"So that was what they called an elemental. Quite a small one, isn't it Ymir?"

"Yes, Empress."

The two were patiently waiting for a signal from Meridiana. Normally, the couple should have reached Archet and began to search for the cult, with the help of the brainwashed ratman. Looking at the sun high up in the sky, they would need to wait a few hours for the night to come. And since they had received nothing, it meant that the first night was a failure. Leilade was a bit disappointed, even if it was highly plausible.

As for the creature that was smashed under the heavy foot of the Ak?l, from now on, it looked nothing like an elemental. Previously, its shape vaguely humanoid and his height so small that a dwarf could even be taller were the proves that it was a young one. The content of its body was already reclaimed by the liches following her. And the few remains were quickly absorbed by the rampant darkness from her own body.

Since they reached the area where they could find monsters and creatures worthy to be eaten, they have met only a few. They couldn't know, but the previous passage of Ymir created such a mess that everyone with enough power migrated to the North. Now, only some weaker monsters, like the young elementals and the wolves were still present. As for the troll tribes, they were currently on their way to meet them.

Because she had left her spatial bag with Malakov, she couldn't store anything and had to rely on some undead she will have to create as she walked. But that was not really an issue since nothing was worthwhile to spend even an ounce of her mana. Because of their speed, they had already met a few wolves too slow to flee in time. They were now all inside the stomach of Ymir, and probably already dissolved.

The fact that they were not in a hurry allowed the two to roam around a bit and explore some areas where they never went. By doing this, when the liches will return to the base, the holographic map will be updated. They still had to send a few of them more toward the South, and maybe even invade the undead Kingdom of Pankow. With a bit of luck, the inhabitants of that nation will not attack them on sight, but it was hard to predict. Like for the humans, two undead were not necessarily friends or allies.

Those days, they discovered a few caverns where many dead skins could have been found. Those were most of the time the scales discarded by a dragon that grew up. Because it was a new world, they were unsure whether it was a dragon, a drake, a wyvern or anything else related to a dragon. Because it seemed to not be very large, barely two times the size of Ymir, Leilade opted for a drake. Those skins were eaten on several parts, meaning that something was brave enough to enter the cavern and seek it.

One should know that even the dead scales contained an immense quantity of mana and other nutrients. The horrible taste and the inner pride of any one part of the draconic species were the two reasons why no dragon ever lowered themselves to eat their previous skin. But that didn't prevent other monsters to be that wasteful, and many creatures had evolved and transcended the limits of their own race by swallowing those dead parts. Of course, eating the corpse of a drake would be better, but that didn't happen as much as a drake discarding his own skin.

Of course, that was also the case for Leilade. The meters and meters of scales were slowly absorbed, leaving not a single one behind. As they entered deeper those caverns, sometimes they found a dead carcass of a wolf, sometimes some strange stones glowing with a blue light. Examining the later, Leilade discovered a good amount of mana inside them. As from where they came, she wasn't an oracle. Even when she spread the liches far and wide, they ended up finding nothing. It was probably too late to find any trace of lingering mana in the air.

In the end, by the time they met those trolls, she had managed to finally stop the overall decay of the Vault of Souls. With three tentacles, it was sufficient enough to fend off any threat that this planet could put against her. Besides the Saksa, but since it was way above her, she could only hope that they will never wake up that monster. As for Lucio, she felt that his soul was close to its awakening. It seemed weird to prioritize someone that could make food instead of anything related to war. But when they will have to promote their culture to their new subjects, making a wonderful meal will be quite useful.

At least, that was what the Viscount hammered at the end of their mental discussion. He was doubtful about the success of their plan to frame a cult, but since they never met someone really smart, it could still be done. Of course, it was because it will be their first action inside the Republic of Avenio. If Leilade dared to try to infiltrate the Academy once more, she will be noticed instantly, because they will be on their guard. In that case, she will have to make a lot of efforts, that won't be worth it.

"You will talk with them Ymir. From now on, I am no one, give me your hand." The Ak?l obediently extended his armored hand toward Leilade. Unlike her, he was in a complete set of armor designed for his size. It was not yet the final product and just made out of normal iron, but Malakov insisted on painting it completely black. Facing no objections, Ymir truly looked like a demon coming straight out of a dark dimension, ready to slaughter every living being. Now, he finally looked more terrifying than the statues at the entrance of the base.

