Chapter 222: Audience in Khemri

After entering the Great Mortis River delta, Sinuoli and his companions saw a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives. A vast number of skeleton warriors and constructs roamed amidst the yellow sand and rubble. The land, where not a blade of grass grew, carried a sense of eeriness within its desolation.

The silence of this Land of the Dead was broken by the outsiders and the roar of their warships. Soon, the Dwarfs noticed the shadows of some flying objects appearing in the sky.

"Are there birds in the desert?" Sinuoli now truly loathed things that could fly and did not listen to him.

"Carrion Vultures; they are also resurrected Undead. These large birds can smell the scent of fresh blood and will rush to a battlefield thousands of miles away like moths to a flame. They are the scouts for the Tomb Kings."

Panuosen said this while observing the course of the river to adjust the position of the Dreadnought.

"Zandili is the location of the Divine Kingdom of Ura-Tip, the former Vulture God of Nehekhara. The Humans of this place once believed in their animal gods, which they thought originated from the beasts of the desert. However, Nagash found and broke the channels through which they interfered in mortal affairs; without faith, they should have already entered the Twilight."

Balin said this while looking at the dossiers. The Dwarfs and Nehekhara had intersected in history, back when it was still the Golden Age of the Mountain Kingdom.

"According to the inscriptions brought out by adventurers, the vulture is the sacred spokesperson of Ura-Tip, who will carry the souls of fallen warriors up to the sky to wage an endless war against the dark Daemons."

After a while, the Dwarfs saw an army of the dead surge out from the left side of the river channel. An unnamed Tomb King sat on his Kuluozhanche and drove over from the distance. The sandstorm raised at the horizon heralded the arrival of the dead, with the ticking of Kuluoma and the whirring of wheels rising and falling in succession.

Through his telescope, Sinuoli saw the mummy-like body of the Tomb King, the ornaments on his body shimmering with golden light, and the ornate carriage of the Kuluozhanche. He suddenly understood why so many adventurers turned to grave robbing once they arrived in Nehekhara.

"No need to worry, they cannot cross over!" Panuosen thought Sinuoli was worried about that army of the dead wading through the water to attack the Dwarf fleet.

"The Tomb Kings have no ships. After Nagash poisoned the land, all the ships were taken away by those in power to escape, and the limited trees were naturally felled to build ships. As for after they were awakened, Nehekhara was already a wasteland. Even if they wanted to build ships, there were no raw materials."

Auerte-Yanmei added; he was the Engineer of this ship and stayed in the command room when there was nothing else to do.

That Tomb King watched the Dwarf fleet leave his territory in silence. During the subsequent voyage, more Tomb Kings were awakened by the roaring sounds, but they all maintained a wait-and-see attitude.

The subordinates of these Lords of the Dead were all their former funerary troops; once wiped out, they were difficult to replenish, and they did not want any unnecessary attrition.

A few days later, a magnificent city appeared within the field of vision of the Dwarf fleet. This was Khemri, the most important and greatest city of the Nehekhara Empire, and also the heart and capital of this empire.

"Are you truly certain you want me to go ashore here to deliver a message to that Immortal Emperor?" Balin confirmed one last time while tidying his attire.

"Indeed, the fleets before us from Balake-Wa'er that passed by here with expeditions never went ashore to communicate, perhaps..." Even though it had been agreed upon in advance, Panuosen still wanted to offer a word of persuasion when the moment arrived.

"If they dare! Our axes and cannons as Sons of the Mountains will make them stay dead for good!" Henlide was a brute who did not know the power of Settra the Imperishable and the Tomb Kings, and he shouted while swinging his fists!

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to either. But we will be passing through this waterway constantly in the future. Even if we could sneak a round trip this time while he is unprepared, what about next time? Or the time after that?"

Sinuoli muttered while gazing at the majestic city in the distance. Khemri was no longer as glorious as it once was; those massive obelisks, temples, and palaces had lost their luster under the erosion of time. The pyramids built of marble were now decayed and dilapidated.

It was just that one of them was different; it was a pitch-black pyramid standing outside the city, and it was taller than any other pyramid.

This was the Nagashiheisejintazi, a giant energy fortress built by the Lord of Undeath—who was also once the master of this city—using the strength of the entire nation, specifically to collect magical energy. Legend has it that the tomb of Nagash is also located within it.

Even though he is now in the underworld, the great power of the Lord of Undeath still shrouds this building. Every Tomb King fears his resurrection from within it, but no one is able to destroy it.

Balin gathered his courage and stepped onto the sand from the pontoon bridge under the Protection Rune of ten Hammer Guards. He carried a formal diplomatic letter in which Sinuoli requested, in a rather humble tone, that Settra the Imperishable grant this, and all future, Dwarf fleets the right of passage through the rivers of Nehekhara.

The Dwarfs watched from the ships, prepared to provide cover with their Naval Cannons at any moment. Many were worried that those bone piles without communication skills would simply execute the young advisor on the spot.

Fortunately, this Dwarf fleet made a great commotion and had already been sailing on the Great Mortis River for several days, so even the Immortal Emperor had been alarmed. He dispatched a Tomb Prince under his command with troops to monitor them; this former Nehekhara noble retained his consciousness and ability to think.

Unlike ordinary funerary subjects, the souls of the nobles were bound to their noble bodies by Liche Priests through a large number of magical spells and rituals inscribed on their burial shrouds, so their souls were also revived under the ritual by which Nagash awakened all the dead.

Sinuoli watched from afar as the Tomb Prince took the letter and drove his skeletal horse back into the city in a flash. After a while, he returned, surrounded by a group of Ushabti and several Kuluozhanche.

"Dwarf, the great Emperor of Nehekhara, King of Kings, Petela-Shenxuan... demands your master to come and have an audience with him!" The skeletal mouth of the Tomb Prince opened and closed, and the hoarse voice was transmitted through the tremor of magic.

As the greatest emperor in the history of Nehekhara, Settra had more titles than could be counted. However, unlike most people who carry a head full of titles, most of Settra's titles were genuine.

Sinuoli guessed what the last few words were when he saw the empty skeletal carriage, and he busied himself with changing his attire and packing the pre-prepared gifts while the Tomb Prince was reciting those titles.

After nearly two hours, the sun on the horizon shifted from slanting to completely setting before the Tomb Prince could finish saying them. Sinuoli, Rogov, and the guards carrying the gifts walked down from the warship.