Chapter 103: Testing the Waters

As the news of a legendary mage being recruited by the Second House rippled through Menzoberranzan like a tremor on a spider’s web, Jan sat quietly in his room at the guesthouse. A cold smile played on his lips, and beside him stood the figures of Enya and Elise. No one knew how they had gotten in, but they were there nonetheless.

"Everything is proceeding smoothly, Master. The drow have not detected our presence at all."

Enya looked at Jan with her usual soft, calm, and steady smile before reporting in a low voice. On the other side, Elise, who was responsible for maintaining the magical barrier, carefully kept the shroud over them while curiously observing the city outside from the window. The war between the City of Black Onyx and Menzoberranzan had lasted for many years, but even for Elise, this was her first time entering a drow city and observing everything from such close quarters.

"How is the operation on Vix’s side?"

"Very smooth, though we still need a little more time. After all, meeting your requirements, Master, is no easy task. And Menzoberranzan is far more fortified than we anticipated."

"Do not rush her. This is technical work, and we are all well aware that it is much more difficult than it seems."

As he spoke, Jan turned back, shifting his gaze from the dungeon map, where red dots were steadily increasing. Upon hearing his command, Enya merely nodded slightly. She knew exactly what Jan intended to do, so she said nothing more. Almost at the same moment, Elise turned and gestured toward them.

When Maya entered Jan's room again, all she saw was the figure of the drow mage sitting in his chair. The scent of magic still lingered in the air, but Maya did not find it strange. As a high priestess, she had long since detected the surveillance spells surrounding the area; for a mage, this was nothing unusual.

However, this time, Maya’s expression was not as composed as before; instead, her face was tense, bordering on panic.

"We are about to be attacked. Matron Mother wants you in the audience chamber immediately."

When Jan followed Maya to the audience chamber, it was no longer the desolate place it had been before. Standing beside Matron Mother Dinavol, in addition to two high priestesses, were rows of drow warriors in full battle gear. Jan noted that they had no commander, which meant that, so far, no one had filled the vacancy for the House Weapons Master.

Although House Dinavol possessed enough drow warriors and slaves, they were clearly lacking in high-end combat power. Aside from Jan, there were only two mid-level mages in the entire house. The way they looked at Jan was far from friendly, but cowed by the Matron’s authority, they maintained a facade of respect. Jan knew they were clearly skeptical of his strength, but he did not care.

"I trust you have heard of our predicament, Mage."

Matron Dinavol’s opening was devoid of pleasantries; she was swift and went straight to the point.

"I understand."

Jan nodded slightly.

"Which house is it?"

"House Xorlarrin! That accursed Seventh House!"

Matron Dinavol’s roar was like the howl of a lion. Clenching her snake-headed whip, she stood before the throne like a warrior, venting her fury. Xorlarrin was the Seventh House of Menzoberranzan, and the ambition of Matron Xorlarrin to elevate her house's status was common knowledge. However, Matron Dinavol had never expected her to dare launch an attack at such a moment. By annihilating House Dinavol, Xorlarrin could successfully become the Second House—one of the true rulers of Menzoberranzan!

The next moment, Matron Dinavol regained her composure. She sat back in her chair and stared at Jan.

"Now is the time for you to demonstrate your loyalty to us, Mage."

"That, of course, is not a problem."

Hearing Matron Dinavol, Jan reached out to adjust his glasses and nodded slightly. His right hand tapped his staff gently against the floor, as if in thought.

"That is exactly why I came here. I can guarantee that House Dinavol will not fall in this attack."

Upon hearing Jan’s reply, Matron Dinavol revealed a satisfied smile. She waved her hand, signaling for Jan to withdraw. But soon, as if she had remembered something, she rested her chin on her hand and stared at Jan with a peculiar, unsettling smile.

"By the way, Mage. Our guard unit is currently experiencing some minor issues, which has left the position of Weapons Master vacant. I have no desire for my elite soldiers to behave like idiots when facing an enemy assault. Do you happen to have anyone you could recommend?"

