Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 478 Two Difficult Situations for a Homeless Dog (Seeking Monthly Tickets at the Beginning of the Month)

Regarding the Jade Kingdom, Liushuang made a "money over life" decision.

Before Chen Mo made his statement, a considerable group had already emerged at this round of military conferences who hoped to support Liushuang and oppose Feicui, and this group had become the mainstream.

As for those who hold different opinions or have not expressed their opinions, they are actually all part of the Commander-in-Chief Party, that is, the Chen Mo Party. Of course, if Chen Mo makes a clear statement, the Liu Shuang Party will also quickly switch to the Chen Mo Party.

There is only one sun in the vast ocean, and that's no joke.

Since Chen Mo chose to listen to Liu Shuang's opinion, Liu Shuang's attitude was tantamount to a final judgment on the jade.

Liu Shuang chose to follow her instincts and spared Jade's life.

Unfortunately, the Emerald Duchy was unaware of this at the moment.

The sudden demise of the Green Pine was like a huge dark cloud hanging over the Emerald Duchy, making them feel as if they could not see the sun and could not even breathe.

Trembling with fear, completely distracted!
When the Han Hai army returned to the north of the Xinpo River and began to regroup near Yunwu City, the Blue-Eyed Grand Duke felt his hair stand on end, and for a time he couldn't even put on his underwear and armor.

"They're coming for us, they must be coming for us!"

"No, I must go to Qiyue to seek help!"

The Jade Court was deathly silent.

The saying "When the superiors have a certain preference, the inferiors will follow suit" couldn't be more fitting for the Jade Kingdom.

Throughout history, the Jadeite Grand Dukes have been loyal dogs of the Qiyue Dynasty. Or, to put it another way, those Jadeite nobles who were unwilling to be loyal dogs of the dynasty had long been purged. Therefore, the Jadeite court, from top to bottom, has long become a mouthpiece for the Qiyue family, a repeater of the higher-ups' words.

For them, they would rather have a mound of earth bathed in twilight than a thousand acres of verdant green.

That's how obsequious they are!

Now that something's happened, do I even need to think? My first reaction is to run to Qiyue!

When they were fighting Green Pine before, they always wanted to run away, but Qiyue wouldn't let them.

Now, the situation is changing too fast, and it seems that the Qiyue Dynasty has not been able to react in time, thus leaving a crucial window of opportunity for the Jadeite leadership.

That afternoon, the Jadeite Grand Duke left his eldest son to oversee the kingdom and began his journey north day and night.

Then, they were blocked at the border of the Qiyue Dynasty.

The person who blocked his way was neither a commander-in-chief nor a noble family, but a young border town garrison officer who seemed to be barely out of his teens.

The city garrison commander, mounted on his horse, looked down at the group of panting, disheveled jadeite guests. Without saying a word, he drew his long sword from his waist and gently extended the tip forward.

The cold blade was placed unceremoniously against the blue-eyed duke's neck.

The blade was pressed tightly against the flesh; if it were pushed forward just half an inch, it would have carved a gash into the throat.

The blue-eyed duke froze, his eyes wide open, his Adam's apple bobbing, not daring to utter a single sound.

"Go back to your doghouse and wait for the orders of the lords."

This is really a sad story.

The Blue-Eyed Duke returned to Emerald City listlessly, curled up in the magnificent palace, his face ashen, and wrote letter after letter to every noble of the Moonlit Kingdom he knew.

The humbleness of the words and the subservience of the attitude are so extreme that they are almost unbearable to read.

"We have received great favors from the dynasty and have no way to repay them. We only wish to humbly serve you and serve you with utmost loyalty."

"Though the jade is small, there is still some surplus wealth. I only beg Your Excellency to have mercy and lend a hand to this small country!"

"I miss your kind face so much that I can't sleep at night. I only wish to see you one more time. Even if I die, I will have no regrets..."

Unfortunately, these letters were sent out and disappeared without a trace, like stones sinking into the sea.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the opposite side of the Jade Belt River, in the camp of the remnants of the Green Pine tribe, Dimo ​​also looked bewildered.

