This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 272 - 253 Melina’s Acting

Chapter 272: Chapter 253 Melina’s Acting

Not long after, the magnificent palace was rocked by a violent explosion, which echoed through the underground for hundreds of kilometers.

In the chaos of the explosion, many slaves enslaved by the Undead Queen seized the chance to escape.

Amberser and Melina were among those slaves.

This was the first lesson that Amberser taught Melina: if you want to deceive others, prepare every detail.

It wasn’t the nonsensical pretend games of the Elf Queen but rather having every aspect of the identity tightly connected with a clear purpose.

Merely claiming to be fugitive slaves wouldn’t convince outsiders.

Only when there really were issues on the Undead Queen’s side, when indeed a large number of slaves were escaping, could Amberser and Melina’s identities be beyond suspicion.

Many slaves ran out together, including Gnomes, Drow, Subterranean Dwarves, as well as some Fungus Folk and other rare species.

The explosion was like opening an anthill; the undead were too busy repairing the palace to bother about these slaves.

Such an escape was reasonable and unassailable.

"Father, how do we find the mastermind now?" Melina asked Amberser through soul resonance.

Amberser didn’t answer but instead asked, "What do you think?"

After pondering for a moment, Melina said, "I remember where they have appeared in the tunnels; maybe we can try our luck there."

However, Amberser rejected this suggestion.

"Relying on luck like that, how can you be sure those Spider-transformed Drow will jump out to invite you to join them and not to eat you? Even if you are a high-status female Drow, and they don’t eat you, they might still eat me. Then wouldn’t our cover be blown?"

This explanation plunged Melina into confusion.

If they didn’t go looking, how were they supposed to blend in with those people?

It wasn’t possible to expect those people to come to them, was it?

Yet, what Amberser said next made Melina aware of the gap in intelligence between them.

"No one cares about something that comes to them; what we need to do is make them come to us. We’re not out to find those rebellious Drow right now, but to gather these scattered fleeing slaves. When we have a sufficiently large force, those rebellious ones will come to us to talk about cooperation."

"Oh! So it can be done this way!" Melina was utterly shocked in her heart, never having thought of such a tactic.

So the previous explosion at the Royal Palace, the dispersal of a large number of slaves, wasn’t just to forge their identities, there was a second reason.

"Do you understand? It’s up to your abilities now to gather these slaves and have them follow you," said Amberser.

"How... how do I gather them, by beating them up?"

"Exactly."

Amberser’s response was decisive: The simplest way to gather the slaves was to fight, which was very much in character for the Drow.

Might makes right, poisons, assassinations, or massacres were all within the Drow’s methods.

With Amberser’s approval, Melina felt excited as though it was her turn to shine.

Brainwork wasn’t her thing, but she was a professional when it came to a brawl.

Even without mounts and lances, Melina could still use her fists to knock down a large group of panicked, fleeing slaves.

But after the fighting, as she looked at the slaves gazing at her with "Why did you hit me?" eyes, Melina was at a loss for words.

Fortunately, Amberser reminded her in time, "Tell these slaves, if they don’t want to die, don’t run about. Only by sticking together do they have a chance to live."

Luckily, Melina wasn’t truly foolish and didn’t repeat the words verbatim, but instead said in her own words, "Foolish wretches, this is Gloomyland. Do you not perceive what danger is? Running separately will only lead to a miserable death, only unity offers a chance of survival."

Upon hearing this, the slaves looked contemplative.

They were all locals; Gloomyland was indeed fraught with dangers, but wouldn’t sticking together make them sitting ducks for the undead to hunt down?

A Drow Elf spoke up, "Escaping separately might lead to death, but if we gather together, we’ll be done for once the undead catch up to us."

As Melina thought about how to counter the argument, Amberser said, "Break his legs. You are a female Drow; any male Drow who dares to talk back deserves to have his legs broken!"

Melina did not hesitate at all in following Amberser’s command, step by step she approached the Drow Elf.

The Drow Elf also realized that he had misspoken, in his excitement he had forgotten that he was facing a female Drow.

He hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground, trembling as he said, "Respected lord, I was wrong, please forgive me, I did not mean to offend, please forgive me."

Melina, without any hesitation, walked over to the Drow Elf and stomped, breaking his shin.

The Drow Elf let out a wail of pain, but this time without needing a reminder from Amberser, Melina had already slapped him into unconsciousness.

Amberser’s voice once again echoed in Melina’s mind, "Tell these slaves, most low-ranking Undead are imbeciles. Just toss them one half-dead from time to time, and you can delay the pursuers’ speed."