In an instant, Jan understood what Matron Dinavol meant, and he smiled as he gave his reply.

"If the Matron does not mind, I would like to recommend my servant. Although that lady is not a qualified priestess, she was once a House Weapons Master, and I believe she would be very suitable for this job."

Hearing Jan’s reply, Matron Dinavol was silent for a moment. She stared at the bowing Jan, and only after a long time did she reveal a meaningful smile.

"If it is Vierna Do'Urden, I believe she is indeed very well-suited for this position."

Everything proceeded quietly and methodically. The attack by House Xorlarrin would begin in an hour; Matron Dinavol had her own channels for obtaining intelligence. In fact, during this time, many houses were preparing to strike House Dinavol. House Xorlarrin was by no means the first, nor would they be the last, to dare attack. Even if they ultimately failed, as long as Matron Dinavol could not prove that the Goddess had restored her favor, one could easily imagine the constant stream of attacks she would inevitably face.

All the drow combatants were assigned to their respective posts, but for one person, she clearly did not wish to accept this task.

"I can't believe it. I finally returned to Menzoberranzan, only to have to go through this damn trouble again."

While waving her longsword and shouting orders to a squad of drow to prepare their defenses, Vierna glared at Jan in irritation. Jan, however, paid her complaints no heed. He was currently standing by the wall, admiring a mural. In it, a group of drow were cutting open the belly of a surface elf to offer her heart to Lolth. The desperate, twisted struggle of the surface elf stood in stark, aesthetic contrast to the quiet and peace brought by the spider descending upon her—a clear demonstration that the artistic sensibilities of the drow were not much inferior to those of their surface kin.

"Relax, you always have to face it, Vierna. Look on the bright side; this victory will help you put your past nightmares behind you."

"The greatest nightmare for me is this city itself."

Vierna glared fiercely at Jan, but she knew well that it would be unwise to defy Matron Dinavol’s will now. Faced with her complaining, Jan simply shrugged.

"Don't worry, you will have your chance."

The attack came earlier than expected.

When the black mist, characteristic of the drow, shrouded the windows of the stalactite tower of House Dinavol, it was twenty minutes earlier than the time Matron Dinavol had been given. However, this did not catch anyone off guard; intelligence was never infallible, especially not in the world of the drow.

Adamantine railings were twisted by mysterious, powerful forces. Slaves surged forward, using their own bodies as tools to clear the traps of House Dinavol. Under the barrage of toxic gas, sharp spikes, and arrows, hundreds of goblin slaves fell in the first wave, but more followed, trampling over their corpses to charge forward. Gasping for breath, fueled by the joy and anticipation of battle, they smashed open the gates of House Dinavol.

But to everyone’s surprise, in front of these slaves, there were no countless traps or drow warriors ready to reap lives with crossbows. Standing in the center of the vast circular hall was only one drow—or, to be precise, one "legendary" drow.

"I actually hadn't intended to do this myself."

Watching the goblin slaves, Jan sighed softly. He then gripped his silver staff and struck it heavily against the floor.

The next moment, brilliant thunder extended from the ground in a fan shape, mercilessly engulfing everything in its path. Hundreds of flickering bolts of lightning formed a massive kill zone, and the intense flash of light made the pitch-black Menzoberranzan look as bright as day. The slaves caught within it were incinerated before they could even attempt to resist. The overwhelming lightning surged out through the shattered doorway like a broken dam, striking the drow soldiers behind.

A priestess raised her snake-headed whip in desperation, praying for Lolth’s blessing and protection, but before she could receive an answer, a bolt of thunder struck her squarely. The divine aura protecting her was as fragile as paper before this lightning. In an instant, her sturdy defenses vanished into ash, and the drow truly became a pile of "dark" drow.

This display of nature’s power caused the attackers' momentum to stall for a moment. But then, accompanied by shrill whistles, plumes of black mist erupted, completely shrouding the entire hall.

Following that, hundreds of elite warriors charged in, brandishing their fine enchanted weapons, and launched a full-scale assault on House Dinavol.