Elven cultivators

Crimson blood-soaked soil, the entrance to the cave.

The fluorescent moss on the dome flickered, casting a dim halo over the temporary meeting area below.

After many days, the thirteen city-state lords of the alliance gathered together once again.

Unlike the previous meeting, where everyone was wary and harbored their own ulterior motives, the atmosphere this time was noticeably more agitated.

Maris sat at the head of the table, her expression calm, her gaze subtly taking in the anxiety on the twelve faces opposite her.

The Lord of the Grärgestone was slamming his fist on the stone table and shouting.

"...We've been attacking the Nine Nether City for so long, and the number of troops we've lost is enough to fill three Blackwater Pit, but what's the result? We haven't even stepped foot on the border of the Nine Nether City. What do you suggest we do?"

His words were like a fuse, instantly igniting the long-suppressed anxiety in the chests of the other lords.

Everyone chimed in agreement.

"Those elves don't engage us head-on at all; they just hide behind the outpost defenses and rely on alchemical golems to hold out."

"I wonder where they got so many silver-tier alchemical golems?"

"If this continues, when will it ever end?"

"This war is simply unwinnable!"

The group vented their frustrations, and although they didn't name names, their eyes kept glancing at Maris at the head of the table, clearly trying to put pressure on her.

Maris, seeing through everything, sneered inwardly but ignored it.

Seeing that Marisi didn't respond at all, the lords gradually fell silent.

Finally, the dwarf lord of Dilo couldn't hold back any longer. He slammed his hand on the table, stared intently at Maris with his one eye, and said coldly, "Maris, why aren't you saying anything? You started this war, and now it's come to this. Shouldn't you give us an explanation?"

The lords all turned to look at Maris.

The latter remained calm, glanced around, and spoke slowly.

"The decision to wage war against the Nine Nether City was unanimously agreed upon by everyone present. I didn't hold a knife to anyone's throat and force them to nod. Now that the war isn't going well, you turn around and come to me demanding an explanation... Kazmo, do you think I'm easy to talk to, or do you think the skin of you Dilo dwarves is thicker than black iron dug out of a mine?"

Kazmo flew into a rage, his one eye widening suddenly, his thick knuckles clenching into a fist, as if he wanted to overturn the table on the spot.

But when he met Maris's indifferent gaze, his Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and the roar that was about to come out of his mouth ultimately failed to escape his lips, turning into a muffled snort as he turned his head away.

Maris ignored the blustering dwarf and turned her gaze to the other lords, speaking coldly.

"When things don't go well in battle, they come here full of complaints, slam their fists on the table, and blame us. Anyone who doesn't know the situation would think this alliance belongs to me alone."

"Or are you saying you're willing to become a vassal race of Vian City?"

"If that's the case, I wouldn't mind taking the blame."

The lords were stunned by Maris's sarcastic remarks and remained silent.

After giving her a lecture, Maris snorted coldly and changed the subject.

"The Nine Netherworld City has been hiding behind the defensive line and refuses to come out, which shows that they are well aware that their strength is inferior to ours, and that's why they dare not fight us head-on."

"You find those alchemical golems troublesome, but conversely, if we can deplete their golems, what will those pointy-eared creatures have left? How many of their people are there in total? Every one that dies is one less; how can they possibly fight against our nearly 100,000 troops?"

"Their alchemical golems are not unlimited. Once we exhaust their alchemical golems, they will be like meat on a chopping board, at our mercy."

After hearing this, the lords' expressions softened, and they all showed thoughtful expressions.

They had to admit that they were persuaded by Maris's words.

Although the battle was frustrating, they maintained the initiative from beginning to end.

The Nine Netherworld City Domain is no match for them.

More importantly, the war has been going on for a long time. If we withdraw now, all the lives and resources we have invested will be wasted. Who would be willing to accept that?

We've already fought this far, how can we give up halfway?

The lords exchanged glances and quickly reached a tacit understanding.

"Alright, let's continue, and kill those pointy-eared ones!"

"I'd like to see how many lumps of iron those pointy-eared guys can fill."

"Once we conquer Nine Nether City, I'll definitely use those pointy-eared creatures as seaweed fertilizer!"

Marise leaned back in her chair, watching this scene, the corners of her lips curving into a barely perceptible smile.

Just then, a series of hurried yet light footsteps came from the direction of the passageway.

A slender dark elf, clad in light armor, strode through the gap on the side of the stone table and leaned down to whisper a few words in Maris's ear.

Maris's gaze narrowed slightly, then quickly vanished, transforming into a faint, sharp glint.

The Glaisher lord was the first to lose his composure, asking in a gruff voice, "What's wrong, Maris?"

Maris smiled slightly: "Everyone, it seems we don't need to wait any longer."

