Tasman's climate was completely different from Efta, which was on the other side of Gondola Mountain. Although it was only April, the clouds formed a warm and humid air current after hitting the mountain wall. The continuous drizzle made this so-called "land of the dead" full of vitality.
That's right. In terms of the geographical environment, Tasman had enough rain, fertile land, and seemingly endless prey in the forest. There was no lifeless cursed land here, nor were there skeletons and zombies crawling all over the ground. Under the influence of time, nature had healed the wounds caused by the war. In the dull thunder, the rain moistened the land and covered up the traces of the past.
Dusko frowned and looked up at the sky. "There's no end to this …" he cursed.
Although he was an undead, Dusko did not like rain either. Because the rain would cause the weapons to rust and the ground to be slippery, there would be a lot more things to consider during the battle. He grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist and looked around. After confirming that no one was paying attention to him, he knocked on the wooden door in front of him in a certain rhythm.
The leather armor on his body was soaked by the rain, and the mottled traces showed that this undead had fought many battles. There was also an obvious scar on the right side of his cheek, which seemed to have been slashed by a sword. Now, there were only traces of hemp thread stitching. The cut tissue was only beginning to fuse, and there was no sign of healing.
After all … he was already an undead.
Dusko sighed inwardly and reached out to wipe away the rainwater dripping on his forehead. Tasman's rainy season was different from that of the Nehemiah Steppe. After the snow melted in March, it would rain continuously until October, when the weather gradually turned cold. There would not be any heavy rain during this period, but the occasional drizzle that lasted for three to five days always made people feel uncomfortable. But for Dusko, this kind of day had repeated countless times in the forty-eight years that he could remember.
He looked no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, because Dusko had died in an "accident" twenty years ago. He had been the captain of a hunting team, but he had died in an attack during a trip. After waking up as an undead, he found that he was completely different from the other awakened "kind". Those guys had completely forgotten their past and believed in the person who had "awakened" them. Each of them believed that they had a "new life" and quickly felt a sense of belonging to Tasman.
But what about himself? However, he clearly remembered the cause of his death …
As the captain of the hunting team, his strength was outstanding in the village. From the age of twenty-five, he had become the "number one" of the hunters. After that attack, everyone in the village thought that he had been killed by a magical beast, but only he knew that he had been killed by a necromancer!
And the murderer was the one who had awakened him from his "corpse" state!
It was also thanks to Dusco's scheming that he pretended to have lost his memory like the others to get away with it. However, he was unable to find a chance to take revenge. The more he learned, the more he understood what these necromancers represented.
To put it simply, the humans living in Tasman were merely "lambs" raised by Tasman's undead. Those with good aptitudes were qualified to use expensive resources to awaken as undead. All of this was the cornerstone of the establishment of the entire Tasman Empire. If he wanted revenge, it would be tantamount to going against the entire Tasman Empire.
Over the years, there had been undead who had been "awakened" but still retained their memories. However, those who had tried to resist were all killed on the spot. The difference in strength still left Dusco with lingering fear.
However, this did not mean that he would compromise. On the contrary, Dusco had never felt any sense of belonging to Tasman in the past twenty years. After continuous attempts and hard work, he had actually succeeded in finding many of his "kind" and secretly established an "Awakened" organization, all for the sake of one day escaping the oppression of the Tasman Empire and pursuing true "freedom" …
"Freedom … What exactly is freedom …" Dusco sighed.
Dusko sighed. In the end, he didn't go to school or read many books, so he didn't know what "freedom" was. It was only the unyielding flame in his heart that allowed him to walk to where he was today. Behind the opened wooden door was the most important step Dusko had taken in the past 20 years.
"You … are here."
The face in the shadows was somewhat pale, and one could faintly see that it was a young man who was even more muscular than Dusco. The young man's gaze lingered on the scar on Dusco's face for a moment. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he opened the door. After Dusco entered, he scanned the area outside and then gently closed and locked the door.
Turning around, he seemed to have made up his mind. There was no longer any hesitation in his eyes as he said in a low voice, "Things are indeed as you said. After I became the leader, the mission routes assigned by the town began to shift in that direction …"
"Necromancers can't directly turn corpses into true undead. The altar is the first step, and your team is the sacrifice." Dusco raised his grayish-white eyes and stared at the young man in front of him. "Kulka, I'm afraid the current situation is more complicated than you and I imagine. Be it making a decision or making preparations, you have to do it as soon as possible."
Since he was an undead recognized by Tasman, Dusco naturally had heard a little about what was happening in the kingdom. In contrast, the human village that Kulka was in was completely isolated from Tasman. More accurately speaking, these villages were Tasman's "sheep pens". The sacrificial lambs did not need to know any additional information.
"What's going on? Are those people — uh — those necromancers going to make a move ahead of time? "
Kulka's fingers gripped the handle of the axe at his waist. He wasn't a coward, but he was worried about the fate of himself and his human companions … Ever since he found out that he was just a "sheep" being reared in a pen, anger, fear, and worry had been tormenting him.
"I'm not sure if they'll make a move, but there's something you have to understand …" D 'Amico said in a hoarse voice. "Tasman has now entered a state of war. This is the first time in nearly a century that they've clearly signaled that they're preparing for war. If Tasman is preparing to leave the Gondola Mountain Range, I … and you might all become reserve soldiers."
