Pioneer Wizard's Notebook

Chapter 106 Victory and the Land of the Dead

Frostfire Dragon Constance flapped her wings and took flight.

As she flew toward the clouds, she revealed her true form, expanding from her original miniature shape into a blue dragon with a wingspan of over eighty meters.

The crystal-clear blue dragon scales gleamed, and the dragon's body, sculpted like a gemstone, was smooth and elegant.

Above her head, Lind raised his lance, and blazing flames erupted, condensing into a twenty-meter-long flaming hunting spear.

The flames shot straight into the sky.

The moment the Frost Giant King set foot in the sky above the manor, Lind no longer waited and launched an attack.

On the battlefield, kings will eventually meet.

The appearance of the dragon attracted the attention of everyone on the battlefield.

The frost giants' assault on the city walls faltered. William blocked a frost giant's fist with his sword, raised his head, and said in a high-pitched voice:

"The dragon descended here guided by the sun's light, and we will follow in its footsteps. For the glory of the sunflower, let us slay these monsters!"

The Frostfire Dragon shone brightly under the light of the Sunbeam.

The morale of the soldiers in the manor soared.

The battle at the city wall was at a stalemate.

And in the sky, the decisive battle that would determine the course of this war officially began, with the four-winged winged horse beneath the Frost Giant King raising its front hooves.

As the horse's hooves pounded down, a howling storm enveloped the clouds, transforming into icebergs that pressed down, attempting to suppress the dragon knight who had launched the challenge.

What collided with the storm iceberg was a volcano formed from frost and fire.

Constance raised her head and roared, unleashing frost and dragonfire along with her roar, melting through the iceberg crashing down on her head like a volcanic eruption.

With no obstruction, the two giant beasts collided head-on.

The combined force of the storm and the dragon's flames nearly tore the entire atmosphere apart!

Above them, unlike the behemoths' wanton spending, a more concentrated and deadly battle erupted.

Lind thrust out his flaming hunting spear.

The Frost Giant King in front of him lowered his hand and grasped it, and the flowing blizzard throne returned, transforming into a greatsword of ice in the king's hand.

The hunting spear clashed with the greatsword, and flames and frost entangled, turning into scalding steam that formed layers of spreading clouds.

The continuous battle caused shockwaves to explode in the sky.

Linde swept his hunting spear across the giant's armor, the scorching tip slicing through the giant's armor and sending sparks flying.

At the same time, the storm of the ice greatsword scraped against the Bear King's rock armor, leaving behind fine cracks.

After the fierce battle, the two sides distanced themselves.

Linde's arm, gripping the hunting spear, trembled, and his face was solemn.

Even though it was the remains of a fallen king, the Frost Giant King's current strength was still awe-inspiring, almost reaching the level of a high-level transcendent being.

With Constance's help, Lind knew he was still at a disadvantage.

"roar!"

Constance beneath him roared at Pegasus, but seemed to lack confidence.

A closer look reveals a hint of retreat in her icy blue dragon eyes.

She was willing to fight so that the spirits of the giants and the Pegasus could heal their wounds.

But continuing to fight like this would only result in more serious injuries, which would be a losing proposition, and their already weak fighting spirit would decline further.

Linde knew that dragging things out would not benefit him, so he decided to finish the battle quickly.

Golden light emanated from his heart and penetrated his skin.

In that instant, the flames on the hunting spear changed from crimson to golden red, and even his entire body radiated a dreamlike golden red flame.

Incarnation of the sun!

Golden and red flames gathered behind them, coalescing into a dazzling sun.

The distant sun lighthouse shone brightly, reflecting the sun's rays, and the magical network was completed.

Next, the Sunbeacon will continue to provide Lind with magic, helping him maintain his elemental form across levels as the Cloud Wars resume.

This time, however, the situation reversed, and the mighty Frost Giant King was suppressed by Lind.

With a series of booming sounds, the greatsword of ice shattered under the impact of the golden-red hunting spear.

"You dare kick me! You dare hold me! Now it's my turn to bite you, meow!"

Constance roared excitedly, and her dragon head slammed into the wings of the four-winged pegasus.

