From a certain standpoint, the decision of that high-ranking priest of the Death Council to abandon his pawns was a wise one. After all, when news of their attempt to open the Death Plane's Dimensional Door was leaked, any organization of the living would immediately become their mortal enemy and would never allow them to succeed.
The Northern Trio immediately reported this to their superiors. Requesting reinforcements for the sake of their reputation was a requirement in the first place. However, considering the distance and location of the Death Plane's Dimensional Door being too remote, it was impossible to determine the quality and number of reinforcements. If they were lucky, it would be great if they met a powerful individual who was strolling nearby (since the northern factions had sent out quite a few independent parties, this possibility wasn't low). If they were unlucky, reinforcements wouldn't be able to make it in time.
Meanwhile, the Church of the God of Discipline and Justice was much more flustered. Once the Death Plane's Dimensional Door was opened within their borders, they would be the first to bear the brunt of the attack. In fact, their entire dukedom and church might even be destroyed.
The moment they received the news, they immediately sent someone back to the capital to report the news. Meanwhile, the other Holy Knight and priests were all ready to head out and hunt down those undead worshippers.
Winlair still knew how to control his strength. Those Holy Knight didn't suffer any fatal injuries. What was truly injured was that their pride had been instantly destroyed before they even saw the enemy. However, there were more important matters at hand, and there was no time for them to lament their own weakness.
The Knight White was still leading the group. They had already set out, but considering the clergy's usual inability to track, the others had high hopes that they would be able to catch up to their target. They could only hope that they didn't get lost too far, or that they were smart enough to bring a few rangers, thieves, and other mercenaries to lead the way.
Meanwhile, investigating the Death Council was the Northern Trio's mission from the very beginning. Even if they didn't receive any reinforcements, they would definitely go. However, due to the fundamental differences in their beliefs and methods of doing things, it was unlikely that they would follow the Holy Knight. That would be nothing more than making trouble for themselves.
From a certain standpoint, this became an unspoken competitive relationship. It was a competition to see who could deal with this problem first.
I wanted to interfere in this matter, but I didn't want to expose myself.
That was why the only ones who could truly count on us were us and the Northlands trio. It would be even more of a waste to split up our combat strength, which was why I tried to convince them to take us, the "smurfs."
"… Actually, I'm a pretty good Necromancer. If you bring us along, as long as the distance isn't too far, we can sense each other's Death Magic, which will make it easier for you to track them."
Saying so, the black magic of death circled around his finger, proving his identity as a necromancer.
If it were other forces, they would definitely be suspicious and prejudiced against necromancers, especially when they were investigating matters related to the Undead Plane. They would be even more suspicious of the other party's motives.
But while they were shocked, their first reaction was …
"A registered Necromancer? Do you have a license? Have you finished your annual review? "
"Yes, he passed the annual examination last year. He's registered in Diffindor's headquarters. He's a Legend-rank necromancer."
In some people's eyes, the Northlands was already a paradise for Necromancers. The root of this was because the Northlands had normalized Necromancers, turning them into an abnormally ordinary job class.
"One year before the Dawn Era, the Undead Industrial Revolution began in the Northlands. This revolution liberated the productivity of the living, and also gave Necromancers a chance to walk into the light. In the second year, ghost carriages and zombie servants took up one-third of the market share …"
After so many years of development, undead equipment, furniture, tools, and servants had become quite common in the Northlands. And in order to ensure the safety of undead equipment, things like registered Necromancers' examinations and character checks that happened once every three years had also become a common practice.
"Master, so you're one of us!"
"Did you accept a mission or are you a freelance mage? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't dare to ask. If you're willing to tell me, please tell me. "
The three of them looked at this little black book and immediately revealed expressions of delight.
If this was ten years ago, it would already be underestimating for a Legend-rank undead mage to be called a master. But because there were more and more fake masters and fake Legends, the title of master was becoming less and less used.
Quite a few of the official undead mages in the Northlands Diffindor had inextricable connections with the government. And this little book had the emblem of the Donglan royal mage family, which meant that this master had obtained the royal family's trust. Naturally, he could be trusted. And the emblem that represented his job's reputation was a rarely seen double crown.
