“No, I also plan to appoint Lin Yun as an honorary elder of the West Sea Dragon Palace,” Little Green Dragon said.
“What?”
The dragon elders were shocked once again.
An honorary elder was distinct from their own dragon elders, granted to non-dragons who had made significant contributions or held great importance to the Dragon Clan.
For instance, the chief of the Six-Fin Sea Lion Clan in the Endless Sea was an honorary elder.
Though an honorary elder’s status was a rank below dragon elders, it was still highly prestigious within the Dragon Clan, making it extremely difficult for other races’ powerhouses to achieve.
Even Lin Yun, seated nearby, was stunned.
Little Green Dragon hadn’t mentioned anything about appointing him as an honorary elder beforehand.
“Dragon King, even if he did you a great favour, soaking in our sacred pool should more than repay that debt. Appointing him as an honorary elder… isn’t that a bit excessive?” the Grand Elder said, visibly agitated.
“Yes, Dragon King, please reconsider,” other elders echoed.
“Fine, we’ll table this matter for now. I can compromise on it, but the next matter, I won’t back down easily,” Little Green Dragon said.
“What matter is that, Dragon King?” the Grand Elder couldn’t help but ask.
“An alliance with the human race,” Little Green Dragon replied.
“What! An alliance… with the human race?!”
The dragon elders were dumbfounded, barely able to believe their ears.
Today’s string of surprises kept catching them off guard!
The Grand Elder immediately said, “Dragon King, why should we ally with the human race? They’re constantly at odds with the demon race on land. Aligning with them is tantamount to declaring war on the land demons. What benefit does that bring our West Sea Dragon Palace?”
“Exactly, Dragon King. Our West Sea Dragon Palace has just ended internal strife, weakening our strength. If we get involved and the demons fight the humans, an alliance would only drain us further. It’s all harm and no gain for us!”
“Even if the humans aren’t at war with the demons, our noble Dragon Clan would never stoop to ally with them.”
“Yes, how could our mighty Dragon Clan ally with humans? We’d be the laughingstock of the other three dragon palaces!”
The elders were visibly agitated.
It wasn’t that they usually opposed Little Green Dragon, but this matter was utterly unacceptable to them!
Watching their intense reactions, Lin Yun thought to himself that securing an alliance between the West Sea Dragon Palace and the human race would be nearly impossible…
“Dragon King, on the previous matter, it’s not that we elders are deliberately against you. It’s just too outrageous. We could compromise on that, but an alliance with the human race? I firmly oppose it, no matter the punishment,” the Grand Elder said resolutely.
From his perspective, he was naturally prioritising the West Sea Dragon Palace’s interests over the humans’.
An alliance with humans meant helping them against the demons. What benefit or profit was there for the West Sea Dragon Palace?
It offered no clear gain, only losses, and it clashed with the Dragon Clan’s proud stance.
“Dragon King, please reconsider!”
“Please, Dragon King, think twice!”
The other elders chimed in, their emotions running high.
Faced with such strong opposition from the elders, Little Green Dragon felt the difficulty of the situation.
He shifted tactics. “Grand Elder, you said you could compromise on the previous matter, right? Let’s settle that first, then discuss the alliance later.”
Little Green Dragon knew the alliance was a tough sell, so he’d tackle the easier matter first.
The Grand Elder paused. The previous matter was, of course, appointing Lin Yun as an honorary elder.
Had the alliance not been raised, the Grand Elder would have opposed Lin Yun’s appointment as well.
But compared to the alliance, appointing Lin Yun as an honorary elder seemed less severe, and he could concede on it.
This reminded Lin Yun of a classic quote from a Chinese literary figure on Earth: Chinese people often prefer compromise. For example, if you say a room is too dark and suggest opening a window, they’ll refuse. But if you propose tearing off the roof, they’ll compromise and agree to the window.
The Grand Elder was clearly the same.
“Given his contributions in helping Your Majesty rebuild your body and return to the West Sea Dragon Palace, we can appoint him as an honorary elder. His contributions justify it,” the Grand Elder said.
“Excellent,” Little Green Dragon nodded, satisfied.
Though the alliance discussion had failed entirely, securing Lin Yun’s appointment as an honorary elder was a good step.
“However, Dragon King, becoming an honorary elder requires not only sufficient contributions but also exceptional strength. He must pass a test to officially become one,” the Grand Elder said.
“How do you propose to test him, Grand Elder?” Little Green Dragon asked.
“I’ll assign a dragon warrior. If he wins, he’ll prove his strength, and we elders will have no objections to his appointment,” the Grand Elder said.
He continued, “If he fails, his strength doesn’t qualify him to be an honorary elder of our West Sea Dragon Palace.”
“Who do you plan to assign, Grand Elder?” Little Green Dragon asked.
“I’ll assign Ao Qirui, a dragon warrior whose combat ability matches a human at the Third Mahayana realm,” the Grand Elder said.
“Grand Elder, Lin Yun is only at the Third Eternal Realm. Isn’t assigning Ao Qirui, who’s far stronger, a bit excessive?” Little Green Dragon frowned.
“Dragon King, to be an honorary elder of our Dragon Clan, one must be exceptional. If he can only defeat opponents of his own realm, what qualifies him? How would he earn respect? Without proving his strength, even if we agree, others below us won’t,” the Grand Elder said.
