Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

Halewin's expression shifted. Her previous tricks were no longer effective in front of him—perhaps she shouldn't have let Raslaufer take this risk; she had misjudged the deceased's position within the Mara family.

That was no ordinary martial artist. His performance just now was different from his attire, and he could clearly be considered an elite martial artist.

Helping Leslaufer escape punishment is difficult, but the most pressing issue right now is that this human who has transformed into a dark elf doesn't speak their language!

This……

“Zaknavan, Zaknavan Duerden.”

Suddenly, Raslaufer pulled back his hood, a few strands of white hair falling to his ears, his crimson eyes gleaming darkly in the light of the giant mushroom. He opened his mouth and gave his pseudonym.

They used the language of the Dark Elves.

“You…” Glip was almost speechless with shock! If Black Lewin hadn’t kicked him in the butt in time, he would have jumped up on the spot!

What's going on?!

Leslaufer wasn't sure either; perhaps it was after hearing that sneer, or perhaps it was the instant he saw that spider-like shadow, that Doppler discovered a series of sounds that seemed to have appeared in his memory.

The pronunciation of Dark Elf.

“I’ll remember you,” Van Zelin nodded gloomily. “Where are you from? What’s your purpose here?”

“A member of my clan betrayed my family and, on the orders of the mistress, chased me here,” Raslaufer’s voice became more fluent. He turned to look at Halewin. “I encountered this lady’s caravan on the way and helped her out a little.”

“It seems your mistress is very lenient with you,” Van Zelin snorted, “but this is not your hometown. When someone dies, someone has to pay the price.”

“You can deduct the fine from the settlement, is that alright?” Halewin quickly interjected, “This amount is sufficient…”

"That's compensation for ordinary martial artists."

Van Zelin had already shown a delighted expression. To her, the death of a so-called "uncle" was nothing compared to the profit from the transaction. However, just as she was about to nod in agreement, a voice came from the palace behind her that made her and all the members of the Mara family present tremble with fear.

Glip and the dwarfs quickly prostrated themselves on the ground to avoid incurring the wrath of others, while Halewin had no choice but to lower his head and stand obediently in place, not daring to utter another word.

The speaker was Brar Mara, the matriarch of the Mara family for over three centuries. She was the oldest matriarch in the city, and although she couldn't yet rival the matriarch of the Larembass family in terms of power, she was still a powerful figure whose words could make the entire city of Qiuli tremble.

And just as "important" as her status was her fiery temper, which was easily ignited.

The black whirlwind roared deep within the building, venting her discontent: "Who do you think you are? You think you can settle things with just four hundred black jade coins!"

“We can offer five hundred!” Black Lewin cursed inwardly, but dared not show it on his face—the compensation for the death of a warrior was only one hundred black jade coins! “Please forgive him, he saved my caravan and your goods from the plunder of the Arakkoa. I swore to Rose that his life would not end before me!”

"Crow people?! Those feathered beasts dare to covet my things?!" The roar grew louder.

“That’s right!” Halewyn could only barely manage to get his voice into the other’s anger by raising his voice as much as possible. “Moreover, he comes from the powerful city of Menzoberranzan. You may not have heard of that city, but his mistress once organized an expedition that made the dwarves and orcs of the north submit to her authority. Making enemies of the Du’erden family is definitely not the scene you want to see.”

"And as he just said, he's tracking down a traitor who betrayed the family—right?"

Raslaufer immediately understood: "That's right, that person has betrayed Rose's favor and the family's upbringing, and is trying to escape to the surface and throw himself into the earth. If you stop me and prevent the goddess's will from being carried out, that's probably not a good idea."

"You stupid man, are you threatening me?!"

Leslaufer was almost certain that the sound contained magic, divine power, or something similar; otherwise, it would never have nearly lifted the roof off the entire building.

But betraying Rose was such a grave crime that even Madam Brah had to treat it with caution, and after a brief outburst, the angry noise subsided somewhat.

