Elves were a major intelligent race in the World of the
Under the patronage of the elven deities, most of these elves enjoyed excellent lives. Their extraordinary innate talents and vast lifespans meant that many had achieved remarkable mastery in the arts.
Of course, elven slaves were also the most sought-after commodity. Even after the elves issued repeated warnings and protests — even after bloody conflicts erupted — all it did was drive the price of elven slaves even higher, luring wave after wave of daring adventurers.
Compared to pure-blooded elves, half-elf hybrids were far more common. Yet they still inherited the beauty and elegance of their elven bloodline, making them exceptionally striking in appearance. This, in turn, had become the root cause of certain disasters.
It was hardly unusual to find half-elf courtesans working in the Port of Pirates, but Leilin's expression shifted ever so slightly when he saw her.
"What's your name?"
"I'm
"You can tell I haven't been in this line of work long. How much for one night?"
Leilin asked bluntly.
The humiliation made Karen grit her teeth for an instant, but she quickly reined it in and produced a piteously beautiful smile. "One Danbres gold coin…"
The price was rather steep, but Leilin nodded. "A fair price, especially for a half-drow…"
The moment the word "half-drow" left his lips, Karen reacted like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on — she practically exploded.
"How did you know that?"
Karen blurted out, then immediately clamped a hand over her mouth, realizing she had just confirmed it herself.
"The color of your pupils. You used a tinting agent, but it won't fool me. Then there's the proportions of your ears — 12.4% longer than the typical hybrid, with a slightly concave curve…" Leilin calmly pointed out several of her tells. His razor-sharp observation skills made Karen instinctively take several steps back.
A faint smile played at Leilin's lips as he reviewed Karen's data: [Name: Karen — Fifth-Rank Assassin — Race: Half-Drow — Strength: 1 (3) — Agility: 2 (5) — Constitution: 0.5 (2) — Spirit: 3 — Innate Talents: 1. Darkvision: Drow possess the ability to see in total darkness. 2. Shadow Sensitivity: Drow have extremely keen perception of dark-attuned energy particles, granting them a natural aptitude for assassination and thievery. — Status: Afflicted by an unidentified toxin; Strength reduced, Constitution and Agility declining!]
Her physical data gave Leilin a mild surprise. Karen actually possessed fifth-rank assassin abilities, yet she seemed to have been controlled by some kind of toxin, rendering most of her powers useless.
But it was clear that whoever was pulling the strings behind the scenes regarded Karen as nothing more than an ordinary half-elf — otherwise, they would never have sent her here.
Could he possibly have been sent here to assassinate me?
Leilin smiled faintly. A fifth-rank assassin like her couldn't even lay a finger on me.
"Aren't Drow supposed to live underground? How did you end up here? And doing this kind of work?"
The Drow were an offshoot of the Elves, said to be drawn to darkness. They awakened the dark nature within their bloodline, becoming exceptionally cruel, favoring violence, and craving bloodshed and chaos. They split from the main Elven race and migrated underground en masse.
In some rumors, their natural talent in certain arts could bring any man to the brink of ecstasy, rivaling succubi and cambions.
And because Drow were so rare overseas, each one—even a half-Drow—commanded an astonishingly high price as a slave.
"I am indeed a half-Drow. I migrated out from the underground with my clan, but we were separated during an attack... When I woke up, I was on a merchant ship, and then we were attacked by barbarian pirates..."
A certain magic seemed to reside in Leilin's eyes, causing Karen to involuntarily recount her experiences.
"No wonder... A half-Drow doesn't differ much from a half-Elf. Without specialized study, one could never tell. And she, a fifth-rank assassin, had no real power against an entire barbarian pirate crew, let alone while under the effects of a toxin. Of course, her assassin's skills at disguise also allowed her to deceive the others, who truly believed her to be just a half-Elf..."
A look of realization dawned in Leilin's eyes. "And then you fell under their control, working as a maidservant?"
"Yes..."
Karen nodded. Suddenly, a glimmer of hope shone in her eyes. She dropped to her knees abruptly, looking up at Leilin. "Sir! Please, I beg you, rescue me from this hellhole!"
"Rescue you?"
A wicked smile played on Leilin's lips as he sat down directly. "Why should I rescue you? Give me one good reason!"
Even Leilin had to admit she was a rare beauty. Especially those eyes that seemed to hold ripples of water, carrying a unique natural charm that naturally evoked a sense of fondness.
