Ghost Knight King's Dungeon Project

Chapter 77 [The Foolish Knight and the Iron Seeker of Volcanic Industry]

The clear blue sky did not last long over the Skeleton Heart Plains.

The charred volcanoes to the south appear to be dormant volcanoes, continuously providing heat to the surrounding area, causing freshly fallen snow to melt quickly, even nearly drying out.

Although this area is located on the northwest side of the core of the volcano, quite a distance from the volcanic cluster, the sky was soon shrouded in sulfurous, acrid smoke again, and black dust rose from the wasteland covered with black gravel, obscuring the horizon.

A thin mist began to rise again from the lake, like a rising white twilight, forming the veil of the Lady of Lake Avalon in the Arthurian myth.

“I already told you, boss. The fog has nothing to do with this weird, unlucky giant snake—why won’t you believe me?” Rahado’s helmet taunted. “Sigh, prejudice is a mountain.”

The leaf-footed serpent lay on the edge of the lake, its head and joints temporarily freed from the Rahador implant helmet.

Having lost the control of its monarch, it lay on the lakeshore, lost in thought.

Samael pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

“Yes, I was indeed being paranoid,” he answered frankly. “But I do need to be cautious; your actions so far are not enough to earn my trust.”

“However, if the fog around the lake can persist year-round, then it’s probably not just due to climate and natural environment—it might be the result of some kind of meticulous engineering design.” Samael gazed at the thin fog and lake before him. “It probably has a special purpose…”

He gazed at the leaf-footed giant serpent before him, examining the beast's body up close—it was a strange creature with six broad, leaf-shaped winged feet clinging to the shore, and six thick, bony nozzles towering behind it, occasionally spewing out wisps of water mist, like the breath of a whale.

The scanner is now enabled.

[Engineering artificial organism, E-N32 type]

[A semi-silicified organism constructed using medium-sized cetaceans, anaconda-like snakes, and diatoms as templates. It can adapt to both fresh and polluted water, primarily filtering small organisms and pollutants from the water, accumulating them within its body, solidifying them into large crystals, and then regurgitating them. Its life activities have a water-purifying effect.]

The lungs are powerful and efficient, producing a large-scale, high-pressure mist with each breath, which is then ejected from nozzles on the back. This pressurized water mist can reach heights of over ten meters. The high-speed water mist comes into contact with and combines with airborne dust, pollutants, and other particulate matter, effectively reducing air pollution.

[They are typically placed near industrial wastewater and dust discharge areas, working in conjunction with the artificial natural environment (see "Basic Architecture") to create a barrier against regional moisture, reducing pollution in residential areas and maintaining a normal living environment.]

“So, there’s probably a reason why this giant snake is here—it’s like the fog that’s deliberately created around the lake, used to reduce the dust pollution from the volcanic eruptions to the southeast.” Samael gazed at the southern horizon.

"The volcanic area in the south is probably the sewage outlet and heat dissipation outlet of some kind of industrial facility left behind by those [gods]. Therefore, the area around the volcano is polluted by waste heat, waste gas and waste dust, turning it into a barren wasteland."

"The Plains of Skeleton Heart are shrouded in smog year-round because the sky is filled with pollution and dust."

"After being buffered by vast stretches of wasteland, the smoke and dust spread northward to this area, where it was neutralized by the mist created by the artificially designed lake environment and the spray from the giant snakes that inhabit it. This resulted in a better ecological environment in the northwest compared to the volcanoes and wastelands in the southeast."

Samael sorted out his thoughts and grabbed Rahadol's head.

"How did this giant snake die?" Samael asked.

“I killed him,” Rahado replied matter-of-factly.

Samael slapped his helmet.

"Have you considered that killing this giant snake might lead to further contamination of the volcanic area?" he asked.

“I don’t know any of this information.” Rahado tried to shrug, but his two shoulder and arm armors were being guarded by the Corpse Hunters of the High Grass Plains, and the other was being dragged behind his warhorse by the Skeleton Warriors of Ansba in the Graymos Field.

“Boss, this really isn’t my fault. Your scanner information is different from ours, remember?” he argued. “Our scanner only displays a sentence or two, mentioning something about biometrics and characteristics, and then it’s gone. Who knows what it’s for?”

“Of course, if I had known beforehand, I would have killed them too.” He chuckled. “Anyway, the pollution only harms the living, it has nothing to do with us.”

