Chapter 963: Undead Plants
Besides, in the sky, Ujfalusi and Norfeller were blocking the attacks from the Vampires for the expedition. The two Dracoliches were also going around the team and blocking the Undead Greater Demons for everyone. Besides, they were also killing numerous Undead creatures.
Under such circumstances, even the proud people of the Rotterdam Kingdom could not blame the people of the Tower of Dusk. After all, they did not sustain any injuries, because they were capable. If they were to hold it against the Tower of Dusk, they would just be embarrassing themselves.
However, no one would not be upset or anxious while watching more and more of their underlings die or get injured. After some hesitation, Donald nonetheless looked for Archbishop Martin, and walked to Lin Li with him. “Master Felic, you’ve seen it too. So far, our teams have suffered quite a few casualties, and if we continue like this, I’m afraid that we won’t be able to go any further once we reach the destination that you’ve mentioned. Do you have any solution to help us advance more quickly?”
This time, Donald spoke to Lin Li rather politely and even addressed him respectfully, which was different from his attitude in the past. Clearly, he dared not treat the Tower of Dusk like a small, unknown force anymore. Which small force would own an artifact that had the ability to instantly kill a powerhouse at the peak of the Legendary-realm? Which small force would be able to summon two level-23 Dark Mages[1] at once? Donald even wondered if the Tower of Dusk was just an alias of the Supreme Council, or a direct subordinate force of the Supreme Council.
They first used a magical weapon that could kill a Legendary powerhouse immediately before taking out a magic prop that could summon two Dark Mages. That made Donald almost certain that the Tower of Dusk probably still had some trump cards that they had yet to reveal. He could not influence Lin Li with his status. Hence, he pulled Archbishop Martin along in the hopes of persuading the Tower of Dusk to take out more of their trump cards.
Lin Li did agree to their requests the first two times. He first sent Norfeller and Ujfalusi to defend against the hordes of Vampires, after which he summoned the Twin Dracoliches to kill the Undead Greater Demons. However, after hearing Donald’s words this time, Lin Li did not take out anything. He simply looked at Donald indifferently, and said, “Master Donald, please note that we are partners, and I am not your babysitter. If you don’t prove that you are of some value, is there any need for this partnership to continue existing?”
No matter what, the Rotterdam Kingdom had heritage reaching the Dark Age, and they had barely suffered from any wars in the Dark Age. It was impossible for them not to have any foundation. Lin Li did not believe that Donald and the others would dare to explore the Immortal King’s Sky Castle with their Alchemy Colossuses which had not even reached the Legendary-level.
Although Lin Li did not have to care about what strong trump cards the Rotterdam Kingdom might have with his current strength, there was no need for him to be their babysitter. Even if they were just going to be cannon fodder, they still had to show some value. If the Rotterdam Kingdom did not show any value at all, there would be no need for Lin Li to waste his effort and take them to Osric’s place.
Hearing Lin Li’s words, the expression on Donald’s face stiffened, and he did not know how to reply at all. It was impossible for them to go explore in the Immortal King’s Sky Castle without anything to rely on. However, if he revealed their trump cards, they would no longer be trump cards. After all, three forces were currently working together, and the enemy was not the only thing they had to worry about.
In the history of Anril, there had been many who lost both their manpower and wealth while exploring ruins and searching for treasures all because they lacked trump cards. If the Rotterdam Kingdom was the only force on this expedition, Donald naturally would have no qualms about it. He would definitely use whatever means he had.
However, be it the Tower of Dusk or the Brilliance Shrine, they did not have any strong ties with the Rotterdam Kingdom at all. Hence, they definitely would not feel any guilt for ripping the other force off at all. Actually, there had been quite a few instances in history where siblings turned against each other because of treasures, let alone different forces in a cooperation. One could only trust oneself. In this situation, Donald would have lived in vain if he had not had any reservations.
