Chapter 593 Undead Queen
"Let's see, out of all the current queens, gods and such, we need to find the weakest ones who have a grudge with one another. We then need to get them to fight each other to the death so that we can get the chance to attack one of their anchors. Got anyone in mind?" Shiro asked as her older self nodded her head.
"I know of 4 queens that are fighting. One of which is the Dragon Empress and let's just say we don't want to get onto her radar just yet. The other three are The Lighting Queen, The Undead Queen and The Giant Queen. The Dragon Empress and The Giant Queen are fighting one another while there seemed to be something brewing between The Lightning Queen and The Undead Queen, they haven't started fighting yet but so far, if we want to get a piece of the anchor point, the best choice would probably be this one since they're the weaker party." The older Shiro explained as Shiro nodded her head.
"Between The Lightning Queen and The Undead Queen, which one is weaker?" Shiro asked.
"Probably The Undead Queen if I have to be honest. However, I'd much prefer it if we go after The Lightning Queen."
"Eh? How come? Wouldn't it be easier for us to target the weaker one?" Shiro raised her eyebrow.
"Yes that is easier but The Undead Queen is quite friendly you know? I wouldn't say I'm friends with her but I wouldn't count her as an enemy." Her older self shook her head while getting some more juice.
"It'll probably be better if I show you her kingdom or rather, domain. You can see why I say she's quite friendly when you look at her residents."
Standing up, the older Shiro dismissed the computers and picked Shiro up.
"We'll make our way to her kingdom now ok?"
"Wait, right now?" Shiro widened her eyes.
"Yes right now. Don't worry, it's completely safe." Walking out of the house, the older Shiro closed her eyes for a moment before opening a portal.
Stepping through the portal, Shiro was immediately hit in the face with a rather pleasant smell. It was calming and soothing to the mind.
"Welcome to The Undead Queen's main domain. Haven of the dead." The older Shiro introduced with a smile.
Looking around her, Shiro could see people of all races interacting with each other. Some of them were undead but they looked rather normal apart from the pale skin and slightly sunken eyes.
The buildings surrounding them were quite beautiful with flower pots on the balconies. The pavement on the streets were well maintained as the red sky gave the pavement a slight red hue but it wasn't too bad. Overall, it looked surprisingly peaceful despite the haunting red sky which symbolised the new age.
"The Undead Queen, Misu, revives those that died as collateral damage and reunites them with their families. She provides a safe home for them from this new age and keeps them safe. Of course, this is all done with consent since she can talk to souls. Don't worry though, I made it so that she can't see our souls otherwise it might be a little awkward to see a younger version of myself in my daughter." The older Shiro laughed.
With the older Shiro's appearances, a few of the civilians gave her a wave.
"Ah it's Shiro, haven't seen you in a while." One of the food vendors called out with a smile.
"Mr Tarm, it has indeed been a while. You know how it is with the new age." The older Shiro chuckled as the man named Tarm nodded his head.
"True true. How's little Yin by the way? Is she still eating a lot?" He asked with a smile.
"Naturally, it's Yin after all. Though she has been cooking more often now so that she won't have to trouble everyone else. Her appetite is quite strong no?"
"Mn mn, that's definitely true. I don't think there's anyone else who has an appetite that's comparable to her's. Anyways, what brings you here?" He asked.
"Just bringing my third daughter around to look at the scenery. Can't have her cooped up all day everyday now can I?"
"I see. Tension's a bit high but most of the places should still be open. Hopefully, nothing serious happens since this is probably one of the rarer places in this world." Tarm sighed.
"There aren't many that are like Misu after all."
"Benevolence is rare with everyone trying to kill each other after all."
"Anyways, I should get going now, say hi to your family for me ok?" The older Shiro waved her hand before walking away.
"This place seems nice. A lot of the families here are genuinely happy." Shiro muttered while looking around the area.
"Of course. Despite her title, Misu isn't all gloom and doom. She chose to become a master of the undead arts due to the sadness she sees in people from people losing their loved ones. Whether it's from a bandit raid, a monster horde or just an accident, as long as they bring a piece of their loved ones to Misu, she'll try her best at reviving them after communicating with their souls. A mother who has lost her son to an illness got him back at full health. They now spend their time in this city living a happy life. A child who lost her parents from a monster horde got her family back. You can find all sorts of stories like this throughout the city since bringing them happiness is Misu's main goal. That's why her strength is on the weaker side. She doesn't spend her time finding powerful warriors nor does she spend her time cultivating a powerful army. She spends it reuniting people with their loved ones."
"So why does The Lightning Queen want to fight her then?" Shiro furrowed her brows.
"Because lightning cleanses the undead. To her eyes, people that died should stay dead and the living should respect their passing. What Misu is doing is heresy to her eyes hence why tension is brewing between them. The Lightning Queen doesn't know that Misu only revives them after respecting their wishes. Sometimes a person wants to stay dead despite their family's wishes and if the family can't persuade the person, Misu will respect their wishes and return them to the grave. I suppose it's just a conflict of ideology in the end and let's just say The Lightning Queen is a bit hot headed."
"It's unfortunate that you're not friends with Misu. If you were, do you think she'd let you take a piece of the anchor?" Shiro asked.
"F*ck no. Her anchors are important since it allows her to set up safe cities like this one. Taking a piece would just ruin the city since her powers would fade and the revived would die once more." The older Shiro shook her head.
"I see…"
Walking around the city, the two spent a few hours observing the citizens and saw what the city was like. And Shiro had to admit, it seemed like a nice place to live in. With how the new age was, a place like this was highly sought after.
Buying herself some juice, the older Shiro sat down on one of the park benches.
"Do you want to meet her?" She asked while taking a sip.
"Meet who?"
"Misu."
"Wait what?" Shiro raised her eyebrow. She didn't expect that they could just meet a queen like this.
"I said that we're not friends but not enemies either. It's like a business relationship between us. I have helped her in the past so she sees me in a rather positive light. A meeting or two shouldn't be hard." The older Shiro explained.
"Though I suppose the only reason as to why we're not friends is that she's quite annoyed by my actions against my enemy's souls. I can cause them eternal suffering with my sword after all and she doesn't like that. However, she respects that I won't mind helping souls out as long as they're not my enemies hence why we're like business partners."
"Hou… Sure. I'm interested in what Misu is like in person." Shiro nodded.
"Alright. She should be free in about 30 minutes so we'll walk to her home." The older Shiro said while looking at her phone. Picking Shiro up, she started to walk towards the north of the city.
In the distance, Shiro could see a rather well designed mansion sitting on top of a small hill. Compared to what she had imagined, this was rather surprising.
None of the material used gave her a sense of dread but rather, it gave her a sense of welcome. Like anyone could come to the mansion and talk to the queen. There were no creepy ornaments as everything was kept rather simple. Overall, it didn't seem like a house belonging to someone called The Undead Queen.
"Right then, she should be finished around now so let's go meet Misu. I'll do the talking since my 5 year old daughter does not have such an expansive vocabulary." The older Shiro chuckled before removing her necklace.
Rolling her eyes, Shiro stayed silent as they entered the mansion.