After we returned to Windere, things fell into a routine.
Propelled by the success of the first batch, Auraria allowed another forty lamia girls to co into our service. Those would be trained by the veterans and sent to work at the palace. They wouldn't rise in strength as fast without my direct influence but that was fine by . The magically-inclined lamias, both those I trained and the ones entering through the scholarship program enrolled at the magic academy.
Duchess Nagini appeared in so social functions, balls, and tea parties but these were few. I had to build my reputation as a recluse if I wanted the ability to leave this identity behind for extended periods.
The slaver hunting missions were a mixed success. We lost a few operatives and Talbain got into a tough scuffle with so hired rcenaries. He won or he wouldn't have returned to tell the tale. But slavers should be motivated by greed and notice that preying on Windere was too risky. While that didn't solve the problem as they would prey on people elsewhere, that ant they weren't operating with large profit margins anymore.
Sadian wouldn't seek to avenge their King no more. Their capital, Rerin, watched over the entrance of the Uroko Gulf, keeping an iron grip on the trade along the rich coast. Ekar, a small nation on the other side of the gulf decided to attack and capture the other side of the sea pass. Without the funds to supply an army, Sadian lost the territories on the northern side of the gulf. Now any ships entering the gulf would have to be cleared by both sides or risk an attack.
At least the channel was too wide for siege weapons to fire from one shore to the other. You could barely see the other side of the wharf.
Now I had to go after the high-profile targets. Talbain and the agents mapped the entire slave trade network on this side of the continent. I wouldn't bring the slaves with unless I found soone really exceptional or another lamia. Hit, neutralize, steal their resources, release the slaves, and kill the slavers. Maybe not in that order.
Yznera, Goddess of Nature, Wild Things, and Elves received a visitor in her divine realm. Bundeus, God of Humans (and only Humans) and the instigator of the rivalry between Loki's envoy and the pantheon, ca to her with a request.
"Yznera, I need a favor. There's a statue in Windere I want to obtain. Could I use one of your worshippers to fetch it for ?"
She kept her face still as a windless lake. She knew very well what statue he wanted and also what the statue wasn't the important part. The thirteenth Demon Lord could raze the land and she wouldn't do that. She asked anyway what statue he wanted. After hearing the answer, she shook her head.
"I'm afraid that's impossible. That statue is inside the Royal palace and well-guarded. I would have to send soone very skilled and even so they would be at risk of being caught. The loss of trust is too much for just a piece of art."
She said too much but the dense God didn't catch her hint. Instead, He smugly thought she had no idea what the statue was.
"I can't send my agents to Windere!" He whined. "And most of the people there worship you! Windere was mine."
Yznera shook her head in dismay, "Then you gave it away. Then you conspired with The Brooodmother to have the Black Dragon King destroy it. Honestly, you have to take better care of your toys," She said condescendingly.
She wouldn't ntion the loss of one of the seven Dragons Kings, the Broodmother's anger, or that he fought the Envoy to a standstill, losing two domains and most of his divine power for a technical victory because the Envoy chose to sacrifice herself. And that caused the Envoy to beco a deeper seething pit of resentnt. That threw a wrench in Yznera's plans of reviving the Star Elf royalty. She wouldn't help Bundeus even if He gave her his last domain and removed himself from the ga.
Maybe it was ti to remove Him from the board. And she had just the idea of how to do so without anyone suspecting she was the one responsible.
"The one you seek escaped your curse, Bundeus. She is alive, free, and trashing your temples in Auvanini. Or didn't you recognize her work when your cathedral in Rerin disappeared?"
Bundeus' eyes went wide. His lips curled into a wicked grin, "Yes, I see! Clever little pest! Thank you very much, Yznera! I owe you one!"
Yznera saw an opportunity and seized it. "I would like to settle this debt now. My responsibilities increased too much during this Age of Eclipse."
He nodded, his maniacal grin twitching disgustingly. "Of course. What would you ask for?"
"I want just five years of your Worship Power. Starting now."
The Worship Power freely offered by the faithful fed the Gods. That would stop Bundeus from regenerating his divine energy during that ti, capping him at what he had on him. Which was less than when he agreed to that duel.
Five years was nothing for a deity. Bundeus accepted without a thought and vanished.
