Witch Troupe and the Undead

This mysterious contract between the witch and Roach continuously accelerates Roach's mental recovery. Conversely, Roach can also accelerate the witch's physical recovery to some extent. However, the former's effect is immediate, while the latter's effect is only slightly better than nothing.

Roach was stronger than Livia, but only to a very limited extent. However, the "weight" of the witch's spirit and soul was far greater than his. So much so that, without any ritual or subjective manipulation, as long as the two were close enough, her overflowing spiritual magic would naturally bless him.

It's like placing a small Japanese sake cup next to a bucket that's full of water and is even overflowing. Even the water vapor that unconsciously seeps out from the cracks in the bucket can fill it up.

"So, what's with that look on your face?" Leslie poked Old Ma. "I get the feeling you're looking at an old farmer who's watching his cabbage get eaten by a pig? Or do you have some other idea?"

"..." The black horse glanced at her sideways, "You're wrong. I'd love for this cabbage to be rooted up by a pig, and I even hope that this cabbage will actively root up the pig." Because that would mean the dispersal of some kind of "power".

However, this kind of thing cannot be discussed with Leslie or even most people in this world who lack the "qualifications," as it would only bring unnecessary trouble. Even for a Hellish Sub-Lord like Old Ma, it would be troublesome, unless he advances to the level of a Sub-Demon God someday.

However, at that level, all he needs to do is utter these secrets, and every word, every utterance, will turn into an unsolvable curse that kills everyone who is not qualified to hear it. As Old Ma understands it, it's like you're loudly plotting a rebellion with the Imperial Guard in front of the emperor.

“The reason I’m not reconciled is because of our rank,” Black Horse explained in a more accessible way. “Let me give you an example. If the young lady is a lord or a king, then I am the head of the royal guard, that fox-woman is a maid and a cook, and you… oh, you’re just a talent, at best a scepter in her hand, or maybe a chair under her butt. Just get the gist of it.”

"And that bull-headed creature is the coachman and gardener; as for the living trees, the fairies, and everything else, they are nothing more than various servants and followers; the elements and magic are her soldiers and knights..."

"So, which social class do you think that kid belongs to?"

"Uh, a minister?"

"The Hand of the King" means the Prime Minister or Chancellor.

"And do you think I, as someone who has worked diligently and painstakingly for so many years, am indignant to see some brat parachuted into my position?" Leslie put herself in the situation and nodded involuntarily. Indeed, she was indignant. No matter the circumstances, hardworking employees who strive to climb the corporate ladder would find it extremely distasteful to have such parachuted-in leaders.

"But what's the benefit of this?"

"..." Black Horse looked at Leslie, hesitating to speak, "Of course there are benefits. In fact, that kid is enjoying the benefits right now." Not the kind of "benefits" of being close to his little girl mother who smells sweet roses, but more practical benefits.

However, Roach's little wine cup was too small, and his wallet was too small to hold the salary given by this position. He also lacked his own attendants and subjects, and was unable to control the "territory" that had been granted to him.

"However, this has nothing to do with you, Miss Leslie Talent." Black Horse scoffed. As a talent, you shouldn't be thinking about such things. Everyone here gets a salary or pension, except you. You should reflect on that.

"I fucking..." Leslie snapped in anger.

"And what about Alessina?"

"How many years do you think it would take her under normal circumstances to reach this level of extraordinary power?" Black Horse countered. "When an extraordinary physique reaches level II or above, it's no longer simply about the power of flesh and blood and life force. How many years do you think it would take, and how many bloody battles and trials, for a beast-like being with naturally weak mental strength to advance to level III or even reach level IV?"

Just as extraordinary hardware needs corresponding software to function, the reason why beastmen rarely reach the Transcendent III level under normal circumstances is because their hardware lacks the matching "driver software".

Humans, on the other hand, are driven by hardware, but they are essentially ultra-thin laptops with inherently limited power. Naturally, under the same conditions, their hardware configuration cannot compare to that of a desktop computer like the beastmen.

"Lulua goes without saying, she has no relation to the young lady, and she is paid by someone else," which is more like a labor dispatch job. As for Bull Head, he hasn't received many wages, so there's nothing special about him at the moment. Besides, there's Old Ma taking kickbacks on the side, so it's even less noticeable.

“However, this kid isn’t entirely useless,” Black Horse had to admit that Roach was still somewhat useful. “At least he receives less annuity, so the young lady’s treasury can still hold on. If it were someone else… the young lady might be even weaker and more frail now.”

