Azure Scepter

Page 98

Futia blinked.

"You...you actually knew all of this?"

Before Trier could answer, she suddenly whispered in Elvish, "Do you speak Elvish?"

Trier raised an eyebrow, suddenly realizing that Faldia's tone had the characteristic rising intonation of McQueen Elvish.

So he replied in McQueen Elvish, "No."

Futia paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“I left some notes on the map written in Elvish, which were some of my guesses.”

This time, Futia spoke in the common language of humans.

Trier returned to his bedroom with the map drawn by Fyodor. Instead of sleeping, he sat down in a chair and meditated for two hours.

Whether before or after his transmigration, Trier has always been full of energy, and he only needs a short rest to regain his strength.

With a long, deep breath, my attention, which had been somewhat scattered due to overwork, returned to normal, and my thoughts became clear again.

Trier slowly opened his eyes, then got up and walked to the table.

He reached out and picked up the map that Futia had drawn, then hung it on the wall.

Trier then took two steps back, put his hands behind his back, and stared at the map.

Futia's map was very neat, every stroke was clear and accurate, all kinds of scales were standardized and orderly, and the coordinate grid and contour lines were as precise as mechanical gears.

Looking at the map, Trier even recalled the most authoritative electronic map in the game. Although Fythia's map was only hand-drawn with rulers and compasses, it was almost identical to the most accurate electronic map.

“The preliminary preparations for dealing with the upper nobility of the duchy are now basically complete,” Trier thought. “Next, I just need to wait for the effects of these preparations to take hold—it’s time to start the next phase of work.”

The candlelight was dim and flickering, illuminating Trier's expressionless face, with the cold-toned fog and moonlight behind him.

Looking at the map of the Southern Duchy, he couldn't help but recall the basic information about the duchy.

The Southern Duchy is the main grain-producing area of ​​the Kingdom of Orko. Due to its fertile land and spring-like climate all year round, it is also known as the Green Fields.

Overall, the duchy is bordered by the sea to the east, with steep, continuous mountain ranges to the west and north, and the infamous, undead-infested swamp to the south. The duchy's terrain slopes from north to south, consisting mainly of plains and some hills. Most of the population lives in the coastal and plain areas, with only a small number scattered among the mountains.

Trier looked toward the edge of the map—where Fythia had written a note.

"Unlike most human kingdoms, the fiefdom system of the Southern Duchy is quite unique."

"There are no major vassals here. Most of the land in the duchy is directly in the hands of the duke. Apart from the temple lands of the Church of Radiance, there are only two clearly autonomous earls in the entire duchy. One is the Earl of Silkarond, which is located in the range of mountains, and the other is the Earl of Harlan, which is the starting point of this plague outbreak."

"Among the vast territories of direct control, there are many scattered knightly territories and various semi-autonomous towns (such as Beaver Town, where I am now). Due to military conscription, most of them are severely under-defended."

"According to His Highness Edith, the sudden concentration of power in the southern duchy occurred ten years ago, but with the mysterious death of the duke's eldest son (Harlan's uncle), this process of annexation and centralization came to a quiet end. The ambassador believes that the actual driving force behind this process was the duke's deceased eldest son."

Trier narrowed his eyes slightly. According to his memories in the game, the Southern Duchy was just an ordinary feudal duchy, and the concentration of real estate should have been driven by him.

He looked up and continued to study the map.

The map, with its neat and precise strokes, is interspersed with many scarlet crosses and lines. According to Futia's map legend, these scarlet crosses and lines represent areas of blood plague infection that are completely out of control.

According to the map, the blood plague is currently concentrated in Earl Harlan's territory, with nearly three-fifths of the territory falling. The red color spreads and permeates like foul-smelling, putrid blood.

The Earldom of Harlan was surrounded by the Blood Plague on three sides, but if you look closely, you can see that even in the human-controlled areas, many knightly territories and towns have fallen. Near each red cross, there are one after another shocking blood-red arrows drawn outwards—representing the direction of the infected's advance.

Here, Faldia gave a brief summary of the situation in her beautiful Elvish language.

"Surrounded on three sides, with multiple points of attack, I hope these brave humans can pull through."

Trier looked out over the rest of the territory outside Earl Harlan.