To Yznera, that was just a trickle compared to what she received from her worshippers and the animals of the world. It would help offset so of the energy she had to invest to make sure the plants didn't die and the world didn't freeze to a snowball during this sunless age caused by Bundeus' foolishness.
But to this sa weakened Bundeus, losing that ager divine energy regeneration was his death sentence. She only had to nudge the right person the right way without anyone else noticing.
For months I traveled Auvanini, first going north then south. I wanted to leave Auvani as my last stop. Each slaver cell, each market, each auction gave more information on my next targets. I even discovered a flaw in the slave collars. They were tuned for a particular Rank range. Usually just rank one, for people levels forty through seventy-eight. Seventy-nine was already rank two. But if the slave ranked up with a weaker collar, the enchantnt failed and died from a lack of energy to suppress the person.
Slavers usually gave orders to "Never raise your level above this number". That would keep the collar from malfunctioning, as higher-grade collars were too expensive and nobody would let a slave earn enough Exp to rank up anyway.
But I could drain the collars of energy just enough to downgrade them. They would break within hours but that saved a lot of ti draining them with {Eat Magic}. In most cases, just a nibble was enough.
I took the slaver's money but I didn't keep most of it. Using my several identities, I bought trade goods that were selling at a good price, seeds, fruit, and perishables. I built a growing stockpile of food in my item box. In the coastal cities, fish was cheap to a fault. Without ans to conserve the fish, they had to be sold the day they were caught. That's when I overheard the fishern complaining about the scarcity of fish. They weren't catching as many fish as before. Sothing was amiss with the oceans. Sightings and encounters with sea monsters were on the rise.
Slavers, I learned, we're a diverse bunch. When people sell at a premium and all you have to do to get so is to rough up so, people flocked to that trade. So even believed that enslaving was better than murder. While they *might* be right if the choices were strictly A or B and the person being enslaved had to agency to choose their fate, it failed to account for several variables, including the already ntioned agency. No wonder the slaves were so angry.
They often asked why I didn't remove the collars outright. When I showed with a brave volunteer that the contraptions were failing and they could disobey orders son, the slaves often staged bloody revolts to kill their masters. The trust in the collar's functions led them to beco complacent. The slave was a tool, whoever heard of tools rising up to strike their owners?
Almost a year on the road, on the hunt. This one was one of the last refuges of slavers. Following the distribution chain of the collars brought to a keep in a mountainous region in the southwestern part of the continent.
I couldn't sense the whole place so they had so decent warding sche going on. What I could sense told there were at least a hundred people inside. Before dawn, none of them would be alive and I would get the final piece of the puzzle. Why so much effort to enslave people? Why equip the slavers with expensive enchantnts? Once I got to look at the bigger picture, the whole slave trade was operating near the red despite the huge profits those actually selling the slaves were raking in.
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That ant the middle and upper managent were working for free. Or worse, paying to make the collars, hunt the slaves so a bunch of auctioneers and slave traders could rake in the big cash. It made no sense.
Unless...
No. The whole thing had to make sense. It wouldn't sustain itself if it didn't. I had too few data points. What did I know for sure?
One, the slavers had soone on top bankrolling their operation. They sold collars and slaves at a loss to the local markets.
Two, there was a central node making all the collars in use. They probably ca from this hidden keep.
Three, the slavers were focused on capturing non-humans. There were human slaves here and there but they didn't amount to five percent of the total.
Four, they had so impressive defenses. Apricot would have a hard ti breaking in the place as they had magical protections against digging and the walls pushed climbers away. I couldn't even touch it to activate {Absolute Clinging}.
If they weren't doing this for the money, what was it? Power? Magic? Both?
The answers were inside that castle. If I could suppress the creation of the collars, there would be no magically-enforced slavery in the continent.
I made my move.
First, I carved a wide chasm on the access pass leading up the mountains. Two hundred ters wide and a hundred ters deep should stop them from escaping. There were no escape tunnels I found after scouting the foundations for a few days. It was impossible to cross from beneath, the sa repulsion field worked against .
As the bumblebee bat, I flew slowly and moved carefully to avoid triggering the wards. They didn't put the repulsion field on the air. I believe it would create a vacuum inside the keep.
