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

“Apart from the one in the center,” Madam Brar said immediately, “the others are the main types of adversaries in our vicinity.”

“The most important thing…” Dubler scoffed, and before Blar could react, he preemptively asked, “Why isn’t it the best?”

“They are all the best, of course,” Madam Larembass frowned. “Hurry up, we don’t have that much time to waste on you!”

However, instead of listening to them, Raslaufer changed the way he held the dagger, twisting the blade between his thumb and forefinger, as if he wasn't in a hurry to make a move: "The best? Nonsense."

"What did you say?!"

“I say, nonsense!” Raslaufer raised his voice, showing no fear of challenging the matriarch’s authority in public. “You are unworthy to be priests! Is there any race more superior than ourselves?!”

"They're the best? They're nothing!" Leslaufer pointed at the goblins. "Why do these things have the right to ride roughshod over us?! We are the superior race!"

"And goddesses deserve the best!"

"What do you mean?" The mistress had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

“The meaning is simple,” Raslaufer twirled the dagger in his hand, “If you want to please the goddess, you must offer the best sacrifice, and our race is the best!”

"Get rid of these filler characters, including that spider monster who failed to win the goddess's favor. He doesn't deserve to be here. Replace him with someone better!"

Madam Brar clenched her fists: "You mean... you plan to use eight of your own kind as sacrifices for that freak in the middle?"

“Just as Rose’s messenger said, Brar,” Leslaufer sneered, “you are a fool of a million.”

"This is an act of glory! An act of piety! What a freak that is in the middle? I've already heard that her eyes are a gift from the goddess! To be her sacrifice is a great honor!"

“Then!” Leslaufer surveyed the dark elves around him, like a dragon surrounded by sheep scrutinizing its prey, “who truly deserves such an honor?”

The matriarchs on the altar looked at each other in bewilderment, while whispers began to circulate among the surrounding crowd.

Dark Elves have no taboos against using their own kind as sacrifices; in fact, quite the opposite, and Raslaufer's words make perfect sense.

Suddenly, Matriarch Larembass, who had been planning to make this a big deal to gain prestige, found herself in a difficult position.

“Yes,” she practically spat out the word, “but as a secondary offering, its status certainly cannot be higher than that of the main offering.”

“The same ones won’t do either, that’s against the rules,” Madam Blar quickly agreed. “That is to say, they cannot be priests who have received the same favor.”

“But she also needs to be strong enough. Even in her current state, Sylvia Evans is stronger than most men!” “She should have some potential.” “She needs to have a certain status; she can’t be a slave.” “Then shouldn’t she also have some martial prowess?” “Perhaps arcane talent can be included!”

Led by the two most powerful families, the matriarchs of the other three families quickly followed suit. However, unlike the two matriarchs who were eager to exclude themselves and their family members and set a limit, what they wanted was to raise the level of human sacrifice as high as possible!

Their families were weak, and if they wanted to surpass the other families ahead of them, they had to gamble the future of their entire family, carefully and cautiously weaken the power and influence of the other families, and they couldn't be discovered—otherwise they would face a joint trial from the other families.

But this time is different... This is a golden opportunity bestowed upon us by Rose!

Chapter 513 I love this!

"A conspiracy! This is a complete conspiracy!"

The unrest arrived swiftly and predictably. It was one thing for the stronger families to be unwilling to bleed, but those three families actually intended to refuse to contribute a single penny? Who could possibly not see the consequences of this?

Especially those families whose strength was relatively similar to these five families! Seeing that things were not going well, the crowd that had been watching the show dispersed and returned to their respective families to report to the matriarch.

There are more than twenty families in Qiuli City. The difference between many families is only a few civilian warriors. Once an elite force is lost for no reason, the balance of power will be reversed instantly. That is not just a difference of dropping a few places in the rankings. The entire family may be wiped out!

This matter is of utmost importance, and it cannot be tolerated even with the Larembass and Mara families leading the charge!

Immediately, the entire city of Qiuli was filled with unease, and many families prepared for the worst, recalling their priests and sorcerers to deal with any emergencies.

It was as if, because of a few words from Raslaufer, Qiu Licheng had become a huge haystack, ready to burst into flames at the slightest spark.

Unless the two matriarchs of the powerful families can swallow their words and sacrifice their own prestige to quell the unrest.

But on what grounds?

Chaos is better! This kind of chaos is the best gift for Rose! Only when everyone fights and is on the verge of collapse can the family become stronger, stronger than ever before!

This was an unexpected situation for them, but it was a pleasant surprise rather than a shock!

The two matriarchs exchanged a glance and waved for their respective families to send messages. Although they appeared to be on the same side, they would not hesitate to devour any family that was under excessive threat.

