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

However, Dubler turned his head away and did not accept the other party's thanks: "Save your thanks for now. Don't glare at me when it comes time to divide the spoils later."

For some reason, Dahl felt his heart skip a beat, but he still instinctively retorted, "How could that be? How many gold coins do you want? I have plenty of Imperial gold coins, I'll just give them to you, cash only—"

Dieter, who had also followed the group underground, pulled him aside. As the amount of payment demanded by Leslaufer reached Dahl's ears, the old man's expression visibly darkened.

Not far from Dahl and Erwin, Lillendra and Sylvia were exchanging information, but the biological mother and daughter were more distant from each other than the adoptive father and son.

After all, even the titles they could use were "Mistress" and "Sylvia".

“Even with the addition of the Pirnain family, we only have two mistresses,” Lilindra said, her mood somewhat sour after summarizing the situation. “During this time, they have been sending small groups of troops to harass us. Since we didn’t know the specifics, we didn’t dare to make any rash moves. Unexpectedly, it was their own city that started to fall into chaos first, and we missed an opportunity.”

"But apart from that, Sylvia, have you recently felt any new blessings bestowed by the goddess?"

Yes, there are, but unfortunately, they didn't happen to me. Sylvia glanced at Leslaufer over there and shook her head slightly.

“Neither did I, but the Queen of Gods hasn’t revoked her blessing either,” Lilindra frowned. “What do you think that means? Does the goddess think this battle doesn’t need much bias, that we can handle it ourselves?”

“That’s very likely, Madam,” Sylvia nodded. “It shows that the goddess has great faith in us, and you should be happy.”

Happy? The matriarch of the Evans family shook her head. She looked at the spellcasters of the Pirnane family and began to secretly calculate how to maximize their use and depletion so as to gain an advantage in the next two battles.

Seeing her mother hesitate, Sylvia laid out all her deductions and suggestions. As the one who understood the current situation in Qiulicheng better, her proposal was quickly adopted and passed. With the help of the newly joined Helewin and Glip, trucks disguised as belonging to the underground merchant guild but with obvious surface traces were quickly transported down from the surface. The top of these trucks was covered with a layer of ordinary goods such as gems and minerals; but beneath this were the weapons and equipment that the "caravan guards" used; and at the bottom were several thick layers of smoke powder.

The caravan guards were all warriors of the Evans family, disguised as subterranean dwarves under the spellcaster's illusion. The enemies of Qiuli City would remain silent until they finally made their move, at which point these warriors would immediately reveal their true forms, drawing weapons from the wagons to fight. As they gradually became outmatched, sparks would fly onto the cargo, blasting anyone who tried to approach into the air.

Next up is the battlefield between mercenaries and spellcasters.

"This shouldn't blow up the whole tunnel and cave, right?" Daisy asked nervously. "And then people will be buried inside..."

“Isn’t that exactly what we want?” Lillendra chuckled. “I believe Evans’ warriors will retreat before the collapse, and in that case, the advantage will be gradually established.”

Until the scales of victory tipped completely.

After the plan was finalized, the entire team began to move. The non-warriors retreated to the pre-prepared rear positions until they reached the surface. The battle would be held during the day, so that even if the dark elves wanted to retaliate or attack the rear, they would have no chance.

Meanwhile, in Qiuli City, the five families that had noticed the hundred-plus reinforcements from the Pirnaien family also began their intensive preparations for battle. They could not persuade the other families to gamble the entire Qiuli City, but this was their home ground, and all the advantageous terrain around them was under their control.

However, this did not alleviate their tension in the slightest. The three matriarchs of the smaller families paced nervously in front of the council hall, which was half-collapsed and not yet fully repaired, awaiting an audience with the matriarchs of the Larembass and Mara families.

They had given almost everything to ensure the prosperity of their family, firmly believing that such actions would earn them Rose's favor and grant their wishes. But not long ago, overnight, everything changed.

The doors of the Matriarch Council were pushed open by a hand rather than magic, and three Soul-Eating Spiders scrambled out, quickly passing by several Matriarchs and disappearing into the city. Behind them appeared Matriarch Brar, whose face was extremely gloomy, and Matriarch of the Lar Embas family.

"What..." The three people below the steps exchanged glances, seeing the unease in each other's hearts. They quickly went up to ask what had happened.

However, Matriarch Larembas raised her left hand, forbidding them from taking another step forward, and opened her right palm, displaying the final conclusion of the ceremony:

A black star sapphire that was originally a smooth sphere was shattered into eight pieces of exactly the same size in her hands.

That was Rose expressing her dissatisfaction.