Subtlety was important because no doubt they would destroy evidence once they found themselves under attack. The secrecy of the operation demanded it. Spycraft was well developed with all these national powerhouses fighting among themselves.
I killed nobody as I crawled past the guards in my tiny shrew form. I had to see what was in the warded section of the keep first. But as I walked past a library, I couldn't help it. I looted the room.
I heard voices arguing inside the warded room. Without the external repulsion field, I slinked through the walls and watched from the roof. A map of Auvanini covered a central table and five humans were discussing my recent exploits.
There I got the final piece. The leader of the slaver keep was an old man, with gray hair and wrinkled skin. But it wasn't his age that drew my attention, it was the fact he was a priest of Bundeus. A level 111 [Hierophant]. I prepared a potent darkness spell. Once the room was completely black I commanded every object not being touched by soone into my item box. After that, I dropped and {Assassinated} the slavers one after the other. They were high level but barely put a dent on my Exp to level.
That was the old guy's job.
"{Force Binding}. {Death Contract}. {Champion's Challenge}."
Bound and gagged, he couldn't cast spells. Before he could pull any tricks, I used Alloralla's daggers to claim his head.
Assassination Successful. Contract Fulfilled. Challenge won.
You killed level 111 [Hierophant]. You gained 4 trillion Exp.
The System didn't care about honor. One could cheese the duel as much as they wanted. But the Exp tables were ridiculous. Four trillion and no level. I huffed a sigh. That allowed the ghost to almost escaped . I had to contract him after using {Soulguide} or he would not cooperate.
"Where do the collars co from?"
"Auvani. The cathedral there. A mage from Pekothas makes them for our lord," ca the answer from the disembodied priest.
"All of them? Are all the collars made there? What for?"
"Yes. They serve to empower our Lord Bundeus. Each slave gives their power to the Lord. Each collar makes our Lord stronger."
I finally learned who was making the slave collars. Knowledge was greedily hoarded, and this was no different. A wizard in Auvani, of all places. The guy was the sole supplier of collars for the entire continent. If I nailed him, I could stop it at the root.
But I wasn't expecting that developnt. Was Bundeus draining energy from the people wearing the collars? MP? SP? I felt no such drain in the brief ti I wore one of these.
"What kind of power is he taking?" I asked the priest, afraid of the answer.
"Their prayers. The collars take their prayers to my Lord Bundeus."
I felt nausea. The room spun underneath . Faith? Was Bundeus stealing faith from the enslaved? I knew he'd lost the Sun and War domains after our bout but that was a new low for him. But that explained everything. Why they were so fiercely hunting in Windere. Why they didn't bother putting collars on humans. Why they didn't care about money.
That day, the keep beca a pile of rubble at the bottom of a chasm.
It was ti to visit so old friends. I hope Albryan and Solana are in good health.
I reached Auvani. The capital was nested in an elevation between two major rivers, and it was a marvelous tropolis. The palace was made of white marble, denoting the wealth of a dynasty that nad their own continent. They were in their decadent phase when the scions rested too tightly on the laurels of their predecessors and forgot about the things that made their nation great.
They needed soone to urge them into making Auvani great again. That, soone, wasn't . Although I could build a nasty wall.
The population was easily triple Rerin's. As I entered, my Wellspring siphon skyrocketed. I could get the equivalent of a month's MP regeneration in Windere in a single day here. I would spend so ti if it wasn't for the gigantic cathedral dedicated to Bundeus sticking like a gray alien's sore thumb a few blocks from the walls to the noble district. The building was enchanted to glow but it didn't hurt my eyes. The whole city thrived under the light its tall spires, second only to the castle's round white stone spears piercing the sky.
I did spend a few days getting the lay of the land and learning the Auvani people's customs. After Albryan and Solana returned, they changed so laws regarding religious and racial persecution. Of all the "human" countries, Auvani had the biggest diversity. They had a lot of gnos, a species we don't see very often in the northwest.
The Slave trade was controlled by the governnt. That put so brakes in my plan to just barge in and destroy them. After doing my rounds and buying the local specialties, I tried to gain an audience with the princes.