She is the matriarch of House Mara and also a priestess of Rose. The prosperity of her family is inseparable from the favor of the goddess. If what the other party said is true, and she has disrupted the goddess's will, how will she respond when her messengers and handmaids come to question her? House Mara is currently the second largest family in Cholera, but will it still be after losing Rose's favor?

What will become of my own fate?

Compared to a goddess who could bestow blessings or divine punishment at any moment, the so-called "mother who can launch expeditions" is a trivial matter that is not worth worrying about.

“Very well,” even the worms crawling in the fungus could hear the reluctance in Madam Brah’s voice, “but in any case, you have killed my brother! Since you worship Rose, then come in and let the gods judge your words and deeds and decide whether you can continue to fulfill your duties!”

Chapter 505 The Temple of the Mara Family

Let the gods judge?

Let their dark elf gods judge a human?!

There's also the part where you don't give yourself away!

Halewin felt his heart was about to leap out of his chest: "Mistress Brahma! Please forgive me, but theoretically only the death of a priest can—"

She knew what that ritual was! Raslaufer's spirit would be cast into the deepest hell of the magic net, undergoing a baptism of madness before the gods! While the victor would gain the goddess's favor, the loser would be permanently transformed—transformed into a pitiful slave, half-spider and half-dark elf!

Even the best among the dark elves have a terrifying probability of failure. Raslaufer, a mere human, could not possibly withstand such a test!

Halewyn is a follower of Elestridge, so he doesn't quite believe in the ridiculous theory that "dark elves are superior to all races, and each dark elf is superior to all other races." But at least, the trials given to dark elves are of course the ones they have the best chance of passing—without a doubt, right?

“Silence! Black Lewin, a wanderer without a family,” Vanzelin interrupted her. “The mistress did not ask you any questions!”

The youngest daughter of Madam Brar, barely an adult, stared intently at Raslaufer. As a family member with little chance of advancement, she and the dead man on the ground were, in a sense, allies, with the latter desperately trying to curry favor with her. If her uncle were to live, perhaps Vanzerin would create an opportunity for him to murder his brother.

But now that he's dead, all his promises have come to naught, and it's hard for Vanzelin not to want to see Raslauver transformed into a hideous spider-like elf.

Both Madam Brar and she were able to vent their frustrations, while the other party had to continue to complete his original task—someone like him would probably only become stronger after becoming spider-like.

"Did you hear what I said!" The matriarch, suppressing her anger, asked again when Leslaufer remained silent. "Or are you a coward, or a hypocrite?"

“I will not tolerate you damaging my family’s reputation like this,” Leslaufer narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. “Fine, we’ll do as you say!”

Dobul had just vaguely come to understand some things.

Rose didn't cause him any trouble because he had work to do in the material world, so the dark elves couldn't possibly harm him excessively under Rose's nose until that matter was resolved.

If that's the case, then what else is there to fear?

“Very good, very good!” Matriarch Brar said “very good” twice. “Bring him to the temple, Vanzerin. Your sisters and I will wait here.”

Van Zelin agreed, and as she turned to look at Leslaufer, she tilted her head slightly towards the building in front of her: "Let's go in."

Halewin tried to follow, but was blocked by several family warriors summoned by the priest: "Go collect your reward, Halewin. After deducting the penalty, it no longer needs to go through my hands."

“This is a huge loss.” Glip sighed softly, but Halewin knew he wasn’t just talking about the currency.

Raslaufer raised his hand to them, then stood tall and followed Van Zelin into the building ahead.

In the society of the Dark Elves, since the matriarch and her daughters are almost all priests, most families have their own private temples. The Mara family is no exception. After walking for only a short while, Raslaufer was already dazzled by the decorative styles and themes he had never seen on the surface of the earth.

So much so that he almost didn't notice that Van Zelin had suddenly slowed down, and nearly bumped into her.

