Chapter 42: Clouds of War!
Spider Forest.
After such a long time returning here, Soren saw that everything had changed.
The most obvious difference was the military readiness, not only did Soren see many patrolling Elven Rangers, but he also saw military camps established by the Forest Elves. After the outbreak of the Saint’s Cataclysm, the Drow of the Underdark and the surface elves had already gone to war once. There was no clear victor, but hatred had intensified due to the war. The saints of the Elven Pantheon had not yet appeared, but Soren had already seen quite a few Elven Priestesses here.
Most of them were priests serving the Elven Deity – Corellon Larethian.
These priests had a very obvious characteristic: both male and female were exceptionally handsome, a kind of beauty that was outstanding even among elves. The reason might be related to the preferences of this Elven Deity, as He is a god who can be both male and female. Other deities rarely take on avatars of the opposite s*x, but this Elven Deity has often preferred to appear in a female form. It is said that beautiful elves are more likely to receive His favor.
A battle between the Spider Queen – Lolth and the Elven Deity – Corellon Larethian was inevitable!
This was also a reason for the intensification of the Saint’s Cataclysm.
Lolth’s hatred from her banishment was very strong; she was once one of the most beautiful goddesses among the elves, but her banishment transformed her into a spider-like form. Back then, the Spider Queen – Lolth suffered tremendously under the Elven Deity and the prolonged struggle that lasted for thousands of years only fueled her hatred further.
After Lolth was banished, the Elven Deity – Corellon Larethian quickly found a new wife.
The two were basically devoid of any remaining feelings of love.
If possible, the Spider Queen would not hesitate to pay a great price to k*ll her opponent, and the Saint’s Cataclysm provided her with that opportunity.
The fangs of the Spider Queen were ready for revenge at any moment.
In addition to the priests of the Elven Deity, Soren also saw a temporary shrine dedicated to the current Mother Goddess of the Elven Pantheon.
That is, Corellon Larethian’s wife, the Elven Goddess of Life – Angharradh!
She was a fortunate goddess.
She inherited part of the power of the ancient God of Life, governing the domains of spring, abundance, planting, birth, defense, and wisdom.
Although she did not directly possess the origin power of [Life], the domains of [Birth] and [Spring] both encompassed the essence of life.
This goddess’s temple had protective powers.
Soren did not want to stir up trouble and therefore did not sneak in to spy.
“It seems that the surface elves and the Drow are preparing for another battle!”
According to Soren’s past memories, the surface elves and the Drow had conducted over ten wars against each other, with the Spider Queen secretly killing several deities of the Elven Pantheon. The recent d*ath of one was merely an appetizer.
Compared to other deities, the Spider Queen controlled far too many combat-related domains.
Currently, the combat domains she mastered included [Assassination], [Trickery], [Destruction], [Darkness], and so on.
Each of these is extremely dangerous!
Especially the [Assassination] domain, which she acquired while still possessing Medium Divine Power. To gain this power, she even instigated internal strife among the Drow.
It is well known that the Drow are a race that delights in infighting and excel at assassination, enjoying using it to eliminate their opponents.
In the Drow cities of the Underdark, undetected assassinations could be considered nonexistent!
This shows just how terrifying the Spider Queen is.
From Medium Divine Power to Strong Divine Power, Soren could not know how much the Spider Queen had enhanced this [Assassination] domain.
Especially after the fall of the Three d*ath Deities and the sealing of the [God of m*rder].
If the Spider Queen had the intention, she could completely siphon a portion of the power of these deities, making her even more fearsome when combined with her original abilities.
“[Assassination] domain!…”
Soren’s eyes narrowed slightly at the thought; he inherited the domain of [Slaughter], and if he wanted to touch upon [Strong Divine Power], the strength of this domain must be reclaimed at all costs.
But the Spider Queen herself was the most formidable assassin in the multiverse; finding her trace was already extremely difficult!
This goddess was currently not someone he could provoke.
Crossing the surface elves’ defenses led him to the entrance of the Underdark, and with the Anti-Detection Cloak on him, he did not have to worry about the defensive forces.
