With Shink acting as a spy, the Death Council's members had no idea that this trader had already become an enemy who wanted to take their lives. They were completely unprepared, so it was quite easy for them to pull in the net that very night.
Although the person waiting for them at the "usual place" was the same person they had traded with, the person they were loyal to was quite different. Just one contact was enough for them to be captured by a dark ranger.
Alright then, I also felt that this one-eyed dark ranger was quite awkward. After all, in my previous world, a certain dark ranger queen was the most popular. But since that world had developed to the point where even humans could become hunters and rangers, it was quite normal for her to enter the realm of darkness and death and become a dark ranger … Although the muscular dark ranger was indeed quite blind, unfortunately, I didn't have any Spring of the Drowned Woman left …
"Right, System, is that Spring of the Drowned Woman thing you mentioned before real? Is it really possible to completely change a person's gender? "
[It's real. Compared to reversing karma, changing a person's gender is quite easy. Actually, you don't even need me to do it. You can do it with your own undead surgery. All you need to do is change a few organs and adjust your hormones. You'll be able to do it in less than an hour.]
Indeed, unlike modern organ transplants, where I had to worry about organ rejection, infection, and poor nerve contact, undead surgery could be used to easily cut and piece together organs. Any adverse reactions could be resolved with magic, and the technology was quite advanced as well.
I paused in surprise upon hearing this. Actually, with my surgical skills, I could even change heads and organs as I pleased. Gender reassignment surgery would be quite simple. But after thinking about it for a moment, I decided to give up on creating a "traditional" dark ranger queen.
[… You've thought of it as well? Yes, changing one's gender isn't a problem, but not becoming blind after changing one's gender is a problem. Do you think that reality is like those useless Japanese anime that casually transforms a tall and muscular man into a beautiful woman? That's far too illogical. Logically speaking, since a man was originally a muscular man, it would be normal for him to directly transform into a muscular auntie. Also, just think about the terrible hygiene conditions in medieval England during my military career. Even if a certain queen was a woman, she would still feel like a violent auntie with a mouth full of vulgarities and vulgarities! Cute girls and whatnot are just otakus' fantasies! Right, didn't someone make a proof that a certain queen was actually an ugly bald man …?]
"… I feel like I should apologize immediately, otherwise I'll be killed. By the way, if that's the case, Hua Mulan has been in the army for so many years without being discovered. Is it because she looks like a man? I think I should stop here. "
Cough, cough, I accidentally went astray. Actually, gender reassignment surgery wasn't difficult at all, and plastic surgery wasn't a big deal either. But when I thought about how the soul of a rough and strong man was hidden inside a slender beauty, and how that crisp yellow voice came from a man who was digging his feet, I didn't feel cute at all. Instead, I felt disgusted.
Kolos? Ha, Kolos' gender is Kolos! What's a man? If you were to ask this question to those bastards in Sulfur Mountain City, be careful that they don't beat you up. It is said that the number of members in Kolos's Wooing Club has already reached five digits. Those who haven't joined the club but have ulterior motives have probably reached six digits. Even if she doesn't become an idol, it has already become a new cult.
That's right, that fellow doesn't seem to be too far away from here. Perhaps, I can transfer him over for some eye candy … to help out.
Alright then, I accidentally went astray. As I looked at that dark-skinned man who was currently looking at me from the top of a tree, I decided to give up on changing his appearance. He also didn't realize that he had just escaped a major disaster.
Getting back to the main topic, now that the heavy responsibility on my shoulders had been relieved, I also had much more freedom. And right now, evil undead mages also had their benefits. At the very least, they didn't have to worry about what methods they would use. And so, that unfortunate Death Council priest told me everything from how old he was when he wet his bed.
"… It's even more troublesome than I thought."
The Death Council already knew about the ruins when the information was first leaked. However, they didn't pay much attention to it at first. They only sent out a small exploration team consisting of three to five high-level job class members to explore the ruins for the sake of operating expenses.
The end result was that only one acolyte who was active on the outskirts of the ruins survived. This exploration team, which included a Gold rank master, was completely annihilated before they could even send out any information about the enemy. Originally, the exploration team should have ended here, but an unexpected piece of news shocked the Death Council in the Sala Dukedom.
