"To tell you the truth, I keep feeling like there's something wrong with that scene …"
"Hmm? Why do you say that? "
"Look, other protagonists are all so pretentious and face-slapping. Their basic style is completely different. I wouldn't be able to do that even if I had to, so I'm not envious of them. However, some developments are the same. At the very least, the main character will become more and more powerful. His status will become higher and higher, and he'll have more and more subordinates, more and more beautiful women. He'll become more and more powerful, and his reputation will become better and better. However … "
"… You're becoming weaker and weaker, and your status is almost non-existent. You're all alone now, and your subordinates have all run away. Beautiful women … cough, cough, at least you're becoming more and more like an antagonist boss. Yep, you're just short of a hero suddenly appearing and sending you back to your hometown. "
The silly cat's words seemed to be comforting, but they were actually filled with malice. However, they were quite appropriate in comparison to the current situation.
I clenched my fists on the table, and my pitch-black cape covered my body and face. The only thing that was clear was probably the faintly burning shadowfire in my eyes. As a veteran undead mage, I was quite skilled at making others unable to understand me.
On the second floor of this small and cramped house, an old oil lamp was the only source of illumination. The door was tightly shut, and the stuffy air and the smell of sweat made me feel quite uncomfortable. After all, there were more than twenty people crammed into this suffocating environment.
Perhaps it was because the negative energy around me was far too overbearing. At the very least, there was no one around me. Only Timlad, who was barely wearing leather armor and looked like a barbarian, was standing behind me.
On the other side, Diyana, who was dressed as a dark elf assassin, wore a veil, but her exposed chin was icy cold. It was as if she didn't care about the people on the table at all. She simply sat by the wooden window, silently playing with the short sword in her hand as she looked outside.
"I feel like there's no need to waste any more words. You all know why I've gathered everyone here today. I've asked a master to appraise this treasure map, and it's real. However, those bastards are blocking our path to riches. If it were up to me, I'd just kill them all! "
The one who spoke was a rather tall, brawny man with a face full of gray beard. He seemed to be at least sixty or seventy years old, but he only had three fingers on his right hand. If he remembered correctly, he should be the leader of the local mercenaries and the vice president of the Mercenary Union, "Mongrel" Tom Shull.
He represented the will of the scattered mercenaries, and to his right, Old Barton was drinking his wine with his head lowered. It seemed that he had indeed made a name for himself since Tom had brought him here.
Mercenaries fought with their blades, mostly for the sake of money. It would be strange if they weren't tempted when they discovered that their hometown actually had such a large amount of wealth. And when these local tyrants banded together, it was only natural that only a veteran mercenary with a certain reputation could take charge. Before, Old Barton had enough reputation, but his strength was still lacking. Since he was able to reach this position, he naturally displayed sufficient strength.
"… Erm, the one who came is Prince Link, and Your Highness has royal guards with you. It wouldn't be good to clash with the royal guards, right? Peace brings wealth, peace brings wealth … "
He had a plump body, a friendly face, a rather comical beard, and a protruding belly. No matter if it was his appearance or his temperament, he was clearly a merchant.
Actually, he was indeed a merchant. However, he was the famous black market merchant Blayman. He had several mercenary groups under his command, and his power level was no weaker than a Knight leader's.
Merchants were all quite careful. It was obvious that the people gathered here were all criminals who would risk their lives for money. There would be no end to the consequences of offending the royal family. They would be able to run away after causing trouble, but Blayman's business was all in the Sala Dukedom. It was rather inconceivable that he would come here, but it was more understandable when I saw the person next to him.
She was a woman. However, her entire body was covered in scars. Half of her face had been disfigured by a vicious sword wound. Only her bangs were intentionally covering half of her face. Not only that, she was covering the uninjured half of her face. She was basically intentionally trying to make everyone uncomfortable.
This set of female armor seemed to be more for decoration than actual value. However, under the reflection of the light, one could see the unique orange-red color of enchanted adamantine. No matter what other abilities she had, being able to wear this set of armor meant that she was definitely strong enough to tear down walls with her bare hands. That was because this set of armor was at least as hard as three full sets of heavy armor.
"Blood Spear" Salima was an Amazon. She was a female Amazon warrior that was at least at the Legend rank. She was also one of Marquis Taric's most trusted countesses, as well as the highest-ranked female general here.
Perhaps it was due to her ugly appearance, but her only exposed eye always had an icy glint that was as sharp as a blade. It was impossible for anyone to look directly at her. She didn't hide her hostility or guard at all. She was most famous for her bad habit of massacring people after every major battle. Those who hated her directly called her the "Blood Witch".
Since her appearance was far too unique and she was far too famous, there was no need for anyone to introduce her. Everyone else instinctively kept their distance from her.
"They're together. Has Brightman already joined the rebel army? He's in control of several nearby prefectures' food and weapons. It would seem that the royal family is going to have a hard time. "
It was quite normal for these two to come to such a conclusion when they were together. However, the fact that they were able to attract a major character like Salima here also proved the authenticity of the treasure.
Of course, there were other people sitting at the table as well. Some were the leaders of veteran adventuring teams, while others were information merchants and bandit leaders. However, none of them were as important as these three.
Originally, I shouldn't have been the most important person here as well. After all, I wasn't "famous" in the past. But in this world, power would forever be the best calling card.
It was just that I was wearing the slowly burning hellfire, which seemed dangerous but was actually even more dangerous. These people naturally stayed far away from me. Even Salima's single eye was somewhat wary of me. This was why I had the right to speak.
This group of people had chosen a private house in the middle of the night to gather. Of course, it wasn't some kind of harmonious and friendly party. The only thing we were discussing was how to break through the imperial family's blockade. From a certain standpoint, this was no different from a rebellion.
