Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 141 The Brilliant First Radiance of the Starry World
October 12th, sunny, windless, clear sky and light clouds.

It was an auspicious day, and Lord Chen Mo even checked the almanac.

Suitable for groundbreaking, sacrifices, prayers, consecration, and religious ceremonies...

The lord had a high platform temporarily erected over a hundred kilometers west of Hanhai City. Today, he brought his civil and military officials, as well as distinguished guests from the temple, to the platform early and took their seats.

The lord and High Priest Farrell are in the front row, which is the best viewpoint.

The staff served a variety of tea snacks, seasonal fruits, and frozen desserts that had just been taken out of the freezer, placing a small portion of each guest's table in front of them.

That's incredibly extravagant.

Farrell glanced at the lord without making a sound, and was somewhat speechless.

This lord was always so strange; his life was actually quite simple. He was often seen with the soldiers in his territory, eating a little rice with a few simple dishes, and finishing it off in no time.

However, when it comes to hospitality, Han Hai Territory is known for its generosity. Fresh fruits and vegetables are transported northward from the south using ice blocks, and then preserved with special equipment upon arrival in the territory. Putting aside everything else, this kind of treatment is something that 99.99% of people on the mainland cannot enjoy.

However, whenever guests came to Han Hai, even if they were just ordinary stewards of the merchant guild, the lord was never stingy with his hospitality.

Farrell slowly put a cool, refreshing fruit into his mouth, then curiously picked up the long, thin cigarette the lord had handed him on the table, examining it over and over.

What an exquisite little trinket.

Although Lord Chen Mo himself was currently puffing away on a cigarette, Farrell did not dare to follow suit.

What if there's something blasphemous inside?

In the early days, some guys would secretly skin and debone dwarfs, stew them into large pieces of meat, and then trick the temple staff into eating them. Those were bloody lessons.

Although judging from the lord's character, he doesn't seem like someone who would deliberately harm me, it's always better to be careful when traveling, even lords can be deceived.

"Yes, it's good not to smoke! Smoking is harmful to your health."

Chen Mo chatted with Farrell from time to time: "I don't usually smoke, but when something happens, I can't help it. It's also a way for me to calm down."

"Unlike that old guy, he's starting to lose control."

Chen Mo was referring to Karl-Anthony Towns.

"Old Dao loves wine, Long Gun loves tobacco," these mages really liked this so-called calming and tranquilizing stuff.

Ever since he got a free filter cigarette from Chen Mo, the old man has completely fallen in love with this little gadget.

To prevent teacher Chen Mo from dying from lung cancer or related diseases, Dongxia even had to arrange a special technical research project to reduce nicotine, tar, and other components in tobacco as much as possible while preserving the original flavor.

They also developed a tobacco companion to be used with cigarettes to minimize lung damage.

The cost of just this one piece is over two thousand yuan, and that's without any brand premium or tax markup. If taxed according to the standard tax rate for the Dongxia industry, the price per piece would directly exceed ten thousand yuan.

The group chatted and laughed, and soon it was time to watch the fireworks.

The weapon used in this demonstration was a conventional tactical-level hydrogen bomb with a yield of 100 kilotons, which is the upper limit for conventional tactical nuclear weapons.

Although East Xia was fully capable of providing weapons with greater yields, after careful discussion, the staff believed that maintaining an appropriate balance was very important.

First of all, this is a performance.

In his letter, Dongxia repeatedly advised that even if Princess Liushuang met with an accident, they should not use nuclear weapons, which could result in mutual destruction and devastation, but should instead continue to develop and expand their strength in preparation for the future.

Even without his family's persuasion, Chen Mo knew this. At least for now, Liu Shuang's core role is still that of a strategic pharmaceutical supplier for Dongxia. Moreover, since the young princess has not mentioned any conditions, it is not just a transaction, but also involves a great deal of emotional factors.

Therefore, Dongxia took the little princess's safety very seriously, but compared to Chen Mo's safety, it was on a completely different level.

Therefore, no matter how many nuclear bombs Chen Mo has, or how large their yield, he will not use them for retaliation until an absolutely safe release environment is confirmed.

Even on Earth, the same applies: a superweapon is only at its most powerful when it is not thrown at the target.

Therefore, this performance becomes especially important, because you have to convince the other party that you have this thing in order to put it on the table as a bargaining chip.

On Earth, these performances mainly involve bombing open ground and oceans. Of course, there are also instances of bombing livestock in cities, and the demonstrations are all very effective.

In the Starry World, the only option was to bomb the empty space. To ensure there were no problems, Chen Mo even arranged for the Sand People to conduct a thorough search of this empty area several times in advance, driving away even lizards and sand cats.

An isolation zone was set up based on the theoretical maximum impact radius of eleven kilometers.

To fully demonstrate the effect, a low-altitude airburst was used this time. Of course, it was impossible to use missile launches or drone drops, as that would be too wasteful of transport capacity. Therefore, Chen Mo arranged for a team of professionals to set up a simple detonation facility in the desert, with a mound of earth at the bottom and a tall wooden tower on top.