"The scouts report that just now, there was a big commotion in the Nine Nether City area. A large number of troops are gathering at the border. They probably can't hold back any longer and are planning to have a head-on battle with us."

Upon hearing this, the lords were overjoyed.

"Good!" The Grish Lord slammed his fist on the table, sending shards of stone flying. "They've finally come out!"

"It seems they've almost run out of alchemical golems, which is why they're willing to give them up."

"Finally, we can fight a real tough battle!"

The lords were overjoyed.

Even Kazmo, who had just suffered a setback at Maris's hands, had his gloomy expression vanish and was now filled with excitement.

Maris's gaze swept over the faces that had suddenly become excited. After the noise subsided a little, she slowly said, "Everyone heard that. This is our only chance. If we don't defeat those elves in one fell swoop and force them to retreat behind their defensive lines, we may not have such a good opportunity next time."

"I suggest that all city-states mobilize their main forces, converge at the northern entrance of the Ash Bone Pass, and launch a full-scale attack."

The lords naturally understood this principle, and after exchanging glances, they agreed without hesitation.

"Let's do it!"

"Mobilize all forces and launch a full-scale attack!"

"We can't let those pointy-eared creatures run back into their turtle shells!"

The twelve lords did not linger and quickly left to return and mobilize their troops.

The entrance to the cave quickly fell silent.

Maris did not leave.

She remained seated on the stone chair, her eyes lowered, as if waiting for something.

A moment later, a shadow rose silently from the dark corner of the ground, like a piece of dark cloth being torn apart, slowly stretching and coalescing, outlining a blurry shape.

Two dark red spots of light flickered slightly in the shadows, carrying a kind of eerie coldness that seemed unnatural.

"Those elves finally decided to come out."

A hoarse, deep voice seeped out from the shadows, like sandpaper scraping rough pottery.

In the previous war, although many underground creatures died, the Nine Nether City side always huddled behind the defensive line, and almost all the losses were alchemical puppets, with very few casualties among the living.

As a result, the efficiency of collecting death energy was far lower than expected.

Not to mention the lords, even he was getting a little anxious.

Fortunately, Jiuyou City finally couldn't hold back any longer and chose to launch a direct attack.

The intensity of the upcoming war will far exceed that of the previous ones, and he will be able to collect enough death energy in this meat grinder-like underground battlefield.

Maris turned her head and said calmly, "Don't forget our agreement."

"Unforgettable." The shadowy figure's voice carried a hint of glee at the imminent achievement of their goal. "We only need the Death Qi; the rest, whether it's the Crimson Blood Fertile Land or the Nine Nether City, are all yours."

Maris didn't say anything more.

She stood up, the hem of her cloak sweeping across the ground with a soft rustling sound, then turned and walked towards the passageway, her figure quickly disappearing into the dark corridor.

The shadow behind her slowly shrank, like ink receding into the ground and disappearing.

As soon as Maris stepped out of the passageway, a slender figure silently emerged from the shadows of the rock wall.

She was a beautiful, graceful dark elf with long, silvery-white hair tied in a high ponytail. Her dark red pupils reflected Maris's silhouette, tinged with hesitation.

"Mother," Cui Erning said in a low voice, glancing warily into the depths of the passageway, "that guy... is he really trustworthy?"

Marise didn't stop walking, but merely turned her head slightly, a cold smile playing on her lips: "How can a bunch of guys who don't even dare to show their true faces, who constantly talk about death, be trusted?"

Cui Erning paused, her brows furrowing even more: "Then why..."

"Just going with the flow."

Maris interrupted her question, her gaze fixed on the direction of Nine Nether City.

"Someone is offering to help us resolve the trouble with Nine Nether City, why should we refuse?"

"Let them do whatever they want. The only thing I'm curious about is what method those guys plan to use to deal with those pointy-eared people."

Cui Erning seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.

Maris withdrew her gaze, her tone suddenly turning cold: "Send orders to the other families: once the battle begins, they are not allowed to rush too far forward. They should conserve their strength as much as possible and let those fools lead the charge for us."

"We should take this opportunity to weaken the power of other city-states. Once we've cleaned up the situation in Nine Nether City, we can turn around and deal with them later."

"At that time, the entire Crimson Blood Fertile Land will be ours."

"Yes, Mother."

Cui Erning came to her senses, a surge of intense heat rising in her heart.

What are these Grylite Men, these Dilo Dwarves, these Koto Fishmen... they're all just a bunch of idiots.

Dark Elves are the noblest race in the Underdark.

Once those troublesome city-states have been cleared away, all the Blood Soul Crystals in the Crimson Blood Cave will belong to Vion City.

With sufficient resources, Vion City's strength can grow rapidly, like a snowball rolling downhill.

One day, the Vion family will surely become the most powerful dark elf family in the Underdark.