Spellcasting Gods

The problem is that this change is not stable. Within a few days to a few weeks, the infected person's body will collapse because it cannot withstand the change.

Therefore, in essence, this new plague is less of a plague and more of a failed enhancement agent, but when combined with the plagues originally used by the Scourge, it becomes a terrifying weapon capable of killing even the undead.

What's even more chilling is that this plague is far from reaching its limit; I alone know of more than a dozen research directions that could enhance its power.

"So how do you plan to handle this matter?" Zhang Cheng asked tentatively, frowning.

Hearing this description, he felt even more strongly that the new plague was less of a plague and more of a magical version of a genetic weapon.

Perhaps the Dreadlord intends to use the power of the Forsaken to cripple all life on Azeroth, including the Scourge, in preparation for the Legion's next invasion.

Ansrem Ruinvivor stroked his beard and considered for a few minutes before finally smiling and saying, "I'm very interested in this new plague, and if possible, I'd like to get my hands on its formula."

“Coincidentally, I just received news that the Forsaken are spreading plague in large numbers towards a farm town not far from Dalaran. Don’t you think the Council should take some action?” Zhang Cheng suggested, his eyes flashing with a strange light, as he slightly bowed.

"Oh? Really? They actually dared to do such a thing!" The archmage's face darkened, and his tone became serious.

“Do you think I would joke about something like this? Two militiamen from the town are right outside the tower right now; you can summon them at any time to ask them what happened.” With that, Zhang Cheng walked to the window, pointing down at Garrick and Frank standing in the doorway…

Chapter 0041 Jealousy

A few hours later...

As the sun slowly sank below the horizon, a team consisting of six Kirin Tor Council mages, fifty Dalaran patrol guards, two scouts responsible for reconnaissance, and four arcane golems left the Dalaran magical shield and headed rapidly eastward.

The leader of this team was none other than Zhang Cheng.

After repeated questioning and deliberation, Anslem Ruinvivor concluded that the apothecary who created the plague was likely hiding around the town, observing and recording various parameters of the plague in order to conduct in-depth research.

His mission was to lead a raid on the Forgotten Ones' camp from the rear, capture or kill the apothecary, find the recipe from various notes and documents, and rescue the besieged farmers.

Despite having only fifty-odd people, their fighting strength far surpasses that of a regular army of five hundred. In particular, the combination of arcane golems and mages can easily annihilate hundreds or even thousands of enemies during their charge. Meanwhile, the well-equipped Dalaran guards ensure that no one escapes the blockade and harms the mages who are protected by layers of defense.

Just as Zhang Cheng was silently considering whether he should send someone to the town to find out the situation or launch an attack directly, a female mage who looked to be around forty years old approached him and asked in a low voice, "Respected leader, I have a question I would like to ask you."

"Hmm? What's the problem?" Zhang Cheng looked up and glanced at the other person.

"Why do we need to use such a primitive and outdated method as walking? Wouldn't it be faster and more convenient to use group teleportation?" the female mage asked, frowning.

“Mass teleportation? Don’t you know there are many mages among the Forsaken? Any form of spatial tearing will attract their attention. If we use teleportation to reach our destination, I guarantee that the moment the teleportation is completed, what awaits us will be a classic ambush.” Zhang Cheng explained irritably.

If he could use teleportation, would he still be willing to endure the pain of riding a horse?

Anyone who has ever ridden a horse knows how painful it is to have your inner thighs chafed raw.

"What about the mission? So far, we still don't know the purpose of this trip." The female mage was clearly unwilling to give up and continued to ask.

As a low-level mage who had served the Kirin Tor Council for nearly a decade, she seemed somewhat unable to accept a young man climbing over her head and giving orders.

Having seen similar situations many times before, Zhang Cheng smiled slightly and replied in a meaningful tone, "Remember your place, Arya. There are some things you need to know, and I will tell you, but you'd better not ask questions about things you shouldn't know. Remember, I am the leader and commander personally appointed by His Excellency the Archmage, and you only need to obey orders, understand?"

After saying that, he deliberately fiddled with the violet ring on his finger, which now had three gold lines.

Although the equipment effect is no different from the ordinary Violet Ring, the three gold lines symbolize a higher status and position.

The female mage, known as Aria, suddenly contracted her pupils, her face turning extremely pale. She tried to argue several times, but in the end, she gave up and returned to the mage group dejectedly.

After all, where there are people, there is conflict, especially in an organization like the Kirin Tor Council, which is full of mages. Every step of advancement means acquiring more knowledge and resources, and more knowledge and resources are equivalent to gaining greater power.

No mage could resist such a temptation!

Zhang Cheng knew very well that he had no foundation in Dalaran since he appeared out of nowhere. Now that he had suddenly gained the trust and cultivation of Ansrem Ruinvivor, it would naturally arouse the dissatisfaction, or rather, the jealousy, of some people.