Around the detonation point, a series of simple city walls, wooden houses, armor on sticks, and other reference objects were set up from far to near.

Of course, cameras are indispensable.

On either side of the viewing platform were two large-screen monitors specially transported from Earth, connected to more than a dozen cameras at different angles. Meanwhile, Old Man Downs was accompanied by a group of mages from the former [Nightblade], ready to unleash [Detection Eyes] at different distances.

The goal is to allow everyone to appreciate it from every angle.

This grand and elaborate setup greatly heightened the anticipation of the guests present.

As time ticked by, the field army commander-in-chief, the centaur Kaga, rushed over, straightened his back, gave a crisp salute, and shouted, "Reporting, lord, the weapon [Burning Stone] is ready. Requesting ignition, release, and attack on the target area!"

"Attack permitted!"

"Roger!" Kaga shouted, and the guards on both sides waved red flags. Then, several centaurs on the distant sand dunes responded by waving red flags. One of the smaller centaurs, who looked like Ma Baoguo, set up a heavy sniper rifle and fired a shot into the distance.

Of course, all of these actions are part of the performance.

There's no need to release it at all; the nuclear bomb is already there. There's no need to ignite it either. Firing a gun would be pure deception.

To ensure the safety and stability of the detonation, the detonation device is timed.

It's just time.

"Burning Stone? Does that name have any significance?"

Faced with Farrell's curiosity, Chen Mo calmly stubbed out his cigarette: "I heard that there is a kind of stone in the Starry Sky that is particularly hard, called zircon, and I wanted to see if I could burn it with a powerful weapon."

Farrell was getting a little tired of talking.

Always being sarcastic and unpleasant...

Just then, a glimmer of light appeared in the corner of the priest's eye!
High Priest Farrell had a half-eaten piece of fruit stuck in his mouth. As a third-rank high priest and a mid-level priest, a chilling warning instinctive instinct instantly gripped him!

He instantly activated Holy Light Protection.

However, these few rays of white light, in front of that pure, domineering, and tyrannical light screen in the distance, were like fireflies under the blazing sun.

The enormous screens on either side of the platform suddenly erupted with blinding, incandescent white light. For a mere fraction of a second, the screens were briefly "overexposed," becoming pure white. Immediately afterward, the center of the white light contracted abruptly, then expanded outward with even greater ferocity! The color changed from white to orange, then to crimson, and a gigantic fireball slowly took shape on the screen.

Its core was a dazzling white-gold color, with edges churning with a hellish orange-red like lava. The fireball greedily devoured the mounds and wooden towers below. Those fragile structures were like pieces of paper thrown into a furnace before it, instantly vaporizing and disintegrating without leaving a trace of smoke!

The mages' Eyes of Detection provided a clearer view, revealing more details to Farrell and the priests.

Energy was boiling and roaring. In an instant, the earth seemed to be torn apart, revealing a deep crater. Grains seemed to desperately try to escape this damned hell, rushing outwards in a race. Behind them was the crystallized earth surface, which had been melted by the high temperature and had become vitrified.

Accompanying the light and heat is a surging shockwave.

As the burning sun rose slowly into the center of the field of vision, the earth below was being mercilessly plowed by a visible, rapidly spreading "Ring of Destruction," a mixture of dust and flames! That was the vanguard of the shockwave!
The makeshift city walls erected along the way were instantly flattened and pulverized! The wooden houses disintegrated into a cloud of flying ash. The heavy armor was blown high into the air like pieces of paper, deforming, twisting, and tearing.

If there were someone inside, they would probably be feeling quite uncomfortable right now.

All the non-professionals, such as Herland, had put on dark sunglasses early on, so their perception of light was not as direct as that of the professionals present, and their feeling of the surging impact was not as profound as that of the professionals.

However, the metal plate armor was easily shredded into dust, a force they could only comprehend.

They simply couldn't imagine what life form could survive such a devastating attack.

Before their brains could process it, the sound arrived.

It took about thirty-eight seconds for the sound waves to travel a long distance of more than ten kilometers before finally crashing into the observation deck area.

The enormous rumbling sound gave the impression that these sounds were tangible, like a tidal wave crashing towards them. Although the shockwave had dissipated and the dust could no longer reach this high platform, just hearing the sound was enough to instill a sense of fear that made people want to escape as quickly as possible.

This is the majestic power of a top-tier weapon from another world.

In the distance, the massive fireball slowly dimmed, surrounded by a sandstorm of mist tens of meters high, which continued to spread in all directions. It seemed to be relentlessly grabbing everything it could from the ground and the air, spiraling upwards along the powerful central suction force, swirling, converging, and forming a colossal column of smoke connecting heaven and earth!

At the top of the smoke column, a mesmerizing mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke slowly bloomed.

High Priest Farrell had stood up at some point, his lips trembling slightly.

He had never seen a forbidden spell before, but he believed that this weapon, named "Burning Stone," must meet all the conditions of a forbidden spell.