"I personally have some connections with the royal mage association. Since I've met with such a situation, I naturally can't stay out of it. But, being a gentleman before being a villain is the best way to cooperate. This time, if it involves the ruins of the Haletdam generation, I want half of the profits. If there's any new technology, I can have priority in selling it to the Northlands government, but I can't miss out on my share of the profits."
I didn't lie at all, and the documents in my hands were real. Of course, how I got them was self-explanatory. As for the two crowns of credibility … cough cough, do you know that there's a service called 'brushing crowns'?
For mages, the ancient knowledge and secrets that might exist in ancient ruins was an irresistible temptation. And if there were any traces left behind by the Haletdam generation, it was even more likely that there would be new technologies and strategic weapons that would change the map of a country. There were many such examples in the "history" of the Holy War.
Although in legends, there would occasionally be some minor character who unearthed some mystical technique or God Equipment from ancient ruins, and then walked down the path of slaying demons and Gods, in reality, it was quite rare to find God Equipment when exploring ruins. After all, the passage of time was as merciless as grave robbers. More often than not, ancient technology and magical information would be restored based on the records, murals, and traces left behind.
Such things wouldn't be of much use to an individual, and would only be a source of calamity. But for organizations that were capable of digesting such technology and ancient magic, it would be a priceless treasure.
From a certain standpoint, if it wasn't for Timlad's technological support from the Haletdam generation, there wouldn't have been the magical engineering revolution that was getting stronger and stronger. When a living ancient person couldn't be found, the documents and information left behind by an ancient civilization would be the only substitute.
"The Haletdam generation? It's actually the Haletdam generation! We've struck gold this time! "
Mary instantly jumped up in excitement. Her two companions had confused expressions. They didn't know why their companion was so excited.
As one of the Four Elemental Swordcasters, it was only natural for them to come into contact with magical engineering technology. Since they were studying magical engineering technology, how could they not know about the Haletdam generation?
"I'll immediately write a letter to the headquarters. I'm just afraid that I won't be able to make it in time …"
"Relax, I have some friendly relations with Master Timlad. I've already written a letter to him using a small demon express. Since this is related to the Haletdam generation, no matter how busy he is right now, he'll probably hurry over."
The moment I said this, the three of them visibly relaxed. Timlad was an incredible major figure in their eyes. Since he was familiar with him, this also proved that the undead mage before them was trustworthy.
Of course, after I left, they would definitely discuss my identity and goal. That was why I kept my identity as an "undead mage that stayed here for half a year in order to explore the ruins." I would wait for them to find "clues" from others and figure out the "truth." Also, the fact that I was quite popular in this town would increase their trust in me.
But now, after I said goodbye to them and went to prepare for my own trip, the silly cat suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"I thought that you'd continue to pretend to be a Holy Knight."
"Ha, don't be silly. I've already received information from our spies that the Northlanders will always investigate the Holy Knight that suddenly appears out of nowhere."
"Haha, it seems that they've seen through you as well. Is that really the only reason? "
The silly cat narrowed her eyes as if she could see through everything. It would seem that she had long since thought of the reason and intentionally came here to torment me.
"… That's only the main reason. My armor and metal weapons being too heavy are only secondary reasons … "
Since I had already seen through my disguise, there was no need for me to hide it anymore. My current physical condition was far too terrible, and it would be impossible for me to pretend to be a Holy Knight.
Thanks to my pitiful Strength and Constitution, my chain mail was nothing more than chains that chained me. My full body armor was nothing more than a metal cage, and my metal sword was nothing more than a golden cudgel. I couldn't even carry the standard equipment of a Knight, so how could I possibly pretend to be a Holy Knight? After all, it was highly likely that I would have to engage in a high-intensity battle.
On the other hand, using elemental magic also required a certain amount of Constitution and Dexterity. The accuracy of one's hand gestures would directly affect the success rate of casting a spell. If one's Constitution was too weak, it would be impossible for them to use powerful spells. Just dealing with the magic backlash would be difficult. Now that I thought about it, the only spells that I could casually cast under the current conditions were undead magic that could control corpses and undead creatures.
This was also why I didn't stop the "Holy Light cannon fodder" from leaving. For the conservative Holy Knight faction, the Northlands trio was nothing more than a potential ally in a battle of faith. Undead mages would be their mortal enemy who would kill them first and ask questions later.
