318: Forced Contract

Chen Yu was stuck, her silvery-white cowlick drooping.

She leaned close to Shang Wan Ning's face and licked her earlobe with the tip of her tongue. "Mmm~ when we're in bed, I'll be at Your Majesty's disposal~ how about it?"

"Heh, deal."

A withered finger tapped the air, and several water mirrors surfaced by the window.

Each mirror showed the perspective of a different search squad.

The third squad was kicking open a fleshy tumor shop, shattering the jars of eyeballs on the shelves.

The seventh squad discovered a pool of fresh blood at the end of Bone Alley and howled with excitement.

The most intriguing one was the twelfth squad.

The leader, an insectoid guard, had compound eyes darting around; despite clearly smelling the scent of an elf, he deliberately led the team in the opposite direction, as if stalling for time.

"Interesting," Shang Wan Ning chuckled softly.

"It seems there are many in Wormrock City who want to cause trouble for Mordecai."

Chen Yu leaned over, her nose almost touching the water mirror.

"Your Majesty, what do you think about bringing the elf to the Mercury Plane?"

"Hmm?"

"To make money!" The White-Haired Loli gestured wildly.

"Let her debut in a group—an elven girl group—it would definitely be a huge hit. Those idol fans on Mercury live for that kind of thing."

Shang Wan Ning's hand paused in mid-air.

Her hood slowly turned toward Chen Yu. Although her expression was hidden, the vibe of 'keep talking' was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Chen Yu got excited, her little mouth yapping non-stop.

"Think about it, Your Majesty. The Elf Race has top-tier looks; with a bit of packaging, they'd be superstars. Concerts, endorsements, live-stream sales... making incense offerings would be faster than robbing Sister Meng."

"And those beauties and handsome guys from all the races on the Ativi Continent. Package them all up and send them to the Mercury Plane."

"A Demon Race Older Sister Type group, a Mermaid Diva squad, a Beast-Ear boy band... our Underworld's entertainment company could go public."

She grew more excited as she spoke, nearly toppling off the windowsill.

Shang Wan Ning reached out and grabbed the White-Haired Loli by the back of her collar, her raspy voice tinged with amusement. "A-Yu, your heart... is even blacker than mine."

"One takes the color of one's company~" Chen Yu grinned cheekily. "I learned from Your Majesty."

A withered finger flicked her forehead. "I approve."

The image in the water mirror suddenly changed.

The insectoid guard of the twelfth squad sneakily entered an Abandoned Bone Tower and found a dying, silvery-white figure in the corner—it was Leah.

The elven girl's face was deathly pale, her lips cracked and bleeding. The wound on her ankle was festering and oozing pus; she had clearly reached her limit.

The insectoid guard stared at her for a moment, his compound eyes flickering with calculating light.

Suddenly, he pulled an empty bottle from a gap in his carapace and tossed it at her feet. He then deliberately stepped on the ground to leave a footprint pointing east before spitting out a low "Bad luck" and turning to leave in a hurry.

Before the water mirror, Shang Wan Ning narrowed her eyes. "A-Yu, you lost."

"Huh?"

"Five hours aren't up yet, but the game is over." With a wave of a withered palm, the water mirror dissipated.

"Go prepare the plane teleportation array. I will make the trip personally."

Chen Yu's eyes widened. "Your Majesty is going to save her?"

"Save?"

Shang Wan Ning sneered. "I'm going to collect a debt."

"Wait, Your Majesty, you're cheating!!!"

...Wormrock City, Southwest Sewage Outlet.

Leah dragged her injured leg, crawling with difficulty. Every inch she moved was so painful her vision went dark.

The empty bottle left by the insectoid had left her dazed for a moment, but she could only grit her teeth and continue forward, her vision blurring from excessive blood loss.

"Where do you think you're going?"

A raspy voice rang out from behind, startling the elf into a stiff freeze.

She turned her head with difficulty. A black-robed figure stood in the shadows at some unknown point, a withered palm beneath the hood playing with a bone talisman.

"You..."

Leah's green eyes constricted. "You're the one from last night..."

"Shh—"

Shang Wan Ning raised an index finger, soulfire dancing at its tip. "Two choices. One, I throw you back into the dungeon. Two..."

A swirling deep-blue vortex appeared in her palm, through which flickering neon skyscrapers were faintly visible on the other side.

"Sign this contract and go be an idol in another plane for three hundred years. Room and board included, with an 80/20 split."

Leah was stunned, not understanding what the black-robed person was saying.

However, she did hear the word "plane" clearly.

"???"

Good news: She met a deity.

Bad news: The deity is a kidnapper.

Seeing the elf's bewildered and helpless look, Shang Wan Ning tapped Leah's forehead.

A faint trace of soulfire flowed in from her finger, quietly dissolving the chaos in the girl's eyes.

Leah trembled slightly as fragmented information about "idols" suddenly became clear.

The center of attention under spotlights, the cheers and adoration of fans, a monthly salary... no longer having to live in fear for survival... the images formed a jarring contrast with her past days.

She was once the most anticipated princess of the Elven Royalty, yet she had lost everything in the power struggles and became a prisoner.

During her days and nights in the dungeon, she had imagined countless endings: dying after Mordecai drained her last bit of natural power, being transformed into a mindless puppet, or becoming fertilizer for Wormrock City's flesh carpets like her unfortunate kin.

The only thing she never imagined was such a path being laid before her.

"Idol..."

She repeated the word in a low voice, her cracked lips quivering. Her green eyes were vacant at first, then a faint light flickered within.

No longer needing to fight for power in fear, no longer needing to endure the stench of the dungeon, and even having a stable life... this treatment was even more free than when she was a princess. At least back then, she woke up every day calculating who was an enemy and who could be recruited, where a single misstep meant eternal damnation.

Shang Wan Ning tempted her: "Understood?"

Leah snapped back to reality and looked up at the black-robed figure. Traces of terror remained in her eyes, but they were joined by a few points of clear-headed appraisal.

"Lord Deity, wh... why me?"

"Because I lack money," Shang Wan Ning answered bluntly, gesturing with her withered hand toward the deep-blue vortex.

"The entertainment industry in the Mercury Plane is profitable, and you—the looks of the Elf Race plus the gimmick of a 'fallen princess'—are enough to catch eyes."

She paused. "You lack a life, I lack startup capital. A trade. Very fair."

Leah's gaze shifted back and forth between the vortex and the black robe.

Faint clamor came from the other side of the vortex, sounding like countless people talking, and like the ringing of some musical instruments.

That was a vibrant atmosphere she had never heard before.

And beneath the black robe was a power that could decide life and death. She had no room to bargain, and besides, this deal was already an unexpected joy.

Finally, Leah clenched her fists, as if using the pain to confirm this wasn't an illusion.

"My Lord, I choose the second option."

"A wise choice." Shang Wan Ning pushed her wrist, and the deep-blue vortex suddenly expanded several times, gently lifting Leah up.

The elven girl looked back at the darkness that had imprisoned her. Then, she was completely swallowed by the vortex, her past identity and suffering disappearing into the light along with her.

Shang Wan Ning pulled a piece of elven leather armor stained with dark red blood from her sleeve and casually tossed it into the sludge of the sewage outlet.