Dark clouds in the sky slowly drifted downward, soon settling on the far side of the mountain.
In the wilderness not far outside the City of Alchemy, a vast shroud of mist enveloped the area, concealing everything within.
The dark clouds plunged and transformed into an enormous bone dragon, diving headlong into the mist.
Though the fog appeared thick, it was merely a thin outer veil. Passing through it revealed a blighted land of decay.
The once-verdant woods were withered to barren husks. Large throngs of skeletons and ghouls were bound in place, while Death Knights occasionally phased out from the shadows and vanished just as swiftly, ceaselessly patrolling the perimeter.
The bone dragon touched down and sprawled across the ground as a translucent specter slipped from its skull.
Manifesting in dragon-soul form, Miss Bone Dragon strolled into the small silver palace at the center of the territory, approaching a noblewoman as fair as white jade.
Rose of Decay, Undead Queen of the Underdark, an absurdly wealthy woman whose mere word could send ore prices plunging across the Nine Kingdoms.
She had remained here with her undead legion for several days, keeping Miss Bone Dragon on surveillance duty to monitor the paladins' movements.
This Miss Bone Dragon, named Canggu, was exceptionally skilled in concealment and reconnaissance magic. Disguised as a dark cloud thousands of meters in the sky, she could still track every movement on the ground.
Taking a seat beside Rose of Decay, Canggu reported, "Sister Rose, those paladins bought several hundred slaves. I have no idea what they're up to."
Upon hearing this, Rose of Decay set aside the documents on mercury soul puppets in her hands, a hint of surprise touching her expression.
"They bought many slaves?" Rose pondered for a moment, then broke into a smile. "To think they even brought out that artifact. It seems those two are in for trouble this time."
"An artifact? Do you mean the Dragon Tyrant Armament?!"
Shock washed over Canggu's translucent face. The Dragon Tyrant Armament was a national treasure of the Ryan Empire; every single piece was an artifact, and when assembled, it possessed power rivaling that of a deity.
To deal with Anbaixiu, the Ryan Empire actually dared deploy something like that? Without an entire army to guard it, weren't they afraid of losing it?
Agitated, Canggu blurted out, "No way! That heartless jerk can't withstand the Dragon Tyrant Armament's might either. I'm going to bring him home right now!"
Rose of Decay shook her head. "Don't fret. The artifact I mentioned isn't the Dragon Tyrant Armament. That armament can only be wielded by those of imperial blood, and the current Ryan Empire... Well, in any case, there's no way they would deploy it. The artifact I'm referring to is a different one, and it's likely just a weakened imitation. It won't have much effect on your husband. But as for the other one, that's hard to say—for a legend, he is far too weak."
Canggu grumbled, "Aiya, Sister, don't stop halfway! You nearly scared me to death."
Watching the dragon soul's vivid expressions, Rose of Decay mused with amusement, "How intriguing. What could possibly cause you, an undead, to be so frantic over a headless knight? Sister, could it be that your heart still beats?"
Rose of Decay had never been able to understand the love between Canggu and Gareth.
Undead lacked a heartbeat, and naturally lacked the desires of the living.
Could some feelings truly be engraved upon the soul, capable of transcending the shackles of the flesh?
Well, some could—hatred, for example.
Yet that was a profound impression left prior to death, a spiritual brand forged while the heart still beat. Only because the soul clung to that emotion from life would it remain obsessed after turning undead.
Yet the love between those two had not only crossed species, but had blossomed only after they had already become undead.
Rose of Decay shook her head. It was a complete mystery. Her own attempt to imitate it had only been because Anbaixiu's price was too steep, preventing her from securing him entirely for herself; out of pure calculation, she had hoped to recreate Canggu and Gareth's encounter.
Hearing Rose of Decay's question, Canggu also shook her head. "I don't really know either, but it really was love at first sight between me and that heartless jerk. My heart might not beat anymore, but I'm certain it wasn't an illusion. As for why, maybe it's just the will of the gods."
