Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 96 All-Terrain Self-Propelled Heavy Firepower Cluster
Which is more important, money or fish?

Many years ago, money was probably more important; nowadays, fishing seems to be more important.

However, when the lord bestowed upon him the title of "Chief Spell Instructor of the Vast Ocean Territory" and promised that in the future, Mage Downs would be able to bring the territory's full retinue and thousands of soldiers to visit Downs' ex-wife and children, Gran Downs erupted with unprecedented enthusiasm.

It seems that this is a scene that every man who has experienced betrayal has recalled countless times in his dreams.

As a former fifth-tier Void Chanter, Gran Downs had already risen to the upper echelons of society in terms of both status and personal wealth. However, Downs' wife remained resentful of his past.

In the Kingdom of Mirror Lake, where he was born, the difference between the upper and lower classes of social status was very clear. Downs was just a commoner born on a dilapidated fishing boat in a river bend. If compared to Earth, he was a Dalit for life.

After he achieved success and fame, he had a beautiful wife and children. However, the man of high status simply beckoned, and his family was instantly torn apart.

Downs had considered revenge. As a fifth-tier archmage, his status was enough to influence the kingdom's resources. However, after learning the details, even those closest to him advised him to abandon the idea of ​​revenge.

Why? Because they did nothing wrong. They didn't deceive or coerce you; your wife just went for it herself.

In aristocratic circles, flirting with other women is considered a romantic affair, not even deserving of moral condemnation.

What gives you the right to retaliate? You should at least be reasonable.

If you're so capable, you don't need to force yourself; just sleep with his wife, and everyone will give you a thumbs up.

Completely disheartened, Downs left that sorrowful country and wandered around for a while before finally settling in Cloud Mist Territory. He drifted aimlessly for more than a decade before arriving in the Vast Ocean by chance.

What allows him to find solace is the joy he feels when he catches a fish on the fishing boat where he was born as a child.

Now, thanks to a magical fishing rod, I've been half-coaxed and half-tricked into coming to the Vast Ocean Territory.

Here, you not only gain money and may soon have fish, but more importantly, you may regain your self-respect in the future.

Who says the nobles of Hanhai aren't nobles?

Driven by this spirit, Downs spared no effort. With the help and guidance of this former high-level professional, Chen Mo's growth rate suddenly reached a new level.

The most crucial factor here is that Downs built a miniature magical energy hub in the Vast Ocean Territory.

The reason why so many mages are dedicated to building their own magic towers is because the most crucial core function of a magic tower is the energy accumulation effect brought about by the psionic center of the magic tower.

Similar to the training room that Chen Mo used in the "Har Farmhouse Mage Tower" that could enhance meditation effects, it was just a slight overflow effect of the magic energy center.

The reason why mages can continue to grow their vast spiritual power after the first or even second rank is due to the "super-multiplier" effect of spiritual energy accumulation on their cultivation.

Old Downs had also planned to build a magic tower, so after advancing to the fifth rank, he spent a great deal of effort and resources to acquire a psionic hub.

Now that we have received such an extraordinary promise from the lord, when is a better time to take advantage of it?

The archmage personally set up a complete guiding array around this magical core, and chose to use magic crystals to activate it, maintaining the efficient operation of Chen Mo's spiritual energy center during his cultivation.

In mid-January, Lord Chen Mo successfully emerged from seclusion and brought the first batch of new forces to the Vast Ocean Territory.

A group of twelve skeleton spearmen.

Previously, Chen Mo had been reluctant to use his precious altar summoning slots to summon those low-value undead creatures. After all, under the same carrying conditions, the difference between bringing ten kilograms of supplies from his hometown and summoning a skeleton spearman was like night and day.

However, Butler Herran gave him a reminder.

"For a necromancer, nothing is more loyal and reliable than your own undead creatures."

"Even if the necromancer betrays himself, your summoned creatures will still protect you."

Chen Mo felt like he'd heard those words somewhere before...

