Dust of History Chapter 20: A dialogue between the living and the dead

The 40,000 troops have already gathered in Bracada, and the grain and grass reserves are already in place.

After long-term annihilating and killing the orcs, General Sanders has a well-thought-out plan for the number of orcs on the wild highlands. These remaining orcs are probably cubs and youths who fled into the Sandefys Mountains during the extermination, and the total number will never exceed one or two thousand. Even though we are now in a group, we have joined some big-eared monsters who are not in the climate, and we have some equipment, but the difference in strength is dozens of times, and the magic of the magicians in the army will always be the most effective against the orcs. weapons. As long as the general gives an order, the 40,000 troops can go out immediately, and smash the beast's lair to the ground like crushing bedbugs. The general has been very proficient in doing this kind of thing in the past ten years, and he is very sure to do it well. Moreover, the anger pounding in his chest also made him wish he could hear the dying cries of those wild beasts right away, stomp an orc's head under his feet, and make a 'click' with all his strength, so that the brains and blood inside would splash everywhere together. Both are.

But even so, the general did not let his emotions and self-confidence overshadow his reason. When he set off from the south, he ordered a group of people to reach Bracada as quickly as possible, and then went to that city-state to conduct reconnaissance and testing after a short rest.

War is war after all, and tens of millions of lives are lost at every turn. It is related to the rise and fall of a country, and it is not a game that can be arbitrarily controlled by the personal emotions of the generals. The general understood this well. He has been on the battlefield since he was a teenager, and the empire was almost always at war with the surrounding countries until twenty years ago. The war experience and judgment he honed in it are those who graduated from the knight school The officers couldn't catch up. And being able to be a general on the battlefield is definitely not based on bravery, but wisdom and calmness. So even though he has a temper like a lion, as long as he comes into contact with military affairs, he can be as calm as a dry nut without the slightest moisture.

And he is also very clear that although the orcs don't know how to use magic, they have good physique and combat effectiveness, especially the ogres and werewolves are not comparable to ordinary humans. If you have good equipment, and have a strategic formation and strategy that can advance and retreat, it will be a terrifying combat effectiveness. Before attacking, it is best to figure out the situation there, what kind of equipment those orcs have, what kind of system they have, what kind of attack methods they will use, and so on.

The general knows that this battle is very important. The power struggle between the DPRK and China has reached a fever pitch. The people of the Erni family are not satisfied with economic and political dominance, but want to get their hands on military power. They've been planning to step down and bring up someone from their faction.

Because His Majesty the Emperor is still young, he really favors those who are good at trying to please. Therefore, military ministers have always been at a disadvantage in political struggles. If this military operation can be completed swiftly and smoothly, and the orc's lair can be wiped out in one go, then the military forces can regain the upper hand in the struggle against the court, and even use this to completely drive out the forces of the Erni family. All affairs of the army.

And if it fails, the Erni family will definitely take this opportunity to get their hands on the military power they have coveted for a long time.

So even if the military has the absolute upper hand, the general is still very cautious, first sending out reconnaissance troops to investigate the situation first. But what is a little strange is that it has been more than ten days since the troop set off, but there is no reply at all. So a few days ago, the general sent a few small scouting troops to scout deep in the highlands.

The news finally came back today, but only a few scout soldiers came back, and one of the recruits shouted as soon as he got off his horse: There are monsters.

After waiting for more than ten days, but waiting for such a report that resembles a child walking at night and being scared and crying, the general's anger exploded, and the soldier's head was beaten with one punch. It exploded like a tomato on the wall.

But he also calmed down immediately, and immediately asked the other soldiers what they saw. The report I got was the same: there was a huge monster accumulated from corpses in the wild highlands. The scouting team originally wanted to get closer to check, but the flames from the monster burned so much that there was not even a corpse left. The few who were not affected by the flames fled back.

After listening to the report, the general's face was very ugly, and the legs of several scouts were also shaking. Finally, the general turned around and yelled at several adjutants: "Tell that **** named Nags to get over here."

The adjutant hurried out of the tent, but the general's roar came from behind. "Stop."

"Remember, Priest Nags was invited to come over. He said that I have something to discuss with him." The general adjusted his wording and said it again.