Bloodstains were visible everywhere at the entrance.
The battle had not stopped. Small-scale skirmishes continued consistently.
Soon.
Soren entered the Underdark, and as he went deeper, the trace of the surface elves grew scarce while the presence of Drow began to increase.
After about three kilometers deep.
Soren discovered a pair of Drow scouts; unlike the Half-Drow of Modo City, these were purebred Drow, not very accustomed to the light of day.
“One, two, three…”
“Standard five-man team. Looks like the elite from a certain Drow family.”
Soren furrowed his brows as he glanced at them, for the information in front of him revealed that the Drow families had united to join the fight, where he saw the emblems of two different families.
The infighting among the Drow matriarchs was severe; the only one who could unite them was the Spider Queen.
“Are they preparing to fight the Elven Pantheon head-on?”
Soren sensed the aura of great battle; he was unsure how to navigate the historical course of this matter.
There was no point in getting involved in elven civil wars.
They had fought too long already, and it was utterly impossible for them to ease up; the trajectory of the Saint’s Cataclysm would probably continue on its original path.
It was just unknown whether the Spider Queen would make changes due to other matters!
Soren continued to delve deeper.
No surprises!
He saw the army entrenched by the Drow, and unlike the surface elves, the Drow armies were equipped very well.
Just how good?!
Simply put, the regular troops of the Drow were all equipped with +3 or higher extraordinary gear.
The Underdark has many forging masters, and its mineral resources far exceed those of the surface world; if it weren’t for these gears being unable to withstand sunlight without enchantments, the Drow’s weaponry would have a crushing advantage.
Zzzzz.
Strange sounds came from not far away.
Soren stealthily approached; upon seeing, he couldn’t help but be stunned.
A Legion of Petrifying Lizards!
A kind of magical creature with a challenging level that was not low, capable of turning people into stone with their attacks, demonstrating a terrifying oppressive power against medium to low-tier enemies.
In addition to this innate ability, the Petrifying Lizards also far surpassed other creatures in ground melee combat.
About two adult Petrifying Lizards could take on a Ground Dragon.
Before Soren were hundreds of Petrifying Lizards!
Such a force was enough to annihilate a kingdom of the surface world; a regular army of about 5,000 would probably only withstand three charges from this Legion of Petrifying Lizards.
Their single wave attack could crush and trample hundreds of people, petrifying around three to five hundred.
Basically, once petrified, d*ath was nearly certain.
Because there was no way to remove a petrification effect from so many people, a Drow city could barely support a little over a hundred Petrifying Lizards; this place likely gathered forces from three to five Drow cities.
“d*mn!”
“The Spider Queen is preparing to fight the surface elves in a legion battle?!”
Soren frowned tightly, observing, his mind adrift as he felt a bad premonition.
In the entire surface world, almost no cavalry could contend with the Legion of Petrifying Lizards; heavy cavalry would merely be food delivery before them. Even unicorns could barely steel against them.
Just the Drow armies currently visible to Soren comprised over five thousand, with the Slave Legion (Grey Dwarves, Bear Goblins, Minotaurs) being about three thousand, and the Legion of Petrifying Lizards about three to five hundred strong.
Such forces entering ground battles would make it impossible for Modo City to withstand!
“What a pity that the Underd has already fallen!…”
As if remembering something, a hint of regret appeared on Soren’s face. If that goddess had not fallen, perhaps he could use other means to dilute the power of the Spider Queen.
This was just the tip of the iceberg in the Underdark!
After killing other deities, the Spider Queen had completely unified the Drow race. Measured as a race, the army she could summon was absolutely not limited to this.
“It seems the only choice is to focus on high-end combat power!”
Soren quickly collected his thoughts, instantly becoming clearer on his direction. Since he could not match these established powerful divine beings in terms of numbers, he could only take the high-end route.
Golem Legion.
Magic Energy Superconductive Pulse Cannons.
Spatial Strikes.
Teleportation Strikes.
As long as he could activate the Alchemy technology tree, even facing the Spider Queen, he would not be at a disadvantage!
Crossing through the military camp made things much quieter.
