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

Chapter 290 Bio-modification Magic

……

……

The next morning.

Feiyu Village, in the courtyard where the army is stationed.

After Cook left with most of his soldiers, the courtyard was somewhat empty.

The soldiers were all very relaxed; some were dozing off in the corner, some were wiping their weapons, and some were preparing breakfast around the campfire.

The temporary command center inside the courtyard.

"Yorick, come here!"

Salon waved to his deputy who was standing outside.

"My lord, what are your orders?" Yorick, the second-in-command, asked respectfully.

"Be vigilant, and don't let anyone from the village escape."

Salen commanded, "Arrest those who insist on leaving, regardless of anything else!"

“Well… sir, the hunters in the village need to go into the mountains to hunt to make a living, and they all pay taxes.”

The deputy hesitated for a moment before saying, "And what about the farmers? It's weeding season now..."

"Tell them to wait a few days!"

Salen waved his hand dismissively, his tone revealing impatience.

"The most important thing now is to capture those damned bandits, Madrei!"

"Go tell those villagers to use their own heads and think it over."

Salen frowned, staring intently at his deputy.
"If we can't catch those bandits, our prey and crops will be stolen sooner or later!"

"By then, they won't even be able to save their own lives, let alone care about the harvest?"

"Well, sir, you are right."

The deputy nodded in agreement, "I'll arrange it right away."

He turned to carry out the order, but after taking only a few steps, Salun grabbed his arm.

"By the way, go to the village and find two women who are willing to make money."

Salen lowered his voice and whispered in his deputy's ear, "You should know what I mean, find that kind of... understand?"

The deputy smiled knowingly.

As a seasoned veteran, he had seen this kind of thing many times before.

"Understood, sir! Completely understood!"

“I know a few suitable candidates in the village, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied,” the deputy assured him in a low voice.

Salon patted his deputy on the shoulder with satisfaction, then released his grip.

"Then go ahead and do it."

Salen stood with his hands on his hips, watching his deputy's figure gradually disappear into the distance, his eyes filled with anticipation.

It was as if they could already foresee the joyful times to come.

Since receiving the mission to capture Madre, they have been in this remote village for more than half a month.

Aside from routine patrols and guard duties, there's almost nothing else to do each day.

This monotonous life made Salen feel increasingly uncomfortable.

"Let's finish this quickly!"

Salen sighed and turned to walk to the cabinet in the corner.

He then opened the cabinet door, took out a wine jar, placed it on the table, and filled the large wooden cup.

This is a premium ale he brought from Eagle Town; he didn't have a chance to drink it when Cook was around.

Now that Cook was gone, Salen couldn't hold back any longer. He picked up his glass, tilted his head back, and gulped down the entire drink.

The tavern in Feiyu Village was so shabby that it didn't even have a decent waitress.

In addition, having been required to remain on high alert, Salen had no chance to relax properly.

But things are different now.

Knight Cook has already taken most of his troops to the west to hunt down Madrei, so the task left here is very easy.

All he needed to do was make sure the villagers didn't run away or tip off the authorities.

Of course, as an experienced senior knight, Salen still knew his limits.

He knows when to be vigilant and when to relax.

So after drinking a glass, he put the wine jug back in the cabinet.

As night fell and the entire Flying Feather Village was shrouded in darkness, the deputy finally returned to the courtyard.

Two young women followed behind him.

Both women were dressed in the coarse cloth clothes commonly seen in the village, but they were dressed more elegantly than usual.

Their faces were washed clean and their hair was neatly combed, but there was still a hint of tension and unease in their eyes.

When Salon saw them, a satisfied smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Yorick, well done."

He nodded approvingly, then beckoned the two women over.

With the woman's company, Salon's mood became exceptionally pleasant.

He took out a wine jar from the cabinet again and poured himself three glasses this time.

The alcohol flushed his cheeks and made his voice sound more hearty.

Just as Salon was about to continue drinking, his deputy stepped forward.

"Sir, haven't you had a bit too much to drink?"

The deputy cautiously offered a reminder.

"We are still carrying out an important mission, and we need to stay clear-headed."

Although he was somewhat displeased upon hearing these words, Salen rationally put down his wine glass.

He put his arms around the two women and turned to walk into the inner room.

Then, a creaking sound came from inside the house.

The night passed.

Salon didn't wake up until noon, and his second-in-command Yorick was already waiting outside the door.

