Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 265 The Desperate Commoners of the Vast Swamp Kingdom: The Salvation by the Lord of the Vast Sea

The turbid floodwaters, carrying mud, broken wood, weeds, swollen and deformed human and livestock carcasses, and many pieces of garbage whose original appearance and purpose were no longer recognizable, flowed endlessly.

Every now and then you can see struggling people, struggling spirits, and large trees with their branches swaying wildly, bobbing up and down in the water.

This torrent flooded the fields, destroyed houses, and continued to expand and writhe on the land, like a giant, yellowish-brown slime, rampaging and devouring everything on the once rich and fertile plains on both sides of the North Foothills River.

For the vast majority of ordinary people living in the villages along the Beilu River, who toil in the fields from dawn till dusk, this world is still a "slow world."

The transmission of information relied on the slow-moving camels of traveling merchants or word-of-mouth among neighbors and relatives, and it often took several days or even longer to travel from one village to another.

So long ago, the legendary White Stone City, a symbol of power and prosperity, seemed as distant as the ends of the earth to these rural villagers.

But now, they have no choice but to trek towards the distance.

In order to complete the plan to quickly surround the elves, the Stream Moon Federation's demolition was very meticulous. Both banks were blown open at the same time. Although the waterline was not violent, it spread extremely quickly. Therefore, when the flood was seen, it actually meant that it was too late.

Patton stood at the top of the small hill behind his house, barefoot, his trousers rolled up high, the sewage up to his knees, chilling him to the bone.

He could only watch helplessly as the murky water surged wave after wave, submerging the fields he had carefully tended, the fields that held the hopes of his family for a year's food supply, swallowing up the courtyard wall he had painstakingly built stone by stone over half a lifetime, and then mercilessly crashing against the mud-brick walls of his old house, which had been passed down from his great-great-great-grandfather.

In his early forties, he could already be called Old Patton!

Finally, as the water level rose above the windowsill, a section of the earthen wall collapsed with a muffled thud.

The sound struck Barton's heart like a hammer blow, making him tremble involuntarily, then tremble again!
Under the continuous soaking and impact of the flood, the old house finally collapsed. Muddy water gushed out from the broken walls, sweeping away the old wooden bed that could be called an antique, the peeling wooden cabinet that his wife had brought as part of her dowry, and some clothes and other belongings that could not be moved in time.

Patton only managed to salvage the meager amount of food he had stored at home, which was essential for survival!

Everything else—the mud house that had been repaired year after year, the savings accumulated through hard work, and the simple belongings that carried memories—vanished into nothingness in the raging flood.

Barton opened his mouth, but it felt like something was tightly blocking his throat, and he couldn't make a sound.

"Father! Father! The water... the water has risen again!" The eldest daughter's tearful cry came from behind.

Old Patton snapped out of his daze, roughly wiped his face with his tattered sleeve, and turned to look at the two children huddled in the tree branch. His ten-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son, like two frightened little quails, huddled together, trembling.

We can't stay here any longer, the water level is rising higher and higher!
Got to escape!
Old Patton gritted his teeth, grabbed the basket he had frantically snatched from the tree branch to carry the grain, tied the bag of precious grain tightly to his back, made a tight knot, then grabbed the hemp rope tied to the basket, shortened it, and tried to keep the basket from being submerged in the water.

Patton grabbed his son and daughter, who were so light they seemed to weigh nothing, and put them in the basket, one on each side.

"Hold on tight! Hold on tight to the rope! Don't let go!" Old Patton's voice was a little hoarse, with a sense of desperation.

He picked up the worn-smooth carrying pole, shakily hoisted the two baskets onto his shoulder, the pole digging deep into his thin shoulders. He had just taken a step when he stumbled and almost fell.

The child in the basket was half-submerged in the water, his little hands gripping the rope tightly, letting out a low gasp.

Old Patton took a deep breath of the watery air, steadied himself, gritted his teeth, and cautiously slid down the hillside into the chest-deep floodwaters.

The icy river water instantly enveloped him, and the chill made him shiver.

The water flow was even more ferocious than it appeared from the hillside, with undercurrents constantly surging beneath the surface. Occasionally, debris would hit his legs and waist, causing him sharp pain!

He carried the two children on his back and struggled through the murky floodwaters. Looking around, all he could see was a vast expanse of water. The familiar villages, roads, and forests were now just scattered tree stumps.

I encountered some dead people on the road, but they quickly dispersed; I also encountered some living people, but they dispersed just as quickly.

Because he couldn't see what was happening underwater, he could only proceed cautiously by feeling. Once the water level rose above the two children's bodies, he had to quickly retreat and find another direction, which caused him to waste a lot of time going back and forth.

In such a current, it was difficult enough to walk steadily, let alone carrying two children. He could only slow down, and even slower. It was almost dark when he had just left the old tree at the entrance of the village.

Just as he realized that he had stepped onto the gravel road leading out of the village, the old tree behind him collapsed with a crash, its huge canopy slamming into the water and splashing water everywhere.

Ripples spread outwards, and Old Patton had to struggle to maintain his balance. Then, something, swept up by the waves, slammed heavily into his back.

