Anbaixiu truly didn't understand why those deities cared so much about mortal turf.
They were already immortal and eternal—couldn't they just do things they actually enjoyed? Why did they insist on bickering with mortals who were like ants to them? Zariel was one thing; after all, she held a grudge against the Hellriders, so seeking revenge was justifiable.
But what was the deal with Tiamat, the Dragon Queen?
In Anbaixiu's memory, nine out of ten evil cults throughout history had been spawned by Tiamat.
How deep could her grudges possibly run?
Yet precisely because of Tiamat's unnatural malice toward the mortal world, Anbaixiu was certain this goddess was orchestrating some scheme, one likely starkly different from Zariel's plans.
Ryan's invasion could be left to Mister Misfortune; what Anbaixiu needed to focus on dealing with were the deities.
He could probably glean some information by seeking out Shar, seeing as Tiamat had allied with Shar before. What was more, Anbaixiu recalled that when he had thrust his dagger back then, a patch of dragon scales had vanished from the drow elf's body on its own—clear proof that Tiamat had intentionally helped Shar carry out her scheme.
In other words, Tiamat had known all along that Shar would turn hostile, and perhaps she had even taken a cut of the spoils.
Since the two goddesses were on good terms, Shar very likely knew what Tiamat was plotting.
As for whether Shar was willing to sell out a friend, that was entirely a matter of price.
Shar was hardly a goddess known for her credibility anyway; otherwise, she wouldn't have turned around and betrayed Lolth the Spider Queen.
So long as the price was right, Shar would sell out anyone.
However, summoning Shar was no easy feat. Anbaixiu didn't have a second radiant artifact to desecrate, nor did he have as many slaves as the Rose of Decay to casually sacrifice hundreds at a whim.
Anbaixiu stroked his chin, then decided to ask the Rose of Decay for help.
Time was pressing. He needed to figure everything out as soon as possible, or unexpected complications could easily arise in the upcoming great war.
Anbaixiu's objective was to ensure the Kingdom of the Unholy Hymn held its ground. By whatever means necessary, he had to drag Ryan into the quagmire of war. If Ryan were to effortlessly obliterate the Kingdom of the Unholy Hymn, morale across the other kingdoms would inevitably plummet, and they would be picked off one by one.
Once Ryan stood unchallenged as the sole hegemon, what would be the point of fighting? Better to dig a hole and bury himself right now.
Anbaixiu took out the Necrotic Codex and sent a message to the Rose of Decay: [Lady Rose, could I ask for your assistance? I need to summon the goddess Shar. I have some business to discuss with her.]
The Rose of Decay replied shortly: [That's no problem, but I have some bad news to tell you.]
Anbaixiu's fingers paused. Bad news? What had gone wrong? Was she finally coming to ask him for Melina's child support?
[Rose of Decay: I sent people to gather that Ironblood General's hair, but the red strands they brought back don't seem to belong to the same person. Presumably there are others in the city with red hair, and once shed, the strands were swept into rubbish heaps and mixed together.]
Anbaixiu breathed a sigh of relief. So she wasn't asking for money. That was good, that was good.
[Tiga Ultraman: Does having different hair cause any issues?]
[Rose of Decay: It's a matter of time. Using my legendary boon over long distance takes a while to take effect—at least a full day—and it cannot affect multiple targets simultaneously. I can't tell which strand belongs to our target. If I test them one by one and send scouts to gather intelligence and report back each time, making even a few mistakes would waste far too much time.]
Anbaixiu had originally hoped the Rose of Decay could help delay Ryan's deployment. If she had to test the hairs one by one, it likely wouldn't achieve that stalling effect in time.
Anbaixiu pondered for a moment, then replied to the Rose of Decay: [Wait for me to come over. I can use the teleportation arrays now.]
[Rose of Decay: Alright, I'll wait for you.]
In Mercury City within the Underdark, the Rose of Decay set down the Necrotic Codex and briskly walked into her wardrobe.
As the queen of the Underdark, the Rose of Decay didn't own many clothes, for the undead had little need for such things. In the past, she had never felt anything was amiss; a few formal gowns were more than enough.
Now, however, she felt she had far too few pretty garments. That fellow was particularly lecherous, so if she wore her old clothes, she feared it would be difficult to leave a deep impression on him.
The Rose of Decay had never imagined that a day would come when she would choose clothes to please a man—not even when she had been alive. Back then, her mind had been filled only with her duties to the Ryan royal family; romantic notions hadn't existed for her at all.
It wasn't until last time, in her moment of deepest despair, that Anbaixiu had brought her a ray of hope.
The undead were not truly heartless; rather, only a single obsession remained deep within their souls, and only things tied to that obsession could stir their emotions.
And once someone became deeply entwined with that obsession, they became part of the obsession itself—the indispensable person.
The Rose of Decay didn't dare take too long, knowing Anbaixiu's habits. That lich was swift and decisive in everything he did, and he would teleport over in no time.
So after only a few minutes, the Rose of Decay had changed into a gorgeous white gown.
