Chapter 144: Flexible Stance

Shieru Xia Luofen, caught red-handed, was somewhat stunned.

As the third daughter of the Third Family, she had grown weary of her arrogant mother and her three foolish adoptive fathers.

Of course, what she hated most remained her arrogant and foolish eldest sister.

That sister, Luxier Xia Luofen, though not lacking in strength (a High Warrior plus a High Priestess), possessed a character that could only be described as the fool among fools.

Especially after acquiring a foolish young dragon from some channel a few days ago, she had become utterly insufferable.

Within the family, many people fawned over her excessively, causing her to swell with pride even further.

As if the little brain matter she possessed had been completely drained by a mind flayer, she spent her days looking down on others through her nose, even beginning to look down on the Matriarch.

As a third daughter with no voice, what should one do when a powerful sister and mother come into conflict?

"Sister, you are truly too amazing; even a proud creature like a Black Dragon can be tamed. It has been a long time since the continent saw a Dragon Knight."

What should one do? Of course, one must obey her and praise her.

And what she said was indeed the truth; a true dragon possessing the Dragon's inheritance, which normally looks down on other races, is basically impossible to tame.

Even if a partner contract is signed, only a few Good Dragons allow you to ride them for short distances.

Is such simple and direct flattery useful? Of course it is; if Luxier Xia Luofen possessed accurate self-awareness, she would not have swelled to the point of being hated by all and sundry.

This time, the First Family specifically named you for a mission; do you truly think it is because they value your strength? Clearly, in the world of the Dark Elves, being targeted by a superior often means death, yet Luxier remains completely unaware.

She even reached a point where no confidant was willing to remind her. There used to be some, but after she bullied them under the guise of "you are jealous of me," there truly were none left.

And that unlucky soul who was bullied? Yes, it is now the third daughter, Shieru Xia Luofen, preparing to murder her own sister.

If the eldest daughter dies, she becomes the second daughter; if the second daughter dies, she becomes the eldest daughter.

This is the normal relationship between Dark Elf sisters; its essence involves racial habits and history, but ultimately, it is a legacy of the "Lolth" era.

Unlike other races, the Dark Elves practice a pure theocracy; their priestesses are "high-ranking civil servants (bureaucrats)," and all power and wealth are in their hands.

Their ability to receive divine favor and power is directly linked to their social status.

The result is one radish for one hole; wanting to rise in rank or even advance further on the path of the Priestess, being as devout as priestesses of other races is basically meaningless.

Killing one's superior or competitive colleagues is the key.

Even though Lolth has fallen, there are no signs of this toxic "racial culture" being eliminated; it is the foundation of their societal structure.

Those new Dark Elf deities are also children or grandchildren of Lolth; having grown up within such a system, they naturally do not see any problem with it.

The Goddess Sisters are outliers, but from another angle, perhaps it is because the two sides could never compete from the very beginning that allowed sisterly affection to have a chance to sprout normally.

In other families, all sisters are competitors, the kind where it is kill or be killed, and the status of the eldest daughter is not even fixed.

Vitoria detests this culture; therefore, she can only leave this system and become a mage with relatively low local status. If she were to become a priestess and enter this system, she would have to follow, or even master, these rules, otherwise she would sooner or later die in an inexplicable manner.

"Help me eliminate the First Eldest Daughter; after I rise to power, I will assist in lifting the warrant for the Beast Cult."

A Dark Elf's promise? Even a dog wouldn't believe it.

But the Great Horn Priest of the Beast Cult, Solter, seemed to have no room for choice either.

He, and the Beast Cult, needed a Dark Elf ally; at the very least, they needed to know why the betrayal happened so suddenly. He had seen that controlled Beast Prince, but the Dark Elf betrayal occurred before that!

"Do you need us to help you eliminate your second sister? She should be with your eldest sister, right?"

"She treated me quite well..." Shieru Xia Luofen sighed; her second sister was a rare "good elf."

With Lolth's departure, exchanges between Dark Elves and other races increased, and such "good Dark Elves who do not actively harm others" became more numerous.

"Give her a quick death." But after Shieru Xia Luofen's moment of sorrow, she spoke with decisive firmness.

She treated me well, but what does it matter if she harms no one? She is blocking my path.

This is the essence of the Dark Elves (a theocratic bureaucratic society).

The negotiation was nearly concluded; the Great Horn Priest did not expect the Dark Elf before him to honor any future contract.