Actually, if the conditions were right, pretending to be a Holy Knight would be the best. After all, they had a good enough reputation that not only would they not arouse any suspicion, but they would also be able to travel as they pleased, recruit cannon fodder, obtain the trust of adventurers and residents, obtain cheap and free supplies from villages along the way, and if necessary, start a civil war with the villagers. These were all hidden advantages. Only the idiots of the conservative faction would waste such an obvious advantage.
However, I didn't go with them by myself. Since Katerina originated from the ruins, perhaps she was the key to opening the door to the ruins. Katerina herself also desired to find the truth. And since her daughter went, her father, Old Barton, would naturally go with her as well. And since Old Barton left, Old Barton's grandfather naturally wouldn't fall behind. The end result was that I now had two decent combat strength members.
Of course, we had a separate agreement to allow Winlair to follow us.
"But that's still not enough. Later, I'll need Old Barton to go find his old friend and hire some cannon fodder — er, mercenaries."
"That quasi-Legend spearman? Can't you say that he'll lower our team's luck stat? "
"How many times do I have to say that the spearman's luck stat is just a rumor? Besides, if the rumor is true, don't you think it's a good thing? Do I really need a lightning rod …? "
For some reason, I recalled the unlucky number one beauty of Sulfur Mountain. Considering her astonishing luck stat, even if she was always searching for a way to save herself, the wild elf was probably still the number one beauty.
"That's why you're looking for him, isn't it? Indeed, just treat it as some fun … What should we do now? "
"Since it's highly likely that we'll encounter a battle, and I'm an 'undead mage' right now, I don't have the privilege of hiding in the back and watching. In that case, in order to be slightly useful, let's go do what undead mages are supposed to do. Where's the nearest tomb?"
"You're so stupid. That dragon lich has a lot of inventory in his house. Don't you know that if you rob him, the corpses of those commoners who just died are so weak?"
"Good idea. Let's exchange it with the fashionable gown that you're about to receive. Didn't you see how that guy was drooling while reading a magazine? It's basically ruining your face …"
"That's not my face. It's like a doll's face. It's so different from my adult face! How would it feel to put your face on a woman's body … Pfft, Renée. "
For some reason, I recalled the existence of Renée and the other "Roland" faces. I somewhat sympathized with the angry Harloys in front of me. At the very least, Renée wasn't blind. Speaking of which, after so many years, she should be a grown woman by now. Under the effects of estrogen, she probably wouldn't have that face anymore.
"Yes, yes, yes. Let's go and blackmail the dragon lich to take revenge for you. Let's rob that old demon clean of his inventory and vent your anger …"
But just as I took a few steps, I was blocked in the hallway. The adventurers led by the dwarven Shieldbearer blocked my path.
"Karo, since the fight isn't going to continue, you should return us our gambling money."
"… Look carefully at the gambling contract. There should be a line here: 'If the duel is suddenly unable to continue due to an irresistible reason, it'll be considered a draw. But I remember that none of you bet on a draw.'"
Hearing this, the old dwarf leader suddenly rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, as if pretending that he didn't know anything. However, he had probably already seen that line of extremely small words.
The adventurers behind him also rubbed their palms together. It was quite obvious that they were threatening me.
"I'd advise you to …"
* Snap! *
With a snap of my fingers, a black mist of death spread out from my shadow, transforming into a restless Shadow Demon. The entire room was instantly enveloped in a black shadow, and even the temperature dropped several degrees.
"Right, I forgot to tell you that I'm an undead mage, a Legend-ranked one. Do you need something from me?"
Power was the best calling card. This frightening magic power was a naked threat. You want me to return the money? Heh heh!
"We … we're fine!"
"It's just that it's time for dinner. We'd like to invite you down for dinner. Yep, we, the Thunder Brothers, will pay for tonight's drinks! "
Who said that dwarves were slow-witted? Weren't they quite sensible? They "happily" said all this before turning around and leaving without another word. But when I looked at the dwarven brothers' sturdy bodies and excellent weapons and armor, I suddenly recalled something.
"Actually, I'm a very reasonable person. I have a small job here that's suitable for relatively outstanding adventurers. If you go, it's not impossible for me to return your gambling money. If you do a good job, there'll be an extra commission. "
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