349: Blood Elves Appear

Ling Qi maintained her stiff fox form, feeling the numbing sensation of her nape being stroked and the bizarre touch of her tender paw pads being repeatedly kneaded.

Her gold-rimmed glasses hung askew on the fur of her nose bridge, teetering precariously as her tail trembled slightly.

The Secretary-General's last shred of professional dignity shattered completely under the Empress's unrestrained, devilish hands.

Shang Wan Ning couldn't care less about any of that.

She squeezed the pink, tender paw pads and buried her face in the fur for another deep breath. Her fingertips didn't forget to scratch in circles around the most sensitive little indentation at the base of the tail.

"Tsk, AQi is still the best," the Empress sighed contentedly, burying her face in the fox's neck.

"Much warmer than that empty spirit mine storehouse."

Ling Qi closed her eyes in resignation, allowing the Empress's devilish hands to run wild over her body.

Inside Jiaotai Palace, the agarwood incense burned quietly. Only the Empress's sighs and the fox's subtle, restrained whimpers intertwined in the vast bedchamber, tangling into a ball of warm, fuzzy desire.

(Reformed, ˃ʍ˂ please imagine the rest~)

By the time the seventh burner of agarwood incense in Jiaotai Palace had finished, Shang Wan Ning finally climbed up from the phoenix couch.

She stretched, and the collar of her silk nightgown slid open, revealing several faint white marks on her shoulder.

These were 'patted' out by the fox's tail.

"Tsk, my index and middle fingers are actually sore." She flexed her wrist, her gaze sweeping over the Six-Tailed Demon Fox curled into a ball on the couch.

The fluffy tails were now limp and drooping; even the proudest one lay flat on the brocade mattress, and the tips of the fox's ears were still slightly flushed.

Ling Qi remained in her original form, her breathing steady and even, clearly exhausted from the ordeal.

Shang Wan Ning leaned over and poked the fox's soft belly, receiving an extremely weak sound of protest in return.

She chuckled softly, turned, and draped on her outer robe. "I'm going to handle official business. AQi, you continue resting."

As she walked out of the inner hall, Chen Yu, who was waiting at the door, had her eyes light up. She was about to speak when Shang Wan Ning stopped her with a single look.

The Prefecture City God tactfully shut her mouth and simply followed behind, her short legs moving as fast as they could.

The desk in the main hall was already piled high with dossiers waiting to be reviewed. As Shang Wan Ning took her seat, she tapped her finger in the air, and a pitch-black communication talisman suspended itself in mid-air.

The surface of the talisman lit up with complex netherworld patterns—this was a cross-planar talisman array connected to the Ativi Continent.

"Tudor," she spoke, her tone still carrying a hint of the laziness that follows satisfaction.

The communication talisman vibrated twice. A moment later, Tudor's steady voice came through. "Your Majesty."

"Go ahead, how is the Abyss Church doing?" Shang Wan Ning casually picked up a dossier and ran her finger over the cover.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, faith coverage has been completed in the three cities surrounding Cana City," Tudor stated clearly.

"Following Your Majesty's instructions, we used 'Breaking the Chains' as our doctrine. We started with the bottom-tier mine slaves and gradually permeated the artisan and merchant classes. Currently, the number of converts has exceeded one hundred and eighty thousand, with a stable daily growth of three thousand."

"Not bad." Shang Wan Ning nodded. "No movement from the nobles of the Kingdom of Barbatos?"

"Not for now. They are busy fighting the Frost Luo Duchy, the Shidun Kingdom, and the Oakvia Territory to the north. Their front lines are stretched too thin to bother with 'minor troubles' in the mining areas."

"However, there is something Subordinate feels should be reported to Your Majesty."

Shang Wan Ning raised an eyebrow. "Speak."

"It's the Emerald Kingdom of the Elf Race; a rebellion has broken out within it. News says a new race has emerged from within them, called Blood Elves."