By the way, at the Cloud Mist Territory, a magician at a party told a story about a necromancer who had advanced to the level of Underworld Guide. Due to some special events, he became utterly despondent and prepared to commit suicide.

His loyal Black Knight summoned creature intervened urgently to stop the mage from harming him, and killed the mage.

This was naturally an exaggerated joke. In Chen Mo's understanding, unless the necromancer gave a clear command to attack himself, the summoned creatures would not launch any form of proactive attack against the summoner.

Heran's words were more likely an implication that the veterans in the territory were not reliable.

However, Chen Mo listened critically to some of Helan's opinions, concluding that summoned creatures were indeed more reliable than the unpredictable humans.

Because of this loyal advice, Helan temporarily became the acting clerk of the Han Hai Territory, replacing his role as steward.

Setting up more "agents" was also a suggestion given to Chen Mo by politicians from his hometown.

They can be promoted to permanent positions at any time, or reassigned to other tasks at any time. There's always a knife at their head, making it difficult for subordinates to develop any sense of disrespect in the short term.

Helan went off to work with great enthusiasm, while Chen Mo himself took advantage of the new round of summoning to successfully summon a dozen skeletons from his familiar number 404—the White Bone Village Chief.

The main reason for such extravagance is naturally that Lord Chen Mo successfully obtained Stardust.

Although he's still a nobody, a weakling who's just graduated from apprenticeship, a newbie at the lowest level of mage, and even, because he hasn't been certified by the mercenary guild on the continent, he can only be considered a Black Star nobody right now, the kind that isn't officially recognized.

However, the increase in the strength of the summoning altar is real.

Not only has the cooldown time been reduced by nearly 10%, but more importantly, the undead creatures that can be summoned have been upgraded from slow, weak units like skeletons and zombies to flying gargoyles or shadow spirits capable of small-area soul attacks.

The weight of supplies that can be transported from their hometown has jumped to 1,800 kilograms, entering an era where tons are the basic unit of measurement.

Lord Chen's confidence swelled rapidly. A mere ten-kilogram skeleton? No big deal!
I use one and then lose it, but I can still send one home!
Of course, these skeletons weren't summoned for fun. Based on his own experience and the research conclusions his hometown had drawn about Xiaobai, Chen Mo carefully considered the matter and organized the skeletons into his own firearms unit.

According to the "Explanation of the Comprehensive Test and Use of Zero Skull" provided by Dongxia, firearms completely make up for the original skeleton gunner's many shortcomings, such as thin body, poor weapon, weak attack power, and severe terrain restriction on movement. It is a perfect standard configuration.

Meanwhile, the skeletons' strengths are amplified in every way: stable limbs, unaffected by sensory impairments, possessing ample patience, unafraid of pain, and unaffected by being burned a few times...

If necessary, we will not hesitate to detonate the salvo!

Add to that a constant morale and absolute loyalty!

Thus, the first personal guard unit directly under the lord of the Vast Ocean Territory, which later became the famous "Skeleton Division," was officially established!

The first batch of equipment issued to the skeletons was the stable Type 95 bullpup automatic rifle, which weighed only 3.25 kilograms.

To facilitate use by the Skeleton Guard, the rifle is equipped with a pull-up sling, allowing the automatic rifle, normally stored in the abdomen, to be raised to a firing position with a simple action. This also ensures that the weapon will not slip out of the Skeleton Gunner's control during troop movements due to unforeseen circumstances.

Each skeleton gunner is equipped with four magazines. Given the current intelligence level and operating skills of this batch of skeletons, changing magazines is barely manageable, but loading bullets one by one into the magazines is quite difficult.

Therefore, Chen Mo assigned auxiliary soldiers to the Skeleton Guard.

Human support soldiers are responsible for checking the skeletons' equipment and refilling their magazines before each battle. After battle, they perform weapon maintenance, as well as skeleton maintenance.

Finally, when Dongxia was transporting this batch of firearms, they made a special design called a bone-type detection device.

