Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　The mayor of Zareton rushed into the CIC meeting room, his voice filled with urgency.

　He was suddenly awakened from his bed in his bedroom on his estate, and the butler who woke him quelled the mayor's anger at being interrupted from his dream with just one sentence.

　"My lord, an urgent telegram from the military reports that a convoy has been attacked and your decision is urgently needed."

　Upon hearing this, the mayor's sleepiness vanished instantly.

　Neither his lover's smooth skin nor the softness of the velvet bed could hold him back from his hasty departure.

　The head of the Zareton regional administration rushed out of the bedroom without even having time to get dressed properly.

　Under normal circumstances, a mayor who is disheveled would undoubtedly become the focus of everyone's attention in the meeting room.

　But at this moment, the powerful and influential people present no longer had any interest in paying attention to the mayor's appearance.

　Their eyes were fixed on the situation report in front of them, their faces grave as they pondered how to deal with this sudden and difficult situation.

　"Your Excellency Mayor, the situation is quite serious."

　An officer in charge of military intelligence briefings stepped forward to answer the mayor's questions.

　"All ten transport convoys we dispatched were attacked. Although most of the attacks were successfully repelled with the help of the vengeful spirits, one convoy was completely destroyed, and the others suffered varying degrees of damage..."

　Upon hearing this, the mayor couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

　He slumped to his feet, supporting his forehead with his hand, and waved weakly at the officer, indicating that he didn't need to say anything more.

　At this moment, the mayor of Zareton fully understood the extent to which the situation had deteriorated.

　All the transport convoys were attacked, and the supplies that were originally scheduled to be sent to Perth will be greatly delayed.

　However, this is not their biggest problem.

　One-tenth, no, more of the supplies that were to be paid to the necromancer as taxes were destroyed.

　This is the biggest dilemma they are currently facing.

　Necromancers are not easy to deal with.

　The reason Morrow allowed these powerful figures to manage his territories of Australia and New Zealand was simply to save himself trouble and effort.

　But if they fail to pay the taxes stipulated by the necromancer on time and in the required amount, then...

　Thinking of his colleagues whose life force had been casually wiped away by the necromancer, this high-ranking nobleman in the Zareton region felt a chill run down his spine.

　He picked up the hot coffee that the waiter had placed on the table, and hurriedly took a few gulps, trying to swallow the panic in his heart with the bitter liquid in order to calm his mind.

　Then, the mayor scanned the dozen or so dignitaries present and began to speak.

　"Alright, everyone, I understand the urgency of the current situation. So, what are your thoughts?"

　Faced with the mayor's question, the powerful figures present remained silent.

　Wherever his gaze fell, that powerful figure would lower their head and carefully study the report in their hand, as if racking their brains for a solution.

　The powerful and wealthy know perfectly well that remaining silent is the wisest choice for them now.

　If you speak up and get pushed into the spotlight, becoming a "scapegoat" for solving problems, wouldn't that be too unfair?

　Therefore, at this time, silence is golden.

　Seeing the awkward silence in the meeting room, Mayor Zareton was momentarily exasperated.

　However, he also understood that this was not the time to reprimand people.

　Therefore, he had no choice but to call out names one by one.

　They tried to break the deadlock in this way.

　"Mr. Drake, as the highest-ranking officer in the regional security forces, what is your opinion on this matter?"

　"This one……"

　Meeting the mayor's unfriendly gaze, the middle-aged man called Mr. Drake felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.

　But since he had already been called out, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer the mayor's questions.

　"I believe our top priority is to organize a new transport fleet as soon as possible to ensure that this period's tax payments can be completed on schedule..."

　Despite Drake's well-organized explanation, it was all utter nonsense.

　The powerful and wealthy people present all knew that their first task was to pay back the taxes, but the key question was how to accomplish this task effectively.

　The taxes that necromancers set for each region are not a small amount.

　That's one-tenth of the local total production.

　Even if they use all the slush funds in each department, they will still need to bleed a lot of money to make up for this period's tax payments.

　But we can't not replenish it either.

　Although necromancers usually allow their entourage to govern the region in their own way, if they default on taxes, an army of undead will arrive in a matter of days to turn them into new undead and serve the necromancers forever.

　They dared not imagine, much less face, such consequences.

　Therefore, even knowing that paying the back taxes would drain their wallets, these powerful figures could only reluctantly accept Drake's proposal after exchanging bewildered glances.

　"Alright, Mr. Drake's suggestion is our only way out at the moment."

　The mayor, rubbing his tired forehead, finally broke the awkward silence in the meeting room.

　"We must act quickly to organize a new fleet of transport vehicles and strengthen security measures to ensure that the tax payments are delivered safely."

　Looking into Drake's eyes, the mayor spoke with a firm tone.

　"Mr. Drake, this time you will personally be in charge of escorting the shipment. Make sure everything goes smoothly!"

Chapter 229 Encirclement and the Second Legendary Undead

　Having identified the most urgent matter, the mayor of Zareton began to arrange for the suppression of the resistance.

　Prior to today, this mayor was not unaware that resistance groups existed in the area he ruled.

　However, he never took these scattered soldiers without heavy weapons seriously.

　But now that things have come to this, the mayor, who has been forced to bleed money, will no longer allow these ungrateful lowly people to continue to exist.

　Otherwise, if they were to put on another grand show like yesterday, how would the powerful and wealthy manage?

　Other powerful figures who were forced to relinquish a significant portion of their profits as taxes expressed their support for the decision to suppress the resistance.

　As they discussed the matter, a plan to encircle and annihilate all resistance organizations in the area gradually took shape.

　To wipe out all resistance groups in a region, Zareton's elites would obviously not rely solely on their privately-run armed forces.

