25. Hauge, Blood Wolf—the Orc Clan’s Last Fury
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Leaking Negative Energy?
The villagers seemed not to understand the term completely, but they more or less grasped what the necromancer meant.
In truth, according to the original course of history, necromancy—the art of creating undead—would come to be regarded as taboo. Aside from the fact that repeatedly creating undead would cause one’s alignment to be classified as “evil,” the main reason was far more practical:
Negative energy leakage.
Unlike living creatures, whose bodies were powered by positive energy, the source of an undead creature’s power was its opposite: negative energy.
According to the original history, for a very long time, spells that created undead carried a chance of allowing negative energy to leak from the undead’s body, contaminating the surrounding environment.
As a result, in regions where undead were present in large numbers, the living were more likely to fall ill, and the land became less fertile.
In other words, necromancy was rejected at its core because of a technical problem!
It was not until eighteen thousand years later, when the end of the world drew near, that Erian’s previous incarnation, now the God of Magic, personally improved necromancy and truly solved the problem of negative-energy leakage, making it possible for necromancy to be “safe and pollution-free.”
By then, however, the countless nations of the world had long since deemed the magic of creating undead taboo. Even after its flaws had been corrected, they still refused to accept this fallen and filthy magic.
That was the inertia of history.
When a makeshift solution born from a particular historical circumstance gradually solidified into custom, then tradition, and finally became “the law of the ancestors,” people would forget why they had set out in the first place.
Even when circumstances changed, they would simply continue following the past.
But now, Erian had the chance to start over from the beginning. From the very outset, he could promote safe, pollution-free undead technology!
Next, the necromancer introduced the villagers to another kind of undead—the skeleton.
“This is called a skeleton. Compared with a zombie, it has less strength, roughly equal to what it possessed in life.”
“But this one was created from an orc skeleton, so its strength is still astonishing.”
“The advantage of a skeleton is that, having lost the restraints of flesh, it is actually more agile and nimble. It excels at delicate work and can operate precision tools.”
“Skeletons also retain a small degree of thought, allowing them to carry out more complicated instructions.”
The necromancer commanded a skeleton to take a needle and thread from an old woman. Right before her astonished eyes, it began threading the needle and sewing.
“Whether orc zombies or orc skeletons, as undead they possess considerable combat strength. They feel no pain and know no fear, making them perfect soldiers.”
“Besides their everyday work, they can also serve in combat.”
“If kobolds or goblins invade the village in the future, these skeletons and zombies will be able to deal with them, so long as the attacking force is not particularly large.”
The villagers, little Gret included, listened in bewilderment, deeply impressed by the wonders of magic.
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Magic truly could change lives!
Under the village chief’s arrangement, the village immediately signed a long-term lease with the necromancer for ten undead.
As long as they paid a small amount of grain each year, they could command the undead as they pleased. The necromancer would also be responsible for their maintenance and replacement.
Taking the village’s circumstances into account, Rolling Stone Village requested seven zombies and three skeletons.
The necromancer had prepared a series of preset commands for the undead in advance. After transferring secondary control of them to the village chief and several village representatives, including Teacher Joseph, he departed with the remaining undead and headed for the next village.
“This is wonderful! From now on, even if the mage lords from the sky do not come down themselves, we will be able to deal easily with any goblins or kobolds that invade the village.”
“Come to think of it, all the orc clans to the south are gone now. We can clear and cultivate the wasteland over there.”
“That’s right! With these unbelievably strong undead, we can farm more land and raise more children.”
“Thank you, Supreme High Mage Eldoran, and His Majesty Erian the Great!”
The villagers were jubilant, chattering excitedly among themselves.
It was as though they could already see the future: a rapidly growing human population and a thriving, flourishing society.
Watching the zombies till the fields and the skeletons take their places at the looms, the villagers could hardly believe their eyes.
A little over half a year ago, they had still been terrified of the mage lords from the Sky City.
Now, in less than six months, Teacher Joseph from the floating city had long since become one of them. The mages’ magic had genuinely made their lives better.
From what they had learned in class, they understood that it was the reform of His Majesty Erian, the Arcane Emperor, that had changed their lives!
“Oh, right, children.” Teacher Joseph suddenly remembered something. “To support the undead’s arrival in the village, we will have a practical lesson this afternoon…”
“Everyone, take a crayon and draw on the skeletons!”
…
Immersed in visions of a wonderful future and overwhelmed with joy, the villagers failed to notice the band of orcs watching them from a distant hillside.
Haug Bloodwolf.
The one-armed orc clenched a stone axe in his remaining right hand. As he stared down at the village and the undead laboring in its fields, the veins on his arm bulged and his knuckles turned white from the force of his grip.
The bodies of his tribesmen, even after death, were actually being made to serve weak and despicable humans!
Such blasphemy was intolerable!
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Yes, Haug had not departed with the tribe’s great migration. Instead, he had quietly left the main body of migrants and remained behind in this land with thirty other warriors who shared his convictions.
Haug turned around and looked at the thirty orcs behind him who, like him, had ultimately chosen to remain in the land of Aeldoren. Then he roared:
“You have seen it, haven’t you? Those humans, members of an inferior race, actually dare to command the corpses of our orc warriors!”
“The cowardly chieftain and high priest are gone. They fear the humans and have shamefully retreated.”
“But we have not!”
“This is the final trial bestowed upon us by the Orc Gods.”
“Do not forget: humans are a gift granted to us by the gods of the orcs, an inferior race meant for us to kill and plunder!”
“We shall accept the final trial of the gods.”
“Tonight, we will slaughter every human in this village! Then the favor of the Orc Gods will descend upon us.”
“We will prove to those cowardly chieftains and priests who shamefully retreated that we are the true chosen people of the Orc Gods!”
The orc warriors behind Haug responded to his call, raising their weapons one after another.
Every one of them was a seasoned warrior who had survived the fires and battles of Bloodscar Gorge. Their strength was far from negligible.
Many of them had even taken up the Barbarian profession and become professional adventurers!
“Slaughter the inferior humans! Blood-sacrifice them to the Orc Gods and avenge our brothers!”
…
High above, upon the floating city in the heavens.
Erian watched Haug Bloodwolf and the orc warriors behind him in the golden basin.
The orcs had no idea who had secretly planted the suggestion that guided their thoughts.
Nor did they know who had led them to choose Rolling Stone Village from among the many villages, or why they had chosen this particular moment—
The final moment before the awakening of the red dragon sorcerer bloodline within little Gret reached its limit, when only one last push remained!
“To bring about the best possible effect when that sorcerer awakens, what is needed is a crisis of life and death, or the most extreme emotional stimulation…”
Erian smiled at the image in the basin, watching the story unfold according to the course he had planned.
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