She casted a mental connection, making the demon a bit dizzy. If they hadn't touched each other, Ymir would have received a more important shock, that's why she asked for his hand. Only Kardel and he were subject to those drawbacks because they were not capable of manipulating the mana easily. After confirming that the link was strong, the Ak?l released his aura to its maximum.

Even before reaching the gates, they could see the usually proud trolls shuddering and curling up behind their walls. Not even one dared to take a peek at the incoming nightmarish group. They had seen a few days ago the sad fate of the humans they traded with. Even if they were not friends in the strictest of the terms, they had still enjoyed a bountiful partnership. But with the appearance of the demon and his horde of undead, that will probably be canceled.

Seeing this, Ymir couldn't help but sneer at this spectacle. They already proved to him that they were unreliable allies when they didn't even make a move when he captured the members of the White Hand. As for the fact that they didn't talk about their arrangement with the humans, it was not to protect the warriors from Avenio but themselves. Feeling that they will try the politic of the ostrich, he decided to act first.

KRASH

He kicked wide open the reinforced gate, projecting everywhere some shards of wood. To resist the assault of many creatures, the gate was not simply made of wood, but also tightly linked by some pelt skins. But all those preparations were naught in front of absolute power. Instead of even fighting back and trying to attack the giant in armor that stood in the middle of their village, the trolls just slowly backed off.

They were still protecting the children and those that couldn't defend themselves. But not even the bravest hunters left the protective circle to personally injure the monster that threatened them. Before he truly massacred someone, Leilade made sure that the Ak?l knew what to do.

"Ymir, we are here to talk. You can maim, injure or remove a limb, but do not kill."

The demon merely nodded, before beginning to talk in their language. The trolls were all stumbled to hear the familiar language leaving the mouth of their enemy. Two were not surprised by this, but by the fact that suddenly, everyone could converse with them. Normally, only the dark humans were capable of that, but in a month, they had already met two other groups capable of the same deed.

Ymir explained that he was here for .. At that time, after presenting himself and beginning to show off, he stopped and mentally asked Leilade why they were here. He had already been tortured by the fact that he had to learn forcefully that language the same way he learned about the memories of the dead after their arrival. Maybe because of this, he forgot their plan.

"We are here because .. hold up for a second." She terminated the connexion and asked the Viscount why they were here.

(It was not my plan. Davion said that there was a troll tribe, and then, you decided to go. For no reason. I thought that you had at least an idea, but it looks like I was wrong. So, Outlander, you can either make them submit to the rule of Ymir. Or, you can converse with them as allies, even if their pitiful strength will not be very helpful. But, their skeletons would make some fine undead for Malakov.)

Hearing the rant of the soul residing inside her mind, she explained the two choices to Ymir. And asked him to choose. In the end, the unfortunate Ak?l that was not in charge of anything besides killing had to make a vital choice. The worst part was the fact that if he failed to accomplish his task, he knew that Malakov will not let him off for at least a year or so. As for Leilade, she will be displeased, but why did she choose him for that?

Feeling wronged even when he had done nothing bad, Ymir decided to not act like a tyrant. He never had a choice in all the world he fought on, and always had to kill everyone he saw until they surrendered. So, he wanted to see what could happen if he tried to be friendly. The more he talked about the greatness of his rule, the more he noticed that it was efficient. Especially when he said that they will never run out of food.

Hearing this, Leilade had a stiff smile. This was the truth for the five living beings and the horde of undead. But if they had to feed all those trolls, they couldn't do it at all. Of course, Ymir didn't understand that since he never asked for this, but anyone with a brain would have seen that they had no farms or such. Feeling a bit pressured and hating that, she was adamant on not having her reputation fall because she trusted Ymir for one simple thing.

"MALAKOV! I want you to create an underground farm right now. It should be able to feed at least 100 .. 200 .. 500 humans. It is your utmost priority!"

"Yes, Empress. May I ask why?"

"No."

Not wanting to talk about that any longer, she saw that the hunters had already lowered their spears and where looking earnestly at Ymir. Because she was talking with Malakov, she didn't see what happened, and could only ask what the Ak?l had done.

(Not a lot. Strangely, he is extremely efficient at convincing those lowly lifeforms to join him. I think that they are just profoundly and fundamentally dumb. And na?ve. The only reason why they survived is that they are only facing monsters and animals. If someone else besides the White Hand had arrived, he could have swindled them from all their treasures easily. Maybe that Organization felt that they were more useful here, by providing them with rare resources for free, basically. All in all, this mission was doomed to be a success.)