A monster formed from the accumulation of corpses. According to the general's experience, this was probably created by the Necromancer Guild. When he was young, he saw some tricks they played with corpses in battles with other countries. He didn't know what the Necromancer Guild was doing here at this time, and he didn't have time to delve into it. All his energy was now focused on the orc city-state. If there is an obstacle ahead, it must be cleared away.

Priest Nags is also a member of the Erni family, and he is also the eldest son of the current prime minister. Although he was nominally sent by the Academy of Magic to assist in dispatching the magicians in the troops this time, he was actually here to supervise the combat situation of the troops. If he catches the general's braid, he can naturally make a big fuss, and if the battle goes well and takes down the orc city-state in one fell swoop, he can count it as a military exploit. Lay the foundation for the future development of their family power in the army.

Priest Nags himself is only around thirty years old, and has never been on a battlefield before. Although his main attention is focused on the flashy and corrupt life in the capital, he also studies in the Academy of Magic and Military Academy After a period of time. There is no doubt that he also knows his mission in the army this time. On the one hand, he naturally pays attention to all the general's actions, and on the other hand, he also shows impetuosity eager to make meritorious service everywhere.

The general would never discuss things with him if he could. However, physical damage such as swords, guns, swords and halberds is not very effective against undead monsters, and magic is the most effective means of attack. The general does not have the right to direct the magicians. Magicians do not belong to the army. Like priests, they are the strength of the magic academy to support the army. According to the usual practice, only priests in the army have the right to mobilize. Normally, the priests of the church would obey the words of officers with rich combat experience, but this is undoubtedly not the case now.

After seeing Priest Nags' reaction, the general knew something was wrong. When he heard that a huge undead monster appeared in the wilderness and killed many soldiers, he actually had a very excited expression on his face. The words on that expression were clearly written 'finally it's my turn to do meritorious service'. He ordered all the magicians in the army to gather together to destroy the monster.

The general will never agree. Magicians are the most powerful and vulnerable in the army. If they are gathered together, if they are damaged, it will have a huge impact on the combat effectiveness of the army. What's more, they are facing orcs this time, and magicians play a decisive role in the battle. role.

But Priest Nags is determined to do so. The general took a step back and suggested that at least find out the situation of the undead monster first. What kind of monster is that, why does it appear here, is there someone manipulating it, and what exactly does it want to do. After clarifying these, we will study countermeasures and then act.

Principal Nags didn't take it seriously, saying that the general's indecision was just delaying the battle. Regardless of whether this is a trick of the orcs or the Necromancer Guild, no matter how huge the undead monster is, it is just a piece of flesh accumulated from corpses. As long as enough mana is concentrated, it can be blown to pieces. This can also intimidate the orcs, and it is clearly written in the book of war. This is called winning people with momentum before fighting, and it will be easier to fight in the future.

It took a lot of effort for the general not to vent his temper. He almost wanted to kill the commander in front of him who was eager for quick success with an axe.

Obviously, with the priest's eagerness to make meritorious service, he could no longer tolerate the slightest delay.

The Necromancer Guild is almost the public enemy of all countries, and it is even more synonymous with evil. If you can solve a huge monster created by the Necromancer Guild, it will not only be a military achievement, but your status in the church will also be greatly improved. This is simply a gift from God.

Principal Nags immediately began to summon the magicians in the army, intending to set off tomorrow, as if afraid that the undead monster would suddenly disappear.

This battle really cannot go wrong, not only involves the power struggle between North Korea and China, but also involves the rise and fall of the empire. The general didn't want to see the power of the empire fall into the hands of those dirty nobles who only knew how to play tricks, and he didn't want to see them squeeze out a group of veterans like himself who had made great contributions to the empire.

The general himself first quietly went to the woods outside Bracada to find a place where there was no one there, and beat and kicked the trees. Language scolded the dog **** head, until the anger was almost vented before going back to find the priest and requesting to set off with this army. He was worried about handing over the command of this team of elites to such an idiot.

A few days after departure, the troops, led by those scouts, found the trace of the monster without much effort. Huge footprints and a strong stench of corpses are the signposts. It didn't take long to follow the footprints, and found this monster.

The general and the priest boarded a nearby hill together, and they could see clearly that the monster was slowly moving towards the northwest.

The general took out a long iron cylinder from his arms. This was a gift given to him by the Duke of Mrak in the capital through Captain Roland.