Like the Blue-Eyed Grand Duke, Dimo ​​was also unable to continue the battle.

It's not that we don't want to fight, it's that we can't fight.

As for the reasons...

It's actually quite absurd.

Because Han Hai won the main battlefield and the Green Pine Kingdom was destroyed, the original trading chain in which Green Pine provided money and military merits, and Han Hai provided Tiger Brand and supplies, was naturally broken.

Jade's battle merits have rendered it worthless; it's that simple!
During that period, due to this peculiar trading policy on the battlefield, the heads of jadeite workers commanded a very high premium.

Although the Han Hai region is strictly managed and has cracked down on killing innocent people to claim credit and passing off inferior goods as superior ones, as long as the real Jade Soldiers are handed over, it means a real harvest of gold and silver.

Back then, Dimo's men, with their eyes practically glowing with greed, were like wolves and tigers when they slashed at the Emerald Man.

Not anymore.

Just a few days ago, Oscar received news from the old cripple of Iron Fist Village that Han Hai had officially stopped exchanging Emerald prisoners of war and heads.

The other party was quite frank: "Now, even if I give you Tiger Brand again, you won't have anywhere to use it. As for worthless things like jade, you can't expect Hanhai to spend money to buy them!"

"Considering your hard work, quickly calculate how many prisoners of war and battle merits you still have, and report the number to the village. We'll settle the account with you at a reasonable price. You can take money or supplies; this deal ends here!"

What could Dimo ​​say? Han Hai's way of doing things is indeed... considerate to allies and potential allies.

He could only send a generous gift through Oscar to express his gratitude for the old cripple's care during this time.

The gifts were very generous, after all, it was a gesture of offering something for nothing.

The other party's feedback reflected the standard HanHai style: when inspecting the results, they were uncompromising and would ruthlessly pick out even the slightest flaw.

However, the gifts they gave in return were at least as valuable as the ones they had sent, and included a batch of war supplies that Dimo ​​desperately needed.

Without a base, the remnants of Dimo's army could still steal and plunder other supplies, but things like transport ships, siege engines, and magic crystals were truly impossible to obtain.

The other party prepared a set for him.

This also strengthened Dimo's resolve not to become enemies with Han Hai.

To be honest, Dimo ​​had considered surrendering to Han Hai. Every night, when all was quiet, he would sit alone in his tent, facing the flickering magic lamp, and think about it over and over again.

However, the military system of the Han Hai is very unfriendly to military leaders of the lord level.

Dimo had carefully studied the system of Han Hai. In Han Hai's system, military power, political power, and financial power are completely separated. It is similar to a traditional lord who can collect taxes, manage his own affairs, and lead his own troops. He is a local overlord with no foundation for existence.

To put it bluntly, the so-called "General of the Vast Sea" is actually no different from the captain under one's command. He can be promoted or demoted at will, and his life or death is entirely at the lord's discretion.

At this point, Dimo ​​was still young and a little unwilling to accept defeat.

He wanted to conquer a territory and see if he could follow the example of the Xiyue tribe, join the Xiayue Alliance, and gain a semi-independent status.

After all, before this, his Green Pine Army had overwhelmed Jade with overwhelming force. As long as he didn't provoke Han Hai, he was still very confident in dealing with Jade on his own.

However, it turns out that the young man was still too naive.

His past achievements in the jade industry were actually based on two major premises.

First, in the Cloud Territory, a territory that the kingdom had swallowed up for several years, the Emerald Duchy was a guest force, while the Zircon Territory was the home ground.

They knew far better than the enemy where the roads were, where the water was, where they could ambush, and where they could set up camp.

Secondly, because of the "Tiger Brand" trading chain, the results of the battle for jade can be directly converted into clearly visible profits, which has a great stimulating effect on the soldiers under its command.

In feudal armies, bounties are equivalent to fighting power!

Now, here and now, neither of these two premises exists.

After Dimo ​​conquered Tianye City and Feiyan City, the next step was to attack Emerald's home territory, thus reversing the roles of host and guest.

