Chapter 161: Award

This battle had already ended the moment Li En successfully injected the "snake venom."

After the most formidable of the Princes of Beasts (mature) and the Mind Flayer Overmind went mad, Li En's group had already fulfilled their mission from Mordosilkar and could directly return to Princess Dennia for their reward.

But as long as other Princes of Beasts remain active, the Underworld is doomed to instability; if they form a full army or are further catalyzed into maturity, it will be another catastrophe. Even a single mature Magical Girl can collapse an entire city.

Now, all the damned are dead—within sight, there are no more threats.

After this battle, no one will ever underestimate the true "Beasts" and "Princes of Beasts"—they are not even in the same league as the Beast Cult.

For the surface dwellers, the greatest gain was not merely the hunting of the Princes of Beasts.

"Thank you for your efforts. We shall forever remember your sacrifices. Huicheng and Mordosilkar shall be eternal allies, united against future crises." Li En knew these diplomatic pleasantries were just words—no need to take them seriously.

In the city hall where Li En and his group had first arrived, they finally completed their expected audience and received personal commendation from the city's ruler, Verna.

A few hours earlier, she had opened the "national treasury" and allowed Li En's group to select some rewards—filled as they were with rare magical items, impossible to refuse.

Li En touched the faint red bracer on his arm, thoroughly satisfied.

The Fire Giant's bracer was a high-quality Gauntlet of Might, enhancing physical strength while granting moderate fire resistance and fire manipulation.

To achieve this level was the work of an ancient alchemical master among the dark elves.

"Good stuff! Take it!"

Ku Ku instantly spotted this magical item and urged Li En to accept it on the spot. Often, magical items are not judged by market value but by compatibility.

This gauntlet, forged from Fire Giant materials, preserved the creature's innate talents and abilities—and suited Li En perfectly.

Now, as his physical hardware gradually upgraded, the fixed strength of the "Cursed Ogre Gauntlets" had become a restraint rather than an enhancement.

To grow further, he truly needed a normal Gauntlet of Might.

Gauntlets of Might, equipment demanded by all warriors, are easy to obtain at low tiers, but even slightly superior ones skyrocket in price.

It's not merely a case of "high price, no market"—a good one is snatched up instantly, especially one that preserves the Fire Giant's signature talent.

It not only slightly boosts fire resistance and damage but also grants the innate ability "Meteor Throw," imbuing thrown objects with fiery power through the hands.

Its only flaw might be that it retains too much: as a trade-off for its power, it even preserves the body temperature of a Lava Giant (advanced Fire Giant)—those without fire resistance likely couldn't use it, and those with low resistance would suffer greatly.

"A nice hand warmer." Yet Li En was thoroughly satisfied. "Giants really are full of treasures."

It was then that Ku Ku added two remarks upon hearing this.

"Gak gak. Don't let Giants hear you say that. And don't let them see your gauntlets."

Li En understood this well—wearing Dragonhide armor before Dragonkind, or donning Giant gauntlets before Giants, was a textbook case of suicide.

". mm. Actually, they'll turn red-eyed just seeing you. So wear it freely." After a moment's thought, Ku Ku added.

Now it was Li En's turn to lose composure.

"Do they hate me? Can Giants recognize us?"

Ku Ku shook his head—if this world could identify the Thousand-Faced Dragon, reincarnation would have been terminated long ago.

"Giants and Dragons—especially Dragonkin—have a relationship similar to that between Dragons and Beasts: they are mortal enemies who ended each other's eras." Li En fell silent. It seemed everyone was the Dragon's enemy. Had he boarded the wrong ship?

"Compared to the Thousand-Faced Dragon's own enemies, the Dragon Clan's public foes are nothing." Perhaps sensing time was running short, Ku Ku reminded Li En.

As Li En grows, his True Dragon aura will inevitably grow stronger; eventually, Beasts and Giants alike will turn hostile toward him.

"Why do you keep saying 'True Dragon'? Is it different from today's dragons?"

"It's like the difference between ancient and modern humans. Modern dragons are descendants of True Dragons, but True Dragon descendants aren't just the Five-Colored and Metallic Dragons. Today's Five-Colored Dragons all claim to be True Dragons—but it's inflated."

After a moment's reflection, Ku Ku still reminded him.

In truth, he must also be cautious of the Dragon Clan—the Five-Colored Evil Dragons hold poor attitudes toward Dragonkin (unless you share their color), and the Metallic Dragons treat both Five-Colored Dragons and their Dragonkin with great disdain.