The Duke has always been on the side of the military in the DPRK. He is also a soldier, and he has won the trust of other military ministers. Although his daughter was about to marry a son of the Erni family, everyone believed that it was just a matter of personal feelings between the young children. As we all know, the Duke has been working hard for the funding of the army, and such a gift, for example, makes people feel that the Duke is still a soldier who cares about the front line.

This is a wonderful thing, a masterpiece of dwarf craftsmen, through which you can see things in the distance. This is indeed very useful in combat, and the general is very grateful for the Duke's kindness.

Through the iron tube, the general saw the huge monster clearly. The overall outline of this monster turned out to be a dragon that only appeared in legends.

It was a body made up of countless corpses. Judging from the costumes of those corpses, it was the reconnaissance troop he sent half a month ago. The soldiers who were originally alive and well squeezed together, and the many protruding limbs had already rotted, shaking with the movement of the monster, like the body hair of the giant monster. Sometimes a distorted face emerges from the distorted limbs, and countless such lifeless images combine to form a huge monster that is moving by itself. This is all death in action. The strong corpse smell did not attract the corpse hawk, and all creatures were instinctively afraid of the monster's breath.

The weird and frightening appearance combined with the strong smell of corpses in the air combined into a weird and terrifying atmosphere, enough to make anyone feel horrified. Even the general, who was used to the killing scene, felt a chill down his back. He could feel that this was not something simple.

Principal Nags also saw the huge monster through the iron cylinder, and his face turned blue. Even the zombies had only read the illustrated book.

"It seems that this monster will not cause any harm to our army for the time being. Let's withdraw the troops first and report to the Academy of Magic, and let them send a full-time priest to check and analyze this monster before we talk about it." The general saw He looked at the priest's face and helped him make a decision.

But Priest Nags became furious: "What kind of soldier is he who retreats in the face of the enemy?"

"You don't even know what that thing is, and you just attack randomly. These magicians have spent countless efforts to cultivate them. What if the troops are damaged? Is your head full of shit? "The general's anger finally came out, and he roared at the priest.

Principal Nags cringed subconsciously, the aura of soldiers fighting for a living on the line of life and death is by no means something that a young man lying in a pile of women can compete with. But the priest immediately felt that he could not be shocked by such a warrior. In order to regain his self-esteem, he turned and ordered to his deputy: "Pass my order, in the name of the Holy God, all assault to destroy this evil monster."

"Stop." The general's roar stopped the footsteps that the deputy had just stepped out.

"I am the commander here, and they are all my people. Go and deliver the order, this is my order." The priest summoned up his courage to confront the general. In the minds of his subordinates, the order finally prevailed, and he ran to the troops down the mountain.

Watching helplessly, hundreds of magicians rode their horses towards the monster. The general glared at the priest, almost spewing fire from inside, and said through gritted teeth: "You'd better hope that this monster can really be dealt with at once."

The magicians rode their horses and approached quickly. The corpse dragon didn't seem to care too much about these small things like ants in its eyes. It easily burned dozens of these things into dust a few days ago.

It has no thinking ability, and its own powerful magic power makes it refuse all orders. Now it is just following the instinct given to it by the magic circle that created it, looking for the flow of magic power in the earth and heading northwest.

The magicians rushed within the magic range. Following an order from a few of the mid-level magicians, in just a split second, the outline of the corpse dragon was completely submerged in flashes of light and flames, and various attack magics collided and exploded on the corpse's body. The explosion of the fireball, the burning of the flame, the white light and thunder of the lightning, and the whistling and fragmentation of the ice arrow became a large and magnificent display of magic. Every explosion, every flash, every howl is powerful enough to knock down an ogre.

Even on the hilltops in the distance, the amazing magic power released by these hundreds of magicians can be felt. The power of these hundreds of mages attacking together is indeed extraordinary, even if it is a mountain, it should be flattened. Priest Nags was triumphant, as if he heard the sonata in the ceremony of being promoted to the great priest.

A green wave suddenly rushed out of this pile of gorgeous magical fireworks, and immediately drowned out all the other flashes and roars with its incomparably majestic momentum.

In just a few blinks, the green waves dissipated, and the wilderness returned to tranquility, as if nothing had happened. The wind blew over a large piece of black scorched earth with the corpse dragon as the center, and there was a slight whistling. There was nothing on the scorched earth. The magnificent magic scene just now seemed to be just a momentary illusion.

