Chapter 252: Teaching A Child How to Act
Ambrose didn't usually make a habit of chatting with his creations.
The slimes he kept at home were mostly left to grow on their own. Undead didn't need feeding, and the mercury constructs would roam about, absorbing metal fragments by themselves. There was no need for him to take care of them.
When they weren't needed, he simply let them quarrel and develop freely.
As for the aberrant skeletons used for labor, he paid even less attention to them. If they broke, they broke. Undead had no emotions anyway.
But Milena seemed... different. Her emotions were far too rich, exceeding that which an undead should possess.
"Could the high-quality materials I used have caused a divergence in her soul?"
Ambrose found this "accident" quite worthy of study. Even if it weren't a requirement from Black Rose, he was more than willing to provide this kind of "after-sales service."
After carefully listening to Milena's experience, Ambrose said, "I more or less understand the situation. So what do you plan to do now? Kill all those drow, or take another form of revenge?"
Milena frowned. She thought for a moment. "I want to find the one behind it all! But... if I could also prove I'm not an idiot, that would be even better."
This was the task that Black Rose had given her: to uncover the mastermind daring to provoke this underground kingdom and eliminate the threat entirely.
Milena kept that mission firmly in mind. Personal pride came second.
Still... if possible, couldn't she take revenge and complete the mission at the same time?
She looked at Ambrose expectantly. Though she had only met him once at the moment of her birth, she had heard countless tales of her father's great achievements over the past few days.
The lich before her looked utterly ordinary, but any of his deeds would have shocked the world.
To name just one, paladins of Lyon had once knelt before him, and Lyon itself had removed him from its wanted list.
And Lyon was her mother's greatest enemy, an immovable colossus that even the full might of the undead kingdom couldn't shake, and a sworn nemesis of all undead.
Black Rose had said more than once that her father was the smartest person in the world. Elves, dwarves, druids—every race had been played in the palm of his hand.
In Milena's eyes, there was nothing her father couldn't solve.
Under her gaze, Ambrose had no choice but to take things seriously.
"Let me think... Finding the mastermind won't be difficult. As for restoring your reputation..." He paused briefly. "I have three plans. See which one you prefer."
"Three plans?"
Milena's eyes widened. It had only been a few seconds. How had he already come up with three solutions?!
"The first plan: I'll directly divine the mastermind's location, capture him, and kill him. The enemy's corpse will serve as proof of your intelligence. That'll be simple and straightforward.
"The second plan is a bit more complicated. I'll set a trap, lure the mastermind in, and kill him. Then, we'll tell everyone it was your idea. That should clear up those annoying rumors."
Before he could finish, Milena shook her head. "But... I'd still be an idiot, wouldn't I? Those are your abilities, Father, not mine."
"I thought you'd say that." Ambrose sighed. "Alright, then we'll go with the most troublesome option. I'll teach you step by step how to defeat your enemies using your own mind. But this will be extremely difficult, and prone to failure. If you do fail, you may never be able to demonstrate your intelligence.
"When you're ready, come find me."
With that, Ambrose left her room.
After parting with Milena, Ambrose was led to Black Rose's side by a maid.
True to her word, more than a dozen mycelids, varying in height, build, color, and even the shape of the fungi growing on them, were kneeling before the two.
These were tribes that had been subdued by Black Rose, or, in their own terminology, circles.
"These are all common mycelids," Black Rose said. "Pick whichever you need. If you have any requirements, tell this death knight."
Mycelids had no vocal organs. They communicated through spores, and any creature implanted with those spores could sense and converse with them.
Naturally, Black Rose had no intention of implanting spores into herself, so a death knight covered in spore dust stood beside her as a translator.
Ambrose nodded and said to the knight, "Ask them which type has the largest population, the weakest individuals, and the widest distribution."
Adventurers were a peculiar breed. They were people who would do anything for money, and just as readily exploit anything for profit. If sent to gather mycelid spores, they would absolutely target the weakest among them.
