Chapter 962: Chapter 758: A Shocking Battle
"This insect’s shell...looks pretty useful, huh?" Fran walked in from outside.
Hill quickly stood up: "I’ve already informed the Undead Tribe; Agleya is collecting a large number of insect shells. I’ll pay them according to their level, and they’ll definitely bring back the highest level ones."
Fran said nonchalantly, "They must have consumed the corpses of some powerful creatures. The patterns on the shells are very distinct; there must be a strong and terrifying master behind them.
It’s a bit strange...why are these insects placed so close to the surface? To feed them, you’d have to transport corpses up from deep underground...that’s not cost-effective."
Hill thought for a moment before answering, "This is the passage beneath Arausato’s lair. He just formed an alliance with the Undead Tribe and moved to the Hidden Forest, so he handed this passage over to the Undead Tribe.
He’s an Ancient White Dragon. Normally, every few decades, he would raid the underworld.
Not everyone can manage to raise so many Corpse Demons...maybe that mastermind wants a powerful Bone Dragon."
Fran nodded in agreement: "That should be the reason...looks like the contract with the Undead Tribe also saved his life. The Corpse Demons, capable of absorbing life force and endlessly multiplying, combined with these numerous powerful insects, are clearly being cultivated to target dragons with strong life force."
He gazed at the screen: "It seems the Undead Tribe will soon face their first powerful adversary in the underworld...but can they handle it without William?"
"No worries," Hill said dismissively, "Whether it’s the Dark Mage or the Necromancer now, they can only use summoned creatures to make a move. The Shadow Weave is even more chaotic.
As long as it’s not one of those spells that clears everything instantly, the Undead Tribe absolutely won’t be afraid...even ants can bite an elephant to death if there are enough of them!"
Currently, the level of the Undead Tribe doesn’t look very high, but for Toril, where even demigods can’t appear, it’s enough to break their defenses. As long as they don’t miss entirely, a -1 appearance is their greatest delight.
Fran glanced at the screen again, then floated over to a single seat sofa on the side...clearly keeping a distance from those noisy little fairies.
Though he’s used to having these little guys around Hill...after all, there’s always something around Hill...that high-frequency rapid exchange still gives him a bit of a headache.
Watching the screen, Fran sighed quietly, sincerely admiring the Insect King that caused the Undead Tribe so much trouble: "Ah! What unimaginable explosive power, the acid can spray this far?
Besides the strength, even the internal organs are enhanced...how is that done, what kind of creature did they devour to evolve this perfectly?
Even if they had eaten an Ancient Dragon, they wouldn’t have such a good effect...did they eat more than one?"
Seeing the rare long-winded Fran, Hill quietly instructed List: "Collect 100 complete insects of each kind, in addition to the shells...first come, first served, the lowest level ones for 100 gold each, and the price doubles with each higher level.
The Insect King’s price is multiplied by 5!
Quickly head to the Alchemy Hall...don’t let the Undead Tribe get so angry that they burn the Insect King later."
List responded and went on his way, while Hill caught a glimpse of Fran’s satisfied smile from the corner of his eye: The Alchemist Master was subtly expressing his disapproval, thinking Hill should have noticed something was wrong as soon as he saw those insects.
As an Alchemist Master...researching various materials is only natural, Hill could avoid using violent means to obtain biological materials, but to show no intention of researching conveniently available bug shells like this was truly unacceptable...Fran knew Hill surely understood how profound the biological cultivation knowledge required for these insects’ formation was.
Hill also realized it was his oversight.
For him, not even mentioning the mineral resources on earth, even other materials, as long as they’re put up for sale, he can easily acquire them...especially after arriving at Toril, where the value of gold is overly high...
So sometimes, it’s easy to overlook the sensitivity of Alchemists to materials.
Hill lowered his head in embarrassment: "I was too negligent this time, Grandfather. I’ll pay more attention in the future."
Fran smiled faintly: "Remember to share half with me...especially that big one."
"Of course, Grandfather," Hill quickly replied.
The Undead Tribe soon received the message from the Temporal Artifact, and Hill could already hear a loud voice shouting: "What are you grabbing! If you manage to grab it, just die and go back to hand in the mission?
Does that money cover the experience you lost? Does it cover the time you spent running back?"
"In the end, it all comes down to who has better luck and speed after returning to the city... For now, just fight the monsters honestly!"
The chaos caused by the Undead Tribe was quickly suppressed... but not because of the orders shouted by the commander above. Rather, if someone bowed their head to pick up bug corpses, they might be bitten by suddenly surging Corpse Demons... A bite from those things is far more serious than being scratched by their claws, causing much more oozing blood.