However, he didn't care much and wasn't going to explain anything.

After more than a week of study and research, he realized that a monk ultimately needs to demonstrate his abilities, not his social skills.

In the Kirin Tor Council, when a mage reaches a certain level, he will naturally acquire a corresponding status and position.

Conversely, no matter how good a mage is at socializing, they will never be promoted if their own strength is insufficient.

After a brief exchange, Zhang Cheng forcefully suppressed the few members of the team who were dissatisfied with him. At least on the surface, the other party dared not continue to probe and silently followed behind the team.

With a slightly oppressive atmosphere, the group finally reached the outskirts of the farm before dawn.

Despite the dim light, it was still possible to see that the once golden wheat fields had been infected by terrifying shadow energy, turning into an unhealthy dark gray. Strange yellow spots covered every inch of the land, and the once docile animals had mutated, displaying extremely strong aggression.

Just as everyone was shocked by this horrific scene, a scout responsible for reconnaissance ran back, panting, from the wheat field to report: "Sir, I have located the Forsaken camp. They are stationed in the woods southeast of the town, numbering approximately three hundred. Fifty of them are members of the Arathi Basin combat force—the Corrupted, and the rest are ordinary undead. As for the apothecary you are looking for, I'm sorry, I haven't found him yet."

“The polluter? Be more specific!” Zhang Cheng demanded, squinting his eyes.

“Thirty Legion warriors! Two mages! Two shadow priests! One stitched abomination! Five rogues and ten dark rangers. Forgive my bluntness, but their strength should not be underestimated.” As he finished speaking, a hint of tension appeared in the scout’s eyes.

Zhang Cheng nodded noncommittally, then turned to the guard captain following behind him and asked, "El, what do you think?"

"If this were a direct confrontation, I would advise you to hold your ground or retreat. But this is a sneak attack; we're in the shadows, and the enemy is in the open. So I suggest you strike them hard before they notice. First, we need to capture a concealed high ground, gather the mages' power to summon a blizzard or rain of fire to blanket the camp, and then launch an attack under the cover of arcane golems, killing their priests and mages in the chaos. Your Excellency, I believe victory is ours." The man, around fifty years old, confidently offered his advice.

“Alright, we’ll do it your way. Garrick, you know the terrain best. Do you know any high vantage points around here? I plan to give the enemy a little surprise.” Zhang Cheng turned his gaze to the breathing-impaired young man.

The latter clenched his fists tightly, grinned maliciously, and nodded: "Of course! Sir Mage! I happen to know a hillside that fits your requirements. Please don't hesitate to teach these damned bastards a lesson they won't forget, and let them know that the Alliance is not to be trifled with."

"Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way. I believe that after being nourished by blood, today's sunrise will be exceptionally beautiful..."

Chapter 0042 Surprise Attack

Using the cover of darkness in the last half hour before dawn, the group quickly crossed the Forsaken's perimeter and stopped on a hillside less than 600 meters from them.

Because of the extremely close proximity, one could even clearly observe the movements within the camp from above, especially the massive Stitched Abominations, which were as conspicuous as torches in the midnight sun.

As one of the most powerful units in the undead army, its entire body is stitched together from various corpses. The only difference is that some abominations are infused with souls, while others are soulless and are driven entirely by necromancy.

The former possess independent consciousness and thinking ability, and can make subjective judgments based on orders. Some of the more intelligent Stitched Abominations can even become commanders of the army.

However, the latter is closer to a biological puppet. Once the controller is killed, they will stand there dumbfounded, or carry out the last command given, serving as meat shields or high-level cannon fodder.

According to Zhang Cheng's understanding, most of the Forsaken's stitched abominations are made by the Royal Apothecary Society, so the appearance of an abomination in the camp means that there is an 80% chance that an apothecary is also nearby.

As for whether this abomination is intelligent or merely a puppet, it cannot be determined by its appearance alone.

He planned to let the arcane golems deal with this big problem when he launched the attack later, otherwise, with the terrifying power of the stitched abominations, once they rushed into the middle of the guards, it would immediately be a horrific massacre.

As someone who was fairly self-aware, Zhang Cheng never believed that he, with no practical experience, could command an army well, so he generously delegated authority to El.

Without wasting words, the old man, who had experienced two orc wars, first ordered the guards to take up assault positions, and then immediately asked the mages to begin preparing the summoning ritual. In just over ten minutes, a dark cloud enveloped the entire enemy camp.

If it were daytime, the Forgotten would immediately notice the unusual situation above them.

Unfortunately, it is currently the last darkness before sunrise, with not a single star in sight, so even if someone occasionally looks up, it is not easy to distinguish them.

As the first rays of light appeared on the horizon, Captain El strode up to Zhang Cheng and said in a rather relaxed tone, "Your Excellency, everything is ready. Please give the order to attack. If all goes well, we can even have a hot breakfast in time."