"Did anything happen last night?" Salon asked.

"Nothing is amiss, sir," the deputy reported.

A slight smile appeared on Salen's lips. "I told you, nothing will happen here."

"Madre is in the west."

With that, Salen walked to the cabinet, took out a wine jug, poured himself a glass,
"Want to grab a drink?"

Salon handed the wine jug to his deputy.

"Sir, we are still on a mission, and it's still daytime..."

The deputy couldn't help but remind him.

Yorick,

Salen put down the wine jug, frowning. "Last night you said to be careful of the enemy launching a night attack and not to let me drink too much. I listened to your advice."

"But it turns out that Madrei is in the west, not here at all."

Salon stood up and went to Yorick.

Your worries are completely unnecessary.

"Alright, sir, you are the commander."

The deputy sighed helplessly, clearly not wanting to continue arguing about the matter.

Seeing his deputy's relenting expression, Salen's tone softened somewhat.
"I understand your caution; it's a quality a soldier should have."

He patted his deputy on the shoulder.

"However, excessive tension can often impair judgment."

Salen walked to the door and glanced outside.

"Here's what we'll do: send a few more people to patrol the surrounding forests and see if there's anything unusual."

"Yes, my lord."

The deputy nodded and turned to make the arrangements.

Following Salon's instructions, Yorick dispatched two small teams to search the forests surrounding the village.

Each squad consists of five experienced soldiers, fully equipped and quick to act.

However, a whole day passed, and neither search team found any suspicious figures.

Apart from some small animals and birds, there was nothing unusual in the forest.

There was no news from other directions either.

By the third night, the two consecutive days of calm had completely lowered Salon's guard.

He ordered Yorick to withdraw all the search teams back to camp.

Searching in the wild is a very arduous task, after all, soldiers are not hunters.

For a time, the entire Feiyu Village seemed to fall into a state of calm.

Salen was completely relaxed.

He would spend his days embracing two women, drinking, and waiting for news from the west.

They lived a leisurely and comfortable life, as if on vacation, forgetting that they were still on a mission.

It wasn't until the fourth day after Cook left with his army.

The night sky was exceptionally bright with stars.

"Ma Delie" reappeared in the woods not far from Feiyu Village.

—In reality, it was still Gunther wielding the bloody giant axe.

"Wright, we'll have to rely on you this time."

With a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, Gunle said in a low voice, "Finish the fight as soon as possible, and take as much as you can."

"No problem, leave the guards to us."

Wright waved his hand, and four Lynx-men appeared around him. "Just give the order."

Gunle nodded, spat out the foxtail grass from his mouth, and put the helmet on his head, completely covering his face.

From this moment forward, Gunther once again transforms into Madrei, the Bloodthirsty Axe.

"Then let's get started."

Gunle raised the giant axe in his hand.
"Do it!"

Lai nodded and then disappeared into the night.

At the same time, the four Lynx-men disappeared one after another.

Gunle waved his hand and led the soldiers behind him forward slowly.

Not long after, Wright appeared behind the sentry outside Feather Village, and a sharp blade instantly plunged into the man's neck.

Another lynx-man appeared at this moment, swiftly slicing open the throat of the sentry next to him with a short knife.

And just like that, the two sentries fell to the ground silently.

The guards at the main gate were attacked almost simultaneously.

The Lynxmen's movements were perfectly coordinated, and the four Sentinels died almost simultaneously.

The entire process was conducted without making a sound.

The night remained quiet, but a careful observer would notice that the insect chirping had stopped and a faint smell of blood lingered in the air.

It's a pity that the leisurely days have made everyone a bit relaxed.

Wright took out his whistle and blew it lightly, and birdsong rang out. Gunther emerged from the woods, hunched over, followed by fifty soldiers clad in black robes.

“Now it’s your turn to fight, Madrei,” Wright said with a smile.

"of course."

Gunle waved his hand sharply towards the village of Feiyu ahead.

"on!"

Fifty soldiers, with their backs bent and controlling the force of their steps, silently approached the military compound.

The guard in the courtyard was leaning against the wall, unaware of what was happening, when a sharp arrow pierced through his chest!
"Teams one, two, and three, follow me. Teams four and five, take care of the other guards!"

Gunle commanded in a low voice, "Don't let a single one escape!"