“…I’m not surprised at all,” Samael replied.

“Please, if you want to do something, it will inevitably affect the surrounding environment. Are you going to do nothing just because you're afraid of the impact?” Rahado argued.

“I’m just thinking about the long term—I hope that living people, or rather, humans, can also live normally on the Plains of Bones.” Samael raised his hand and activated the Nether Copper Printer, casting a large box.

"Wait a minute, boss, what's going on..." Rahador's helmet protested as it was stuffed into the large box of Nether Bronze.

“You stay in the box for a while, I need to study the situation here.” Samael held the box and beckoned over a rotting crawler made of decaying tentacles and chunks of flesh.

“I can introduce you, boss!” Rahado’s incessant voice came from the box.

“I don’t need a guide right now,” Samael said. “We’ll talk about it next time.”

……

A moment later, Samael returned to his knight's tomb, carrying the large box. Ignoring the lengthy discourse emanating from the box containing Rahador's helmet, he crossed the throne room and placed the box in the storeroom beneath the knight's tomb.

Back in the throne room, Samael was about to return to the lake to search for iron ore when he bumped into the anthropologist, Lysander Zeno, at the door.

He looked haggard, thin, and pale—the days of wandering and fleeing had tormented him. Although the environment had become more stable after arriving at the depths of the skeleton heart, sleeping on stones in the stone-carved surface hall, shivering in the cold snowfall array, keeping company with wandering undead and ferocious monsters, and eating food that hadn't been properly cleansed by psionic energy was really quite difficult for such a human.

“Lord Samael,” Lysander greeted.

“Ah…yes, I should prepare some houses suitable for human habitation on the surface.” Samael recalled his previous work plan and realized that he had inadvertently neglected this learned scholar.

Thanks to the snowfall magic he provided, the climate was changed so efficiently and quickly to defeat Rahador.

"I'm sorry, Lysander, my human friend—I've been dead for too long and spent too much time with my demon companions, almost leaving behind the essential living conditions for my human companions." He pressed his gauntlet against his breastplate, leaning forward slightly to express his sincere apology.

“Logically, I should have started arranging accommodations for you the moment you arrived, but I’ve been incredibly busy lately. As you’ve seen, the realm of the dead is thirsting for a unifier, a leader worthy of their respect, to end this chaotic and absurd war of the seven souls—I must step forward and stop the horrific acts of my fellow beings, or the killing spree of the dead will engulf all the living in this world.”

"It is my honor to meet such a vibrant spirit as yours," Lysander returned the greeting. "You are truly a spirit full of responsibility."

“There is a saying in my distant hometown: If the sky collapses, there will be tall and strong people who will hold it up on their shoulders,” Samael said. “Adults say this to children, and elders say this to younger generations to comfort them and not worry, because they are under protection and the responsibility will not fall on their shoulders if they are not capable enough.”

“I am a proud man. I believe that I am the tallest and strongest one in the skeleton.” He said frankly, “Therefore, only I am qualified to take on all the work, all the responsibilities, all the pressure and all the pain here—the crown is made of heavy, cold bronze and is covered with thorns.”

He recalled some scattered and blurry images. In his hazy memory, he remembered participating in competitions in college. Many people came to participate without knowing anything and were incapable of handling the work. In the end, he handled everything by himself, while the others were just there as names, and then they could go up to the podium.

“Maybe I was stupid, foolish and ignorant,” Samael asked. “I died young, before the world had worn down my spirit and destroyed my will. That’s why people like to say I was stupid. I think, since so many people say that, I probably really was stupid.”

“Your strong and shining character is a rare and brilliant star, even among the living. If you were born into a knightly family, you would have a huge portrait hanging in the family castle hall,” Lysander replied sincerely. “This has nothing to do with youth, but only with the soul, Your Excellency the Knight.”

Samael was slightly taken aback.

"Thank you," he finally said, "though I know very well that I am indeed a foolish knight."

"Have you just finished a necromancer war?" Lysander asked. "Are you heading to other areas of the Heart of the Dead next?"

“Ah, yes, I need to go to the newly conquered region to find iron ore—it’s an important strategic resource,” Samael said. “As for the dwellings for the humans, please wait a little while. I’ve already sent a Rot Root scout to contact one of my demon friends for help—he’s the best architect I’ve ever seen—the construction will take another day or two.”