She hadn't worn white in many years; ever since turning undead, she had grown accustomed to black. Before long, the teleportation array in the royal palace lit up, and Anbaixiu arrived in the Underdark once more. When he saw the Rose of Decay in her flowing white gown, he paused for a moment. He had never seen this queen wear white, and seeing her now, she was rather stunning.
Noticing Anbaixiu's pause, the Rose of Decay immediately flashed a sweet smile. It seemed she had chosen the right outfit.
Yet before she could ask for his opinion, the unromantic lich spoke up: "Lady Rose, give me those hairs. I can divine which strand belongs to the Ironblood General."
The Rose of Decay cast a glance at Anbaixiu. It seemed the dress wasn't quite pretty enough.
Her Majesty, now in a somewhat sour mood, led Anbaixiu to another grand hall, where the collected long strands of hair were laid out separately one by one.
Anbaixiu didn't beat around the bush. With a shake of the Dice of Fate, he quickly identified the strands belonging to Ironblood General Rachel Angelo. His luck wasn't bad: out of the dozen or so hairs, three belonged to him—more than perfect for casting the spell.
However, after some thought, Anbaixiu said to the Rose of Decay, "Perhaps we can adjust the plan. Let's not target Rachel Angelo right from the start."
Anbaixiu picked out five strands and said, "These hairs belong to Rachel Angelo's subordinates. If we start with them, what do you think will happen?"
The Rose of Decay pondered for a moment and understood his intention. "You want to terrify that Ironblood General?"
Anbaixiu nodded. "Exactly. Based on my understanding of Ryan, if this general turns into an undead, Ryan will simply announce that someone assassinated the Ironblood General and replace him with another commander. The outcome wouldn't be much different, and it might even cause Ryan's soldiers to seek vengeance for their fallen general, potentially boosting their fighting prowess.
"However, if we target the people around Rachel Angelo and take them out slowly, one by one—without eliminating them all at once—it will throw everyone into panic while keeping them in the dark about what's happening. That would be far more effective at stalling for time."
The Rose of Decay readily agreed with Anbaixiu's reasoning. Though her hatred for Ryan ran as deep as the sea, she had never underestimated the empire.
The Rose of Decay said, "Very well, I'll control the intensity carefully. However, there's still a delay in relaying information. I'm afraid the effectiveness might be limited."
Long-distance communication had always been the greatest challenge; otherwise, the Necrotic Codex's group chat wouldn't have been hailed as an artifact.
Currently, the most common method of transmitting messages was sending letters via teleportation arrays, a luxury ordinary people could never afford. The Rose of Decay certainly didn't lack money, but getting her scouts into Ryan was difficult enough to begin with. It was impossible for them to travel back and forth frequently, as doing so would only tip off Ryan that something was amiss.
Anbaixiu chuckled. "That's precisely the problem I came to solve for you."
Anbaixiu opened his personal pocket space and snapped his fingers. A few little undead puffballs hopped out, carrying a colossal mechanical mirror between them.
The Rose of Decay looked at the mirror curiously and asked, "What is this? An alchemical item?"
Anbaixiu reached out and flipped a switch, activating the magic mirror, and chanted, "Magic mirror, magic mirror, connect to the Lady of the Mists."
Before long, the image of Leira, the Lady of the Mists, appeared in the mirror.
Leira smiled at Anbaixiu. "We only just parted ways. What, miss me already?"
The Rose of Decay's eyes narrowed. She didn't recognize this deity, but the tone of their conversation felt rather off.
The Rose of Decay had no issue giving Anbaixiu a horde of slaves, but those were merely slaves. The woman before her was clearly in no master-servant relationship with him, giving her a sense of unease.
Anbaixiu hurried to introduce them: "Allow me to introduce you. Lady Rose, this is Leira, the Lady of the Mists, a deity who is currently staying in the Emerald Dream Forest."
The Rose of Decay was taken aback. "A deity?"
"I'll explain the details to you later," Anbaixiu said to the Rose of Decay, then turned to Leira. "Goddess, this is my closest ally. I arranged this communication so the two of you could get acquainted. Lady Rose rules an entire underground kingdom, and I believe the faith from there will be of great benefit to you."
Leira glanced at the Rose of Decay. She, too, could see that the Rose of Decay's feelings toward Anbaixiu were far from ordinary, but the goddess harbored no thoughts of jealousy.
A deity's values were vastly different from those of mortals, revolving far less around mere possessiveness. As long as it didn't interfere with Anbaixiu's relationship with Her, Leira didn't care how many companions Anbaixiu had in the mortal realm.
Another deity, however, was out of the question. Anbaixiu had better not dream of sleeping with any other goddess, as that would ignite the fuse for another divine war.
Hearing that the Rose of Decay ruled an entire kingdom, Leira grew somewhat interested and asked, "You are willing to offer me faith?"
The Rose of Decay hadn't expected the topic to shift so abruptly and was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
Anbaixiu chimed in hurriedly, "Lady Rose, I know you don't worship any deity, and the Lady of the Mists needs our help. She will repay us with all Her might. Please trust me."
Hearing this, the Rose of Decay smiled faintly and said, "Alright, I'll follow your lead. Starting today, I will make all living beings in the Underdark devotees of the Lady of the Mists."
Chapter 317