Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 513 The Sinner's Dragon Scale Mission
Dimo Monroe waited anxiously in a side hall of the Lord's Mansion in the Vast Ocean Territory, awaiting the fateful summons.

The young master of Zircon Territory was no longer the spirited and brilliant rising star of the kingdom he once was; his eyes were now filled with unease.

He arrived very early.

When the morning light outside the window was just a faint glimmer of dawn on the horizon, Dimo ​​arrived at the city lord's hall two hours ahead of schedule, right in front of the mansion he had depicted countless times in his dreams.

Before leaving, he removed his armor and discarded his weapons. He was wearing a slightly tight white shirt, bought from the Hanhai City Commodity Supply and Marketing Cooperative, paired with military green trousers and soft-soled sneakers—the most standard "working class" attire in Hanhai.

He looks like an ordinary citizen of Hanhai.

The side hall was small and its furnishings were far from luxurious; in fact, they could be described as simple.

Several rough wooden armchairs were placed along the wall, with a long tea table in the middle, on which were placed several plates of snacks and a pot of steaming green tea; several oil paintings depicting the scenery of the desert hung on the wall, with bold and unrestrained brushstrokes, which were said to be a tribute from the people of the desert; a few vines climbed along the wall, dotted with a few small yellow flowers.

Apart from that, there was nothing else there, a far cry from the grand palaces that Dimo ​​had seen before.

But Dimo ​​felt inexplicable pressure.

Taking small, quick steps, Dimo ​​paced back and forth in the side room, hoping to calm himself down a little.

No, I'm still very nervous.

He thought of his father, the Marquis of Monroe, the man who had weighed on him like a mountain throughout his childhood and adolescence.

The Marquis's face had become somewhat blurred in his memory, but those cold, ever-sharp eyes were now vividly present in Dimo's mind.

If those eyes could see me like this now, they would probably show that familiar expression, a mixture of disappointment and expectation.

But his father was already dead, and his life taught him his final lesson.

Perhaps it was because he knew how powerful his father was that he understood how powerful Han Hai was.

He couldn't help but be nervous, so nervous that his whole body trembled slightly.

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.

This time, Chen Mo and Liu Shuang's engagement ceremony, coupled with the grand Starry Sky Commodity Expo, saw Han Hai issue a wide invitation to heroes, and Dimo ​​Monroe was among those invited.

Upon receiving the invitation, Dimo ​​immediately decided to personally travel to Hanhai to offer his congratulations.

He felt that if he didn't make a decision soon, he would be left with no way out.

Dimo is a smart man. In the past war between the Vast Ocean and the Green Pine Kingdom, he was the only force in the Green Pine Kingdom that was able to escape unscathed and even develop.

By acquiring Tiger Brand from the Vast Ocean and then reselling it to various heroes of the Green Pine Kingdom, Dimo ​​made a huge profit and used it to gather a group of capable and clear-headed officers and soldiers.

In those days, he was like a falcon, circling over the ruins of the collapsed Green Pine Kingdom, precisely seizing each prey.

At the moment when the kingdom was finally overthrown, Dimo ​​decisively sold off the "Tiger Brand," got rid of the burden, and led his troops north to seize a large area of ​​land that originally belonged to Cloud Mist Territory from the Emerald Duchy. He even once invaded Emerald Pass, reached the Jade Belt River, and looked towards Emerald City, the capital of the Emerald Kingdom.

But that was also his last moment of glory.

The Green Pine Kingdom couldn't conquer the Emerald with all its might back then, so why should Dimo ​​be able to conquer it?
When the "Tiger Badge" was no longer valuable, the Jade Kingdom's military achievements also lost their meaning.

It is said that the Jade Kingdom is weak, but that is in the so-called "outside the pass" region of Jade. When the enemy really attacks the core area of ​​Jade and touches the foundation of those nobles of the duchy, their resistance is quite fierce.

After a period of stalemate, Dimo ​​had no choice but to retreat. At this point, Dimo, who controlled Tianye City, Feiyan City, and part of the plains below Tiebei Pass, became a new force independent of all other nations.

Judging by territory and military strength alone, it is slightly greater than the Zircon Territory that his father, the Marquis of Monroe, initially inherited.

This fulfilled his initial vision: to have real troops in hand and wait for the right price to sell.

However, this is easier said than done.

During this period, he did receive attempts to win him over from various parties.

The Qiyue Dynasty sent a special envoy who expressed deep sympathy for his opportunity and hoped that he would abandon the darkness and join the Qiyue faction, as he would inevitably become a high-ranking official of the dynasty and the ruler of the duchy in the future.

