Anbaixiu wasn't usually in the habit of chatting with his own creations.
The little critters he kept at home were almost entirely free-range. Undead didn't need to be fed anyway, and the mercury soul puppets scoured around on their own absorbing metal shavings—they required zero care from Anbaixiu.
When he had no use for them, Anbaixiu simply let them squabble and grow on their own.
As for the aberrant skeletons used for labor, he paid even less mind to them. If they broke, they broke; it wasn't as if undead had feelings.
Melina, however, seemed somewhat different. Her emotions were far too rich, exceeding what an undead ought to possess.
"Could the different ingredients have caused variations in the soul?"
Anbaixiu felt this "accident" was well worth studying. Even if Rose of Decay hadn't asked him, he would have gladly provided this bit of "after-sales service."
After inquiring carefully into Melina's ordeal, Anbaixiu said to her, "I have a general grasp of the situation now. What do you intend to do? Wipe out all those drow, or take revenge another way?"
Melina knitted her brow and pondered for a moment before saying, "I want to find the mastermind behind this! Though, it'd be even better if I could make them realize I'm not an idiot."
This was the mission Rose of Decay had entrusted to her: find whoever dared provoke this underground kingdom and settle the trouble once and for all.
Melina kept this mission firmly in mind; personal honor and disgrace took a back seat to the duty.
Still, if possible, couldn't she exact revenge and complete the mission at the same time?
Melina looked expectantly at Anbaixiu. Although she had only met him once, at the moment of her birth, she had heard plenty over the past few days about her father's glorious achievements.
The lich before her looked utterly ordinary, yet mention any of his deeds at random and the world would be shocked.
To name just one: paladins of Ryan had knelt and kowtowed before him, and Ryan had removed this undead from their wanted list.
And Ryan was her mother's greatest enemy—a colossus that could not be shaken even with the full might of the entire undead kingdom, the mortal foe of all undead.
Rose of Decay had also remarked more than once that her father was the cleverest person in the world; elves, dwarves, druids—every race imaginable had been played in the palm of his hand.
In Melina's eyes, her father could resolve any problem whatsoever.
Being looked at like this by Melina, Anbaixiu had no choice but to pull himself together and help her properly resolve the matter.
"Let me think. Merely finding the mastermind isn't hard. If you want to vindicate yourself... I have three plans here. See which one you prefer."
"Three plans?"
Melina's eyes widened. It had only been a few seconds, and he'd already thought of solutions—three of them, no less?!
"The first plan: reputation is always written by the victor. I'll directly divine the mastermind's whereabouts for you, drag him out, and kill him. The enemy's corpse will be proof of your wisdom. Simple and direct."
"The second plan is slightly more troublesome. I'll set a trap for you, lure the mastermind in, and put him six feet under. Then we tell everyone it was your scheme. That will dispel those ridiculous rumors just the same."
Before he could finish, Melina spoke up, "But I'd still be an idiot, wouldn't I? Those are all Father's abilities, not mine."
"I knew it. Fine, then we'll choose the most troublesome one. I'll teach you step by step how to deal with your enemies and defeat them with your wits. However, this will be an extremely difficult challenge, fraught with failure. If you fail, you might never be able to vindicate your intelligence for the rest of your life.
"Once you're ready, come find me."
Leaving those words behind, Anbaixiu walked straight out of Melina's room.
After taking his leave of Melina, Anbaixiu was led by a maidservant to Rose of Decay's side.
True to her word, the Undead Queen had gathered over a dozen myconids—varying in height, build, and color, even in the fungal forms upon their bodies—kneeling before the two of them.
These were myconid tribes subjugated by Rose of Decay—or, to use the myconids' term, circles.
Rose of Decay said, "These are all common myconids. See which kind you need. If you have anything to say, just tell this Death Knight."
Myconids had no vocal organs; they communicated with one another via spores. Any creature implanted with spores could commune with myconids through telepathic rapport.
Naturally, Rose of Decay wouldn't implant spores into herself, so she kept a Death Knight dusted from head to toe in spore powder beside her to serve as an interpreter.
Anbaixiu nodded, then said to the Death Knight, "Which myconids have the largest population, the weakest individual strength, and the widest distribution?"
Adventurers were a crowd who would do anything for money, and dare do anything to swindle money. If sent after myconid spore powder, they would certainly target the ones easiest to bully.
Wide distribution meant adventurers from various regions had a chance of encountering them upon entering the Underdark; large numbers meant a stable supply; and weak individual strength went without saying—adventurers would only prey on the weakest.