Lady Luck seemed to glance at him briefly; it was a rather large wooden tub containing a huddled corpse.

Patton touched it; it was completely dead. Without hesitation, he threw the hard, stiff thing into the water and carefully placed the two children and the bag of precious grain inside.

He simply gripped the edge of the wooden tub tightly with both arms, entrusting part of his body weight to it to slightly reduce the burden on his body.

We'll walk for a while, drift for a while, and continue this endless journey.

Darkness followed by light, light followed by darkness again; a sense of bewilderment, despair, and suffocating helplessness, like a flood, almost completely engulfed Old Patton.

But he can't die yet; at the very least, he has to get the child to a safe place before he dies.

Before his wife died, she desperately entrusted him with the task of raising their two children to adulthood.

"At least... get the child to a place without water..."

Time seemed to slow down, and he felt his consciousness becoming somewhat blurred. He was just moving forward instinctively, little by little, when suddenly he heard his daughter's shrill scream.

"Dad, a big bird, such a big bird!"

The aerial search party sent by the elves came flying through the air.

When the elves agreed to Chen Mo's disaster relief request, they were somewhat reluctant. Iona pressured and suppressed them, and it was only with great difficulty that an internal consensus was reached. However, what was approved was only limited implementation.

But the situation changed quickly.

First, after seeing the "battlefield reconnaissance" provided by the Lord of the Vast Sea, the three leaders of the Elven military—Chief Elder Aiona, Silvermoon Legion Commander Safina, and Elven Guard Captain Olivia—quickly reached a consensus.

Must go all out.

If the other side can see the flag of the Xiyue Federation, is it possible that they can also see every move of the elves?
When the leader of the elves looked up at the sky, he always felt a deep chill. High above, there was a pair of eerie eyes, like an ancient eye that could open at any moment, staring at him.

Although the other party said that the cost of using this thing is extremely high and it can only be used for a short period of time each day, what if... what if you happen to see something you shouldn't see at that time?
For example, they failed to do what they were supposed to do, and failed to save those who should have been saved!

Don't take the risk!

Meanwhile, the long-distance air transport from the Vast Ocean to White Stone, along with the chillingly detailed "disaster relief guidelines," quickly shifted the stance of the entire Silvermoon Elder Council and other high-ranking elves.

The Lannister Grand Elder, who had previously vehemently opposed the idea, was the most resolute in his change of heart.

She even offered a perspective on the issue that Iona hadn't considered.

"Don't you find it strange? This Lord of the Vast Ocean, Chen Mo, clearly holds so many... well, 'chips' in his hands."

Lannister pointed to the sky and then waved the book in his hand.

“Any one of his trump cards would be enough to persuade, or even threaten, us elves to participate in this matter, but he chose not to play a single card and instead chose to reason with you.”

"why is that?"

Yeah, why is that?

Iona fell into deep thought. Lannister waited only a few breaths before quickly giving his answer.

She worried that this cunning old fox would soon figure it out, which would greatly diminish the value of her discovery.

"You once said that Lord Hanhai is someone who values ​​both gratitude and revenge!"

"When it comes to gratitude, take our little darling Xiao Liushuang for example. When that lord was still a nobody, she gave him some worthless things. And what's the result? Now that lord can take whatever he wants from her."

“Chongchou… and he even said it was our Liushuang. Look, just because Liushuang doesn’t like Xiasha Port, that Lord of Hanhai asked the Xiyue Federation to dismantle it but failed. He then turned around and sent us a lot of support in exchange for us sending troops to Xiasha.”

"So I think that for the Lord of the Vast Ocean, not setting conditions first, but reasoning with them, is actually a way of screening out forces that can cooperate with them, forces that share the same ideals and interests."

"Look, as soon as you agreed, the other party immediately came up with all sorts of unheard-of methods. Doesn't this seem like a... um... test of 'sincerity'? Or perhaps, a gift to a 'fellow traveler'?"

Iona nodded thoughtfully: "So, what do you mean?"

"Since we've decided to do it, let's go all the way and try our best to satisfy this human lord's 'compassion'!"

"Given this lord's style, the more we do, the more the elves might gain!"

Iona suddenly looked at this old man with new respect.

This person might not just be stubborn, but an extreme elf supremacist who puts the interests of the elves above all else! As long as it benefits the elves, she can adjust her strategy without hesitation, and even embrace things she once opposed.

Well, the way the Lord of the Vast Ocean operates is somewhat influenced by the Eastern Xia style. When negotiating terms, the initial offer is always the most substantial, and the communication aims for a win-win outcome.

This style is actually not difficult to detect at all. However, the reason why most countries and groups on Earth often fail to seize this opportunity is twofold: first, even if they are clear-headed, they cannot control the greed deep in their hearts; second, among the hundreds of countries on Earth, very few actually have national autonomy.

The same is true of the starry world.

Thus, with the combined efforts of the elf leadership, who were unusually lucid, the elf task force had no choice but to begin a full-scale rescue operation for the humans in this vast, swampy land, regardless of whether the elf team below understood or not.