Back then, Green Pine had many famous generals and fierce warriors, and they couldn't take down Emerald Light City even after a full-scale siege. Dimo ​​was just a little clever, not an invincible war god.

The disruption of the trading chain meant that no one would buy the jade heads, making them worthless, and the soldiers' morale plummeted.

Dimo did the math and realized that if he were to pay for the reward himself, he would go bankrupt in no time.

He didn't dare to plunder extensively for money, fearing he would be branded a "butcher" and cut off his future path to surrendering to Han Hai. Those guys seemed to have a rather serious moral fastidiousness.

Without this stimulation, Dimo's warriors quickly entered a period of lethargy, even a state of stagnation, completely losing interest in the Emerald. Within just a few days, Dimo ​​clearly felt that he could no longer push it forward.

Holding up the telescope he had bought at a high price from Han Hai, Dimo ​​gazed for a long time at the emerald city surrounded by mountains and encircled by a river, his eyes filled with confusion.

The setting sun cast its golden rays upon the great city, bathing the walls, towers, and rows of rooftops in a warm, golden glow. The tricolor golden kite flags fluttered high atop the city walls, rustling in the wind.

Dimo sighed heavily.

In such a turbulent era, even the most outstanding pawn is still just a pawn, waiting for the big players behind the scenes to make the final decision on the game.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Almost at the same time, atop the mountains of Ironback Valley, a middle-aged man struggled to climb out of a narrow cave, looking back with deep affection.

Looking back at the beautiful, vast green pine-covered land to the south.

This is Kruger XI, who escaped.

The long journey had left His Majesty, who was no longer young and had long lacked physical training, looking somewhat disheveled.

Just over ten days ago, he had lost his country and was forced to flee his throne in a humiliating manner.

He left through an underground cave.

Although the elves ruled this land for a long time, those elegant creatures had no interest in the mud pits and caves underground, so they knew nothing except that there were deep pits in a few places.

The human race, on the other hand, did something completely different. During the period when Sky Dome and Green Pine were in control, they dispatched professionals to conduct large-scale exploration of underground caves and completed some of the survey maps of the underground caves.

It is said that the initial exploration was to find the treasures of the underground world mentioned by bards, as well as the "Drow" elves that existed in historical mythology.

An evil long-eared creature that, according to ancient legend, separated from the elves long ago and lives in the dark underground world.

Unfortunately, the underground parts that people discovered were all unsystematic local cave systems, a considerable portion of which were filled with water, forming long underground river channels. Those densely packed branch channels and dark, deep water bodies were a nightmare even for high-level professionals.

In the known exploration records, no signs of life have been found in the underground caves, yet a large number of lives have been truly lost there.

For example, one might become completely disoriented in the darkness, unable to find an exit no matter what, and ultimately become a pile of bones in some dark corner of the underworld.

Or, the forced clearing by professionals caused a collapse, or subterranean fire, which easily devoured those irritable, pitiful creatures.

Furthermore, those water-filled caves and grottoes are a deadly hell for explorers.

Staying underwater for too long and suffocating due to lack of breath is just the most common way to die.

To help these human nations explore more effectively, the magic society at that time created a magical rune called the "Super Air Chamber." Through special magical materials combined with psionic energy, a large amount of air was confined in a semi-transparent magical sphere, providing air for warriors exploring underwater.

The super air membrane has a tough surface and can be transformed into various shapes, making it easier for explorers to pass through narrow underwater passages.

Next, the human race witnessed the explorers die in all sorts of bizarre ways.

They have no shortage of air to breathe, nor of physical strength or spiritual energy, but they inexplicably suffer from all sorts of strange ailments such as sudden convulsions, fainting, loss of consciousness, paralysis, brain spasms, and bizarre behavior, and then die silently underground.

Some of those who were barely rescued described experiencing sudden blackouts, loss of bodily control, and even bizarre hallucinations, despite having nothing unusual around them and not being attacked.

