"Be careful of your back, the venomous fangs of the spider might appear behind you at any moment."
This is the customary farewell of the Grey Elf Rangers who betrayed Rose. They use this method to remind themselves and their companions that the vengeful Rose will never forget the slightest grudge and that she might send dangerous minions to end the lives of the betrayers like them at any moment.
Although they have formed a relatively stable alliance, the underground world is still the underground world and war between them is unavoidable. However, due to certain reasons, the Dark Elves under Rose haven't been doing too well recently.
Due to some inconvenient contract exchange, the underground world's devil's agent, Eduar, mysteriously disappeared. The human underground cities under him started to move closer to Sulfur Mountain City. As more and more underground city lords sought refuge and alliance, Annie's position as the Underground Autarch became more and more stable.
Among the new 4 Autarchs, the Dragon Queen Ein Mezus, Fire Phoenix Anne and the Underground Beastman Sovereign Anya had a close personal relationship and they frequently cooperated with each other. Unintentionally or unintentionally, the Dark Elves were pushed aside.
This is just like a market trade. If a few large merchant guilds occupy more than 70% of the market share, they who have the right to set the price can monopolize the market and small merchants can easily go bankrupt. With the situation developing to such an extent, when the various low tax customs clearance agreements were signed, many commercial activities started to abandon the Dark Elf cities and play by themselves. This is obviously a fatal blow to the economy of the Dark Elves.
If this was the only situation, the Dark Elves would have taken action a long time ago.
"You aren't selling me? I can just rob you, but you actually dare to stop the trade? Do you believe that I won't kill your entire family tomorrow! We are Dark Elves, not charcoal heads with long ears! "
No one would take the threat of the Dark Elves as a joke. As one of the few twisted races who view plundering and deceiving as their virtues, the Dark Elves have always had a low bottom line. Even if they don't say it out loud, they still have to be wary of the fatal retaliation and attacks.
"The Underground Alliance was established for the peace of the underground world. Whoever initiates a war will become the public enemy of the alliance. The Underground Autarch is no exception! No, the Underground Autarch should abide by the peace treaty even more. Otherwise, she will incur the hostility of the other Underground Autarchs! "
If someone had said this a year ago, everyone would have thought that person's head was broken. However, when Anne, who had vaguely gained the support of 70% of the forces, made this declaration, no one dared to treat the so-called peace treaty as a joke.
Furthermore, it was obvious which Underground Autarch they were targeting. Some of the Grey Dwarves and Underground Gnome Cities that had been forced to submit to the Dark Elves due to the threat of military might had realized that the Dark Elves didn't dare to use force anymore. They seized this rare opportunity to change their allegiance and escape the harsh rule of the Dark Elves.
Economically, politically, and militarily isolated by the other factions, the Dark Elves' influence began to wane. Some Dark Elf cities that worshipped other gods began to choose new leaders. Rose's authority was being challenged on all fronts.
Faced with such a situation, Rose naturally wasn't in a good mood. Her illegitimate divine daughter died mysteriously a few days ago and before a new representative could be chosen, the Dark Elves' influence was being suppressed once again. Now, even the area of influence and worshippers had been reduced. How could she tolerate this?
Due to the sharp decrease in the number of worshippers, it directly affected the Divine Power. In a fit of rage, Rose executed a few matriarchs of the major families. However, the result was that the fight for the Underground Autarch between the various Dark Elf cities became even more intense. Incidentally, in this series of turmoil, Matriarch Victoria of Morsblight City advanced several steps and became one of the three candidates with the highest hopes of ascending to the top.
Furthermore, due to certain relationships in the past, if Rose were to choose to coexist with the other Underground Autarchs, she would definitely be the best candidate to become the High Priestess of Rose. Under such circumstances, she had become the shining star of the Dark Elf race.
Under such circumstances, the letter that I sent to Anne through Eliza, then Anne would pass it to Victoria through a special communication method. Even if it didn't have my signature or seal on it, the weight of the letter wouldn't be light.
