Chapter 237: Does joining forces mean you're out?

A blinding light suddenly flared up, and the lich who had been lying flat discovered that he seemed to have been moved to another place.

He was still trying to tell, against the bright light, how many people were before him and who they were, when he heard a cold, icy remark.

Your name.

How come the voice sounds a bit familiar……

Damn it, that ruthless Laurel Crown person!

The lich had wanted to harden his head…… bone would rather die than submit, but this brave thought only lingered in his mind for an instant before being completely erased.

Laughable, as a powerful lich, losing this body won't kill him.

But the opponent could possess so many extraordinary abilities, even imprison a dragon that already had a touch of divinity, which likely means he masters a powerful spell that can be released remotely.

Even to craft an indestructible soul box, he used up all the expensive materials he could find.

But it's not the thief you fear, it's the thief who keeps an eye on you; no matter how high your double resistance, there's always a limit—if he just switched accounts and got permanently sealed for ten years by the other side, it's all over!

So it's better to stall for time, see if things might change……

Actually, that old Wendigo deer looks pretty reliable; he must already be looking for someone to rescue him, right?

At this moment, inside the warm house.

Controlling the magic broom, he bit by bit cleaned up the remnants left from burning the blood clan, and Wendigo pulled out a notebook.

"How has hiring become so difficult these days? I have no choice but to check the quality of the third job applicant……"

However, no matter what Wendigo thinks, it doesn't stop the lich from performing an operation of utmost wisdom.

"Gah‑gah‑gah‑gah‑gah!"

First he bolstered his courage with his classic exaggerated laugh, he raised his head high…… then directly lifted his skull, looking down on everyone with his throat eye.

"Listen well, I am the Lord of Shadows, the profound frost giant, the shaman priest who carries out destruction, the weaver of the realm of death……"

"Your name!"

But before he could finish weaving his words, the other party rudely interrupted his nonsense and pulled something out of his pocket.

Even though the magical bright light occupied most of his vision, the lich still clearly saw a dark‑golden terrifying shadow.

Hey, it's that thing whose principle he can't understand at all, whose magical fluctuations he can't feel, yet when played it's terrifying to the extreme!

He who knows the times is a hero; at this moment, playing tricks might just get him cursed half‑to‑death……

So the clever lich immediately straightened his head and spoke firmly.

"My name is Rodrigues!"

But even though he told the truth, the other side showed no reaction, instead asking again.

"Your name!"

???

Could it be I've run into a lunatic who only repeats himself?

The lich felt uneasy and doubtful, but his long lifespan still had a hint of meaning; vaguely, he seemed to have caught a glimmer of inspiration to break the deadlock.

So he lowered his voice further and tried probing.

"My name is Luoge, sir."

"Hey! Look, this student's attitude in admitting fault is still pretty good; keep working hard!"

As a leader, Ji Ming likes nothing more than subordinates who are bold in taking initiative and eager to improve.

So to make it easier for the lich to improve himself, he also invited some outstanding reform representatives to speak in person.

For example, the lizardfolk guard led by the Purple Regiment Leader, and the human war criminals whose core are the bandit old uncle and the mercenary little brother……

Of course, there's also their elder sister, the first captive of the dungeon, and the werewolf Cloi, who like the lich is a strange being.

And after a round of targeted treatment, the lich student finally opened up, revealing everything he knew about the Strange Council.

So, you see, this interrogation is also a skill.

It's not necessary to use violent and bloody means; using love and sincerity to influence the other side is the correct path.

After all, with those six‑to‑seventy‑level high‑end combatants standing there, not to mention Ji Ming himself, even the lich would feel very reassured.

Once a person feels safe, their desire to share becomes extraordinarily strong, and they can't help wanting to talk more about themselves to everyone.

Too bad the lich has no tear ducts, otherwise he'd really be wailing.

"Sniffle sniffle sniffle, I can still confess; why not confess my past life as well……"

"Alright alright, let's keep a bit of privacy for now and confess later."

Actually, as someone recruited into the team just to be used as cannon fodder, a nominal member, the lich's knowledge is also quite limited.

He spilled the beans, but could only supplement what Ji Ming already knew.

However, information about the Wolf King Court did pique Ji Ming's interest.

Although as a silver race, the steppe wolves' general combat strength is not bad, they can be said to be all‑soldiers.