"There's a place in the ruins with incredibly weak dimensional barriers. It's an excellent place to open a Dimensional Door. An ordinary Gold rank undead mage actually managed to summon a bone dragon in this place. "
And so, a new exploration team went on their way. Although this exploration team was tricked three times in a row, this time, not only did they bring enough sacrifices, they even brought a holy artifact that the Undead Emperor had bestowed upon them. The members were all elites, and they themselves were more than half of the Death Council's power. There wasn't just a single Saint rank member.
If this was bad news, then what came next was a new piece of news that was difficult to differentiate between good and bad.
For some unknown reason, the road leading into the mountains had suddenly been blocked by the government, and it was even guarded by the royal guards. The only way to enter the mountains was to forcefully break through, which was why this exploration team, which had the strongest combat strength, was now blocked.
Not only that, since the treasure map was sold by unscrupulous merchants and information peddlers, countless Sala Dukedom adventurer teams and adventurers swarmed into the mountains. The originally sparsely populated small town had now become a large market filled with people. Any newcomer would become a competitor in everyone's eyes.
When I heard this news, I felt like I had been tricked. Originally, it was supposed to be a simple treasure hunt, but why did it turn into a major treasure hunt? Perhaps I would even have to fight against the government. At this rate, there would definitely be even more ridiculous things waiting for me in the future.
"Wait a moment, in that case, the Death Council's priests will also be at that small town's checkpoint? They'll definitely try to break through. Perhaps I can use them to pass through … "
As I looked at the obedient Death Council worshippers before me, I gradually came up with a method that I was already quite used to. Perhaps, as long as I used it properly, the Death Council's incredibly strong combat strength would actually be a good thing.
The pure power of death transformed into a roaring skull in my palm. The Mark of Death was the best evidence of my power.
"Little brat, you should have died. Becoming my experimental subject was your only possibility, but now that the situation has changed slightly, I have a suggestion. Perhaps you'll 'volunteer' to help me. Of course, you don't have to be willing. I'm still lacking experimental materials."
Although he was a Death Council worshipper, this middle-aged priest nodding furiously seemed to fear death as well.
…
After making some arrangements and having the others deal with the villagers, I finished up with the trivial matters at hand and directly returned to the camp's tent to rest.
Even though it was already night, the sounds of people in the camp didn't stop. The villagers who had just escaped were still in a state of excitement from escaping a sea of suffering during the day. But when night fell, they calmed down and thought about their family members who were no longer here, as well as their ruined homes. I didn't know where the first sound came from, but when this suppressed sorrow spread, the entire camp was filled with the sound of crying.
An old man hugged a child and sobbed quietly. A woman thought about her man and cried loudly as she worried about the future. A young man thought about how he would never see his family again, and his tears couldn't help but fall down.
In this cruel world, such things were far too common. The experienced adventurers had long since expected this. They would either hide in their tents and plug their ears, or go to sleep before anyone else did. For the young adventurers, this would be quite difficult for them to get used to in such a short period of time.
Katerina silently sobbed as she leaned against her adoptive father, as if recalling her own bitter experience. The Northlands trio had different reactions. Mary had an unpleasant expression, but the dark elf was already used to parting. She took off her heavy armor and climbed onto a pine tree branch in the campsite. She took out a five-stringed wooden harp and lightly sang a soul-sending song in the elven language.
A melodious and calm foreign tune echoed in the campsite. This tune had a hint of farewell, but it wasn't sad. However, the crying became louder. The youngest Nephilic Judge, Thor, had an expression of confusion. This was a real adventure. Compared to the epic adventure that he had been looking forward to in the past, this seemed to be quite different.
According to the legends, shouldn't the villagers who were rescued offer flowers and kisses? Why were they so sad even though they had just obtained freedom?
The elves' soul-sending song was still echoing in his ears. The scene before him was constantly challenging his understanding. The mortals' sadness told him that the great adventure that he had dreamed of wasn't as simple as it seemed in the books. The villagers, who seemed like the background of a legendary story, also had their own lives, sadness, and happiness. Perhaps their little bit of happiness wasn't even worth mentioning in front of the nobles, but that was all they had.
They didn't have anyone to return home to. Even the villagers themselves had almost become slaves. There was nothing wrong with crying and venting a little, right?
