Mercenary Wars

Chapter 180 Oak Tree
Michael and the sorcerer are in dire straits.

Facing a ghost bishop who could instantly kill an eighth-level warrior, they didn't think they had any chance of winning.

Of course, they had no intention of surrendering, since surrender usually only occurs among fellow believers. And the ghostly bishop Hodelson was not only not a Mossist, but not even a "creature".

It is entirely predictable that Hoddleson will treat them the same way he treated James.

However, the mage didn't seem to have given up.

He swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "Your...Bishop, if I choose to surrender or convert, can I live?"

"Why do you consider becoming a ghost as 'death'?" Hodelson asked casually, his translucent eyes casting a gaze that made the mage want to avoid it. "Just because of losing a physical body? But I think almost every believer in God would claim that faith is more important than the body."

A moment of silence fell.

Hoddleson glanced at James, who was still struggling in vain, and continued, "You are the most pathetic creatures in the world. You will do anything to ensure the continuation of this lowly body!"

Upon hearing this, the monk trembled even more and took a deep breath, his face turning pale and his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

He just wanted to be a living person.

But clearly he has no choice now.

So he made a quick decision, took out a bottle from his storage ring, and opened it immediately.

Bone powder slowly poured out of the bottle, swirling around as he chanted and his staff moved, eventually attaching itself to his magic shield and merging into the "White Bone Magic Shield".

There is no doubt that the mage is casting necromancy.

But at this juncture, that's no longer important.

At least in the time of Fonfrede, the Inquisition was much gentler than Hell.

“Mercenary, I need to cast a powerful spell—it will take some time,” the mage said.

Michael: "How long will it take you?"

"About half a minute." The mage had already begun casting a spell, and a faint, cold light shone from the tip of his staff.

Michael remained silent, then gritted his teeth, raised his longsword high, and cried out, "Badr, God of Light, grant me the power to shatter the darkness!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his longsword immediately emitted a dazzling light, completely dispelling the darkness in the relic room.

"Ah—" James cried out in agony. Now a ghost, he would never again be able to bask in the light, regardless of whether that light came from his god.

Ghost Bishop Hodelson frowned and immediately waved his hand.

As he moved, it was as if an invisible force covered the lantern, greatly reducing the light in the room.

Michael's expression changed, but fortunately the light on the blade remained unchanged, still making him feel as if he were holding a beam of brilliant light.

He held a longsword imbued with the power of light, pointing it at the ghost bishop.

The ghostly bishop stared at his sword for a while, then suddenly uttered a startling statement: "Actually, you could have survived."

Michael was taken aback.

The mage's expression changed, and he quickly said, "Don't listen to his nonsense! Baldr is the god of light, while Hodr holds the power of darkness. Their followers are natural enemies! He will never let you go!"

Hodlson smiled faintly: "Hodl and Badr do indeed possess the authority of darkness and light respectively, but their relationship is not what you think. In fact, they are brothers... The truth about all things and gods is far beyond our imagination."

Michael hesitated slightly.

The sorcerer continued, “Your sword of light terrifies this ghost; he’s deceiving you! If you truly lay down your sword, you’ll be fooled! Once I complete this spell, we can all escape!”

The ghostly bishop remained calm, gazing at Michael: "Pray to your God regarding the destiny of darkness and light; I believe He will answer you."

Michael obviously did as instructed.

He prayed to the God of Light again, but only silently in his heart.

A few seconds later, a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

Ghost Bishop: "See? I didn't lie to you."

Michael didn't speak, but he lowered his sword and turned to the mage: "I'm sorry..."

The mage, somewhat exasperated, exclaimed, "Shameless mercenary! I curse you! You have betrayed the teachings! By Mosa, you shall surely descend into hell!"

This clearly failed to convince Michael; instead, it dispelled his guilt and made his expression turn cold: "Did you believe in the doctrines of the Mosa when you were learning necromancy?"

The monk's face was completely filled with despair.

At the same time, the ghost bishop gently beckoned, and a mistletoe plant displayed on the stone platform floated up.

Mistletoe may look unremarkable, much like a blade of grass, but it exudes an ancient and mysterious aura, as well as a sense of danger that makes one feel uneasy.

As the mistletoe floated up, the monk's expression turned extremely terrified. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word, as if he had been choked.

“You seem to know what this is,” Bishop Hodelson said. “Then you should feel honored.”

As soon as he finished speaking, mistletoe shot out.

Silently and effortlessly, the seemingly sturdy bone magic shield was easily pierced by the mistletoe.

The monk's chest was also pierced.

The mage struggled in vain for a while, then collapsed and died. His staff fell to the ground as the light went out, raising a little dust.

Then the ghost bishop waved his hand again, and the stone door reopened.

“Go and fulfill your divine decree, follower of Baldr,” he said.

Michael breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression was somewhat complicated.

Just as he was about to leave, another voice came from behind him: "Don't destroy the oak tree unless you want to bear a curse."

"A curse?" Michael wondered.

Bishop Hodelson, however, offered no further explanation, only saying, "Mistletoe cannot live without trees, just as shadow cannot live without light..."

……

the other side.

Gaucano proceeded cautiously along the path he had chosen.

Because there was a turn along the way, the passage was even more secluded than he had expected.