Kulka's expression froze. Even though it was difficult to come into contact with the outside world in this enclosed environment, there were still lords and nobles here. There were also endless conflicts and occasional wars. Even if the scale of these conflicts was only a few hundred people, Kulka's heart instantly tensed up. War meant casualties, as well as the expenditure of large amounts of money and manpower. Where would these things come from?
Wouldn't they still have to draw from the "sheep" at the bottom?
Thinking of this, Kulka no longer had any other thoughts. He got up and solemnly extended his hand, making a promise. "I'll bring my people to join you!"
The rain outside the house gradually became heavier, completely covering this secret conversation.
*****
While it was raining in Tasman, it was also drizzling in Elsen City. However, this wasn't the result of cumulus clouds, but the artificial rain that the floating space tower was carrying out.
The faint floating clouds left mottled shadows on the ground. Looking from the floating space tower, one could see the forests around Elsen City, the neatly planned farmlands, the wilderness further out, and even the Gondola Mountain Range in the distance. Houdini, who was 400 meters in the air, looked down at the irrigated farmlands under his feet. Even though he had been mentally prepared, he was still shocked speechless.
From a Magician's point of view, the concept of the High Elves' magic technology in Elsen City was somewhat similar to the difference between "traditional Chinese medicine" and "western medicine." Lachman's magic was always in the process of "evolution and perfection." Many of the spells from ten years ago had now been replaced by endless new spells. This was because the Magicians had found a more reliable theoretical foundation and improved upon it.
However, Elsen's magic gave Houdini the feeling that it could only be described as "unfathomable." Some parts were the same, while others were not. Even though he was a Magician, he couldn't completely understand this magic system in a short period of time. He could only secretly compare and make a judgment.
The result of the comparison was also very obvious: the magic system in front of him was more complex than Lachman's magic, but the foundation was more stable, and the upper limit was even more immeasurable.
Houdini was happy and worried at the same time. He was happy that the strategic cooperation with Elsen City would greatly strengthen his voice in the Lachman Parliament. He might even be able to enter the periphery of the center of power. However, he was worried that these magic technologies could not be immediately accepted by the Lachman Parliament. It would even lead to strong rejection by some factions. There were many battles to be fought. Whenever he thought of those troublesome old guys in the various academies, Houdini felt a headache.
"How does it feel up close?"
After two days of communication, Roddy's tone of conversation with him was much more casual. There was no conflict of interest between the two sides. It was a win-win policy and everyone was happy. Naturally, he was in a good mood.
At this time, there were only the two of them on the floating space tower, so some conversations could be more in-depth.
"I still have to thank the governor for giving me this opportunity … It's a lot of learning, but there are also many things I don't understand." Houdini's attitude was much more respectful. Mages were like this. In the face of more profound magic, the awe in their hearts was like a believer in the face of a god. Although this awe was not directed at Roddy, there was a subtle difference in the status between the two of them.
Roddy waved his hand. "Our cooperation has just begun. It's important to learn from each other. I'm curious about the direction of your research on artificial rainfall."
"In principle, it's similar to your magic circle, but there are many differences in the details. In fact, the main difference is still the energy consumption of the 'floating space tower.' Our magic circle core area is limited …"
"There's no way to enlarge the core area?"
Roddy was not a high-level mage, so this question was not up to standard. Houdini also understood this, so he patiently replied, "This involves a problem of precision. At the same time, the power of the floating space needs to be converted through 'cobalt gold.' We don't have enough 'cobalt gold' to spend on this."
Resources were always limited. The only floating space tower in Lachman required a large amount of cobalt gold to build, including the floating space towers around the flagship 'Boratini'. In terms of cost, the materials used to build these floating space towers were equivalent to half a flagship. Although they could squeeze out enough to promote 'artificial rainfall', it would take at least 20 years to recover the cost by increasing the production of food …
Naturally, no one would consider a loss-making deal.
"Cobalt gold?"
Roddy thought for a moment. He directly turned around and pointed to a large circle of flashing blue light in the core area of the floating space tower. He asked, "Are you talking about this? This is called the Blue Moon Mine. "
"Yes." Houdini secretly swallowed his saliva. Such a large cobalt gold core was priceless. If he brought it back to Lachman, it would probably attract a lot of people to fight for it!
"Oh …"
Rody nodded and continued to chat about something else without batting an eyelid. After the two finished watching the artificial rainfall, he and Houdini came down from the floating space tower. However, Roddy was not in a hurry to start the lunch. Instead, he directly pulled Houdini to a magic material warehouse at the side of the Pasha Magic Tower. Under Houdini's puzzled gaze, he pushed the door open.
"Let me show you something."
Roddy smiled and then stepped aside for Houdini to enter.
Houdini was confused. He walked closer to the slightly dimly lit room and looked around. Puzzled, he asked,
He asked curiously, "City Lord Roddy, what do you want me to see … Wait … Damn it! This is … This is …?! "
The experienced Houdini instantly lost his composure. He even reached out to grab his hair, his eyes wide open.
In the material warehouse, various forms of cobalt gold ore filled the entire wall of cabinets …
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