Large and small red crosses covered almost all the main roads leading to the outside world in the earldoms, and countless zombies and undead monsters had completely blocked the way. Outside the passageways, the red color representing the blood plague spread like mycelium spewing spores.

According to the map, the green arrow representing Earl Cohen's army is attacking westward from Whispering City as their base—they are trying to open a passage to the Duchy's capital, Wilt, while the army's north side is marked with a series of arc-shaped defensive symbols.

Trier observed for a moment, then realized that the northern line of defense was uneven with many bulges, which meant that the Earl's army was retreating in the face of the undead attack from the north, and the defending army was under great pressure.

However, Futia's annotation here conveys a sense of elation.

PS: One more update coming soon.

Chapter 196 Map (Part Two)

"It is said that one-third of the people responsible for the defense of the north side were the elderly, weak, sick and disabled who were forcibly conscripted."

"The attacks of the undead were not fierce, but slow and persistent, like seawater eroding rocks—humans resisted step by step, but inevitably had to take turns and retreat."

"However, we held Beavertown, which, together with the remaining Aurenor Fortress, greatly reduced the pressure on the people to defend it—what happened in Beavertown was truly a heroic feat."

"It's worth mentioning that Beaver Town acted as a fulcrum, firmly anchoring itself to the north, greatly reducing the defensive pressure. It's unbelievable that we did it; it's truly a heroic feat!"

Trier nodded slightly, staring at the map and thinking quickly.

"Over the past few days, I have successfully uncovered the high-level players in the power struggle that are influencing this crisis, as well as some of the truth behind Lorthevi's transformation into a lich. I have also partially learned about the demands of the participants and the methods they may take. At the same time, I have gained the friendship of Edith, the nominal leader of the Kingdom's Investigation Team, through our shared interests. I have also successfully reached an agreement with Oris and Vercingetorie to evacuate their people and block food transport."

"Overall, progress has been relatively smooth."

"The key issue is that these high-level forces must confront Loseweh and eliminate her, but the struggle between the undead and the army also has a significant impact on the balance."

"For Loseweg, within the Radiant pantheon, the pressure of information from prayers to Saint Sel, the god of travel and protection of women and children, will be transferred onto her. In this case, the greater the army's advantage, the fewer casualties among its subjects, which means the greater the weakening she suffers."

"If things really develop as they have in the game's history, and the entire duchy is wiped out, then Lorsevie's power will reach a terrifying level."

"For Lady Bloodthorn to break through the restrictions of the Azure Laws, she either needs to find her own vessel and create a stable avatar, or she needs to create a portal to another world through large-scale sacrifices and massacres, thereby forcibly pulling herself into a specific location in the Prime Material Plane for a few hours. In that case, the fewer the local inhabitants there are, the more difficult it will be for her to directly intervene."

"For Saint Seir, the goal of making Losevie the public enemy of the Radiant pantheon by letting the blood plague spread and creating disaster has not yet been achieved, because the situation is not serious enough. I estimate that at least half of the duchy's population must die before His plan can be initially realized. In this situation, the more the army maintains a slightly weakened state in the battle against the undead, the more beneficial it will be to Him."

Looking at the map, Trier couldn't help but let out a cold smile.

"Now it seems that the overall situation of the balance of power between the army and the undead is most in line with Saint Seir's expectations - there is a disadvantage, but it has not yet reached the point of collapse."

Trier turned around and began pacing back and forth, slowing his thoughts and gradually synchronizing the rhythm of his mind with the rhythm of his movement.

"Think about other factors that haven't been considered yet."

"Firstly, Saint Seir's strength is still very opaque—although He has a divine status, He does not truly possess divine office and divinity, something I have never actually seen before. However, since He would resort to underhanded tactics to deal with Losevie, it can be basically assumed that the opponent is weaker than Losevie."

"If we were to rank them by strength, then the strongest would undoubtedly be Losevie, followed by Saint Seir, and then Lady Bloodthorn."

"Therefore, the next step is obvious—to open up a smooth transportation route in the northwest through the Corpse Demon army and transport a large portion of the people in the territory out."

"Although I reached an agreement with Oris and Vercingetorie, given their moral standards, at most they can guarantee that the army will not carry out a large-scale massacre of the people, but they certainly will not open a route that can help the people escape to the outside world."

