Chapter 108: The Slowly Crumbling Foundation

Matron Dinafor was not in a good mood.

She had just returned from the Council, having witnessed the dark elves' "justice" served upon House H'Naet. According to drow tradition, any house that fails in an attack is charged with murder and meets a swift, decisive end. The nobles of House H'Naet had been entirely slaughtered, including the infants born but days before. Hearing the agonizing screams of House H'Naet’s members during their execution brought Matron Dinafor a sense of satisfaction, yet, contrary to her expectations, she had been unable to claim the house's remaining members, including the commoners and slaves. Matron Baenre had "captured" the last two priestesses of House H'Naet and put the others up for auction instead of handing them over as compensation to her, the "victim." This left Matron Dinafor deeply dissatisfied.

However, Matron Baenre’s explanation had left her speechless—thus far, there was no sign that Lolth was willing to grant House Dinafor sufficient favor again. She had to find a way to please the Spider Queen, or the status of House Dinafor would remain precariously balanced on the edge of a blade.

But Matron Dinafor knew this was merely an excuse. The history of the dark elves was long, far longer than the time the Spider Queen had bestowed her blessings upon them. In truth, many years ago, during that great war, quite a few ancient houses had been reluctant to seek refuge under the Spider Queen’s protection. Most of them possessed ancient legacies and mysterious, unique powers—such as the Third House. It was an open secret in Menzoberranzan that Matron Zine was not favored by Lolth, yet they possessed a unique psionic power that allowed them to maintain formidable combat strength even without the Queen’s favor. Not a single house, including Baenre, dared to refuse their demands. They remained one of the pillars of the Council, a fact that had never changed.

When it all came down to it, the loss of her own power was the crux of the matter.

Matron Dinafor did not know how to win back Lolth's favor. She knew the safest solution was to admit and shoulder her own mistakes, but for a dark elf, that was no different from death.

Just then, Maya walked into the audience chamber. Watching her youngest daughter, Matron Dinafor could not help but heave a complicated sigh. If Maya had been born a hundred years earlier, this daughter with her unique talents would surely have become her most powerful right hand. Yet, Matron Dinafor also knew that if she hadn't been born a century later, the person sitting in this seat certainly would not be herself.

Soon, however, Matron Dinafor withdrew her thoughts. For her, the most important thing now was how to reclaim the glory of House Dinafor—a task that was, to her, a thorniest of problems.

And while the dark elf matron and her wicked daughters discussed how to save their house, Jan was standing in the hollow beneath the thick rock layers at their feet, intently watching everything before him.

The sound of rhythmic striking echoed through the vast void, clear and sharp. Goblins brandished their pickaxes, rapidly carving away dirt and stone to hollow out massive caverns. To Jan, however, it looked more like Swiss cheese. Looking out, he could see many thick stone pillars, but their only purpose here was to prevent the cavern from collapsing. Beyond that, they served no other function.

"Everything is proceeding smoothly."

Standing beside him, Ilis spoke with a radiant expression. She glanced at Jan and offered a faint smile.

"But we still need time, Master. We do not have enough goblins, and this is delicate work."

"Of course."

Hearing Ilis's reply, Jan nodded. He could feel the trust and adoration in her gaze. If in the past Ilis had felt more awe toward him, then now, with the passage of time and Jan's subtle designs, she had gradually become immersed in the trust and affection he cultivated. Nothing bridged the distance between two strangers faster than a shared enemy. Jan had led Ilis to slaughter goblins and defeat humans; now, they were working together to destroy these pathetic dark elves. These common enemies had gradually dismantled Ilis's defenses, leaving her feeling deeply content.

Jan was indeed orchestrating a grand plan.

In truth, the moment he learned that Lolth was spying on something within his territory, Jan had decided to teach this mother spider a lesson she would not soon forget. Of course, with his current strength, if he were to summon Enoa, Patilina, and Ilis, along with his Xenomorph army and the banshees to launch an attack on Menzoberranzan, turning this pearl of the dark elves into a ruin would be no problem at all. However, Jan did not intend to do that. A unified enemy would cause the dark elves to band together, temporarily setting aside their house feuds to focus on a single goal. That would only strengthen the Spider Queen’s power rather than weaken it. Thus, Jan quickly made another decision.

He was going to destroy all of Menzoberranzan.

The plan was simple: utilizing the Dungeon System, Jan could easily excavate a massive void beneath the city. He only needed to trigger a total collapse of this void at the right moment, and Menzoberranzan would be finished.

