They were all big shots in Zelandia. Even if the other party was ostensibly an investigation team sent from the Upper City, there was no reason for them to go out of their way to welcome them. Especially after Old Dwarf Tiger had latched onto Li Wei's silver thigh—there was even less reason. That would be far too undignified.
Unless the visitor was a Drow Matriarch, perhaps. But how could that possibly happen?
However, meeting them at the research center was out of the question, too. So Li Wei and the others pretended to be conducting their own inspection of the West Mining Area, then had a Dwarf bring the group of Drow over.
In the empty, rugged natural cavern, the lead Elf took off the hood of her pale purple robe, revealing the Drow's long, pointed ears and her aloof, strikingly beautiful face.
Besides the Drow siblings who had come to him looking for work, this was the first time Li Wei had gotten such a close look at the race that was famous throughout Coriel.
Setting aside their reputation as a race of almost universally awful women, as well as their somewhat dark skin, their exquisitely lovely features and devilish figures made them all top-tier beauties. And, rare of all, every last one of them was dressed so lightly.
"No wonder they've practically monopolized the service industry in all of Zelandia. Come to think of it, the men here are pretty damn lucky."
Li Wei's thoughts wandered of their own accord. They only returned to the present when the shortest Drow woman in front had stopped about ten paces away. She placed her left hand over her chest, bowed, and said:
"Lord Hogg, founder of Hogg Mining. I am Dishana Jadiel, eldest daughter and chief heir of the Jadiel Family of Gershon City. I pay my respects!"
Li Wei was surprised by her humble attitude. What impressed him most was the Drow woman's intelligence: not only had she struck the right tone, but the identity she chose to present was quite interesting, too.
After all, according to the reports from the Dwarves under Tiger, her official identity was that of an investigator sent to inspect the area on behalf of Gershon City. In theory, all she had to do was reveal that identity, and she could requisition Gershon City's forces to help her investigate. Yet she didn't mention it at all, as if she were merely a Drow lady from an ordinary family paying a visit.
But Li Wei had neither the leisure nor the time for nobles' circuitous, roundabout way of getting to the point. He wasn't playing along. He lightly patted the Steam Bomb they had brought over, still marked with a handprint, and said almost coldly:
"Drow, put away those ulterior motives. I know exactly what it's like for you Elves exiled to this place, and I know why you really came. But I'm sorry. We in Zelandia have no intention—and no ability—to get involved in the conflicts among your Drow. It would be far too dangerous and unpredictable. If all you came to do was investigate the Magic Fluctuation from four days ago, then there. This is the sample Tiger and I made. I'm sure you've already heard about it on your way here. It should be enough for you to take back and report on."
After saying all that in one breath, Li Wei, playing the part of the hard-hearted Wolf, gave Hogg a look. "Huozi, show them out." At the same time, he began silently counting down.
"Yes!" Huozi understood. He deliberately made a show of himself, marching toward the Drow at a steady, heavy pace.
As expected, when Dishana saw Li Wei take such an unyielding stance, her face paled slightly and she gritted her back teeth.
Although her official mission in Zelandia had been resolved so easily and quickly, she had taken a huge risk to come here. She absolutely wasn't willing to stop now.
And yet it seemed the other party had guessed her intentions from the start! His completely unexpected response had also overturned almost every line she had prepared on the way here!
Damn Gnoll! Barbaric native! Couldn't he follow normal logic and at least go through the motions of a process that showed some regard for both sides' dignity?!
Dishana was cursing Li Wei and wishing she could tear him to pieces, while also having to rack her brains for a reason that might persuade him.
Jiaer, the guard captain standing behind her, was also at a loss. She didn't know whether she should stop the Gnoll's approach.
Dishana had explicitly told her on the way here not to make a move, no matter what. Otherwise, their fate could be even worse than if they were persecuted by their own kind!
"Miss Dishana! This way, please!"
Just as Huozi's furry paw was about to grab her trembling shoulder, the young woman seized her last chance and spoke up:
"Wait!"
"Oh!"
Laughter erupted all around them, followed by a wave of lewd insults. A few Dwarves even joined in with whistles.
The denizens of the Underdark knew nothing of chivalry. They only knew that their biggest boss had no fondness for these Drow—if anything, he was downright hostile toward them. Naturally, they were happy to play along.