Therefore, the target lay within those parameters.
The Death Knight translated, and three myconids of different colors—red, green, and yellow—stood up.
Anbaixiu walked over, scraped some spore powder from their bodies, and prepared to analyze it once he got back. By the time he finished, Melina was already standing before him, fully armored.
"Father, I'm ready. I will deal with this mastermind myself!" Melina's tone was resolute and full of confidence; in her eyes, Anbaixiu was omnipotent.
Rose of Decay couldn't help but remark, "You really do have a way with her. I talked to Melina for half the day to no avail—it's like she isn't even my own flesh and blood."
Anbaixiu badly wanted to point out that she indeed wasn't her own flesh and blood.
Just because you crafted something didn't mean you gave birth to it; by that logic, Anbaixiu had already birthed hundreds of thousands of children.
Still, never talking back to the boss was fundamental business ethics. Changing the subject, Anbaixiu said, "Melina has simply been alive for too short a time and lacks experience, that's all. Rest assured, I will teach her well, and resolve that trouble for you in the process."
He believed that once he took care of the mastermind, Rose of Decay wouldn't charge him for the spore powder. On this matter, he had great faith in Rose of Decay; the queen was genuinely generous.
All the more reason to put in an earnest effort.
Anbaixiu stepped up to Melina, appraised her suit of heavy armor, and said, "You can't wear this. Put it away and change into rags... no, change into maidservant attire."
"Why?" Melina asked curiously.
"Because we're dealing with drow. If we aren't using brute force, we need to take an indirect approach and infiltrate them first."
Anbaixiu snapped his fingers, and his undead frame promptly transformed into the guise of a male drow elf.
Melina asked no more questions and went off obediently to change her clothes as instructed.
In truth, Anbaixiu could have easily used illusion to alter Melina's appearance without her needing to change clothes at all.
However, if you're going to teach a child, you teach them right. Anbaixiu's illusion magic was an original divine creation; there was no illusion more potent in the entire world. He couldn't just grant Melina an impenetrable illusion from the get-go; he needed to guide her step by step based on her own abilities, teaching her how to make use of everything around her.
Thus, after Melina finished changing, Anbaixiu didn't transform her himself either, but had Rose of Decay provide her with an enchanted ring imbued with Polymorph.
Under Anbaixiu's guidance, Melina transformed into a tall female drow elf with severe, harsh features.
"That's about right. From now on, we communicate through our souls."
Anbaixiu's words echoed directly in Melina's mind. This required both parties to open their souls completely without reservation—a dangerous endeavor under normal circumstances, but since Melina had been created by Anbaixiu, there was no cause for concern here.
Soul communication was swift and conveyed meaning far more precisely.
With this method of communication, the two could conspire right under the drow's noses.
"Alright, everything is set. Let's move out," Anbaixiu said.
"Okay, let's go!" Melina said excitedly.
Yet no sooner had she spoken than Anbaixiu's voice sounded in her mind: 'Stop. You are a drow elf now, not the princess of this kingdom. Don't look so innocent. Remember your persona: you were originally a palace maid who committed an offense and was due for punishment, so you found a way to escape. You are a runaway slave. How is a runaway slave supposed to act?'
Melina thought hard for a moment. The excitement on her face vanished, replaced by an expression of gloom.
It was a bit forced; trying too hard made it look unnatural.
Anbaixiu sighed inwardly. This child really had no talent for acting.
"Forget it. I knew your acting would be terrible, which is why I had you transform into a drow. As a female drow, you only need to keep a stern face."
The drow of the Underdark had well-known traits: cruelty, malice, and an extreme matriarchy where women reigned supreme. In drow society, male drow were born slaves who had to submit to any female drow. This was the divine decree of their deity, Lolth the Spider Queen, and the foundational policy of the drow race.
It was precisely because Anbaixiu anticipated Melina's acting would likely fall flat that he had her play a female drow.
This identity could save a lot of trouble; behaving viciously, imperiously, and hysterically was more than enough.
Listening intently to Anbaixiu's coaching, Melina assumed a stern expression, finally looking the part.
Only then did Anbaixiu nod. "That'll do. Let's go. Remember: think more, speak less. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me directly in your mind."
Melina raised her chin and sneered, "Hmph. A lowly male thinks he has the right to lecture me?"
Anbaixiu: ...
Could this child... actually be playing herself?
Chapter 252