"Is it that serious?"

"Do you think that appointing ministers and subordinates is free? Every lord in Hell can organize an army of millions of demon nobles. Do you think the power in the mortal world, and the power that the gods have divided up, can stop them?" Black Horse said disdainfully.

It is precisely because such things require a great deal of power or occupy a great deal of resources that the attributes of the demon nobles under each demon lord are limited, and there are even those like him who have lord-level power but have no subordinates or corresponding domains.

Simply put, Roach's biggest advantage is that he takes up very little Cost, while Livia's Cost cap is already low, so it hardly puts any pressure on your hand. But conversely, if Roach takes up a lot of Cost, then the previous attack by Shadow Raven would have been like hitting a steel plate.

The witch's power is limited by her weak constitution and poor concentration, making it difficult to exert. However, if this power were in the possession of a being like Alessina with a sufficiently sturdy "vessel," the power it could unleash would far exceed the limits of Livia's current abilities.

"How strong is it?"

“Well, if it were entirely up to me…” Black Horse looked across the carriage, “I could close the valley across the way in a quarter of an hour and bury all those who were spying on us in graves of rocks and mud.”

"Holy crap!" Leslie wasn't surprised that Old Ma could close the valley. Even without Livia's support, if this guy really overdrawn all his power and soul as a sub-lord of the Great Demon, he could achieve the same effect.

To her surprise, someone was spying on them from the other side of the river, and Black Horse hadn't alerted anyone else.

"Aren't you afraid that if the young lady gets woken up, you'll be turned into horse meat stew with potatoes?"

"...The other party meant no harm," the demonic black horse looked at her as if she were an idiot. "Besides, did you see those thieves? They already discovered us. And...are you really stupid, or are you pretending? Where are we?"

On a cliff at least 100 meters above the ground, with a rushing river and a riverbed covered with smooth rocks below, if the attackers were to launch an attack, just crossing the riverbed would be a problem, and climbing up the nearly 100-meter-high cliff would be another. By the time they climbed over, the train might have already finished repairs and left.

And even if everyone is prepared to spend the night here, how are you going to survive the bombardment of six Shadow Raven Thieves, a magic bow, and an Ash Whelp?

"So, don't worry, nothing will happen." Black Horse assured him that nothing would go wrong. As for what happens after nightfall... are you sure you want to launch a night raid on a Nightmare Lord's territory in the middle of the night? Are you sure who actually fell into the trap?

Chapter 207 New Talents Emerge in Every Generation (A Double Entrance)

The chunks of cured meat and fresh wild boar simmered in the pot, the broth seasoned with edible wild herbs giving it an indescribable grassy and bitter taste, but also indirectly removing some of the gamey smell of the wild game meat.

Alessina expressionlessly distributed the pig feed from the pot into ornate, aristocratic-style plates. The large, sticky clumps emitted a puzzling smell that left everyone wondering what they were.

"We've run out of seasonings," the fox girl replied to Livia, her expression a mixture of confusion and inquiry. "Our original plan was to replenish them at the stations along the way, but those stations were either completely abandoned or had become dens of thieves, so we haven't been able to replenish them."

"..." Roach stirred the food on his plate. To be honest, the taste and smell were quite explosive even for white food, and this was already the result of Alessina's hard work in seasoning it; otherwise, the taste of fresh wild boar meat would be...

"Are those guys still spying?" The lights inside the carriage were turned on by the little witch's magic, illuminating this section of railway and a small hillside, but this light was obviously not enough to see what was in the woods on the other side of the river.

“Of course, but there’s no real malice.” Black Crow peeked through the curtains, then turned to look at Rhine, who shrugged. “They haven’t tried to come over for so long, so it’s probably just a matter of caution.”

“Not necessarily,” Vilandella said softly. Alessina and Roach both had the blessing of the Goddess of Night, granting them considerable night vision. However, this blessing only granted them night vision, not the ability to use their eyes as telescopes. Only Vilandella could clearly see the situation on the other side.

“There are only four of them, but…” Vilandella’s expression was somewhat serious, “I don’t think they are weaklings. They might be adventurers, or some other kind of team.”

"Oh?" Black Crow put a spoonful of stewed meat into his mouth, his expression twitching for a moment. "How strong is it?"

"A spellcaster, a priest, a hammer knight, a greatsword swordsman, a standard elite squad."