Wide distribution meant adventurers across the Umbral Depths could encounter them. Large numbers meant a stable supply. Weak strength... that was self-explanatory.
So those were the ideal parameters from which to choose a suitable target.
After the death knight translated the question, three mycelids—red, green, and yellow—stepped forward.
Ambrose approached and scraped some spore powder from each of them, intending to analyze it later.
By the time he finished, Milena had already appeared before him in full armor.
"Father, I'm ready. I'll deal with the mastermind myself!" she declared, her tone firm and full of confidence. To her, Ambrose was omnipotent. With his help, she felt as though she could do anything.
Black Rose couldn't help but remark, "You really do have a way with her. I talked to her for ages with no result. It's almost like she's not my own child."
Ambrose resisted the urge to point out that she wasn't, in fact, her biological child.
If creating something counted as giving birth, he would have had hundreds of thousands of children by now.
But contradicting a client was bad business etiquette. So he changed the subject. "Milena is a newborn, after all. She lacks experience. Don't worry, I'll teach her properly. And I'll solve your problem along the way."
Once he dealt with the mastermind, he was quite confident Black Rose wouldn't charge him for the spore powder. She was, after all, a very generous queen.
It was all the more reason to do a thorough job.
Ambrose walked up to Milena, glanced at her heavy armor, and said, "You can't wear that. Put it away and change into something... shabby. No, into a maid's outfit."
Milena blinked. "Why?"
"Because we're dealing with drow. If we're not using brute force, then we should take a roundabout approach. We'll infiltrate them."
With a snap of his fingers, his undead body immediately transformed into a male drow.
Milena asked no further questions and obediently changed her clothes.
In truth, Ambrose could have altered her appearance with illusion magic alone.
But Milena had asked to be taught, and he would teach her properly. His illusion magic was divine in origin, and far too overpowered. He couldn't simply grant her an undetectable disguise from the start. Instead, he would guide her step by step, teaching her how to make use of everything around her.
So after Milena changed, he didn't alter her appearance directly. Instead, he had Black Rose provide her with a magic ring imbued with Shapeshifting.
Under Ambrose's guidance, Milena transformed into a tall and aloof female drow.
"That's about right. From now on, we'll communicate through our souls."
Ambrose's voice echoed directly in Milena's mind. This required both parties to fully open their souls to each other. This would usually be dangerous but wasn't an issue in this context, since Milena was his creation.
Spiritual communication was faster and more precise.
With this method, they could scheme right in front of the drow without being detected.
"All set. Let's go," Ambrose said.
"Alright, let's!" Milena replied excitedly.
But before she could move, his voice sounded in her mind again. "Stop. You're a drow now, not a princess of this kingdom. Don't look so naïve. Remember your role: you were a palace maid who made a mistake and fled to escape punishment. You're a runaway slave. What should that look like?"
Milena thought hard. The excitement faded from her face, replaced with a dejected expression.
It was a bit forced, and perhaps too deliberate.
Ambrose sighed. This child had no talent for acting.
"Forget it. I knew you wouldn't be good at acting. That's why I made you a drow. As a female drow, you just need to keep a stern expression on your face."
The drow of the Umbral Depths were known for their cruelty, viciousness, and extreme matriarchal hierarchy. Male drow were born as slaves, meant to submit to the female of their kind. This was the divine decree of Loss, the Spider Queen, and was the foundational law of their race.
Ambrose had anticipated Milena's lack of acting ability. That was precisely why he chose this role for her.
This identity would eliminate many complications. As long as she appeared domineering, cruel, and volatile, it would suffice.
Milena listened carefully and adopted a stern expression. This time, it looked much more convincing.
Ambrose nodded. "Good enough. Let's go. Remember, think more and speak less. If you don't understand something, ask me mentally."
Milena lifted her chin and sneered. "Hmph. What right does a lowly man like you have to lecture me?"
Ambrose: "..."
Was this child... actually just being herself?
