276: Archbishop Drow

This was a room filled with a girlish charm, where sunlight filtered through the pink sheer curtains, casting dappled light on the soft princess bed.

The entire room was imbued with the sweet, unique scent of a young girl, making one feel as if they had stepped into a fairy tale world.

However, the five dark-skinned Drow gathered within it showed no signs of ladylike demeanor; some straddled chairs, while others sat with their legs crossed, smoking and looking blissfully high.

“Damn those Elf Race sluts, how did they find us?” one dark-skinned Drow fiercely extinguished her cigarette, crushing it as if to vent her resentment towards the Elf Race onto the tobacco.

“How peculiar, how could Tian Xingzhe’s (one of Spider Queen Lolth’s titles) methods be detected by those Elf Race sluts?” another Drow muttered, flipping through a handheld device.

The handheld device was similar to a mobile phone, created by the Elf Race after they initially grasped the profound principles of the internet; at first, it was for convenient reading and quick access to information.

But creation for productivity often leads to gaming later. Due to its ability to connect with other users, the handheld device became a product for the Elf Race’s daily social interactions.

And this Drow was using her handheld device to browse forums and gather information.

“What did the Archpriestess say?” the smoking Drow asked the Drow with the handheld device.

Among themselves, the Drow had established a forum called the “Performance Art Enthusiasts Forum,” which ostensibly discussed performance art but actually used various coded terms for communication.

This niche forum was essentially isolated from outsiders, so there was naturally no chance of it being detected.

“The Archpriestess said she’s contacting Tian Xingzhe and told us to hide our identities.”

“Impossible! Those Elf Race sluts are going too far.”

“Hiding our identities is right, but this grudge cannot go unavenged.”

...

There were many similar situations; the Drow as a race were selfish and cunning.

They cared little about their companions being captured; what they cared about was the arrogant attitude of the Elf Race.

The two races shared the same origin but represented two opposing sides.

Some Drow had already begun to prepare revenge plans.

...

Shana, the Drow’s Archpriestess, was the librarian of the Royal City Library; in such a low-ranking, powerless, retirement-style position, no one would notice her, and she leveraged this advantage to secretly contact her organization’s personnel.

Under her arrangement, half of the library became their territory.

The head librarian and deputy librarian had been absent for a long time, not showing up for work for centuries, making her the uncrowned queen.

To deal with this crisis, she had called all the management staff.

Everyone was discussing how to respond.

Shana, however, was restless; she knew her subordinates would find it difficult to propose effective solutions.

Lolth’s layout in the Elf Race world had been ongoing for a long time, and many Drow had been converted, but primarily at the grassroots level.

Their original plan was for the grassroots to protect the upper echelons and militarily destroy the Elf Race.

Given the Elf Race Matriarch’s personality, she would never initiate a purge of the Drow without evidence, fearing accidental harm.

The knowledgeable Shana understood the Elf Race too well; her guess was indeed correct.

Not to mention a purge before they had the ability to identify them, even now that they could identify them, they were still thinking about whether the Drow could be led back to the right path.

But Shana hadn’t expected an unknown method to appear that could detect the Drow’s hidden presence.

“I wonder if Tian Xingzhe has figured it out,” Shana fretted.

“Archpriestess Shana, what do you think we should do?” The bickering Drow turned their gaze to her.

“The Elf Race’s unknown method of identification is a major concern for us; rushing into resistance won’t give us enough strength, so all hope lies with Tian Xingzhe,” Shana said.

The Drow’s eyes became fervent; everyone present, except Shana, was a devoted believer of the Spider Queen or higher.

(General Believer, True Believer, Righteous Believer, Sincere Believer, Practical Believer, Devoted Believer, Fanatical Believer, Saint.)

Shana was only a True Believer; she attained her position not through loyalty, but through capability.

Suddenly, the pendant on Shana’s chest lit up, and a figure appeared above the conference room.

In role-playing games like “Dungeons & Dragons,” the Spider Queen’s appearance is often described with fantastical elements, combining the biological characteristics of a spider with a degree of humanization.

The following is a typical description of the Spider Queen’s image:

Her head was that of a human female, but it was covered by a massive spider mask, inlaid with countless gems that gleamed with a cold light.

Her eight eyes shone like rubies, radiating a deep yet indifferent gaze.

Her arms were exceptionally long, her fingertips sharp as blades, and her abdomen bore a massive spiderweb, with a black hole at its center—the entrance to the depths of her domain.

Lolth’s legs were strong and powerful, supporting her enormous body, and her feet were giant spider legs, each step causing the ground to tremble.

“Greetings to the great Spider Queen,” the Drow exclaimed in surprise, bowing down in worship.

With a deity’s arrival, all things were possible; their troubling problems would no longer be problems.

“Shana, tell me what happened?” Her voice was deep and magnetic, each word possessing an irresistible magic.

Shana stepped forward and recounted the recent events one by one.

The Spider Queen frowned, “The governor captured from the Elf Race doesn’t know how the Drow were discovered?”

“Yes, Tian Xingzhe,” Shana replied.

After the Elf Race’s actions, Shana had sent people to capture a high-ranking governor, but despite various methods, she had not obtained any information.

The only noteworthy detail was the strange universal inspection; she knew the problem lay there, but after acquiring a set, she found it was just ordinary inspection equipment.

This was due to the technological gap between the two sides; most of the Drow here were young, and even the oldest, Shana, was not very powerful, unable to comprehend the subtle effects caused by a few rune modifications.

Specialization matters; it’s like mathematics, if you don’t know it, you just don’t.

The Spider Queen asked Shana to bring the equipment, and with her divine insight, she quickly discovered the problem.

“Such a subtle modification can actually detect the Drow; what a clever method,” she observed.

She could tell the principle was simple: during the inspection, a special Star Power would fuse with the equipment’s own Star Power, enter the inspected person’s body, and then the equipment would detect the subtle reactions in the person’s body to identify the Drow.

Under Lolth’s explanation, the Drow suddenly understood.

“Cunning Elf Race.”

Given the Elf Race’s technological accumulation, it seemed plausible.

“Tian Xingzhe, what do we do next?” the Drow asked.

The current situation was not favorable to them; a weaker party could indeed contend with a stronger one by relying on stealth, but once stealth was lost, they would be utterly defenseless.