Chapter 74: Battle Preparations
"Luna, I need to recover my mana. Take this one and patrol the city."
Gu Xi glanced at the scattered negative energy on the ground and turned to Luna.
At this moment, Shaya had already retrieved the Crushing Staff for Gu Xi.
As he took the staff, Gu Xi couldn't help but utter a sound of surprise.
It seemed that the Crushing Staff had absorbed some of the Death Incarnation's power, resulting in a quality change.
[Crushing Staff +1 (Green, Wooden Stick)]
[Attack: 6-9]
[Equipment Requirement: Strength 3]
[Special: Crush, when attacking an enemy, there is an 85% chance to crush the enemy's bones, armor, or other defensive structures.]
[Description: A wooden stick that can crush anything. Previous battle records show that the stick is the most useful weapon.]
Lifting the Crushing Staff, Gu Xi noticed a small bone dragon's shadow flickering across the staff as he swung it.
It seemed this was the change brought by destroying the Death Incarnation's negative energy cluster earlier.
After swinging the Crushing Staff twice, Gu Xi turned to Shaya.
"Shaya, how are you feeling now?"
"Very good, sir. You saw earlier that I can also use the sap. And I have integrated the effects of the invisibility cloak. My stealth ability has improved by at least three levels."
Gu Xi recalled that when fighting the Death Incarnation's negative energy cluster, Luna used Ice Touch, and Shaya used the sap attack.
It seemed she had learned a lot.
"Alright, with your improved stealth ability, you'll be much safer. You should go to Victoria City first. Watch for my dispatched owls; if there's anything needed, I will contact you through the owls."
"Okay." Shaya responded happily.
At this moment, Luna floated over.
"Sir, the battlefield has been cleaned up. We obtained a total of 3,762 units of negative energy. Also, the dragon bones carried away by the skeleton soldiers scattered automatically when the Death Incarnation died. They have now merged into the skeleton soldiers' bodies and can't be recovered."
"Did you plan to recover those dragon bones?"
"Yes, I heard that burying four or more dragon bones in one place can form a temporary dragon grave. Building a dragon grave there can increase the production of bone dragons."
"Forget it. Bone dragons are still far from us. Let's be patient and take over the dock area first. I need to recover my mana. Upgrade all the skeletons, leaving only the three combat squads intact. Convert the rest into skeleton archers. During the Death Incarnation fight, we had insufficient firepower, and that needs to change."
"Are you planning to take the Death Incarnation to attack the dock area?"
Luna, who had been with Gu Xi for a long time, immediately understood his plan.
"Yes, I found that in Death City, the Death Incarnation seems to persist rather than disappear after the battle, as the description suggests. Plus, the synergy between Death City and the Death Incarnation allows for a residence to be built for the Death Incarnation. I suspect the Death Incarnation can stay permanently in the heart of Death City and might appear on the battlefield through the battle gate when the synergy is activated."
Although Luna didn't fully grasp Gu Xi's meaning, it didn't stop her from nodding.
"Take the Death Incarnation for a patrol, familiarizing it with our city. Once I recover my mana, we'll head out to attack the dock area."
"Alright." Luna responded decisively and turned to communicate with the Death Incarnation.
Unlike Luna, a contract undead, the Death Incarnation, though a skill summon, was actually more akin to a summoned creature.
Luna had a natural advantage in communicating with it.
After a few words with the Death Incarnation, it followed Luna on patrol.
Gu Xi then went to the tavern. As a necromancer, when his mana was depleted, he had two options: find a safe place to sleep or drink some beverages to quickly recover mana.
Upon entering the tavern, the barmaid quickly appeared.
"Isn't this the lord of the city? What brings you here?"
"To have a couple of drinks and to see if there are any rumors lately."
As Gu Xi spoke, he flicked his fingers, and a crystal formed from negative energy fell onto the table.
The barmaid simply wiped the table with her sleeve, and the negative energy crystal was taken away.
Two skeleton maids brought over two glasses of green beer, and the barmaid casually picked up one and downed most of it.
"I have some news you might be interested in."
"Let's hear it."
Gu Xi took a sip of beer, feeling his mana recover, and spoke calmly.
"Two days ago, I intercepted an order from the other side, telling all nearby Shadows to mobilize and support some holy war at the church."
"Westminster Abbey?"
"Yes, that place. Also, I've noticed an increase in the number of new Shadows recently. You should be careful about this."
After finishing her beer, the barmaid was about to leave.
"Wait, is that all the news you have?"
Gu Xi quickly stopped her.
"What, isn't that enough? This is big news. You aren't part of the Shadow system, but several nearby districts are. Even if they are quite independent, they have to respond to orders, meaning their defense forces will be significantly reduced during this time. If you want to take over these districts, now is your chance."
Realizing the significance, Gu Xi placed two more negative energy crystals on the table. "Check the intelligence of the other two districts for me."
Seeing Gu Xi's decisive manner, the barmaid was taken aback.
"Seriously? With your current forces, you really plan to take over those districts?"
"First, get the intelligence. Just knowing the enemy's strength and level will be enough. The rest can be dealt with on the battlefield."
As if responding to Gu Xi's words, the Death Incarnation flew by overhead, its shadow briefly seen by the barmaid, making her reconsider.
"Alright, I'll start gathering the information. But remember, I only have three spies in this small tavern. The information won't be very comprehensive."
"Just knowing the enemy's strength and level will do. The rest will be dealt with on the battlefield."