“You seem very curious,” Vanzelin said without turning around, but from her tone, it seemed she had already noticed Leslaufer’s unusual behavior. “Why?”

“I have been far enough from my homeland,” Leslaufer replied simply. “Not all temples will allow me entry.”

"Heh, of course, after all, you're a man."

Van Zelin had no doubt about this explanation, but she immediately raised another question: "The short sword was poisoned."

It wasn't exactly a question, but Leslaufer thought she wanted to know why she was still standing there, as if nothing had happened.

“Rose’s favor,” even if Vanzelin was incredibly perceptive, she would never find a flaw here, “and dark elves have been dealing with poison since birth.”

“But people die every few days because of this,” Van Zelin was not convinced by the second reason, “you can pray that the goddess will protect you for a while.”

"I believe this."

He seemed even more devout than I was.

Raslaufer's unwavering composure left Vanzerin momentarily at a loss for how to respond. She had been constantly probing his thoughts, and she wouldn't have struck up a conversation with him without noticing some flaws.

But why is it that when the goddess is mentioned, even the last shroud of mystery in this man's heart disappears?

Fanatics? That's incredibly unusual!

The vast majority of Rose's priestesses are women, and the proportion of her fanatical followers is also roughly the same. Although not all of them are women, it would be an exaggeration to say that finding a male devout believer is one in a hundred. Raslaufer's performance made Vanzerin secretly marvel.

Even the disappointment over my uncle's murder has lessened considerably—after all, there wasn't much of it to begin with.

As the narrative murals on both sides of the wall came to a close, Raslaufer also saw the door at the end of the corridor. Both doors were made of obsidian, which seemed to be mixed with some precious metal, giving it an overall metallic luster that alternated between gold and silver. The eight-legged spider pattern etched in the center of the door dominated the main body, with liquid silver threads filling the gaps, as if flowing with an array of runes that Raslaufer could not understand.

What Dobler could understand were the wind chimes hanging on both sides of the gate, and the skulls of various creatures, including dark elves, suspended in fluorescent mycelium, silently watching everyone who came and went.

But it will probably take some more effort to intimidate Reslaufer.

Vanzelin waved her hand, and the door opened with a bang. The overwhelming smell of blood and incense rushed towards the two of them. A voice told Raslaufer that the smell contained some poison, but Doppler ignored it and maintained his previous posture, walking with his head held high toward the altar inside, which resembled an inverted spider's belly.

Bathed in the dim red candlelight, the three priests stared at the arrogant man who had no manners whatsoever, their faces showing varying degrees of gloom.

"You actually dared to come in!"

The woman in the middle was of indeterminate age, but Leslaufer guessed she was the mistress. As Leslaufer entered, she snapped her fingers, and the door behind her slammed shut, cutting off Leslaufer's escape route.

“I can’t wait to come and see the goddess,” Raslaufer chuckled coldly, making a gesture of looking around. “To be honest, your place is much poorer than my family’s.”

Madam Blair's eyes seemed to bulge out, and her three daughters instinctively shrank back: "Lies! How dare you lie to a mistress!"

“Even if it’s to protect your own family,” her anger suddenly vanished like a phantom, a mocking chuckle escaped her throat, and the matriarch pointed to the side, the surrounding candlelight seemingly obeying her will, “Originally, I could have let you go if you had just proven that your mission wasn’t fake, but now, if you fail, prepare to face the same fate as this person!”

By the firelight, Raslaufer's red pupils suddenly contracted. Beside the altar, a man was bound by seven or eight iron chains, each as thick as a thumb.

It wasn't a dark elf, but a human male!

Chapter 506 Rose's Messenger

"From the surface?"

Leslaufer's surprise seemed to outweigh his usual curiosity: "Where did you get him?"

"What does this have to do with you?" one of Madam Brar's daughters immediately retorted. "You have no right to listen!"

Perhaps because she spent more time with her mother than with Vanzelin, this priestess's temperament was more like her mother's.

