"Master, are you heading to the City of Lifeforms?"
From behind the door, Niv poked out her little head, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"Master, do you still remember that C56 light-industrial city I conquered before—the one where I brought you four thousand lolis?"
"You don't need to specifically remind me of that," Hel said dryly. "Of course I remember that city. So, what went wrong there?"
At that moment, Hel wanted nothing more than to dig a hole with her toes and hide inside. She wasn't some kind of loli maniac, for heaven's sake—did Niv have to phrase it like that?
"When I took over that city, I managed to seize control of its systems just in time," Niv explained seriously. "That's the only reason it didn't destroy its underground tunnels immediately. But A2—the Ascended Brain that governs the City of Lifeforms—has a higher level of authority than I do.
If we don't capture it the moment we arrive, it might activate the self-destruction protocol for the tunnels. Once that happens, not only will the tunnels collapse, but the exits will also be sealed behind massive gates of aureumsteel. Once that happens, escaping will be nearly impossible.
And it's not just about being trapped. If A2 deems us too dangerous, it could trigger the complete self-destruction of the underground complex. In that case, we'd all be buried alive down there."
Niv's usually playful face was now completely serious, her tone steady and grave.
"So… this time, I must ask Master not to go personally."
"And what about you?" Hel asked.
"I have to go," Niv said firmly. "Someone has to seize control of A2's authority. If not me, who else can do it?"
"In that case," Hel smiled faintly, "I don't see why I shouldn't go either."
"But, Master…"
Before Niv could continue, Hel lifted a finger and gently pressed it against the girl's lips.
"The soul network only covers the Sacrificial Kingdom," Hel said softly. "If A2 is located outside that range, I won't be able to command my undead. And given their… limited intelligence, they're incapable of operating independently."
"But Master could deploy relays along the underground tunnel," Niv suggested quickly. "Even underground, the relays should still transmit over a hundred kilometers. No matter how far the City of Lifeforms is, a few dozen relays should be enough, right?"
"That does make sense," Hel admitted, "but given the speed of the alchemical train, deploying them would be difficult. And I'm not sure if the ley lines underground might interfere with transmission. So to be safe, I'd better go myself."
Despite its steampunk appearance, the alchemical train wasn't powered by steam—it was fueled by elemental crystals. Its speed was comparable to that of the high-speed trains from Hel's previous world.
Installing relays on a moving train like that would be… challenging.
But the real reason Hel wanted to go was that she simply couldn't bear the thought of Niv facing danger alone.
"Don't worry," Hel reassured her with a smile. "Once we're there, I'll set up a safehouse outside the city. Even if the tunnels collapse, I won't be trapped inside. Worst case, it'll just be a free trip abroad.
And if everything goes smoothly, we'll be back in a week—maybe even tomorrow if we're lucky."
"O-okay then…" Niv sighed, realizing she couldn't win this argument.
"Good. Get ready—we'll leave in one hour. I need to give Sebas some orders first."
Hel stepped out of the Undead Space—but as she did, she noticed Nikki, huddled quietly in the corner.
Her lips curved into a mischievous grin.
"There are too many secrets in the Undead Space," she said sweetly. "Can't just leave you lying around here."
Before Nikki could react, Hel grabbed her and tossed her back into the training chamber.
Oddly, Hel couldn't shake the feeling that Nikki didn't seem as resistant to being sent there as before…
After leaving the Undead Space, Hel sent a message to Sebas, informing him she'd be gone for a few days.
He immediately replied with a link request.
When Hel entered the blank virtual space, Sebas hurried over before she could even sit down.
"Master, you've finally finished your seclusion!" he exclaimed.
"Mhm. What's going on?" Hel asked.
"It's about the supply convoys," Sebas explained. "Since the Mandrake Pass was cut off, the teams we sent to buy grain have been trapped in the Sacrificial Kingdom.
If they want to return, they'll have to detour through the Free Nation. That route is nearly twice as long—and to make matters worse, the Free Nation has increased its tariffs on all goods coming from the Sacrificial Kingdom.
If Heim City continues operating under the old model, the manpower and resource costs will triple."
Hel frowned. Fighting, dissecting corpses, optimizing undead—those were her areas of expertise. But territorial management? That was her weak point.
Still, one of Hel's strengths was that she never tried to "lead experts from the outside." She knew when to delegate.
"What's your plan, then?" she asked.
"I actually started preparing during the winter," Sebas said. "We can organize some of the citizens to farm the Heim Plains outside the city. If war breaks out again, they can retreat back into Heim City in advance.
As for the villages destroyed by the Beastmen—I plan to rebuild them once the situation stabilizes."
"Fine. Do as you see fit."
"One more thing, Master," Sebas continued. "Now that the Beastmen have retreated, the Mandrake Principality is finally settling down.
Foreign merchants have started flooding in, seeing opportunities. Should we lift Heim City's lockdown and allow them entry?"
"Merchants, huh?" Hel considered. "Until the Heim Chamber of Commerce returns, yes—we do need them.
Let them in, but keep a close watch on the markets. Don't let them inflate prices or buy up essential supplies."
"Understood, Master."
"Oh, and if you spot any caravans from Mandrake City, pay close attention. There may be spies among them. If you identify any, don't expose them—feed them false information instead.
Didn't Witt say he was giving Brenda some trouble? Contact him—he'll know what to do."
"Yes, Master."
—
Meanwhile, as Hel and Sebas discussed Brenda, the woman herself hadn't slept properly for days.
"Those damned peasants! Do they really think I'm someone they can push around?!"
Brenda ripped open the curtains and glared down from her castle window at the crowd gathering in the square below.
Merchants, farmers, craftsmen—and even a few minor nobles—all shouting in unison for one thing:
To drive Brenda from power and restore the exiled Third Prince.
But Brenda could do nothing. She had no army left—barely any transcenders under her command.
If she still had the strength to slaughter them all, she would've done it already.
Amid the chaos below, a young man in a black coat quietly adjusted his glasses as he watched the angry mob.
Then, without a word, he turned and melted away into the crowd.