Chapter 609: Mote's Progress, A One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Of course, Xia Duo did not reject this type of follower relationship similar to a lifelong subordinate. He patted Aiwa on the upper arm to show closeness, then inquired about the situation at the Military Camp: "How many soldiers have learned to use the Magic Scroll now?"

"Including myself, there are 16 people in total."

"Only that many?!" Xia Duo was somewhat surprised.

He admitted that he had somewhat neglected this place, but he was indeed dissatisfied with this kind of progress. In his view, using a Magic Scroll was extremely simple; many Adventurers could even figure it out themselves based on others' descriptions.

Yet here, with a High-level Rogue like Aiwa training them personally, only a dozen or so people had learned it by now. It was truly a bit slow, and it was still a long way off from the magic troop he expected!

"Continue the training!"

Xia Duo could not say anything more. Afterward, he gave instructions to Aiwa to have Jibu contact Laidun to recruit people from the 【Settlement Department】 to expand the Territory Guard, and then he left the Military Camp.

……

Linshui Village, cemetery.

Just as he took the first step into the cemetery gate, Xia Duo felt an environment here that was completely different from the outside world—quiet, cold, and giving one an urge to simply sleep here forever.

But having only taken that first step, Xia Duo stepped back out. It was not because of the peaceful environment rendered by the Death Holy Power, but because he detected unusual Negative Energy flow within the cemetery.

Although Death Holy Power is related to Negative Energy, it is not Negative Energy itself. Normally, there should be no Negative Energy in a cemetery, because one of the duties of the cemetery keeper is to regularly clear away Negative Energy.

In fact, the peaceful environment rendered by Death Holy Power can itself banish Negative Energy.

If it were just a little bit appearing, and it was regular, then Xia Duo wouldn't think much of it, because he had previously instructed Mote to research Undead, attempting to create Undead Goblins to use for developing the Territory.

Since research was required, it would certainly involve dealing with Negative Energy, and a small amount of leakage was a normal phenomenon.

But now, those Negative Energy flows within the cemetery seemed somewhat chaotic. He didn't know what Mote had actually done, but he subconsciously felt that perhaps Mote's experiment had gone out of control, and he immediately felt nervous inside.

If there were any means a low-level Mage or priest could use that would make Xia Duo feel afraid, the only possibility would probably be Negative Energy. Although it might not necessarily kill him, this stuff was like dog shit; even getting a tiny bit on you was disgusting.

In fact, any living thing that comes into contact with Negative Energy means a reduction in lifespan, it is just a matter of how much. If possible, Xia Duo hoped not to come into contact with even a bit of Negative Energy.

Because he had just stepped one foot into the cemetery, Xia Duo hurriedly summoned Positive Energy to cleanse his whole body. Although he did not have much research on Positive Energy, he could still manage this level of relief and neutralization.

Actually, that amount of Negative Energy might not have reduced his lifespan as much as staying up late one night would, so it was more of a psychological effect.

After a round of cleansing, Xia Duo stood outside the cemetery gate and used 【Ghost Sound】 to transmit his voice to the very back of the cemetery, to Mote's hut: "Mote, come out and see me!"

After the first call, there was no reaction from Mote's hut. Just as Xia Duo was preparing for a second call, the door of the hut opened. Mote, dressed in a black robe, walked out slowly. His complexion looked incomparably pale, without a hint of blood, and his mental state also did not seem very good.

After coming over, Mote bowed and asked: "Is the Lord here to ask about the situation with the Undead Goblins?"

Without waiting for Xia Duo to answer, he began to speak on his own: "I have recently gained a brand new understanding of Death Holy Power; I have already completed half of your requirements."

Hearing that his task had already been half completed, and seeing that Mote's performance was still relatively normal, Xia Duo first inquired about the situation of the Undead Goblins: "Which half has been completed exactly?"

Speaking of this, a trace of spirit appeared in Mote's eyes: "My Lord, I have already transformed Undead Goblins that can truly work!"

"Really?!" Xia Duo was somewhat surprised.

The last time he came to check the progress, the Undead Goblins Mote had transformed were just weak skeleton frames; let alone working, they couldn't even walk steadily.

And the most important point was that the Undead Goblins from that time did not have normal Wisdom. Even Mote, the creator, did not find it easy to command them; to make them move, he even had to tie a rope to them, like walking a dog.

It was a pity that Mote's research results came a bit too late. Now there were nearly two thousand people in the Territory. Judging by Mote's words, this kind of Undead Goblin that could work could not yet be mass-produced, and who knew how long it would take until they could be.

Moreover, as there were more and more people in the Territory, if a large number of Undead appeared in the Territory, this would not be a good thing. If word got to Seventon, perhaps it would be spread that the Lord of Daxia Territory in Nan Jing was a Necromancer.

And Necromancers have no human rights in Netheril; one could almost say everyone shouts to beat them.

Just occasionally researching Negative Energy would not cause one to be treated as a Necromancer. The sign of becoming a Necromancer is creating a large number of Undead, which was something Xia Duo only learned later.

And as far as he knew, there had always been Necromancers in Netheril, but they usually hid themselves very carefully. Once a large-scale death event occurred somewhere, they would swarm in.

After all, the higher the Wisdom of a life form, the easier it is to transform into a powerful Undead.

Previously, when Savile Territory encountered the Orc Tide, quite a few Necromancers came to fish in troubled waters, and Xia Duo even personally killed a Necromancer who had lost the ability to perform Spellcasting.

And this was actually considered good. Some Necromancers would directly attack villages and towns, slaughtering Commoners to create Undead in batches. As long as there was one high-quality specimen, it would make them even more obsessed with slaughtering humans.

Naturally, Xia Duo could not let himself be rumored to be a Necromancer; even if he were just slightly associated with Necromancers, it might one day become a weak point for others to attack.

Although in his view, technology itself has no right or wrong, and it is people who distinguish between right and wrong, Xia Duo also expressed agreement with Netheril's opposition to creating large numbers of Undead.

Even if it were only out of agreement with the conservative approach formed by the current inability of Netheril to control the situation.

This is just like the weapons of mass destruction on Earth; some countries can legally possess them, while for others, even researching them is a crime. The invasive ability of Negative Energy is extremely strong, and Undead are very easy to proliferate.

In a situation where one cannot fully control the situation, a direct ban is indeed a more appropriate approach.

Although there was the threat of the Drow right now, Xia Duo was not prepared to let Mote continue his research. There were many ways to deal with a crisis; there was no need to use this method.

As for him personally, at the very worst, he could hide in Seventon.