Her status as a half-Drow also lent her a hidden, wild allure.
"I..." Karen bit her lip. "I am a fifth-rank assassin. If you can rescue me, I swear on the name of the
The Dark Maiden was a deity leaning towards good, utterly at odds with the gods worshipped by other Drow. If Karen's faith was indeed in this goddess, it was entirely possible she had been forced to leave the underground.
"Why go to such lengths? Couldn't you have saved up wealth to buy your own freedom?"
Judging from her appearance, though a bit stiff, this clearly wasn't her first time doing this kind of work. In fact, for a half-Drow, this life might not have been entirely unbearable. Leilin couldn't fathom why she would need to pay such a high price just to gain her freedom.
"Could it be that their asking price is very high?"
"No!" A sorrowful yet beautiful smile touched Karen's lips. "They won't let me go. As a slave, I have no right to buy my own freedom. Even after I'm no longer fit to serve as a maid, those barbarians will offer me up as a sacrifice to their gods..."
As barbarians, they clung to certain bloody and violent rituals. Leylin could understand that much.
Judging by Karen's appearance, she had likely witnessed such things more than once, which was why she had completely abandoned any hope of escape on her own and was now pleading for Leylin's help.
After all, the man carried an air of nobility about him. Karen could be certain he was not a common pirate.
Even when seeking help, choosing the wrong person could lead to an outcome even more wretched than her current situation.
From the very first moment she laid eyes on Leylin, Karen had sensed that this human was different from the other pirates. At the very least, there was a chance he might deal fairly.
In the Port of Pirates, those who could be counted on for that were fewer than the fingers on one hand.
So, once Leylin had revealed his identity, Karen had immediately swallowed her pride and begged for help — she had even gone so far as to swear an oath of servitude.
"He's still just a young man. If I can bewitch him..." There was a faint glimmer of hope in Karen's eyes.
As a half-Drow, she needed no lessons in how to handle males — it was instinct.
Though Leylin didn't look like the type to be easily charmed, she was more than willing to try.
At that thought, a trace of warmth rose from the depths of Karen's heart, bringing a flush to her cheeks that made her appear even more alluring.
"A fifth-tier assassin?" Leylin pretended to deliberate, putting on a troubled expression that immediately put Karen on edge.
The entire room fell into absolute silence. The only sounds were the tapping of Leylin's fingers against the tabletop and Karen's slightly labored breathing.
"You... do you have any knowledge of seafaring?"
After a long pause, Leylin finally ceased his deliberation and posed his question.
"Seafaring?" Karen was stunned. She had fully expected Leylin to make some outrageous demand, and had steeled herself to deploy every wile at her disposal to ensnare him. She never imagined he would ask something so completely unrelated.
"Yes! I'm a pirate captain! Even if I'm taking on crew, I need to find someone who's actually a sailor or something of the sort..."
Leylin spread his hands with an air of helplessness, a hint of amusement gleaming in his eyes. It told Karen in no uncertain terms that he had seen through every one of her intentions.
"I... I don't really know how, but I can work hard to learn. Please, sir..."
Karen stepped forward and tried to grab Leylin's legs, but he nimbly sidestepped her.
"Well then... it seems you're not of much use to me," Leylin's voice came from somewhere beside her, and Karen's heart sank like a stone.
"However, since you are a drow and have lived in the Underdark, you do have at least a little value..."
Leylin's words then reached Karen's ears, and a sliver of hope rekindled within her.
"Tell me, Karen! Are you willing to be a hidden blade in my service, to clear my enemies from my path and drink deep of their blood?"
An invisible hand lifted Karen's chin, her eyes widening slightly. "Mage Hand! You're a mage!!!"
Such a prestigious figure had come to a pirate port of ill-gotten goods—she didn't know for what reason, but Karen saw her chance!
"I swear it! In the name of the Dark Maiden, I will become the sharpest dagger in your hand!"
Karen knelt down reverently and made a strange gesture.
"Good."
Leylin nodded. He had indeed taken notice of her identity as an assassin and half-drow.
After all, right now he was genuinely lacking an organization for covert intelligence gathering and carrying out assassinations.
Since she had once lived in the Underdark, she surely had decent knowledge and experience when it came to torture, interrogation, and even assassination. On top of that, she was a fifth-ranked professional assassin—good enough as a start for the time being.