However, Lin Li had already made his words clear, and if Donald did not take out something of value, it would be tantamount to admitting that the Rotterdam Kingdom was too incompetent. Additionally, it was likely that the cooperation would really be suspended. With their understanding of the previous battles, Donald had to admit that without his own team, the teams of the Tower of Dusk and the Brilliance Shrine might be able to withstand the attack of the Undead creatures. However, if he were to leave the two teams, it would be difficult for his faction to persist even if they took out all their trump cards.
At the thought of this, Donald had no choice but to smile awkwardly. He said, “We’ve indeed prepared some things that we’re planning to use at the crucial juncture. Since you need it now, President Felic, we have no choice but to take it out in advance.”
Upon hearing this, Archbishop Martin couldn’t help but purse his lips silently, and think to himself, The people from Rotterdam Kingdom are really good at preserving their pride. They’re making it sound like they’re stepping in because others cannot.
However, Lin Li did not hold having those thoughts against Donald. As long as they could show some value, they could say whatever they wanted.
Not only did Donald fail to make Lin Li take out more trump cards, he was even forced to show his own. Although that had allowed Donald to regain some of his pride, he still felt rather uncomfortable. However, now that things had developed to this point, he might really be abandoned if he did not take out something valuable.
Soon, Donald arrived in front of the team with 10 Archmages who had yet to attack before. Afterward, under Donald’s request, the team temporarily stopped in their tracks. The 10 Archmages began reciting a Summoning Incantation while taking advantage of the time.
Afterward, an Alchemy Array used to open their Alchemy Space appeared in front of each of the 10 Archmages. As the golden rays of light shone from the Alchemy Arrays, burly figures gradually appeared in the Alchemy Array.
Those items seemed to be Alchemy Colossuses, but not the humanoid ones. Those Alchemy Colossuses each had four legs on the ground and an egg-shaped body. They looked somewhat like giant steel spiders. After summoning the strange Alchemy Colossuses, the 10 Archmages immediately used the Levitation Spell to fly up, and each quickly entered the egg-shaped body of their Alchemy Colossus.
Seeing this, the rest except the team of the Rotterdam Kingdom could not help but be curious. The Alchemy Colossuses that had been summoned seemed to have barely any offensive power. How did they become the secret weapons of the Rotterdam Kingdom?
However, just as everyone was confused, the egg-shaped bodies of the Alchemy Colossuses made some noises, and both sides in front slowly split open, after which a cannon barrel that had the diameter of a bucket stuck out from inside. Seeing this, the crowd finally understood that it was simply a mobile Magical Crystal Cannon!
Actually, it did make sense. Given the relationship between the Rotterdam Kingdom and the Dwarf Kingdom, it would not be too difficult for them to get some Magical Crystal Cannons. Besides, the power of these Magical Crystal Cannons was undoubtedly massive. The only problem was that the Magical Crystal Cannons were not too mobile. They could usually only be fixed to the walls to defend a city. However, the Rotterdam Kingdom was good at alchemy, and using the technology of the Alchemy Colossus to build a mobile turret platform for the Magical Crystal Cannons would definitely be easy.
The portable Magical Crystal Cannon might seem rather simple, but the power of the Magical Crystal Cannons was so massive that it was considered a siege engine type artifact. However, what really caused the Magical Crystal Cannon to be less popular than it should be was not its cost, but its consumption of magical crystals. Each blast of the cannon would cost a bomb, which was not affordable for every force. It was no wonder that the Rotterdam Kingdom’s team chose not to use them previously despite being in crisis.
The appearance of 10 Mobile Magic Crystal Cannons had indeed shocked many people, but Lin Li only took a glance at them and soon lost interest. They were just Magical Crystal Cannons to him. The Tower of Dusk had already had more than 100 of them installed on the tower, and there were also more than 10 Magical Crystal Cannons that were powered by Legendary magical crystals in the Ring of Endless Storm.
Of course, the four-legged movement mode was also a highlight as it was at least much more adaptable than wheeled Alchemy Colossuses. However, that highlight was not attractive to Lin Li at all. He could even get Angelano to build a mobile Magical Crystal Cannon that could fly in the sky if he wanted to, but was that necessary?