Chapter 525 Unable to Cast Spells

"How...how could this happen?"

A matriarch's voice trembled as she raised her hand, attempting to cast a spell, but all she received in response was a soft "pop" sound, and nothing happened.

This was precisely the issue they wanted to discuss with the two matriarchs opposite them: just last night, overnight, they lost the favor of the goddess Rose and were unable to unleash even the slightest bit of divine magic.

This means that they and their entire families have been abandoned by the goddess. Normally, if such a situation occurs, the matriarchs would want to kill everyone who knows or even guesses about it before they are satisfied. But with war imminent, this matter cannot be kept secret no matter what.

After their small meeting this morning, the three of them were shocked to discover that it wasn't just their own family that had been stripped of their power!

"How dare you ask!" Madam Brar's anger flared again. She dared not vent her shock, rage, and grievances on the matriarch of the Larembass family, so she unleashed them on the remaining three. "After that day's slaughter, why didn't you continue the blood sacrifice ritual?!"

"The streets were littered with corpses that day; you could easily find nine of them!"

The ceremony that day?!

"Which day...which day was it?" The barrage of accusations left the matriarchs of the three small families completely bewildered. "What blood sacrifice?"

“It was that ‘Zaknavan,’ the day we were preparing to sacrifice Sylvia Evans,” Matriarch Larembass didn’t seem that angry, but rather seemed to be echoing Matriarch Brah. “Matriarch Brah and I both expended a lot of energy fighting those rebels. You should have completed the ritual—after all, you were on the stage at the time.”

They will accomplish this?

If they had the guts to defy these two matriarchs of powerful families, they would have hurled far more insults than Brar was now. They dared not? How could they possibly do it?!

Such large-scale blood sacrifices were only held by you to show off your family's power, weren't they? Only matriarchs like you could pull off such large-scale blood sacrifices? They were just there to make up the numbers!

Now you're remembering those three?!

“At that time…” a matriarch began with difficulty, moistening her throat, dry with saliva, “we also had enemies to deal with…”

Two-thirds of the more than twenty families in Qiu Licheng were caught up in that chaotic battle. How many matriarchs did you two manage to hold back?

"Are you questioning us, Matriarch Lucin?" Matriarch Brar's eyes immediately turned terrifying. "You think you can ridicule us?!"

“Alright, Blar, no matter what, they are mistresses just like us,” Mistress Lal Embas advised, but then looked at the three of them, “But I’m afraid you won’t be for long, will you?”

“Perhaps so,” Madam Lucin murmured, but as the other woman said, they were also matriarchs, and setting aside their status, they should be equal. But Madam Brar scolded them as if they were her own daughters, “And what about you? Rose still favors you, doesn’t she?”

Matriarch Larembass raised her hand, the purplish-black holy flames from the failed attack of the three opponents swirling around her fingers. It still looked powerful, still more powerful than the three matriarchs had been before, but Matriarch Larembass herself knew that it was far from the best she could do.

“Our power is waning,” she decided to tell them the truth, because she could not give up any power she could hold onto now. “This is a test from the goddess. Perhaps she did not take away our magic directly, but you are much younger than us.”

“We must prove our loyalty. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable,” she said, dispelling the holy flame in her hand as she felt her power diminish by half. “I know this isn’t something we use often, but it’s like the mantra those surface creatures were saying the other day: ‘Unity is strength, division is death.’ Girls, it’s time for us to face this challenge together.”

"Let's face it together"—this phrase is all too familiar to the Dark Elves, usually meaning that someone is going to their death while someone else reaps the rewards. But tragically, there is usually no choice in the matter.

This is even more true now. They and their families are unable to even use divine magic and can only rely on men who study arcane arts and a few unorthodox female mages. They are only a few steps away from becoming their vassals or even slaves.

“But what are we to do?” asked the woman to Matriarch Lucin’s left. “Siviran Evans has been taken away. Are we to offer up our family’s priests to please the goddess?”

This was undoubtedly a terrible move, but that wasn't the problem. The real issue was that even if they did this, they weren't sure if they could regain Rose's favor—or, quite the opposite, make things even worse.

“No, since the Queen has punished us for this, it means that Sylvia is the key,” Matriarch Larembass sneered. “The goddess’s patience is limited. We must act quickly, or we will lose everything. Didn’t we send you to keep an eye on and harass the Evans family’s camps? It’s time to break their turtle shell!”

She said this very reluctantly, because any leader with a brain would try to avoid siege warfare, but now her strength was waning every second, and she could no longer wait for the Evans family to push their ridiculous lines to the gates of Chowlee, or for them to collapse on their own due to lack of funds and supplies before that.

