In the dimly lit underground tunnel, there was a chamber with smoothly hewn walls.
The sturdy wooden supporting structures were distributed along the edges of the walls, and the dwarves' exquisite craftsmanship was vividly demonstrated in this small yet perfect room.
The only source of light in the chamber was a candlestick held in the jaws of a skull, and the flickering flames swayed gently.
Daphne looked around but didn't find anything worthy of attention, so she shifted her gaze back to the lich in front of her.
Compared to other liches, Grover was an oddity.
He especially liked to wrap metal chains and the medals he had obtained during his lifetime around his dark golden ribs. Rather than a necromancer, Grover was more like a general, enthusiastic about war and glory.
"No one else will be able to hear us here." Grover's deference seemed somewhat insincere, and his low laughter was eerie. "Lord Alsuga of the Ice Tomb has been asleep for a thousand years. Now that the time of awakening and the moment of revenge are approaching, why did he send the Death Envoy to the front line at this time?"
"Watch your tone, lich." Daphne warned coldly. "First you probed, and then you questioned... You have already offended the envoy of Lord of the Ice Tomb twice. There won't be a third time."
Grover shrank his body slightly, not very noticeably, but the sound of the chains hitting the bone frame echoed gently in the chamber.
The lich had repeatedly examined this half-blood girl in front of him - a lowly race, without power or faith, as weak as an insect. Probably, he could kill her with just a slight squeeze of his hand. The stunning beauty that living beings craved was worthless to the undead...
Suspicion was only natural.
Why would it be such a weak and despicable half-blood?
Why did Lord Alsuga choose her as the honorable Death Envoy?
But Grover had to believe.
He had seen that snow velvet cloak, made from the eternally frosted fur of Lord Alsuga's mount, the "Lonely Wolf" Melville.
He had also seen that ring, the supreme Death Seal, a symbol of Lord Alsuga's recognition. In Clogthia, even the great liches would kneel halfway to those who held the seal.
The young necromancer didn't recognize these, but Grover did.
He had been a lich for over a thousand years and had witnessed the appearance of Lord Alsuga of the Ice Tomb when he awoke last time. He was magnificent, a true king worthy of his loyalty for almost an endless lifetime.
Grover had to believe in Lord Alsuga's choice and judgment.
It must be that his realm was too low. He was still measuring the other's strength and value within the scope of his own understanding, unaware that he was as ignorant and laughable as a frog in a well. These things he valued might be insignificant to Lord Alsuga's Death Envoy.
Thinking of this, the lich couldn't help but look up again to observe Daphne's eyes.
Her rosy pupils looked bright yet deep under the illumination of the firelight, like a deep ancient well. Drop a coin into it, and you'd never hear an echo. They were unfathomably deep and hard to see through.
If he weren't a skeleton unable to secrete cold sweat, Grover would surely have a soaked back by now.
"Honorable Death Envoy of Lord Alsuga of the Ice Tomb, I have no intention of offending you. If I have caused you any misunderstandings, I am willing to apologize and make amends." He immediately knelt halfway in front of Daphne, bowing his head in contrition.
"Oh?" Daphne slightly raised her eyebrows.
Such a high level of ideological awareness? She hadn't even tricked him a few times yet, and he was already offering himself up to be taken advantage of. Wasn't he a bit too self-aware?
"Humph, foolishness. I don't fancy your junk." But she immediately changed her tone, showing contempt and disdain. "Get up, lich. Report the enemy situation you've scouted, and then I'll inform you of Lord Alsuga's supreme will."
When Grover got up, there was a clinking sound as all the metal objects on his body made crisp collisions. He led Daphne to the stone table beside the candlestick and unfolded a hand-drawn map on the tabletop. The locations marked on it were precisely the Northshire and the Dunau Mountains.
Assuming that Daphne was new here, Grover carefully introduced to Daphne the recent situation of Cole Town and the two nearby villages under its jurisdiction, and then the superior city of Cole Town, Rokan.
