In the Shadowed Domain, a vast expanse concealed beneath the earth, far surpassing the combined territories of the Nine Great Kingdoms. In this forsaken realm, where sunlight never pierces, the only sources of illumination are the glowing moss and crystal formations unique to the subterranean world.
Yet, in this inhospitable environment, many races, rare upon the surface, have found their home.
Among them are the Drow Elves, the Deep Gnomes, the Gray Dwarves, and the Fungus People, all of whom have adapted to this peculiar environment.
However, none can rival the undead in terms of adaptability.
The undead require no breath, no sustenance, and are immune to the vast majority of toxins, making them particularly well-suited to survive in even the harshest regions where other subterranean creatures cannot.
Deep within this domain lies a vast lake entirely composed of mercury.
The surface shimmers, reflecting the eerie glow of luminescent stones, glistening like a field of stars.
Yet, this beauty harbors terrifying danger—the pervasive mercury vapors are lethal to nearly all living creatures. Only the undead are immune, dwelling by the lake's edge, constructing magnificent fortresses and mining the precious ores hidden beneath.
Within one such grand castle, the noble Queen of the Undead, Deceased Rose, pored over the ledgers with meticulous care. Her skin was pale and immaculate, her lips and eyes a striking shade of crimson. She was the Deceased Rose, a wealthy matron of the Mourning Poets' Society.
By classification, Deceased Rose was a Lich. In life, she had been relentlessly hunted by the Empire of Ryan, eventually fleeing to the mercury lake of the Shadowed Domain. There, she had been forced to leap into the lake's toxic waters.
It was Master Morgan who had retrieved her body and soul from the lake, aiding her in the transformation into a Lich. Her flesh had been thoroughly permeated by mercury, preventing decay. Her body retained its human form and appearance, much stronger than that of an ordinary skeleton.
Following her transformation, Deceased Rose had studied necromancy under Morgan's tutelage, later accompanying him back to the surface, where she established her own mage tower in the Desert Kingdom.
However, when Master Morgan was slain by the Empire's Paladins, Deceased Rose had no choice but to return to the Shadowed Domain, to the mercury lake.
After many years, she had finally established her own realm of the undead.
In the beginning, it had been an arduous struggle. The solitary Lich had to seize territory from the subterranean races. Time and again, her soul fire had neared extinction, only sustained by her undead nature and the advantageous location of the mercury lake.
Endless wars followed—against the Drow Elves, the Gray Dwarves, the Fungus People. Countless deaths allowed her to raise a formidable army of the undead, eventually pushing the other races to the brink of annihilation.
The Drow Elves were the first to surrender, signing a near servitude contract and becoming her vassals. The Gray Dwarves followed, though after much hesitation, they were reduced to slaves.
The Fungus People, suffering tremendous losses, fled to distant lands, abandoning their territories entirely.
Deceased Rose's empire grew vast, encompassing a domain nearly as large as one-quarter of the Empire of Ryan itself.
The reason she dared to offer an astronomical sum in gold coins for cooperation with Amber Xu was precisely because her lands were rich in mineral resources. Millions of undead toiled day and night in the mines, amassing a fortune beyond count. With this immense wealth, Deceased Rose could easily control the mineral prices of the Nine Great Kingdoms—if she was willing to pay the price.
For mortals, this might seem like an unimaginable loss, but for Deceased Rose, gold was but a tool to fulfill her desires. And her desire was nothing short of the Empire's destruction. To achieve this goal, she would spare no expense.
After carefully calculating the mineral market, Deceased Rose signed the ledger and handed it to her Drow Elf maid.
With calm authority, she spoke, "Lower the export prices of the ores for the coming month and increase the supply. Follow the figures I've calculated precisely."
The dark-skinned Drow maid bowed respectfully, "As you wish, Your Majesty."
Deceased Rose waved her hand, dismissing the maid, then muttered to herself, "This dumping will be enough to impact the mineral prices in the Nine Kingdoms, causing them to drop precipitously. Given the economic situation in Alchemy City, it's nearly certain that the smaller mines will collapse."
"By then, another three million gold coins will be sent to him. That should be enough for him to secure a small mine. It's a pity… If he were willing to relocate to my kingdom and serve me, it would be so much simpler."
Deceased Rose was pleased with Amber Xu's strategy and admired the cleverness of this young upstart. However, when she extended an invitation for him to come to the Shadowed Domain, Amber Xu refused without hesitation.
His reason was blunt: the money was insufficient.
Several billion gold coins could secure his long-term cooperation and even allow him to abandon other work in favor of Deceased Rose, but to make Amber Xu wholly submit, that amount was far from enough.
A mere peasant, who could barely earn a silver coin a year, would require an exponentially higher price to be bought as a slave.
A Lich, who had earned billions of gold and had an endless lifespan, was worth far more than that. The price to fully buy his loyalty was beyond even Deceased Rose's reach. Perhaps only the entire wealth of the Empire of Ryan could make Amber Xu willingly serve her.
But Deceased Rose was not disheartened. The undead had infinite lifespans, and anything could happen in time. Bone Dragons could marry Headless Horsemen, Vampires could wed humans—so long as one had patience, opportunities would eventually present themselves. Perhaps, even a marriage proposal to her kingdom was not out of the question.
Thinking of Bone Dragons and Headless Horsemen, Deceased Rose took out the Necromantic Codex and opened the group chat to send a message.
[Deceased Rose: Sister Bone, is that ungrateful bastard still being obedient?]
She had intended to inquire about how to tame a powerful and proud legendary undead.
To her surprise, the response from Sister Bone was unexpected.
[White Skull: That heartless bastard ran away! I'm going to drag him back and give him a good tail-whipping!]
[Deceased Rose: What? He ran away? The Dragon Tomb is far from the continent—where could he possibly go?]
[White Skull: I don't know, but I know he used a teleportation circle to escape. I suspect it has something to do with that Diga Ultraman. I'm going to Alchemy City to find this heartless bastard!]
Deceased Rose thought for a moment, then an audacious idea struck her. She quickly typed a message.
[Deceased Rose: I'll go with you. It just so happens I'd like to meet Diga myself.]
End of Chapter.