You keep thinking...

You are thinking and at the same time you take a book from the table. You thoughtfully turn over the pages of this book...

How sad it is that the elven culture, which created the most beautiful examples of creativity in science, painting, literature, architecture, is gradually declining due to reasons of a rather primitive nature... Due to reasons of a statistical nature... The territories in which elves live there are few left... There are fewer and fewer elves... The birth rate among elves has always been low, but over the past couple of centuries it has become even lower...

You interrupt your thoughts. Soon you will need to receive guests. You go to the emerald hall, which is located in the western wing of your mansion.

Five minutes later you enter a large room whose walls are covered with exquisite mosaics with a predominance of green colors.

Several half-elf maids are now in this room. You carefully examine this room.

At the top of one of the walls is a ceremonial shield depicting your family coat of arms (a golden crescent and a blue sea wave on a gray background).

There is a small marble pedestal near the wall opposite the front door. In the center of this room there is a large oak table, which is covered with a silk tablecloth and on which there are dozens of crystal dishes with a wide variety of types of food. These dishes contain meat, vegetables, rare fruits, fish... In addition, there are about a dozen vessels with various drinks on the table. There are four chairs next to the table (two chairs on either side of the table). At the head of the table is a sandalwood chair, which is covered with elegant patterns.

You tell the maids: "Inform the mercenaries that I am expecting them... Escort the mercenaries... After that, you can be free for today..."

The maids bow to you and they leave the room.

You are expecting your guests to arrive soon... You are walking around the room... You are looking into a large wall mirror... In the mirror you see approximately the same thing that you have seen for the last 200 years... In the mirror you see an image familiar to you: a slender, flexible and graceful body, which is dressed in an elegant dress that is the color of spring foliage; pointed ears; narrow chin; graceful oval face; mysterious eyes, almond-shaped and greenish in color; seductive medium sized breasts...

Ten minutes later, three mercenaries enter the room. One of them is a tall man who is wearing plate armor. On the belt of this mercenary there is a large sheath in which you can see the hilt of the sword. His face has long scars on his chin and forehead. This man has a large reddish mustache. His reddish hair almost reaches his shoulders. His sea-blue eyes look at you with respect. He holds in his hands a stone figurine measuring about 40 centimeters. This stone figurine depicts some kind of exotic tropical flower.

The second mercenary is a dwarf. This dwarf is wearing leather armor. Several daggers in leather sheaths are attached to his belt. Behind the dwarf's back you see a crossbow held on a belt. The dwarf turns her bald head slightly from side to side. He looks around the room with the gloomy gaze of his black eyes. He thoughtfully strokes his black beard.

The third mercenary is a female half-elf. She is of average height, her gray eyes slightly squinting towards the first mercenary. Her blonde hair is tied in a ponytail. There are small burn marks on her cheekbones. This half-elf mercenary is dressed in a cloth dress. She holds a small staff with an obsidian pommel. You feel an aura of magical energy from this staff.