But even a hero needs three helpers; even if the Sirius Tribe is honored as the "King Court," it's impossible for one person alone to defeat all strong foes and unite the grasslands.

Therefore, besides the wolf pack of the Wolf King Court's headquarters, the Wolf King also has two reliable allies.

They are respectively the Nine‑Tails King Court, which excels in spellcraft and engineering, mainly composed of white fox folk;

and the Earth King Court, which excels in melee combat and formation, mainly composed of wild ox folk.

War, magic, tank—up to a point, they can be considered an upgraded version of the three beast‑folk tribes of Sunlight City.

……

Although but.

No matter what they say, they are blood‑sworn allies, having sworn brotherhood and calling each other kings—a solid trio that is definitely stronger than those three who are only superficially united.

No wonder this Wendigo just made peace with me, then turned around and loudly started smashing up Sunlight City's arena.

It turns out their next strategic direction has already been decided, placed in the Hui Guang Kingdom.

The Wolf King's army of hundreds of thousands had just unified the grasslands; it was a time of strong troops and sturdy horses, with high morale.

By contrast, on the Hui Guang Kingdom's side, even if the border had a military garrison like the Ming's, it probably couldn't withstand the beastmen's strong army.

What's more, their control and defense here are completely at the level of an iron-blooded Great Song.

——Which is basically none.

If fighting really broke out, it's uncertain whether they could take Guanghui Capital in thirty-six days, but they could definitely take Sunlight City in one hour and twenty-two minutes.

When the time comes, as soon as the public test players log in, I'll copy, damn brothers! Watch me perform a fantasy-version late-Ming hell-difficulty speedrun for everyone!

But at least Chongzhen could go to Coal Mountain and play the sunny-day doll for a while; around Guanghui Capital, there's probably no suitable old crooked-neck tree.

So after waking up that morning, Ji Ming rushed to the church in a panic to report this discovery to Bishop Tenisi.

"What? My god gave you another revelation? How come my god gives you revelations every few days?"

No matter how you say it, as an emissary sent out from the Holy See, and as a longevity race, Tenisi has seen plenty of God's Chosen Holy Sons and such.

Even among those with the highest affinity for Holy Light, a talented athlete who can hear a divine revelation once or twice a year is already doing well.

How could there be someone like Ji Ming, who hears divine words seven or eight times a day, where everything he does is a direct transmission of the divine will, communicating so intensively it's as if two people are chatting directly in their brains?

Hiss……

The longer one lives, the more one can see, so Tenisi will be bolder when guessing things.

Could it be that Ji Ming is actually the illegitimate son of the Holy Light God?

God of Holy Light: Don't say that. If it could really prevent this world from being mined by others, I, the old sun, would be willing to be their illegitimate son QWQ

But Tenisi doesn't know what the divine is thinking, so his train of thought has jumped to another possibility.

No, that guess is a bit too crazy; there should be a more credible explanation, for example……

Tenisi glanced at Ji Ming's face and suddenly felt his ears were a bit pointed, and the more he looked, the pointier they seemed!

Could it be… that the so-called Ji Ming is actually a direct descendant of one of the top three surnames among the Golden Elves, not the Nine Clans but……

Damn, I thought he was just an ordinary person who became God's Chosen due to his virtue and prestige, but turns out he's another connection-holder!

Connection-holder, connection-holder, why are there connection-holders everywhere? Why am I not a connection-holder?

I… I'll kill you lot, you damned backdoor bastards!

Recalling his own difficult promotion history, Tenisi began drafting documents to send to the Holy See.

She carefully rolled the paper, summoned a magic messenger pigeon, tied it up, and let it fly off.

Watching the tiny white dot disappear into the cloud-filled sky, Tenisi let out a faint sigh.

"The royal family isn't doing well these days; I've used stronger wording, hoping that after the Holy See relays it they'll have at least a normal person's reaction……"

???

What's a normal person's reaction?

Could it be that your country isn't Great Meng or Strong Song, but the Wei Jin Northern and Southern Dynasties, chaotic yet wonderful?

But before Ji Ming could think it through clearly, the bishop's office door was pounded on.

Walking in was a Holy Scout, his face showing a hint of urgency.

"Bishop, God's Chosen, an urgent report comes from the front……"

Although Ji Ming had a premonition that Sunlight City would need a major overhaul, he didn't expect everyone to be so urgent.

