Chapter 46: The Half Beastman is the Most Normal
The moist stone floor was littered with snake corpses.
The snake group leader’s corpse was the most striking, it had an iron level life aura that was quickly dissipating. It was 3 meters long, was as thick as an adult’s lower arm, and was missing its head, leaving only blood gurgling out its decapitated body.
Around it, there were some corpses that were badly mangled, and some that were strangely intact.
“You’re here.” The dragonman youngster turned around and smiled at Zong Ge and Cang Xu.
He wasn’t in combat, instead he was standing by Zi Di.
Zi Di had disguised herself as a young woman with average looks.
She didn’t greet her companions, as her attention was focused on commanding her ghosts engaged in combat.
The ghosts she controlled were not humanoid, but rather serpentine.
Cang Xu counted attentively, “12.”
Most of the snake ghosts were ordinary, and the two that had a bronze level aura stood out in comparison.
Zi Di treated the two bronze level snake ghosts as her main force, while the other snake ghosts were auxiliary.
The snake ghosts roamed through the air and traveled through the snake group.
The tide snake group wasn’t smart, and was completely focused on battling these spirits.
Their tearing at and twisting around the snake ghosts were utterly useless.
Only magic had the power to kill or injure the spirits.
The tide snakes had at least two types of racial magics. One was Freezing Ice Ray, the other was Flying Venomous Fang.
The situation was already under the dragonman youngster’s and Zi Di’s control. Not only was the young man guarding her, but there were also three swordsmen guard puppets scattered across this small cave, both to prevent snakes from escaping and to obstruct any unexpected reinforcements.
Apart from this, there were also three scouting birds circling in the air.
Zong Ge and Cang Xu didn’t act, Zi Di obviously was tempering her spell casting ability.
Cang Xu carefully observed the tide snakes.
Suddenly, the eyes of one tide snake shined, and burst with two beams of blue-white light.
The light shot towards a spirit, quickly dying it the same color as it.
The snake ghost stopped in the air, and like a weight, it smashed into ground and shattered.
The bronze level tide snake destroyed an ordinary snake ghost, causing its condition to immediately fall and become dispirited.
Taking advantage of this chance, a bronze level snake ghost pounced and bit the tide snake’s neck.
The bronze tide snake trembled all over, then fell to the ground, its life aura quickly dissipating.
Upon seeing this, Cang Xu couldn’t help but size Zi Di up.
The young magician seemed to have a gift for using these snake ghosts. Cang Xu knew she recently became a necromancer, and that this was her first time seeing actual combat as one.
But her progress was rapid, and she already understood how to attack with the ghosts and other practical skills.
“Her talent isn’t bad. Only her bloodline shackled her to only the iron level while she was alive.”
“Her road as a necromancer will be longer than the one she walked when she lived.” Cang Xu said to himself.
Many magicians had mediocre talent, but after they became a necromancer, their limits would be increased further.
This was because the foundation of necromancy lay in spirituality and negative energy.
After becoming a necromancer, one’s aptitude is retained, while their body is changed.
Back then, Cang Xu was less talented than even Zi Di. By cultivating necromancy and becoming a corpse wizard, he was able to attain the iron level.
“But we now have a more perfect choice.” Cang Xu again looked at the dragonman youngster, his heart warmed.
Zong Ge’s brows wrinkled.
He was once an imperial officer, and had a poor opinion of necromancers.
But destiny could not be predicted, for he and a necromancer were comrades that relied on each other for survival on Mystifying Monster Island, and now, here on Snake Rat Island, he had to collaborate even closer.
The half beastmen was disgusted by these snake ghosts, but he also had to recognize the power of necromancy.
“These snake ghosts are fewer than the snake group, and have fewer with cultivation, yet they are suppressing the living snakes.”
“The Flying Venomous Fang is ineffective against the snake ghosts, only the Freezing Ice Ray works. But every time the racial magic is used, it instead gives Zi Di an opportunity to kill a bronze level tide snake leader.”
Like Cang Xu, Zong Ge’s gaze also quickly shifted towards the dragonman youngster.
“He is the one who truly decides the outcome of this battle.”
“If there was an iron level tide snake, Zi Di wouldn’t be its opponent.”
Zi Di was an iron level when alive, and after death, was an iron level ghost girl. But she just became a magician, and her magic power pool was small, thus she was only a bronze level necromancer.
Based on the traces left on the battlefield, Zong Ge could determine that they first used had the swordsman guards charge in to attract the snake group’s attention, then the young man advanced on the snake group and killed their chieftain, throwing the snake group into disarray, and achieving victory in one move.
The snake group’s chieftain was weak, thus the dragonman youngster exploded its heat with a strike.
The half beastman can’t help but feel curious of how strong the young man was now.
When the snake group completely collapsed at last, the survivors began to clean up the battlefield.
Zong Ge noticed there were a few alchemy puppets in the corners of the battlefield.
He immediately recognized that they were from the Deep Sea Monster Fish, they were called deep sea salvagers and looked like nagas.
As the name implied, they were good at salvaging and cleaning battlefields.
The deep sea salvagers were weak, thus when Zi Di battled, they concealed themselves.
Sleek snake tails slid across the stone floor as the naga deep sea salvagers’ six arms began to sweep the battlefield and clean up all kinds of traces.
