The Handover

And that was the end of it all.

Just as Li Lin had predicted, the Spider Goddess, having been repeatedly tricked to the extreme, was completely powerless to fight back. Moreover, the Elf Goddess had the advantage of timing, location, and support, and ultimately blasted this unfortunate fellow into dust. However, she did not let him become trash in the Astral Plane, but instead, contrary to her usual behavior, handed the corpse over to Li Lin.

Consider it a gift in return.

Gazing at the serene Elf Goddess before him, Li Lin felt utterly helpless. He understood her intentions perfectly well. Although the Spider Queen Elf Goddess was dead, the Dark Elf still existed. The biggest difference between racial gods and rule-based gods was that as long as a race existed, it had the potential for resurrection. While both were God of Elves, the Elf Goddess's takeover of the Dark Elf had been remarkably smooth. However, the Spider Queen controlled the chaos, intrigue, and betrayal of the Dark Elf —a divine role completely incompatible with the Elven people, which the Elf Goddess could not absorb. But allowing the Spider Queen to become mere trash in the Astral Plane meant that, as long as there were still Dark Elf conforming to the rules, it was hard to say whether she might be resurrected again. Therefore, it was better to hand over her corpse to the Arcane Mage as a reward, and also to eliminate a potential threat.

Li Lin wasn't entirely willing to accept this "gift." Although the divine corpse also contained immense power, and after extraction and refinement it could be used to create powerful magical weapons and tools, and even as a powerful energy source, it was, after all, the corpse of an evil god. Who knew what kind of impact it would have? Admittedly, all beings die equally, but the inherent characteristics of a god cannot be erased.

However, sharing the same thoughts as the Elf Goddess, Li Lin ultimately accepted the divine corpse. At least it was in his hands; there would be plenty of time to deal with it later. It was better to leave it far away and be unaware of any trouble that might arise, which would be far more dangerous. Of course, this transaction was conducted privately. Leaving aside the potential impact and pollution of throwing a corpse radiating immense divine power into the Prime Material Plane, it's worth noting that gods are always ridiculously large, ranging in size from asteroids to half a city. Therefore, the Elf Goddess gifted Li Lin a "key" to unlock the space she used to seal the Spider Queen's corpse. The Elf Goddess imprisoned the corpse within a demiplane, ensuring that no one except her and Li Lin would be able to detect its location.

Of course, this was just a "bonus gift"; the formal "spoils" had only just begun. Using the system left by the Spider Queen, the Elf Goddess dispatched her daughter, the goddess of swords and dance— the Dark Maiden —to manage the people of these dark lands. Her divine duties would perfectly complement the Dark Elf' inherent belligerence, which set them apart from ordinary elves. Of course, making these Dark Elf benevolent would be a long and arduous task. From Li Lin's perspective, he didn't want to see these originally ferocious and cunning Dark Elf become like the surface elves, mourning even the withering of a tree before the war ended.

Of course, there were sacrifices in a war of this magnitude. The elf that Li Lin bought, who served as the Divine Descent intervention, could not withstand the full God of Elves and had already died. However, the Elf Goddess promised to let her soul enter the center of the World Tree and become a new divine messenger. This was not necessarily a bad thing for the elven girl who had spent the first half of her life in misery under the oppression of humans.

However, these are minor matters. What troubles the Elf Goddess most is the lack of a suitable representative to govern this region. Just as the Spider Queen needs a matriarch to rule the Dark Elf, a representative is an indispensable symbol of a deity. Although there are suitable candidates among the surface elves, it would be too idealistic to send those white elves into the Underdark to rule the Dark Elf and convey their doctrines to them.

We need a messenger.

Li Lin frowned, gazing at the ruined Kasos City before him. He doubted whether these Dark Elf would surrender so easily and worship their new god. Just then, Angela, who had disappeared somewhere, flashed back to his side.

"Master, I've discovered a very interesting fellow."

With that, Angela raised her hand and threw a young Dark Elf girl in front of him and the Elf Goddess.

Who is this?

Gazing at the Dark Elf before him, Li Lin raised an eyebrow and asked a question.

"The matriarch of the First House."