It sounded simple, but it was far from easy. Menzoberranzan was a city of dark elves, with twenty thousand residents. Digging a pit deep enough to bury them all was not just a matter of determination and perseverance; it involved complex architectural challenges. Fortunately, Bix was quite experienced in this. She and Ilis had formed a tacit understanding: Bix directed the goblins to hollow out the area under the city, leaving only those thick pillars to support the weight of Menzoberranzan. Ilis, in turn, embedded her unique runic spells into these supports. When the time was ripe, she would detonate the runes. When those pillars collapsed, the fate of Menzoberranzan would be sealed.

Of course, Jan had the confidence to do this because he had the means.

After killing Gustav, Jan’s dungeon had finally reached level four, and with it, he gained two brand-new structures. Thinking of this, Jan reached out, tapped the air to open the system information panel, and the full overview of his dungeon appeared before him.

[Dungeon Construction System]
[Lord: Jan]
[Level: 4]
[Development Progress: 542/50000]
[Dungeon Resources: Ore (2100), Mercury (1700), Gems (1030), Crystals (2850)]
[Special Resources: Sulfur (280), Wood (3)]
[Subordinates: 35]
[Structures Owned: Dungeon Heart, Study, Bedroom, Lair, Black Stone Watchtower, Prison, Dark Temple, Forge, Grand Library, Training Grounds]
[Dungeon Level Upgraded to Four]
[New Building Blueprints Obtained]
[Blueprint: Portal of Teleportation (Life requires spontaneous journeys; just grab your backpack, and you can reach anywhere you desire through this door. Of course, we also offer some necessary perks to loyal customers; after all, nothing is more relaxing and delightful than stepping through a portal into the bathroom of a girl who is currently bathing.) — Teleportation Trait]
[Blueprint: War Chess Room (The world itself is a giant sandbox, with heaven and earth forming the two poles of the game, and all life merely pieces on the board. When you master the pieces, you gain supreme power and status.) — Battlefield Mastery]

For Jan, both structures were immensely useful. The Portal of Teleportation could establish a connection between himself and the dungeon, allowing him to return with a single thought. The War Chess Room offered even more: once inside, Jan could designate an area within his dungeon's domain as a battlefield. The sandbox would then faithfully recreate everything in that region, displaying both enemy and friendly forces as pieces. Jan only needed to sit in the room and crush those pieces, and the beings they represented would perish under his powerful mental magic. Naturally, this required significant magical support, but it was a great way to sweep aside fodder.

After reviewing the system information, Jan reached out and tapped the Portal of Teleportation. Immediately, a system prompt appeared.

[Construct Portal of Teleportation, Cost — Ore (300), Mercury (200), Gems (150), Crystals (200)]

Build.

Jan nodded slightly and reached out, pointing his finger toward a corner at the edge of the hollow.

A bright radiance shot from his fingertip, striking the flat ground. The earth began to tremble, and an oval portal made entirely of obsidian rose up, standing silently. Beneath it were smooth steps, and in the center of the oval, Jan saw only ethereal darkness.

A flash of magical light flickered, condensing in the air. The center of the portal began to swirl, as if the brilliance of a galaxy were gathering within that void. A moment later, Enoa’s figure emerged. Sensing Jan and Ilis’s gazes, Enoa blinked, then approached them with her usual smile.

"How are things, Enoa?" Jan asked his adjutant.

Enoa nodded. "Everything is going well. The dungeon side is very quiet; those foolish humans are stalled by their own troubles, and they have made no moves thus far."

As she spoke, she handed over a piece of parchment. Jan scanned the contents and nodded in satisfaction. Just as he had anticipated, representatives of the Temple of the Holy Light had arrived, and they were caught in endless bickering. The Duchy of Valkyrie was demanding that the Temple of the God of War hand him over, but Jan was already gone and would not be returning anytime soon. This had left the Duchy, now lacking a target, exceptionally furious, and they were demanding that the Temple take responsibility. The Temple, however, clearly had no intention of letting itself be crushed by the Duchy so easily.

"Ignore them for now." Jan tucked the parchment away and gave his instructions. "We just need to do our own work... At least for the short term, they will not be a threat to us."

Hearing this, Enoa blinked curiously. "And the dark elves, Master?"

Facing Enoa’s inquiry, Jan’s lips curled into a smug smile.

"Very soon, they will no longer be a threat to us either."

He then added, "Everything is proceeding exactly as planned."