Chapter: Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 172: Each Harboring Their Own Schemes
Karallant gazed seriously into Xi Wei’s eyes, trying to discern something.
However, after watching for a moment, he found nothing.
He still felt that Moster’s death was somewhat peculiar, but now was not the time to delve into it.
The decisive battle was imminent; all matters could be settled after the war.
He cast a stern glance at the maid in Xi Wei’s arms, snorted coldly, and rode his horse towards the First Prince.
He had been one of the lords who invaded the Demi-human Kingdom back then. He had personally killed three of the four Demi-human princesses, and the remaining one had disappeared somewhere…
He probably died in the chaos of battle.
“Heh, lowly Demi-humans,” Karallant muttered disdainfully. He dismounted beside the First Prince, performed a knight’s salute, and reported respectfully:
“Your Highness, all troops have been assembled.”
“Very good! Thank you all for your hard work!” Bail Leferun said with a smile, bowing slightly. He looked at every lord present and the armies under their command, ensuring that each person felt his sincere and warm gaze.
His approachable demeanor eased the lords’ tense nerves, making it seem as though they were about to engage not in a difficult siege, but a one-sided slaughter.
“Currently, including all of you lords, we have twenty-one Sky Knights. Among them, my own subordinate commands twenty-three Sky Knights, for a total of forty-four individuals. This is a powerful force, but it is still far from enough to contend with the Pope’s strength.”
Bail Leferun had no intention of demoralizing the lords. This siege would not depend entirely on them; his true trump card was the Soul Gathering Spell Array, and of course, some other things.
He smiled slightly, looking at the lords and soldiers, whose expressions showed a hint of fear, and continued:
“Please do not worry. To win this war, I have invited the respected Source Mage, His Excellency Bobosa, and ten of the Hill King Siege Cannons manufactured by the Dwarves.”
As Bail Leferun spoke, he slightly stepped aside, allowing a mage shrouded in a black robe behind him to step forward and introduce:
“This is Source Mage Bobosa. His entire life has been dedicated to the study of necromancy.”
The mage hidden within the black robe extended a pale, withered hand from his sleeve, placed it on his chest, and bowed slightly, as a gesture of respect to the First Prince.
However, even so, when the First Prince revealed the Source Mage’s field of study, it still caused murmurs among the lords.
“He actually studies necromancy? Wasn’t that school of magic eradicated by the Holy See…”
“How could the First Prince invite such a being? He will desecrate the bodies of our warriors!”
…
“Silence!” Marquis Karallant roared, his voice laced with a frown, bringing the noisy crowd back to quiet.
The First Prince maintained his smiling expression, showing no anger at the lords’ discussions. Instead, he gently reassured them:
“I know you are all very resistant to anything related to undead. However, these are desperate times calling for desperate measures. With our current forces, it will be extremely difficult to take the Royal Capital. This is an unavoidable decision.”
“We need more cannon fodder to deplete the enemy’s strength. And the undead are the best choice. As long as Source Mage Bobosa remains alive, they can be resurrected infinitely, making them more efficient than Foreigners.”
“Do you wish to see all the soldiers you have painstakingly trained perish in this siege?”
The First Prince’s question was not sharp, but unexpectedly gentle, like a hammer wrapped in beast hide. It didn’t hurt, but it struck every lord’s heart squarely.
Indeed, the Royal Capital had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, while they had so few.
Were there even eighty thousand of them?
Furthermore, the enemy possessed elite Griffin Knights, a vast Mage Regiment, and numerous Destruction-class Magic Cannons on the city walls. Even if they sacrificed everything, it would be difficult to conquer the Royal Capital.
At this moment, the First Prince’s voice rang out again, still very gentle, but everyone could hear an undeniable tone:
“Therefore, please do not panic if you discover undead on the battlefield. Continue fighting and simply avoid getting too close to them. Source Mage Bobosa can only crudely control the summoned undead, and getting too close might result in accidental injury.”
“I believe Your Highness’s idea is very correct,” one of the lords suddenly raised his hand to express his agreement, prompting others to follow suit.
“Indeed, in these trying times, there is no other way.”
“I think that if necromancy is used for the right purpose, it might not be so evil after all.”
“Seconded!”
…
Seeing that the lords had no further objections, the First Prince smiled slightly.
He knew that his plan was more than halfway complete.
Bobosa was indeed a Source Mage who specialized in necromancy, but his true purpose was to conceal the existence of the Soul Gathering Spell Array.
By the time everyone noticed the unusual number of undead, it would be too late.
Xi Wei also focused his attention on the Source Mage named Bobosa.
He was a Level 62 Source Mage, but Xi Wei couldn’t see his specific skills.
However, Xi Wei was certain that this Source Mage was entirely a smokescreen deployed by the First Prince.
The magic power of a single Source Mage was insufficient to sustain an undead sea.
To form an undead sea, at least thirty to forty thousand undead would be needed. A lower number would hardly pose a threat to the current human army.
However, Xi Wei did not know the First Prince’s true arrangements. He could only try his best to conceal his own trump cards and wait and see.
The Scheming Frog stood silently at the forefront of the player group, his expression calm.
But no one knew that a skull emitting a faint green ghost fire was placed in his backpack.
While listening to the First Prince’s plan, he pulled up the skull’s information panel and re-examined it, reviewing its details:
[Item Name: Skull Imbued with Soul Array Circuit (Array Material)]
[Details: Part of a large-scale Soul Gathering Spell Array. Without this material, the effectiveness of the Soul Gathering Spell Array will be weakened. However, if it is returned to the center of the Soul Gathering Spell Array, it will cause the entire array’s magic circuit to become unstable and be destroyed.]
The Scheming Frog didn’t fully understand, but combining it with knowledge from Blue Star, he could roughly grasp its meaning.
In simple terms, the Soul Gathering Spell Array was like a parallel circuit. Cutting off one wire wouldn’t affect the array’s operation.
But if he carelessly reconnected the cut wire, it could cause the entire array to short-circuit and become scrap.
The Scheming Frog smiled slightly.
He recalled that night when he and a group of players searched the wilderness in the dark.
Such a large open area, and the First Prince had hidden the array. If he hadn’t secretly seen its general location, and with the help of Appraisal technique, it would have been very difficult to find such an almost invisible array material.
Speaking of which, following the First Prince was a very stimulating endeavor.
He just didn’t understand why the First Prince, despite being a vampire prince, seemed to have very weak strength.
Was he forced to seal his power to conceal his identity?
The Scheming Frog looked at the First Prince, who stood among the crowd without betraying any flaws, maintaining his cheerful smile, and came to this deduction.