Ultimately, the so-called five-party alliance is for the purpose of seizing profits, and the current chaos can also be used to seize profits! So why bother clinging to that so-called alliance?

But superficial formalities still need to be done.

“It seems there’s a lot of disagreement about the choice,” Matriarch Larbras said with a forced smile, her eyes sharp as knives. “How about we hold a council of matriarchs to discuss this issue? I think we should be able to reach a consensus quickly.”

"The system of the Matriarchal Council has been in place since the city's founding, and its fairness and impartiality are beyond question. Therefore, we hope that every family can attend..."

If anyone doesn't come...

A magical barrier quickly unfolded beneath the giant mushroom, temporarily sealing the entire ritual to prevent it from being disrupted by malicious individuals. Meanwhile, Raslaufer and his entourage, including Daisy and two others, as well as Black Lewin's caravan, were imprisoned within the barrier as if under house arrest.

It can be seen as a threat, but conversely, it can also be seen as a form of protection.

"Do you think they'll really start fighting?" The bard asked, curiously looking at Leslaufer with the lyre he'd received from the dark elves. Old Leslaufer seemed completely unconcerned about the situation potentially turning sour.

“It’s impossible to go to war,” Raslaw waved his hand. “It was only going to kill eight people originally, but it would be too much of a loss to multiply it tenfold or even a hundredfold. I guess they’ll put forward some less popular guys to take the fall.”

"But why have these chosen ones survived until now? There must be some problems with them, so I guess they won't accept their fate and plan to rebel—although they will probably still be suppressed in the end, it's still a good thing for us."

Mercenaries also commonly use this tactic. "Fairness" actually means pushing the unpopular troublemakers out to carry out the most dangerous but unimportant tasks, essentially sending them to their deaths in a way that makes it seem reasonable.

Dubler himself was one of those pushed out, but he always managed to come back alive, while those who pushed him out died one by one.

That's why he came up with this idea by following the dark elves' line of thinking—since they were already here, wouldn't it be a waste of time to just rescue them and leave? Why not cause them some trouble while they're at it? If these families were too weakened by their heavy losses to continue fighting the Dahl and Evans families, wouldn't these mercenaries have made a huge profit?

However, Leslaufer wasn't that optimistic.

Sure enough, about half an hour later, roughly due south of Qiuli City, the roar of more than a hundred people reached everyone's ears. Immediately following this was a sudden explosion of blazing white light, which enveloped half of the city. Even the few people who followed the sound from under the giant mushroom covered their eyes in pain and screamed, almost being blinded by the light.

Immediately following, a conflict broke out in the northern academy complex, where a large number of spellcasters had gathered. In an instant, terrifying explosions and dazzling magic swept in all directions. Daisy only curiously stretched her hand out a little bit of the barrier before exclaiming and retreating.

The arcane energy in the air was so violent it was almost out of control; even she, as a bard, could feel it!

In the following days, shouts of battle and roars echoed from one area after another. The entire city of Qiuli seemed to be shaken by this chaos, leaving only the area around the giant mushroom, like a lonely island in a stormy sea, swaying yet peaceful.

But this peace is nothing but an illusion.

The dark elves, inexplicably chosen to sacrifice their family's carefully nurtured elites, quickly realized why such chaos had occurred. In other words—if they could simply deal with that man, wouldn't all the problems be solved?!

Ultimately, the whole "Lor's favor" thing is just one side of the story from those five families! No one has ever heard of any man receiving such a blessing—the Soul-Eating Spider. But Soul-Eating Spiders can be summoned to the material plane by ordinary priests, so why wasn't it Lor's handmaiden who descended to protect him?!

It's possible that this whole thing is a conspiracy by those five families to reshape Qiu Licheng! The conflict with the Evans family is just a pretext for gathering manpower and acquiring armed forces!

And that Sylvia, who knows, this might be a ruse! The Evans family is involved too!

"Go to the center and kill them!" All the mysteries seemed to be solved in an instant. Those families that had only been defending and resisting began to break through towards the giant mushroom. As their target changed, those families that had previously remained neutral also began to join in one after another. Furthermore, communication spells with special rhythms soared into the sky, spreading similar messages to the rebels in other districts!

From this moment on, the situation seemed to be truly on the verge of spiraling out of control!

Daisy looked around and saw that, except for the North District where there was no family residence, a large number of dark elf warriors appeared in the streets and alleys of the other three directions. They were surging towards the direction of the ceremony with great momentum, while the suppressors who had originally had the upper hand were now retreating step by step!