“It’s very common.” “Yes, it’s very common, but there are very few spellcasters in adventure teams, let alone both spellcasters and priests. Teams of twenty or thirty people might only have one or two spellcasters.” Alessina nodded. Adventurers aren’t exactly high-paying professions. Apart from wild mages, there are very few proper spellcasters. Priests, on the other hand, are much more common, since many sects have requirements for asceticism, missionary work, and training.

"A moon priest, hmm, I don't know which branch; the spellcaster is of unknown type, but I'm certain he's not an alchemist, he might be a wizard. As for those two knights, putting everything else aside, their equipment is something that ordinary people can't afford."

Even with a basic steam industrial system, a full set of heavy armor is still an expense that ordinary adventurers cannot afford. Moreover, heavy armor alone is expensive enough, but it also needs enchanting, socketing, and alchemical enhancement. For a noble knight, it would take most of his life to save up for a complete set.

"It doesn't seem like they're coming for us." Rhine shook his head. If such a powerful person wanted to intercept them, they would have already made their move. They wouldn't be just watching like this. He guessed that the other party was also surprised that this train was here.

"It doesn't matter, we'll drive in a bit, they can go wherever they want." "I'm just worried that what they're going to provoke might not be so kind." Black Crow's expression also turned serious. This kind of team couldn't possibly be here to eliminate the monsters in the civilized area that are at most no more than the threat level. At the very least, they're aiming for the lord level or the panic level.

“A panic-level monster…” Roach looked at the black horse, which flicked its tail and had an expression that said, “If there’s a panic-level monster in this place, I’ll gnaw on the chair.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the river, the knight crouching in the woods, watching the train that had suddenly stopped, had a bad feeling. There were never any trains coming on this old line, but suddenly a train appeared and stopped on the other side. He could feel a sense of being watched from the other side from time to time.

Could it be that the news has leaked? Otherwise, why would someone be driving a clearly modified train, exuding a combat aura, parked right across from their camp?

"Hurry up and dig!" Several unfortunate goblins, bound together by magical chains, frantically dug in a clearing in the forest, a clearing that looked obviously unnatural.

Trees twisted to form a wall, five stone pillars of varying lengths formed a semicircle, and a stone disc carved with stars, the moon, and trees was violently overturned. A wizard holding a thick treasure map stood beside the stone disc, his gaze burning as he watched the large pit constantly being thrown out.

"The secret to the Frost family's endless wealth lies here." The Frost family is said to have once forged the true Philosopher's Stone. The principle of alchemy is equivalent exchange, but the purpose of alchemists studying and researching alchemy is to break this rule and turn cheap copper and iron into expensive gold.

The Philosopher's Stone, the Philosopher's Stone, and the Magic Stone are beings that can break through these rules, turning cheap brass into gold, transforming themselves into eternal life like gold, and turning mundane things into divine creations.

However, the Philosopher's Stone is just a legend. Countless alchemists have devoted themselves to this research, but no one has ever succeeded. However, the Frost family is the one that came closest to achieving this result.

The enormous wealth they expended in the imperial unification wars can only be explained by their mastery of alchemy. Of course, only Grand Duke Fresso himself knows the true reasons and causes.

"Clang!" The goblin's tool struck something solid. A circular metal plate appeared in the pit. On the metal plate were a pentagram and five circles, representing the four elements and the fifth element, "ether" or "spirit." Each of the five corner circles was connected to a crimson, rusty chain, which was intertwined with each other and attached to five dim crystal pillars around the disc.

"Let me do it!" The knight, wielding a great hammer, prepared to jump down and smash the thing open, but was then dragged up by a magical chain thrown by the wizard. "Are you crazy? Look at those five crystal wedges!" They were the most advanced creations in alchemy, the ultimate creations that could be called "sage tools," that is, tools of sages or tools of philosophy.

"Flame of Philosophy," "Endless Thousand Winds," "Earth-Ringing Stake," "Primordial Dew," and "Spiritual Tower"—five Sage-level artifacts are placed here. Even the weakest of these could completely destroy their entire squad along with this forest.

"The flame of philosophy will convert everything it touches into phlogiston, thus burning endlessly, and the temperature will rise higher and higher as more and more things come into contact with it. There is no way to stop it from burning the whole world to ashes except by using a vacuum seal."