After Linde overwhelmed the enemy, Pegasus's power was also suppressed.

This finally allowed Constance to stop being bullied and successfully bite Pegasus, tearing at his body with her dragon claws.

boom!

The hunter clashed with the greatsword, flames melting the ice.

Just as Lind and the Frost Giant King were locked in a struggle and gradually pressed forward, twelve ice thorns emerged from the white curtain, transforming into chains of ice that wrapped around Lind's body.

A chilling aura, cold enough to freeze magic, swept over us.

Golden-red flames rose fiercely, dispelling the chill.

Linde initially paid no attention; these chains were meaningless except to slow him down, as the sublimated fire of the sun was enough to burn through the giant king before him.

The scales of victory are tipping in his favor over time.

But suddenly, he heard roars coming from the battlefield below.

Linde glanced at it, his pupils shrinking slightly.

A frost giant soldier leaped over the inner wall and entered the manor!

Half an hour ago.

Battlefield on the city walls.

As the ice and snow melted, the land turned scorched black, and billowing black smoke rose from the earth.

These are the traces left by the solar rupture rays released by the ballista golem.

Countless ice monsters perished, and even the Frost Giant Legion suffered heavy casualties, with more than a dozen soldiers and ancient mammoths lost in the chaos.

Even so, the remaining frost giants, fearless of death, still breached the outer wall and charged towards the inner wall.

The most powerful of them, the frost giant, leaped into the air, stepping on the icy spear embedded in the city wall.

Its four-meter-tall body looked down at the soldiers on the city wall, and with a wave of its hand, it slammed a charging knight off the wall, his armor and all, rolling painfully on the ground.

"Monster of the ice storm! Bow down and accept the sun's judgment!"

Commander William shouted and charged forward, brandishing the Wolf King Greatsword.

The frost giant, not to be outdone, roared and clasped his hands together, pressing the slender greatsword against his palm.

The frost giants, due to their racial advantage in strength, gradually overwhelmed William, lifting him step by step into the sky with their greatswords.

Once the ground loses its support, the Ice Knight's power will be difficult to exert.

Just as the frost giant roared excitedly, a rocky arm even larger than its own suddenly rose up.

While the ballista golem remained silent, the wall golem spread its arms!

With a furious roar of resentment, the frost giant was suppressed, its body crackling and shattering within the rocky arms.

William breathed a sigh of relief, but without taking a break, he immediately threw himself into the other battlefields around him.

Five frost giants climbed the city wall.

Wayne is leading Heda and the Knights to fight against these powerful monster soldiers.

Thanks to the Legion Aura, the knight's strength is significantly enhanced.

With the help of the Wall Golems, the Sunflower Legion successfully suppressed the enemy and is gradually encircling and annihilating the Frost Giant soldiers.

However, at that moment, devastating news arrived.

Below the inner wall, a frost giant who had fallen to the ground and whose body was charred black actually stood up and jumped onto the city wall.

This frost giant did not join the main battle.

It raised its head and looked at the king in the sky, who was suppressed by flames.

His gaze then fell upon the prominent Sun Lighthouse in the center of the manor. He jumped off the city wall and sprinted toward his target.

"Damn it, stop it! The Sun Beacon must not be destroyed!"

William and Wayne's expressions changed drastically.

They knew very well that the solar lighthouse was key to surviving the ice storm.

Once the lighthouse goes out, the extreme cold will be enough to freeze the residents and soldiers here into ice sculptures, without even the frost giants having to lift a finger!

However, the five frost giants on the city wall roared and, with their immense giant strength, dragged them to their original positions.

Just then, a force that had already retreated into the manor blocked the way for the frost giants who had broken in.

The Shield Guard Battalion Commander, Jade, straightened his back.

He gripped the hilt of a sword, and inside his armor were bandages wrapped around half of his body.

Behind him, twelve Bearmane Iron Guards raised their shields and spears, forming a steel shield wall to intercept him.

Twenty minutes ago, they were lying in the emergency room of the manor hospital.

