CHAPTER 379: 261 THE COWARD AND THREE BENEFITS (4K)_2

What does it mean to let loose a long line to catch a big fish?

Kill them all!

Leave no one, kill them all!

In fact, Stella should have come to kill long ago.

But... where is she?

She’s not even on Mist Street!

Herbert smiled at Svanni, who looked a bit puzzled and thoughtful: "Since she’s too afraid to come knocking, why should I worry?"

That’s right, as long as I stay in the Monastery, Stella can’t do anything against me!

Although hiding in the Monastery and clinging to Old Deng’s coattails might sound embarrassing, it really works well.

Super useful indeed.

If anyone doesn’t agree, let him come and meet me face to face!

Mist Stage, if you dare, come and see!

"In summary, your dear sister doesn’t actually pose a threat to me."

"Or rather, the threat is so small that it isn’t enough to make me wary."

Oh.

Not big enough for the Archbishop to take note of... cough.

Doesn’t matter, don’t mind these little details, it really doesn’t matter.

"..."

Svanni was initially a bit intimidated by Herbert’s attitude, but she quickly came back to her senses and shook her head slightly.

"But the premise of all this is that you will stay here forever, never going out, never socializing."

"Can you really do that?"

She precisely found the serious flaw in Herbert’s words.

"You won’t stay here forever, will you?"

"Herbert, you’re still too young and need to experience more challenges out there."

Herbert is very talented.

That is without a doubt, everyone can see his talent.

However, just like all geniuses, talent alone is not enough to make a genius truly strong.

A sharp sword comes from honing, the scent of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold.

A genius needs to be tested by trials.

Only through burning in fierce flames, and enduring endless hammering, can one finally forge true steel.

Don’t say whether Herbert will have the patience to stay here forever, just this period of time, he’s already left twice.

Can Herbert really sit still?

She thought not.

He can’t sit still.

Svanni watched Herbert’s slightly smiling expression, and affirmed: "You will definitely go out."

For sure.

This place is Herbert’s sanctuary, but also his cage.

And a cage cannot trap a beast that truly wants to escape.

"Well, that’s also true."

Since his little scheme was pointed out, Herbert didn’t argue and calmly admitted the flaw in his words.

"But even so, it proves one thing, her threat to me isn’t that great, and... you are safe for now."

The situation isn’t as urgent as imagined, and the threat isn’t too big.

As long as Svanni doesn’t actively leave the Third Commandment Hall, no, even as long as she doesn’t actively leave the Mist Monastery, she’ll always be safe.

But this matter can’t be conclusively said.

Just like the heroic sacrifice of Brother Grass Carp before, he was an unexpected variable.

That guy actually managed to come to the Prison of Darkness by taking advantage of the Divine Spirit’s authority, escaping the notice of many.

With him as a precedent, the Monastery will naturally increase its vigilance, but who knows if another fish might slip through the net.

"Alright, I roughly understand the situation. Now, let’s talk about benefits."

Herbert then asked: "Svanni, if I help you get rid of Stella, what do I get in return?"

The risks, I’ve known, now what about the rewards?

If the money isn’t enough, it’s tough for me to help you get things done.

"Speaking of benefits..."

Svanni thought seriously for a moment and said slowly: "Wealth, power, and... population."

The three answers she gave surprised Herbert a bit.

And her order... quite interesting.

He raised his eyebrows, didn’t interrupt, and signaled for Svanni to continue.

"Stella is now the head of the Moore Clan, and also the City Lord, holding vast wealth."

As the Dark Elf City Lord, Stella is undoubtedly very wealthy.

While Dark Elves shun outsiders, they always maintain trade with the outside world.

Part of it is using the specialties of the Dark Territory to exchange for large amounts of resources, including some luminescent plants and special minerals.

The other part, however, is the slave trade.

Slaves.

The cities controlled by Dark Elves are a coalition of slave-holding city-states, raising large numbers of slaves from different races.

These slaves are not only servants who attend to their daily lives, but also a significant source of wealth.

Yes.

They not only capture and enslave other races themselves but also trade with others.

They buy some slaves of other races from external caravans and sell the unique races of the Dark Territory.

In the course of trade, massive wealth accumulates.

Moreover, if the other party’s strength is insufficient, they’ll even happily resort to black-on-black theft, turning the slave merchants into new merchandise.

As long-lived beings, Dark Elves have plenty of time to repeat this bloodstained, dirty trade countless times, amassing vast wealth.

Rich as a country?

Perhaps this is not just an empty phrase.

"Once Stella is dead, the wealth accumulated by the Moore Clan over a thousand years will become ownerless."

Svanni raised two fingers and softly said: "Then, there would be two choices before us."

"Leave with the wealth, or stay and become the new City Lord."

"If you just want to leave with the wealth, as long as it’s handled properly, we can quietly take away at least half of it."

"And if you want to continue controlling that city, then you’ll gain the other half of the wealth... power."

Svanni’s words made Herbert’s gaze slightly shift.

The power of a City Lord.

A well-established Dark Elf city isn’t comparable to his nascent domain that’s just beginning to be built.

In the social structure of the Dark Elves, the City Lord is the absolute ruler of a city or region.

Killing a City Lord means seizing the power they wield, and this power allows the victor to issue commands to the Dark Elf military!

As long as you’re confident you can control them and avoid their "uprising" through assassination, poisoning, or treachery... you can wield this astonishing power.

The elite Dark Elf army can entirely be seen as a fully trained and disciplined assassin corps.

As long as one’s own strength is enough, the value of the City Lord’s position isn’t much less than pure wealth!

"As for population, you probably know as well, yes, it’s those slaves."

The population ratio in the Dark Elf city might reach an astonishing one in a hundred, with ninety-nine percent being slaves, while the rest are Dark Elves.

"And apart from the slave blood and flesh I need for research, I can forego the rest."

After envisioning the divvying of Stella’s assets, Svanni added: "Besides these, I can also grant you one request, any request."

After saying this, the Dark Elf Grand Mage closed her mouth, quietly waiting for Herbert’s reaction.

As she expected, Herbert soon fell into thought.

"..."

He furrowed his brows, contemplating the benefits after success.

Among the three benefits Svanni put forward, wealth is the easiest to take away, power is hard to actualize, and the last one, the slaves... is more like an add-on.

Judging by her speaking order, she believes Herbert would prefer the first two.

But actually, for Herbert, the most important is instead what Svanni considers the least important: human resources.

Elda needs some people with clean backgrounds.

And those "rescued" slaves clearly fit this condition perfectly.

"I understand, so that means... hmm?"

Just as Herbert was about to respond to Svanni, his expression suddenly halted, and his ears twitched slightly.

Svanni noticed his change and asked: "What’s wrong? Do you have any questions?"

"No, I don’t have anything to ask."

Herbert waved his hand, furrowed his brows, and asked: "You... didn’t hear that sound?"

"What sound do you mean?"

From Svanni’s odd reaction, Herbert realized that something might be off.

That sound, only he could hear.

He faintly heard a series of weak whispers.

Vague, yet extraordinarily grand.

...It’s a hymn.

A fallen hymn!

"What’s going on?"

Holy chant from the fifth floor!?

He blinked, feeling that this situation was a bit unexpected.

What is that Fallen Angel up to now?

Wait a minute...

Am I not on the third floor now!!?