More than a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
One day, twelve consecutive rumbles rang out in the sinister Cemetery of Death. Twelve huge banners unfurled in the explosions.
Han Shuo sat cross-legged in the centre, his eyes fixed on the twelve flags in the middle of the pit. The liquid in the pit had turned into a pitch black pool, bubbles of various sizes rising to the surface. Black mist swirled and curled from them, drifting around the Cemetery of Death without dissipating.
As the bubbles burst and crackled, the pitch-black pool of liquid was gradually absorbed by the three evil knights and their fire warhorses. The evil knights had originally been deep in the liquid in the pit. Now they were sucking in the black liquid as if they were dying of thirst. Eventually, the three evil knights and their mounts had completely absorbed the liquid, revealing their forms. They were now inky black from head to toe, and the eyes of the riders and their mounts glowed faintly red with the light of the eternal flames.
In addition to the malevolent aura of death that surrounded them, there was now another malevolent presence swirling around them. Feeling the tremendous changes in their bodies, the three silently threw back their heads and howled to the heavens, the bone spears in their hands dancing madly.
Unable to bear the deep agony in their souls, the three evil knights tried once again to attack the power of the contract as their bodies were freed from the liquid in the pit. They wanted to escape Han Shuo and the slavery.
"Hmph! High-ranking undead creatures are indeed a bit annoying. At least they understand the concept of resistance!" Han Shuo snorted coldly and abruptly stood up from his cross-legged position. He then unleashed his mental power on the three evil knights, forcing them to obey as he spun the secret arts of demonic magic.
The sad, wretched howling of the three evil knights was abruptly cut short. As the riders and horses gazed at Han Shuo in horror, the flames in their eyes grew faint and weak, like a candle in the midst of a storm. Their bodies and souls seemed ready to dissipate at the slightest provocation.
The liquid inside the cave that was enhancing their bodies had contained Han Shuo's blood essence. Since the three evil knights and their fire warhorses had completely absorbed it, Han Shuo's blood essence was now flowing through their bodies. This meant that he was completely capable of turning them into dust without leaving the slightest trace.
Therefore, when Han Shuo used his own blood essence to punish and torture the three evil knights and their horses, the fear that struck them was the most primal of all. The three evil knights had been willing to do anything to break Han Shuo's contract, but now they were all crawling on the ground, their entire beings trembling.
Han Shuoe could sense the feeling of fear and awe from the depths of the three evil knights' souls. Coldly snorting, he stepped in front of the three evil knights who no longer dared to resist, and placed three 'Dark Seals' on each of them. With this magic, he could summon them directly from the other dimension.
If Han Shuo hadn't imprinted the 'Dark Seals' on them, he wouldn't be able to summon them the next time he sent them back to the other dimension. Without an identifying mark on their bodies, the next summoning would have chosen a random set of evil knights. In the vast boundlessness of the other dimension, there were countless numbers of these low-level existences. It would take a miracle to summon the same set again.
However, as long as a 'Dark Seal' was stamped on their bodies, Han Shuo could use the markings to find them anywhere in the other dimension. From there, he could bring the refined evil knights directly to this plane.
After branding the evil knights and their fire warhorses one by one, Han Shuo intended to send them back to the other dimension. However, he suddenly remembered how he'd seen undead creatures, including the little skeleton, earth, fire and wood elite zombies, thriving in this haven of necromancy during his last journey.
Han Shuo understood that the Little Skeleton and the crew were powerfully carrying out an invasion in this dimension. As their strength increased, Han Shuo was well aware of the strong undead creatures in the other dimension, and that the mummy lord wasn't the strongest creature in the other dimension either.
When he reached the rank of Grand Magus Necromancer, Han Shuo could call upon undead creatures such as Mummy Lords, Bone Demons and Old Fey Zombies. However, there were races beyond the undead creatures, above the mummy lords. These super-high level undead creatures included creatures such as bone dragons, skeleton kings and zombie kings. Only necromancers of the rank of Sacred Magus could summon them.
According to legend, necromancers above the rank of Sacred Magus could even summon undead creatures with the strength of demigods from another world. How powerful were these undead creatures? What form did they appear in? Even Han Shuo wasn't sure...