"This kind of bleeding effect..." Fran mused, "I can’t quite grasp the structure of these elemental bodies of the Undead Tribe... Clearly, blood recovery potions don’t have much effect on them, but when they receive physical damage, they still react normally...
Is this because of the World Will’s limitations?"
Hill softly spoke, "It’s inevitable... Otherwise, deity incarnations wouldn’t suffer any damage. Gaining something always comes at a cost, the same in any world."
His eyes gently turned towards the Pool of the Gods before Agleya Temple: the Blood of Lansendel still shimmered brilliantly there.
Fran’s eyes flicked lightly over: "Will, laws, primordial power, they all should be formed by some inherent logic, just that no one can decipher it... I hope one day I can touch upon this mysterious knowledge... Deities can embrace mystery, but not mages."
He looked at Hill with a complicated emotional gaze. Hill understood his grandfather’s concern; the connection between Hill and the deities was too close... Even in Toril, so different from Teraxil, so many deities appeared around him.
Now, Hill already stands at a crossroads: on one side is a smooth road covered with a red carpet of flowers leading to a luxurious palace, where friends stand smiling and waving, including his two beloved daughters. Yet, on the other side, there’s only a rugged path with an uncertain future, and except for Fran’s figure up ahead, all around was an endless mutated void.
As long as Hill’s heart wavered even slightly, the palace gates would open to him... Fran didn’t think this future was bad, but to him, an endless path is more appealing than a road where the end is seen at a glance.
He didn’t want to force Hill to walk this difficult path with him, but with Fran’s personality, he also didn’t want his grandson to be immersed in false prosperity.
How many deities as powerful as Coron, capable of roaming freely in the multiverse, exist?
Hill smiled at his grandfather: "Don’t worry about me, grandfather. At least for now, I still wish to pursue the mysteries of spells rather than the greatness of deities."
Fran nodded silently, turning his gaze back to the screen: at this moment, the Undead Tribe finally found a way to deal with the Corpse Demons that suddenly attacked from underground.
They were using alignment detection halos throughout the lair.
Wherever the deep red glow appeared, countless thunder spells were violently cast down... although some were still missed, the majority of Corpse Demons were found.
The alignment detection divine arts released by the Undead Tribe were, to some extent, even more accurate than those of the Just Knights... William’s definition of evil was much tougher than that from Tyr’s side.
Initially engrossed in watching the Undead Tribe poking holes here and there, Hill was suddenly startled by dozens of tall black-robed monsters leaping suddenly into the crowd: "Damn it! How are there still Demon Soul Corpses?"
These tall creatures swiftly moved through the crowd, and any Undead Tribe member caught by them received a mighty embrace... followed by having their face licked with a long, forked tongue.
The paralyzed Undead Tribe members were almost going crazy, screaming intensely with the only throats they could use, the whole lair echoed with ’ahhhhhh’ and ’noooo’.
Hill couldn’t help rubbing his hands, offering deep sympathy and pity for these unlucky fellows.
Demon Soul Corpses are actually animated bodies of murderers or similar villains who died without atoning for their sins, with a hideously skeletal appearance and rotting flesh, emitting an... well... unforgettable smell.
Even those of the Undead Tribe killed in the chaos by those Corpse Demons showed a smile of relief: better to die like this than being embraced and licked by those things!
Hill silently turned his head: the one responsible for the recording had serious mindset issues, showing no concern for the battle ahead nor for anyone’s misfortune nearby, keeping the lens fixed on those unlucky ones.
The little fairies landed on the bookshelf, stomping and squealing, cheering for each Undead Tribe member subjected to tongue licking.
As creations of nature, they have always hated the undead; often, the little flower fairies attack when they see undead... but the attack methods of Demon Soul Corpses seemed to exceed even their patience limits.
"Stay calm!" A loud voice rang out, "Thunder and Gold Element Mages, prepare area spells! Those caught, light up your names! People nearby, run quickly, if you die, blame your slow movements!"
’Yunfeng’ rushed back from the front of the battlefield.
Frowning, he shouted loudly: "Left second, over by Black Rose, ha~ Universal Sky Net, 3, 2, 1! Area magic attack!"
The ranged professions of Black Rose scrambled, rolling and crawling away from their hapless compatriots: fortunately, the ’Universal Sky Net’, originally tasked with protecting priests, was positioned rather remotely, allowing most people to escape.