Chapter 370

"Hmph! These elves possess the ability to repeatedly resurrect themselves. Don't you understand the reasoning behind this? In this world, who is the only great being capable of granting such an ability?"

"It is our great Patron Deity, the Goddess of Death!"

"Regardless of who this supposed Evé the newly Goddess of Life is that the elves now worship, she must be significantly connected to Her Majesty, whom we believe in!"

"Remember, the divine oracle of our Goddess predicted that we must seek their help. Despite being deceived by the elves, the agreement is legitimate and safeguarded by our Goddess!"

"To break this contract is to defy the divine oracle made by Her Majesty!"

The old chief's voice carried heavy disappointment as he gazed at Dorulu, who stood before him, head bowed in embarrassment.

Catra then took a deep breath and angrily continued:

"Moreover, have you even considered the repercussions of withdrawing from our agreement with the elves?"

"These elves might have their flaws, but their combat abilities are undeniable. Have you thought about the consequences of angering them and the impact it could have on the defense of our city-state?"

"Dorulu, these are twenty thousand elves who can continuously resurrect themselves! Even if we don't know the specific limitations of their resurrection ability, our city of merely fifty thousand inhabitants cannot withstand their retaliation if we anger them!"

"We are already under attack by the Dark Alliance as it is. If we even turn against our allies at this moment, do you think Shanathar would last much longer?!"

The elderly chief roared, spitting saliva all over Dorulu's face but the latter didn't dare to argue back at all.

After grilling his grandson and nearly exhausting himself, Catra paused momentarily, trembling and breathing heavily.

Seeing this, Dorulu hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "Then... what should we do?"

Catra's eyes were filled with even more disappointment as he looked at him:

"Sigh..."

"Failing to educate you properly was my mistake and choosing you as the next chieftain has been a grave error on my part."

"You pale in comparison to Brein, the chief of Blade City. If you persist in such foolishness, how can I entrust you with our city-state? You simply do not possess the qualifications and abilities needed to succeed as chieftain..."

Catra shook his head.

"It seems I need to reconsider my choice of successor."

Hearing these words, Dorulu's face turned pale, and he bowed his head even lower.

The bedridden leader sighed deeply and once more shook his head.

"I have already informed our chief financial director. The prior agreement we made with the elves will be honored, but any elves who newly join the battle from now on can only receive one set of equipment."

"This aligns closely with Blade City's approach in their rectified agreement with the elves."

After speaking, Catra glanced at Dorulu, his voice carrying a hint of resignation.

"You... may leave now."

Dorulu bit his lip upon hearing this.

After inhaling deeply and offering a slight bow to the old chief, he turned around to depart. However, moments after exiting the chieftain's residence, Dorulu's expression quickly turned dark.

Immediately after returning home, he angrily drew his dagger and slashed at every piece of furniture in sight, roaring:

"Foolish!? What's wrong with my idea? Am I not also doing this for the sake of Shanathar?!"

"So in the end, you're just telling me to endure such losses?! Bah, this is the underground, not the surface!"

"So what if those elves can resurrect? Even the Godwardens of the Goddess of Death can only resurrect a few times. Can these elves resurrect infinitely? Why should I fear them? Pssh, these long-eared swindlers won't be able to come over the moment I shut down the teleportation array!"

Dorulu, in a fit of rage, smashed everything in his house, scaring the servants away.

At the moment he looked like a crazed monster, as his face contorted with anger.

"Protected by the Goddess of Death? Tch, what does that matter when we're under siege by the Dark Lord?"

"Hmph! That damn old coot actually wants to revoke my succession rights and even compare me to that bastard Brein!"

"I knew it! That old man only cares for his outstanding disciples and never for his own grandson!"

"Hmph! Since you want to treat me this way, then don't blame me for what might happen next..."

Having evidently resolved himself, Dorulu gradually began to calm down, yet his expression still remained menacing.

He discarded his dagger, donned a ludicrous looking nobleman's robe, and left his house alone without any of his usual guards.

He walked through the streets of Shanathar, following winding paths to the commercial district.

Moments later, he arrived at a nondescript tavern in the chaotic and lawless part of the city and promptly went inside.

Currently, the tavern had few patrons, and immediately after entering, Dorulu headed straight to a corner where a figure wearing a pointed hat was sitting.

It was a dark-dwarf mage, and the other party did not seem entirely surprised by Dorulu's arrival.

He merely smiled slyly and asked, "Lord Dorulu, have you finally made your decision?"

Dorulu narrowed his eyes, gazing at the dwarven mage intently.

"I can participate in your guys plan, but I have one condition. After the plan succeeds, I must be appointed as co-chief of both Shanathar and Blade City."

Right after hearing Dorulu's condition, the dwarven mage's eyebrow arched slightly, as a soft chuckle escaped from his lips.

"Lord Dorulu, that's beyond our agreement. At most, we can support you in becoming the chieftain of Shanathar City."

Dorulu wasn't surprised by the other party's refusal.

He scoffed and replied, "Hmph, does it matter who becomes the chief? If I am in charge, I will vigorously promote faith conversion in both city-states, ensuring that all the citizens quickly convert back to the faith of the Dark Lord..."

"Additionally, I have a crucial piece of information as a gift for you. Aren't you curious about the origins of those elves who came to support us?"

The defense of Shanathar had gradually entered a prolonged state of defensive battle.

As time passed, the frequency of attacks from the Dark Alliance decreased significantly, leading the Hermetic Alliance to suspect that the enemy might want to end the war.

Despite this, the besieging army still remained, maintaining immense pressure on Shanathar City, signaling that they had not yet fully abandoned the war.

Nevertheless, for reasons unknown, the Dark Alliance paused all their assaults and chose to encamp outside the city while maintaining the siege.

By this point, all that remained of the enemy forces were undead soldiers and it seemed these undead could maintain the siege indefinitely, provided their commanders had enough magic reserves.

However, while the Dark Alliance could maintain their position, the players, on the other hand, grew more and more weary of the situation.

They have come here to play a game, not to act as real soldiers.

Defending the city day after day without significant combat or gaining experience eventually became a tedious task that tormented most of them.

As a result, many players decided to abandon the city defense quest after a few days. Instead, they returned to the surface or explored other areas of the underground to level up quickly.

The number of players defending the walls dwindled but remained relatively stable due to the constant turnover of newer batches of players willing to try out the war campaign.

This shift in lower player activity did not sit well with the high officials of Shanathar City. However, given that the current defensive pressure was minimal and the players who left had promised to return promptly if the war reignited, the leaders tolerated the situation.

Under these circumstances, the war underground gradually transitioned from a major questline to a longstanding war scenario exclusive within the underground map.

By now, any players visiting the member city-states of the Hermetic Alliance were no longer primarily drawn to the ongoing war.

And their focus had shifted to establishing commercial activities and exploring unknown areas, which became their main priorities instead.

— 370 —

[ BETREYAL AND CHANGE ]

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