　Relying on the lowest-level command authority granted by the necromancer, the nobles easily pulled out a death army composed of tens of thousands of low-ranking undead from the undead legion's encampment stationed there.

　Although this undead army only has about three hundred vengeful spirits, with the rest being cannon fodder (crossed out) skeleton archers and plague zombies as basic combat forces, this does not prevent this army of the dead from crushing all resistance organizations in the area.

　Even when they unite, this is still the case.

　The situation unfolded exactly as the powerful figures of Zareton had predicted.

　Under the iron hooves of the undead army, resistance organizations were uprooted and completely wiped out from this land.

　After pledging allegiance to the necromancer, they indeed lost the orbital reconnaissance provided by military satellites.

　But as the local tyrants of this land, when the powerful and wealthy are truly serious, there is no way that a fully armed force of several hundred people could hide from their sight.

　Even the resistance group led by Bridget, which received UN aid, was not spared.

　In other words, he was cautious enough that, after realizing the dire situation of being unable to shake off the pursuit, he decisively decided to disperse the troops and have them break out in small teams.

　If Bridget had hesitated even a moment longer, his troops would have been wiped out by the army of the dead, just like other active resistance groups in the region.

　Even so, Bridget's resistance organization still suffered devastating losses.

　Those who were scattered, those who were caught up and wiped out by pursuers, those who were lost in the breakout battle...

　All things considered, Bridget's forces were now only one-fifth of what they had been when they ambushed the convoy.

　If it weren't for Barry, as the UN commissioner, repeatedly assuring them that aid would arrive soon, this level of loss would have been enough to destroy the resistance organization.

　However, even after suffering such a heavy blow, Bridget and Barry did not regret their decision to ambush the convoy.

　They were well aware that the previous ambush had instilled fear in the local elites.

　It brought such a heavy blow.

　This can be seen from the angry and twisted expressions of the nobles who commanded the undead army during the breakout battle.

　However, it was precisely because of their previous brilliant achievements that Bridget decided to leave the Zareton area with his troops after consulting Barry.

　There was no other way; under the unprecedented intensity of the encirclement and suppression, this land was no longer suitable for the survival of the resistance organization.

　"I Shall Return!"

　As the master of the undead legion, Moros was certainly aware of the battle taking place in the Zareton region to suppress the resistance.

　However, since the report submitted by Perth (the capital of Western Australia) clearly indicates that this year's tax payments will arrive on schedule, there is no need for him to delve into the mystery behind it.

　This is also the underlying reason why Moros chose to adopt a near-feudal system of governance to rule the Australian continent and New Zealand.

　If the central government takes the lead.

　Therefore, he not only needs to dispatch a large bureaucratic team and spend a lot of time and resources to maintain his rule, but also needs to personally intervene and handle various complex matters in the event of a conflict like the one in Zareton.

　But now, Moros is able to stand aside and watch the siege campaign organized by the powerful figures of Zareton.

　Compared to the benefits of direct central government control, isn't this hands-off, hands-off approach to governance much better?

　Getting back to the main point, since the agreed-upon taxes can be completed on schedule and in full, Morrow naturally no longer needs to devote his energy to Western Australia.

　He knew very well that in this desperate era that would eventually face the final judgment, only by possessing real power could one remain invincible.

　Therefore, after casually setting aside the Perth report on taxation, Morros once again threw himself into the endless path of magical research.

　Transforming the companion Honkai Beast of the Fourth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Wind, into a legendary undead, fully mastering the mysteries of [Light Magic], and deeply researching the fifth-level destructive magic [Doomsday Judgment], comparable to legendary magic...

　Each and every one of these tasks required the necromancer to devote a great deal of time, energy, and resources.

　Nevertheless, in order to ensure that his current wonderful life could continue forever, and to protect everything he cared about when the final meteor fell, Moros would not back down in the slightest.

　As we all know, time flies when someone is focused on something.

　When Moros successfully transformed the Judgment-class Honkai Beast, which had been shattered by [Inward Burst], into a legendary undead behemoth like [Skeleton Serpent Shesa], half a month had quietly passed.

　When the necromancer was transforming the remains of Shesa, he was just a minor high legendary, but now he is a demigod-level Ashan spellcaster.

　Under these circumstances, the combat power of the legendary undead behemoth he transformed with a great deal of time and effort is beyond doubt.

　Hanuman

　[Level: Legend]

　[Attack: 120]

　[Defense: 80]

　【Life: 900】

　【Speed: 15】

　【Magic Power: 450】

　[Size: Giant (1000% bonus to health)]

　[Attributes: Death, Air, Living Beings (Honkai)]

　[Class Skills: Undead, Rapid Flight, Honkai Energy Manipulation, Tornado Storm]

　[Undead Creatures]: Makes them immune to morale and related effects, immune to mind magic and related abilities, and immune to all toxins.

　[Fast Flight]: Hanuman is capable of flying at speeds up to Mach 3.5.

　[Honkai Energy Manipulation]: Enables Hanuman to convert magic into Honkai energy and manipulate it at will, thereby reproducing its powerful strength as a Judgment-class Honkai Beast.

　【Tornado】: Consuming a large amount of magic power, Hanuman can unleash a tornado with a wind force of level twelve.

Chapter 230 Level 33 and a Year and a Half of Growth

　A single glance at Hanuman's attribute panel is enough to clearly understand that it has a completely different fighting style from the Skeleton Serpent Shesa.

　If Shesa is positioned as a tank to absorb damage, then Hanuman, under the necromancer's careful planning, is a standard ranged damage dealer.

　Admittedly, Hanuman might be somewhat outmatched when facing enemies of Herrscher level.

　However, when facing large-scale frontal battles, this legendary undead behemoth, resembling a skeletal giant ape, can play an unparalleled role on the battlefield thanks to its powerful ranged attack capabilities and unique skills.