They, on the contrary, became the more anxious ones.

“We should wait another four and a half mushroom seasons,” Madam Brar glanced at the giant mushroom in the center, “the residual heat of the scorching sun on the surface will cool down, and they will be doomed both above and below ground…”

"Mistress! Mistress Blar!" Just then, a shout came from afar. The five mistresses turned to look and recognized the person as Mistress Blar's eldest daughter. She was still in her armor and was hurrying towards them. "There's been a new development! I couldn't find you in the family, and I only found out you were here after asking Vanzelin!"

She glanced at the other mistresses around her, opened her mouth as if to speak, but then stopped herself.

“Say it here—if your power is waning, then shut up and go back!” Madam Brar waved her hand impatiently. Her eldest daughter had been sent out to patrol and hunt outside the city a while ago, and it wasn’t time for her to return yet. She guessed that her daughter must have also noticed the decline or even disappearance of her power.

"No, it's not about that, it's about the Evans family!"

The eldest daughter gritted her teeth, stepped forward, and said urgently, "They probably think we've been completely exhausted by the internal strife and now have nothing to fear. They've organized a group of one or two hundred people, disguised as a caravan from Black Lewin, led by that heretic himself, and they're brazenly crossing into our territory!"

Madam Brar's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets in rage: "What?! How dare they—"

The matriarch of the Larnbas placed her hand on her shoulder, extinguishing the rage of the volatile matriarch. Her red eyes looked out of the city, in the direction the eldest daughter of the Mara family had pointed: "Could it be that this was also part of your plan, Lilindra? But unfortunately, you are still too young."

"Since you are so bold and impatient, then I will gladly accept this great gift—everyone, immediately return to your clans to gather your troops, and we will all go to war together!"

"This time, we want more than just the trade route; we want the lives of that mother and daughter!"

Chapter 526 Ambush and Ambush

Between the dark caves, countless passages carved by various creatures intertwine and overlap, forming a complex underground structure like a spider web. Wilderness, tunnels, shallows... various terrains gradually take shape or collapse over time, and the most stable ones become the main areas where creatures settle or move.

Several small stone lizards darted nimbly through the crevices, their eyes, several times larger than their surface relatives, fixed intently on the caravan crossing a trade route.

The subterranean dwarves, these loosely organized creatures who could barely be organized even into a city-state, had somehow managed to gather over a hundred people, driving pack animals and tarpaulin-covered wagons through the near-dark environment. The emblem of the "Stone Shield Merchant Guild" was branded onto their vehicles and livestock.

This is a sign that grants immunity from death. Upon seeing this, creatures that have traded with the Chamber of Commerce will not launch an attack rashly. As for the rest, they will rob anyway.

However, sometimes such a conspicuous sign can have the exact opposite effect.

“Among them are imposters who can use magic to transform,” Madam Brah, who was leading the group from the shadows, sneered. “How sloppy, they can’t even fool my daughter.”

Vanzel and her two older sisters followed behind their mother. The matriarch might still possess some magical abilities, but they were now only slightly stronger than ordinary warriors. They looked at the matriarch, who was talking to herself in front of them, without saying a word, and quietly waited for her command.

“No rush…” Although it had been many years since she had appeared in the wild as a hunter, the matriarch showed remarkable patience once she donned her leather armor again. “Let’s wait until they’re all within the ambush zone…”

She raised her palm and gestured with her other hand, the silent language preventing the prey from realizing that they were slowly walking towards death. As the last of their trucks came within attack range, and the one at the front had not yet left, the matriarch's palm suddenly slashed down like a blade.

"attack!"

A purple, eerie cloud of light suddenly exploded outwards from the surrounding caves. Caught off guard, the "underground dwarves" hadn't even realized what was happening before their outlines were drawn by the light, making them the most conspicuous targets in the darkness. Meanwhile, to the left and right of Matriarch Blar and other ambushes, large numbers of dark elf soldiers, accompanied by slave troops, howled as they launched an attack on their prey.

Whether elves are powerful in other places is debatable, but in the underworld, dark elves are indeed stronger than other races. They are used to dwarves, goblins, or gnomes who are only half their height fleeing in panic or simply standing still as their only means of dealing with their attacks. So much so that even though this group showed unusual calmness, they did not notice it at all.

"Who are you?! Why are you attacking us?!" Helewin drew her scimitar and demanded an answer, seemingly completely unaware of the situation. Seeing that the other party showed no intention of responding, she immediately raised her scimitar. "Stop!"

"We surrender!"