The captains of the fourth and fifth teams nodded and immediately led their men to rush to the other two sides.

Gunle led his men into the courtyard. The sleeping soldiers had no idea that death had come, and their lives were reaped by the sharp sword!

At that moment, the adjutant Yorick got up to patrol, and when he pushed open the door, he came face to face with Gunle!

"Enemy attack!"

Yorick let out a heart-wrenching scream and drew his sword to stab Gungle!
"clang!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out, and Yorick's longsword was severed in two!
Without hesitation, Gunle kicked Yorick in the chest, sending him flying backward!

Bang!
Yorick slammed his fist on the table, the sharp pain in his back causing him to cough uncontrollably!
Gonler gave him no time to react, raising his fist and slamming it hard into Yorick's head, instantly causing Yorick to black out and pass out.

Yorick's roar shattered the silence of the night, waking the sleeping soldiers.

But they didn't have time to put on their armor, and could only grab whatever weapons were at hand to fight back in a sorry state, but they were no match for the fully armed soldiers.

The entire courtyard instantly descended into bloody chaos.

Salon was awakened by the noise and jumped out of bed.

The alcohol made his head a little foggy, but his extensive war experience made him immediately realize what had happened.

"Damn it!"

Saron cursed as he hurriedly put on his armor.

The two women next to them trembled with fear from the loud noise and clung to each other, too afraid to make a sound.

"Idiot, come help!"

Salon cursed loudly, and the woman shrank back and climbed off the bed.

Just as I was about to help Salen put on his armor, a loud bang was heard as the wooden door of the house was kicked open!

Gunle, a figure resembling a bear, appeared at the doorway, holding a giant axe that gleamed red in his hand.

"Ma Deli?"

Salen's eyes widened, and he roared angrily, "You damned bandit, how dare you attack the Falcon Family's army!"

"A garbage army."

Gonler grinned, said nothing, and swung his giant axe at Salon!
The giant axe whistled through the air, tracing a deadly arc!

Salun didn't even bother putting on his armor; he immediately raised his sword to parry!

"clang!"

The metal clashed with a deafening sound, and Salen was jolted back two steps by the enormous impact!

Salen's arms went numb, and he could barely hold onto his sword!

"you!"

Salen was shocked!

Despite being a fellow high-ranking knight, I am no match for Madre!

Gunle ignored him and pressed his advantage, swinging his axe several times in succession.

Every axe blow carries the power to split mountains and shatter rocks!

However, Salon was ultimately a high-ranking knight, whose swordsmanship and combat experience surpassed Gunle's, and whose movements were also extremely agile.

Despite the confined space, Salon always managed to evade Gunle's attacks.

"Is this what a high-ranking knight of the Falcon family is all about—dodging rats?"

Gunle sneered, "No wonder I was able to wipe out eight villages so easily!"

"Shut up! You bastard who only knows how to sneak attack!"

Salun cursed loudly and angrily thrust his longsword at Gunle!

"Well done!"

Gunle roared and charged forward, brandishing his axe!
However, at that moment, Salen suddenly changed direction and rolled towards the door!
"Wait, Madrei, I will definitely kill you!"

After saying that, Salun crushed a scroll, and a cloud of mist suddenly rose up, quickly filling the entire room!
"grass!"

Gunle cursed loudly and hurriedly charged forward, brandishing his giant axe!

But Salun was nowhere to be seen at the door!
"What kind of bullshit high-level knight is this?!"

Gunle cursed angrily, when suddenly a scream came from outside!
"what!"

Gunle rushed out and saw Salon stagger to the ground with a short crossbow bolt stuck in his chest!

Gunle was overjoyed and ran up excitedly, kicking Salon hard in the back of the head!
……

……

Cook led his army on a four-day journey and finally arrived at Mountain Wind Village.

Rested overnight.

The following morning, Cook went to examine the bodies of the slain guards himself.

The guard's corpse was already smelling bad, but Cook still examined it carefully.

"Something's wrong..."

"No way, Sir Cook!"

The soldier guarding the bodies was somewhat flustered and hurriedly explained, "They were like this when we saw them, Sir Knight. We didn't do anything; we just put them down!"

"Shut up, I'm not criticizing you."

Cook spoke coldly, clearly displeased with the guards' interruption.

Seeing this, the deputy quickly waved for the guards to retreat.

The deputy then stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "What is it, sir?"