In the vast other dimension, Han Shuo didn't know if there were undead creatures with the power of demigods or not. The little skeleton's strength was constantly increasing, but Han Shuo was still a little worried about it. Therefore, he wanted the little skeleton to take the three evil knights back to the other dimension so that his strength could increase again.
As his thoughts reached this point, Han Shuo took out the skeleton staff and began to chant an incantation. Ever since he'd accidentally entered the other dimension the last time, there had been a period of time when Han Shuo had been somewhat apprehensive about this staff. However, after studying it for a few days, he didn't notice any difference when he started using it again in his incantations. Han Shuo didn't know how the previous matter had actually occurred, so he decided not to worry too much about it.
A black light flashed out of the void. The little skeleton landed, still on top of the spiky undead creature. Upon arrival, the three evil knights immediately sensed the familiar air of death from this dimension. Seeing clearly that it was only a little skeleton commanding them, the three evil knights unleashed the power of a high-ranking undead creature, as if to frighten the little skeleton.
The little skeleton glanced at the three evil knights, his purple eye socket flashing with light. He tapped the spiky undead creature lightly on the three metre long bone spur. The creature suddenly turned towards the three evil knights and let out a low roar. A wave of murderous intent suddenly rolled out.
The three evil knights, who had planned to show off their strength in front of the little skeleton, suddenly felt the mighty power of this strange undead creature. Their instinctive fear of higher undead creatures caused them to retreat a few steps.
"Father!" After scaring off the three evil knights, the little skeleton jumped off the undead creature. He ran straight towards Han Shuo and happily delivered the message.
Han Shuo was shocked. He looked at the little skeleton who'd lived with him since the Babylon Academy of Magic and Strength. The little skeleton had secretly helped him throw out the garbage in the middle of the night. Now that Han Shuo heard the little skeleton calling him like this, he was suddenly at a loss for words.
"Father, you were in my hometown, right?" The little skeleton stuck the three metre long bone spear into the ground as he walked in front of Han Shuo. He looked up and blinked his purple eye socket at Han Shuo to convey this message.
The word 'Father' that the little skeleton called him stunned Han Shuo. He suddenly found himself increasingly unable to see through the little skeleton. From simple communication to conversation, this change had happened in just two years. As he looked at the little skeleton with the sparkling purple eye socket in front of him, Han Shuo was shaken to the core.
After a while, he finally got over his shock and nodded, "That's right. I visited the other dimension last time." Pausing for a moment, Han Shuo asked with some hesitation, "Do you finally have your own full consciousness? Why are you calling me Father? What's going on?"
"You created me. Your blood runs through my body, and you've always considered me your child. You are my father." The little skeleton blinked its purple eye and continued to send messages, "Father, not only do I have full consciousness, I also have some wonderful powers. They were all given by you."
Han Shuo had originally seen the tiny little skeleton as a little child. The latter's childish behaviour had always reinforced this illusion, especially after he left the Babylon Academy of Magic and Strenght. Perhaps that was why Han Shuo unconsciously thought of the little skeleton as his child. As for the little skeleton, he could feel the deep feeling of love through the spiritual connection with Han Shuo and gradually took Han Shuo as his father.
Han Shuo's mind was a bit chaotic after the little skeleton's sudden thunderous cry of 'father'. His heart was full of questions, but Han Shuo didn't know where to begin. He was silent for a while before he said, "I have upgraded the three evil knights so that their power has increased quite a bit. Take them with you, they should help you."
"Thank you, father! I will discipline them well." The little skeleton shouted with joy. In front of Han Shuo, he didn't have the arrogance that made him look down on the world like he had in the other dimension. Instead, he acted more like a naughty child.
The little skeleton pulled the three metre long bone spur out of the ground before walking towards the three evil knights. The closer he got to them, the more the air of death swirled around him. All the deadly air of the Cemetery seemed to swirl around him like a whirlpool, the little skeleton caught in the eye of the hurricane as he advanced.
The three evil knights suddenly trembled. Flames flashed in their eyes as they stared at the little skeleton with the seven spurs behind its back. They seemed to have discovered the extraordinary origin of the little skeleton.