“No, no, I’m not talking about lodging, that’s not urgent.” Lysander shook his head. “I hope that when you go to explore the unfamiliar new region of the Heart of Bones, you will allow me to accompany you and search for what I am looking for—in exchange, my knowledge, potion-making skills and spellcasting techniques are at your disposal.”

"Your Excellency Samael, you just said you wanted to find iron ore, right?" he asked. "There is a basic magic array that can use a magnet to guide magnetic force and find underground metal veins."

Samuelton paused.

“Unbelievable, yet another living person, knowing I am undead, still treats me with such sincerity that they are willing to cooperate with me.” He looked at Lysander. “Perhaps things are not as difficult as I once thought.”

“Is this surprising?” Lysander smiled. “After experiencing your attitude and understanding your character, your identity as a necromancer is probably the most insignificant thing in the realm of the dead.”

"I heard your battle cries as you clashed with the other undead on the battlefield in the snowy night, and I heard those inspiring words."

"I find it hard to imagine anyone refusing to serve such a leader."

“Thank you for your recognition, Bachelor Lysander Zeno.” Samael nodded in acknowledgment.

The two chatted as they walked along the path across the tall grass plains toward Lake Rahador.

A thin layer of mist has once again settled over the lake, but it is much lighter than before, like milk diluted with a lot of water, and the visibility is also much better than before.

The snowfall may have slightly affected the climate here to some extent. Samael was somewhat worried. Volcanic pollution is also a concern if a large number of people are to be able to live here stably and long-term.

However, it appears that the fog is still able to effectively resist and purify the volcanic ash in the southeast.

“A lake?” Lysander gazed at the view through the thin mist before him.

“The lakes here are shrouded in mist all year round,” Samael nodded.

“Oh, so this is the kind of lake.” Lysander came to his senses. “This kind of lake is called the ‘Mist-Sealed Lake’ by scholars who study magical structure and geography.”

"It is said that these [Mist-Sealed Lakes] were created by the gods when they were forging the world to seal the evil dragon in the Scorched Bone Volcano. There is one in each of the four directions surrounding the wasteland of the Scorched Bone Volcano—but the other three lakes should have dried up by the ancient empires and kingdoms that indiscriminately cut down trees and hunted wildly for timber and magical beast resources, which greatly damaged the ecological structure of the lakes."

“Based on the information and intelligence I have so far, the mist produced by this lake can counteract the dust drifting from the southern volcanoes,” Samael explained. “Perhaps we should protect this natural structure as much as possible.”

“No, there’s no need to worry, Mr. Samael. This kind of ‘fog-sealed lake’ structure can be created artificially,” Lysander said. “Scholars of morphology and geography have studied the structure of morphic circuits in dried-up lakes and the way the flow of surrounding moisture is controlled.”

"Under certain circumstances, we can alter the circuits, manually repair them, adjust them, and enhance them with the help of giant creatures that can create fog. We can even start from scratch, from digging and shaping the terrain, to create an artificial [Fog-Sealed Lake]—but such projects are labor-intensive and costly, and people from various kingdoms and races are usually too lazy to do them."

"I heard that some leaf elves are looking for scholars at Lunos Academy to seek cooperation in rebuilding a [Mist-Sealed Lake]. However, the project is too large and may require large excavating creatures, such as... Earth-Eating Demon Worms."

“That’s wonderful.” Samael breathed a sigh of relief. “The Earth-Eating Demon Worms are not a problem. My demon friends and I have raised four of them together.”

“Four…uh, four?” Lysander turned his head in horror.

“Large animals,” Samael added. “They’re only about the size of a large dog, don’t be alarmed.”

“Alright… I’ve never seen a living Earth-Eating Demon Worm before, only a gigantic skeletal specimen in the museum of the Kingdom of Floren. If I have the chance in the future, I would love to see an Earth-Eating Demon Worm larva.” Lysander took out the runestone gauntlets and put them on his hands.

He rummaged through the pocket at his waist and pulled out a magnet, a small pearl-like ball, and a wrinkled, dried gland, which he then embedded into the groove of the gauntlet runestone.

The magnet levitated and tilted in a certain direction to the south of the lake.

“The iron ore you’re looking for is probably in this direction,” Lysander said.

“Then, my friend Lysander, what are you looking for?” Samael asked.

“…Perhaps we should talk about it later,” Lysander replied after a moment’s hesitation.

(End of this chapter)