Faced with the surging Icefield Demons, the Bearmane Iron Guards were at the forefront, and more than half of them died.

The rest were all injured and were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Judd was very grateful to the young girl at the hospital. Although their injuries could not be fully healed, at least they were able to stand up from their hospital beds again.

Facing the charging frost giant, Jad felt death approaching, yet he laughed.

"Think back to when, the only people left in the manor's army were Commander William, Philip, and me. In the blink of an eye, things have developed to this point."

Judd sighed.

The scene of Linde appointing him as battalion commander flashed through his mind, a scene that had appeared in his dreams more than once.

During Baron Jefferson's time at the manor, Judd was never valued and was merely an ordinary, dispensable soldier.

That's why he cherishes his current identity.

They valued the Shield Guard Battalion even more than their own lives.

But as the manor continued to move forward, more and more powerful beings, including Wynne, dwarves, Heda, golems, and dragons, joined the manor.

Stagnant progress turned the battalion commander's glory into pressure, keeping him awake at night.

Glory is like wine and poison, intoxicating yet tormenting.

Judd couldn't imagine that one day the lord would look at him with such disappointment.

That was a nightmare he absolutely did not want to see, a nightmare more painful than death.

"The sunflower is the home we built together. If only our names and honors could be engraved here forever..."

Death, after all, is a perfect end.

Judd laughed even more heartily as he recalled the scene of the lord leading the residents in remembrance of the fallen.

His fighting spirit, willing to risk his life, surged, and the strengthening aura of the Ancestral Spirit Crystal responded to his will.

In an instant, the icy sword energy surged up from beneath Jade's feet.

"Bearmane Iron Guards! Follow my lead and crush the enemy!"

A gift!

The blade was drawn, the whirring sound of the longsword echoing throughout the manor. Jade held the sword, facing the charging frost giant.

Behind him, the Bearmane Iron Guards' shield wall advanced in unison, blocking the invading enemy.

Icefalls tear through frost, shield walls crash into giants.

The swirling snow blanketed the battlefield, obscuring visibility.

After some time, accompanied by a painful and unwilling roar from the frost giant, the light of the Sun Beacon dispelled the ice and snow.

The battlefield within the manor came into view.

The frost giant fell to the ground.

Its legs were pierced by spears, its chest was torn apart by the icy sword energy, and a long sword was stuck in its heart.

Around it, Judd stared wide-eyed as he and twelve Bearmane Iron Guards lay quietly on the ground, blood seeping from their bandages merging with their armor, transforming them into cold statues, guarding the lighthouse.

A sigh came from above the clouds.

"Heroic soldiers, they deserve to be remembered."

The indifferent Frost Giant King spoke for the first time, seemingly unconcerned about his soldiers' defeat, instead praising the manor's army.

After sighing, Linde withdrew his gaze and looked at the enemy before him once more.

"That's right, they are all a source of pride for the Sunflower Movement, and now it's my turn to meet their expectations."

The golden flames melted the chains.

Lind raised his flaming hunting spear high.

The Frost Giant King swung his greatsword of ice, but it shattered under the rapidly rising temperature.

The hunting arrow pierced through the giant's body, even piercing through the four-winged Pegasus below.

The sun's fire pierced through the storm!

The Frost Giant King's body shattered in bursts.

"O newborn sun, you have proven yourself; may you shatter the shadow of the ice storm."

The deceased king accepted it calmly, and before vanishing, he offered his blessing to the humans before him.

"Yes, the sunflower will eventually shine on this land."

Linde spoke of his vision.

He knew that the Frost Giants were not descendants of the White Frost Dragons or subordinates of the White Dragon King.

The frost giants were once defeated by the White Frost Dragonborn and became prisoners.

Their disappearance now might be a relief for them.

The battle in the cloud has come to an end.

After the king's death, the bodies of the frost giants below shattered.

Upon witnessing this, the soldiers cheered with excitement for their victory, but then could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.

The noisy battlefield has returned to calm.

Linde looked up, and the white curtain that had enveloped the sky dissipated, allowing sunlight to stream down.

The war between the sunflowers and the ice storm is over, and the long winter is over.

spring is coming.

a new day.

