Chapter 368: A Strand of Hair and the Desire for War

【Submission has broken through to 51, unlocking a shared skill with Tori】

【Beginning random draw.】

【Draw successful】

【Shared Skill: Throat of the Abyss】

【Details: Opens a massive, black-hole-like maw that instantly folds the surrounding space and devours it. Whether solid matter or powerful magical energy, once drawn into this Throat of the Abyss, it will be utterly broken down and converted into the devourer's vitality and energy.】

Holy crap!

This strong??

The way Rod looked at the meatball Tori started to seem off.

The mushroom-person Tolu wore an unhappy look and blocked his line of sight with his body.

Forget it, forget it

The meatball really wasn't his type, and NTRers all deserve to die — he was a pure-love warrior.

He signed another soul contract with the mushroom-person Tolu; the terms were looser, but work was definitely required.

It also explicitly stated that communication with any cosmic beings other than Tori was forbidden.

Tori, who seemed to be a pure-love warrior herself, said she was very satisfied with that clause.

Seeing nothing else to attend to, Tori and Tolu snuggled together for a good while before reluctantly reopening the inter-dimensional rift and leaving.

Before she left, the Abyssal Devourer Tori actually handed over a stiff brown strand of hair as long as an arm.

The mushroom-person Tolu explained: "This is a meeting gift from Tori to you. She said she picked it up when passing through some ruins in the inter-dimensional space. The psychic energy on it has somewhat deactivated, losing its original function — it's very likely something left behind by some great being."

Upon seeing this, the drider Watching Yuna's face went deathly pale, and she instinctively grabbed Rod's sleeve.

"This is an Audient Strand of that lord"

"That lord?"

Panic appeared on Watching Yuna's face: "I mean, Spider Queen Lolth — Watching Yuna spoke too quickly, it doesn't mean I still recognize that one as lord. Watching Yuna's lord, now and in the future, will only be Master Rod!"

Afraid Rod would misunderstand, she hurriedly explained.

Rod waved his hand, unconcerned: "An Audient Strand — looks like it's something for eavesdropping. Since it's already deactivated, I suppose it's useless now, right?"

"Yes, Spider Queen Lolth often scatters Audient Strands throughout the world to monitor changes in inter-dimensional space and the major planes. Once an opportunity arises, she chooses to invade on her own initiative, spreading fear and suffering."

"Oh, is it useful to you?"

Watching Yuna did not answer.

The thing really would benefit her, but she didn't dare make demands of her own master — it would make her seem useless and incompetent as a servant.

"If I tell you to speak, then speak." Rod said with a helpless laugh.

"Y-yes, this strand hasn't been deactivated for long. I can use it to grasp some applications of psychic energy and bring about a rise in my spiritual accumulation."

"That's a good thing! You growing stronger is nothing but beneficial to me. If anything like this comes up in the future, speak up right away."

"Understood, Master. It was foolish of Watching Yuna."

Watching Yuna hurriedly apologized, a little embarrassed.

Perfect timing.

Just then, the tooth fairy Rosalia sent word that the dark elf was willing to talk and asked him to come over.

Rosalia was surprised for a moment when she saw a mushroom-person following behind Rod.

Isn't this the prisoner from our cells who still needs reforming?

Last time Dimia sealed off his spore vents, and even after a full month he hadn't complied.

Rod proactively explained: "I recruited him. This guy shamelessly insisted on calling me Master — couldn't stop him even if I tried. You know me, I only like girls calling me Master; with males it just feels kind of gross."

Rosalia naturally wouldn't doubt his word.

She just asked curiously: "How did you manage it? We tried a lot of methods."

"Probably personal charm."

Heh.

Rosalia laughed, knowing he didn't want to say.

"It must be just so. Mr. Rod is the most charming man I have ever seen."

"Hahahaha—"

Rod laughed heartily: "Take this guy and use him first. Shi Ying Town's been crowded lately, and Dimia has to stay stationed at Claw Valley Highlands — having a high-tier sixth-rank mage around would help."

"I won't stand on ceremony then. The town really is short on higher-ranked mages. Outsider adventurers are too unruly and not very willing to cooperate with the Town Hall."

He looked at the dark elf on the restraint chair.

The polymorph effect had already been dispelled — a body of jet-black skin and a hole pierced clean through the chest drew the eye conspicuously.

At this moment his head hung down, blood-flecked foam dribbling from his mouth, half his face swollen, and he wheezed raspily like an old broken bellows.

His body was covered in burns, lash marks, and needle-puncture wounds; the fingers on his bound hands and feet had all been snipped short.

Interrogator Xiao Xiao Feisuo stood beside him, specks of blood spattered across his face, smiling cheerfully as he cupped a front tooth in both hands.

Ugh.

Tooth fairies are kind of scary.

But interrogation — isn't it always like this?

Being merciful to the enemy is being cruel to one's own people.

Next came Rosalia's questioning.

In this area she clearly had more experience, so Rod simply listened quietly from the side.

About half an hour.

The information the dark elf revealed made everyone's heart sink:

Within Coral Bay, some dark elves were wary of Shi Ying Town's stability and expansion, so they secretly sent people intending to weaken their economic lifeline—the mining district.

The five delayed-explosion gems in the assassin's embrace were meant to target the five most productive mine pits in the mining district.

As for the act of attempting to assassinate the elf.

This was the assassin's personal action. According to his own words, on one hand he had always hated traditional elves; on the other, he hoped to use this to create a rift between Emerald Court and the Kingdom of Aethelorn.

Rod hadn't expected this either.

One casual look at the excitement had actually uncovered a terrifying operation that could endanger Shi Ying Town's lifeline.

A mine collapse is an extremely troublesome matter.

He had heard that over a dozen years ago Shi Ying Town had a collapse incident that killed several dozen people. Not only was that mine shaft sealed off completely, it also bred a rather fierce miasma that even mages couldn't trace to its source to clear away, and it remains abandoned to this day.

More importantly, Shi Ying Town's economy would suffer a heavy blow.

During this period, in order to deal with the beast-transformed patients in Claw Valley Highlands, a great deal of energy had been diverted, and even the Wendigos had all been pulled over without exception. The mining district was indeed in a state of defensive vacancy.

Rosalia was also slightly startled into a cold sweat by this news, and hurriedly contacted Dimia to have the Wendigos recalled.

In any case, the situation over in Claw Valley Highlands had stabilized somewhat after a month, and with Rod going over from time to time to inspect and look after things, it shouldn't cause too much trouble.

Everyone exited the interrogation room.

The assassin needed to be kept confined well; the important thing was that he couldn't die.

After all, this bunch could resurrect. It's best to keep him trapped now—killing him would just let them recover their fighting strength.

"The dark elves of Coral Bay clearly have no small appetite for war. They'll probably make a move against Shi Ying Town again later."

Rosalia commented.

She had already deduced some of their thinking from the interrogation just now.

"Being able to summon two dragons tells you they won't just quietly settle down after this."

Rod sighed.

Red dragons, black dragons—both are chromatic dragons.

Unlike the mild-tempered metallic dragons like bronze dragons and silver dragons, every single chromatic dragon is of the evil alignment, distinguished by being brutal, cunning, and warlike.

What they were summoned for is something even a hair on your foot could figure out.

(End of this chapter)