Facing such humiliation, Dishana nearly bit through her lower lip. The next moment, as if she had made a life-or-death decision, she abruptly raised her head and looked at Li Wei with unprecedented seriousness.
"Lord Hogg! Since you've already guessed why I came, I might as well be frank. Seven days ago, after that minor earthquake, what appears to be an Abyssal Gate emerged deep underground along the border between Gershon City and Iron Melting Fortress. Because of its influence, large numbers of mutated monsters now emerge from underground at regular intervals! This matter is of immense importance. It has even changed the standoff between Gershon City and Iron Melting Fortress. Tell me, at this critical juncture, what does Gershon City need most?"
Before Li Wei and the others could answer, she continued, "Food, iron ore, and supplies, of course! What if I told the Matriarchs that Zelandia—the most important source of ore—had not only been unified under a powerful outsider, but that its mining output had doubled thanks to the Didi Miner Employment Reward Policy! More importantly, our Lord Hogg has not only solved the Cavens Rat infestation that has given them all such a headache, but somehow managed to breed the rats, too! From now on, he has a steady supply of rat meat and materials for leather armor! How do you think they'll react?"
After delivering that long string of half-truths at breakneck speed, Dishana could practically hear her heart trying to leap out of her chest. For some reason, seeing their expressions grow more and more serious—and more and more grim—gave her a faint sense of satisfaction, as if she had gotten a little revenge for the humiliation she had suffered earlier. But when her eyes returned to the Gnoll at the front, who still showed no extreme reaction, an inexplicable apprehension and tension welled up inside her. It was like the strained feeling of desperately needing to pee.
Her speech really had landed like a Steam Bomb. For a moment, all was silent; you could have heard a pin drop.
But just as a hint of satisfaction began to bloom within her, a sudden, loud round of applause broke out.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
Each clap seemed to strike Dishana's heart, leaving her terribly nervous. She even began to wonder what, exactly, was wrong with what she had said.
The Gnoll named Hogg clapped with a strange smile, then asked in a low voice, "That was a pretty good speech. It's rare to see you come up with something so clever in a pinch. First of all, whether or not the information is true, it does have some value. And what you said reminded me of a few things. I should thank you for that."
Those words relaxed Dishana's tense nerves a little. Then came two words that sent her plunging into the abyss.
"But!"
Li Wei narrowed his slit pupils and looked at her. His icy words reached her one by one. "Should I take this as you... threatening... me?"
Hearing the question, which struck like Thor's hammer, Dishana felt as if her heart were about to stop. But having come this far, she had no choice but to see it through. She replied firmly:
"Yes! You can take it as a threat! The Abyssal invasion came as a sudden surprise, but since the standoff between Gershon City and Iron Melting Fortress has reached an impasse, and we need to hold out against those Mutated Creatures, Zelandia's production has to be maintained. So you—"
But Li Wei cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Stop! I have no interest in hearing your nonsense demands. I'm just making one final confirmation. Are you sure you want to threaten me like this, in a way that amounts to suicide? I always thought Drow had some problems with their lifestyle, but at least they had intelligence going for them. Your arrival has even made me doubt that."
"You!" Dishana's fury instantly eclipsed her fear when she heard him question her intelligence. But then she seemed to understand something and asked, with difficulty, "What do you mean, threatening you in a way that amounts to suicide? I-I only want to seek cooperation. As long as I don't report this information, the Matriarchs won't—"
Li Wei mercilessly cut her off again, using up what little patience he had left to explain a simple fact. "Wait. Do you think everyone here is an idiot? Given the way your Drow are, and the fact that you came to lawless Zelandia with only a few weak subordinates, did you really think none of your so-called sisters would follow you, sent by your own people to take the opportunity to eliminate a rival who's down on her luck? Let's assume the first thing you told us is true. Then the other Drow couldn't possibly be unaware of what's happened in Zelandia lately. Since you've just exposed such important information in front of us, do you really think we'll let you live and go back to report it, when we need to keep it secret and delay the arrival of your Drow forces?"
Dishana's eyes widened. She seemed never to have considered that possibility, and grasped at that last straw like someone drowning. "Wait! Listen to me. We can get rid of them ourselves. Once they're gone for good, then—"
Bang!
