Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　Ultimately, the general outline of the necromancer's invasion of the Tokyo Research Institute and the seizure of the Herrscher core of the Ice Herrscher was placed on the desk of the Firemoth Council.

　When the report was presented to the members of parliament, the room filled with them fell silent.

　The secret war and the annihilation of the Fourth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Wind, are still fresh in our minds, all of which prove the immeasurable strength of the necromancer.

　Faced with such a powerful entity, the lawmakers knew that any pressure or threat other than direct confrontation and war would be futile.

　After all, since the necromancer dared to act in this way, he naturally wouldn't return the Herrscher Core of the Herrscher of Ice due to external pressure.

　Faced with such a dire situation, after heated debate, the members of the Firemoth Council had to admit that there was nothing they could do except report to the high-level decision-makers who controlled all aspects of human society.

　The current Moths of Fire are not the authoritative organization that replaced the United Nations and ruled human society after the Ninth Great Collapse.

　Faced with a critical decision that could trigger a full-scale nuclear war, these members of the Moth Chaser Council cannot make a decision unilaterally.

　Even if they could now be considered members of the powerful elites at the pinnacle of human society, it would still be the same.

　Upon receiving the report from the Firemoth Council, those in power at the top of the human society pyramid were extremely angry.

　The necromancer's blatant theft is undoubtedly a public provocation against their authority and dignity.

　However, despite their anger, these powerful leaders had to admit that they were helpless against the necromancers at this moment.

　Unfortunately, past encounters have clearly demonstrated that they lack the ability to punish necromancers through coercive means.

　Whatever he did!

　Because necromancers possess the power to take them down with them!

　It could even be said that once a full-scale war breaks out, the necromancer's curse will make these powerful figures pay a bloody price.

　Terrified by the terrifying curse that could inexplicably kill people, these rulers could only silently endure it, no matter how unwilling they were.

　This sense of humiliation and insecurity—being knocked out but forced to swallow the pain and blood—made the powerful and wealthy even more eager to develop Honkai energy technology.

　Now that the Fifth Great Collapse has ended, human society on this planet has begun to vaguely sense the subtle connection between technological development and the intensity of the Collapse.

　However, in order to combat the necromancer and at least prevent him from acting so recklessly as he does now, the powerful and wealthy decided to continue to accelerate the development of technology.

　In the eyes of the carnivores at this moment, compared to the unpredictable threat posed by the necromancer, the Great Collapse, which had been resolved five times, was nothing special.

　Admittedly, every major collapse is accompanied by the arrival of Herrschers, and dealing with these Herrschers requires a huge price to pay, but for the powerful and wealthy, such a price seems to be bearable.

　Ultimately, it wasn't them who actually went to the front lines to fight the Herrschers.

　When it comes to being generous with other people's money, you can always trust the integrity of the powerful and wealthy.

　Having determined their final stance on dealing with necromancers, these powerful figures who held the reins of human society began to reconsider two previously shelved grand plans.

　[Underwater City: Ocean Abyss City Construction Project]!

　[Lunar City: New Atlantis Construction Project]!

　Both proposals put forward by Dr. May at the Moth of Fire Council have undergone in-depth technical verification by their experts.

　From a purely technical standpoint, having mastered the Herrscher cores of the First Herrscher (Herrscher of Reason) and the Second Herrscher (Herrscher of Void), the human society on this planet is fully capable of realizing these magnificent projects that seem to exist only in science fiction.

　At least it was a pre-civilization with a technological level far exceeding that of Earth, and it had a scientific research giant like Dr. Mei to lead the way.

　Given the long period of time since they obtained the Herrscher Core, it is perfectly reasonable for them to utilize a portion of its power through various technological means.

　These methods, of course, could not be as sophisticated as those used by Velvi.

　Like the Key of God, it can unleash almost all the potential of the Herrscher's core.

　Even the most basic use of a portion of the authority corresponding to a Herrscher's core can greatly contribute to the development of the entire civilization.

　Without the support of the Herrscher core, these two grand plans aimed at creating miracle projects would probably not even pass the most basic technical verification, let alone be seriously put on the table for discussion.

　Previously, these meat-eaters did not realize the urgency and necessity of building such miraculous projects, and therefore rejected these costly projects.

　However, faced with a huge lack of security, they are now beginning to re-evaluate these two grand plans that had been shelved.

　Whether it's the unfathomable depths of the Mariana Trench or the 38-kilometer distance between the Earth and the Moon, both seem to hold immense significance in ensuring the safety of these powerful figures.

