The Blood of Lathander

In a remote town within the Ryan Empire, far removed from the grand cities, lay the deepest countryside. Cade Watson reclined comfortably in a rocking chair, sipping rum mouthful by mouthful. Life had been quite pleasant until hundreds of meteors fell across the surface of the mirror. The apocalyptic scene made Cade spit out the rum in his mouth. Over ten thousand Githyanki and more than twenty dragons—wiped out just like that? The younger generation of Ryan citizens like Cade Watson had never really experienced much war. The Demonic Dragon War from over a thousand years ago was merely history recorded in books; how brutal it truly was remained beyond their imagination. This time, Cade Watson was genuinely terrified. Wasn't this lich a bit too outrageous? Even the Ryan Imperial Capital wouldn't be able to withstand the bombardment of such a terrifying meteor shower, would it? Fortunately, he was just a good-for-nothing slacker who excelled at nothing, and lounging away his days in the countryside was already plenty comfortable. Even luckier, he had obtained this magic mirror. Cade Watson hadn't let Anbaixiu down either; he had successfully established contact with Mr. William Harvey and was secretly trading alchemical products like flight packs with them. Thanks to this magic mirror, no one could have guessed that Cade could communicate with Harvey all the way out in the desert without taking a single step outside, and small items could even be transferred through the teleportation array built into the magic mirror. Although the cost was a bit steep, conducting business like this was truly imperceptible to anyone else. If only there were more of these magic mirrors, they would completely transform the nature of warfare. A divine tool allowing communication anytime, anywhere—what general wouldn't want one? Cade had already conducted deals worth over a million with Harvey. Naturally, he wasn't buying them for himself, but rather procuring these pieces of equipment for his younger brother, Alan. No matter how skilled the young emperor was at acting, within the vast population of the Ryan Empire there were always clever people or stubborn idealists. On the surface, they still submitted to this corrupt royal family, but in reality, they were already preparing to rebel. Alan had been pushed to the forefront as their figurehead, and Cade worried his naive brother was being used as a pawn. Yet Alan had no choice; if he wanted their support, he had to step out onto center stage. Cade saw through these matters clearly. There was indeed something wrong with the Ryan royal house, and what Alan was doing wasn't wrong, but it was doomed to be an arduous path. The young emperor hadn't executed Alan outright only because the recent military defeat had not yet faded from public memory, and Alan was a hero of that war; the young emperor didn't want to dredge up old matters. Once the fallout of that defeat faded, or some other major crisis distracted the people of Ryan, the young emperor would execute Alan without hesitation. Cade Watson only hoped Alan could hold out until then. "Sigh, can't everyone just take it easy? It's not like this continent can't feed so many people. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone just lived in peace?" Cade sighed with emotion as he continued to watch the magic mirror. He wondered what other grand commotion this lich could stir up; if the worst came to pass in the future, Alan might still be able to seek refuge with him and save his own life. As he watched the broadcast in the magic mirror with rapt attention, to his bewilderment, an extremely familiar back appeared in the frame. The liquor he had just swallowed was spat out once again. "Father?!" Others might not recognize him, but how could he, as his son, fail to do so? This disguised figure was none other than his father, James Watson! Just as Cade Watson, stunned, wanted to see what would happen next, he discovered the broadcast had abruptly cut off. In his agitation, Cade wanted to pound hard on the magic mirror, but he quickly calmed down. It wasn't that something had gone wrong with the mirror; rather, the lich had cut the feed. "Lord of the Dawn above, Father, don't do anything foolish!" *** At that exact moment, Anbaixiu on the island was equally dumbfounded. Wasn't the tightly wrapped old man before him none other than James Watson? This startled Anbaixiu into hastily cutting the broadcast; otherwise, word would get out and cement his reputation as a traitor to the undead. "Why are you here?" Anbaixiu asked. James Watson replied coldly, "Is it so strange? It seems you're not very welcoming; you nearly blew up my boat just now." The island was crawling with undead. When James Watson suddenly approached in a small boat right after the great battle, the power of Holy Light on him immediately provoked hostility from the undead, who nearly surged forward to tear him to shreds. It was only Anbaixiu's quick reaction that allowed James Watson to reach him safely. "Cut the nonsense. I'm busy here. If you have business, speak up; if not, get lost." Anbaixiu had no patience for the old man. He assumed James was probably one of the "foes" brought by the Dice of Fate, yet judging by his demeanor, he didn't seem to have come for a fight. James Watson didn't mind Anbaixiu's attitude. The tangled grievances between the two were impossible to unravel. For a cleric of light to have such a complicated relationship with an undead, James even felt he had brought his misfortunes upon himself. The old man let out a sigh and said to Anbaixiu, "Did you deliberately announce your location to the entire world?" Anbaixiu nodded. "What, did