With a muffled boom, Li Wei swung his hand and smashed the Steam Bomb, which already bore a handprint, into a shower of metal shards. His patience finally exhausted, he roared at the Drow:
"Shut up, you stupid Drow! Everything you're saying is an insult to the intelligence of everyone here! Now that things have come to this, do you still expect me to let you live? So you can hold this over our heads and shit on us every day?"
With her last hope suddenly destroyed, Dishana collapsed to the ground like Fluorescent Moss withering away underground without nourishment. She stared blankly at Li Wei, who seemed to have transformed into a tyrant. Like a desperate prisoner who had just wagered her life at the gambling table, she could only await his final judgment.
Just as everyone eagerly awaited Li Wei's final verdict on the Elf, a barely perceptible ripple flashed through the air.
Whoosh!
Only after the sound of the arrow cutting through the air did everyone turn around. They were stunned to see that Li Wei had somehow turned his head aside, an arrow so dark it barely reflected light clamped between his sharp, uneven teeth!
Lord Hogg had been attacked! And that kind of arrow—
"Damn Drow! Everyone, find the despicable attacker!" Gnoll commander Huozi roared furiously.
Before anyone else could react, Li Wei was already gone from where he had been. He crunched the arrow between his teeth and shot toward Dishana like a battering ram fired from a siege crossbow!
Dishana, still dazed, lifted her head. She suddenly saw the attacked Gnoll commander hurtling toward her with the wind at his back.
"No!!!"
The blow was impossible for an ordinary person to dodge! Dishana could only let out a piercing scream of terror.
"Bang!!!"
A thunderous, terrifying boom shook the air.
Everyone only had time to see Li Wei's distorted figure rush straight past the pitiful Drow Cleric. He slammed a claw into the head of a shadow that had suddenly appeared behind her, trying to assassinate her, and drove the attacker's body into the ground with a crushing impact.
The unlucky assassin's head burst like a cracked watermelon. Hot blood sprayed in a fan, reaching Jiaer's robe fifteen feet away, while the rocky ground around the body fractured into a nine-foot-wide web-shaped crater.
The body within, now completely headless, was twisted and shattered as though a dragon had trampled it.
Li Wei rose from atop the corpse, his entire body steaming with thick white vapor like someone emerging from a volcano.
But after suddenly exerting such tremendous force, a pair of savage dragon horns inevitably appeared on Li Wei's head. Red scales surfaced across parts of his body, and his python-like tail lashed and battered the corpse on the ground as if reflecting his master's fury.
Everyone was so shocked by the terrifying violence of the scene that they were at a loss for words.
Dishana hadn't turned around, but she could feel the immense power erupting behind her and the temperature rising dramatically. A pool of pale yellow liquid spread unknowingly between her trembling legs. Even the air, which had seemed viscous to begin with, filled with a sharp, foul smell.
"A h-half-dragon Gnoll... a descendant of a Red Dragon. No wonder, no wonder..." the Old Dwarf, who had only recently latched onto Li Wei, murmured blankly. He was filled with the relief of having survived a close call.
"Th-that's incredible!" Huozi was also amazed by his master's strength. Then, for the first time, excitement and murderous intent filled him.
Li Wei slowly stood up, hot sparks bursting from his mouth as he surveyed everyone. "Let me introduce myself again. I am Hogg Sextus, son of the great Red Dragon Tibilus! Founder of Hogg Mining and leader of Zelandia. Now, in the name of my father, Tibilus, slaughter every last one of these scum who dared to ambush me!"
"Yes, Master! I, Huozi, will carry out your will! Follow me! Slaughter them all, leave none alive!"
"Yes, Lord Hogg! In the name of the Duergar, I, Tiger, swear to slaughter every last enemy! Dinggelian's hammer! Kill!!" Old Dwarf Tiger hurried to pledge his loyalty as well.
"Kill! For our Master! For the glory of Lord Tibilus, the Red Dragon! Kill!!!"
As a crowd of people eager to curry favor with Li Wei chased after the Drow hiding in the darkness, he strode heavily over to Dishana, who had already fallen into despair. He grabbed her by the throat and lifted the disheveled Drow beauty into the air. Her lovely face, streaked with tears from sheer terror, twisted out of shape.
"I really underestimated the nerve of you Drow. You actually dared to set your sights on me! And you should thank your foolish compatriots, too. Thanks to them, I've changed my mind."
Before you continue