Linde stepped out of the room and looked up at the Sun Beacon.

Unlike its glorious days during the war, it is now silent and looks like an ordinary tower.

In order to resist the ice storm, the Sun Beacon consumed too much magic power, and even the high-grade sunflowers in the Magic Field were drained and withered on a large scale.

It's unlikely that it will be able to be lit up again in the short term.

Fortunately, the ice storm has now subsided.

Spring has arrived.

Even without the barrier of "Eternal Spring," the climate is not cold, and the heating provided by the Ash Squirrels is sufficient to ensure a comfortable life on the manor.

Today is the third day since the war ended.

As Linde walked down the street in the residential area, he could hear sobbing coming from inside the houses.

After the joy of victory, the residents mourned the victims and inevitably fell into grief.

In order to protect the manor from the ice storm, the army suffered heavy casualties in the War of the Sun.

Almost everyone who participated in the battle was wounded; six knights and 23 longbowmen died.

The entire 30 Bearmane Iron Guards of the Shield Guard Battalion were wiped out, and even the battalion commander, Jade, died a heroic death.

Of the 182 militiamen temporarily conscripted, over a hundred died, effectively halving the number of men in the manor and causing a severe blow to its vitality.

It's not just about casualties.

The outer city wall collapsed under the ravages of war, the second residential area was reduced to ruins, and nearly a hundred families lost their homes.

Even the wall golems fell silent, and the earth crystals sank into the ground, slowly repairing their wounds.

The situation in Mada is even worse.

The sunflower fields withered in large areas, and the excessive extraction of magic power even caused many magic fields to degenerate, turning back into their original deserts.

After the war, the manor was almost back to square one, with everything needing to be rebuilt.

Fortunately, the victory was not without its rewards.

Linde took out the Ancestral Crystal, which was inscribed with the Legion aura spell "Frost Enhancement: Feast of Wolves".

His focus was not on enhancing the spells, but on the abundant spirituality he collected from the crystals.

The Icefield Demon's spiritual quality is average, and it can only be used to release Legion Aura.

But there are other spirits among them, including frost giant soldiers, ancient mammoths, and the mighty frost giant king and the four-winged pegasus!

"We agreed that you'd give me one!"

Constance flew over at this moment, her miniature dragon body perched on Lind's shoulder, drooling as she gazed at the Ancestral Spirit Crystal. "The spirit of the Four-Winged Pegasus is yours, enough to heal most of your injuries. The rest won't do; I have other uses for it."

Linde reassured Constance, having already made up his mind.

The spirit of the Giant soldiers is used to train knights.

Lind already had an idea, as the Icefield Knights were lacking in the Extraordinary Breathing Technique.

Combining the totems from the Heda, Frostwolf Clan that absorb power, the extraordinary breathing technique called "Ice Giant" began to take shape.

Once this breathing technique is mastered, it will be possible to use the Ancestral Spirit Crystal and the Frost Giant's spirituality to create Knight's Stone Tablets and collect Frost Giant magic for the knights to cultivate.

At that time, the Riding Earth Stele will be just like the Sunflower Field, continuously producing Icefield Riding Earth for the manor.

As for the ancient mammoth spirit, Lind thought of the herd of mammoths inside the manor.

It is important to know that one of the most important functions of spirituality is to strengthen the spiritual power of living beings and guide evolution.

After purification, he could use these spiritual elements to raise real ancient mammoths.

No, even further!

After the material from the sword-spined earthworm was removed, it was placed in a cabinet in the blood storage laboratory.

Although it lacks a bloodline as precious as the Blood of the Earth, the bloodline of the dragon beast is still powerful and its attributes are compatible with those of the mammoth.

With proper use, it might even be possible to add special dragon power to the ancient mammoth!

Linde's mind was filled with inspiration, and he couldn't wait to go into the laboratory to conduct research.

However, he knew that there were more important things to accomplish at the moment.

"Are you ready?"

Linde asked Constance, who was perched on his shoulder, and she nodded in response, full of anticipation.

"That's good. We're going to the spirit world now."

