Chapter 199: Return to the Surface World

Although Carlisle claimed that his group could go to the surface world and was already very satisfied with Donald’s arrangements, he had no intention of taking anything from the Banry family’s treasure hoard. But Donald didn’t want to keep everything for himself. After all, Carlisle and his companions had also played a significant role in fighting the Spider Queen, so he insisted that they choose a few items they desired.

Carlisle couldn’t refuse, realizing that Donald truly wanted to befriend them. So he said, “Then thank you, Lord Baron! I’ll pass. Abel, Jerm, and Axe, you three go ahead and pick something!”

Abel was the half-orc assassin, nicknamed the Dwarf. Though he didn’t like that nickname, if anyone other than his three closest friends called him that carelessly, they might have to test the sharpness of his dagger.

Jerm was the mixed-blood dark elf mage, nicknamed Blackskin. Unlike typical dark elves, who were cruel and vicious, he had a temperament more akin to that of a gloomy human mage.

As for Axe, his name was simply Axe. It was said that he had giant blood in his veins, which explained his tall and strong build. Due to his unusual appearance, he had been enslaved by dark elves, but Carlisle took a liking to him and recruited him as one of his subordinates, allowing him to live a better life. Though simple-minded, Axe had a kind heart. He had managed to survive in this dangerous, dark realm for so long thanks to the wisdom of his three companions.

What Donald valued most was their good nature and their ability to maintain deep friendships even in this heartless, dark environment—a quality that was rare even in the surface world. If he could bring them to his territory, it would undoubtedly strengthen his forces and ensure safety.

Hearing Carlisle’s instructions, Abel and the others promptly chose an item each from the treasure hoard without hesitation.

Axe selected only a finely crafted large shield among the finished weapons and gear. Being skilled in assault, he only needed an axe, and the shield would greatly enhance the team’s defensive capabilities.

As for Jerm, the dark elf mage, who was good at crafting and enchanting equipment, he chose only a piece of sterling silver.

Abel, the half-orc, was overwhelmed by all the gold and silver treasures and didn’t know where to start. After wandering around, he finally picked a ring embedded with a large ruby. It not only had the beauty of a precious gem but was also a magical item that allowed him to cast a fireball spell once a day, with considerable power.

Seeing that Carlisle and the others had taken all their belongings, and realizing the Agricultural Goddess Church had no real interest in the three of them, Donald waved his hand, and in the astonished gaze of everyone present, he quickly cleared the entire treasury. As the group left the treasury and passed through the hall, they saw those survivors—knowing they were essentially useless, Donald dismissed them without further action. Just as they were about to leave, the old mage suddenly shouted, “Wait!” “These dark elves might still be useful!” Donald glanced at his teacher in surprise, only to see Messel approach the dark elves and cast a minor healing spell, allowing them to speak again shortly after. After interrogating the surviving dark elves, the old mage learned about the stone from the first mage of the Banri family, who was still conscious. As the first mage of the Banri family, he was responsible for both the magical defenses of the main residence and the construction of the family’s treasury. Although the first matriarch didn’t trust any men, these matters couldn’t do without him, the only Grand Mage of Scorpion Flower City! Due to the innate advantages of female dark elves, most either became priests to the Spider Queen or dark elf warriors. Few women chose to become mages. Thus, almost all arcane spellcasters in the Dark Lands were male. There was even said to be an underground city built entirely by male mages who opposed the existence of the Spider Queen—a rare faction in the underground world that remained neutral. The group also learned that the dead dark elf girl in the secret room was the second daughter of the Banri family’s matriarch. She had always resented Adele’s status as the eldest daughter and had been scheming in secret. Of course, this was true for all dark elves—power was like a sweet poison they couldn’t give up, and ultimately, except for a few, they all died from it. The incident began when she saw omens of Scorpion Flower City’s destruction, so she secretly persuaded these dark elves, including the first mage, to steal the family’s treasure and flee to establish a new family elsewhere. As for those two gray dwarf slaves? They were mere pawns, disposable along the way.

If they weren’t high-ranking members of the Banrei family, they wouldn’t have been able to enter the treasure vault so quickly without destroying the defensive mechanisms. It was just that the greedy dark elf girl was blinded by the wealth and didn’t expect such dangerous treasures to be stored there. Before the Golden Mage could stop her, she opened that Pandora’s box, leading to their current miserable fate.

The Golden Mage was powerful and quick-witted; he immediately activated a magical shield to escape the secret chamber. The other dark elf warriors were even faster than him, but they made a serious mistake by failing to close the door to the chamber.

