I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 181 Ancient White Dragon
……

……

In the studio of the manor.

Rod was carefully sketching the stamping machine.

Stamping machines are quite complex.

In particular, Rod envisioned a slide-rail press with interchangeable die heads.

A guide rail is provided on one side of the upper mold, which allows the press head to press down smoothly and accurately into the mold position within the fixed rail.

Instead of simply relying on gravity to fall, it is more controllable and reduces the risk of deviation, tilting, or deformation.

Simply put, it is a heavy-duty sliding weight or lever hammer mounted on a track, which can move smoothly up and down like a pasta press.

Alternatively, the mold can be changed, so that one machine for each part is sufficient for now.

After Rhodes finished drawing the first sketch, Vivian, who was leaning against the wall, suddenly opened her eyes.
"My sister is almost at the door."

……

……

Rod kept quiet.

He personally led Vivian and his guards to the outskirts of town to meet Avril.

"Welcome back."

Rod looked at the familiar figure on horseback, a warm smile on his handsome face, and personally stepped forward to help Avril off the horse.

Avril jumped into Rod's arms, without saying a word, just a tight hug and a passionate kiss.

A little farewell is better than a wedding.

The guards all turned their faces away consciously.

After a long time, the two of them finally let go when they were almost out of breath.

"elder sister."

Vivian lowered her head, not daring to look directly at Avril, looking somewhat guilty and shy.

Avril took the initiative to walk up and hold Vivian's hand.
"No need for that. Don't forget we're one. I know what you're thinking."

"You know what I'm thinking."

Avril comforted her.

Vivian nodded.

Rhodes looked bewildered. "What are you two talking about?"

"It's nothing, darling."

Avril took Rod's arm.

"Let's go back. I haven't felt the warmth of a heated kang bed in a long time."

"And the malt candy you brought me is all gone, I'm craving it now."

"Ok?"

Rhodes frowned slightly. "Then why don't you let Vivian tell me? I can send someone to deliver it to you."

"Too much trouble. There are many more important things in the territory than eating candy."

Avril had a warm smile on her face.

Rod suddenly felt that after not seeing her for several weeks, Avril had become more elegant and refined than before.

Is this the change brought about by knowledge?
Instead of chatting outside town, the two walked and talked back to the manor, and Rod introduced Avril to the many new people who had joined the family while she was away.

As soon as I entered the manor gate, I saw Franny trying to cast a spell on a pile of mud.

Franny saw Avril beside Rhodes and quickly bowed.

"Good day, Your Excellency."

Franny's words made Avril's smile even sweeter. "Is this the little snow rabbit you were talking about who can use magic?"

"How cute!"

Avril stepped forward and stroked Franny's face.
"Welcome to the manor, Franny. Millie finally has company."

Franny looked happy too, squinting as she enjoyed Avril's caresses.

Millie, hiding behind Rod, secretly peeked at Frannie.

"Don't be afraid, Millie, Franny is just as easy to get along with as you are."

Rod encouraged him, "Go ahead, get to know her, and you'll be playmates from now on."

Millie cautiously stepped out from behind Rhodes, but made no move.

Franny looked at Millie, ran over to her, and took out some malt candy from her pocket, handing it to Millie.

Want some candy?

Millie looked at the malt candy in Franny's hand and swallowed hard.

Seeing this, Franny took the initiative to step forward and put it in Millie's hand.

"Thanks……"

Millie took the maltose candy, put it in her mouth, and happily wrapped it up.

After taking a couple of bites, Millie suddenly looked up at Rod.

"Can I teach Franny meditation techniques...?"

Rhodes was slightly surprised, then nodded. "Of course."

Millie turned to look at Franny, "Do you want to learn meditation...?"

"Hurrah!"

Franny pulled Millie aside, "Where do we learn? In the yard?"

“We need to go inside,” Millie said.

"let's go!"

After saying that, Franny bowed to Rhodes and Avril, then pulled Millie away and ran to the side.

"Franny was just being supportive, saying she was learning something when she didn't even know what it was."

Rhodes watched the two figures disappear into the distance and sighed, then looked at Avril.
"Millie has learned the art of meditation?"

"Yes, faster than me."

Avril nodded, then turned and waved for the guards to bring her package.

"Darling, I found two books about the necromancy arrays you mentioned."

"Blood Sacrifice and Otherworldly Summoning" and "How the Undead Legion Was Forged"

Avril took two thick books out of her bag and handed them to Rhodes.

Upon hearing that this was important, Rod put away his smile and said to the guard beside him, "Go and fetch Durant and Gunle."

A moment later, in the manor hall.

Five people sat around a long table, on which lay the map of Razor Plains that Gungle had brought back, and the books that Avril had brought back.