Dimo accepted the gift, but he didn't believe a single word of Qiyue's promise.

Are you kidding me? He killed so many people from the Emerald Duchy, how could he not know what kind of situation your Qiyue Dynasty's vassals are?
They risked their lives for the Qiyue Dynasty, even having to provide their own weapons and supplies. Without being brainwashed by several generations, they wouldn't be this brain-dead.

Of course, there was another power that offered terms comparable to, or even better than, those of the Qiyue Dynasty: the exiled former emperor of Green Pine, Kruger XI.

This "master strategist," who had stripped Dimo ​​of his right to succession during his reign and replaced him with a useless member of the Zircon family to seize control of the territory, now acted as if nothing had happened. He not only granted Dimo ​​the title of Duke of Zircon but also promised him a plethora of high-ranking positions, riches, and treasures.

Even the implied meaning was that as long as this person could restore his homeland and rebuild the Green Pine, the emperor would certainly reward him generously, and even a royal title was not impossible.

Dimo almost laughed out of anger.

If I could really snatch Green Pine Homeland back from the Vast Ocean, would I care about your worthless title of King?
Wouldn't it be better for me to be the emperor myself?
Those monarchs who wander alone, without soldiers or money, surviving only by begging for mercy, and who yearn for a major upheaval in their country to welcome their return to the throne, can only be described as having an incredibly low IQ.

However, despite how unreliable these two conditions seem, they are still the highest offers among all the forces trying to win over Dimo.

The rest, those they wanted to win over, couldn't afford the price, such as tribal forces that were local leaders or bandit chiefs.

Those who could afford the price were unwilling to offend the Vast Ocean. For example, the Misty Moon Divine Court and the Sky Dome Empire remained silent and watched coldly from the sidelines.

Dimo's beloved, his white moonlight, whom he had thought about countless times in his mind, Han Hai Territory, did not make a bid at all.

This is very awkward.

Dimo had privately arranged for his trusted lieutenant Oscar to contact his old acquaintance from the previous "Tiger" deal in an attempt to sound him out, but the message he received from Oscar was disheartening.

We only accept unconditional surrender; we will not accept any conditional negotiations.

Furthermore, Dimo's team still needs to be investigated, those guilty convicted and those innocent released, their abilities assessed, and they appointed as appropriate.

This plunged Dimo ​​into deep distress.

He wasn't a fool who couldn't see the situation, but the thousands-year-old tradition of the Starry Continent was that professionals sent out troops and horses to gamble for wealth and glory.
If he surrenders unconditionally like this, there's still a chance he'll be held accountable afterward. Even if Dimo ​​can accept it, can his men accept it?
And so, the days went by. Dimo ​​tried his best to maintain the situation in his territory, but it was almost impossible for the Green Pine Knights and nobles, whose appetites had been spurred on by the "Tiger Brand" trade, to go back to their miserable lives.

Doing good is easy, but doing evil is easy. In a very short time, cruel exploitation and plundering appeared in Dimo's territory.

When Dimo ​​learned all this, he knew he couldn't wait any longer.

Even during times of hostile war, the lord of the Hanhai Sea repeatedly issued orders forbidding the people from being harmed. Now that his subordinates have caused such a mess, if he doesn't make a decision quickly, he might not even have the chance to surrender.

Taking advantage of the invitation from Han Hai, he once again gathered the military leaders of various towns under his command and launched a fierce battle within the team, purging almost all the opposition. Then, he resolutely went north in person, ostensibly to offer congratulations, but actually to surrender to Han Hai City.

Unfortunately, Chen Mo was very busy and only got one chance to watch the ceremony from a distance. The staff from Han Hai told him that based on his previous good performance, Han Hai agreed to treat serious crimes with leniency and minor crimes with innocence, and let him go back to reorganize the troops and wait to be incorporated into the army.

However, just as Dimo ​​had packed his bags and was preparing to leave, an urgent notification came through.

Chen Mo wants to see him!
At that moment, Dimo ​​was surprised, delighted, and afraid all at once.

What surprised him was that this situation happened so suddenly; he had no idea what had happened.

The good news was that he finally got the chance to meet the "Heavenly Face". According to Dimo's understanding, if the other party wanted to get rid of him, there was no need to ambush axemen. So, perhaps with his intelligence, he could get a place in front of this lord.