Once they reached the hall, they were caught by the radiation. Even the defensive spells cast by the Golden Mage couldn’t withstand the erosion of that strange energy. Before they could leave the treasure hall, several dark elves and the gray dwarves guarding it all collapsed and lay motionless.

Fortunately, the energy radiation had a limited range—its effect weakened significantly beyond thirty feet. Otherwise, they might not have even retained a shred of life.

According to the Golden Mage, this stone was stolen from a group of goblin merchants.

The dark elves were the only force that didn’t care about the goblin merchant alliance. For them, as long as they acted cleanly after the robbery, they didn’t need to worry about the protests of those green-skinned dwarfs. Even the races that protected the goblin merchant alliance wouldn’t come to their aid and fight the dark elves in the Dark Lands.

Thus, the most powerful commercial force in the Dark Lands was the Mind Merchant Guild, run by the despised Heart Stealers even in the underground world. Followed by various other evil races’ merchant caravans.

Meanwhile, the goblin merchant guild, which was thriving on the surface, faced restrictions in their homeland—the underground world—where they could only travel between small settlements and a few neutral forces.

That goblin merchant caravan discovered this magical stone in an ancient goblin ruin. It took dozens of lives before they found a way to counteract that energy erosion—using blank crystals as helmets and sealed armor made of gold or silver to avoid danger when in contact with the stone.

Hearing this, Donald found it amusing. He thought, Isn’t this just the prototype of a radiation-proof spacesuit? Who would have thought it was invented by a group of goblins from another world?

Both fine gold and mithril, these rare and precious metals, can shield against that unknown energy. There is also a dark metal with a weight similar to gold that works as well, but not much of it has been found, not enough to make protective armor. Thus, expensive mithril had to be used to create thin layers attached to the entire iron armor, resulting in this astonishingly valuable set. Fortunately, goblins are small in stature, which gives them an advantage—at least it allows for less material to be used in this mithril suit.

Finally, mithril was used to line the inside of the box before the stone was placed inside it.

Now, this set of protective gear is stored in Donald’s storage space. Looking at this otherworldly version of a radiation suit, Donald couldn’t help but admire the genius of those green-skinned dwarves. They had managed to develop both radiation sources and protective gear. If these guys ever managed to create nuclear bombs, he wouldn’t be too surprised!

Originally, the stone with its mysterious energy was enclosed by a layer of mithril, preventing the energy from leaking out. But the heir of the Banri family, driven by greed, foolishly opened the box containing that deadly stone. As a result, he not only lost his own life but also dragged others, including the First Mage, into trouble.

After learning about this, Donald lost interest in dealing with those survivors. After all, the entire Scorpion Flower City had fallen, and even if the remaining dark elves tried to rebuild, it would take hundreds of years to restore it to its former state. Dark elves, like surface elves, have a low birth rate. Even if the remaining dark elves continued to procreate daily, it would be unlikely for their population to grow significantly within a hundred years.

Therefore, the threat this place posed to his domain of Dalaran was practically non-existent.

This time, he had accidentally resolved the potential problem posed by the dark elves of Scorpion Flower City and acquired a large treasure trove. The most precious gains were the divine remains crystal and a divine gift from the Goddess of Agriculture. Aside from attracting the Spider Queen, a demonic goddess who caused him some trouble, he had nothing more to complain about.

As for the Spider Queen’s revenge, Donald wasn’t too worried. The capricious and untrustworthy dark elves had little influence on the surface, and no other forces would be willing to work for them. So, if the Spider Queen wanted to take revenge on him, she would either have to come in person or find a way to bring her followers from the underground to the surface. Such a task would be extremely difficult even for an actual god, let alone a demonic goddess resisted by other surface gods.

And if that person were truly overwhelmed by anger to bring their clones or even avatars to the main world, it would be like delivering food to the many powerful beings there. Naturally, the Good Gods Church would not miss such an opportunity to strike down a fallen foe. Thus, Donald took advantage of his skills as a summoner to lead a group out of the ruins of Scorpion Tail Flower City and then returned to the surface world in high spirits. When Donald and the others returned to the surface, a series of shrill screams came from a magnificent and gloomy temple deep within the 66th layer of the Abyssal Web Dimension. Flora, the Spider Queen who ruled the Abyssal Web, had already broken countless ornaments yet still looked extremely angry. The favored servants in the temple dared not approach either, fearing they might anger their enraged master. “Damn human mage! You will surely be punished…” This goddess knew that her identity meant she could hardly be seen anywhere in the main world except in the Dark Regions, so unless that human mage came to the underground or the abyss himself, she had little hope of getting revenge. The terrifying screams and curses spread far from the temple, scaring the evil creatures living in the Abyssal Web so much that they trembled and hid their heads in their nests for a long time, afraid to come out.