The Underdark. A region hidden deep beneath the earth, vaster than all Nine Great Kingdoms combined. In this place that never saw the light of day, the only illumination came from the unique glowing moss and crystals of the deep.
Yet this harsh environment was home to many races rarely seen on the surface.
The Drow, Deep Gnomes, Gray Dwarves, and Myconids, among others, were all well-adapted to this special world.
But when it came to adaptability, none of these races could compare to the undead.
Because the undead didn't need to breathe or eat and were immune to most toxins, they could thrive in the even more hostile regions where these subterranean races couldn't survive.
In one particular region of the Underdark, there was a massive lake of quicksilver.
The lake's surface reflected the light of glowing ore, shimmering brilliantly like a field of stars.
But this beautiful scenery held a terrible danger. The pervasive quicksilver vapor was a deadly poison to most species. Only the undead could live by this lake, build enormous castles, and mine the precious ores.
Within a magnificent castle, the noble undead queen was carefully reviewing her ledgers. Her skin was pale and flawless, but her lips and eyes were the color of crimson. She was Withered Rose, the resident tycoon of the Elegy Society.
By classification, Withered Rose was also a lich. When she was still alive, she had been relentlessly pursued by the Ryan Empire, fleeing to the quicksilver lake in the Underdark and finally being forced to leap into its depths.
Master Morgan had retrieved her body and soul from the lake of quicksilver, assisting in her transformation into a lich. Every inch of Withered Rose's muscles and bones had been permeated by quicksilver, so her physical body had not decayed. She looked little different from an ordinary person, and this body was far sturdier than a common skeleton.
Afterward, Withered Rose studied necromancy under Master Morgan, followed him back to the surface, and established her own mage tower in a desert kingdom.
Later, Master Morgan was slain by the paladins of the Ryan Empire, and Withered Rose was forced to retreat to the Underdark, back to the quicksilver lake.
There, Withered Rose spent many long years, finally establishing her own undead kingdom.
It was arduous at first, a lone lich trying to carve out territory from the subterranean races. Several times, Withered Rose came so close that her soulfire was nearly extinguished for good, only surviving thanks to her lich's immortality and the strategic advantage of the quicksilver lake.
Then came endless conquest. Drow, Gray Dwarves, Myconids... The countless deaths allowed Withered Rose to build a massive undead army, eventually driving the other nearby races to near extinction.
The Drow were the first to beg for mercy, signing a contract with Withered Rose that was tantamount to indentured servitude, becoming her vassals. The Gray Dwarves followed soon after, but their hesitation cost them dearly, and they could only become slaves.
The Myconids, after suffering heavy losses, migrated far away, completely abandoning their territory.
Withered Rose had conquered a vast kingdom, her territory roughly a quarter the size of the Ryan Empire.
The reason Withered Rose dared to propose a multi-billion gold coin partnership with Ambrose was precisely because her domain possessed extremely rich mineral resources. Millions of undead minions toiled day and night, mining ore and accumulating immense wealth for her. With her massive volume of ore trade, it wouldn't be difficult for Withered Rose to control the mineral prices of the Nine Great Kingdoms, as long as she was willing to pay a certain price.
To mortals, this might seem like an unimaginably terrifying loss. But to Withered Rose, money was merely a tool to achieve her wish, and her wish was the destruction of the Ryan Empire. To achieve that goal, she would stop at nothing.
After carefully calculating the ore market trends, Withered Rose took her pen and, with a flourish, handed the ledger to her Drow handmaiden.
Withered Rose said calmly, "Lower next month's ore export prices and increase the shipping volume. The specific numbers should follow my calculations."
The dark-skinned elf handmaiden replied respectfully, "As you command, Your Majesty."
Withered Rose waved her hand, dismissing the handmaiden, then muttered to herself, "Dumping this quantity on the market will be enough to shock the ore prices across the Nine Great Kingdoms, causing a rapid short-term drop. Given the economic state of the City of Alchemy, the bankruptcy of those small mining operations is practically a foregone conclusion."
"Then, I'll transfer him another three million gold. That should be enough for him to buy out a small mining operation. A pity. If he were willing to come work for me in my kingdom, it wouldn't have to be so troublesome."
Withered Rose was very satisfied with Ambrose's designs and greatly admired her junior's intelligence. But when she extended an invitation for Ambrose to move to the Underdark, he had decisively refused.
As for the reason Ambrose gave, it was incredibly direct—not enough money.
Several billion gold coins could buy his long-term partnership and even convince him to prioritize working with her over other projects. But to make Ambrose submit completely, that amount was far from sufficient.
Even to buy a freeman who only knew how to farm and couldn't earn a single silver coin a year as a slave, one would have to pay a hundred times his annual earnings.
For a lich who could earn billions of gold coins and had an infinite lifespan, the buyout price was far more than a hundredfold. The price Ambrose named was something even Withered Rose couldn't afford. Perhaps only the entire wealth of the Ryan Empire could make Ambrose willingly submit.
But Withered Rose hadn't given up hope. The lifespan of the undead was infinite; anything could happen. Bone dragons could marry headless knights, and vampires could unite with humans. With enough patience, she would find an opportunity to make Ambrose willingly work for her. Or perhaps, marrying into her kingdom would also be acceptable.
Speaking of bone dragons and headless knights, Withered Rose took out the Codex of the Undead, opened the group chat, and sent a message.
[Withered Rose: Pale Little Skeleton, my dear, has your man been behaving himself lately?]
She had originally intended to ask the young mistress of the bone dragon clan for advice on how to tame a powerful and proud legendary undead.
To her surprise, the young mistress's reply was unexpected.
[Pale Little Skeleton: That heartless bastard, he ran away from home! I'm going to hunt him down and whip him hard with my tail!]
[Withered Rose: Huh? Ran away? The Dragon Graveyard is far from the continent. Where could he have gone?]
[Pale Little Skeleton: I don't know, but I know he used a teleportation circle to escape. I bet it has something to do with that Tiga Ultraman. I'm going to the City of Alchemy to find that heartless bastard!]
Withered Rose pondered for a moment. A bold idea suddenly struck her, and she sent another message.
[Withered Rose: I'll go with you. It just so happens I'd like to meet our little brother Tiga myself.]