"The wounds on these corpses were all fatal, and they were all caused by short blades."

Cook covered his nose with a handkerchief and said thoughtfully, "You have to understand, after those villages were attacked, the sentries' wounds were all arrow wounds or spear holes."

"But look at these people now, they can all be killed with a single blow from a short blade, they don't put up any resistance at all."

The deputy immediately realized what was happening and asked in surprise, "So, this wasn't done by Madre?"

"At least it wasn't Madrei's team that did it."

Cook crossed his arms over his chest. "The worst-case scenario is that the people who attacked here are also under Madre's command."

“But that’s impossible. According to the intelligence provided by Xiluo, it would be difficult for the veterans under Madrei’s command to do these things.”

Cook speculated, "It seems that Madre really has the support of that Lord Rhodes this time."

"So what should we do now?" the deputy asked.

"Nothing can be done."

Cook shook his head helplessly. "This information alone proves nothing, and from what we've seen so far, the other side is far more cunning than we imagined."

"The only thing we can do is pass the message to Salon and warn him to be careful."

Cook's tone was relaxed.

After all, most of the soldiers were under his command, so Cook wasn't worried at all.

"Strengthen vigilance, and send two teams of scouts to search the surrounding area thoroughly for any suspicious traces," Cook ordered.

"Yes, my lord."

The deputy nodded in agreement and turned to relay the order.

Cook sighed softly, his expression complex.

Because at this moment he was certain that Salen would be attacked by Madre.

But after four days of travel, Cook was exhausted.

Even if they marched back to support Salon, it would be too late.

It would be better to play dumb and deal with the other team here in peace.

Salen, a high-ranking knight, should be able to survive.

……

……

Black Pine Ridge, Frosty Leaf Town.

Lord's Hall.

Avril and Rhodes sat at a long table with the necromancer's notes, which had been found in the hands of the lizardman high shaman, on it.

Avril had already read through the necromancer's journal, and her dignified and delicate face was now etched with worry.

Rhodes frowned and asked, "So those knights were likely stolen by necromancers to create powerful minions?"

Avril nodded. "Necromancers are very skilled at using souls and powerful corpses; these are materials for them."

"However, this requires a powerful necromancy array, which is many times more complex than the array that the Great Shaman previously set up to seize the white dragon's corpse."

Avril speculated, "It requires a wizard to complete, so there probably isn't anyone who can set it up right now, right?"

Rod did not answer, but lowered his head and fell into thought.

After a moment, Rhodes asked, "What if it was left behind by an ancient necromancer?"

"Ah...that's possible!"

Avril nodded vigorously, "Necromancers' spell arrays are all soul-driven. As long as the soul is replenished, it will likely take effect again!"

"It's going to be difficult now."

Rhodes sighed softly.

What would happen if the corpses of hundreds of knights were all transformed into powerful undead minions?

Rhodes found it hard to imagine.

"No, since we know that knights' corpses can be used by necromancers..."

Rod looked at Avril and asked, "Will the Dawn Society also know?"

"Surely they have more knowledge than we do?"

"Maybe... I'm not really sure." Avril pursed her lips and shook her head slightly.

"I think if they knew, they would be on guard."

Rhodes nodded thoughtfully. "Never mind, I'll write a letter to Lusen to ask him indirectly and give him a heads-up. It'll be my contribution to the Empire."

"If all else fails, we can talk to the Earl and ask him to remind the Empire."

Rhodes himself was just a minor baron, and his voice carried little weight, so he shouldn't stand out.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Rhodes asked Avril, "Do you remember? Back in Shattered Scales, we wiped out those hybrids who suddenly became stronger."

"Also, when we were exterminating the lizardmen in the Ice Breath Hills, I discovered that the lizardman leader suddenly became very powerful and almost killed Wolfhoof and several wolf riders."

Avril nodded slightly. "I think I'm in Vivian's memories. What's wrong?"

"Is their sudden increase in strength related to the necromancer?" Rhodes pressed.

"Yes, bio-modification magic, this part is in this necromancer's handbook."

Avril thought for a moment and added, "I remember that in the wizarding classification, there is a part related to mechanical wizards, but I don't know the specifics."

"Let's ignore the mechanical wizard for now; we don't have any."

Rod looked intently at Avril.
"Does this necromancer's handbook contain any safe and stable human modification magic?"

(End of this chapter)