The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Hearing Shelian's mocking laughter, Illyrian turned around somewhat annoyed, responding indifferently:

“Besides, even when facing the sun, I have my own trump cards. In comparison, I still believe Victor is the trouble that needs to be dealt with most urgently. Speaking of which, I don't know if you're paying attention to something – many transit hub ports have gone silent.”

Shelian blinked her eyes, lined with black eyeshadow.

“Really?”

“Yes. So, no one is paying attention to the abnormal flow of ships from those hubs. About nine of them are connected to Commorragh, mainly the Shadow Hub and the Shael Hub, but these two hubs have long prohibited ships from non-specific Kabals from entering. The other seven are similar, with only ships from one or two specific small Kabals allowed in and out. Many Kabals have to change their routes when going out to plunder.”

“Isn't it common for hubs to be monopolized? They've blocked shipping lanes more than once or twice.”

“But it's been too long, and it's not really a blockade. Only allowing specific Kabals to enter is suspicious in itself, especially the Iron Thorn Lord's Kabal. What kind of person is Abrahark? What did Victor do to him? You should remember.”

Shelian snapped her fan shut, a surprised expression on her face.

“Are you saying the Eternal Court has secretly controlled these transit hubs, and even Abrahark has defected to them?”

Illyrian lowered his head, gazing at his wine glass. He suddenly smiled softly, looked up, took a sip, and praised:

“My old friend Doral is truly remarkable. This plan clearly came from him – patiently putting a noose around Commorragh's neck, then tightening it bit by bit. When the time is right, he'll loosen the floorboards underneath. I heard he's now in a position of great power, the most influential person in the entire Court. The Phoenix Lord is more like a figurehead. If I could have gained more of his trust back then and participated in that plan, perhaps…”

“Is the Eternal Court about to make a move soon?”

“Hard to say, but it shouldn't be too long. Look, this one Phoenix is already giving Victor a headache, and he hasn't even noticed the rope around his neck. As it stands, his defeat is certain. What we need to do is figure out how to get the biggest share from his corpse.”

“Hmm, your new plan?”

“That old waste Klarath has been invited to the Shadow Hub.”

Hearing Illyrian suddenly shift the topic to a strange direction, Shelian was taken aback at first, then revealed a sly smile, snapping open her bone fan to cover her face, seemingly to hide her amusement.

“You're jealous. If the Shadow Hub is controlled by the Eternal Court as you say, then Klarath going there only means two possibilities: either he's meeting Doral, or he's meeting… the Phoenix Lord. You've always looked down on him, but now he seems to be getting more attention from them.”

“Because a waste is easier to control. If I were Doral, I'd also choose Klarath. But on the other hand, a waste is also more likely to screw things up. Doral wouldn't be unaware of this, so I don't think he'll really gain any importance. More importantly, Klarath definitely doesn't know the Shadow Hub is already controlled. He's definitely being tricked this time. As for what happens to him later… it'll be hard for him to be on the same side as us. But this is an opportunity. While he's away, I had someone secretly retrieve an ancient relic from him. It can help us go to a place.”

“What place?”

“Shadom.”

“Shadom!?”

Shelian's expression changed drastically. After several seconds of shock, she slowly said:

“That's a hellhole. What can you possibly gain from it?”

More than three thousand years ago, Shadom, as a satellite region of Commorragh, possessed extremely powerful strength after years of operation, so much so that its governor, the 'Shadom Tyrant' Elouriak, publicly declared that he was more qualified than Victor to become the supreme overlord. In response, Victor declared that he would leave Shadom barren.

At the time, Victor had not yet completely unified Commorragh, and the Black Heart Kabal's strength and fleet were even inferior to the Shadom Kingdom. However, Victor was a ruler skilled in using schemes and defection to eliminate opponents. He had long controlled a confidant of Shadom and learned of a weakness or hidden danger in Shadom's defenses. Just as the two sides were in tense confrontation, a warp rift appeared in the sky above Shadom, and an Imperial warship full of fire fell into the city center. Then, with the explosion of the warp engine, countless demons poured out from the warp rift.

Within a week, Shadom became a desolate ruin, and with the destruction of Shadom, all the independent states around Commorragh fell under Victor's rule, becoming part of the Dark City.

Afterward, Shadom was completely sealed off. Victor issued a strict ban, stating that anyone who entered Shadom, regardless of their identity, would become the Black Heart Kabal's highest-level wanted criminal.

Since it may still be filled with demons, it is also a hell that Commorragh's residents avoid.

“I've already obtained the key to enter Shadom.”

“My question is, what can you gain?”

“Elouriak was able to make Victor so wary back then, supposedly because he possessed several super weapons or artifacts from the ancient empire era. If we can retrieve them…”

“Supposedly?”

Shelian gently shook her bone fan.

“Is the possibility worth such a risk?”

“Victor's demise is not far off. If we don't come up with a plan, then Shelian, do you think the Eternal Queen prefers a female assassin who slaughters prey in the arena, or a quiet and elegant female musician?”

The female Archon smiled slightly.

“Actually, I have some musical talent. Don't you often say in bed that I scream very nicely?”

“So you don't plan to participate?”

“Hmm, I can keep it a secret for you, should that count?”

Read without errors, one word at a time, one piece of content at a time!

In fact, that was exactly what Illyrian wanted. Shelian only appears emotionally stable in front of him, but in reality, she is a bloodthirsty and impulsive madwoman. He must ensure that she will not disrupt his plans.

However, Shelian's next sentence revealed another side of her that Illyrian was unaware of.

“Darling, you haven't run into those clowns, have you?”

Illyrian's expression stiffened slightly, but quickly returned to normal.

“Why would you think that?”

“It's nothing, just consider it a joke. But ah… clowns aren't just good at telling jokes, they're even better at creating them, especially using their audience to amuse themselves, and they easily fumble, causing the audience participating in the amusement to fall off the stage and break their heads. My advice is to stay as far away from them as possible, and don't trust their words.”

“Of course, I'll remember that.”

Shelian turned around, swaying her slender waist as she walked towards the exit, and said:

“I'll have someone guard the ruins of Tharon Syrinx for you. I know you told me so much for this, because there's a portal to Shadom hidden there. But you'd better be well-prepared, because no one can guarantee your safety once you go in. In a while, my arena will have a relay race between apes and greenskins. You can come and watch if you have time.”

Illyrian turned around, leaning against the balcony railing, then raised his wine glass and smiled:

“I'll definitely be there on time.”

With that, he drained the contents of the glass. In the instant he lowered his head, he seemed to see a multicolored figure flash out of the corner of his eye, and there was a faint sound of laughter in his ears.

He narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself:

“Sing, clowns, keep dancing, let's see who's the actor and who's the prop…”