　With such an enticing prospect, the astronomical amount of human and material resources required for these two projects seems less daunting.

　After several days of intense discussion and weighing the pros and cons, the powerful and influential finally reached a consensus.

　They approved the construction plans for Abyss City and New Atlantis and decided to fully support the implementation of these two major projects.

Chapter 262 A Peaceful World

　Whether it's challenging the dark abyss of the Mariana Trench, which is tens of thousands of meters deep, or conquering the unknown territory on the far side of the moon, both of these mega-projects are unprecedentedly arduous tasks.

　The former means having to withstand extreme pressure exceeding 110 MPa, as well as the boundless darkness and bone-chilling cold.

　The latter requires overcoming the terrifying distance of 38 kilometers, the frequent and unexpected meteorite attacks, and the extremely harsh space environment.

　Given the extremely high level of confidentiality required for these two monumental projects, the construction difficulty reached an unprecedented level.

　Even with the Herrscher cores of the First Herrscher - Herrscher of Reason and the Second Herrscher - Herrscher of Void, these two projects still require an enormous amount of resources and power.

　However, faced with a tremendous lack of security, those at the top of the social pyramid have shown remarkable determination and courage.

　They resolutely chose to simultaneously advance the implementation of two projects, taking concrete actions to defend the future and dignity of humanity.

　Of course, this is just rhetoric used superficially for propaganda purposes.

　In reality, the true purpose of these two mega-projects, which were enough to cripple a modern superpower, was simply to ensure the safety of these powerful figures, so that they would have enough confidence and courage to fully confront the threat of necromancers.

　Dr. Mei was fully aware of this.

　However, in her eyes, as long as the construction of Abyss City and New Atlantis can be successfully completed, the real reason behind it is not that important.

　Importantly, these two mega-projects will open a new chapter for the future of humanity.

　Once the two mega-projects, Ocean City and New Atlantis, are completed, they will bring numerous benefits to the rulers of human society.

　At that time, Moros will no longer be able to cross the vast distance between the Earth and the Moon to launch a fatal curse directly at them.

　Or to be more precise, it is no longer possible to so easily curse and kill ten targets overnight as it is now.

　This will undoubtedly greatly enhance the security of these meat-eaters.

　However, before these two projects were completed, they acted like two giant magnets, firmly attracting most of the resources and attention of human society.

　This forces those in power to be more cautious in weighing the pros and cons when faced with the threat of necromancers.

　They might even feel powerless at crucial moments and lack the confidence and courage to choose to fight back because they have been tied up with too many manpower and resources by Abyss City and New Atlantis.

　The pros and cons here constitute a complex and delicate balance.

　However, at this moment, the ongoing construction of Abyss City and New Atlantis has left the powerful figures at the top of human society with no time to worry about the threat of necromancers.

　They were so engrossed in these two major projects that they abandoned their hostility towards him.

　Temporary.

　Meanwhile, Moros was also engrossed in researching the legendary spell [Death Avatar].

　Clearly, he had no intention of stirring up trouble at this time.

　In this situation, the entire planet seemed to fall into a rare state of tranquility.

　Aside from occasional crash events that make their presence felt, even hot wars and conflicts in popular areas have become rare.

　However, those who stand high enough and have extensive access to information know that this is merely the calm before the storm.

　Once the construction of Abyss City and New Atlantis is completed and the safety of the powerful and wealthy is guaranteed, their conflict with the necromancers will escalate to an unprecedented level.

　By then, a true, all-out nuclear war will no longer be a distant dream.

　After all, World War II on Earth had amply demonstrated that only when their own security is seriously threatened do those in power...

　That's why they would abandon the extreme measure of war as a way to solve problems.

　Without the examples of the powerful figures in Hiroshima and Nagasaki who were destroyed by atomic bombs, the rulers of the old Japanese Empire might have actually adopted an even more extreme "one hundred million deaths for the Emperor" tactic.

　They sacrificed the entire nation and its people to achieve their own interests.

　Unfortunately, these insiders could do nothing about it.

　Whether it's the powerful figures who control the direction of human society or the elusive necromancers, they won't care about their opinions, much less change their stance or plans because of their concerns.

　Therefore, those intelligent people who see through the undercurrents of the situation can only silently make all the preparations they can, always ready to deal with the coming storm.

　Of course, there are also some people, perhaps out of their conscience or out of the pursuit of personal gain, who try to uncover the dangers beneath this calm surface.

　But as we all know, those who try to fight against the tide of events, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, often come to a bad end.