I hired a courier to send a ssage to the palace with the inn I was staying at as duchess Nagini. After two days, I got no answer. The courier swore he'd delivered the letter. I sent another two days later. Four days since my arrival and I heard nothing back. The courier swore he delivered the letters to the palace. My mail was probably intercepted by soone with a humongous sense of self-importance.
I hired a carriage from the local porter's guild. Auvani received several foreign dignitaries and they had fancy carriages they could even decorate with the heraldry of the visitor's nation if they wanted. I just paid for the ride. I was countess Nagini, here from Windere on behalf of Princess Lakerta with urgent news for prince Albryan or princess Solana. I wasn't invited though I needed to talk to them ASAP.
The carriage clopped toward the Auvani palace with and Nenandil inside. At the gates, they blocked us and a shouting match started. The carriage door was thrown open and a snobbish liveried servant along with so guards pointing spears at the door waited for on the other side.
"Get out of this carriage, you filthy monster," the servant said. "You don't belong in Auvani!"
Yup. Humongous sense of self-importance.
"I'll give you one chance of retracting your insult, servant," I told him. "The deaths of these guards and yours will hang on your head."
The guy's head was so red he looked like he was about to boil."Kill the beast!"
Now, my usual MO would be to kill them. {Force Javelin} their brains into skewers and get on with my day. I have to admit, the impulse was there. I restrained myself to just restraining them. A fast-cast {Mass Force Binding} and they were all bound and gagged. I slithered out of the carriage to see a lot more soldiers surrounding us.
I had the MP regeneration of an entire city at my beck and call. It was two or four MP per hour from each person, but it was from each person. Multiply that by a couple million and I would have to strain myself to burn that much MP.
I spamd {Mass Force Binding} left and right. The guards and knights went down as they ca. The third wave had to contend with the carpet of bodies writhing on the ground. The fourth group didn't try to cross the yard. Instead, they fired arrows at which bounced off harmlessly against the {Snake Fortress}. {Force Binding} wasn't considered an offensive spell since restraining didn't cause any damage.
At the fifty wave, so [Guard Captain] showed up.
"What is the aning of this? Is this an attack?" He asked with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Not that it will help him. But I had to give points to the guy for not rushing in blindly.
"Are you in charge here? Has anyone taught these idiots to know the enemy's strength before attacking? Or how to display proper respect to a duchess? I haven't killed anyone so far because I'm friendly toward Auvani. That can change. Their lives are in your hands. Make the right choice."
"Your Grace, I'm sure there must have been so kind of misunderstanding. We were not expecting you."
I glared at him and he moved his hands away from his weapon. "I sent couriers informing I was in town not once but twice. Two and four days ago. That's not a misunderstanding, that's sabotage. And what is with this prejudice? This servant here called a monster. I demand reparation."
"Attention!" He shouted. "Cease all hostilities! I see an arrow flying, it's a month clearing latrine for you."
The captain walked slowly between the fallen soldiers. "This one, your Grace?" He pointed at the liveried servant. I nodded and he beheaded the guy gracefully.
"Is this acceptable? May I ask you to release my n. I am thankful for you taking them out without wounding them. This way, please."
I dismissed my magic.
"All of you who got bound by the duchess' spell, you are confined to quarters until I have ti to grill you. Bunch of brigands, that's what I have here! Move! Get the duchess safely in the palace!"
The soldiers and knights withdrew with their pride shattered. The carriage finally made its way to the inner courtyard. While it might seem that the captain is wise, from what I knew of how this world worked, he would be just as fine with sending a cleaning crew to remove my lifeblood from the cobblestones. Strength was all that mattered. I was strong so I was owed respect. My status ant nothing to them.
There was a lineup of servants, maids, and knights to receive . "Duchess Nagini of Windere," the herald cried to announce .
I slithered out of the carriage and moved through the aisles of people toward the palace. Nenandil was on my shoulder, playing with the hair of my wig. After exchanging so pleasantries with the palace greeters, I was led to a waiting room. Inside, a team of servants and maids were ready to act on every whim I had. {Appraise} told there was no combatant infiltrated among the workers there but I wasn't worried about that.
Half an hour later, the door opened and a flushed princess Solana entered the room. A complete breach of protocol if I ever saw one.
"Lady Nenandil. Duchess. Welco to Auvani!" The Princess said with a forced smile on her face. Underneath her faceade, she looked very afraid.
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