The Paladin in the Abyss - Chapter 514
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Chapter 514: Chapter 538: A Hypothesis Chapter 514: Chapter 538: A Hypothesis “You mean to say, all the Frost Giant warriors who sacrificed themselves in the rescue have turned into Undead Zombies, endlessly wandering at the bottom of that rift?” Bruto looked like a child scared by a ghost story, “Who knows how long that fortress has been built? Decades? Centuries?”
“There have been documents mentioning this fortress two hundred years ago, so it certainly dates back even further,” Kalalin shrugged, “Only those bodies that are relatively intact can turn into zombies; those crushed to the bone definitely cannot.”
“As time accumulates, there must be quite a few,” Lancelot turned his head toward the distant horizon, where a new team of three Frost Giants appeared, “Alamir, the fog mentioned by Kalalin, do you know what it is?”
“When a large number of Undead gather in a certain area, Nether Fog appears, separating the world of the living from the dead,” the Elf Priest held his chest with one hand and supported his chin with his thumb, “Most of the world is dominated by Positive Energy, but beneath that fog lies a region filled with Negative Energy. All of us would feel extremely uncomfortable entering that area, perhaps except for little Isha.”
“Could those giant zombies be someone’s special arrangement?” Bruto asked curiously, “Some extremely powerful Lich or Necromancer, discovering a stable supply of fresh corpses here, could be attempting to build an army to conquer the Multiverse…”
“Conquer the Multiverse? Dream on,” Alamir rolled his eyes, “but we certainly cannot rule out human intervention. Remember the mass grave we saw at Oasis Fort? Undead could either form naturally or be the result of Spellcasters’ deliberate arrangements. If it’s the latter, there should be an evident Magic Formation or an altar used for some evil ceremony. With Kalalin’s Arcane Eye, it shouldn’t be hard to detect related traces.”
“You once mentioned that a single Spellcaster has a limit to the Undead they can control; based on the scale described by Kalalin, those giant zombies couldn’t possibly be under control, right?” Lancelot stroked his chin, which had become a habitual gesture when he was thinking, “Assuming there is indeed a Spellcaster, what could be his purpose in creating so many giant zombies?”
“Bruto’s explanation just now was actually quite close to the truth–establish an Undead army, and whenever needed, simply open a Portal to the bottom of that rift, and there would be an army ready to be commanded,” the Elf Priest shrugged, “Necromancers can control large-scale Undead by issuing simple commands like follow, attack, wait.”
“How is that different from what you mentioned about control?” Lancelot pressed, “Is it just the difference in whether they can execute complex commands?”
“The control I’m talking about is like controlling their bodies as if they were our own. I have a friend who loves music and is also… a fan of Necromancy; he once made me appreciate a performance with one skeleton drumming, two skeletons playing the piano, and himself as the lead singer. It was undoubtedly one of the weirdest experiences I’ve had, but the music itself was impeccable,” Alamir said with a nostalgic smile, “But if it’s just about issuing commands, those Undead would act based on the instincts remaining in their bodies, like a giant zombie might pick up and throw stones when attacking but is unlikely to bite like a beast. Clearly, this makes them far less threatening than when they were alive, but Necromancers believe that quantity can make up for the drop in quality.”
“Lancelot is probably up to no good again,” Bruto announced with certainty, “I’ve noticed a pattern; as soon as he starts asking about the details, he likely already has a plan…”
“It’s just a thought,” Lancelot shrugged, “Imagine if we were to build a tunnel from the valley bottom of that rift all the way into the fortress on the cliff, what would happen then?”
“But that’s impossible,” Kalalin immediately shook his head, “That fortress must have strong antimagic measures to stop any attempts at assault via Portals. If you use Magic to dig a tunnel, it will fail automatically as you approach the fortress, and Spellcasters inside will detect your attempt and easily destroy the section already dug.”
“What if I dig it myself?” Bruto crossed his arms, “As long as it’s earth and rock, we Dwarves have ways to dig a tunnel through it.”
“A tunnel that allows Dwarf passage, maybe humans and elves if they duck their heads, but certainly not Giants, let alone Zombie Giants who don’t even know how to bend,” Kalalin shook his head in denial, then suddenly realized something, “Wait… I remember! During our fight with the Giant Skull Demon, Lancelot summoned that kind of giant vine!”
“It’s just a thought,” Lancelot chuckled, “Imagine if suddenly a huge hole appeared in the fortress floor, and Zombie Giants started pouring out endlessly…”
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“And they would not stop until every living thing inside the fortress was killed,” Alamir pursed his lips, “Doesn’t this sound like something a villain would do…”
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“Fight fire with fire, don’t you understand?” the Dwarf looked at the Elf discontentedly, but then asked curiously, “Since they act according to instinct, would they still try to rescue Solheim’s brother? Or would they kill him too?”
“The former is more likely, but I don’t think a bunch of zombies can do much to a Demi-god,” Alamir shrugged, “More likely, the zombies’ indiscriminate attacks would destroy the magical device imprisoning Geogad, allowing him to regain his freedom. What happens after that is hard to say, but we’re unlikely to receive a thank-you card…”
“Before we find a reason to let him out, Solheim’s brother will continue to stay in the fortress named after him,” Lancelot stated, “Finish the drinks in your cups, then let’s head to the semi-plane. Kalalin, about that cave you found, I need a more detailed description…”
A moment later, only Lancelot remained on the small hill where they had been standing. He took a deep breath, pulled a ring from his Dimensional Bag, and felt a special sensation stirring within him.
Once he had mastered the technique of Imperial Qi flying, he wouldn’t need this to solve problems anymore. Lancelot reassured himself, then gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, slipping the Transformation Ring onto his ring finger.