Rose of Decay wore an ornate, vibrant red gown, making her look like an entirely different person compared to her usual pitch-black attire.
Yet an icy chill radiated from every inch of her, sending shivers through anyone who laid eyes upon her.
Gustavo Fring had witnessed the terror of Rose of Decay firsthand. Had Anbaixiu not intervened back then, she would have turned him into an undead long ago.
But wasn't she supposed to be dead as well?
When a lich's obsession vanished, the anchor securing their soul disappeared along with it. Without any other emotional foundation to sustain them, a lich would fall into an unconscious stupor, stripped of all capacity to act.
Everyone knew that the royal house of Ryan was this queen's obsession. Now that the Ryan royal family was completely gone and Ryan itself was on the verge of being renamed, shouldn't she have been satisfied? Shouldn't she have died?
Could it be that her hatred had been directed toward the entirety of Ryan all along?
Whatever the reason, now that Rose of Decay had appeared, the nature of this negotiation changed completely.
Rose of Decay took a seat beside Harvey, beckoning the young man to sit down, before turning to the visibly tense Gustavo Fring. "You sent men into the Underdark to probe into my affairs, sent agents overseas to make contact with the Dragon Clan, and even dispatched emissaries to Silvermoon High Court and Emerald Dream Forest, seeking to unite everyone to swallow up all the businesses he left behind."
Gustavo Fring no longer dared to act as aggressively as before, managing only the mildest tone he could muster. "The Dwarf Kingdom needs these industries. We must return to our ancestral homeland eventually."
He shifted the blame onto the dwarf king, though that was indeed half of the truth.
Ryan had suffered total devastation inside and out; barely holding the nation together from complete collapse was already an ordeal. For the dwarf king, these upcoming years presented the finest opportunity to reclaim the desert. The commercial empire Anbaixiu had forged would serve as the Dwarf Kingdom's greatest fuel, rekindling their hopes of reclaiming their homeland.
"I don't care whose idea it was."
With a casual snap of her fingers, the Queen of the Underdark summoned more than a dozen zombies into the room.
At the sight of these zombies, Gustavo Fring could no longer maintain his composure.
Because every single one of them was someone he had sent out—two of them were even core members of the Alchemy Association.
Just as Gustavo Fring moved to react, he found that his hands no longer obeyed him. Glancing down, he saw that his arms had already turned an ashen grey.
Without him even noticing, his arms had been transformed into an undead state.
An undead transformation that ignored every shield and every healing effect—such was the terror of this queen. You wouldn't even know how you died.
Rose of Decay looked Gustavo Fring in the eye and said placidly, "No one touches what belongs to him. If the Alchemy Association tries to seize it, I guarantee you won't survive a month. If the dwarf king tries to seize it, I guarantee the Dwarf Kingdom will fall within a year. Take my words back to your master, and get lost!"
Rose of Decay gave Gustavo Fring no chance to explain. Directing the zombies, she had them seize him and throw him straight out.
Gustavo Fring did not dare resist. As long as only his arms were turned undead, it could still be treated—he could just chop them off and regrow them. If his torso turned undead as well, he would be as good as dead.
Once the greedy alchemist was ousted, Rose of Decay turned to Harvey. "You did well just now. Your teacher was a man who dared to curse out gods. If you were frightened by a mere alchemist, you wouldn't be worthy of being his student."
Harvey, however, had no time to bask in Rose of Decay's praise. Tensely, he asked, "Lady Rose, how is Teacher right now?"
Rose of Decay fell silent for a moment before answering, "His corpse has been properly preserved by me."
After Anbaixiu's death, few had the standing to gather his remains. In the end, it was Rose of Decay who painstakingly gathered every fragment of his corpse, seeking to resurrect him.
Unfortunately, no matter how Rose of Decay altered his corpse—even restoring it to how he looked in his youth—she could not summon his soul back. She had no choice but to temporarily preserve Anbaixiu's body within Mercury City while searching for other means.
"Has Teacher's soul truly dissipated?" Harvey said sorrowfully.
Rose of Decay said with absolute certainty, "Impossible. There is no one in this world wiser than your teacher. He must have left behind backup plans; he will surely return. All we need to do is wait. If you cannot bear the wait, come find me in the Underdark, and I can grant you eternal life."