However, the people of the Rotterdam Kingdom treated Lin Li’s indifference as pretentiousness. After summoning the mobile Magical Crystal Cannons, Donald puffed his chest up and raised his chin, regaining his proud and arrogant appearance. He pointed his magic staff forward, and 10 mobile Magical Crystal Cannons moved forward, towards the Alchemy Colossuses that were in front. They then extended the barrels of the Magical Crystal Cannons out through the gaps.
“Fire!” Donald ordered with gusto.
The 10 mobile Magical Crystal Cannons had all four legs firmly placed on the ground. The barrels that had been extended outwards began exuding bright magical light. Next, 10 thick Magical Crystal Cannon shots darted out, and all the Undead creatures that had been blocked by the light were reduced to ashes in an instant.
This time, the Undead creatures in front of the expedition were destroyed in the blink of an eye. It was impossible to calculate how many Undead creatures had vanished in the light. Taking this opportunity, the expedition immediately strode forward, and only stopped again when the Undead creatures filled up the empty area again.
“President Felic, what do you think of our new Alchemy Colossuses?” Donald asked Lin Li, trying to show off. At this moment, he wanted to prod him into taking out his trump cards.
However, Lin Li’s expression did not change despite Donald’s bragging. He said, “Continue.”
Upon hearing his words, Donald almost spat blood in displeasure. Clearly, Lin Li was not going to reveal any more trump cards. Instead, he was going to open up the path with the Magical Crystal Cannons. However, as soon as a Magical Crystal Cannon was fired, a level-10 magical crystal would be gone. The level-15 magical crystals would not be enough to sustain a few shots, either. God knew how many times the cannons would have to be fired along the way. Even if Legendary magical crystals were used as the power source, it would not be sustainable.
Although the Rotterdam Kingdom’s team had also gained plenty of magical crystals in the previous exploration, the Magical Crystal Cannons and the Alchemy Colossuses required a lot of magical crystals. That was the same as making the Rotterdam Kingdom’s team lose everything that they had just gained.
However, he was just showing off, yet he had to go back on his word now? No matter how thick-skinned Donald was, he couldn’t find a reason to decline, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept it.
Although the 10 mobile Magical Crystal Cannons were not attractive to Lin Li at all, the power of the Magical Crystal Cannons was known to all. As long as they were willing to spend some magical crystals, they would be able to exert wonderful effects. The 10 mobile Magic Crystal Cannons continuously emitted light, clearing up a large patch of land in front of the expedition again and again. Hence, there was instantly a huge increase in the advancement speed of the team.
They were getting closer and closer to the destination, and the shadow that was covering the sky was becoming increasingly clear to them. After advancing for another day and night, the expedition finally knew what that massive shadow was.
No one could have imagined that the shadow that covered the sky from afar was actually an incomparably huge ancient tree. The sturdy trunk was like a mountain peak, and it was so large in diameter that one would probably take more than a few days and a few nights to run a lap around it. Besides, the canopy of the ancient tree was so large that they could not even see the sun rising and setting.
If it was purely just a tree, it would not be enough to shock them. What really made the members of the expedition overwhelmed with disbelief was that the form of the giant tree was something that none of them had ever seen before. Although the tree had many branches and leaves, it did not give off any vitality. Every leaf on the crown of the tree had a grayish color that was emitting an intense death aura.
The branches of the giant trees were also all covered with thick bone spikes that were constantly spewing black mist as if they were breathing out. Those who had good eyesight would be able to see numerous Undead creatures falling down from the mist from time to time. Clearly, the Undead creatures of this world came from the gigantic Undead tree.
It was an Undead form of a giant tree that could constantly give rise to Undead creatures. The members of the expedition could not believe their eyes at all. How did the tree turn into an Undead creature? It could even breed Undead creatures, completely defying the theories behind Undead creatures that they knew.
However, the members of the expedition did not have time to ponder that question carefully. As they got closer to the Undead tree, countless figures suddenly flew out of the large crown canopy of the tree. When they got a clear glimpse of the appearance of the figures, they gasped and got goosebumps.
[1] Alright, so it seems it’s actually Donald thinking Dracoliches are Dark Mages.