There was not even a trace left on the body of the corpse dragon. The huge magic power and life energy contained in these corpses made its protection dozens of times stronger than that of soft armor processed by magic, and neither magic nor physical attacks would have any effect.

After being stunned for a while, Priest Nags reached out and hugged his head, shaking his head and shouting: "How could this be..."

The general hit him in the face with a fist the size of a casserole pot, and he flew far away after the sound of bones breaking.

Principal Nags led the army to destroy the giant undead monster, but unfortunately he and his troops died in battle. The general has already thought about the content of the report.

The most powerful weapon against the orc army, the talents cultivated by the Magic Academy with countless efforts, disappeared in the blink of an eye. The general was trembling all over.

Seeing all this, Bishop Ronis, who was standing on another distant hill, was also trembling slightly.

"I regret it now, I really regret it..." Bishop Ronis lowered his head, repeating the words with a low accent, as if he had to do this to express his feelings. "I regret helping to create such a monster." The hundreds of magicians who were burned to death were all trained by the Magic Academy, and they were all his students.

"This is the most painless death. They may die without even having time to think about the idea of ​​'death'. This is really a perfect way of death. Teacher, you don't need to feel sad for them." Vader Nina's body is just a shell. Her voice is forced out of her throat with air magic. Seriously speaking.

Ronis turned his head to look at her, his eyes were completely burned with anger.

"Teacher, you don't need to be angry. If they die, it will prove to others that our masterpiece is perfect. This is just a hundred lives. With this as a warning, thousands of people can be saved. Isn't it worth the death of tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers?" Vidnina spoke eloquently. "Does the teacher feel distressed because they are students of the Magic Academy? I remember what the teacher often taught me before, that life does not distinguish between high and low."

"How can a necromantic monster like a lich understand the meaning of life?" Bishop Ronis turned his head and sighed. He still clearly remembers the student's appearance twenty years ago. It was full of vitality, energy, and beauty, and everyone who saw her couldn't bear to associate her with the concept of 'death'.

"Teacher, you are wrong. As long as it exists, it must be destroyed, that is, it must die. I just changed the form of my life structure, and I am no longer old. And I became like this. Because I am too afraid of death. I am afraid that time will kill me, and I am afraid that my own life will pass away outside my will, so I use this method to save my life."

"It's just a monster created by magic." Ronis dismissed it.

"Teacher, you are wrong again." Vidnina continued to explain her point of view. "Where is this sorcery? This is completely the crystallization of human wisdom. Humans have created various technologies, smelting, planting, and medicine, in order to allow themselves to live more securely and longer. In other words, human wisdom has always been It is fighting against death and extending one’s own life. And what is the essential difference between the technology of creating an ageless body like mine and those ordinary technologies? The so-called wisdom and technology are both the ways in which life expresses itself to extend itself. But my method is more complicated and advanced, so it's not easy for mediocre people to accept." She raised her hand, revealing her skeleton covered in skin. "This is the life extended by the most advanced technology, and my body is the highest embodiment of human vitality."

Ronis frowned and looked at her shattered bones showing off, and saw the dead gray inside through the holes in the skin. His student's logical reasoning is still so impeccable. Twenty years ago, she was recognized as a rare magical talent in a hundred years, possessing wisdom unimaginable by ordinary people. The end result is that she used her wits to recreate ancient lost rituals to transform herself into a lich. I don't know if it's because she is too smart.

Once human beings eat the fruit of wisdom, they are doomed not to enjoy the reality of life. Ronis suddenly thought of this allusion.

"Why are you two always arguing about these boring things? After more than twenty years, you haven't made any progress." Na said: "Can you talk about some substantive questions? What is the purpose of you creating that monster? Why do you want us to follow along and watch this big guy move around slowly? You know how long I haven't been there?" Have you had tea and chatted in the teahouse?"

"I'm really sorry to disturb the teacher's elegance. As a magician, I just want to create a perfect magical artwork." Vidnina said lightly. "Isn't it also the responsibility of us creators to pay attention to the situation of this artwork?"

Sandro said: "To be honest, why did you choose this place to build this thing? Don't tell me it's just a temporary plan. Stay here for a few days and I can probably guess what happened It's over. That big guy has been heading towards the center of this highland."

