"Elder Xia, do you think there is any hope of renovating this factory?"
Knives of this quality... Chen Xu felt that only a fodder factory would want them, processing them into bone meal to be mixed into feed.
Xia Deliang shook his head. "I have seen many things, but I am no god. I do not understand this factory of yours either; perhaps it is some kind of necrotic technology?"
Seeing that Xia Deliang was also at a loss, Chen Xu stared blankly at the massive facility. It could not just be left here to rot, could it?
"This factory of yours should have been generated after fusing dungeon space fragments, right?" Xia Deliang suddenly remarked.
"Yes. It came from fragments exchanged from Yinglun."
"Then find more fragments to fuse and see if you can renovate it."
Xia Deliang's words immediately struck a chord with Chen Xu.
"That is right; I almost forgot about that. Elder Xia, do you have any relevant fragments on your end?"
"You brat, stop eyeing my stash. Even if I had some, do you think the Heavenly Crafts Academy would let you gamble with them on this factory instead of using them to renovate their own forging mystic realms?" Xia Deliang glared at Chen Xu again.
He had only intended to give a kind reminder, yet the boy almost tricked him into pulling out his family treasures. Given Chen Xu's status as a Dragon Seed, if he applied to Daxia, they might actually allocate a relevant dungeon space fragment to him.
However, those fragments were being eyed by every faction within the Heavenly Crafts Academy. If those old fogeys found out it was because of his suggestion that they lost another fragment, they would probably whisper about him behind his back.
And if they further learned that the fragment was used to renovate such a piece of junk factory, they might even unite to impeach him, claiming his virtue did not match his position.
"Smart, Precision, Artisan, Modern, and Lucky. Dungeon space fragments with these affixes should be able to renovate your factory. I will give you another lead. In the City of Miracles, one of the five special dungeons, many people sell dungeon space fragments. You can go there and try your luck."
"Sigh, Elder Xia, hearing you say that, are you very familiar with the City of Miracles?"
"Mhm." Xia Deliang nodded. "The Heavenly Crafts Academy also takes some forging commissions there to earn some foreign exchange."
"Foreign exchange?"
"The common currency of the City of Miracles, jointly issued by several major merchants. Alright, I have seen enough here. If there is nothing else, send me back. I still need to notify logistics to pack up your pickaxes."
Afterward, Chen Xu sent Xia Deliang back to the base. Once Xia Deliang left, Chen Xu went to find Xia Qiming. Having learned from Xia Deliang that the City of Miracles had a common currency, Chen Xu intended to sell the spoils of war gathered by his skeleton army in Akhan to Daxia and exchange them for City of Miracles currency.
Xia Qiming brought in several professionals to evaluate the mountain of items Chen Xu had produced. Ultimately, they gave a price of 100 Dragon Seed points. Each Dragon Seed point could be exchanged for 10 units of City of Miracles currency.
For the support mission, Daxia had also awarded 50 Dragon Seed points. Combined with Chen Xu's savings, he had a total of 350 points, all of which he exchanged for 3,500 units of City of Miracles currency.
That night, Chen Xu returned to the Undead Kingdom.
Xuan Chu had already finished the cleanup work in Akhan.
At this moment, 1.7 million skeletons were lined up in neat rows within the Undead Kingdom. There should have been more, but they had suffered significant losses after being ambushed several times by monsters in the Scourge Lands.
【Raise Skeleton (Level 41+4): Summon a skeleton. If a corpse is consumed for the summoning, additional bonuses are granted based on the quality of the corpse. Current enhancements: Cold Enhancement, Aura of Cold, Special Curse. (Total skeleton soldiers: 800,000)】
【skeleton hero: Bone Guard One (Level 20)】
【skeleton hero: Bone Guard Two (Level 20)】
【skeleton hero: Bone Guard Three (Level 10)】
【skeleton hero: Bone Guard Four (Level 3)】
【Summon Skeleton Priest (Level 18+4): Summon a Skeleton Priest. The Skeleton Priest can cast summoning skills and defensive bone skills mastered by the practitioner. Current enhancements: Extra Strong. (Total Skeleton Priests: 1,000)】
【skeleton hero: Rathma (Level 10)】
【Summon Skeleton Archer (Level 22+4): Summon a Skeleton Archer. The sharp arrows of the Skeleton Archer can easily pierce through flesh. Current enhancements: Multi-Shot. (Total Skeleton Archers: 450,000)】
【skeleton hero: Blood Raven (Level 10)】
【skeleton hero: Unconverted】
【Summon Skeleton Mage (Level 22+4): Summon a Skeleton Mage. The Skeleton Mage masters the powers of frost and shadow. Current enhancements: Cold Enhancement. (Total Skeleton Mages: 450,000)】
【skeleton hero: Tal Rasha (Level 10)】
【skeleton hero: Unconverted】
【Black Knight (Level 2+4): They are elegant stewards and powerful knights. They can assist the Lord of the Undead in managing the kingdom and are skilled in crusading against the ignorant who disrespect the Lord of the Undead.】
In the campaign to expand the territory in the world of Akhan, the skeleton army had not only grown significantly in number, but the levels of the summoning skills had also increased. Combat was truly necessary; the results were several times better than daily practice.