They simply needed a Dark Elf ally in a situation of insufficient intelligence and logistical shortages.

They were already the number one wanted criminals on the surface; being wanted by the Dungeon as well, becoming a rat crossing the street was one thing, but being unable to serve the "Beast" was completely unacceptable.

"Hehe, then let us congratulate the First Eldest Daughter in advance..."

But just as both sides reached an agreement and were about to act separately.

"Snap."

Another group of outsiders arrived, stepping across a spiderweb bridge.

This was an open space on a web, with absolutely no cover to obscure vision; the three factions clashed directly.

The two parties who arrived first were stunned; wasn't this an abandoned cliffside village? How could outsiders still come? Could it be that the other side led them here?

"You, you betrayed me!!" The Great Horn Priest looked up, saw the face of the arriving guest, and instantly roared.

Shieru Xia Luofen turned around and also saw this mixed team of Dark Elves and surface dwellers, and was stunned on the spot.

Isn't this the City Lord's people? How was it leaked so easily?

"Li En Sudar!" The Great Horn Priest spotted the knight leading the group at a glance; it was his appearance that caused their layout in Radiant City to be exposed prematurely!

Was this a fishing attempt again?

The Great Horn Priest's body suddenly swelled, directly beginning to transform, preparing to fight to the death.

And Shieru's mind turned at lightning speed; she knew this surface dweller had a very good relationship with the Goddess Sisters of the First Family, and that this group also included a noble lady from the Second Family, she...

"That's right! Ha, you fools, you have indeed fallen for it. You are all surrounded; wanted criminals, surrender immediately. Lord Li En Sudar, we have successfully trapped them; please hurry over to help."

And the object of the gaze, also a group of outsiders with blank expressions, was truly astonished by how quickly the situation had changed; it was utterly absurd.

"This... the acting is quite a lot."

To be honest, the acting was quite poor; one moment you were cooperating and negotiating, and the moment we arrived you turned against each other? If we leave, will you be allies again?

But Li En had no need to expose it.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, you hold them off for now; we are coming to help you immediately."

Li En simply gave a casual push; you fight first, I'll be right there. Come, let's add a set of buffs, drink some water, and eat some rations.

Behind, however, came Victoria's soft inquiry.

"That is the third daughter of the Xia Luofen family; she must have colluded with these beast cultists, likely to kill her sister. What should we do? Once she returns, she will surely spread rumors."

Acting personally risks endless trouble if it fails; hiring an assassin, even if the attempt fails and the hired hand is sold out, can be denied afterward. This is even common knowledge among the Dark Elves, and Victoria saw through it instantly.

Victoria did not yet know Li En's methods, which was why she asked that extra question.

Smiling, Li En also replied in a low voice.

"Kill them all. A bunch of evil; why consider so much?"

—

While Li En encountered an unexpected "ally," another group was also moving through the wilderness of the Underworld.

Here, they were not far from the Mind Flayer Overmind's domain; Mind Flayer patrols were increasing in number and strength.

But this time, they met a terrifying opponent.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a surge of mana, white light swept across the ground, and the unlucky Mind Flayer was instantly vaporized down to its flesh.

Yet the psychic attack it unleashed sank only into utter void.

The target of its assault seemed to have completely lost its heart.

"Bai" lowered her staff, silently observing the surroundings and the slaves collapsing one by one in sudden death.

"Buzz buzz buzz!"

But as spatial rifts tore open, high-ranking Mind Flayers emerged one by one.

The Mind Flayer ambushers, sent to hunt the surface-dweller hunting party, met an unexpected foe.

"Boom!" And their response was nothing but a series of "little beasts" undergoing transformation, and "Bai" gathering mana to prepare a bombardment.

The Beast Cult, following the Magical Girls, was even more insane than their opponents! The "opportunity" they had waited for so many years was suddenly ruined by the Mind Flayers.

"Damn octopus heads!"

"Release the Highness."

Beasts and Dark Elves held no mortal grudge, but now beasts and Mind Flayers were mortal enemies!

Another Beast Prince was still being eroded and controlled by the Overmind.

Thus, without the slightest pause, both sides clashed directly in a bloody fight.

The same thing kept happening throughout this underground realm; from the standpoint of the surface dwellers and Li En, enemies and enemies naturally fought desperately in various zones.

(End of this chapter)