Of course, that's just a legend in the classics. In reality, the Philosopher's Flame, which was actually created as part of the preliminary research for the Philosopher's Stone, cannot truly expand indefinitely. After reaching a certain limit, it can no longer expand and will extinguish itself after burning everything that can be burned.

"That's how Loretta was burned into a giant crater by this thing! How many lives do you have?!" The wizard was also covered in cold sweat. If that knight had really hit him with his hammer, he probably wouldn't even know how he died when he got to the Holy Lord.

The result of the historical eruption of the flames of philosophy was that a small country on the northern continent was transformed into a crater with a diameter of over 250 kilometers, covered by a thick layer of blue glass filled with phlogiston magic.

Of course, what is a disaster for others is a stroke of luck for some. For neighboring countries, it means that the powerful neighboring country has inexplicably disappeared, but they have gained a mine that can extract hundreds of tons of phlogiston crystals and refined flame magic stones every year.

"The Frozo family was able to create and stably control the Flame of Philosophy, so why doesn't the imperial family bear the name Frozo?"

"Are you stupid? Of course it's because they don't have the ability to do it again. Besides, who knows what the imperial family was called before the Dark Ages? Now that the Floso family has fallen to this state, it's normal that they lost this craft." The swordsman holding the greatsword said irritably, then turned to look at the wizard.

"Hey, you magician, are you reliable or not? As long as this crystal is safely pulled out, any country can agree to whatever price you ask for." It's a genuine weapon capable of destroying a nation, okay?

“That’s the problem. The Frost family has more than one Sage’s Flame. That doesn’t make sense, Marpoli,” the priest said. “The only explanation is that this is not some secret treasure map of Grand Duke Frost, and it has nothing to do with this alchemical family. On the contrary, this family has only obtained some wealth and knowledge from it. It must have come from a more ancient and mysterious source.”

"You're not going to spout your fallacies again, are you? We can just talk about that kind of thing." (Regarding the fallacy that God was created by humans.)

"How can you say that's fallacy? Don't the things we've dug up all prove this fact? Gods themselves were created from mortals!"

"Then how do you explain those great demons and gods? You don't mean to say that those gods were created by some ancient civilization or mortal beings, do you?" the swordsman said disdainfully.

"No, quite the opposite. Don't those demons prove that gods can be made from mortals?" the priest said calmly. "We all know that mortals can fall and become demons. But demons can advance step by step to the rank of demon gods, getting infinitely closer to that authority and position. Doesn't that mean that demons themselves are a path to godhood?"

"...It seems you deserved to be tied to the moonstone pillar and burned," the Hammer Knight quipped.

"Well, thank you so much for your help," the spellcaster said irritably. "The three of you arguing about this nonsense would be better than helping to dig this area up and remove these five deadly traps."

“I don’t know alchemy, unless you need a big hammer,” the knight said, slamming the hammer he was holding to the ground.

"Then go and see what that train is doing!" the spellcaster shouted, pointing out of the woods.

“A total of five Sage Tools. If we were to dig this thing out intact, the trap alone would be worth a lot of money.” The spellcaster said, rubbing his hands. The Sage Tools had lost a lot of energy, but they still had considerable research value. Moreover, their strategic value had only changed from the level of destroying a country to the level of destroying a city, and it was still an astronomical price.

“Yes, but if you slip even a little, we can retire early,” the greatsword swordsman complained. Even with the loss of a large amount of energy, these five Sage Crystals were enough to restore each of them to their original state of chaos.

"This puzzle isn't very difficult; it's a simple array of four elements plus the spiritual element. It seems that times have indeed changed." If it were a few hundred years ago, this array would have required him to pull out a whole bunch of parchment and lie on the ground for months to calculate, and he still might not have been able to figure it out. But now... with new mathematical tools and alchemical analytical research, this once incredibly complex puzzle is only a matter of using your brain a little.

“The spiritual element is the key, the four elements are the lock, the key and the lock are one…” The wizard quickly wrote something in his notebook and soon obtained a large stack of formulas.

"Alright, I'm ready to unlock it." The wizard put away his notebook and was about to say something when he noticed that his companions had all disappeared. Upon closer inspection, he realized that they were all by the river, with their backs to the water, clearly in a position where they would jump into the river and run away if anything went wrong on his end.

"..."

"..."

The wizard looked helpless, while Lulua, who was squatting by the train window with her hands on her small, white feet like a cat, also looked confused. The people spying on them had their backs to them, seemingly watching out for something in the woods.