【Skeleton Archer reaches level 20, 996 Talent triggers, obtaining effect: Overtime Pay (If you are threatened, please seek help from the Undead Humanitarian Center.), choose one from the following three enhancements.】
【Cold Enhancement: Skeleton Archer attacks are infused with cold power, which can freeze enemies.】
【Hardened Skin: The bones of the Skeleton Archer become harder, increasing defense. (The hardness of the fired bone arrows is also enhanced, increasing penetration.)】
【Aura of Fanaticism: The Skeleton Archer unfolds an Aura of Fanaticism, increasing the attack power and attack speed of themselves and nearby allies.】
【Skeleton Mage reaches level 20, 996 Talent triggers, obtaining effect: Overtime Pay (Ah, so it's a mage? Then it's not surprising, is it?), choose one from the following three enhancements.】
【Magic Resistance: The Skeleton Mage gains increased magic resistance and can become immune to low-level magic damage (no longer need to fear accidental death while researching spells!).】
【Fire Enhancement: The Skeleton Mage masters fire spells, increasing fire attribute damage. In addition to basic Fire Bolts and Fireballs, they can also release Fire Walls and summon Hydras.】
【Extra Strong: The Skeleton Mage receives an increase to all attributes.】
Both the Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Mages could now choose new affixes.
Chen Xu had not expected Hardened Skin to also enhance the strength of the arrows. Did those arrows count as part of the Skeleton Archer's body?
Regardless, Chen Xu chose the Aura of Fanaticism. A simple and direct increase in attack power and attack speed, combined with Multi-Shot, made overwhelming firepower the superior choice.
As for the Skeleton Mages, he chose the Fire Enhancement affix. The Skeleton Mages, who could previously only use low-tier spells, were now capable of casting mid-tier spells after the enhancement. This was undoubtedly a significant upgrade.
In addition to the affix expansion, there were two skeleton hero conversion slots and one Black Knight summoning slot.
Chen Xu raised his hand to begin the conversion. However, as he looked over the vast sea of skeletons to select his targets, a sudden whim struck him, and he looked toward the Overlord's Castle.
With a flash of movement, he teleported onto the Overlord's Castle.
Seeing Chen Xu ascend the fortress, Xuan Chu immediately commanded the skeleton army to turn and face the Overlord's Castle.
Looking down from above at the neat maneuvers of the million-strong army, a surge of hot blood rushed to his heart. He felt as though something was germinating in his mind.
He quickly cast Cleansing Heart Array on himself several times to calm down.
He pointed toward one Skeleton Archer and one Skeleton Mage, using the conversion slots.
【Skeleton Hero conversion successful, obtained skeleton hero, type: Ranger, please bestow a name】
【Skeleton Hero conversion successful, obtained skeleton hero, type: Elemental Mage, please bestow a name】
"Archers, Kashya. Mage, Ward."
【skeleton hero: Kashya (Level 1)】
【Skills: Quick Roll, Frenzied Shooting, Heart of Vengeance】
【Quick Roll (Level 1): A special movement technique developed by the skeleton hero from long periods of traversing various terrains. The roll cannot be interrupted.】
【Frenzied Shooting (Level 1): A solitary ranger is constantly alert to her surroundings. Pour out a hail of arrows upon nearby enemies.】
【Heart of Vengeance (Level 1): An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Grudges of the wilderness are never delayed. Damage dealt to hostile creatures is increased. If the skeleton hero kills an enemy, she gains a brief sense of pleasure, temporarily and significantly increasing all attributes.】
【skeleton hero: Ward (Level 1)】
【Skills: Elemental Spirit, Frost Tornado, Thunderstorm】
【Elemental Spirit (Level 1): The skeleton hero is followed by an Elemental Spirit, increasing the damage of all elemental spells. The Elemental Spirit can independently cast low-tier elemental spells.】
【Frost Tornado (Level 1): Create a fierce wind laden with frost that easily shreds your enemies.】
【Thunderstorm (Level 1): Lock onto an enemy and nature will descend its harshest punishment—lightning!】
After the two skeleton heroes completed their conversion, they walked to the front of the ranks and stood with the other skeleton heroes.
Next was the Black Knight. He cast the spell, and ten seconds later, a Black Knight similar to Xuan Chu appeared beside Chen Xu.