It had only been the second day, and the survivors in the ruins hadn't even finished search and rescue when they suddenly stabbed their companions in the back.

The Adventurers' Association's ruins; nearby is a building that can barely serve as a temporary office.

Standing by the third-floor window, the Leopard Person Boris drooped his ears, holding an already-empty water cup and sighing repeatedly.

Because in the small square in front of the building, a dense crowd had already blocked the roads together.

【Murderer! Step down!】

【Boris doesn't deserve to be chairman!】

【The wine-night tragedy needs an explanation!!!】

Holding various banners and placards, shouting all kinds of slogans, they were a large group claiming to be victims' families.

Of course, the adventurers' families…… whether they'd drunk once, fought once, or even just spoken, dare to come over to claim kinship.

Moreover, in such a short time since the incident, they could gather such a huge crowd; it's impossible that no one behind the scenes was fanning the flames.

In fact, the Sharp Claw Family's elite troops had already found the instigator's trail, and this conspirator is none other than……

"Oh dear, everyone don't panic, our association will definitely give you an explanation."

Leaning on a crutch, Mi Yang was clearly able to embrace two women and fly side by side last night, but today he's turned into a feeble old goat.

Back then, the clan elder—Boris's father—personally founded the Adventurers' Association, and he was one of the elders.

Later the clan elder died unexpectedly, and Boris, who took over hastily and struggled to win approval, ended up creating the current situation.

But no matter what, Mi Yang's age and seniority placed here mean his status will definitely not be low.

So upon seeing him, the excited crowd demanding an explanation swarmed over and surrounded him.

"Old sir, please help us."

"He… he just won't come out, we can't do anything."

"Yeah, my brother Chake died just like that in the ruins, I feel uneasy."

You bastard, you're clearly a notorious usurer—that Chake has been sucked dry by you for years! Even dead, do you have to suck his bones and marrow?

Boris clenched his fists, but showing his face now is useless; he can only watch Mi Yang act pretentious while stirring up trouble.

Of course, the wind he's fanning is for his own barbecue, and the fire he's stoking is on Boris's butt.

After all that, his attempt to mediate only made the crowd angrier, and they were almost incited to storm the building.

"Hey, you lot, getting excited is devilish; you'll be laughed at by others!"

Again he threw out a sarcastic remark, and Mi Yang's old, scheming face showed a hint of smug satisfaction.

The existence of a Gate of the Dead beneath the association's building could be a major or minor issue; if major, the Adventurers' Association is suspected of colluding with foreign enemies; if minor, the Adventurers' Association is simply incompetent.

If that is the case, I fear the Beastmen Three Tribes won't be exterminated by a joint forces of other families, but they will all be driven out of Sunshine City.

If that is the case, given the Adventurers' Association's stature, fining themselves three cups to see how things develop would be enough.

Meanwhile, Mi Yang precisely chose a middle ground: the Adventurers' Association would take the blame, but this blame could only be pinned on Boris and even the Leopard People.

So he contacted countless ruffians and beggars and wandering poets, having them broadcast his carefully revised 【the truth】.

Thus, Boris's image in the people's minds began to shift; before noon, it had deteriorated from a wholesome human shape to an abstract blur.

For no apparent reason, he ended up doing many misdeeds he'd never heard of and seizing many treasures he'd never seen.

Moreover, Liu Ying began fabricating wonderful nights she supposedly shared with Boris, using this as a hype to drive up prices.

Seeing that he was about to become disgraced and make excuses, Boris, helpless, could only announce his resignation taking responsibility.

Going along with the situation, he handed the presidency to the venerable, most senior Mi Yang, securing a more dignified exit.

In short, congratulations, Mr. Mi Yang; I hope our business prospers from now on!

Relying solely on his own side, he couldn't have achieved this so quickly and smoothly; in fact, he had won over allies from the Business Union.

Anyway, since his forces are the smallest, they'll eventually be annexed; it'd be better to sell off some territory early to secure a peaceful life.

But just after seeing off the Union's envoy, he then boarded a black carriage that looked extremely low-key.

Bringing greetings from Leader An De Lu, President Mi Yang.

Ba Zi Hu Yue Han Xun sitting inside poured Mi Yang a glass of strong liquor and asked in a low voice.

How about it? When can we start trading?