Of course, Spider Queen Rose was famous for being cunning and greedy. It wouldn't be an easy task to persuade her to switch sides.
"… If the Order Gods ultimately win the Holy War, all of the current Elven Gods will fall in this Holy War. In that case, the Elven Gods will need a veteran Elven God to hold the fort in the future. Obviously, you are the most suitable candidate."
"Think about it. If you were to remain in the Chaos Faction, do you really intend to work with those fellows who exiled you? Do you think that you can defeat them alone? If they were to ascend to the top, would you be exiled once again? No, with the previous lesson, they definitely wouldn't leave any traces of trouble behind. I think they would probably find a reason to make you fall and get kicked out. "
The future Elf Main God. This was my verbal offer to Rose. Nothing good would come out of staying in the Chaos Faction, regardless of whether she won or lost. This was my analysis of the current situation.
I never told lies. It was precisely this "truth" that would trigger Rose's suspicious and vigilant heart.
"Besides, I don't expect you to betray us directly. Look, aren't the current Elf Gods still in the Order Faction? Isn't it only natural for a Chaos True God like you to attack them? Not to mention, you already have a deep grudge against them. It wouldn't be in your character to not take revenge."
"Also, the current situation is so chaotic. As long as you don't make your stance clear, you can make a second choice at any time. This is a great opportunity for you to take revenge without any risk. If you miss it, even I will feel pity for you. This is truly a once in a millennium opportunity. Do you still have the confidence to wait for another millennium if you miss this opportunity?"
In the language of the dark elves, betrayal was a virtue. Lorci's virtue was evident from this. Not only could she be a fence-sitter, but she could also become the Elven Main God after success. Naturally, this suggestion struck a chord with her.
In order to increase the persuasiveness of the letter, I even added Aillé and Wumianzhe's Divine Power imprints at the end of the letter.
With these two imprints, it was equivalent to two Order True Gods giving their testimonies. One of them was even the big boss Aillé. In Rose's eyes, this letter was elevated by two levels. It directly became an official poaching of the Order Faction.
Alright, in reality, the Order Gods didn't even know about this matter. It was just that for convenience, Aillé had already given me full authority over this matter …
After receiving the letter, Rose didn't say anything. However, her silence let me know that she was moved. Furthermore, the fact that she appointed Victoria as the highest priestess after some hesitation was another answer.
However, since Rose had taken the initiative to enter the game, what happened next wasn't something that I could interfere with.
"Hmph, one will have to pay for what they have done sooner or later. The crimes that the Elves committed in Sleuweir, the Dark Elves will only be worse. I don't believe that the Elven army will still be able to start a war with the humans when their backyard is on fire. You guys can just go back and fight each other like dogs. "
Even so, the trouble that I was in right now wasn't small.
"To be able to ruin his family to such an extent, Füml Caso must be a rare talent in the world."
Not mentioning the internal chaos caused by Caso's wanton actions for a long period of time, the Beastmen had mobilized their main force to attack Red Maple City. This allowed Antoon, who had suddenly shifted his flag, to not suffer any unstoppable pressure.
However, when the royal financial advisor's report on the national treasury and the military's strategy report were brought over, I realized that Sleuweir had already been defeated by Füml to the point of bankruptcy.
"Stop all the new entertainment facilities. Seal off the royal garden project forever. Release all the slaves as commoners. As for the beauties in the harem …"
Of course, I wanted to say something like "I'll accept all the beauties in the harem." However, after considering my rather good image in the eyes of the world, yep, as well as the sparkling silver ring on my finger, I could only shake my head helplessly.
"Dismiss all of them. Send those from wealthy families back home. Those from poor families will become hospital nurses, volunteers, tailors, and the like. Let them earn their own living. They won't know anything and will be sent to restaurants to wash dishes. Yep, give them sufficient severance pay. However, tell them that the royal family won't be supporting them in the future. "
Actually, these financial and political problems could only be considered small problems. It was nothing more than the chaos caused by that bastard Füml who didn't care about anything else. However, the local domain lords within the country were a huge problem that would be difficult to solve.