High-level undead creatures possessed a power that any lower-level undead creature simply could not resist. The little skeleton proudly walked up to the three evil knights and tapped each of them with his giant bone spur, including the fire warhorses, as if to give them an order.
The bone spur rang out clearly as it tapped the riders and mounts. The flames in their eyes flickered intensely as their postures became submissive. It seemed as if they had all succumbed to the little skeleton's power.
Han Shuo was incredulous as he watched the little skeleton tame the three evil knights with ease. Even Han Shuo himself had to use his blood essence to subdue the three evil knights when dealing with them. He hadn't expected that the little skeleton wouldn't need anything. He had used his identity as a higher-ranked creature to the point where they didn't dare to raise their heads.
Whether it was because of the different refining methods or because the Little Skeleton, Earth, Wood, and Fire Elite Zombies had all started at a low level, they had all willingly accepted Han Shuo without any resistance during the demonic magic refining process.
When he'd refined the little skeleton, Han Shuo had felt their souls connecting. He dared to say so because the latter had inherited some of his memory as well as some of his power. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for the little skeleton to skilfully demonstrate the Law of Activating Magic with the seven bone spurs on his back.
As for the Fire, Wood, and Earth Elite Zombies, they had been refined through the secret zombie refining process. In addition to the materials Han Shuo had painstakingly gathered, they'd also absorbed the five extreme elements from the extreme places of their respective elements. Who knew how much power was stored in those places? The immensity and rarity of this power was immeasurable.
Perhaps it was for this reason that the four undead creatures - the little Skeleton, Earth, Wood and Fire Elite Zombies - were able to communicate directly with Han Shuo through their minds. They had extraordinary abilities to begin with, as well as the surprising ability to evolve. On the other hand, for those three evil knights or even higher ranked undead creatures, Han Shuo could only give them orders, not communicate with them mentally.
End of the first part of the chapter.
They also lacked the random chances of the little skeleton and some of Han Shuo's memories. Nor had they absorbed a huge amount of elements from heaven and earth like the other three zombies. What's more, since their starting level was already much higher than the zombies and skeletons, they had even tried to resist Han Shuo's efforts to improve their physical bodies. Perhaps it was for these reasons that, despite their strength, they were still a far cry from the four of the little skeleton inner circle - the undead creatures that Han Shuo had first tempered.
"Father, they will listen obediently from now on." The little skeleton pointed at the three trembling evil knights and said to the silently pondering Han Shuo.
"Hehehe, you can take them back. My mind is a bit confused right now." Han Shuo smiled at the little skeleton. Then, as he was about to cast the spell, Han Shuo suddenly looked at the undead creature that was the little skeleton's steed and asked, "Right, what is this strange fellow? Why have I never seen him before?"
"Oh, he was originally a bone demon. Father found many good bones for me last time. I took that bone demon apart and used some of those fine bones to make its wings, so it looks like this. Father, did I make it ugly?" After answering, the little skeleton asked Han Shuo with some embarrassment.
"No, it looks very nice." Han Shuo replied before sending the little skeleton and the three evil knights back to the strange world. With his connection to the little skeleton, Han Shuo sent the three evil knights to the little skeleton's territory. From now on, these three were destined to be his subordinates, his vanguard in battle.
"When did you acquire the ability to refine undead creatures?" After the little skeleton and the three evil knights disappeared, Han Shuo muttered with a heart full of shock.
Even though the little skeleton's improvement on this bone demon was a simple disassembly and reassembly of the bones, Han Shuo could tell from this action that the little skeleton was simply incredible. He was sure that the little skeleton had received this improvement method from his memory. Otherwise, the little skeleton wouldn't have had this ability.
That the little skeleton had unconsciously grown into this existence was a big, pleasant surprise to Han Shuo. For someone who had personally created this miracle, the rapid development of the little skeleton had initially baffled Han Shuo. Now it had turned into excitement and ecstasy. The more he thought about it, the more satisfied he was with his masterpiece.
Deep in his heart, Han Shuo had truly considered the little skeleton to be his child, so he was extremely excited when the skeleton called him 'Father'. He had some difficulties adjusting at first, but after the little skeleton had left for the other dimension, Han Shuo felt a kind of longing. Han Shuo suddenly realised that he had thought of the little skeleton as his child from a long time ago. His doting and worrying for the latter was indeed the behaviour of a father for his child!