Farrell personally cast a Mage's Eye.

The enormous fireball, reaching to the sky, continued to rise, its color changing from a dazzling white-gold to patches of orange-red and dark red. Below the fireball, the utterly destroyed and melted earth formed a huge, seemingly bottomless crater.

Behind Farrell, several young priests had already knelt down without realizing it, murmuring prayers. Chen Mo was unfamiliar with the eulogy of the Divine Court and did not know what they were saying to their own gods.

As for the civil and military officials of the territory, they already knew the greatness of their lord, and now, in addition to greatness, they also had to add another layer: power.

Grace inspires gratitude, and power inspires awe!
This is our lord!
This is the fury of the vast ocean, enough to annihilate all enemies!
The person most shocked by the entire audience was the veteran mage, Towns.

He had personally witnessed forbidden spells, including small-scale forbidden spells of the level of moving mountains and filling lakes—a realm he once thought he could never even dream of reaching in his lifetime.

Then, just yesterday, Mage Downs personally used his magical powers to lift that big guy up there.

This mage, who had wasted half his life, tremblingly tried to construct a new Eye of Detection spell model with his hands, but it was already a mess.

Old Downs stared blankly at his lord.

The young man was the most composed person on the field at that moment. A wisp of smoke rose from the cigarette between his fingers, illuminating his calm face and slightly narrowed eyes.

It seems... I'm not entirely satisfied!
Yes, Chen Mo was indeed dissatisfied. For safety reasons, they were too far away, and he didn't even feel the aftershocks of the shockwave.

If there's a sudden earthquake, the teacups will clatter, and all the miscellaneous things on the table will be swept to the ground, leaving a mess of cups and plates, and a few more broken.

A strong gust of wind swept across the scene, causing the sleeves of his robe to flutter and rustle, perfectly matching Chen Mo's ideal vision.

Unfortunately, now that he's a pampered son of a wealthy family, he can no longer fake such a high-class scene.

For this performance, Chen Mo used up a quarter of the transportation capacity in October. The entire performance process was planned by the Dongxia technical department for many consecutive days without sleep. The exercise troops even recreated a simulated Guli Desert test area at the Dongxia test range, and conducted several tests with nuclear bombs of the same weight.

Because the airburst was not high, the data test results showed that the absolute safe distance was 9.2 kilometers, which is the kind of distance where even a slight dustfall wouldn't reach you.

But that won't work yet, what if it gets windy?
What if the radiation level exceeds the standard in some areas?
What if the splash-fired material travels far away?

Refund again!

They retreated like this, backing away for thirteen kilometers. Of course, his family wouldn't tell Chen Mo any of this; the safe distance they gave him was thirteen kilometers.

This left Chen Mo with a sense of regret—that he had let go, but felt nothing at all.

However, the demonstration effect is sufficient!
Although Chen Mo repeatedly warned that there might be some residual effects similar to [Breath of Death] in this forbidden spell zone, the priests still tried to release the Sacred White Deer into the explosion site after more than an hour.

As expected, the white deer refused to go in.

Although it is a clean nuclear bomb and its airburst decays quickly, there is still a limit to how fast it can decay.

The white deer, a creature used in the Divine Court for "evil detection," was clearly sensitive to radiation. It stopped about seven kilometers away and began circling the outer edge.

The next day, they only made it to the three-kilometer mark before refusing to go any further.

The Divine Court could only use its Detective Eye to thoroughly examine the scene from top to bottom.

Farrell gave his final assessment: within 500 to 700 meters of the center of this forbidden spell-like attack, those below the third job advancement level are considered unsurvivable.

Within a range of 1.2 to 1.5 kilometers, high-ranking warriors and guardians of the shield are likely to survive, but may suffer severe injuries.

Within a 3.2-kilometer radius, an ordinary person without protection would find it difficult to survive.

Within a five-kilometer radius, people may suffer injuries of varying degrees.

Within a seven-kilometer radius, a continuous damage effect similar to [Cursed Earth] will be created; the specific damage mechanism and extent are currently unknown.

At the end of this assessment, Farrell made a special note.

"The Lord of the Vast Ocean stated that he himself paid a huge price in order to activate such a super-tier weapon from another world."

"The reason we are willing to present this to the Divine Court is because we have a good personal relationship with the local priests and bishops, as well as a long-standing cooperative relationship. We hope to find a peaceful way to resolve the Cloud Mist Territory incident."

"However, the Lord of the Vast Ocean also expressed that if the situation deteriorates further, he is willing to pay an even greater price to obtain a super forbidden spell weapon with greater power, enough to wipe out a large city."

"Based on my observations, this statement is highly likely to be true."

"Therefore, if my Divine Court does not intervene, the target of the Vast Ocean is only the Green Pine Kingdom, especially hostile forces such as the Green Pine Zircon Territory."

"If the Divine Court insists on intervening, it may attract the hatred of the Lord of the Vast Ocean, which I believe is not a wise move!"

"Please consider this, Your Excellency Bishop and Your Excellency High Priest."

(End of this chapter)