Currently, the surface elves and the Drow were at a stalemate, continuously probing each other in battles at the entrance, but large-scale frontal combat had yet to break out.
The Spider Queen was probably still gathering her forces. The Elven Pantheon was also preparing to counterattack.
“What a pity the Grey Dwarves are too weak.”
In the entire Underdark, the only capable ones that could hold back the Drow were the Grey Dwarves, Mind Flayers, and Eye Demons.
The Eye Demons and Mind Flayers were too few in number; even if powerful as individuals, it wouldn’t do much.
Though the Grey Dwarves were not small in number, they had already been toyed with. They had been abandoned by the original Dwarven Pantheon and lacked support from a pantheon. A single Medium Divine Power Grey Dwarf God was absolutely of no use, and for a long time, Grey Dwarves had been pressed by the Drow.
Many Drow cities had Grey Dwarves as slaves!
“Eh!”
Suddenly remembering something, Soren’s eyes lit up, murmuring: “Stone-skinned Grey Dwarves!”
Stone-skinned Grey Dwarves.
A branch of Grey Dwarves in the Underdark, for certain reasons, had been abandoned by the “Guardian God of Grey Dwarves” – Durgeddin, and were currently hiding in a corner of the northwestern Underdark.
This group of Grey Dwarves had been subdued by a group of adventurers in the later stages of the Saint’s Cataclysm.
Ultimately!
That place became the most prosperous weapons black market in the Underdark, as well as a trade point connecting to the surface world.
The beliefs of the Stone-skinned Grey Dwarves initially were in the [God of Psionics], then for certain reasons, they changed to the [Guardian God of Grey Dwarves], and later due to certain reasons, they reverted back to the [God of Psionics].
The cost of these guys changing their beliefs meant being abandoned, and their population had dwindled to less than a thousand!
“Modo City!…”
Soren could not help but fall into deep thought. If not for this visit to the Underdark, he probably would not have remembered these inconspicuous Grey Dwarves.
But now that he recalled, perhaps he should consider bringing them along.
Grey Dwarves were masters of forging.
Due to the enslavement of Mind Flayers, many Grey Dwarves had awakened psychic talents, and with the capability of a High Priest, he could absolutely intimidate them.
If that were the case, the weapons factory in Modo City could take shape instantly!
Dwarves are a stubborn race.
Other Grey Dwarves in the Underdark could hardly be subdued or recruited. Soren dared not directly confront the [Guardian God of Grey Dwarves], so the Stone-skinned Grey Dwarves might be the only force he could potentially rally at the moment.
Grey Dwarves did not need too many.
For Modo City, their biggest use was forging; too large a population would rather disrupt the balance of Modo City.
Moreover, more importantly.
The future demand for forging in Modo City would be enormous; relying solely on the Northern Witch Council’s strength was not a long-term solution. Soren needed to cultivate a group of excellent blacksmiths himself.
The construction of the Floating Island would also require a significant amount of metal ingots.
“First, go to Greybeard and steal the mithril, then look for the lair of the Stone-skinned Grey Dwarves.”
Now that Soren was a deity, his travel speed had greatly increased. As long as he could determine a general location, he could find these Grey Dwarves in just a day.
Modo City already had stable energy supplies.
He only needed to establish a teleportation beacon to find a way to bring these Grey Dwarves back. But since Grey Dwarves were quite stubborn, if there were no other options, he might have to resort to more forceful means to resolve the situation.
Soon.
Soren arrived at the place where he had fought before.
In the blink of an eye, so much time had passed.
He still remembered the danger from the battle with Vampire Son and even recalled the scene of top professionals hunting the Spider Queen.
It could be said that even now, Soren would find it very challenging to face that level of assassination operation!
“City of Imprints!…”
“It seems the Lady of Pain is already preparing to open this long-sealed city.”
In the distance, Soren’s gaze fell upon a solid city, and he had reached his destination. Reflecting on the matters of the City of Imprints, Soren quickly vanished from the spot.
About ten minutes later.
A rather burly Grey Dwarf walked out from a small alley within the city.
——“Transform [Divine Power]!”
………………
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