After Durant and Gunner gave Avril a brief greeting, the group got down to business.

“Look at the lines connecting these burial pits. My opinion is that the lizardmen used the corpses to draw a huge magic circle or rune.”

Rhodes frowned as he looked at the map.

"But I don't know what their purpose is in doing this."

"Defense? Gaining power? Crafting artifacts? Or religious rituals?"

Rhodes looked up at the others and said, "What are your thoughts?"

After Rhodes finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

Gunle looked bewildered and asked in a low voice, "...What is a magic circle?"

"A pattern drawn with materials containing magic or blood, which has a certain magical effect."

Avril explained, "You can also carve directly onto magical materials to create magical or enchanted items."

"oh oh."

Gunther scratched his head. "Chris and I have always thought it was a sacrifice by the lizardmen."

"Sacrifice is also a kind of magic array, if you say it has extraordinary power."

Avril explained, "The essence of sacrifice is to communicate with other extraordinary beings, but now many alien races only regard it as a kind of spiritual comfort; it's all fake."

"You've learned quite a bit during this time."

Rhodes looked at Avril with some surprise, then said, "These lizardmen are going to such lengths, it doesn't seem fake."

"Durant, what did you find out during your interrogation?" Rod asked, looking at Durant.

"There is very little information."

Durant shook his head somewhat helplessly.
"Those who were willing to speak didn't have any useful information; they just said that their leader had given the order that many lizardmen were digging these burial pits."

"There's also Kamas who refuses to speak and has been tortured to the point of being unrecognizable as human."

Durant explained, "The soldiers used every cruel method imaginable, and he kept chanting, 'Judgment will be repeated, and the extreme cold will purify the world.'"

"Is it that religious stuff again?"

Rhodes couldn't even remember how many different kinds of gods he had encountered in this world.

Rhodes sighed, carefully considering what Kamas had said.
"The trial is repeated... so that magic circle is a resurrection of the dead?"

Rhodes looked at Avril and said, "Check out any magic arrays related to the resurrection of the undead, or those created by powerful undead creatures, and see if there are any similar ones."

"Ok."

Avril picked up "How the Undead Legion Was Forged" and started flipping through it, while Vivian also opened "Flesh Sacrifice and Otherworldly Summoning".

The two shared information completely; whatever Avril knew, Vivian naturally knew too. Rhodes looked up at Durant, "I didn't expect the lizardmen to be so tough. Is that Kamas still alive?"

"They were still alive, their will to live was very strong."

Durant smiled helplessly: "The Snow Rabbit who was in charge of translating said that apart from that one sentence, the rest of his words were all curses."

"It seems he has great faith in the God he believes in."

Rhodes looked at the burial pit on the map. "Then we absolutely cannot let this death happen again."

"If we treat its followers like this, won't it turn us all into ice sculptures when it reappears?"

Gunther shuddered involuntarily. "That sounds a bit scary."

Just then, Avril pushed the book in front of everyone.
"Found it. There's a similar magic circle here, the Necromancer's Furnace."

"Through a magic array composed of a large amount of flesh and blood, we can extract this power."

"Then this power of flesh and blood is bestowed upon the same undead creature, making it exceptionally powerful."

Avril's fingers traced across the pages as she explained, word by word.

"However, this summoned creature has no consciousness, only immense power, and completely obeys the commands of the spellcaster."

"Without consciousness, it doesn't sound like a god that can be worshipped."

Rod frowned as he commented.

Avril argued, "But this magic circle requires a lot of burial pits, and the area can be very large."

"The requirements for drawing the patterns of the magic circle are not strict, and look, the shape of the corner of this magic circle is very similar to the points connected on the current map."

"Summon powerful undead creatures..."

Rhodes murmured, speculating, "Could it be the ancestors of those lizardmen? Was their shaman a necromancer?"

Just as Rhodes was pondering, Vivian pushed the book she was holding up to him.

"Sister, there's another magic circle here, it looks very similar."

She said earnestly, "The Sacred Offering of Flesh and Blood, guided by the power of flesh and blood, is a sacrifice to all living beings and natural forces within the array."

"Then these powers are infused into a powerful, sleeping or dead creature, bringing it back to life."

Avril nodded thoughtfully. "This sounds like something that fits the supernatural being you believe in."

"Then this requires sacrificing all the creatures in the magic circle."

Rhodes paused, staring intently at the burial pit on the map.

—The lines connecting the burial pits seem to envelop the land, including the Icefield Mountains.

"The lizardmen are going to sacrifice all the creatures in the glacial mountains?!"

"That's too cruel!"

Everyone's eyes widened as they all looked at the map.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became heavy.

"If this is true..."