The elves even unusually deployed their air force to venture deep into the floodplains in search of surviving humans.

At this moment, old Patton's consciousness was already somewhat blurred.

The omnipresent, turbid floodwaters pressed in from all directions, washing the poor, ordinary farmer away. The cold seeped into his bones, and hunger gnawed at his stomach. Only an instinct etched deep in his soul supported his nearly numb limbs, forcing him to make paddling and kicking motions.

Just then, his daughter's tearful cry made him reluctantly lift his head.

Against the backdrop of a leaden gray sky, a dark shadow was growing larger at an alarming rate, rushing towards them with the oppressive aura of a supreme being.

Predator?
Barton let out a hoarse growl and, almost without thinking, placed his exhausted body in front of the wooden tub, futilely stretching out his arms to try and protect the two children inside.

The anticipated conflict did not materialize.

A strong gust of air swept past, and he felt a tightening under his armpits and around his waist. A tremendous force suddenly lifted him out of the water! The wooden basin also left the water at the same time, and the children inside let out short screams.

The family was thus lifted into the air, and a somewhat broken Qiyue Mandarin voice came from above: "I'm saving you, don't move!"

The one who found Old Barton was a Silverfeathered Gryphon Rider.

These unique air force units of the elves have strange structures that are completely inconsistent with the biology of Earth.

It possesses massive, forked antlers resembling those of a deer, gleaming with a metallic sheen; its head is a sharp, hooked beak characteristic of birds of prey; its upper body is covered in dense feathers that shimmer silver-white under certain light, and its powerful wings, when spread out, are almost comparable to those of a human griffin.

What's most sinister about it are its sharp front claws and its thick hind legs.

This thing looks like a pieced-together creature, with horns on its head, the upper body of an eagle, and the lower body of a beast. That's where the name "Hippogryph" comes from.

In fact, according to the original Elvish meaning, this creature should be called "Son of the Wind"!
With its wings flapping, the griffin carried Old Barton and his family across the vast waters at breakneck speed. The wind whistled in their ears, and the seemingly hopeless waters that they once thought they could never escape now receded rapidly beneath their feet.

Old Patton felt his heart pounding wildly, as if it were about to leap out of his chest; everything seemed unreal, like a dream.

After an unknown amount of time, the hippogriff began to descend rapidly, and the feeling of weightlessness returned.

With a slight jolt, old Patton and the wooden tub were placed steadily on the dry ground.

The moment his feet touched solid ground, old Patton's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground. With his last bit of strength, he tightly hugged his two children, who had crawled out of the wooden tub and were trembling with fear. The three of them huddled together.

Old Patton felt as if he were hugging two scorching little fireballs.

The child had a fever, and of course, old Patton himself was quite ill as well.

A human guard dressed in simple leather armor and carrying a booklet strode over. "Newcomer? Where are you from? The camp needs to register you first..."

His words came to an abrupt halt, and the faces of the family of three were flushed with an unnatural redness.

The guard reached out and probed, then immediately raised his voice and shouted back, "Someone come here! This person needs treatment! There's a child here!"

As soon as the shouts fell, a dark figure swept over like a gust of wind. The restoration druid sitting on it shoved the group aside, first casting a "Life Support Heal" on each of the two children, and then casting a "Restore Vitality" on Old Barton.

A faint, grass-green light flashed across Old Patton's soaked body. Patton felt his brain buzz, as if he had been forcibly awakened from a long nightmare, and his dazed, malfunctioning state quickly subsided.

Although my body was still exhausted, my mind was clearer than ever before.

Even the most dull-witted and ignorant man instantly understood what had just happened—these pointy-eared gentlemen had used magical powers to heal them!

Old Patton quickly rolled over, ignoring the mud on the ground, and knelt down, tightly holding one of the children in each hand, making them kneel down as well.

"Kneel! Quickly kowtow to the master! Thank you, master! Thank you for saving my life!"

The druid completely ignored him.

Only when you get closer can you see that the druid has dark circles under his eyes and his face is deathly pale from the continuous consumption of magic power. However, when he heard the shouts not far away, he immediately spurred his shadow panther and rushed over.

Old Patton knelt in the mud, watching the druid's departing figure, then looked down at his two children in his arms, their eyes wide open. The panic, helplessness, despair, and pain that had been building up for days finally erupted, and he lay on the muddy ground, weeping loudly.

Not far away, John, the temporary head of the resettlement camp who was patrolling and inspecting, saw this scene and was suddenly filled with a sense of pride.

Just a few days ago, Chen Mo solemnly asked the mercenaries he knew to help him supervise the disaster relief work.

“I don’t know many people in Xiyue, so I feel more at ease leaving things to you.”

"The Xiyue Federation is ignoring their lives. I think we can't let this happen!"

"Help!"

These words got the two kids so excited that they immediately went home and dragged their entire family out.

Who says we are traitors to Xiyue, lackeys of the elves!

We are saving this world, this world that has been ravaged and riddled with holes by the Federation's nobles, military leaders, and gangsters!

(End of this chapter)