"Emerald Kingdom? Blood Elves?" Shang Wan Ning set down the dossier and tapped her knuckles on the desk.

"Tell me more in detail."

"The specific situation is still being investigated, but we only know that these Blood Elves split off from the Elf Race."

Tudor's words came through the talisman array, his voice tinged with gravity. "They can directly absorb flesh and blood to increase their power. Their wound healing speed is five times that of ordinary elves, and their resistance to elemental magic is much stronger."

Chen Yu leaned in and whispered, "Getting stronger by consuming flesh and blood? That sounds just like the Old God system of the Ativi Continent."

Shang Wan Ning acted as if she hadn't heard and pressed, "At what cost? There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

"The side effects are also obvious," Tudor replied. "Blood Elves can no longer draw energy from the elf mother tree. Their skin turns pale as their power increases, and their pupils gradually turn crimson."

"Their temperaments become extremely violent, and there are reports of cannibalism within the race. More importantly, their lifespan is at least half that of ordinary elves. The advancement of high-level combat power is extremely unstable and prone to cultivation deviation."

The main hall fell into deep thought.

After a long while, Tudor finally grew bold enough to break the silence and ask for instructions: "Your Majesty, should we have the Church intervene?"

"The turmoil in the Emerald Kingdom might be an opportunity for our expansion. The Blood Elves sound like... they could be utilized."

"No need," Shang Wan Ning refused immediately.

"The Abyss Church's current task is to take root, not to cause trouble. The stalemate between Barbatos and the Frost Luo Duchy, the Shidun Kingdom, and the Oakvia Territory provides the perfect window for the Abyss Church."

"Order the believers to continue their infiltration. When the time is right, we will take the capital of the Orc Kingdom in one fell swoop and bring the entire faith to life."

She paused briefly, her tone becoming even more solemn: "Inform everyone below that no one is to interfere in the affairs of the Emerald Kingdom."

"Especially avoid letting the orc priests notice anything unusual. These fellows are closely connected to the beast god. Once the priests discover that the Underworld is interfering, it will surely cause massive trouble."

Tudor responded from the other end of the communication talisman: "Yes, Your Majesty. Subordinate understands the gravity of the matter."

"As for the Blood Elves, just have the hidden agents keep an eye on them," Shang Wan Ning added. "Report any new information immediately."

"Subordinate obeys your command."

The netherworld patterns on the communication talisman gradually dimmed. Shang Wan Ning held the talisman plate, touching the patterns on it.

Suddenly, she whispered to herself, "Blood Elves, Sabrina the mother of flesh and blood... could this be Her doing?"

Chen Yu looked up, her cowlick standing straight up. "Sabrina? Your Majesty, you mean She's starting to cause trouble again?"

Last time in Wormrock City, it was the four of them feigning loyalty and cooperating with the Empress's scheme that allowed them to wipe out Sabrina's nest of followers in the Gray Mist Territory in one go.

Chen Yu had a very deep impression of this Old God who fed on flesh and blood.

"It's hard to say."

Shang Wan Ning tapped the desk. "Her followers were mostly wiped out before, so logically She should have been quiet for a while. But the Elf Race has the most vibrant life force. If Sabrina wanted to cultivate new followers, targeting the Emerald Kingdom would make sense."

"Not to mention, new grudges added to old hatreds."

A glint of sharp insight flashed in Chen Yu's eyes. "Didn't Your Majesty set that scheme back then precisely with the intention of making Sabrina and the Elf Goddess fight each other?"

"Now the opportunity has come knocking. This pot of boiling water that is the Ativi Continent is just missing a fierce fire."

She leaned closer to the desk, dipped her fingertip in some cold tea, and quickly sketched on the smooth surface.

"Over seventy percent of the Human Race believes in the God of Light, and the orc nobles worship the beast god. It's true these two both belong to the Nature Pantheon, but five thousand years ago, the beast god and the God of Light had a massive brawl in the Upper Realm's divine hall."