What I fear is that, after all, the feud between the Vast Ocean and the Zircon Territory has been brewing for a long time. What if I say something inappropriate, or what if the lord on the other side sees my face and notices a resemblance to my late father, Marquis Monroe, and it triggers some unpleasant associations...

Dimo adjusted the mirror again and again, even going so far as to make several incisions in certain areas, all to avoid this misunderstanding as much as possible.

However, he was clearly overthinking it.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Chen Mo was completely unconcerned about his past. Without beating around the bush, he directly and frankly told him, "My feud with your father is long over, and your elder brother is now a prisoner of Han Hai. Han Hai will give him an objective and fair trial." "As for your situation, I've received a detailed report from below. Basically, it can be assumed that you haven't committed any major offenses, and you've even made some contributions to Han Hai."

I deserve a lot of credit; so many "Tiger" brand products were sold through my hands.

But he couldn't say those words out loud, so Dimo ​​quickly knelt down: "Your Highness is so kind as to give this sinful subject this opportunity to turn over a new leaf. This sinful subject will do everything in his power to serve the Vast Ocean and be loyal to Your Highness..."

"Get up and talk while sitting down." Chen Mo waved his hand, his tone tinged with helplessness. "Don't kneel down all the time. Han Hai doesn't do that."

With a flick of his wrist, a guard took out a huge scale, about a foot square, from the box.

"I called you here mainly to ask you something."

"This is the congratulatory gift you sent. The list says 'dragon scales,' which means that your ancestors had some connection with the dragons and received gifts from them. Can you tell me more about the details?"

Dimo slowly stood up, half-bowed, and sat down opposite Chen Mo, carefully answering, "Lord, this is a scale from a black dragon. It was indeed given to the Zircon family's ancestor by the dragon clan."

"In Zircon City, where the Zircon family originated, there is a mountain called Sleeping Horse Mountain to the north of the city. Although the mountain is not high, it covers a large area and contains several deep valleys. It was once called Crouching Dragon Mountain, where a black dragon's lair once existed."

"The family records show that there was a family called Asakusa that was fighting with the Zircon family for this territory. The other party was powerful and the ancestors were no match for them. When they had to hide in the mountains, they formed a bond with the Black Dragon Clan and fought side by side. In the end, they defeated the Asakusa Clan and established a foundation that has lasted for hundreds of years."

"And that dragon scale was a gift from the Black Dragon's Nest. Our ancestor once passed down a spell that can activate the faint light on the dragon scale, so that if you encounter the dragon race in the future, you can use it to save your life."

Chen Mo frowned slightly.

He instinctively didn't quite believe these family stories, but that's how information works; the more you collect and cross-reference, the more likely you are to deduce the truth.

Xia Chenghui, a third-generation military academy student who was accompanying the lord, stepped forward as the acting deputy secretary-general of the secretariat. While continuing to ask Dimo ​​questions, he entered the information into the central database of Hanhai, which was then compared and verified by the AI ​​system.

This AI system was specially designed by Dongxia for Hanhai, and it is called [Mirage].

The main training data and materials for 【Mirage】 all come from the Starry World. The deep logic and mathematical models were created independently by an expert team and have not been contaminated by the "dirty stuff" on Earth. So far, it seems to be quite reliable.

In about three minutes, the AI ​​system combined information from other sources for cross-validation and provided a relatively reliable answer.

After consulting with Chen Mo, Xia Chenghui explained the situation directly to Dimo.

"Reporting to the lord, we have combined existing data from the Turquoise Court and the Zircon region, some poems by bards, and local folk tales to form a rough historical reconstruction."

"The conflict between the Zircon family and the Asakusa family is certain to have occurred, and the Asakusa family once completely controlled this area. Subsequently, during the process of clearing their territory, the Asakusa family clashed with the dragon's nest in Mount Fulong."

"In the relevant records of this period, we have seen many accounts of organizing dragon slaying and dragons destroying cities, indicating that the two sides should have fought a war that lasted for several years."

What happened next was pretty much a matter of course.

No matter how fabricated the records are, some clues can always be found in the corners of history. According to the deduction of [Mirage], when the Black Dragon's Nest was forced to the brink of destruction by the Asakusa Clan, the Zircon Clan seized the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, severely damaging the Asakusa Clan and giving the Black Dragon's Nest a chance to breathe.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If we're all going to be killed, who cares if you're human or dragon?

Thus, Zircon and the Dragon Clan became temporary allies by chance, and in the ensuing war, they cooperated with each other, ultimately causing the Asakusa Clan to disappear into the dustbin of history and establishing the Zircon Territory's centuries-long foundation.