Harvey gave a wry smile. "I'm afraid I must first break free from the shackles of destiny. That is what Teacher wished for me to do. Since you are willing to take over, Lady Rose, I will leave all of Teacher's industries in your hands. I'll have all the account books sent to the Underdark. I intend to devote myself entirely to studying the notes Teacher left me."
Rose of Decay did not object. Harvey was indeed not cut out for business; he was better suited to being a pure scholar.
"Very well, decide for yourself. But do not worry. Though your teacher has temporarily departed, his friends are still here." Leaving behind these words, Rose of Decay did not linger.
Her only purpose in coming to Gold Coin Island had been to teach Gustavo Fring a lesson; she had far more important matters to attend to.
Ever since Anbaixiu departed, Rose of Decay had been ceaselessly busy.
First remolding Anbaixiu's body, then trying every possible method to call back his soul, and recently taking over his businesses.
Rose of Decay had initially assumed it wouldn't be difficult, but only upon truly taking over these enterprises did she realize how tangled and sprawling they were. Even though the undead had no need for sleep, managing such intricate affairs proved extraordinarily difficult.
The only thing that brought Rose of Decay relief was the attitude of Silvermoon High Court. The elves were indeed far more scrupulous about 'reputation and credit' than humans. Once Rose of Decay brought forward Melina as the 'legitimate heir,' the elves declared that all previously negotiated business would continue as usual, and not a single speck would be deducted from the magical materials paid annually in reparations to Anbaixiu.
The elves would not bully the descendant of a hero just after his passing, even if Anbaixiu had severely swindled them multiple times in the agreements they had struck.
This was what was called the spirit of contract. The moral standard of elves was generally higher than that of humans—this was no stereotype, but an established fact.
With the support of the elves, the drow air routes were secured, and the airship shipping routes served as the blood vessels of Anbaixiu's entire commercial empire, the key to keeping every facet of business alive and flowing.
With this major issue resolved, dealing with the Dwarf Kingdom was much simpler.
These humans and dwarves still had no idea what kind of relationship the God of Alchemy had with him—truly foolish to the extreme.
Only that girl named Isabel possessed the keenest foresight. Without the slightest hesitation, she chose to stand on Rose of Decay's side, flatly rejecting the Alchemy Association's recruitment and even returning her membership token to signify a clean break.
Doing so was tantamount to ruining her own future. She had been a rising star heavily championed by the Alchemy Association, with multiple products receiving their full promotional backing, and both her fame and fortune had been steadily climbing.
The moment Isabel broke ties with the Alchemy Association, an overwhelming barrage of ridicule and abuse came crashing down, as if prepared well in advance. The once-celebrated alchemy prodigy was branded an impostor who had cheated the world.
Yet Isabel couldn't have cared less. She shut the gates of her castle and ignored everyone.
When Rose of Decay finally came to visit, the girl's very first question wasn't about anything else—she only asked after her teacher's well-being.
Upon learning the news that Anbaixiu could not be revived, this resilient girl fainted on the spot.
Rose of Decay was deeply moved. He truly lived up to his reputation; the students he chose were all so exceptional, world-class in both character and personal capability.
However, that student named Selwyn seemed rather peculiar. Unlike Harvey, she showed little zeal for studying the divination wizard notes, taking a keen interest in the enterprises Anbaixiu had left behind instead.
This woman had demonstrated outstanding competence while working under Anbaixiu. Having no other suitable candidates on hand, Rose of Decay simply took charge of public appearances, leaving Selwyn as the one truly executing operations. For now, her performance had been quite good.
After driving away Gustavo Fring, Rose of Decay hurried off to another destination.
This matter had nothing to do with the businesses Anbaixiu had left behind, yet it was far more important than any enterprise.
For this was a gathering of the Elegy Poetry Society, and the President, the Mourner, would be attending as well.
If there was anyone left in this world who could bring him back, the President was undoubtedly one of them. Rose of Decay's only worry now was what price she would have to pay to persuade the President to act.
Since the founding of the Elegy Poetry Society, the President had always been the most enigmatic and complex figure. Rose of Decay knew very little about him, nor did she know what he truly desired.
Yet it was a ray of hope, and Rose of Decay had to seize it firmly.
Standing within the teleportation array, Rose of Decay clenched her fist.
"I will bring you back! I swear it!"
Chapter 515