In this feudal era where magic and swords were intertwined, the cruel living environment and magical beast hordes caused most commoners to choose to live in the relatively safer medium to large cities. Meanwhile, the inconvenient transportation made it difficult for the various cities to communicate with each other. This was probably the truest example. It wasn't uncommon for the royal family's authority to only extend to a few nearby prefectures.
Of course, rights and obligations were always relative. Protecting one's own citizens from all sorts of natural and unnatural threats was definitely not an easy task.
In their own territories, the noble domain lords had even more authority and right to speak than the royal family. This was extremely common in this era, and the royal family would usually turn a blind eye to it. However, Füml had offended all the major nobles. There were even a few local nobles who publicly acknowledged that they didn't take Füml seriously at all. There were even quite a few who hadn't been to Antoon's court in the past ten years. This was no small matter.
"For the sake of a rather beautiful woman, he actually sent out his guards to kidnap the noble wife of a domain lord. He's even been caught with evidence more than once or twice. This bastard is truly lucky that he hasn't been overthrown by the rebellious domain lords."
In fact, if it wasn't for the beastmen's sudden southern invasion, there would have been many domain lords who had agreed to rebel in less than two years.
In this rotten ruler's mind, he was probably a demon that had escaped from Hell. Since he could be banished back to Hell at any moment, and since the wealth of this country was destined to never belong to him, why not seize the time to enjoy it? As for whether or not there would be any serious consequences? In his eyes, "I don't care what happens after I die." Why would he have any concerns?
Sleuweir's current situation wasn't just limited to these. Originally, in this all-out war, the royal family should be the one to take the lead and gather all the major domain lords to form an allied army to fight. However, it was obvious that the beastmen had thoroughly understood the human system. They didn't give Füml the chance to exercise his royal authority at all.
However, even if Füml really did exercise his royal authority and issued an order to levy troops, it would still be a question of how many major domain lords would respond.
Currently, the royal family's main forces were divided into two parts. Most of the main forces guarding the borders were blocked at the now meaningless border fortresses. Meanwhile, the royal guard corps and reserve corps of the capital had already suffered heavy losses just to deal with Antoon's siege of the city.
As for the domain lords' armies, most of them were restricted to their own territories by the beastmen's strategy of scattering and ambushing. The royal family's inaction caused the loyal citizens to be bitterly disappointed, but it also caused some to have their own thoughts. If a certain domain lord were to send troops to aid the capital, it would be akin to committing suicide.
Even if Füml had gone too far, even if I was only the temporary acting king, it would still be difficult for me to stabilize my position.
Even in the feudal era where sovereignty was scattered, rebellion was still a skill. The legitimacy of the royal authority was the bottom line in the hearts of all the citizens. If it wasn't for the fact that Füml had revealed his true demonic nature when his life was in danger, if it wasn't for the fact that I was legally the legitimate descendant of the Mist, I probably wouldn't have taken over Antoon so easily.
However, this was obviously a taboo. It was destined that I wouldn't be able to satisfy the domain lords. Even I wasn't very satisfied with this situation.
"Today, I will use this as an excuse to take away Sleuweir's royal authority. Aren't Donglan and Shawen both descendants of the Mist? When the time comes, I will take them away as well. If even the royal family's royal authority can be taken away, then the authority of us domain lords can be taken away with just a word. "
Obviously, if this situation continued for a long period of time, when I was labeled as an ambitious person, I would definitely receive many gazes that were taboo. In that case, my own blueprints would naturally become nothing more than bubbles.
Blueprints? Yep, I had a series of plans for the Northlands, but none of them included me ascending to the throne. Not only would that be equivalent to tying myself to death, it would also cause countless people to be on guard against me. The losses would definitely outweigh the gains.