Videnina smiled a very weird smile on the upper half of her face. "That's because I fixed its instinct when I made it. It will walk from here to the center of this highland along the direction of the leylines, and remove some garbage there. Such a magical work of art is naturally It has to play a role commensurate with it. So I let it guard the land that will become a holy place until the king of the world comes. Because a new world order will rise from here."

"The king of the world? The new order?" Sandro spat hard. "You still believe in these vain nonsense? It's just to fool those brainless idiots in the guild. I took the book away to keep you from thinking about it all day long."

Ronis sneered and said, "What else can they do besides doing these tricks? Do you tell them to go to the fields to find friends and chat, and then care about political, military and national affairs when they are free?"

Videnina smiled and said, "Big thing? Those are just passing clouds, why bother." She pointed to the northwest direction. "The city-states there brought together various orcs who were about to become extinct. They were coaxed by freedom and independence, and combined with the chambers of commerce of various countries to govern a thriving scene. They wanted to occupy the location of this central traffic hub and grow stronger. .But will the Einfast Empire watch the orcs they have been slaughtering become independent? Do the surrounding countries really hope to establish a country on this highland? Hasn’t the army of the Empire already arrived? And this war The victory or defeat affects the ups and downs of the empire's political situation. Hmph, military affairs, political turmoil, national survival, founding a country, prosperity and strength. These are really great and beautiful rhetoric. Enough to make those ants obsessed with it Desperation, let those poets sing. But what are these actually? This central place where so many vicissitudes of life have gathered, it will soon be reduced to ashes under the works I created. Naturally, the major military affairs that happened will no longer exist.”

"Do you think you are already a god?" Ronis snorted coldly.

"I am not a god, and there is no **** in this world at all. I have just surpassed these mortal worlds. I have seen through the glitz and fantasies of this world that are nothing more than bubbles, and everything that happens is just the development of this whole world. Just a few small cogs, and the world has determined its own direction since the beginning of existence. The result is already doomed. Why indulge in those meaningless things?" Her voice rose with excitement , which is even more ugly. "I asked the two teachers to stay and watch. I hope that the two teachers will come to see with their own eyes how our works turn those unsightly garbage into fly ash, to prove that everything is as I said. Only what we do can It is in line with the law of development of this world, and it is truly meaningful."

Sandro spat for the third time to express his disapproval, and said: "Sometimes I really admire you for spending so much thought and energy on these boring things. Why can't you live a simpler life?" Like me, don't think about anything, just do what is interesting. Even you asked me to be such a dangerous big guy, I just thought it was fun. Don't always think about the meaning of doing things. "

Vidnina laughed out loud. It was the sound of a wolf crying for mourning. "About being interesting, I can also tell the two teachers a very interesting thing. I drove that classmate into the sun well, and he was seriously injured near death. A person who practiced the meditation of reality was also seriously injured I believe the two teachers will be very clear about what will happen if they fall into the sun well that is full of power. The wave power in the well water will be sucked away by him, that is, the legendary ritual used by the elves to resist the darkness. Destroyed. And I know that this classmate ran out of the Whispering Forest with those powers. Because the two teachers did not show any surprise when they saw my World Tree leaf, it will never be Whispering The elves of the forest will inform you."

Sandro and Ronis glanced at each other, but said nothing.

Ronis said lightly: "What you believe is your own business~IndoMTL.com~ We also have what we believe. Everyone is acting for what they believe in, and in the end we will see who believes in it It is correct."

"It was originally like this." Vidnina said meaningfully. "I don't know if that classmate would take the two leaves of the world tree with him when he escaped? Then the legendary elves' ignorant ceremony will really be ignorant. I don't think he will do it for no reason. I can see that he is very strong and will be stronger, as long as there is desire to become stronger, he will not let go of such a good thing as the leaf of the world tree."

Ronis sneered and said, "I'm afraid this will disappoint you. He took one away, but it has been used to save someone."

"And it's saving a woman. It really has the sentimental demeanor of my youth." Sandro said shaking his head.

Half of Vidnina's face showed a somewhat disappointed expression, and then said disapprovingly: "But if you save one person, you may not save everyone. If you like a woman, you may not like everyone. People. All developments are within our expectations, and sooner or later all the things that are in the way of our delusion will be reduced to ashes. If the two teachers don't believe it, just wait and see." She sighed. "I really hope to see him alive again."