"Ahh, child. I finally have a child!" A while after the little skeleton left, inside the Cemetery of Death, Han Shuo threw his head back and let out a mad laugh to the sky. His laughter was filled with joy and excitement.
The three evil knights had emerged, but the twelve Mystical Demons still needed some time to take shape. The evil knights only needed to absorb some energy, so this process didn't take much time, but the twelve Mystical Demons were an evolution into another form. This process was much more complicated than a simple energy absorption. Accordingly, it took longer.
After Dark Dragon Gilbert swallowed the Green Dragon's magical core, he burrowed into the Cemetery of Death and went into hibernation. His huge body curled up into a ball, his scales and skin sometimes overflowing with foul-smelling liquid, and some lights began to flash deep within his body.
Gilbert's evolution might take quite a while, and Han Shuo didn't continue to study the magic of the Archmage Necromancer rank. Seeing that everything in the Cemetery of Death was going well, he returned to Brettel City.
After leaving Brettel City for some time, Han Shuo was surprised to see that life had suddenly become more bustling than when he had left. The streets had been pathetically deserted in the past, and it was practically impossible to see anyone walking back and forth.
However, when Han Shuo released the Yin Demon to make a quick reconnaissance upon his return, he suddenly saw that many changes had unknowingly occurred in Brettel City. As the city lord, he was very pleased with these changes.
The population of Brettel City had increased as the mountain people had moved to the city from the surrounding mountains. In addition, the merchants from outside had flooded the city in search of profit. Not only did they bring all sorts of necessities, but some of the more daring merchants had even set up shop in Brettel City.
Once the demand for food had been met, these merchants began to sell luxurious clothing as well as necessities. The population of Brettel City wasn't large, but the young men who had joined the City Guard had earned a good monthly salary.
Every month, all the honest young men in the city received gold coins, which were used to improve the already poor lives of their families. As long as each family had a young man of the right age, the whole family could live in style in Brettel City. The enthusiasm for military enlistment was unprecedented. Some young men in Seamist City even risked coming here to enlist as their last chance in life.
Unknowingly, the number of city guards had risen from the original three thousand to five thousand. With the war-mad Dorcas stationed there, Jack didn't have to spend gold coins forging equipment for the soldiers. Dorcas urged his men to compete with Faulke's elite knights to see who could best punish the bandits around Brettel City.
Dorcas and Faulke were extremely effective together. Not only did they wipe out two bandit organisations, but the gold coins from the battle were enough to equip the soldiers. Brettel City had gone from being passive, suffering humiliation here and there, to actively striking out and wreaking vengeance on the bandits. Within a few months, the city had gradually risen to prominence, attracting the attention of the seven grand duchies. The Seven Grand Duchies, who had originally been involved in the chaos of the small wars, suddenly called a truce.
The seven grand duchies all had the same feeling - the wolf is coming!
After the Yin Demon finished his tour of Brettel City, Han Shuo listened to Dick and Chester's report on the city's current situation. Dorcas and Faulke were still personally leading a thousand city guards in a sweep of some of the larger bandit groups in the area.
Dorcas was an excellent military strategist and stood at the head of the military, while Faulke and his knights had all the power and equipment of a standard knight brigade. Their furious raids on the nearby bandit camps seemed almost like a competition to see who could wipe out the most bandits. Forged in the crucible of constant warfare, the soldiers became more and more skilled in battle.
"Bryan, the number of merchants coming into town is not small. The way things are going, Brettel will definitely become a big city and attract more immigrants." Jack laughed, his cheeks wobbling from the effort, and continued, "I can already see the mountain people coming down soon. Now that the benefits and treatment in Brettel City are so good, it's much more profitable than their mining jobs."
We don't have to wait long. The five mountain chiefs have already made up their minds. Except for Adleman, who lacks ambition in his old age, the other four chiefs all want to lead their subordinates down to become the official army of Brettel City." Dick looked at Han Shuo and smiled wryly, "These four fellows have urged me so many times. They wanted me to tell Your Lordship, but Your Lordship wasn't in town. So this matter has been delayed."
Han Shuo's mind raced when he heard Chester's words. He asked with a seemingly very interested expression, "What is this about? Aren't they very good at mining ore?"