“Old Ray! We have to go, now’s the chance!” Daisy heard her own heart pounding so hard she didn’t even hear the slight sob in her voice. “These guys are going to deal with the problem itself—they’re coming for us!”

"There's no escape!" Black Lewin's usually ashen face had turned pale. "Didn't you notice? The most powerful matriarchs haven't even made a move yet, and even if we don't count them, there are those sorcerers—"

Before she could finish speaking, a sonic boom suddenly erupted from the top of a tall tower in the north, accompanied by the almost manic roar of a powerful dark elf wizard:

"I am the eldest son of the Kenofen family! The most talented wizard! I have been locked in the tower for two hundred years, not to be sacrificed and slaughtered! I want to stand higher! To stand at the highest point!"

“Straj (Elf Common: Damn it)! You troublemaking slug, you cowardly mud monster! You think you can get away with this by hiding inside the barrier?! Oh abyss, abyss!! Even if you tear my body apart and take my soul, destroy everything in this city!”

"From this day forward, when Alagi'Belbol is mentioned, only one name will be remembered! That is me! Ilgh-Hall (The Destroyer), Fe—"

He could no longer give his full name, for at that very moment, the wizard's magic took effect. The rampaging magic tore his own body and soul apart with overwhelming force, and also shattered the protective dome surrounding everyone. In the next second, an eerie silence and darkness spread outwards from the giant mushroom, as if the abyss had truly descended upon the sky above Qiu Li City!

Daisy instinctively turned to look at Doppler, but it was pitch black in front of her, and all she could hear was Raslaufer's chilling laughter coming from the bottom of his heart!

"Old Lei, calm down, this isn't part of our plan—"

"I love this!!"

Chapter 514 The Power of the Matriarch

The wizard's actions were like a bomb, completely detonating the entire city of Qiuli. But what he could do was far more than that. In the darkness, ghostly figures with upper bodies like winged demons and lower bodies that were nothingness joined the battlefield with exhilarating howls, rampaging through the crowd under the cover of darkness.

Their black claws seemed capable of tearing apart hearts; even some dark elves who managed to block their attacks would still scream and fall to the ground dead. Soon, these shadow demons locked onto their closer prey… those huddled beneath the giant mushrooms.

"Come on!" Daisy's voice was hoarse from the surrounding explosions and shouts, but the Daylight spell still descended upon the city like the sun shining on the earth. Two Shadow Demons that rushed too fast were immediately enveloped in the bright light, their bodies scorched and filled with smoke. Leslaufer would not let such a good thing pass by. He kicked several short swords used by dark elves in succession, three of which accurately pierced the demons' bodies.

"I'm not afraid of you!" the bard shouted excitedly. "Come and bite me if you dare!"

Unlike the surface armies, these dark elf warriors were quite wealthy knights. Their weapons, crafted and blessed with special techniques, were all enchanted, easily harming the ethereal demons summoned by their own spells. Therefore, although these creatures were numerous, after the initial surprise attack, they were the first to be suppressed by their allies.

But for the dark elves, the more troublesome issues lie ahead—perhaps the outsiders who remain hidden within the range of the Daylight spell, keeping their distance; perhaps that damned stranger who wreaked havoc; or perhaps, each of them.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Raslaufer punched the broken half of the Swift Sword into a warrior's neck, and simultaneously thrust the remaining half upwards from another opponent's jaw. As the unfortunate fellow, who wasn't quite dead yet, was half-pulled around by Dobler and smashed like a warhammer into a group of dark elves, the short sword in his hand became Raslaufer's next weapon.

He couldn't tell which family these dark elves belonged to, nor did he need to.

"Kill him! If he doesn't die, we'll all die!" someone shouted, trying to incite the others to attack Raslaufer. However, what responded to him was a curved blade slashed from behind by another family warrior.

"Tch," the scimitar, now sticky and wet from being churned in flesh, had lost its initial sharpness, but it still felled its master's enemy. "He clearly killed more of your men! This is a sacrifice for Rose—"

"Then you can join us!" The warrior looked up in astonishment, swinging his scimitar to parry, but what came crashing down on him wasn't a weapon, but the corpse of a dark elf weighing over a hundred pounds! The scimitar failed to cut it in two immediately; the weight slammed him to the ground. The next moment, Reslaufer's boots stepped on the corpse's chest through its flesh, and his arms, like jacks, pierced the corpse's mouth with a deafening crash as his entire jawbone was ripped off!

"Roar--!"

This man, far stronger than the other dark elves, roared like a dragon across the chaotic battlefield, carrying two pieces of minced meat! The warriors who had just been clamoring to end the conflict by killing him all stopped in their tracks. After a brief silence, they quickly and frantically attacked their fellow enemies!