"Really~" The wizard jumped into the pit and rotated the five crystal pillars in turn. Each time the pillars were unlocked, one chain would come off. After four cycles, all the chains came off and the crystal pillars representing the spiritual element floated up.

If any petty thief thinks that all the locks have been released now, he will be blasted into a single atom by four forbidden-level alchemical spells in the next second. Wizards certainly wouldn't make such a mistake, because these secret locks... to be honest, were very secure locks back then, which means that a large number of ruins, treasures, and vaults were locked in this way.

If a trap is used for too long and too often, it won't be able to fool anyone anymore. "If you want to blame someone, blame your descendants. It's their abuse that caused this." The wizard chanted incantations as he spun the remaining crystal pillars until they all floated up before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Come here, everyone, the lock has been released."

"So that means we've safely acquired all five of these precious items?"

"Correct!"

"Even if there's no treasure down there, we'll still be richer than a country, right?"

"Wrong," the wizard shook his head. "These five artifacts are now useless."

"..." All four of them looked at the crystal pillars. The complex silver-gray alchemical matrix patterns inside had completely collapsed and disappeared, and the surface of the crystals was covered with cracks.

"If it doesn't self-destruct, even the person who locks it up is worried about blowing themselves up."

"...They wouldn't waste five Sage Tools every time they lock it, would they? Are these things really that abundant?"

“Maybe they never even considered the need for a second lock.” The Hammer Knight forcefully pried open the metal disc below, revealing a ladder leading downwards.

Beneath the soil lay a small underground laboratory. The walls, ceiling, pillars, and floor were all covered in overlapping mithril patterns, layer upon layer of mithril stacked upon each other. In the center of the laboratory, dozens of golden chains intertwined, suspending a hollow sphere whose surface was covered with runes.

"This is the treasure? I hope this treasure is worth more than five million gold coins." Even if those artifacts were sold off at a loss, they would still be worth at least one million gold coins each.

The wizard was most interested in the notes and documents on the table; protected by certain spells, the texts were still relatively intact and readable. The knight was concerned with whether the chains were pure gold, and even better if they were made of adamantite. The swordsman searched the chests for any remaining alchemical equipment. Only the clergy stared thoughtfully at the sphere.

"Damn it, it's all worthless diaries." The wizard searched around, but there were no notes, no experimental records, no ancient alchemical formulas, not even any half-finished artifacts.

“There’s nothing else usable, oh, if this doesn’t count…” The swordsman coldly pulled out a small blue alchemical lamp, the only usable item in the entire vault.

"Stop looking. There's a six-hundred-plus-layer anti-magic array, plus a shell made of at least 20 tons of magic-resistant metal. No magic will intrude into this place. All the magic that emanates will be guided outwards and absorbed by the magical artifacts. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so much energy left behind," the priest finally said.

"This is not a treasure, but a seal, a seal beyond our imagination. The lock on the outside is not a lock, but a trap. Once the thing inside the seal is freed, it will be bombarded by five forbidden spells."

"So, guess what's sealed here?"

"It can't be God, can it?"

“That’s not it,” the priest replied, “but even if it isn’t, it’s not far off.”

"Why leave a treasure map when sealing them up? Are you afraid someone will dig it up?" To be honest, this place is already desolate enough. Back when the old line was still in use, no one would climb down the cliff to search for treasure in the dense forest on the riverbank.

“Of course, it’s because the person who drew the diagram didn’t know there was a seal underneath,” the priest shrugged. “They probably thought it was some kind of vault door, so they secretly recorded the diagram. Maybe it was the Frost family who did it. That’s why they started studying alchemy, with the goal of unlocking this so-called ‘treasure vault’ someday.”

Of course, after a long period of development, the descendants forgot their original intention. After all, when the ancestors discovered that there was something like the "Flame of Philosophy" down there that could blow up the entire County of Catherfield, they must have specifically instructed in their family will that no one should attempt to unlock it unless their alchemy skills reached a certain level.

Then, seven or eight more locks were placed outside this first lock, and numerous traps and misleading routes were set up in the woods to prevent any idle adventurers from digging, which would truly be like sitting at home while a nuclear bomb falls from the sky.

Over time, the family members either forgot about it or felt that they were mostly not qualified. Only a few of them came to dig up the treasure map, which had somehow come out of nowhere.

Unexpectedly, the lock that was almost impossible to unlock at the time became so useful that it became commonplace. As a result, now any scholar who has studied "lock structure" can unlock it with a little thought.