"That depends on who we compare them to. Compared to the local civilians, their mining income is quite good. But compared to the benefits of the city guards, their money from mining isn't enough to cover the daily expenses of their subordinates".
"Until now, the mountain people haven't been too badly off, but since Your Lordship's arrival, things have changed rapidly. The income of a soldier is now far better than the income from mining. In addition, Dorcas and Faulke have collected a great deal of weapons, armour and even gold from wiping out the bandits. This additional income from raiding far exceeds the income from mining".
"The Seven Grand Duchies are embroiled in chaotic fighting, which makes them a place of easy profit. Whether it is selling weapons, war horses or directly robbing the bandits, they are all the fastest way to accumulate wealth. My Lord, Brettel City is developing so quickly because of this - plundering the wealth of others".
"Hehe, for the mountain people, following Your Lordship is obviously much more promising than mining. Not to mention that Dorcas and Faulke also brought back some bandits as slaves. With these slaves, the mines won't need too much manpower. The mountain people are all good fighters with their strong bodies. It's no surprise that they have the idea to join the army. Dick explained to Han Shuo.
When Dick finished speaking, Han Shuo smiled and said, "It seems that everything is for 'profit'. But what about the loyalty of these mountain people?"
"My Lord, with you here in Brettel City, do you think they'd dare to be disloyal?" Chester asked suddenly with a smile.
Chester's boot licking was perfectly timed. Han Shuo smiled and thought for a moment before he said, "The number of mountain people capable of fighting from the five mountains is around ten thousand. That number alone will double the number of Brettel city guards. If they decide to join, all the war chariots and stone-throwing catapults at the city gates can be used.
"Brettel City is currently overflowing with capital, so the prospects for future development are obvious. This matter of expanding the army is imperative! Ten thousand hill tribesmen will make excellent soldiers. They've been fighting the bandits for many years, so there's no doubt about their fighting ability. I find this very interesting, but I don't know if the mountain people are really sincere.
"My Lord, as far as their demonstration of sincerity is concerned, I think they are sincere." Dick guaranteed at once.
"Oh, how do you know that?" Han Shuo smiled arrogantly, looked at him and asked again, "You can make the decisions in their place?"
Dick was about to say that he was a mountain man, but when he heard Han Shuo add the question at the end, he couldn't help but smile wryly, "My Lord, although I cannot make decisions for them, I know how they think. As long as Your Lordship acts with moderation, with their current level of trust and gratitude towards Your Lordship, they will definitely be willing to listen to your orders."
"Is that so?" Han Shuo fell silent for a moment before smiling at Dick, "Well then, help me pass on my words to the mountain people, I am also happy to let them join the army, but their troops must be split up and their original leaders must no longer be their commanders."
"In addition, all the leaders of the mountain army will start at the rank of captain, and can only return to their original rank through meritorious service in battle. For the time being, all the mountain people must be under our leadership. I will allow them to join the army if they can agree to these conditions, and they will be treated the same as our soldiers.
Han Shuo also thought for himself. Taking all five mountains people into account, there were around ten thousand mountain fighters. If they were still under the control of their original leaders, it could cause unbearable damage if they nurtured the idea of rebelling after entering Brettel City while outnumbering the city guards.
It was imperative to defend against the hearts of the people. Even if he didn't think of himself, Han Shuo's position demanded that he act responsibly for the people of the city. Although he believed that the mountain chiefs would not dare to rebel, there was no guarantee in anything. Anyone could have such wild ambitions. Han Shuo did not want to risk the lives of the civilians.
Besides, the mountain chiefs were still young. Whether or not they were fit to command so many soldiers had to be judged by their true abilities. In the unlikely event that these young chiefs were useless good-for-nothings, Han Shuo would not only lose his gold, but it might also create a latent danger in Brettel City.
Since he had become the mayor of Brettel City, Han Shuo's attitude and demeanour had also evolved along with his position. He had become more cautious and mature. There was no longer any of the single-minded ruthlessness he had had in the past.
"Good, I will certainly pass on Your Lordship's words." Dick didn't dare to guarantee anything else after hearing Han Shuo's words, as his conditions were indeed somewhat harsh.