"This can't go on any longer!"

At this moment, the entity that had been holding back could no longer stand idly by. Just as Raslaufer was chasing his prey like a lion herding sheep beneath the giant mushrooms, a tentacle suddenly shot out from the distant shadows, coiling towards Raslaufer. However, before the tentacle could even reach Dople's ankle, a bewitching purple flame suddenly ignited on the slippery flesh!

“You finally couldn’t hold back any longer,” came the voice of the matriarch of the Larembass family. As she spoke, blades, sharp as swords yet elusive, tore through the street, spreading towards the path the tentacles had taken. “Your family has long since lost its favor! How dare you harm Rose’s chosen people!”

"That's all just your side of the story!" roared the voice that Leslaufer and the others had never heard before. "My family and I will never submit to you vipers—demons, kill them!"

Suddenly, countless demons, as if they had been lying in wait, emerged from every corner of the city and charged toward the giant mushroom, effortlessly clearing away any obstacles in their path. But even with such a powerful backup plan, the matriarch did not send them to the Larembas family's residence—a matriarch residing within her own family's temple was someone that a few demons could not possibly defeat.

However, even with this roundabout strategy, Matriarch Larembass was unwilling to let it succeed: "I knew it. Without some other tricks, how could you have escaped my three assassination attempts? Very well! It seems it's time for a new third family to be born!"

"exile!"

A demon that looked even larger than Raslaufer had already charged in front of Dople. Raslaufer was even ready to fight back, but with an indescribable sound, a purplish-black vortex suddenly appeared in front of the demon, instantly sucking it into it.

However, in just two or three seconds, another matriarch rose into the air, holding a scepter and stepping into the air above Qiu Licheng. Her eyes flashed with a terrifying red light, and with a piercing whistle, the demon was released again!

"Larienbas! I've been in fourth place for two hundred and forty years, and I'm not planning on changing my position!"

"Your conspiracy with Brar has been exposed. Why don't you quickly admit defeat instead of resisting to the very end?!"

With a deafening roar, a half-length projection of Matriarch Larembass appeared in the sky above her family's lands, coldly sneering at the two matriarchs who dared to defy her: "Very well, very well! You've courted death! That's right, I will not surrender, then according to the laws of Chou Li City, come on! If you can defeat me, I will confess my sins to you!"

"But before that, I need you two to go to the Deep Pit Magic Network first!"

"Goddess! Please have mercy on me! Forgive my willfulness under your favor, your lowly servant... I will use this to sweep away my enemies!"

Chapter 515 A Nail

"Are we really prepared to fight these things?!"

Glip Stone Shield brandished his shield, managing to repel the enemies who, despite being protected by the Daylight spell, still tried to charge forward. He turned around and saw the trembling bard.

"Your surface companions aren't cowards like you!" The subterranean dwarf spat blood onto the ground. "Are you even a spellcaster? Hold on to your harp and keep fighting!"

"What do you know!"

Miss Daisy rolled her eyes: "The Drow Matriarch's challenge level is a whopping 20! And she was already using Blade Barrier and Banishment! She might even have a Plane Transfer—she might actually throw someone into the Abyssal Web!"

"This is beyond the scope of the curriculum! This thing is definitely beyond the scope of the curriculum!"

Although some of the rules in this world are different from what she was familiar with, no matter how they change, the current matriarch's lower limit is already high enough! And based on Daisy's experience over the years, the other party can only be more powerful than theoretically possible!

The gap is too big, how can we possibly fight like this?!

"Go!" Leslaufer charged back from the perimeter, his entire body seemingly encased in a thick cocoon of blood, only his eyes remaining bright. "Take Sylvia, it's time to leave!"

Previously, the matriarchs had not made a move, and Raslaw had not dared to act rashly. Now that they had joined the battle, it was time for them to withdraw.

"Alright!" Daisy's eyes lit up, and she quickly picked up Sylvia from the platform, and the two underground dwarfs ran over to help, putting her on the truck. "Quick, quick, let's get out of this hellhole first!"

Glip and Halewin exchanged a glance and immediately ordered their men to change formation and break through behind Raslaufer. At this moment, Daisy finally unleashed the spell she had been preparing for several days. Accompanied by the melodious music of the lyre, icy water vapor condensed above the heads of the demons and dark elves in front of them and then crashed down, greatly relieving Raslaufer of his burden.

She didn't have the guts to attack those mistresses because she was truly no match for them, but when it came to these guys, she not only had the guts, she had the audacity.

"Blame your mother for being too strong!" she shouted, as a spear of spiritual energy shot out from between her brows, pinning an unknown priest to the wall from behind. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have killed you!"