In the past, this sentence might have been effective, but now, to the matriarchs who were eager to prove themselves to Rose and regain their strength, it sounded more like "let them do as they please."

But... why did these self-proclaimed clever imposters turn their hands on their trucks and livestock after hearing their mistress's orders?

The attacking dark elves quickly learned the answer. With a command from Black Lewin, her scimitar not only did not fall, but instead slashed down at the dark elf warrior at the forefront. Her "subordinates" then revealed their true forms. Matriarch Brar's observation only revealed a part of the "underground gnomes." She never expected that there wasn't a single drop of gnome blood in this caravan of underground gnomes!

Every single member is a warrior of the Evans family!

Upon hearing the word "surrender," the dark elves roared in battle, drawing unsheathed weapons from under the canvas of the wagons and from the bellies of the Lothar, and slashing at their fellow dark elves who were launching an attack.

The attack may have caught them off guard, but their reverse order gave them time to react and prepare!

The two groups immediately clashed in the dimly lit cave, illuminated by demonic fire.

"This must be that bard's doing!" Amidst the chaos, a priestess from a small clan complained to her sister, "She told me about it!"

Their strength has declined the most severely, and now they are almost used as elite soldiers.

"So what? Madam Brar and the others have never heard of this..."

Her sisters sidestepped an Evans warrior's swing, only to be smashed to the ground by a warhammer. They had already rushed to the side of the trucks, and at that moment, they casually lifted the canvas and enveloped the surrounding Evans family members, trying to block their view.

However, when the thin layer of gems on it rolled to the ground as the canvas was pulled, the two priests' eyes widened in surprise.

How many jewels were on that car? They were all—

"Smoke powder!" one of them shouted. "Retreat! Retreat immediately! This is a trap!"

"To repeat, this is—"

"Trying to leave now? It's probably too late!" Halewin sneered. "Everyone, listen up! Attack!"

The sudden "trap" warning and "attack" command were mixed together. The two priests who were lucky enough to discover the clues in advance were shocked to find that their own lines did not retreat because of their warnings. Instead, they were advancing further as the Evans family members who followed the orders and retreated instead of advancing!

What's the difference between this and courting death?!

"Let those who deserve to die die!" At this moment, the two priests also gave up struggling. If they were still in command, they might still have some sense of responsibility, but since the Larembass family and the Mara family wanted complete command—they could command however they wanted!

"Go! Let's retreat with them!"

The sisters exchanged a glance, immediately abandoned their pursuit of the surrounding enemies or allies, and decisively chased after the Evans family members who were shrouded in demonic fire and stood out vividly in the dim light.

Just seconds after they had barely managed to get away from those extremely dangerous "cargoes," a sharp "whoosh" was heard from inside the cave, and a ball of fire drew an elegant arc above their heads, crashing directly onto a truck in the middle.

"boom!!!"

Chapter 527 Battlefield

A rare downpour occurred underground.

Wood chips, flying stones, and metal fragments, along with flowing fire and flesh and bones, were hurled towards the dome by the invisible giant, and then, according to the will of gravity, crashed down on everyone's heads from the highest point. Those who were covered in dust and dirt, like Madam Brar and Madam Ralembass, were just lucky. Many others couldn't even tell whether the blood on their bodies came from those dismembered corpses or from their heads and shoulders.

"Damn it, this is a trap!" Madam Brar's fury ignited the entire battlefield. "Who shouted that? Arrest her! Execute her! There's a traitor among us—"

The rapid, drum-like gong sounds didn't wait for her to finish venting before they started ringing out from all directions. The matriarchs looked around in confusion, only to see a light even more dazzling than the scorching sun on the ground surrounding them!

Even the most oblivious person could realize—they were the ones who were surrounded!

"That was a fantastic big bang!"

Dieter stood at the entrance of a slightly elevated cave, overlooking the battlefield below. To his left stood Lilindra, and to his right stood the lion Dahl: "How could they not have thought of this after living all these years?"

"Have you never fished before?" Dahl chuckled coldly. Although he was the commander, all he could do was make arrangements before the battle and make simple deployments during the battle. In the chaos of the battlefield, any order was extremely difficult to be effectively conveyed. "Cunning small fish will carefully avoid hooks and bait, but cunning big fish will think about how to eat the bait, leaving the angler with only an empty hook."

"But that inevitably carries the risk of accidentally getting hooked, doesn't it?"

Dieter nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, but Lilindra on the other side did not agree. Her purplish-red eyes swept across the battlefield, and her brows slowly furrowed.

“Something’s not right,” she suddenly said. “Don’t you think they have a lot too many priests?”

"How could this be—"