"While sea transport is a feasible approach, it is insufficient to evacuate a large number of people. A more efficient way to proceed is to allocate the limited transport capacity to transport reinforcements and military supplies."

"Therefore, we still have to rely on the army of corpse demons under my control."

Trier stopped in his tracks, his gaze shifting from Eraf on the map to the cluster of towns in the northwest of the Earl's territory.

"Use the Corpse Demon army to open up the twelve towns in the northwest, and then use these towns as fulcrums to further clear the northwest direction, thereby clearing a road."

"Besides affecting the balance among demigods, this will also bring me a huge amount of experience points, which should be enough for me to reach the threshold of becoming a legend."

"At the same time, from a purely moral standpoint, doing so could greatly reduce casualties among the people and defuse the imminent unrest."

"However, we must also consider the downsides—this will inevitably lead to a significant loss of population for the duchy, reduce the number of people that can be conscripted in the most urgent situation, and affect future development potential. But now is not the time to consider these things."

Trier sighed and sat back down in his chair.

"Of course, this can't be done on a whim. I need to meet three conditions before the formal attack and evacuation begin."

"First of all, a chaotic escape will inevitably lead to destruction. I need to establish basic organization among the refugees, otherwise, if an accident occurs, there will definitely be huge casualties."

"Secondly, we must make advance arrangements for the lords outside who can accept a large influx of refugees. This can be coordinated through Edith."

"Finally, I need to take advantage of this opportunity to hire a large number of mercenaries—on the one hand, mercenaries can serve as a cover for the Corpse Demon Army's operations. The situation is still unclear, and directly exposing the Corpse Demon Army to the public might affect my influence among the local nobles, which is an unnecessary risk. On the other hand, achieving military victory by leading mercenaries will also help me consolidate my prestige."

"On the other hand, I can also use the excuse of evacuating my people to openly gather strength. That way, if our internal conflicts eventually break out and we end up fighting each other, I will have enough power to forcefully subdue them."

"Anyway, I'll go see Cyrus Schwartz tomorrow. Oh, and I can also visit the Shadow Man's apprentice while I'm at it, and have him deliver the letter to the Great Swamp."

"Now, it's time for me to do some preliminary preparations—such as directly contacting the Corpse Demon army."

With that thought in mind, Trier closed his eyes and sank into the soft back of the chair.

The next moment, his vision went dark as his consciousness was immersed in the magical net that controlled the army of corpse demons.

It's time to test the combat strength of the Corpse Demon army.

Chapter 197 Little Soms' Adventure (Part 1)

The night was thick and heavy. Little Soms crouched on the edge of the second floor of the barn, cautiously peeking out at the street below.

The air was thick with the sour stench of rotting human corpses, and the night wind carried eerie groans like sobs from the zombies. Countless zombies covered in pustules and holes wandered aimlessly through the streets.

Not far away, the signpost in Danles City was burning with ghostly green flames. The magical flames crackled and spooked, casting long, long shadows of the two Silent Whisperers cultists beneath the signpost.

Little Soms observed patiently, and after a moment, he heard the cultists talking under the road sign.

“How long are we supposed to wait? All the living people in Danles City are long gone!” the cultist wearing a cone hat complained loudly. “I heard there are still plenty of living people in Beaver Town! Those are excellent experimental subjects—if we don’t take action soon, we might as well go back to the Great Swamp. Anyway, we’ve made enough money to pay off our loans.”

Another cultist, his face covered in stitches, looked grotesque and distorted as if it had been roughly pieced together. He slowly shook his head: "It's best to fulfill the contract. The Silent Whisperers haven't paid the final payment yet—this job isn't dangerous. All you need to do is create some undead and, incidentally, hunt down and slaughter some unarmed civilians."

“But this is so boring.” The cultist with the pointed hat continued to complain, turning his head to glance at the horde of corpses. “The lich’s finger, look at these Orko people turned into zombies, not a single one is pretty or cute, they’re all either too fat or too thin.”

The cultist, his face covered in stitches, seemed lost in thought, his eyes suddenly flickering.

"Do you think if we secretly brought this huge horde of zombies back to the City That Never Sleeps, we'd become rich overnight?"

"Stop talking nonsense. We ran away because we couldn't pay our student loans. Even if we manage to escape the Silent Whisperers and get back, these zombies will all be confiscated by the bank, and at a low price no less. Damn that abandoned grave bank, those damned vampires..."