"Oh? You still have the mood to think about breakfast?" Zhang Cheng raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He simply couldn't understand why the other side could remain so calm as the battle was about to begin, as if they were about to complete a simple task rather than risk their lives to kill the enemy.

"Hahahaha! Why not? I've participated in countless battles. Guess what truths I've gleaned from them?" El laughed and asked in return.

"What is it?"

“It’s simple! On the battlefield, the more tense and afraid you are, the faster you die. Conversely, the more relaxed and fearless you are, the more likely you are to survive fierce battles. I’m a warrior, and warriors only trust their intuition. Right now, my intuition tells me that what follows will be an easy battle, so instead of worrying about the outcome, I should think about breakfast. After all, I’ve been walking all night, and my stomach is rumbling.” With that, El patted his stomach lightly, implying that the danger of the Forsaken was less important than hunger.

Clearly, his almost contemptuous attitude greatly boosted morale; at least those guards who were initially a little nervous couldn't help but grin and smirk.

Zhang Cheng wasn't stupid. He immediately realized that the old man in front of him seemed to be using some kind of psychological tactic, so he quickly smiled and cooperated, saying, "In that case, let's launch the attack quickly. I happen to know that the pork pies in town are quite delicious. If you can complete the mission before the sun is fully up, I'll treat everyone to a feast. Of course, there will also be plenty of delicious wine."

"Did you all hear that? Crush the enemy camp before the sun is fully up! Don't let the delicious pies and wine fly away!" El shouted, drawing his longsword, mounting his warhorse, and joining the assault.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Zhang Cheng directly ordered the mages behind him, "Release them! Let these undead understand what the consequences are for angering the Kirin Tor Council."

“As you wish…” A male mage in his thirties bowed deeply, then raised his hands and used his consciousness to guide arcane energy, continuously pouring it into the dark clouds in the sky.

In less than three to five seconds, hailstones the size of basketballs fell from the sky like raindrops, launching a sweeping attack on the Forsaken camp.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...

With a series of crackling sounds, the undead, still not understanding what was happening, were all knocked to the ground by heavy blocks of ice. Some had their limbs broken, while others had their skulls shattered and died on the spot.

In an instant, every Forsaken was desperately searching for cover, trying to escape the dense hailstorm.

In the midst of this chaos, several staff-wielding figures suddenly emerged from a tent in the center of the camp, shouting in a language incomprehensible to the living. In the blink of an eye, twenty or thirty Forsaken soldiers gathered, raising their shields to fend off the hail falling from the sky.

"The enemy's mages and priests have appeared! Charge! Kill them!" El roared as he lashed his mount with his whip and led the guards out.

Accompanying them were two enormous arcane golems.

The dozens of galloping warhorses and heavy arcane golems caused a violent tremor in the ground, alerting the undead to the enemy's ambush. They quickly grabbed their weapons and prepared to fight back to the death.

Unfortunately, their scattered formation was no match for the terrifying impact of the arcane golem.

Four or five soldiers with hand gestures and shields, trying to block the camp entrance, were sent flying more than ten meters away by the arcane golem's fist, which was as big as a sandbag, and finally lay motionless on the ground.

It's obvious without even asking, they're definitely dead...

Thanks to the arcane golem's steel-like body, ordinary weapons have a hard time truly damaging the energy core, which is heavily protected.

They cleared away all the obstacles along the way, paving the way for the guards who followed closely behind.

Seeing the enemy getting closer and closer, the leader of the Forsaken immediately waved his arms and shouted, as if he were talking to someone.

Just two or three seconds later, the stitched abomination, which had been standing motionless, suddenly swung its thick iron chain and, with a loud bang, wrapped it around the lower limb of one of the arcane golems, pulling it to the ground...

Chapter 0043 An Expected Victory

boom!

The arcane golem crashed to the ground with a deafening roar, kicking up a cloud of mud and dust.

However, this level of impact was not even a minor injury to it. It quickly used its arms to support itself as it got up and pounced on the stitched abomination a few meters away.

The latter was equally defiant, raising an axe and sickle stained with dried blood to meet the attack.

One second later...

boom!

Two colossal creatures, each over four meters tall, collided violently, engaging in a fierce battle, with deafening crashes echoing throughout the room.

Seeing that the only threat was entangled by the arcane golem, Elton was overjoyed. Just as he was about to order another arcane golem to rush towards the central tent, a tent not far away suddenly collapsed, and then a huge stitched abomination emerged from it.

Unlike the previous one, this one seemed to have just been made; the corpse was still very fresh, with no signs of decay, and the weapon was not stained with any blood.

Seeing this from afar on the hillside, Zhang Cheng's expression changed drastically. He immediately questioned the young man in charge of reconnaissance, "What's going on? Didn't you say there was only one Stitched Abomination?"