Rose of Decay did not dwell on the unresolved topic, turning back to the matter of the artifact.
"Enough of that, let's stick to business. If I'm not mistaken, those paladins will launch their first strike in three days at most. Those two haven't experienced the power of this artifact before; I fear they'll be caught off guard."
Puzzled, Canggu asked, "Is it really that formidable? And what does this artifact have to do with those slaves?"
Rose of Decay explained, "The Ryan Empire has mastered faith down to a science. Their entire imperial capital is one gargantuan altar, where every mortal who believes in the Lord of the Dawn continuously feeds power into it, making the city virtually impregnable.
"To achieve this, the Crown of Lathander is indispensable. Truly forged by a deity and bestowed upon the Ryan Empire, this mighty magical crown enables the empire to forge frail mortals into an unmatched force.
"These paladins must have found a way to mimic the artifact's power and convert those mortals into faith for themselves."
Canggu asked in confusion, "But they aren't believers of the Lord of the Dawn."
The City of Alchemy was a mixing pot of diverse races, a place where the light of the Lord of the Dawn could scarcely reach, and believers of this god of light were exceedingly rare.
"Don't underestimate these paladins' gift for brainwashing. Given three days, it's more than enough for them to turn several hundred people into devout believers. Still, a mere three hundred people—is faith alone enough?" Rose of Decay gave a cold laugh before adding, "I'm afraid they won't just offer faith; they will sacrifice their very lives."
Canggu gasped, "Human sacrifice? But that's the Ryan Empire—they wouldn't do something like that, would they?"
Hostile though their factions were, aside from their prejudice against non-human races, the Ryan Empire was practically flawless in every other regard. Living human sacrifice was strictly forbidden by the tenets of the Holy Light.
The most vicious rumor circulating the continent was merely that the Ryan Emperor had been cuckolded by a goblin; no one had ever heard of anyone accusing the Ryan Empire of human sacrifice.
Rose of Decay said, "Sacrifice isn't necessarily forced; it can also be voluntary. When a hero chooses to lay down his life to defeat evil, does that count as a sacrifice? If they sacrifice themselves right alongside the others, it becomes selfless devotion.
"Except within the Ryan Empire, if you don't endorse this self-destructive devotion, you become an outcast who cannot survive. And sooner or later, the Ryan Empire will be destroyed by this very fanaticism."
Rose of Decay ground her teeth over those final words, showing a rare flash of fury.
Resting her chin in her hands, Canggu murmured fretfully, "I'm starting to lose track. But Sister, why do you know so much about the Ryan Empire?"
Rose of Decay reined in her anger and shook her head. "Just some reasons from the past; it doesn't matter. We should think about how to help those two men handle their problem. If Gareth isn't careful, even he could get hurt."
Excitedly, Canggu said, "Then I'll go devour those paladins right now!"
Rose of Decay replied, "The moment your husband spots you, he'll probably bolt. If even the Ryan Empire couldn't catch that headless knight, I certainly have no confidence I could stop him for you.
"If my guess is right, these paladins must have reached an accord with the City of Alchemy. Besides, the city won't just sit idly by. They already discovered us this morning and have even sent over an invitation. Soon, we'll have to enter the City of Alchemy as a joint delegation from the Underdark and the Dragon Tomb, or war will break out."
"Then what should we do, Sister?"
Canggu felt rather helpless. In an actual clash, she would never be a match for the City of Alchemy. She would be blasted to smithereens by the magitech cannons mounted on the walls, forced to spend several centuries regenerating in the Dragon Tomb.
"Don't worry. I believe he'll find a way; all he lacks is intelligence."
Rose of Decay retrieved her Necrotic Codex. Her fingertips trembled faintly as she penned a long message and sent it to Anbaixiu.
Without waiting for Anbaixiu's reply, Rose of Decay closed the Necrotic Codex and murmured softly, "Don't disappoint me, my chosen man."
Chapter 62