Melina repeated the message verbatim, her tone becoming cold and merciless; she had unconsciously got into the role.

After all, the Undead are a faction that still leans towards evil, so playing the part of a Drow is much easier than playing a Paladin.

Hearing such a cruel statement from Melina, the slaves did not panic. Instead, they thought her words made a lot of sense.

This is Gloomyland, where the majority of the races are cruel and selfish. Throwing bait to delay pursuers is nothing to them; it comes nowhere near their moral bottom line. Moreover, most of those dozens of slaves are Drow themselves, for whom the concept of morality is non-existent.

Melina’s plan quickly obtained their approval, and in this way, the group of slaves easily united.

Melina wasn’t joking; she really did break the legs of a slave every few kilometers, then knocked them out and dumped them by the roadside.

And having run an unknowable number of kilometers, they were nearly out of range of the Undead’s scent, and none of those chasing them under the black Rose banner had appeared.

Everyone felt that this was thanks to Melina’s efforts; this female Drow truly had the makings of a leader.

Melina was also thrilled. They had just escaped not long ago, and she already had a group of subordinates? It was all too easy. At this rate, bringing down those behind the scenes was just a matter of time.

But before Melina could celebrate for long, a Drow Elf humbly approached her during a rest and asked, "Respected lord, we have already distanced ourselves from Mercury City, but where do we go from here? Everyone is nearly at their limit. We not only need rest but also food and water."

After reflecting for a moment, Melina asked Amberser in her mind, "Father, what do we do now? We have no food, surely we can’t just kill a Drow and roast him to eat, right?"

Amberser wanted to roll his eyes. The child had been so immersed in her role just a moment ago, and now she was revealing her Undead nature. Although Drow are cruel, they also do not eat their own kind. Male Drow are only sacrificed to the Rose Spider Queen or fed to Spiders, not butchered and eaten.

"Melina, what’s our goal? It’s to get the rebels to side with us, not to care about the lives and deaths of these Drow. What you need to do now is not to consider these people, but to find a way to buy time until the rebels come knocking. Why do we need to look for food? Why should we let this Drow’s question lead us by the nose?"

"But, shouldn’t I respond?" Melina asked, puzzled.

"Ask him back. This fellow clearly wants to assert his presence; he wouldn’t ask something he doesn’t have an answer to. Just counter-question, and you’ll know," Amberser replied.

Melina was still mulling over this, lost in thought, while the Drow Elf, unable to hear the soul conversation between father and daughter, thought that his words had given the Drow lady pause for thought and quickly seized the opportunity to say, "My lord, I know of a very weak Fungus Folk Tribe nearby, we could take their land for our own! We would have both food and shelter!"

Melina said in surprise, "Are you serious?"

Just as her father had said, this Drow Elf had come with self-serving suggestions, indeed crafty.

The excited Drow Elf said, "Of course, I swear on the Spider Queen, it is the truth, otherwise may I die by a spider’s bite!"

He had worked up the courage to speak to Melina because he knew the lay of the land, hoping to curry favor with this Drow lord.

It was their custom and nature for male Drow to depend on a powerful female Drow.

Little did he know that upon hearing this, Melina would slap him across the face, swelling half of his face, and she roared, "You knew already and still you ask me? Are you trying to make me look foolish?!"

The Drow Elf, with his hand covering his swollen face, kneeled low on the ground, spitting blood as he said, "No, no, no, my lord, I was wrong, I didn’t mean it, please forgive me, I really didn’t dare."

Amberser secretly praised, Melina had once again got into character; this child had potential.

Without a doubt, Melina’s conduct once again solidified her leadership status, making the slaves realize they were following a temperamental but powerful leader. She could knock down all the slaves singlehandedly and did not appreciate subordinates with secret schemes; remembering these two points was key to surviving under the rule of this female Drow.

With such iron-fisted rule, the group of unarmed slaves lost their fear of the battles to come.

How could the Fungus Folk be as dreadful as this Drow lord?

The subsequent battle was indeed simple, just as the slapped Drow Elf had said. The Fungus Folk Tribe was very weak; the old and young together numbered less than thirty, no match for this band of vicious slaves. Melina alone could sweep through the entire tribe.

The battle ended quickly, but the Fungus Folk Tribe didn’t suffer heavy casualties because there was a Fungus Folk among the slaves who, after demonstrating their strength, saw the Fungus Folk surrender immediately, offering up the tribe’s food.

And after the battle, Melina no longer consulted Amberser on what to do next.

For her right eye had already seen the Spider-transformed Drow lurking in the shadows; the rebels had found them.