At this point, both cult members fell silent.

After a long pause, the cultist with stitches all over his face said in a low voice, "By the way, do you remember those adventurers who were captured a few days ago?"

"I'm not a brainless zombie, of course I remember—the one who got caught said there were five of them in total, we caught three, so there are two left. What, you want to go find those two rats?"

"There's no benefit in catching them," the stitched-up cultist muttered. "Remember that noseless adventurer who said they came here to find buried treasure? Tell me, what if we got our hands on it..."

"Stop dreaming. Even if we do find it, it'll be confiscated and sent to the Silent Whisperers." The cultist with the pointed hat interrupted with a sneer. "Alright, it's finally time for the shift change. Let's go."

Little Soms licked his lips, slowly shrank back, and then, hunched over, made his way down the decaying wooden steps to the first floor of the barn.

Walking on the wooden steps, he couldn't help but feel a little scared. The steps were quite old and had been neglected, so they were very likely to make a piercing sound like a mother cat's scream. If they made a big commotion, the spirits outside would discover them and rush in.

The two cultists who control the undead are both sadists; once you fall into their hands, even a quick and clean death would be a luxury.

— About twenty days ago, a moneylender in Beaver Town suddenly claimed that he had found a pirate treasure map in the ruins of the town hall. According to him, a gang of Orco pirates who were ravaging the Fransid Islands had secretly colluded with the Baron of Beaver Town and entrusted the Baron to bury their treasure in the suburbs of Danles City.

Now that the blood plague has broken out, the entire duchy has fallen into apocalyptic chaos, and with the baron's death, this treasure has naturally been completely ignored.

This is undoubtedly a great opportunity to seize treasure and become rich overnight.

After much persuasion in Beavertown, the moneylender finally found five soldiers willing to join him on the adventure, while young Soms also joined the adventure in order to find his only remaining relatives in Danles City.

But as it turned out, it was a complete disaster.

On their journey, they first encountered an unusually severe rainstorm, and everyone fell ill.

Then, in their search for shelter from the torrential rain, they stumbled upon a dilapidated cemetery, which awakened ancient spirits clad in decaying chainmail. After paying a heavy price—one was beheaded and another was severely wounded—they managed to escape.

After a long trek, the seriously wounded man eventually died from an infection in his wounds. He convulsed as he died, screaming as if struck by lightning. But little Soms was shocked to find that every muscle in the corpse's body was as stiff as a block of iron frozen in winter.

However, after overcoming numerous obstacles and finally arriving in Danles, their nightmare had only just begun.

—Completely different from Beaver Town, Danles City has become a dead zone, filled with undead and cultists. As for Soms' only surviving aunt, she has long since become a bloated, obese walking corpse covered in sores.

They had planned to follow the old ditch in the south of the city into the sewers to find the treasure, but before they even got close to the ditch, the ghosts used by the cultists as lookouts spotted them.

What followed was a horrific massacre. Three of the five were tortured to death by the cultists. Only Soms and the moneylender managed to survive by jumping into the river.

In their panic, they took refuge in an abandoned barn.

Ironically, the pirates' treasure was buried in this barn.

—The steps didn't scream after all, and when little Soms' feet touched the ground floor, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The first floor of the barn was in a mess, with haystacks covered in severed limbs and dried bloodstains. But next to the haystacks, countless gems and gold were piled up like garbage, and the tall, thin moneylender stood beside this treasure that resembled a giant dragon's heap.

Soms walked up to the lender.

"Just as you planned, those cultists are indeed going to take turns. We should move out—don't be picky, just take some gems. Gems are lightweight and valuable. If we take too much, we won't be able to leave."

“If only Lord Trier were here,” the moneylender sighed deeply. “If he were here, Colin, Thord, and the others wouldn’t be dead, and we could have taken all this treasure…”

"Anyway, try to be as quick as possible—repeate our plan, and don't mess things up."

As he spoke, Soms retrieved his rifle from the peeling wall and then tucked the dagger into his ill-fitting belt.

Having learned a lot from the bloody battle in Beavertown, young Soms has grown a lot. He imitates Trier's tone to put the moneylender at ease.

"First, I used throwing pebbles to lure the roaming horde of corpses on the west side away."