Anbaixiu naturally took Catherine's seat, while Catherine naturally stepped aside to stand.
As the master of the dungeon, Anbaixiu naturally belonged in the master's seat.
Before long, the drow elf named Constance was brought before Anbaixiu.
Constance was very young for a drow elf, equivalent to just sixteen in human years.
She was one of the drow who had rebelled back in Cobweb City, completely untamed.
When she was first sent over, the girl could hardly wait to challenge Catherine to a duel. In Constance's eyes, an elf this pretty was definitely just an ornamental vase—what right did she have to boss her around?
Then, Constance learned the true meaning of a disparity in strength.
With bare hands, Catherine pinned the twin-blade-wielding Constance right to the ground.
Constance assumed she had merely been careless, but trying again yielded the exact same result.
Catherine's reaction speed and combat techniques were far beyond her own.
After that, Constance resorted to the standard drow tactic: feign submission and look for an opportunity to assassinate her.
Unfortunately, Catherine was no longer the naive innocent she once was. Constance's trick had already been pulled countless times by her predecessors.
Thus, Catherine effortlessly neutralized every one of Constance's subsequent assassination attempts.
Constance was dumbfounded. Was this even a high elf? Her assassinations and counter-assassination methods were sharper than a drow's!
This woman named Catherine was terrifyingly capable. She wasn't just beautiful—she crushed Constance in every single aspect.
Yet why had Constance survived despite failing assassination after assassination? She had not even faced any real punishment.
She had constantly worried about what sort of sinister conspiracy she had fallen into, but now it seemed her punishment was finally at hand.
The master of the dungeon sat before her—the legendary lich rumored to have achieved godhood through pure cunning.
Bleached bones, a grim and terrifying visage, and that heart-stopping aura of negative energy.
The lich's appearance perfectly matched the image of an arch-demon lord in Constance's mind.
Anbaixiu sized Constance up, then said to Catherine, "Is this the reckless girl who keeps breaking the rules?"
Anbaixiu spoke in such a severe tone that Catherine jumped in surprise.
Catherine replied meekly, "Yes. She has attempted assassination fifteen times in total."
Constance thought to herself, *As expected, the time for reckoning has come. I'm probably going to die here.*
However, Catherine continued, "Perhaps... we could give her one more chance. I believe she'll turn over a new leaf."
Constance looked at Catherine in shock. Sparing her previously had not been a scheme after all; Catherine had truly forgiven her.
Yet after fifteen whole assassination attempts, how could she forgive that?
Catherine had assumed Anbaixiu was putting on an act to make Constance feel grateful to her. The situation seemed promising; Constance's attitude toward her appeared to have shifted.
*The lich is sharp as ever, reading people so accurately.* Just as Catherine thought she had played along seamlessly, Anbaixiu slammed the table and roared, "What absolute nonsense are you spewing?! Are you an idiot? What's the point of having rules if they can just be broken whenever someone feels like it?!"
Catherine was stunned by Anbaixiu's ferocious reprimand. How could he be so fierce? In all the time she had known the lich, this was the first time he had spoken to her in such a tone.
Startled by Anbaixiu's outburst, Catherine was completely at a loss for words.
Anbaixiu did not let up. Standing straight up, he cursed at Catherine, "Fool! I told you to discipline these drow elves, and all you did was indulge them—indulging a traitor who tried to assassinate you fifteen times! You really are useless. Keeping you here is just a waste of food!"
Anbaixiu raised a finger, condensing formidable dark magic at the tip. Even someone who knew nothing of magic could sense the devastating power of this impending strike.
Watching Anbaixiu gather his magic to execute Catherine, Constance felt a sudden impulse welling up inside her: she wanted to stop this.
*Right, that's it. Only Catherine can keep me alive. If she dies, I die too.*
"Stop! Please spare Catherine! I won't break the rules anymore—never again, I swear!"
When Constance blurted this out, Anbaixiu turned his hollow eye sockets toward her. "You're willing to obey the rules for Catherine's sake?"
Constance felt a chill run through her entire body, as though an unseen hand had gripped her throat, rendering her almost unable to speak.
Yet in the end, she gritted her teeth and replied, "Yes! For Catherine, I am willing to do as you command. I will never disobey. I swear to the Spider Queen..."
"Save the oath."
Anbaixiu drew back his dark magic and said to Catherine, "Now do you see why I chose her?"
Only then did Catherine realize—it had all been an act?
Catherine clenched her fists and said, "You bastard! You scared me to death!"
Seeing the interaction between the two, Constance instantly caught on. "You worked together to trick me?"
Anbaixiu shook his head. "Only I tricked you. Catherine didn't know a thing, just like you. Both of your reactions were genuine. Catherine wanted to save you, and you wanted to save Catherine."
Feeling as if she had been stripped bare, Constance stammered in shame and vexation, "I was just... just..."
Constance desperately wanted to claim she had only acted out of self-preservation, but she was too flustered and indignant to get the words out.
Anbaixiu cut her off. "Don't bother explaining. Why do you think I picked you to trick? Fifteen assassination attempts: the first few were genuine efforts, but the rest were sheer pretense.
"Stabbing at a legendary ranger right to her face? Digging pitfall traps in a dungeon—do you have any idea how solid this floor is? And what about poisoning her right in plain view, or trying a honeypot scheme? A honeypot? What went wrong in your head? Don't you know who the actual beauty is here? You stopped wanting to kill Catherine long ago; you were just trying to get her attention."
Constance hastily protested, "No, that's not true! I just... I just couldn't think of any new methods!"
"Alright, stop fooling yourself. I don't care to waste my mana casting Detect Lies. I know what's in your heart. Catherine has extraordinary charisma, and she treats you well. You've already felt her kindness; you're just confused, so you refuse to admit it."
Anbaixiu bluntly exposed Constance's lies. The girl had already fallen to goodness, beginning to think of others.
Without giving her time to think, Anbaixiu took out a project proposal and handed it to Catherine.
"This is the first phase of the airship transport project. The first route runs from the Silvermoon High Court to the Dwarf Kingdom. I've drafted three proposed routes—pick one to prioritize for construction. As for the captain of the first transport airship, let Constance have the job and let her pick her own crew.
"I'm certain she's not the only drow elf whose nature has changed."
Chapter 354