The dragonman youngster, Zi Di, and the others also weren’t loafing about.
After all, the deep sea salvagers were only alchemy puppets, they needed their help to make up for deficiencies.
The survivors cleaned up the battlefield while chatting to each other.
Cang Xu told the captain and Zi Di that his business request was not approved by the Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance.
“Apparently, the Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance store and the Hunting Guild branch already have an agreement.”
“Hunting is the Hunting Guild’s core interest, and since the Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance store was just built, they don’t want to cause any misunderstandings with the Hunting Guild.”
Zi Di was not surprised.
In fact, she expected that was the case.
The Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance store was located on the opposite side of the street to the Hunting Guild.
This minor act already hinted that the two powers had a close partnership.
“Our main goal has already been achieved. Whether we can collaborate with the Merchant Alliance is insignificant.” Said the dragonman youngster.
Their actions here were just the first step in Zi Di’s plan.
Attracting the gazes of other forces was a proactive stance. Actions were also far more powerful explanation than words.
When the battlefield was nearly cleaned up, Zi Di and Cang Xu began to exchange their insights on using necromancy.
Zi Di’s necromancy inheritance was given to her by Cang Xu, thus the two could easily exchange their experiences.
Zi Di believed that although the necromancy inheritance had many necromancy spells, the essence of it was the Soul Control Spell!
The degree one grasped the Soul Control Spell decided how much power one could display from this necromancy inheritance.
“Ghosts are the foundation of this necromancy inheritance. Said Cang Xu, “We use the Soul Summoning Spell and High Level Soul Summoning Spell to make ghosts.”
“Use the Ghostly Possession Spell to store ghosts.”
“Use the Soul Control Spell to control ghosts.”
“The Soul Devourer Spell and Soul Healing Spell can make ghosts our casting materials.”
“Our primary objective is to gather enough ghosts to form a ghost army!”
After glancing at Zi Di controlling the tide snake ghosts, Cang Xu continued, “Bloodlines are different, life shapes are different, and thus, different ghosts can be created.”
“We can gather all kinds of ghosts and establish a troop.”
“Beastmen, elves, and humans are hard to bring together and form an army when alive.”
“But after they die and become ghosts, they can peacefully coexist. Under our control, they can work together sincerely. From that point of view, death is the greatest equalizer and can eliminate most of the differences in this world.”
Upon hearing this, Zong Ge couldn’t help and coldly snort out a retort, “Playing with souls will inevitably backfire. We should respect life!”
Zi Di nodded, “Therefore, I still think we shouldn’t make ghosts out of civilized races.”
Cang Xu explained, “I have never killed innocents to make ghosts. But human ghosts, elf ghosts, and beastman ghosts are important.”
“They have intelligence.”
“Miss Zi Di, your snake spirits lack intelligence, and can only act on instinct. But if they have enough spirituality, you only need to give a single order for them to attack autonomously. That will greatly lessen the burden on your spirit.”
“During that fight, you had to focus your entire spirit to control every ghost, that is because you were a magician while alive and have both a mature spirit and meticulous controlling experience.”
“But that is not a long term solution.”
“Even You Shen, the founder of necromancy had limits to his spirit.”
“We need to look for and make intelligent ghosts, then emphasis their cultivation. This has the greatest prospects and profits.”
“So that’s how it is.” Zi Di had some misgivings in controlling ghosts of intelligent races, but upon hearing Cang Xu’s words, she immediate changed her attitude.
“We don’t need to commit murder, nowadays with the rampant pirates, we can run across some, and kill them. That is the righteous way.”
Zong Ge sighed, “You two don’t need to explain that to me.”
Cang Xu and Zi Di deliberately did this in front of Zong Ge to probe him, using it to dispel any misunderstandings and biases, along with strengthening their understanding of each other.
Of course, Zong Ge understood.
He was a mature military officer, understood how to weight the pros and cons, knew all’s fair in war, and was completely unscrupulous.
He also knew that the stronger Zi Di and Cang Xu were, the more helpful they would be towards their redemption.
But just because he understood did not mean he endorsed it.
He never thought that he would be mingling together with two necromancers.
Despite Cang Xu and Zi Di having the Deceptive Disguise, and from the outside looking like normal magicians, Zong Ge’s beating heart felt thick conflict and disgust towards the two.
He wanted to talk to the young man instead of them.
After all, they were both battle qi cultivators, fought side by side on Mystifying Monster Island, and through the same life or death experiences, had formed a deep battlefield camaraderie.
Zong Ge decided to disregard the two necromancers and turn around to look at the dragonman youngster, intending to ask him about his battle qi.
As a result, he saw the dragonman youngster opening his mouth.
Hiss hiss…
The dragonman youngster forked out a dark blue snake tongue, his mouthful of dragon teeth had vanished, replaced with the venomous fangs of a tide snake.
The venomous fangs projected out, then glinted with a blue-white light.
Zing.
The venomous fangs popped out, then launched into the air like a throwing knife, and in the blink of an eye, inserted themselves into a stone wall.
Click, click, click.
The venomous fangs successively rose up and ejected.
A row of venomous fang throwing knives lined the rock wall.
Zong Ge was silent.
He couldn’t help but begin to reflect on a question: what kind of people do I have by my side?
Compared to these people, he, a half beastman, was actually the most normal of them all.