Chapter 24: Melee

1135 of the Red Moon Calendar was a year for the Rosen Empire that would be recorded in history and remembered forever. This year was the beginning of the Rosen Empire's decline from prosperity, and even more so the beginning of a century of catastrophe.

"Your Majesty, the defeat report has arrived."

"Hmm? Is it from the 357th layer?"

"No, Your Majesty, it's from the Cadillac plane."

"What's going on? Can't that idiot Lusha even beat the Giants who were beaten to the point of having no power to fight back?"

"No, Your Majesty, Rodman took action. The army of the Dolong Republic ambushed us, and Prince Lusha's army has been completely wiped out."

"Is this wanting to annex the Red Moon plane? Then it depends on whether Rodman's teeth are strong enough. Who else knows about this so far?"

"No one in the Royal Court knows, but Leader Riman Bloodaxe should know."

"Is that so? Then tell Rodman that our Rosen Empire is willing to become a vassal of the Dolong Republic and submit to him."

"Your Majesty, have we just admitted defeat like this?"

"Hmph, isn't that old god-stick Riman very fond of going against the Blackwood family? Then let him deal with Rodman himself! He is also a person of the Red Moon plane, I don't believe he can hand over this right with both hands."

Sakavi, who was eating roasted cassava on the Loka Plain at this time, didn't know about this new round of competition. Of course, even if he knew, it wouldn't be of any use.

"Sakavi, a great beauty is looking for you outside, she looks very good."

"??? I don't remember knowing anyone who looks good!"

"Nonsense, doesn't Elna know her?"

"The two of you are really leisurely!"

"Madam Redna, why are you here?"

"Yes! Don't Wood Elves never go out? How can you take the lead in running around."

"Hahaha! When I was young, I went to many places, such as the Pantheon, the Nine Hells of Baator, the Abyss, and the Selius Dynasty. It's just that the companions of that year died or were injured, and I couldn't bear the loneliness, so I returned to the Red Moon."

"Wow, so powerful, tell me what the Pantheon looks like, did you see Feron?"

"Good, good, I'll tell you when I have time, but today I have serious business to find your good friend Sakavi."

"Madam, is there a

"Indeed, the Luo Sen Empire's army was ambushed by the Dulong Republic on the Cadillac Plane, and the entire million-strong force was wiped out."

"When did this happen?"

"Just now."

"Have they set their sights on this place? Cadillac is a place without a single flat piece of land; I fear humans cannot survive there."

"Correct, this rebellion is about to have new variables."

"The Obsidian family really is getting worse with each generation! Old Rodrigo was still a demigod, but by his son's time, they could only maintain the status quo, and now that it's reached his grandson, they are actually being attacked right at their doorstep. So, what is the elves' attitude?"

"We intend to continue supporting the Obsidian family; they cannot fall yet."

"Is that also the intention of the First Seat, Riman?"

"Precisely. Now I need to know your stance."

"My stance is to stall. Stall for a few years until a new balance is formed here; if he, Rodman, wants to send troops to garrison here, he'll have to ask the locals if they agree."

"Then you must ensure that this chaos does not last too long."

"Rest assured, my lady, the people of the Bailong Sect are all under my surveillance; they won't be able to stir up any major waves."

"It had better be so, otherwise you will have to go to Rodman to beg for your fiefdom. Until next time!"

"Go slowly, my lady!"

"Verna, have you found the person in charge of the Bailong Sect here?"

"Not yet. Currently, we only know it is a Legendary Rank thief."

"Very well! Continue the investigation. Grap, what is the current situation with the army?"

"Reporting to my lord, currently there are 200,000 Death Knights, 50,000 Necromantic Archers, 3,000 Hobgoblins, and 500 Gray Dwarves. We are still short 1,000 sets of armor, but everything else is ready."

"There are too few Hobgoblins; go to the Underworld and recruit more. Also, go ask the Drow Elves to see who is willing to come; one hundred gold coins per person."

The Drow Elves of the Underdark serve as mercenaries most of the time, killing for various factions to earn money. Of course, they also sell forged magical items and textiles, but these cannot support their luxurious lifestyles.

The precarious Luo Sen Empire, stepping forward with a scarred body, struggled into the year 1136 of the Red Moon Calendar. This year seemed to be a year of luck, yet it also seemed to be a final flash of brilliance before the end. The rebellions of cultists in various places were successively extinguished, and a cultist's corpse hung from every crenelation of the city walls.

The cultist rebellion, which had lasted for seven months, finally declared its complete end in February of this year. The First Seat of the War God Church, standing atop the towering Obsidian Mage Tower, solemnly announced that the last cultist on the Red Moon Plane had been sent to the gallows.

For a time, the entire empire was immersed in cheers; the Red Moon continued to shine upon this land, and the empire's rule remained as stable as before. However, this was merely wishful thinking on the part of some. Conspiracy had never truly left the land.

