Recently, days weren’t easy for Durelle Bailey.
Her family used to be one of the three strongest families in Carlesodar City. But now, the Bailey Family was ranked eighth. Even with the strong support of Matriarch Durelle, they didn’t ‘disappear’ from the scene. But Durelle was clearly aware that it was only a matter of time. The thing she couldn’t tolerate most was that the dark elves kept calling her family as ‘the foreigner third family’. This insult almost drove them crazy.
Matriarch Durelle expected her family and her to die vigorously in battle, instead of being humiliated by the dropping of family rank. Of course, she knew where the problems stemmed from. Previously, the Bailey Family showed off too much of their abilities, causing much displeasure and disapproval from other dark elf families. The reason why they didn’t eliminate her entirely was because they hoped to teach the Bailey Family a more humiliating lesson. Nothing was more insulting than a once majestic family falling in rank and being wiped out by small, humble families.
But now, Durelle just learned from her eldest daughter news that distracted her: the second daughter of the Bailey Family, Nell Bailey, had returned to Carlesodar City and was seen entering the city with a group of humans. This enraged Durelle. Of course, she knew the underlying ill-intentions behind those rumors. Back then, Durelle was condemned and questioned after giving birth to a white-skinned dark elf. In the end, Durelle gave Nell away to Balende and won over Balende to stabilize her faltering status. But now, Nell had left Balende and appeared by the side of humans. This was undoubtedly a slap on Durelle’s face. Not only that, but if Durelle failed to show her stance against this ‘traitor’, the annihilation of the Bailey Family would also enter the countdown stage.
But Durelle wasn’t a fool either.
Even though the Bailey Family dropped in rank, they were still in the top 10 families in Carlesodar City, which was why Durelle also received news from the patrol team regarding the overwhelming power of these humans and the title they brought along with them—the Void Dragon.
The top 10 families in Carlesodar City didn’t maintain an unified opinion about this matter. Some older families still remembered how the Dark Dragon wiped out the dark elves’ kingdom last time. They didn’t wish to stir any trouble, but the younger families apparently weren’t as restrained as them. The younger families believed that a respected dragon soul heir wouldn’t possibly arrive at the underground world without any warning. This group of humans might possibly be emissaries of the Void Dragon using the name of the Void Dragon to make the dark elves yield. The younger families didn’t regard the strength displayed by Rhode’s group highly. As representatives of a dragon soul heir, it wasn’t surprising that they possessed superb abilities.
But despite that, they were dissatisfied with Rhode’s aggressive style. They thought that they should teach the emissaries of the ‘Void Dragon’ a lesson, letting them know that the dark elves who lived in the underground for years were no pushovers. Through this way, they could gain a certain degree of initiative in their interactions with the Void Dragon.
The older and younger families quarreled endlessly over their opinions. But overall, the younger families gained the upper hand. Older families including Durelle’s Bailey Family didn’t raise too many objections. Judging from the situation, they seemed to also agree with the younger families’ methods. But as a matter of fact, the older families were using the younger families as bait. As soon as the younger families did something irreparable, the older families would show up and eliminate these naive fellows, using their corpses to express regret to the Void Dragon. And if the older families succeeded, they would join hands and seek more benefits.
But it was obvious that the younger families weren’t naive either. They weren’t willing to be used as tools, which was why the Bailey Family was pushed out as the scapegoat. Durelle knew that if she didn’t make her decision soon, the alliance might give her an answer she hated to hear.
However, Durelle also had a plan ready—a plan of her own.
Rhode wasn’t interested in the conspiracies of the dark elves. He knew that the moment he entered the city with a high profile, the dark elves’ conspiracies had already begun. Every family had different views, styles, and standpoints, and Rhode couldn’t be bothered about them. Power—only power meant everything. Rhode was certain that if he were to shatter the stalactites of the top 10 families into bits, he would undoubtedly receive the ‘respect’ and ‘love’ of the entire Carlesodar City. This was the so-called ‘justice’ of the dark elves. As long as Rhode guaranteed he could eradicate all the nobles in the families, he could become the supreme ruler here.
But it was a pity that Rhode wasn’t fascinated with the idea of staying underground. The ‘erotic arts’ of the dark elves weren’t within his concerns either. After all, he had plenty of women around him and no interest in sowing wild oats. He suspected that back then, it was due to the same reason that the Dark Dragon didn’t remain in the underground. After all, breathing air on the surface felt much more comfortable. Besides, there was also the scenery of the moon and stars… Sceneries that were much better than in the underground.
Under the lead of the dark elf guard, Rhode’s group arrived at the inner city on the left side. This was the gathering place for visitors. But despite that, there weren’t many humans around. Unless they were slaves, if not humans couldn’t possibly arrive in this city of dark elves. Apart from Rhode’s group, duergars and bugbears also arrived. Of course, there were also some other underground races. Among them, most of them were ‘spoils of war’ of the dark elves. Perhaps the ‘spoils of war’ used certain ways to gain their ‘freedom’, but they didn’t leave the city and chose to continue living here. Most shops, inns, and pubs were opened and operated by them in order to provide a temporary and safe resting point for visitors.