Everyone gasped in shock. Avril exclaimed, "This will wipe out all life in the Icefield Mountains!"

"What a powerful creature that would need to be resurrected!"

Gunle swallowed hard: "God?"

"It seems that the Kamas lizardman wasn't talking nonsense."

Rod said in a deep voice.

Gunther asked in a low voice, "Then which of these two is real?"

Everyone looked at each other, unable to make a decision.

Both sound very likely.

"What's the difference between these two magic arrays?"

Rhodes explained, "I'm asking about the methods to destroy these two magic circles."

"My Necromancer Forge needs to destroy the Necromancer Core, otherwise it will only weaken the power of the summoned undead."

Avril explained, "The flesh and blood sacrifice that Vivian just mentioned requires destroying enough magic array nodes, which are the burial pits. Without enough sacrifices, it won't be able to be resurrected or awakened."

"It really is different..."

After a moment's thought, Rhodes said, "Let's go ask that lizardman, Kamas."

……

……

The group followed Rod to the prison.

Avril Lavigne didn't come.

After several days of wandering in the wasteland, Rhodes told her to get a good night's sleep.

Rod was followed by Durant, Gunner, and Vivian.

The lizardmen weren't afraid of the cold, so Durant locked them in cages.

“Your Excellency, that Kamas is very stubborn, it’s normal that we can’t get any information out of him.”

Durant said in a low voice, "You'd better not get your hopes up too high."

Rod nodded slightly. "Have someone wash him up and prepare a meal for him."

Durant hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.

He had tried this method of bribery before, but it didn't work.

But Durant followed Rod's instructions anyway.

Soon, a guard came with hot water and washed Kamas from head to toe.

Then a servant brought in a lavish meal, which was full of meat.

Kamas didn't stand on ceremony.

Despite having his claws broken off and his body covered in wounds and whip marks, he was still in good spirits.

Soon, Kamas devoured everything in front of him in a whirlwind.

Rhodes quietly observed Kamas.

After he finished eating, Rod walked to the cage and sat down in front of Kamas.

"The food in Frostleaf Town is alright, isn't it?"

Rod said calmly.

The snow rabbit next to him quickly translated for Kamas.

Kamas raised his head, a ferocious smile appearing on his blood-stained face, and said a few words weakly.

“My lord… he is still cursing you.”

The snow rabbit translator said somewhat timidly.

Rhodes remained calm and smiled as he said, "It's alright, let him curse."

"Continue translating."

Rhodes looked at Kamas and said slowly:
"Yesterday, the Frost Lord, who possesses boundless power, gave me a divine decree, saying that a lowly insect will be awakened in the Icefield Mountains."

Rhodes moved closer to Kamas, mimicking Kamas's sinister grin as he questioned, word by word, "That insect is your master, isn't it?"

The snow rabbit immediately translated it.

Wow!
The chains clanged loudly as they were pulled, and Kamas roared angrily!

“wakaawulaa…”

The snow rabbit looked bitter and pondered for a moment before translating Kamas's words.

"His Majesty Isolther is the Judge of the Frost, the Cataclysm of the Ice and Blue Sky, a great ancient white dragon, a true dragon!"

"You ugly, cowardly humans are the lowly worms, maggots wriggling in piles of dung!"

After translating, the Snow Rabbit quickly pointed at Kamas and explained, "He's the one who insulted the lord."

The white dragon that Kamas spoke of shocked everyone, and no one listened to the insults that followed.

A true dragon is not a wyvern or a sub-dragon.

Those enormous creatures with wings are capable of destroying the world!
They can destroy a city with just their breath, not to mention the powerful dragon magic they possess!
That was a being that even ancient spellcasters feared!

“Simply insulting words don’t need to be translated.”

Rod said it casually, appearing quite nonchalant.

If he weren't a powerful, extraordinary being, how could he be worthy of the faith of so many lizardmen?
Rhodes tilted his head, looking at Kamas defiantly, and said, "Oh?"

"Can a necromancer dragon that relies on blood sacrifices to be resurrected still be called a powerful white dragon?"

Does it also possess boundless extraordinary power?

"Won't we just become puppets that you can manipulate at will?"

Rhodes sneered, "You are quite devout in resurrecting your god into a ghost."

"Our Lord is merely asleep; he has never faded!"

Kamas slammed his claws, which had no tips, into the ground and roared furiously at Rhodes, "You stupid and ignorant beast!"

"Oh."

Rhodes stood up.
"Thank you for your candor."

　I was told that coffee and plum juice are supposed to be energizing, but I still fell asleep after drinking two big cups!

　　I'm still feeling sleepy, am I poisoned...?

　　This is to make up for last night's work, what a mess...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)