　On this planet, the will of carnivores and necromancers is an irreversible trend.

　As for ordinary people living in the information cocoons woven by the powerful and wealthy, they lack sufficient sources of information and judgment, and are completely unaware of the situation on this planet.

　To these ordinary people, life is no different than before.

　The Honkai event was just an occasional episode in their lives, no different from other disasters such as car accidents, diseases, or terrorist attacks.

　They still have to struggle to make a living, working like oxen and horses for the powerful and wealthy.

　Unfortunately, during this period, the threat of unemployment is far more real and urgent than the impending collapse.

　Compared to the consequences of not having money, the collapse can only be a topic of casual conversation.

　Just as the powerful and the necromancers fell into silence, the vampire clan, which had once been subtly suppressed by those in power who held the highest authority in human society, is now quietly emerging.

　With the two enhancement surgeries developed by Mebius, the appeal of low-level vampires, a flawed life form, to the powerful and wealthy has naturally decreased significantly.

　Even with competitors like enhancement surgery, the vampire race has maintained a steady growth thanks to the long lifespan they have after transforming into lower-level forms.

　After all, nearly ten years have passed since Moros first auctioned the [Vampire Transformation Dagger] at that grand auction in Fuyuan City.

　During this period, lower-ranking vampires achieved astonishing growth in their numbers by utilizing the unique method of "The Embrace" for clan expansion, as well as the "Vampire Transformation Daggers" that constantly appeared at the large auctions regularly held by necromancers.

　In terms of total population, the number of vampires has now exceeded four figures.

　It is worth noting that the successful bidders for the [Vampire Transformation Dagger] were all elites from the powerful and wealthy class.

　The individuals they selected, who were about to be transformed into low-level vampires through the Embrace, were also of exceptional quality and should not be underestimated.

　Against this backdrop, although the number of vampires may seem small, the power they can mobilize is quite astonishing.

Chapter 263 The Development of Vampires

　In a normal world, a vampire clan that has grown to this size would undoubtedly attract the attention of many interested people.

　However, in this era that will eventually face the final judgment, the power of the vampire clan is currently insufficient to divert the attention of necromancers or those important figures at the top of the human society pyramid.

　Especially now that both sides have more pressing matters to attend to, the existence of the vampire clan seems even more insignificant.

　The necromancer never paid any attention to these thousand-odd low-ranking vampires.

　When the final meteor falls, these pitiful lives, which seem destined to enjoy long lifespans, will all meet their inevitable demise.

　In the eyes of those powerful figures who hold the reins of human society's destiny, the threat posed by vampires is negligible compared to that of necromancers.

　Even compared to the occasional collapses, the threat posed by the vampire clan is negligible.

　There's no way around it; modern society has far too many ways to deal with the flawed life form of low-level vampires.

　Even those nobles who have been transformed into low-level vampires only covet the extended lifespan of vampires.

　They themselves looked down on the fighting power of low-level vampires and didn't take them seriously at all.

　Compared to the physical enhancements granted by the enhancement surgery developed by Mebius, the physical attributes of low-ranking vampires are not superior.

　Those seemingly flashy magic-like abilities are reduced to mere visual aesthetics in the face of individual weapons made with Honkai energy technology.

　In the eyes of those in power who knew about the Fusion Warrior Project jointly developed by Mebius and Dr. May, low-ranking vampires were so weak compared to Fusion Warriors.

　Without the [Fusion Warrior Surgery], which theoretically has an incredibly low success rate, Moros's [Vampire Conversion Dagger] simply wouldn't sell.

　Those powerful figures who knew the full picture of the Fusion Warrior Project understood that the theoretical lifespan of Fusion Warriors far exceeded that of low-ranking vampires.

　Vampires are ultimately just long-lived beings, not immortal beings.

　Specifically, for low-ranking vampires, the theoretical lifespan is only six to eight hundred years.

　Compared to the seemingly endless lifespan of fusion warriors, low-ranking vampires pale in comparison.

　In this situation, even if the vampire clan can mobilize manpower and resources comparable to a small country, their influence can still be ignored in the eyes of necromancers and those powerful figures at the top of human society.

　However, for the vampire leaders, led by Beatrice, this situation was actually in their clan's best interest.

　Although being ignored because of their weakness is quite hurtful to their self-esteem, these worldly-wise, powerful figures know that developing quietly and making a fortune in silence is the wise choice.

　As nearly a decade passed, those nobles who had transformed into low-ranking vampires naturally selected several leaders from their clan.