“Come forward, you won’t want to know,” Matriarch Blar stepped back into the shadows, “stand in the center of the ceremony! Your loyalty and honesty will be weighed before the goddess!”

“Or you can admit your mistake and accept the punishment,” Vanzelin sneered at Leslaufer before walking toward her mother and sisters. “At least that way, you can still function as a normal dark elf.”

After saying that, even Fan Zelin herself was slightly taken aback: Why did she say that? She should watch this man fall into depravity and become the most despicable creature!

Perhaps she was attracted by his martial prowess? That makes sense; he appears even stronger than her father.

Perhaps it was his physique that attracted her? The dark elf searched her own mind, unsure of the answer.

Or perhaps it's compassion... Could it be?

"Vanzelin, go back to your place!" Madam Blar's reprimand made Vanzelin lower her head and walk to her place. She then began to chant with her two sisters.

Reslaufer walked to the center of the ritual circle.

The surrounding candles burned with an ominous red glow. Doppler twitched his nose; among the incense of burning oil, there seemed to be some other scent that felt quite familiar to him.

He quickly realized where this familiarity came from.

Above the candlelight, large plumes of smoke gathered as the priests chanted, accompanied by giggling laughter. A graceful female phantom gradually emerged from the smoke, a pair of scarlet eyes, like those of a dark elf, lit up at what appeared to be her head. After scanning the four priests, her gaze settled on Raslaufer's head.

"Heh heh, so this is the sacrifice from your Mara family?" The "dark elf" in the smoke seemed to have misunderstood something. "Although it's not the right time yet, this integrity is still commendable..."

“My lady, you have misunderstood,” Madam Brah, who was always irritable to both family and strangers, was now incredibly humble. “This person is not a sacrifice we have offered, but rather…”

She explained the whole story: "We hope to resolve this dispute before the gods."

“Very well, you will get what you want,” Rose’s messenger continued, laughing, completely unaware of what was about to happen. “You! You lowly man, state your name, your family, and your city! Let me judge your sins!”

“Zaknavan Du'erden, from Menzoberranzan.” Raslaufer had a pretty good idea of ​​what the other was—he had killed one before.

The air fell silent for a moment after Raslaufer finished his brief statement, then rang out with Rose's maid's feigned calm scream:

“Zack…Durden? Menzoberranzan?!”

“It seems you cannot deceive the messenger,” Madam Blar laughed angrily. “You audacious madman! Seize him and skin him alive!”

Leslaufer glanced at her but didn't even try to retaliate, which undoubtedly enraged the mother and daughters of the Mara family even more, making them wish they could tear her to pieces immediately.

"……and many more!"

Just as they were about to take action, Rose's maid shrieked again: "Brah! I haven't made my judgment yet! What's the rush?"

“What…?” Brar Mara wondered if her ears had reached the end of their lives before she did. “But you’re not…”

"Listen to me!" The messenger representing Rose's will seemed as capricious as its goddess mistress. "If you intend to make your own decision, don't waste my time! Or are you just trying to toy with me?"

This isn't just playing with it; this is mocking the goddess!

“No, no, no, I dare not do that,” the mistress quickly knelt down and pleaded with the messenger, “I only wish to help ease your burden…”

“You’re a one-in-a-million fool, Brar,” the maid scoffed. “I was just remarking that Menzoberranzan is far too far away.”

“Some things just have to be done.” Dubler neither admitted nor denied it, but what he said was interpreted in a different way by the priests.

“Of course,” Rose’s maid said immediately. “You know this well—Brah, although the situation is clear, it doesn’t hurt to go through the process—after all, those materials are not coming back anyway.”

Brar nodded to his three daughters, and as they began to manipulate the surrounding magic again, Raslaufer, in the center of the ritual, felt as if he had become a small insect caught in a trap. The spider webs around him began to tremble with an ominous melody, as if the sole master of the web was slowly approaching him, preparing to open its mouthparts and suck his flesh and blood, leaving only an empty shell.