Chapter 1222 - Dark Region (6) (1/2)

Recently, days weren’t easy for Durelle Bailey.

Her family used to be one of the three strongest families in Carlesodar City. But now, the Bailey Family was ranked eighth. Even with the strong support of Matriarch Durelle, they didn’t ‘disappear’ from the scene. But Durelle was clearly aware that it was only a matter of time. The thing she couldn’t tolerate most was that the dark elves kept calling her family as ‘the foreigner third family’. This insult almost drove them crazy.

Matriarch Durelle expected her family and her to die vigorously in battle, instead of being humiliated by the dropping of family rank. Of course, she knew where the problems stemmed from. Previously, the Bailey Family showed off too much of their abilities, causing much displeasure and disapproval from other dark elf families. The reason why they didn’t eliminate her entirely was because they hoped to teach the Bailey Family a more humiliating lesson. Nothing was more insulting than a once majestic family falling in rank and being wiped out by small, humble families.

But now, Durelle just learned from her eldest daughter news that distracted her: the second daughter of the Bailey Family, Nell Bailey, had returned to Carlesodar City and was seen entering the city with a group of humans. This enraged Durelle. Of course, she knew the underlying ill-intentions behind those rumors. Back then, Durelle was condemned and questioned after giving birth to a white-skinned dark elf. In the end, Durelle gave Nell away to Balende and won over Balende to stabilize her faltering status. But now, Nell had left Balende and appeared by the side of humans. This was undoubtedly a slap on Durelle’s face. Not only that, but if Durelle failed to show her stance against this ‘traitor’, the annihilation of the Bailey Family would also enter the countdown stage.

But Durelle wasn’t a fool either.

Even though the Bailey Family dropped in rank, they were still in the top 10 families in Carlesodar City, which was why Durelle also received news from the patrol team regarding the overwhelming power of these humans and the title they brought along with them—the Void Dragon.

The top 10 families in Carlesodar City didn’t maintain an unified opinion about this matter. Some older families still remembered how the Dark Dragon wiped out the dark elves’ kingdom last time. They didn’t wish to stir any trouble, but the younger families apparently weren’t as restrained as them. The younger families believed that a respected dragon soul heir wouldn’t possibly arrive at the underground world without any warning. This group of humans might possibly be emissaries of the Void Dragon using the name of the Void Dragon to make the dark elves yield. The younger families didn’t regard the strength displayed by Rhode’s group highly. As representatives of a dragon soul heir, it wasn’t surprising that they possessed superb abilities.

But despite that, they were dissatisfied with Rhode’s aggressive style. They thought that they should teach the emissaries of the ‘Void Dragon’ a lesson, letting them know that the dark elves who lived in the underground for years were no pushovers. Through this way, they could gain a certain degree of initiative in their interactions with the Void Dragon.

The older and younger families quarreled endlessly over their opinions. But overall, the younger families gained the upper hand. Older families including Durelle’s Bailey Family didn’t raise too many objections. Judging from the situation, they seemed to also agree with the younger families’ methods. But as a matter of fact, the older families were using the younger families as bait. As soon as the younger families did something irreparable, the older families would show up and eliminate these naive fellows, using their corpses to express regret to the Void Dragon. And if the older families succeeded, they would join hands and seek more benefits.

But it was obvious that the younger families weren’t naive either. They weren’t willing to be used as tools, which was why the Bailey Family was pushed out as the scapegoat. Durelle knew that if she didn’t make her decision soon, the alliance might give her an answer she hated to hear.

However, Durelle also had a plan ready—a plan of her own.

Rhode wasn’t interested in the conspiracies of the dark elves. He knew that the moment he entered the city with a high profile, the dark elves’ conspiracies had already begun. Every family had different views, styles, and standpoints, and Rhode couldn’t be bothered about them. Power—only power meant everything. Rhode was certain that if he were to shatter the stalactites of the top 10 families into bits, he would undoubtedly receive the ‘respect’ and ‘love’ of the entire Carlesodar City. This was the so-called ‘justice’ of the dark elves. As long as Rhode guaranteed he could eradicate all the nobles in the families, he could become the supreme ruler here.

But it was a pity that Rhode wasn’t fascinated with the idea of staying underground. The ‘erotic arts’ of the dark elves weren’t within his concerns either. After all, he had plenty of women around him and no interest in sowing wild oats. He suspected that back then, it was due to the same reason that the Dark Dragon didn’t remain in the underground. After all, breathing air on the surface felt much more comfortable. Besides, there was also the scenery of the moon and stars… Sceneries that were much better than in the underground.

Under the lead of the dark elf guard, Rhode’s group arrived at the inner city on the left side. This was the gathering place for visitors. But despite that, there weren’t many humans around. Unless they were slaves, if not humans couldn’t possibly arrive in this city of dark elves. Apart from Rhode’s group, duergars and bugbears also arrived. Of course, there were also some other underground races. Among them, most of them were ‘spoils of war’ of the dark elves. Perhaps the ‘spoils of war’ used certain ways to gain their ‘freedom’, but they didn’t leave the city and chose to continue living here. Most shops, inns, and pubs were opened and operated by them in order to provide a temporary and safe resting point for visitors.

The arrival of Rhode’s group attracted the attention of almost everyone. Without mentioning the rarity of humans in the dark underground world, just the shining gems in these beautiful and mesmerizing young ladies in the group was enough to be the center of attention.

“You people can stay here for the time being and wait for further news.”

The dark elf guard said to Rhode, before signaling with a hand gesture and turning around to leave.

Rhode wasn’t bothered by the indifferent attitude of the dark elf guard. He merely scanned the surroundings and spotted his target—the inn. However, unlike other places, this inn was built entirely from wooden logs, which was extremely rare to see in the underground. It could also be said that it was as extravagant as a building constructed by platinum on the surface.

“Let’s go.”

Rhode beckoned and led the group into the wooden inn.

The inn was spacious and brightly-lit by lantern grasses found only in the underground. The flames burning in the fireplace piled up with stones eliminated the chilliness, bringing them a comfortable warmth. An old man, who seemed to be the boss of the inn, took a nap over the counter. Due to the years of being unexposed to the sun, his skin appeared sickly-pale, like a funny-looking wooden barrel. But what was most eye-catching about him was his legs. The areas below his knees were completely severed and the balance of his upper body was supported by prosthetics made from iron bars.