Strong professionals can hold out longer due to their physical abilities, but they often don't escape death in the end. Even if they are lucky enough to survive, they are often left with many hidden injuries or even physical disabilities.

This mysterious phenomenon has been called "the curse of the abyss" by explorers.

This also made humankind even more convinced that there must be some kind of mysterious force in the underworld.

However, after a long period of exploration, humanity has gained a relatively clear understanding of the shallow layers of the underground world.

With the help of certain forces, Kruger XI used multiple underground passages as a means of transportation, making difficult progress underground or underwater during the day and sneaking across the surface at night to reach the next cave. In this stumbling and difficult way, he escaped all the way to Ironback Valley.

From here onward, we will leave the border of the pine forest and enter a new territory.

When Kluge XI crawled out of the pit, no one could have imagined that this was the once mighty King of Green Pine.

The royal robe, once adorned with jewels and symbolizing the supreme power of pine, was now unrecognizable. One sleeve was torn from the shoulder, revealing a dirty lining and a wound that had appeared sometime earlier and was beginning to scab over.

The exposed hands had been groping in the deep underground for too long; the nails were filled with black silt, and the backs of the hands were covered with tiny bloodstains from constant scraping.

Kruger shoved himself against the rocks, then kicked hard against the shoulders of the guards behind him, rolling out of the cave entrance. As the long-awaited sunlight pierced his eyes, the former Lord of Green Pine lay sprawled on the ground at the cave entrance, panting heavily.

His hair was disheveled, covered in dirt and debris, and stuck haphazardly to his face with sweat. His sunken cheeks were framed by dark eye sockets and chapped lips.

Kruger greedily breathed in the sunlight, then suddenly burst into a violent cough.

People began to crawl out of the cave.

The royal steward, court ministers, surviving generals, and a young prince...

Some people gagged, some curled up with their wet bodies, some trembled as they held onto their swords, and some knelt on the ground, facing the direction of the old capital, tears streaming down their faces.

But no one spoke.

The wind swept through the mountains, swirling up a few withered leaves that landed on the disheveled people.

King Kruger XI stared at it for a long time before finally turning his gaze away, rolling over on his back from lying face down.

The sky is very blue.

It was as blue as the sky over Qingsong City.

No one dared to disturb His Majesty the King at this time; the last guard who tried to approach and help him had already been swallowed up by the depths of the underground cave.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over the sky above Kruger's head.

It was a middle-aged magician dressed in a dark gray robe, the corners of which were covered in mud, but overall he was quite tidy, forming a stark contrast to the mud-covered figure on the ground.

The magician's eyes were peculiar; a strange, dark red light flickered deep within his pupils, like two small flames burning within them.

"Lord Kruger, once night falls, we will be able to cross this mountain range and enter the territory of the Frostwind Duchy!"

"The tower master has already prepared secluded accommodations and ample supplies over there, awaiting your arrival."

Kruger's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze suddenly became aggressive.

"What exactly is your purpose?"

The middle-aged magician's cheek muscles twitched, pulling out a strange-looking smile.

"No, no, it's not you, it's us!"

"Sir Kruger, please believe one thing—we are in this together."

“From the moment you accepted our help, we became true allies, and we are both fighting to maintain order in this world.”

He bent down, leaned closer, and spoke with the fervent devotion of a fanatical believer.

"Han Hai, a disruptor of order, and the evil god behind him called 'Industry,' are the common enemies of all of us. They are the biggest cancer in this world. They must be removed, purified, and completely eradicated."

King Kruger XI was silent for a moment, licked his dry lips, and asked, "All of you... who else?"

“It’s us!” the middle-aged magician emphasized again, then bowed slightly and made a “please” gesture.

"We have many like-minded companions! They are all victims of the evil force of the Vast Ocean!"

"Please follow me, you will see them soon!"

"We have prepared a brilliant plan!"

"With all the forces of justice united, we will surely win this great victory!"

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　　Synopsis:
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　　A seemingly cold but actually sassy fairy, an incomparably alluring witch, a Taoist fanatic with astonishing comprehension, a madwoman with a deep-seated blood feud...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)