The arrival of Rhode’s group attracted the attention of almost everyone. Without mentioning the rarity of humans in the dark underground world, just the shining gems in these beautiful and mesmerizing young ladies in the group was enough to be the center of attention.
“You people can stay here for the time being and wait for further news.”
The dark elf guard said to Rhode, before signaling with a hand gesture and turning around to leave.
Rhode wasn’t bothered by the indifferent attitude of the dark elf guard. He merely scanned the surroundings and spotted his target—the inn. However, unlike other places, this inn was built entirely from wooden logs, which was extremely rare to see in the underground. It could also be said that it was as extravagant as a building constructed by platinum on the surface.
“Let’s go.”
Rhode beckoned and led the group into the wooden inn.
The inn was spacious and brightly-lit by lantern grasses found only in the underground. The flames burning in the fireplace piled up with stones eliminated the chilliness, bringing them a comfortable warmth. An old man, who seemed to be the boss of the inn, took a nap over the counter. Due to the years of being unexposed to the sun, his skin appeared sickly-pale, like a funny-looking wooden barrel. But what was most eye-catching about him was his legs. The areas below his knees were completely severed and the balance of his upper body was supported by prosthetics made from iron bars.
Gazing at the arrival of Rhode’s group, the old man widened his eyes and showed a bewildered expression. He opened his mouth and revealed an excited smile.
“Oh, welcome everyone. I haven’t met any human customers in a long time. May I have your orders please?”
“This inn.”
Rhode said and brushed his arm over the counter. Shortly after, along with this action, four to five crystal-clear diamonds dazzled before the old man’s eyes.
“We hope to rest in a quiet environment. Make the other patrons leave and I’ll pay for their losses. I also don’t wish to see anyone showing up later. Also, bring us some fruit wine and food.”
“This…”
The old man revealed a complicated expression, but eventually nodded in agreement.
“Okay, Sir. We will right away.”
The old man said, beckoning a goblin over and speaking into its ear. Shortly after, the goblin scampered upstairs on its short legs. At that moment, the old man unveiled a passionate smile, turned over, going around the counter at a speed impossible for the shape of his body, and lifting a bottle of fruit wine. At the same time, Rhode’s group took their seats and sized up the place curiously. Nell stood by the entrance, staring vigilantly at the streets. Meanwhile, Angelina leaned on the chair boringly, closing her eyes to get some rest. Mini Bubble Gum retrieved a handheld gaming device from her pocket and continued with her ‘Pokemon’ journey. Cassidy looked at her from the side curiously. It could be seen that she was interested in the gadgets that arrived from another world. Icy Snow sat beside Rhode, requesting a cup of water from the inn boss with a soft, timid voice… As she was underage, it went without saying that she wouldn’t be consuming alcohol. On the other side, Anne had already grabbed and devoured the fragrant, roasted drumstick. It was apparent that she was famished.
“Excuse me, may I know where you people came from?”
Gazing at the group, the old man couldn’t help but ask. He had met humans in the underground before, but humans had low status in Carlesodar City and were prone to many dangers. Even though these people dressed like ordinary travelers, their behavior resembled tourists who visited a safe, underground tourist attraction. Not only were they not overly cautious of their surroundings, but they were also relaxed and casual. The old man felt weird. No matter from which aspect, Carlesodar definitely wasn’t a city of tourist attractions. Of course, even though the young ladies seemed harmless, he wasn’t blinded by their appearance. These humans didn’t enter the city as slaves and were even led by the dark elves. This proved just how powerful they were.
“We came from the surface and Carlesodar is only along the way. We intend to head to our destination through this city, that’s all.”
“I see…”
Upon hearing Rhode’s calm response, the old man nodded. Shortly after, he knitted his brows and spoke in a lowered voice.
“Sir, as we are all humans, I think I have to remind you that Carlesodar isn’t a safe place to be. Since you made your way here, it proves that you are strong enough to deal with the dangers. But I still need to remind you that the sly dark elves are hard to deal with. Besides, recently they have sealed off the city. The atmosphere is tense. If it isn’t necessary, I advise you to avoid any trouble as much as possible. If you are targeted by dark elves, you will be in big trouble.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
After listening to the old man’s words, Rhode lifted the wineglass and responded without taking his words to heart. Upon seeing his expression, the old man let out a sigh. It was apparent that he treated Rhode as a young adventurer who underestimated the immensity of heaven and earth. What was most terrifying in this world wasn’t overbearing strength, but conspiracies. The old man met people similar to Rhode in the past, but it was a pity that their plights in Carlesodar weren’t any better.
“Sir, it may be rude of me to say this, but…”
Bang!
Before the old man finished his sentence, a loud bang on the second floor captured everyone’s attention. Shortly after, the goblin who went upstairs earlier rolled down the flight of steps with a bruised, swollen face. Seconds later, several burly, heavily-equipped bugbears descended the stairs. They swept a glance at the lobby and after spotting the beautiful young ladies, their eyes glinted in passionate flares. They exchanged filthy looks with one another. One of the bugbears who seemed to be their leader strode forward and snarled at the group.
“Are you the ones who booked the entire inn and forced us to leave?! Humans?!”
