. For example — becoming cuter and adorable?

From the Dwarven Elves’ perspective, the exchange between Chi Yizhen and the game had lasted no more than a breath or two.

The Dwarven Elves resembled the feline family of Earth in appearance, though the vast majority had solid-colored fur — white was the most common, followed by yellow, with grey-and-white mixed coats also plentiful; black was the rarest. Their ears sat atop their heads just like a cat’s, though they were all curled ears. Their little paws and mouths were a soft, rosy pink, and their tails were round little puffs like a rabbit’s — except that unlike a rabbit’s tail, which could be stretched out, theirs could not; they were solid, compact balls of fluff.

Perhaps the fondness written plainly across Chi Yizhen’s gaze was too obvious to ignore, for even Hohochi, the Dwarven Elf chief, gave a slightly bashful cough. “Guest who has come from afar, please be seated!”

Chi Yizhen snapped out of it and controlled Sal to sit down alongside him.

The tables and chairs the Dwarven Elves had brought out were all quite short. Chi Xiaozhen and Sal, both tall with long legs, had to stretch their legs straight out in front of them after sitting, and even so they were still taller than the standing Dwarven Elves.

The Dwarven Elves paid this no mind at all — different races, nothing worth comparing. They brought out food to welcome their guests, balancing round bowls and dishes on their heads and cradling steaming hot food in their paws, moving quickly yet with remarkable lightness and steadiness. Sitting in the midst of the banquet, Chi Yizhen felt as though he had stumbled into a fairy tale.

Under Hohochi’s hospitality, he enjoyed a thoroughly delicious lunch and could feel the extraordinary factors within his body entering a state of heightened activity.

“A wonderfully delicious meal — thank you for your hospitality,” he said cheerfully, then produced his own gift and presented it.

What he offered was a tool crafted by the park — a small hoe designed to assist with burrowing, ten times more efficient than ordinary tools and perfectly suited to the Dwarven Elves’ build.

Both sides had exchanged gifts, and the atmosphere was suddenly very warm and cordial. It was in this pleasant mood that Chi Yizhen raised his request.

“Our employer has opened a Fantasy Amusement Park, and the park currently needs a restaurant. Our employer hopes to invite the Dwarven Elves to serve as chefs and restaurant attendants.”

The extraordinary culinary gift of the Dwarven Elves was known throughout the world, so Hohochi was not at all surprised by the request from Chi Xiaozhen and Sal. She licked her paw and said, “As you know, we Dwarven Elves are a united and home-loving race. We have no desire to leave our homeland. If it is delicious food you need, we can prepare special sauces for you — trust us, drizzle our signature sauce over any food and it will become delectable.”

However, Fantasy Amusement Park’s theme was holographic immersion and fantasy, and relying on ordinary humans as staff could hardly do justice to the word “fantasy.” Moreover, now that Chi Yizhen had seen the Dwarven Elves in person, he was even less willing to pass up the chance of turning the restaurant into a tourist attraction in its own right.

Guests paying to watch the Dwarven Elves cook while spending money dining in the restaurant at the same time… that image, just picturing it, radiated the festive glow of money pouring in from all directions!

Unlike the dryads, the Dwarven Elves were a free and unbowed dominant race — not the sort to be swayed so easily.

So Chi Yizhen, wearing Chi Xiaozhen’s guise, said, “Our employer naturally understands that. Which is why we have prepared terms to persuade you.”

Hohochi’s ears perked up at once.

Chi Yizhen said, “I imagine you’ve noticed — the seal is breaking faster and faster, and the magic beasts pouring out in this area are growing more numerous by the day. Your people exhaust themselves each day just fending off the invasions, let alone making any progress toward growth and expansion.”

These words struck at the Dwarven Elves’ deepest wound. Hohochi couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope — could Fantasy Amusement Park’s employer reseal the abyssal rift? If that were the case…

“Our employer does not have the power to reseal the abyssal rift.” Under Hohochi’s slightly disappointed gaze, Chi Xiaozhen continued. “But we can set up a teleportation array to draw the magic beasts surging into Dwarven Elf territory into the array, where warriors dispatched by our park will eliminate them. So long as the chief is willing to send some Dwarven Elves to work for our employer, we guarantee that we will continuously dispatch warriors to help the Dwarven Elves slay the magic beasts.”

Hearing this, Hohochi’s heart stirred.

Over recent years, under the relentless assault of magic beasts, the Dwarven Elves’ territory had shrunk more and more. Even she, as chief, had been forced to migrate underground — but the Dwarven Elves were not a race accustomed to subterranean life, and the lightless existence in the caves was deeply miserable. They longed to return to the surface!

“But… we Dwarven Elves can’t bear to be too far from home…” Hohochi was still hesitating.

As one of the dominant races, the Dwarven Elves had no fear that the other party would break the agreement and harm the clanspeople they sent over. What Hohochi had never heard of, however, was any place called Fantasy Amusement Park — and it didn’t take much thought to know it must be far away. She worried that those sent there would be lonely.

Chi Yizhen smiled. “That doesn’t matter. We can set up a second teleportation array, right at the Dwarven Elves’ doorstep. Your clanspeople can return home every week for leave, or different clanspeople can take turns going.”

Come, everyone! Come to my park!