On May 12th, the Viceroy's Mansion of Tarabang suddenly received a report from the Military Governor's Mansion of the Kason region. Its subordinate, Shepherd Town, and its affiliated villages, totaling 10,000 people, had all suddenly become living dead. Upon seeing the report, Lasko believed this was merely a retaliatory action by the remaining cultists.

However, as time passed, similar incidents not only showed no signs of decreasing but instead tended to intensify. In early June, news of large-scale undead disasters discovered in various places flew into the Emperor's residence like snowflakes.

Realizing that the situation was far more serious than he had imagined, a helpless Gruen could only order the entire country to enter a state of emergency combat readiness once again. The legions were prepared to march to the Luoka Plains at any time to completely annihilate the undead forces.

Yet, this was ultimately just wishful thinking, because a large-scale undead disaster had also appeared in the Funa Plains, the orcs' rear base.

What was even more fatal was that after last year's cultist war, the grain reserves in the national treasury had been exhausted. The Luoka Plains were currently being ravaged by the undead disaster, making it impossible to mobilize any food, which made the already difficult suppression of the rebellion even worse.

"Verna, why do you say these orcs are so useless? Last time we suppressed the cultists, we clearly dealt a blow to the Bailong Sect as well. How did they rise again so quickly? Isn't this the same as not dealing with them at all?"

"Grap, you don't understand. Under Gruen's leadership, a million orcs died without a burial place last year. If they had fought hard, the Red Moon Plane wouldn't need them anymore, and wouldn't they have to go to outer planes? It's precisely because there are things here that they are indispensable."

"I see this as the style of their Luo Sen Empire—all show and no substance. It's the same over at Grand Duke Rast's side."

"There is some truth to what you say. The hiding place of that Legendary Rank thief from the Bailong Sect has been found. I need you to assist me in eliminating him, Grap."

"No problem, it's already prepared for you. As long as you can touch him with this poison-coated dagger, he will die instantly."

"Is this feasible? He is a Legendary Rank."

"As long as he isn't a Demigod, it's fine. Don't think that poison only works on ordinary people."

"I need to ensure a one-hit kill; you know the evasion capabilities of a thief."

"Rest assured! I never miss."

After receiving the materials for the Mage Tower sent by Gruen, Sakavi felt it was time for him to make a move. On July 5th, Sakavi's army of Death Knights appeared in the Kason region, where the problem was most severe.

They were not good at dealing with demons, but hacking down living dead of ordinary human level was quite easy. In just one day, the undead army in the Kason region was completely wiped out. In the following days, Sakavi led his army to fight across the entire Luoka Plains, sweeping away the undead disaster at an unimaginable speed.

However, while the undead disaster could be dealt with, the massive loss of population might take hundreds of years to recover. The number of corpses Sakavi collected and burned alone reached three billion.

Perhaps this did not count as a major loss for the entire Luo Sen Empire, but the sudden disappearance of a region's population would inevitably be accompanied by the collapse of its economic model.

It would take at least ten years to evolve a new economic operating model. Therefore, in the foreseeable future, the Luo Sen Empire would inevitably fall into an era of economic depression, accompanied by all kinds of turmoil and unrest.

However, this had nothing to do with Sakavi. Having made a fortune in the Luoka Plains, Sakavi had now transformed into a Grand Duke of the western region of the Luo Sen Empire, and the Blood Spear Tribe had also been transferred back to the Luoka Plains to replenish the population.

On the surface, it was because Sakavi had merit in suppressing the undead disaster; in reality, ordinary people were not qualified to know the truth.

After receiving the appointment letter stamped with the seal, Sakavi directly ordered the Gray Dwarf town to be moved to his new territory. As for the Hobgoblins who were unwilling to go, Sakavi generously distributed money and destroyed their contracts.

In fact, it was not the case that subordinates would be unconditionally loyal just because they signed slave contracts; that was an effect that could only be achieved through brainwashing. If one did not maintain good relationships with subordinates and throw gold coins at them, no one would work hard.

In the new territory, the first thing to be built was the Mage Tower. In fact, for Sakavi, who frequently changed territories, whether the territory was stable or not was not important; what was important was that he had no one under him. He had to use the territory to cultivate talent; he couldn't let himself do everything, or he would be worked to death sooner or later.

To hold onto a territory, a Mage Tower was indispensable to deter enemies and give his own people confidence. This was the same principle as guarding a defense tower in a game. Although the role of a Mage Tower was more important and its functions were more diverse.

The construction technology for a Mage Tower could not be bought with money, but Sakavi had connections, so hiring a few people who knew how to build one was possible. As for learning it himself, that was not something that could be learned in a day or two, and there was no need to waste time on it.