After three days of rest, Linde's spirituality returned to its best state.

He arrived at the location of the rune array where the frost giants had descended. The original array had long since shattered, leaving only a mess.

Even so, this area is still very close to the spirit world.

The next month will be the most suitable time for ascension from the real world to the spirit world.

Using fossils as mud, Linde built a sealed shelter underground, then embraced Constance.

Close your eyes.

The moment he and Constance completed their contract, the power of the [Spiritual Contract] was enhanced, evolving into the [Soul Anchor].

This is the key to the spirit world.

This ensures that Linde can remain anchored in his physical body and return to reality from the spirit world at any time.

The ceremony for ascending to the spirit world has officially begun.

As magic inscribed runes, Lind and Constance's spirits detached from their bodies and merged into the surrounding space.

Space distorted, and a chaotic scene of dazzling colors flashed before my eyes.

Linde felt a pressure as if he were sinking into the deep sea.

After a while, the pressure subsided, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Unlike reality, the tilted perspective and the surreal senses clearly told him that he had arrived in the mysterious spirit world.

Linde looked around.

He was on top of a snow-capped mountain, surrounded by towering icicles.

Strangely, each ice pillar was pierced by a giant, its eyes wide open and filled with resentment. They were none other than the Frost Giants who had attacked the Sunflower earlier.

"Extremely cold snow-capped mountains, the burial ground of giants."

"Linde said softly."

This is the message the spirit world told him.

According to a mysterious world rule, when a conscious soul arrives in the spirit world, the name of the area they are in will appear in their mind.

Constance, who had come with them, poked her head out and looked around with some fear.

"What if they suddenly come back to life and start attacking us again?"

"Don't worry, it won't happen. The spirit world is a projection of reality. What's shown here is the scene of the frost giants' destruction; it's just a phantom."

Lind comforted her.

Previously, the frost giants on these icicles might have moved, but once they descended into reality and were defeated, they truly became just background figures.

Linde's gaze lingered around the icicles, on the wandering, shadowy figures.

Upon closer inspection, one can even discern familiar faces among the shadows.

Linde was not surprised, because they were all souls of the manor's soldiers who had been absorbed into the spirit world after their deaths.

Their spiritual strength is insufficient to maintain their rationality.

This is how it became a blurry black shadow, which will eventually be swallowed up by the spirit world over time.

Limited by the rules of the world, Linde was unable to keep them in reality, which is why they came here.

"Warriors of the Sunflower, heed my call and come to my side!"

Linde raised the ancestral spirit crystal that had come with him, and it radiated spiritual light.

The shadowy figures sensed a familiar presence and gathered together.

The black coverings faded, revealing their true faces that had been hidden.

"This is... the light of the sun? Beacon above, my lord! I obey your call!"

Judd, who was in charge, regained his senses and knelt down on one knee before Lind, his whole body trembling.

Behind him, the Sunflower soldiers, emerging from their agony, knelt in disbelief and fervor.

"It's so good to see you all again, but unfortunately I can't take you away right now."

Lin De opened his arms to welcome them, but after the initial joy came a touch of regret.

"My warriors, rest in peace here. Before long, you will return in glory in the name of the sun, I promise."

Linde promised to forge a stone monument with the "Anchor of the Soul".

The Frost Giant King's spiritual energy was rapidly depleting, but he didn't care.

"We are willing to serve you, for all eternity, until death do us part!"

"Jade shouted, and rose to lead his troops toward the stone tablet."

Their bodies merged into it, eventually becoming the names line after line on the stone tablet.

The Memorial Stone, a testament to the pact between Lind and the army.

It was the resting place he created for the souls of his warriors.

Only soldiers truly loyal to him can enter and gain the protection of the inner [Soul Anchor], where they can sleep peacefully in their dreams without fear of being devoured by the spirit world.

Linde is currently unable to open up the land of the dead, and can only protect the souls of his soldiers with stone tablets for now.

But as he promised.

Before long, the sunflower kingdom will be established.

At that time, death will not be the end, and no subject who has contributed to the Sunflower Movement will be let down.