The Underdark was a region buried deep beneath the earth, larger than the Nine Kingdoms combined. In this place, where the sun never shone, the only light came from the glowing moss and crystals unique to the underground.
Yet many races rarely seen on the surface lived in this harsh environment.
The drow elves, Svirfneblin, Duergar, Myconids, and others were all well adapted to this unusual environment.
But when it came to adaptability, none of these races could compare to the undead.
The undead didn't need to breathe or eat, and they were immune to most poisons. So in even harsher regions where the underground races couldn't survive, the undead could live in comfort.
In one part of the Underdark lay a vast lake made entirely of mercury.
The lake's surface reflected the light of the glowing ores, sparkling like a sky full of stars.
But for all its beauty, the lake was terribly dangerous. The mercury vapor everywhere was deadly to almost every species. Only the undead could live along its shores, build great castles, and mine the precious ores.
Inside a lavish castle, the noble Undead Queen was carefully poring over her accounts. Her skin was pale and immaculate, while her lips and eyes were crimson. She was Withering Rose, the wealthy matriarch of the Mourning Poetry Society.
By classification, Withering Rose was a lich. When she was still alive, the Lyne Empire had hunted her relentlessly, driving her to the mercury lake in the Underdark. In the end, she had been forced to jump into it.
Master Morgan retrieved her body and soul from the mercury lake and helped her transform into a lich. Mercury had seeped into every inch of Withering Rose's muscles and bones, so her body hadn't decayed. She looked much like an ordinary person, and her body was far sturdier than a typical skeleton.
After that, Withering Rose studied necromancy under Master Morgan, following him back to the surface and building her own Mage Tower in a desert kingdom.
Later, Master Morgan was slain by a Paladin of the Lyne Empire, and Withering Rose had no choice but to return to the Underdark, back to the mercury lake.
Withering Rose then spent many years establishing an undead kingdom of her own there.
The beginning was difficult. A lone little lich had to fight for territory among the underground races. Several times, Withering Rose had nearly watched her Soul Fire go out for good. She survived only thanks to the lich's immortality and the strategic advantage of the mercury lake.
Then came a long, endless war. Drow elves, Duergar, Myconids... Countless deaths allowed Withering Rose to build a vast undead army, until she had nearly wiped out every other race nearby.
The drow elves were the first to beg for mercy. They signed a contract with Withering Rose that was little better than selling themselves, becoming her vassals. The Duergar followed soon after, but they had hesitated too long and could only become slaves.
The Myconids, after suffering heavy losses, fled to distant lands and abandoned their territory for good.
Withering Rose had conquered a vast kingdom, its territory nearly a quarter the size of the Lyne Empire.
Withering Rose dared to offer Amber Xiu a partnership worth billions of gold coins because her territory was rich in mineral resources. Millions of undead mined ore day and night, amassing her a fortune. With such a massive volume of ore trading, it wouldn't be difficult for Withering Rose to control mineral prices across the Nine Kingdoms, so long as she was willing to pay a price.
Perhaps to mortals, this would be an unimaginable and terrifying loss. But to Withering Rose, money was merely a tool for realizing her wish—and her wish was to destroy the Lyne Empire. To achieve that goal, she would pay any price.
After carefully calculating the mineral market, Withering Rose made a sweeping mark in the accounts and handed the ledger to her drow elf maid.
Withering Rose said calmly, "Lower next month's export prices for ore and increase the volume. Set the exact amount according to my calculations."
The dark-skinned elf maid replied respectfully, "As you command, Her Majesty the Queen."
Withering Rose waved for the maid to leave, then murmured to herself, "A dump of this size will be enough to shock mineral prices in the Nine Kingdoms and send them tumbling in a short time. Given Alchemy City's economic situation, those small mines are all but certain to go bankrupt.
"Once that happens, I'll transfer him another three million gold coins. That should be enough for him to buy a small mine. What a pity. If only he were willing to come to my kingdom and work for me, we wouldn't need to go through all this trouble."
Withering Rose was very pleased with Amber Xiu's design and admired the younger man's intelligence. But when she invited him to move to the Underdark, Amber Xiu had rejected her without hesitation.
As for his reason, it had been very straightforward: not enough money.
Billions of gold coins could buy his long-term cooperation and even convince him to put aside his other work and prioritize working with Withering Rose. But that sum was nowhere near enough to make Amber Xiu submit completely.
A Freemen who only knew how to farm and couldn't earn a single silver coin in a year would still cost a hundred times more to buy as a slave.
A lich who could earn billions of gold coins and had an unlimited lifespan would cost far more than a hundred times that amount to buy outright. Even Withering Rose couldn't afford the price Amber Xiu had named. Perhaps she would have to offer up the entire wealth of the Lyne Empire to make him submit willingly.
But Withering Rose hadn't given up. The undead had endless lifespans, and anything could happen. Bone Dragons could marry Headless Knights, and Vampires could have relationships with humans. With enough patience, she would eventually find a chance to make Amber Xiu serve her willingly—or have him marry into her kingdom.
Speaking of Bone Dragons and Headless Knights, Withering Rose took out the Necronomicon, opened the group chat, and sent a message.
[Withering Rose: Little Sister Cang Gu, has your partner been behaving lately?]
She had originally wanted to ask the young lady of the Bone Dragon Family how to tame a powerful, proud Legendary undead.
Unexpectedly, the Bone Dragon heiress's reply caught Withering Rose off guard.
[Pale Little Skeleton: That heartless bastard! He actually ran away from home! I'm going to catch him and whip him hard with my tail!]
[Withering Rose: Huh? He ran away from home? The Dragon Grave is far from the mainland. Where could he have gone?]
[Pale Little Skeleton: I don't know, but I know he escaped through a Teleportation Array. I bet it has something to do with that Tiga Ultraman. I'm going to Alchemy City to find that heartless bastard!]
Withering Rose thought for a moment. A bold idea suddenly came to her, and she sent a message.
[Withering Rose: I'll go with you. As it happens, I'd like to meet Little Brother Tiga too.]
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