"I need a member of Sleuweir's royal family. Even if it's just a puppet, it would still be much better than me directly acting as the acting king."
However, it was obvious that I had met with a new problem. Just like those rulers who succeeded the throne, Füml Caso was too ruthless. Out of the three siblings, it was said that the eldest, the crown prince, was killed by him, while the youngest's entire family met with "misfortune" as well. They were all killed in a carriage accident.
Now, even if I wanted to find a puppet to set up, I wouldn't be able to find a suitable candidate.
However, a sudden piece of news shook my spirit.
"The crown prince once had a daughter, Glina. Thirteen years ago, before Füml ascended to the throne, she wasn't found during the confiscation of the family's property. She should still be alive."
"The Lamp of Life?"
I couldn't help but recall the dagger with two pearls on it. The Sleuweir's royal family should also have such a secret technique.
"Furthermore, the lamp was originally very dim, but three months ago, the lamp suddenly lit up. It seems that the princess has already returned to the Northlands. If she really came back for revenge, she might have already concealed her identity in this city."
The words of the head butler of the royal family shook my spirit. Thus, I immediately sent out an announcement. However, even though the patrolling Knight ran all over the city and shouted until his throat was hoarse, there was still no one who took the initiative to step forward.
"If she really is in this city, it means that she is suspicious of me and doesn't dare to come out. Forget it, let's find her first. Does she have any other unique characteristics? "
The old man frowned and fell into deep thought. After a long while, he finally squeezed out a sentence.
"Back then, she was still a little girl. She didn't have any unique characteristics. She was just an ordinary little girl who didn't like to talk. Right, she has two moles on the right side of her chest and one on her left buttocks. That should be a unique characteristic! "
The moment I heard this, I covered my face. I could pretty much guess what was going to happen next.
【Ding ding, congratulations to host for triggering a sudden quest — Delightful Welfare Plot. Quest Objective: Find Princess Glina. Don't hesitate, she is within your reach. Quest Reward: Since you can control this country through her, it can be considered as a part of the revival of the Mist Country. Let the Sword of Roland complete the first phase of evolving into a God Equipment in advance. Quest Failure: The evolution reward will be permanently canceled. The delightful welfare plot will be converted into a delightful Asura plot.】
"Pah!" I smashed my fist on the table. What I feared had really come true. Aren't these rewards and punishments forcing me to do my best!
"In other words, we have to take off the tops and skirts of all the fifteen to sixteen year old girls and check their chests and buttocks? That is too shameful, too vulgar, too high … cough, too immoral. "
The old man shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Considering that in order to escape from the pursuit of the fake king, she might be able to disguise herself. Her age and gender aren't accurate, but it is possible for her to disguise herself as a cute boy."
I opened my mouth wide. If I really gave the order for all the young girls and cute boys to strip naked, I would probably enter the history books once more — — as the Lord of Sex, surpassing Füml.
Finally, after pondering for a long while, I activated the communication effect on my ring. Then, in a few words, I clearly explained the ins and outs of my situation.
"… If you intend to give the order to strip naked, I will pretend that I don't know you from now on. Perverted master, why are you telling me such nonsense? Is this your new method of sexual harassment? Or, are you intending to check on me first? "
I shook my head.
"No, I am only seeking help from you."
"Seeking help? How can I help you do such things … Oh, I understand, you mean him? "
I nodded my head in pain. If it was possible, I didn't want to look for that person either.
"Yes, we need the help of an expert. This is beyond the scope of my personal abilities. Inform that expert for me."
"… I understand, but I suddenly feel that it would be more appropriate to give the order for the entire city to strip naked. If that man were to make a move, all of you might be hung on the pillar of shame in history. "
"Do you think so too? But it is a pity that we have no other choice. I have already made up my mind … Contact that man for me, contact Beifeng.Herault! We need the help of him and his companions! In this situation, only a true gentleman can help us! "
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