Using the images and scanning data provided by Chen Mo, the Dongxia Military Industry Group installed a linkage sensing device on this batch of Type 95 automatic rifles. Only when a bony hand of similar size touches the rifle can the safety be disengaged and the trigger pulled.

Well, that means if other human warriors in the territory want to use this gun, they'll have to cut off all the flesh from their palms.

If it were that simple-minded ox, then a large part of its bones would have to be shaved off... Currently, Dongxia is already working on developing a second-generation bone density sensing device, the purpose of which is to detect whether the bone structure being pressed down is active or passive, to prevent anyone from using a piece of skull hand for speculation.

It seems they have no intention of giving humans any chance.

Finally, the Skeleton Guards' throwing ability was very poor. Dongxia concluded that without muscle power, their movements were stiff. Therefore, the Skeleton Guards were not equipped with infantry throwing weapons for the time being, and only one "glorious grenade" was retained!
This is temporary; modifications such as equipping skeletons with exoskeletons, catapults, and even vertical launch missiles are already underway.

In late January, another batch of new recruits arrived.

Centaurs from the Sixleaf Camp.

This was an unexpected team. When Chen Mo confirmed his status as lord in Cloud Mist Territory, he sent people to the Stream Moon Federation to try to contact the mercenaries he knew, including Old John, Little John, Big Luke, Little Josh, and even his magic instructor Morton.

Chen Mo hoped that more people he knew would help him, and of course, he also wanted to mentor or guide him.

During this process, he received a shocking message: the Sixleaf Camp, ruled by the centaur race, was gone.

The army from the Zircon Territory of the Green Pine Kingdom has captured the Six Leaf Camp.

The reason why the Green Pine Kingdom broke the long-standing peace between humans and centaur tribes was, on the surface, that the centaur camps had long harbored various fugitives who refused to submit to the king's rule, causing serious economic losses to the kingdom and creating huge security risks.

That's not entirely wrong, after all, the centaur camp has long been a place where all sorts of people mingle.

For example, the "big-eyed" witch doctor in the camp was suspected by the kingdom of being a spy from another country because he had treated the "criminal's" injuries multiple times.

After undergoing a major memory restoration spell, the "Big-Eyed" witch doctor's memory quickly returned. He confessed to everything the interrogators asked him, revealing numerous secrets about the Six Leaf Camp's corruption and filth, and successfully earned his beheading graduation.

Of course, beneath this obvious reason lies a simple yet absurd justification.

Due to some previous improper actions, Zircon Territory owes the dwarves a huge sum in compensation for their airships and crew. They cannot afford to pay this money, or rather, they are unwilling to pay it.

Therefore, they chose to transfer the operating rights of the Sixleaf Camp to the dwarfs as collateral.

The dwarves, who had been operating the air routes for years, naturally had a clear understanding of the value of the Sixleaf Camp, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

The centaur's blood hadn't even dried yet, and the dwarfs' business had already opened.

Although the centaur race is renowned for its strength in the southern forests, it is still powerless against a well-organized kingdom army.

With the death of the centaur chieftain and the slaughter of all the tribe's warriors, this once-renowned centaur camp became nothing more than a piece of history told by bards.

Only when later generations occasionally drink a bowl of fresh mushroom soup in a new six-leaf camp can they vaguely glimpse the former glory of the centaur race.

But the centaurs were not all killed off. When faced with the kingdom's siege, the centaur chieftain led his tribe's warriors in resistance while arranging for a small number of able-bodied men to lead all the underage centaurs out of the encirclement and into the mountains east of the Blood Corridor.

Upon hearing this news, Chen Mo quickly hired a mercenary team skilled in mountain activities to head south, where they successfully located the remnants of the centaur tribe.

The centaurs eventually accepted the supplies provided by Chen Mo, and at Xiao Kaga's strong suggestion, they traveled over mountains and across deserts to reach the Vast Sea Territory.

The moment Xiao Kaga saw Chen Mo, he burst into tears.