As a Red Dragonkin, he must endure the Dragon Clan's internal feuds—even if he encounters a Red Dragon, there's a high chance it will try to enslave him; Red Dragons are infamous for their terrible temperaments.

". ait, it feels like everyone's my enemy."

"In a world plagued by constant planar wars, racial enemies are everywhere. You're actually lucky—weak races don't even have the status to be True Dragonkin's natural foes."

Ku Ku merely mentioned this briefly—he hadn't even brought up that if the Thousand-Faced Dragon sought enemies, he'd have more foes and troubles than even the ultimate boss of a thousand legendary tales: the Dragon Mother Tiamat!

The small interlude passed quickly. For now, Li En adored his new Giant gauntlets, and from the smiles on others' faces, they too had gained much.

The Divine Maiden Verna was indeed a sincere person—when she promised a great reward, she delivered one.

Now, the alliance banquet, forcibly convened to suppress internal factions, had officially cemented the relationship between the two cities in a formal diplomatic setting.

The other family matriarchs outwardly supported wholeheartedly, but inwardly were furious.

They would surely cause trouble later—only time would tell if the Divine Maiden could hold them down. Li En understood: this wasn't because Verna favored the surface—it was simply a difference in stance between the First Family and the others.

The First Family always demanded stability; they had nowhere higher to rise, and the entire city was their property—no wonder they rewarded those who saved it lavishly.

If the "Deer" were fully unsealed, though it would mostly affect the surface, it would still bring massive upheaval within and beyond Mordosilkar.

Even if the Deer had no interest in the Underworld, Mordosilkar's strategic value would plummet—perhaps even the gods would "withdraw their investment."

If the dark elves used it as a forward base to attack the surface, the First Family would be replaced, and a stronger dark elf family would take over the city.

For the First Family, stagnation was the best development—alignment with the surface matched their expectations.

For the other families, becoming the First Family was their top priority; they craved any possible change, and allying with outsiders was almost inevitable.

This system might bring change and vitality to dark elf society (rare among elf societies), but it also wasted most resources on endless internal struggles—it was hard to say whether it was good or bad.

"At least for now, these families can't cause trouble."

Seeing the two Divine Maidens with faint divine auras shimmering around them, the other matriarchs could only behave for a while.

After this great victory, the First Family's divine favor was at its peak—and in a theocratic society, the gods' favor mattered most.

Meanwhile, the other families had suffered heavy losses: first, during the final defense, each family had exhausted their reserve stocks to fight the beasts that breached the city.

Second, few of the noblewomen sent to eliminate the Overmind returned—like the eldest daughter of the Third Family, who lost both her human and dragon forms.

The First Family's intent was straightforward: seize the moment of peak authority to lock in the course of stable development. To do so, they paid extra costs to demonstrate their "sincerity."

"The First Daughter of the First Family, Alekne Tarabal, shall serve as ambassador and establish an embassy in Huicheng to strengthen ties between the two cities."

Alekne had finally left the Underworld as she wished—but whether this was truly what she now desired remained uncertain.

Yet "betting on both sides" subtly hinted that even Verna had little confidence in the future—if her sister hated the Underworld, let her find a new place to grow.

Thus, Li En's diplomatic mission was a resounding success: not only had an alliance been signed, but a cooperative diplomatic relationship was established; most importantly, all Beast-related forces had been definitively branded as mutual enemies, to be hunted relentlessly.

The diplomatic activities were over; now came the grand ball and cold banquet. The Divine Maiden even danced personally—a victory dance offered to the gods, thanking them for their protection.

Honestly, she danced beautifully—especially in her revealing attire.

After dancing, faint divine light descended—apparently, her "mother" had received the offering.

"After handling the big matters, she doesn't take credit—publicly giving all glory to her superiors. No wonder Verna thrives so well—it's no accident."

This divine favor crushed the other families into silent submission—a good sign for the surface dwellers.

The ball grew livelier. If this were Rose's era, the next events would've been unspeakable large-scale parties. The Mirror Maiden was a neutral deity but didn't suppress the dark elves' nature.

No group party, but some noblewomen approached Li En to invite him to private chambers for rest—such private pairings during dances were normal in dark elf society, though usually led by women.

Li En refused. On his left was Shaliman; on his right was Purple Rose. He had to refuse.

Tonight, other arrangements had already been made.

"Last night," Li En still held off entering Dragon Sleep—perhaps he simply wanted to talk more with Ku Ku.

He hoped time would slow.

But what must come, always comes.

(End of Chapter)