Angela chuckled and answered.

"She's the mistress?"

Li Lin carefully examined the unconscious Dark Elf. He couldn't believe it was one of the eight Dark Elf he had seen on the floating disc. However, Angela quickly answered his question.

"She killed the original matriarch while she was praying to the mother spider, and that's how she took the position of First Mistress."

Upon hearing Angela's words, the Elf Goddess frowned in disgust, instinctively repulsed by this act of betrayal.

"So?"

In contrast, Li Lin didn't react in any particular way. He knew that the little guy bringing this dark elf to him was definitely not to curry favor. Based on Li Lin's understanding of Angela, calling her "guy" was already a rare instance of her using a friendly term. Generally speaking, dark elves like this would usually be labeled by Angela as "nigger," "wild dog," or "trash," so the fact that Angela was calling the dark elf in front of her an "interesting guy" immediately piqued Li Lin's interest.

"I originally intended to torture this creature thoroughly, to savor a different kind of pleasure from her suffering. However... this Dark Elf is completely different from what I imagined..."

As she spoke, Angela pouted helplessly, looking as disappointed as if she had just found that her family had bought her a birthday present, only to discover that it was just an ordinary notebook.

"No matter what I do, she doesn't react at all, like someone deeply poisoned, and she keeps spouting meaningless nonsense..."

"I think that's exactly why you're interested."

Li Lin smiled and nodded. Indeed, a Dark Elf practicing "non-violent non-cooperation" was enough to pique the curiosity of others. He pointed to the Dark Elf lying unconscious on the ground, and soon, under the influence of magic, Dark Elf gradually awoke. The pain caused by the severed connection with the gods gradually faded, replaced by a gentle, comfortable power returning to her body. She, of course, didn't know this was because the Elf Goddess had taken over her role, but the awakened Dark Elf helplessly gazed at everything before her. She looked at the Elf Goddess standing beside her, feeling her omnipresent divine power. However, the Dark Elf quickly turned her head away, and when she saw Li Lin, a glimmer of life finally returned to her eyes. This power supported her as she stood up and looked at the human before her.

"Hello, miss."

Li Lin nodded to the Dark Elf, now admitting that this was indeed an unusual Dark Elf.

Would you mind telling me your name?

"Maya Ryan."

The Dark Elf slowly spoke, revealing his name.

"I was once the first mistress of the Kasos City."

"The Kasos City still exists."

Li Lin noticed that she used the past tense to describe her status.

"But the demise of the Dark Elf is not far off."

Maya ignored Li Lin's hints.

"Our gods have abandoned us; we will ultimately perish in this dark underground."

"You seem different from the other Dark Elf?"

Li Lin noticed that Maya was different from the other Dark Elf. This change seemed to originate from within; this Dark Elf didn't seem like her kind at all, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong. Maya neither admitted nor denied it. She remained silent, seemingly considering whether to continue. Finally, she seemed to have made a decision.

"Dark Elf are all the same."

Her expression was indifferent, her voice cold, as if she had given up all hope.

"We once believed we were the most powerful. Those lowly humans were no match for us. We thought we would eventually return to the surface and destroy the evil that had forced us into the depths. But what about now? You... a single human, have shattered the pride and honor of the entire Dark Elf, even bringing our gods to their deaths. Perhaps we are not as powerful as we thought. Those evil surface relatives, and humans at that, banished us perhaps precisely because of our weakness."

"We are not evil."

Before Li Lin could answer, the Elf Goddess spoke.

"Leaving the ground was your own decision! That spider's vicious lies have blinded you! That is not the truth!"

"Now that you are the victors, it is up to you to decide what to say."

Surprisingly, Maya seemed very relaxed in front of the Elf Goddess, or rather, she no longer cared how she would be treated.

"What do you intend to do, humans? Destroy us? Or enslave us?"

As she spoke, she raised her head and looked at Li Lin.

"Isn't that why you came here, human?"

"This is only one of my objectives."

Li Lin shrugged helplessly.

"Actually, I have a different opinion on this."

As he spoke, he turned to the Elf Goddess beside him and smiled.

"It seems we've found someone we can use as a spokesperson."