With most of his fathers dead, his tribe wanted by the authorities, and his life filled with constant hiding and uncertainty, someone suddenly asked the little boy, "Do you remember the necromancer you received back then? He said he's waiting for you in his territory."

This is the food and silver coins he brought you!
In despair, the centaur tribe embarked on this long journey eastward.

Holding the centaur, who was much taller than him, Chen Mo comforted him for a long time before finally stopping Kaga's sobs.

When they were at the Six Leaves Camp, Chen Mo knew that Kaga was a typical second-generation centaur, and many of the businesses in the camp belonged to his elders.

Now, Kaga also wields considerable influence within this fleeing group.

When Lord Chen Mo, an old acquaintance of Kaga, provided the centaurs with their final refuge, Kaga completely rose to power and became the new leader of this centaur race.

Even though he was still a child.

Besides Kaga, the only other person Chen Mo recognized was the "little dreadlocks" who was always hiding.

There are more than two hundred centaurs left, only thirteen of which are adults and the rest are babies. However, given the size and strength of centaurs, even an underage centaur is comparable to a low-ranking adult mercenary.

The arrival of the centaurs gave Chen Mo another bold idea.

Soon, the complete Centaur medical examination data was sent to Dongxia.

A few days later, the first batch of custom-made equipment arrived. Chen Mo sealed off the site, with a skeleton guard standing watch on the perimeter. He only brought a simple-minded ox with him to secretly observe this new weapon test.

Adult centaur warriors weigh around 800 kilograms, with some leader-level centaurs weighing up to one ton. Their exceptional strength allows them to carry loads of more than a quarter of their body weight, and strong individuals can even bear loads equivalent to their body weight for extended periods.

Even a young centaur can easily carry a person.

However, when the centaur were driven from the grasslands where their ancestors had lived for generations and forced to make a living on the edge of the woodlands, they left behind an inviolable ancestral precept: the centaur must never allow humans to ride on their backs.

Only the centaurs themselves know how many bloody accusations are contained within.

In fact, if it weren't for this ancestral precept, the centaur race might have flourished under human breeding and cultivation.

After all, centaur girls are capable of fighting, riding, and carrying heavy loads, and might even be useful occasionally, which hits the sweet spot for certain humans.

Chen Mo respects the traditions of the centaurs and has no intention of forming a centaur cavalry battalion. However, if you refuse to carry people, carrying some weapons is not against the rules, right?

The Centaur is currently equipped with a 14.5mm caliber QJG-02 dual-purpose machine gun.

The gun mount, along with the horse's harness, weighs only 76 kilograms. With 200 rounds of ammunition, its combat weight is around 140 kilograms, making it easy for even a young centaur to carry.

On the training field, Kaga galloped over at a speed of about 60 kilometers per hour. After arriving at the designated position, he stopped abruptly, turned his horse forward, and pointed the dark muzzle of the cannon mounted on his tail directly at the direction of attack.

The upper body, on the other hand, involves a flexible sideways twist, aiming backward, much like looking at one's own horse's rump.

With its four hooves spread apart, it leans diagonally into the gravel, and two support frames are lowered from both sides of the gun body, deeply driven into the ground, firmly supporting the dual-purpose machine gun.

Then, Kaga held the gun with his left hand and pulled the trigger with his right, unleashing a long barrage of fire.

Because of a lack of calibration and little combat experience, the centaurs' attacks were bound to be wildly off-target.

But that was enough. Chen Mo was overwhelmed with emotion and couldn't help but throw a heavy punch.

What is this? This is a true all-terrain self-propelled heavy firepower group.

At that very moment, on a distant blue planet, the Eastern Xia military was frantically debugging its equipment.

Their new weapons configuration list includes not only lightweight 12.7mm heavy machine guns and twin-shot single-barrel missile launchers, but also 30mm rotary cannons, 76mm recoilless rifles, 105mm low-recoil howitzers, twelve-tube medium rocket launchers, drone cellular launchers, and so on.

Chen Mo now has only one thought.

No, the altar's transmission capacity is still insufficient.

Still have to practice!
(End of this chapter)