Chapter Twenty: Internal Communication

The daughters of the Faher family inherited the distinctive Faher features as well. A bulbous nose, small almond-shaped eyes, and a broad chin—fortunately, their skin wasn’t as coarse, so they were, relatively speaking, barely presentable.

However, Elina was a beauty snob.

It was undeniable that nearly all elf races were exceptionally picky when it came to choosing a mate. High elves valued appearance, wood elves prized physique, and dark elves focused on… skill.

Ancestor elves shared the closest bloodline with the high elves, so Elina naturally could not shake her fixation on looks.

Being around Rein and Dia did little to awaken her obsession with appearances. But being surrounded by Rein’s “fish-faced” sisters forced her to constantly suppress the urge to retch.

“I fully understand your intentions,” the elven princess said, rising gracefully, making a conscious effort to avoid looking at their faces. “Regarding this matter, I will speak to my ‘husband.’”

“That’s good to hear.” The women of the Faher family breathed a sigh of relief, their father’s task finally accomplished. “We don’t mean to meddle in your family affairs, but a place like Salt Island is truly uninhabitable, especially for you high elves.”

They chattered as they left. Frankly, standing next to a stunning beauty like Elina put them under psychological pressure, making them feel ashamed by comparison.

Once those hideous sisters-in-law had gone, Elina fell silent for a long while, realizing that “pretending to be Rein’s wife” had already brought her considerable trouble and distress.

She could no longer stay silent and resolved to confront Rein.

Rein was seated comfortably on the balcony, leisurely enjoying his dessert while gazing out at the distant sea.

Dia poured tea beside him, eyes fixed on the honey nut cookies on his plate, swallowing quietly.

Rein pretended not to notice her craving and silently finished all the cookies.

Glancing at the forlorn Dia, Elina spoke bluntly: “Someone doesn’t want you to go to Salt Island.”

“Who?” Rein asked.

“Unknown,” Elina replied coolly. “They’re sending people to persuade me.”

“You can just ignore them.”

“If pushed to the limit, I’ll take action.”

Rein pondered briefly.

If Elina fought with someone in the family, throwing punches, it wouldn’t disrupt his plans, but it would cause unnecessary trouble.

“The fiefdom procedures are complete. We’ll depart for Salt Island this afternoon; they won’t have another chance to bother you,” Rein said slowly.

“No, that’s not enough,” Elina shook her head.

“What do you want?”

“I want to know why you chose Salt Island.”

“What will you offer in exchange for the answer? Sorry, I don’t think you have a bargaining chip that interests me.”

Elina remained silent, quietly staring at Rein.

Dia stared blankly at them, then suddenly stepped between them, shouting: “Stop fighting! Just talk it out!”

“We’re not fighting, just negotiating,” Rein said gently. “Elina, our relationship isn’t close enough for me to open up to you. You know that yourself.”

“To get information from me, you have to pay the corresponding price.”

“Fine,” Elina nodded. “I’ll pay with a favor.”

“Is your favor valuable to me?” Rein asked arrogantly, raising an eyebrow.

“It can make me willingly do something for you,” Elina replied.

Rein tapped the table thoughtfully.

The Mind Cage controlled Elina absolutely. Even if she was forced to do something she detested, she could not resist.

For example, since Rein ordered her to “pretend to be his wife,” Elina could never deny to anyone that she was his wife, as that would conflict with the order.

Yet, every rule had its loopholes. For instance, when asked about Rein, Elina could intentionally give vague answers, arousing suspicion. This was “poor acting,” but did not violate Rein’s Mind Cage commands.

If Elina could not cooperate sincerely, the only way would be to issue extremely detailed, airtight commands through the Mind Cage to close every loophole—but Rein would never choose that.

Why would an undead necromancer waste every day outsmarting his own resurrected servant? Where’s the dignity in that?

“Okay,” he smiled. “So, we’ve established an initial cooperative relationship?”

“You could say that,” Elina said coldly.

Until she found a way to break the Mind Cage, limited cooperation was the best strategy for what lay ahead.

“How dull,” Dia suddenly said. “Rein, why do you have to use benefits to make us work for you? Can’t we just be friends?”

“Have you developed feelings for me?” Rein frowned, puzzled.

“No!” Dia snapped, as if stung, flustered. “How could I? We’ve only just met!”

“Precisely because our feelings aren’t deep,” Rein said with an exasperated look, “we have to use benefits to cooperate.”

“That’s not true,” Dia insisted stubbornly. “If you sincerely asked me, I’d consider helping. That’s how normal friendships and mutual benefit work.”

“I don’t need your ‘consideration,’” Rein said firmly. “I only need your obedience.”

“If you keep this up, the day you can’t offer benefits, we’ll leave you without hesitation!” Dia shouted. “Benefits will never buy true loyalty!”

“You just reminded me,” Rein chuckled darkly. “Looks like I’ll have to find a way to make you sign a lifelong maid contract so you can’t betray me later.”

Dia clutched the tray tightly against her chest, as if using it as a shield.

“That’s enough, Dia,” Elina said gently. “Thank you for speaking for me.”

She turned back to Rein and asked, “Tell me: Did you choose Salt Island as your fiefdom to settle the exiled lizardfolk from the Rainforest Peninsula?”

Dia’s eyes widened in disbelief: “Ah, what? So it’s for me?”

“Salt Island has no land connection to the continent, and the wights can’t swim,” Elina analyzed. “The downside is the island’s harsh environment and dependence on Sea Rock City for supplies.”

“But if you have a large population of lizardfolk, skilled in swimming, resilient, and proficient in fishing, those disadvantages can be minimized. If you can eventually control the Faher family’s fleet, Salt Island could become the last stronghold against the wights.”

“You make a lot of sense,” Rein said slowly. “But if that was all, I wouldn’t have chosen such a broken place.”

“The Jewel Archipelago, with its warm climate, abundant resources, and greater distance from the mainland, is the best refuge from the wights.”

“That’s exactly what puzzles me,” Elina said coolly. “Answer my question.”

“There are many reasons for choosing Salt Island,” Rein said, lowering his voice after a pause. “But the main, direct reason is that according to my intelligence, an ancient hero who fought the wights died on Salt Island.”

“Who?” Elina frowned.

“You know this person,” Rein smiled slightly. “The Rose Queen, remember?”