Fortunately, as he continued to move forward, his plant perception clearly showed that the distance between him and that level 10 plant was constantly decreasing.

Before long, Gaucano was only a few hundred meters away from his destination.

But at that moment, his brow twitched slightly, and he looked up at the top of the passageway.

In Gao Jiano's perception, some plants were growing in the dark corner above, their level probably between three and five.

This is not surprising. He already knew about these plants.

However, just now, he clearly felt a few plants move, which immediately put him on alert.

After a brief hesitation, Gaucano, holding the Blood-Summoning Sword, cautiously took a few more steps.

A few more plants stirred.

Now Gaucano could finally confirm that what was growing in the dark corner above the passage were some living plants, and most of them were hostile to him—or rather, the "intruder."

Realizing this, he immediately took out his flint staff and began chanting incantations.

A light appeared in the darkness, and soon a blazing flame slowly gathered at the tip of the flint staff, forming a bright fireball in no time.

At the same time, the incantation was completed.

Gaucano waved his staff.

Second Ring Fireball!
"boom!"

A blazing fireball shot out and then exploded with a bang in a dark corner above the passage!

In reality, Gaucano's fire magic skills were not at the level required to cast a second-circle fireball.

He was able to cast a second-level fireball mainly thanks to the help of the Firestone Staff. This level six fire staff provided a considerable boost, greatly improving his fire spellcasting ability.

Gaucano continued casting spells, unleashing several more fireballs.

He also manipulated the swift breeze, constantly "fanning the flames".

Guided by a swift breeze, the fire spread rapidly and grew increasingly fierce.

Before long, large flames roared up above the passage, dispelling the darkness and setting the few hidden living plants ablaze.

Only then did Gao Jiano see their true colors.

It turned out to be some black vines.

They clung to the crevices of the rock wall, their bodies twisting and turning as the flames burned.

They swung their spiky bodies, attempting to attack Gaugano.

However, the distance between the two sides is obviously quite far.

No matter how much the vines thrashed about, they could not touch Gaucano and were slowly burned to ashes by the flames.

At the same time, some elemental soil and seeds fell from their disintegrating bodies, piling up on the ground along with the burning ashes.

After burning all the living plants to death, Gaucano stepped forward, collected the elemental soil and seeds, and continued deeper into the passage.

After a while.

After passing through the passage and arriving at a spacious area, he finally saw the mysterious level 10 plant.

It is not a plant of the Eternal Forgetfulness family.

This left Gaogano somewhat disappointed.

But the good news wasn't the weeds, it was a tree.

oak.

Among all common plants, trees are undoubtedly a very valuable category, with a wide range of uses.

A level 10 oak tree can sell for at least several dozen gold coins, no less than a level 6 or 7 Forget-Me-Not moss.

The only problem is that this oak tree is growing rather unsightly.

It could almost be described as "shriveled up." If it weren't for the few leaves still hanging on the branches, most people would probably think it was a dead tree.

Gaucano suddenly frowned.

But then he remembered that his storage ring was almost empty because it contained a pair of giant deer antlers.

It's virtually impossible to take the entire oak tree back.

How to do?
Should we carry it all away? Or take only a portion?

Gao Jiano pondered for a while.

Just then, the scene near the oak tree suddenly swayed slightly, and a tall figure appeared without warning.

The tall figure had long silver hair, fair skin, and delicate features, making her look like an absolutely beautiful woman, but she had an Adam's apple.

Niels!
“So there’s a high-level tree here. No wonder you chose to enter the passage alone!” Niels smiled and began chopping down the tree.

Gao Jiano's face immediately darkened.

He raised his hand and unleashed a Hunter's Mark, then charged toward Nils with the Blood Summoning Sword in hand.

He had long intended to get rid of Niels.

Now that we are in a secluded location with no one else around, it is clearly the perfect opportunity to carry out a dirty trick.

However, as the number two figure in the Iron Fist Brotherhood and a notorious freak in Southshore, Nils' methods are certainly not simple either.

As Gaucano rapidly approached, Nils remained expressionless, continuing to chop down trees while his body shimmered with light and shadow.

Suddenly, Gao Jiano felt a blur before his eyes, and four Niels appeared out of thin air.

One of them was still chopping down the tree. The level 10 oak was certainly hard, but he was chopping it down quite quickly, and it wouldn't be long before he had the whole oak tree in his possession.

The other three Niels stood in Gaucano's path, swords drawn.

They wore identical smiles and spoke in the same tone and rhythm: "I haven't used this move in a long time. You've won three consecutive duels in the front lines. I hope you won't disappoint me."

Gao Jiano immediately created twelve swift breezes and activated Blood Rush, heading straight for the three Niels blocking his way.

Both sides were quite fast, almost evenly matched.

However, in terms of combat power, Nils's clone is clearly much weaker than Gaucano.

These clones are not illusions, or at least not purely illusions.

When their swords struck Gaucano, he could clearly feel the realism of the attacks, but this realism was only partial, not complete.

Therefore, they can hardly harm Gaugano in his Earth Skin state.

The only thing they can do is obstruct.

Niels seemed a little surprised, but he remained calm. After all, for him, being able to hold off Gaucano for the time being was enough.

Because it won't be long before he can acquire this high-grade oak tree!

(End of this chapter)