you come seeking vengeance too? Coming alone—aren't you looking down on me a bit too much?" James Watson said, "I am no longer Ryan's Supreme Arbiter. I am not even a citizen of Ryan anymore, and passing judgment on the undead is no longer my place. I came this time to warn you that Ryan has dispatched the Knights of Condemnation to deal with you." Anbaixiu couldn't help but chuckle, sneering, "The Knights of Condemnation again? Have their wounds healed so quickly that they've already forgotten the pain from back then?" The last time the Knights of Condemnation came, Anbaixiu captured them all alive, having them completely under his thumb. How long had it even been, and they were already preparing for revenge? Last time, Anbaixiu had only Gareth by his side as an ally, while those contraptions from the City of Alchemy eyed him like predators. Now, Anbaixiu had the full backing of the Underdark, plus Gareth, a monster who defied common sense. Anbaixiu wouldn't hold back anymore; if the Knights of Condemnation dared to show up, he would skin them, pull their sinews, and recycle them all into useful materials. Yet James Watson shook his head. "They aren't those young greenhorns from before. This time, it's the true Knights of Condemnation—a full seven legends, five of whom are paladins and two clerics of light. What's more, there's a complete legion capable of mass-casting spells." Anbaixiu fell silent for a long moment, then said, "Are you Ryan people out of your minds?" Seven legends—what terrifying power was that! Didn't the Ryan Empire need people guarding its borders? What if the orcs launched a counterattack? What if the druids suddenly unleashed their beasts? What if the dwarves took this opportunity to strike back? James Watson said helplessly, "I am no longer considered a man of Ryan, so I cannot answer that for you. But if you ask whether it's worth it, the answer is undoubtedly yes. By now, you should be well aware of your standing, shouldn't you? Every single citizen of Ryan is terrified that one day you might exile all of Ryan into that chaotic realm." Anbaixiu understood: it was trouble brought about by his senior brother. Exiling the Kingdom of the Unholy Hymn had been far too shocking, but that had required the alignment of numerous conditions to pull off. Anbaixiu lacked the power to sever threads of fate, and neither did Harvey. Such a feat could never be replicated a second time. Unfortunately, others didn't know that. So long as Anbaixiu lived, they would suffer nightmares every single day. "Fine, I get why you're here. But why come to warn me?" Anbaixiu asked. James Watson answered, "Because Alan is now standing out in front. Only if you remain alive can Alan live in relative safety." Anbaixiu understood what James meant. Alan had been receiving his support all along; as long as the lich Anbaixiu was alive, he remained the Ryan Empire's primary target. If Anbaixiu disappeared, Alan would bear the full brunt of their pressure. Yet this didn't fit James Watson's character at all. Anbaixiu asked, "Back then, you refused to pay the ransom and would rather have let Alan die. Where did all this sudden paternal love come from?" James Watson wasn't the least bit embarrassed as he replied, "Back then, I was the Supreme Arbiter; Ryan's law stood above all else. But now, I am merely an old man, so naturally I prioritize the safety of my family. All my life, I have conducted myself according to the role I occupy. What is wrong with that?" Anbaixiu gave a thumbs-up. "When it comes to sophistry, nobody beats you clerics." The old fellow had clearly confirmed the rot of the Ryan imperial royal family and only then turned around to remember his son, yet he made it sound so righteous. "Still, I'll acknowledge this favor. Those seven legends—what are their specialties? ...Don't look at me like that. You've already betrayed them, so you might as well make it a thorough betrayal. That way I'll have a better chance, and your trip won't have been for nothing," Anbaixiu said. James Watson considered it and thought it made sense. He told Anbaixiu, "One of them is a former student of mine. If possible, I hope you can show some mercy." Anbaixiu smiled. "I'll spare them if I can, but I make no guarantees. An entire Ryan legion won't be easy to deal with." No matter how numerous ordinary rabble were, they posed little threat; a single spell would wipe out swathes of them. However, regular Ryan legions possessed the capability to perform combined spellcasting—a power capable of altering heaven and earth. Back then, why did the Raging Tide Kingdom believe they could wipe out the Silent Night Pirates? It was precisely because they had a storm priest order capable of group casting. The vast horde of Githyanki had suffered catastrophic casualties against Anbaixiu's mass spellcasting, without even getting the chance to strike. Such was the power of elite forces. Coupled with seven legends leading them, this army would be utterly terrifying—a true bane of the undead. James Watson understood Anbaixiu's predicament as well. He shared all the intelligence on those generals with Anbaixiu, and finally warned, "If I'm not mistaken, they are likely carrying an artifact." "An artifact? What kind, and what does it do?" Anbaixiu asked excitedly. That was the most lethal variable of all. "The Blood of Lathander. Have you heard of it?" James Watson asked. Anbaixiu blinked, lapsing into silence. James Watson assumed Anbaixiu had been frightened and was about to offer some words of comfort when Anbaixiu suddenly chuckled aloud: "Fantastic! It's been a long time since I got a new artifact. The Blood of Lathander... I bet it'll fetch a handsome price."