[Forest Unit 1 Campsite]
"...although mixed marriages may feel very strange to us, it doesn't mean they can't be done. Despite being different races, Gloomkin women can bear children with Asura, and vice versa," Ez explained what had been agreed upon by the monsters earlier.
To conceal their true monster identities, only the evolved races were to be introduced to the elves – Asura, Hobgoblin, and Druid.
However, this presented an issue for the Alraune race, as it seemed they were not considered part of the Wilwatikta Kingdom simply because they refused to evolve. Therefore, their race name was also included but translated into the ancient language of monsters as "Petalbloom."
In fact, the name "Petalbloom" had been used when the Alraune population was still very small. However, as their population grew and they encountered other intelligent beings, they changed their race name to "Alraune." This was because "Alraune" sounded more intimidating and could better intimidate their enemies compared to "Petalbloom."
Now, there were four races to be introduced to the elves: Asura, Hobgoblin, Druid, and Petalbloom. But a new problem arose.
They would be communicating with the elves through Translation Spells, so if they used the standard monster language, it would be immediately translated into a language familiar to the elves. Nezena mentioned that the pronunciation of "Hobgoblin" in Elven comprised the words "Hob" and "Goblin," which could raise suspicion among the elves.
Therefore, they needed a new term to name the Hobgoblin race. Ez and the other goblins had to go through their historical records to find the most suitable name. Though it was just an alias, they didn't know how long they would have to use it. So, at least they needed a name that had some significance.
The name "Gloomkin" emerged and was agreed upon by the goblins to be used as their alias race name. "Gloomkin" was the name of the first goblin tribe ever recorded in their historical notes.
Gloomkin itself means "terrifying people." They chose this name for the same reason the Alraune changed their race name from Petalbloom – to intimidate their enemies and survive in the harsh Bog Forest.
Next was the discussion of the species name. Almost all the monsters agreed to change their species name. "Monster" was a term given by the mana species to describe cursed creatures despised by mana.
Of course, the term "monster" was derogatory, and they had been called by this name for a long time. So now they genuinely wanted to change their species name, not just as a temporary alias but for good.
The debate over the new species name became quite heated during the meeting, lasting for days. When everyone was feeling exhausted and couldn't find a name they all agreed on, Moku proposed a name that sounded entirely unfamiliar to them all.
Arion.
No one had ever heard the word "Arion" before. Even those who studied ancient monster languages had never come across this term.
Nevare and the valkyries from the human species had never heard the name Arion either. Even those well-versed in magical books had not encountered any spell incantations using "Arion."
The same applied to Nezena and the other valkyries from the elven species. They had never come across the term "Arion" in any of the seven elven kingdoms.
At first, they thought "Arion" might be an impromptu name coined by Moku. However, would their king really play around with something as important as this?
Though they might have thought, "Yes," deep down, they still trusted Moku not to be foolish during such a crucial meeting. So, with good faith, they asked Moku about the origin and meaning of the name "Arion."
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Actually, the term "Arion" does not originate from any language in this world but is a play on words from a term that existed in Moku's previous world. Although it was just a casual remark by Moku, the term came to his mind when he saw the monsters eagerly searching for a new name for their species.
"Arion" is a play on words from the term "Aryan."
When asked to explain the origin and meaning of the name "Arion," Moku was puzzled about how to approach it. He couldn't possibly tell them the truth – that he was a human reincarnated into an orc's body, right? They might think he had gone crazy, even though they might already see him as half-crazy at this point.
The term "Aryan" originated as a linguistic classification used by nineteenth-century European scholars to identify the Indo-European or Indo-Germanic peoples who settled in India, Persia (Iran), and Europe thousands of years earlier. Initially, it described the similarities between most European languages, as well as Sanskrit and Persian (Farsi).
However, writers like Arthur Gobineau later misinterpreted and used the term as a racial category, positing that Aryans were superior to other peoples. This misconception of the term promoted the false concept of an "Aryan race."
Finally, there was one madman who gave a completely different meaning to the term. However, coincidentally, what Moku and the monsters were about to do in this world would be even worse than what he and his people did in the previous world.
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'master of race, huh?' Ez smiled as he recalled Moku's response.
He didn't understand who Hitler was or what Nazis were. However, the term "Master of Race" was captivating to the monsters at that time... Ah... Or perhaps now it would be better known as "Arion."
And so, the term "monster" used for the cursed creatures was changed to "Arion," which meant "the master of race." It aligned perfectly with Moku's second oath to make them the strongest beings on the Meer Continent.
"Wow... Your king truly seems to be a brilliant person," Gundrid said with a genuine smile. There was no hint of mockery in his words; he was sincerely praising the idea.
'Brilliant? More like cunning,' Ez thought to himself.
The New Family Structure policy was the initial step of the conspiracy to eliminate all Arion species except for the Asura and Valkyrie races. Moku knew that if the concept of family remained based on specific races, the Orcs, with their smaller numbers, would be marginalized.
While crossbreeding between Orcs and other Arion races might become more prevalent over time, it would still take a long while due to the cultural differences between the various Arion races. Therefore, the first thing he needed to do was disrupt the previous family order.
By enticing them with the promise of strengthening relationships between different races, Moku made Orcs the central core of a family. Members within the same family were not allowed to marry, which automatically required them to marry an Arion from a different family.
As a result, the number of female Goblins that male Goblins could marry unknowingly decreased. However, the race that felt the most impact from the New Family Structure policy was not the Goblins but the Sylphs.
Sylphs usually didn't have the concept of marriage. During mating season, male Sylphs would spread their pollen in a concealed area. Then, female Sylphs would choose that pollen to fertilize their pistils.
So, in Sylph culture, they don't recognize biological fathers; they only acknowledge their biological mothers. This is because they can't identify which pollen from male Sylphs fertilized the pistils of female Sylphs.
However, with the introduction of the New Family Structure policy, the concept of marriage was established. Female Sylphs were required to marry male Sylphs first before obtaining their pollen. As a result, the number of Sylphs born decreased since some female Sylphs wouldn't receive the best pollen, apart from that of their husbands.
Of course, no Arion was aware of this, but Ez knew about it, and it became a threat to Moku. Hence, here he was speaking with a potential enemy who could decapitate him at any moment.
"Hmm... yes," Ez replied indifferently, hiding his annoyance.
"Hmm? Ah, it's okay," Gundrid smiled wryly and shook his head.
Then the conversation drifted away from Moku and onto other topics. Ez also asked about the lives of the elves, even though he already knew the answers. It was merely for formality's sake. He didn't want his disguise to be easily unveiled.
Eventually, the discussion circled back to Moku. From this point on, Ez began to feel something odd. While their conversation seemed unintentionally focused on the Arion king, Ez, who was skilled in directing conversations, could see through Gundrid's tactics.
Although Ez despised Moku, he acknowledged the king's brilliance. He once quoted a saying from someone named Emory: "I allow manipulation to find out where my enemy wants me to go. Then I use my mind to break the trap and punish the perpetrators."
Ez loved that quote and had always asked Moku about Emory. However, Moku would only smile and say, "The Legend who birth a legend," without revealing more.
At present, Ez let Gundrid manipulate him, answering all questions about the Arion king. Though he seemed relaxed and at ease, his mind was actively deciphering where the conversation was leading. Once he found the thread, that would be the moment to break the trap and punish the perpetrators.
As Gundrid began inquiring about the Arion king's strength and how he united the Arion species, Ez smiled.
"Found you."
Finally, his mission was accomplished.
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