The Black Knight knelt on one knee, left hand over his chest and right hand behind his back. A muffled voice echoed from within the armor. "Respected Lord of the Undead, your most loyal servant is at your service!"
The same posture, the same words.
"You shall be named Xuan Zhong."
"Thank you for the name, my Lord." Xuan Zhong stood up, jumped directly off the fortress, and walked over to Xuan Chu's side.
"There is one last thing."
【Extolling the Name of the Lord of the Undead task completed. Lord of the Undead, please commend your loyal skeleton heroes.】
When he first saw this prompt, Chen Xu did not understand it. After all, previous Advancement Ascension rewards were directly generated by the World Will, but this time, he had to perform it himself.
Fortunately, as he received the prompt, a portion of knowledge belonging to the Lord of the Undead was quietly unsealed deep within his soul. Chen Xu now knew what he had to do.
"Bone Guard One!" Chen Xu shouted loudly.
"My Lord!" Bone Guard One knelt on one knee.
"Since your birth, you have led the skeleton soldiers to battle in all directions, achieving countless military merits. Now, I, Chen Xu, the Lord of the Undead, appoint you as the First Great General of the Skeletons and bestow upon you the title of Valiant, to command all skeleton soldiers."
As soon as he spoke, a beam of grayish-white light descended from the sky of the Undead Kingdom onto Bone Guard One, transforming into a pure white general's robe.
"Your will shall be the only direction for Bone Guard One."
Chen Xu then looked toward Bone Guard Two.
"Bone Guard Two!"
"My Lord!" Bone Guard Two likewise knelt on one knee, placing his spear flat on the ground.
"Your hunting abilities are outstanding, and you were the first to defeat a legendary creature. I, Chen Xu, the Lord of the Undead, appoint you as the First Hunter of the Skeletons and bestow upon you the title of Bane of the Hunt. From this day forward, there shall be an exhibition hall in this Undead Kingdom to display the things you have hunted."
Two beams of grayish-white light fell from the sky. One descended onto Bone Guard Two's spear, while the other landed a kilometer away from the Overlord's Castle, forming an exhibition hall.
"Bone Guard Two will surely do his best to fill the hall and extol your name to the outside world."
Chen Xu nodded and then looked at Bone Guard Three.
"Bone Guard Three!"
"My Lord!" Bone Guard Three crossed his dual blades behind his back and knelt on one knee.
"Though you were born not long ago and I have not yet witnessed your prowess in battle, both Xuan Chu and Bone Guard One speak of your fearless heart and your habit of charging at every foe. I, Chen Xu, the Lord of the Undead, appoint you as the First Warrior of the Skeletons and bestow upon you the title of Brutal Valor. I hope that in the future, you will have the courage to swing your blades at any enemy."
Another beam of light fell. Bone Guard Three's size surged from three meters to six meters, and the dual bone blades on his back were similarly enhanced, engraved with strange patterns.
Bone Guard Three stood up from the ground, spread his arms, and let out two loud roars.
"Roar! Ha!"
"Mhm. That is the kind of courage you need."
"Rathma! Blood Raven! Tal Rasha!"
"My Lord!" the three shouted in unison.
"You have also achieved great merits in the campaign to expand the territory in Akhan. Rathma, I appoint you as the First Grand Master of the Skeletons to oversee all Skeleton Priests. Blood Raven, I appoint you as the First Sharpshooter General of the Skeletons to lead all Skeleton Archers. Tal Rasha, I heard that like Bone Guard Two, you are not suited for leading troops. Thus, I appoint you as the First Archmage of the Skeletons. A magic tower belonging to you shall be erected in this Undead Kingdom!"
Four beams of light descended from the sky. Three landed on Rathma, Blood Raven, and Tal Rasha. Rathma's originally gray robes gained many patterns, and a pure white scepter appeared in his hand. Blood Raven received a war robe similar to Bone Guard One's. A book appeared in Tal Rasha's hand, and in the distance, a bone magic tower rose from the ground.
"Praise be to my Lord!" the three exclaimed.
Xuan Chu knelt on one knee and simultaneously commanded the entire skeleton army to do the same.
"For the Lord of the Undead!" Xuan Chu led the shout.
"For the Lord of the Undead!" 1,701,011 voices thundered.
The roar pierced through the clouds and enveloped Chen Xu. This was the first time Chen Xu realized that those skeleton soldiers could actually make sound.
【Secret of the Lord of the Undead's Conferment: It is said that besides the naturally loyal Black Knights, who can share divine power and become subordinate gods when the Lord of the Undead ascends to godhood, other undead creatures can only receive such an honor after being conferred by the Lord of the Undead.】
Rate on N.U.