The Black Dragon's Nest in Fulong Mountain was thus preserved for a period of time.

Later, the emperor of the Green Pine Kingdom went on campaigns in the east and west, and Zircon Territory came under the Green Pine's command. Unsurprisingly, the Green Pine once again launched a campaign to wipe out the dragon's nest in its territory.

The basic survival model of dragons originally consisted of a family unit consisting of one male and one female with one or two children. The adult couple would go out hunting while the other stayed in the nest to take care of the cubs, taking turns to rest until the children grew up and left their parents to form a new dragon family.

However, this structure has a fatal flaw: it is too small in number, has a low fault tolerance rate, and is severely inadequate in its defense against various sneak attacks from the Terran.

Every hunting trip could be the last time one could say goodbye to their mate.

In that turbulent era, due to the mass killings they suffered, the dragon race was forced to constantly unite and eventually transformed into a gregarious dragon tribe.

[Mirage] speculates that perhaps the Black Dragon Clan knew the future was bleak and took the initiative to withdraw, or perhaps the Zircon Clan Head, out of old affection, gave the Dragon Clan a warning. In any case, this Black Dragon Nest chose to relocate, banding together with other Dragon Clans for warmth, and most likely eventually followed the remaining Dragon Clan members to escape to the icy and snowy lands of the North.

“We carefully compared the condition of this dragon scale and determined that it is a ‘live scale’, that is, a scale that was actively removed by the dragon while it was alive and not in combat. Therefore, the Zircon family has a history with the dragons and it is indeed quite likely that it was given to them by the dragons.”

The physiological characteristics of the "living scales" that are voluntarily removed, the "angry scales" that fall off during battle, and the "dead scales" that are removed after death are very distinct. At this point, the whole story is complete.

After listening to this meticulous analysis, Dimo ​​was somewhat bewildered.

A smart man like him surely knew that the family legends were bound to be embellished and had some hidden secrets. In his explanation to Chen Mo, he also carried some subjective bias.

Yet, despite the vague information source, HanHai provided a complete analysis, supported by various pieces of evidence, in such a short time.

From his perspective, the probability was ridiculously high; not only was it impossible for Timo to do it with his "intelligence," but he couldn't even really understand it.

He secretly peeked at the young human.

He had an average build and an unremarkable appearance; I'd never heard of him before...

How many people like this are around the Lord of the Vast Ocean?
"General Dimo, do you think there's anything wrong or inappropriate about his guess?"

Dimo quickly rose from his seat and bowed again: "My lord, please forgive me. I was so engrossed in listening that I don't know if it's true or not, but upon closer examination, it makes perfect sense and matches many details of the family legends. It's highly likely!"

"it is good!"

Chen Mo bluntly made his request.

"I'm about to send someone to the Dragon Clan's territory to ask them some questions."

"I've heard that the dragon race is very clear about its grudges and has a deep hatred for the human race. Since your family has such a long-standing relationship with the dragon race, I would like to ask you to come along and help put in a good word for us."

"Of course, there's no coercion involved. It's all voluntary. Would you like to consider it?"

Dimo's first reaction was that he didn't really want to go.

The events of our ancestors hundreds of years ago—whether that branch of the dragon race still exists, whether they still acknowledge it, or even if they do, whether there will be any other unforeseen circumstances—are completely unknown.

Furthermore, the extreme cold of the north is said to be a place where even blood freezes, and only dragons, with their powerful bodies, can barely withstand it. The human race launched several expeditions, but they couldn't even enter the wind zones of the ice plains; many died or were maimed, forcing them to give up in desperation.

Will I be able to come back alive if I go? And if I do come back, will my cultivation be completely destroyed?
Dimo's mind raced, and reason finally prevailed over instinct, giving him a firm answer.

"I will obey your every command, my lord, even unto death!"

Yes, going to the dragons' territory could mean death, but not going...

Dimo put himself in others' shoes; that person had to die.

The zircon family isn't without offspring; if they don't want this opportunity, plenty of others will.

In life, isn't it a constant struggle for survival? Now that those in power have given you a chance to fight for your life, how can you not seize it?

"very good!"

Chen Mo stood up, walked to Dimo, and personally took his arm and pulled him up.

Although he didn't exert much force, Dimo ​​found himself standing up involuntarily.

"Time is tight, so I won't waste any more time. Go pack and make arrangements, and set off as soon as possible."

"I'll celebrate your success when you come back!"

"By the way, before you leave, would you like to visit your older brother?"

(End of this chapter)