There was no need for flowery rhetoric. The pain of losing one's family and home would be felt by the good. The gnome's usually comical expression became serious in front of such sincere sorrow. He hesitated, as if he wanted to do something to tell the villagers that there was still hope in the future.
"… Let them cry. What can you do? Say some insignificant words of comfort? Don't disturb them! "
However, he was pulled back by his companions. Mary, who also had an ashen expression, was also quite displeased. This wasn't the first time she had encountered something like this. She knew that any consolation from an outsider would only make things worse.
However, Saul suddenly shook off his companions' hands and ran over to them with his short legs.
"I-I-I'm not here to comfort you. I have a type of power here that doesn't require any natural talent. Even an ordinary person can learn it. It can, can protect you and prevent something like this from happening again."
The gnome was nervous to begin with. He was already stuttering, which made his speech even more incoherent. However, as he poured his emotions into this power, he became more and more courageous, and his not-so-loud voice became even louder and clearer.
"Yes, the power of Law will definitely protect you! This is the purpose of that lord's creation. He didn't create this power to provide the strong with a new tool to bully the weak. Law and the power of Law are both for the sake of protecting and rescuing the weak! This is a power that anyone can try to grasp. He created this power for the sake of protecting and punishing sinners. "
Saul took off the chain around his neck and placed the symbol of the scale in his hand. The next instant, a silver glow ignited on it. As Holy Fire swirled around it, the pitch-black clouds were parted, and a ray of silver light shone down on the gnome's body. It seemed as if an invisible eye was watching this place from the sky.
"A miracle that has a minuscule chance of happening? No, the Pillar of Law of the Hades will never rest. Anyone can seek justice and rescue from it. We don't blindly worship the Gods, but we respect the Gods of the Hades, because they give salvation and protection to the weak, and punish the unjust! "
Saul opened the bag on his back and handed over the law books and study notes to the villagers who were at a loss.
"First learn 'Law Theory', then start learning 'The Difference Between Law and Holy Light' …"
Midway through his sentence, Saul recalled the scene he saw in Sulfur Mountain City. Now he understood why the most basic books in the bookstore were always so popular. Many of the customers were old judges with decades of experience in law. Logically speaking, they wouldn't need these beginner books anymore. Now he understood why the Judges and Justice Knight of Justice who just went out on official business would always go buy more books as soon as they could.
"Did you lose any of your books?"
"No, I gave them to someone else."
"Spreading the law? That's great! You have new believers of Law? Why don't you bring more? "
"Bring more? No matter how much I bring, it won't be enough. Ha, why am I telling you all this? You'll understand in the future. "
The memories of the past flashed through Saul's mind, and he smiled bitterly. This time, he really understood. However, looking at the scene in front of him, he would rather not have understood. Perhaps, when the entire world was so cruel, no matter how much he brought, it would be meaningless.
"Is it really possible? Even people like us can obtain power? "
Suddenly, a hurried question came from the confused crowd. It was a young and skinny boy who was barely wearing any clothes. He had just been hugging his grandfather and crying, but now his eyes were filled with hope. It was Saul's miracle and words that gave him hope, hope for the future.
* Smack! *
Saul viciously slapped himself in the face. His face instantly turned red and swollen, but Saul didn't feel anything at all. He felt ashamed of his own moment of confusion.
"It's meaningless to me? Ha, foolish Saul, it's enough as long as it's meaningful to them. "
The Judges who just walked out of the school took a deep breath as they did their best to recall how their teacher had taught them. Saul then began explaining his own path of Law to ordinary people, just like how he had thousands of seniors before him.
"First of all, you must understand what the power of Law and Law is. This isn't some powerful offensive power …"
Behind Saul, the dark elf on the tree nodded slightly. Only now did she begin to acknowledge this companion of hers. The sound of the soul-sending song silently stopped, allowing the gnome's ear-piercing lecture to travel even further into the night.
At the same time, in the largest and most luxurious tent in the campsite, the person who should have already fallen asleep reached out and pulled down the curtains, retracting his gaze.
He picked up a handwritten book by his side and began to write down what he had learned today. This book was nearing the end and was about to be completed.
The cover of this handwritten book was titled "Unconventional Uses of the Power of Hades on Law Incantations – Allowing Low-level Law Mages to Have a Chance at Survival Against High-level Law Mages."
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