However, I was slightly surprised that I didn't see any representatives from the Death Council. Apart from me, not a single person here possessed the power of death.
I didn't believe that they would miss out on such a good opportunity. Even if they couldn't come to an agreement, they could at least gather some information. But suddenly, Diyana passed me a slip of paper from the side. There were several black runes on the paper that looked like scribbles.
"'Allies' in the ancient Leiden language? Who else would use such an ancient language? Oh … "
I was surprised for a moment, but then came to a sudden realization. The ancient Leiden language was the language of a species of demons in the lower planes. It had the connotation of corruption and corruption, and could be used in many high-level undead magic incantations. If it wasn't for the fact that someone specialized in undead magic and had to learn a high-level undead forbidden spell, they wouldn't have learned such a language.
Before I could ask Diyana who had sent the letter, I saw the fat old merchant intentionally touch the silver ring on his finger.
It was an expensive dragonbone ring with black runes all over it. If the skull symbol wasn't enough to prove his identity, then the word "allies" written on his lips proved everything.
It would seem that my efforts to have Shink contact the Death Council hadn't been in vain. My information had already been delivered. However, not only had the Death Council hidden themselves deeper than expected, they were even more cautious. This was both a contact and a small test. After all, my arrival was a bit too coincidental, so it was only natural that they would suspect something.
I shot a questioning glance at Diyana, and she nodded slightly. It would seem that the letter had been sent by this "always amiable merchant of death, Brightman."
It was said that more than 70% of the Death Council's believers would eventually join the Death Council. They didn't do so for the sake of power or anything else, but rather because they feared death and desired immortality. There were quite a few wealthy merchants and officials among them. It was indeed true that the richer one was, the more they feared death.
And so, I also wrote a few words in the ancient Leiden language on the letter: "Death is fair, but sometimes, sufficient wealth can buy the Hell God's special permission."
Not long after the letter was taken away, an attendant whispered something into Brightman's ear, causing his old face to smile like the Buddha himself.
I couldn't help but laugh. It would seem that he didn't understand the true meaning behind the letter.
"… No matter what permission the Hell God gives, I'm afraid that it can only reach a certain level of the Inferno of Hades."
Our little actions didn't attract much attention. After all, most of the people here were doing the exact same thing. Breaking through the royal army's blockade would definitely mean that there would be people who would become the vanguard (cannon fodder). At such a time, if you didn't want to be a "helpful" warrior, then you would need more authority and allies.
Forget about all the little notes flying around. The question "Shall we go out?" would most likely be answered with a "Yes!" and an affirmative answer … Don't get the wrong idea. They were just having a private meeting after making an agreement. Although it was indeed quite frightening for two muscular men to repeat such a line …
And even if we managed to break through the Sala government's blockade and had a chance to enter the ruins, we would need to use our own strength to fight for the treasures. It would naturally be a good idea to make a few more friends at such a time.
However, there was still no progress on the issue on the negotiation table.
"We need a temporary leader … or at the very least, a liaison!"
"That's a good idea. Why don't you take on the role?"
"Me? I think that you're quite suitable. "
Everyone knew that we would need to break through the blockade in order to have a chance to reach the ruins.
However, everyone also knew that going against the Sala royalty in the Sala Dukedom would be an absolutely foolish idea. That would basically be cutting off any chance of making a living here, and it would definitely result in a wanted order. Perhaps other people wouldn't be blacklisted, but the leader would definitely attract great trouble.
Everyone was looking at Countess "Blood Spear". After all, her faction had a falling out with the royalty, so it was only natural that she would take action.
However, Countess Blood Spear simply sat there quietly. She seemed completely different from her rumored irascible and warlike personality. However, if she maintained her current state, it would be obvious that she didn't want to take action.
I yawned and even extinguished the Everburning Flame on my body. It would be a waste of time to continue having such a boring gathering.
Originally, if it wasn't for the fact that the various factions were constantly fighting against each other, they would only be able to establish connections in the first alliance meeting. There would be a lot of wrangling afterwards. I was even considering whether or not I should find an excuse to escape. Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and a young man and an attendant walked in.
"Heh heh, everyone's here. Hello everyone, I'm Link. I'm the one you've been discussing about dealing with! "
Prince Link proudly walked in. He turned around in satisfaction to look at the retainer he had just taken in. This retainer who was born a commoner was indeed quite useful. He actually managed to so easily find out where all the rebels were hiding.
Everyone at the table had expressions of astonishment. There were already hidden sentries set up everywhere, so how did this guy get in?
"Ha, just obediently surrender. My army has already set up an inescapable trap —"
Prince Link swallowed the rest of his words. He had an expression of disbelief as he looked at the broken sword protruding from his chest. He suddenly turned around to see that the obedient Knight retainer was currently smiling viciously.
"Actually, you've always been our target. Your subordinates? They won't come. Their orders were to patrol the city. "
This was the first time "Blood Spear" Salima had spoken after so long. Unlike her frightening appearance, her mature and sexy voice stirred everyone's hearts.
At this moment, those who were cowardly had almost fainted. Breaking through a city's defenses and murdering a member of a country's royal family were two completely different things. Everyone knew that they had been involved in an astonishing conspiracy.
At this moment, Kahn kicked away his "lord"'s corpse and put away his sword, which was still stained with blood. He smiled viciously at everyone else.
* Boom! *
Suddenly, a violent explosion shook the entire city, and I heard the dragon lich's slow soul voice in my ears.
"I have good news, and bad news …"
"Listen to the good news first."
"The good news is that there's no longer any meaning in blocking the way. We no longer need to worry about not being able to reach the ruins."
"The bad news?"
"We don't need to go to the ruins anymore. They're here. The Undead Calamity is here."
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