"The northern defenses of the Northshire are generally weak. Rokan is too poor to support a large number of troops, and the subordinate villages and towns have no ability to resist." Grover's dark golden phalanges circled around Rokan, and then he moved to a more southern position. "Before the beacons are lit, the regular provincial troops stationed in the capital of the Northshire, Oston, won't react at all. Moreover, Oston is too far south. Even if the swift Ice Swans under the Elector Ernest rush northward at full speed to provide reinforcements, it will take at least a week. By then, it will be too late."
Although the Death Falcons had strong combat capabilities, they were essentially a vanguard reconnaissance force. During the months they had been stationed here, Grover and his undead scouts had thoroughly explored the terrain and defensive forces of every part of the Northshire.
Before the official offensive against the Northshire began, the strength of the troops in each settlement and the possible number of reinforcements that could arrive were completely transparent to Grover's Death Falcons.
The rapid fall of these places in the future could be expected.
"Listening to you, it seems this place will soon become the starting point of Lord Alsuga's great revenge?" Daphne's tone was calm, and her gaze only briefly swept over the map.
The undead blue flames in Grover's eye sockets flickered. "This..."
"Hmm?"
"There has been a bit of an unexpected situation. The Pope of the humans has brought an entire Order of the Temple Knights from the faraway religious domain of Salentz, thousands of miles away, and stationed them in Cole Town, which should have been easily obtainable. They also brought a large logistics team to transport supplies between Oston and Rokan, as if they intend to stay here for a long time." Grover's voice became a bit softer.
"Pope? Just a bunch of Temple Knights. How could they withstand Lord Alsuga's army of the dead?" Daphne was secretly happy but didn't show it, still maintaining a contemptuous attitude. "Are you saying that recently, you can't even take down a small town? Will Lord Alsuga's great revenge be delayed because of your incompetence?"
"Honorable Death Envoy, please don't be impatient. My informants in Cole Town have already investigated the situation. The situation is still favorable to us." Grover bowed his head and bent his waist to Daphne. "Their Pope has mysteriously disappeared, and the entire Order of the Temple Knights is in a state of panic. I think this is the best time for a surprise attack."
Daphne frowned slightly.
The news had spread too quickly. There were indeed spies inside Cole Town.
Those plot researchers on the forum were really something. They could actually analyze such important information from the fragmented descriptions of various quests.
"Fool!" Daphne scolded harshly. "Even without the Pope, the Order of the Temple Knights still has a Grand Master and a Vice Grand Master. A rash attack will surely result in heavy losses!"
Grover was a bit confused. Daphne had urged him to quickly take Cole Town, but now she was forbidding the advance. He was a bit unsure about what Lord Alsuga really wanted.
"Can't you understand this either? Lord Alsuga requires complete victory. Such a reckless and crude move will surely ruin the favorable situation."
Daphne pretended to point at the position of Cole Town with her fingertip.
"Moreover, your informants have deceived you. Lord Alsuga has already learned that their Pope is still in the army. This is probably false information spread to disrupt our judgment."
Grover suddenly realized. "So their Pope already knew we would come to attack. This is all a trick, waiting for us to walk into the trap!"
In a sense, that was indeed the case.
Daphne had spared no expense to lead the Knights of the Flaming Sun Holy Church and a huge logistics transport team here to defend Cole Town and repel Grover's Death Falcons. Who knew such things would happen later?
"So what does Lord Alsuga mean?" Grover askedgingerly.
"Hold your position, continue to observe the situation, and wait for the right moment." Daphne said calmly.
Grover's empty skull was buzzing. Even he, an old general who had seen many battles, couldn't help but doubt himself. "But... I have to send a messenger to consult the Great Lich..." The lich took out a roll of reddish letter paper from his bosom, preparing to write to the Great Lich in Clogthia.
"Are you questioning Lord Alsuga's decision!?" Daphne quickly stopped him. "The Great Lich has already received instructions from Lord of the Ice Tomb. I am both Lord Alsuga's envoy and Lord Brumfield's envoy. There's no need for you to do this unnecessary thing."
Grover tremblingly stuffed the letter paper back.
"I'm tired from the journey. Prepare a room for me to rest." Daphne swung her cloak and turned around. "Also, send me a copy of Lord Alsuga's genealogy of faith. The way doesn't matter. Lord Alsuga wants to check if the current faith in death is still orthodox."