The atmosphere of war is getting increasingly intense.
Although Rhaegar did not officially announce preparations for war, in the following days, a series of abnormal lord orders were issued one after another.
The first is to restart the underground fortress located north of Rolling Stone Town.
Due to the outstanding terrain characteristics of the Gold Prospector Basin, a huge underground fortress was built northwest of Rolling Stone Town as early as the time Rhaegar's father was in power.
The fortress only develops 1/6 of its area and can accommodate the daily life of the entire population of Rolling Stone Town in a short period of time.
This fortress is usually closed.
Now that it has been launched, it naturally needs to be reorganized and allocated to various areas so that it can be used in time in future wars to protect the residents.
The second is the establishment of a wartime sentry system.
The black dragon's surprise attack was certainly an accident.
However, Rhaegar and others still clearly realized that the setting up of mobile sentries must be strengthened - since Matthew used the protective umbrella to solve the Mark of the Dead, the frequency of patrols by the garrison has dropped significantly.
And after the dragon disaster.
The members of the garrison headed by Brad not only strengthened the shift patrol system, but also greatly expanded the scope of patrols.
Focus on monitoring the western and southern borders.
In this regard, Matthew also sent ghosts to monitor the situation in the northeast to ensure that Rolling Stone Town would not be attacked from both sides.
The third is to quietly expand the army.
The main purpose of army expansion is to recruit more manpower to improve the number of garrison and reserve forces.
To be fair.
With the population of Rolling Stone Town, the war potential is not sufficient.
Within Zeller and Rega's predictions.
After this round of military expansion, the permanent army stationed in Rolling Stone Town will only be on the verge of 1,000 people at most.
Only 200 members of the Lord's Guard are elite.
And in the "Secret Order of War" formulated by the Seven Saints Alliance regarding the details of the battle.
For the lowest level battle, the number of unilateral participants is set at 500.
Generally speaking, the number of people on either side of the battle should not be less than 1,000.
It can be seen from this.
As long as there is a large-scale battle, all the troops of Rolling Stone Town must be invested.
This is quite stressful for Rega and the others.
Fortunately, Matthew's undead army can barely fill the gap in this area.
These days.
Zeller has been studying the details of the secret war order.
The number of details given by the Alliance in the official version was dozens of times that Matthew got from Margaret.
It details the reasons for applying for a battle:
Territorial friction/territorial dispute/personal grudge/merger of territories/his dog glared at me...
All of these will not be mentioned one by one.
It is very easy to initiate a battle under the existing conditions.
But in principle.
The battle requires the consent of both parties.
During this process, the alliance sent referee mages to intervene and make flexible decisions.
For example, if Gao Ye Ling submitted a battle request for 2,000 people to Rolling Stone Town and the Alliance.
Once the Alliance sees that there are only 1,000 troops in Rolling Stone Town, it may reject Gao Ye Ling's request for a battle on the grounds of unequal combat strength, or change the troop requirement to 1,000.
If Gao Yeling accepts the battle scale of 1,000 people, then it will be Rolling Stone Town's turn to make a decision.
With the consent of both Gaoye Ling and the Alliance.
If Rolling Stone Town chooses to refuse the battle, then it needs to meet part of the "winner's reward" proposed by Gao Yeling in the "Battle Application".
The content of the winner's reward is also negotiated by both parties with the intervention of the alliance.
The main contents are territorial cession, war reparations, territorial privileges, etc.
Reject war under these circumstances.
In fact, it is equivalent to taking the initiative to cede territory and pay compensation.
Between the two territories, there is also the term "battle protection period".
Specifically, after one territory declares war on another and wins, it must wait another six months before the next battle application can be initiated.
This indeed slowed down the pace of annexation of weak territories to a certain extent.
But this does not mean that the Alliance does not encourage territories to annex each other.
In the details of "territory negotiation".
The alliance gave the option of merging territories without using force.
That is, the two parties can hold negotiations under the mediation of the alliance.
With the enthusiasm of many people in Ain for negotiations, I am afraid that this item will become the mainstream in the future.
But war is certainly inevitable overall.
The rules of the alliance are very detailed.
There will also be many loopholes in it.
For example, the term "battle protection period" only exists between two territories that have just ended a battle.
There are no restrictions on other territories.
This means that Rolling Stone can declare war on all surrounding territories at the same time.
All surrounding territories may also declare war on Rolling Stone Town at the same time.
This way.
What Rolling Stone Town will face is likely to be a wheel battle level battle!
This undoubtedly places higher demands on the political and diplomatic level of independent territories.
How to unite vertically and horizontally has become one of the major tests that many small territories face in the new era after the mystery of civilization is broken.
The three giants of Rolling Stone Town exchanged opinions on this.
All three believe that the details of the "War Order" are one of the important factors that determine the future fate of the territory.
before the Alliance loses control of the war situation.
The legendary mages who can intervene in wars and subvert the regime at any time are the guarantee of the effectiveness of the rules.
How to effectively exploit rules or even loopholes in rules.
This is the goal that Zeller needs to study wholeheartedly next.
to this end.
The coughing sounds in the Lord's Mansion late at night became more frequent again.
Matthew asked about Zeller's physical condition.
But the latter's mental state is not bad.
He told Matthew that his cough had something to do with the warlock's bloodline and was not a physiological disease, so there was no need to worry too much.
Matthew could only be doubtful about this.
Rhaegar and Zeller were busy on their own.
Matthew was naturally not idle. In addition to writing letters and calling friends, he selected two key breakthroughs from the spells that could be learned at the fourth level.
These two spells are of great significance to the upcoming war.
They are "Isabel's Flying Technique" and "Dragon Holding Technique" among the monster holding techniques.
Ordinary flying techniques can be learned at the third level, but the effect of this flying technique is very average, the starting and landing movements are very slow, and the lateral movement speed is a little faster than when running at full strength.
It’s not cost-effective to learn.
So Matthew didn't learn Isabel's improved flying technique until the fourth level.
After studying all night.
Matthew roughly understood the characteristics of Isabel's flying technique, and the key point was "deception".
As we all know.
Flying is actually a spell that changes the field.
Ordinary flying techniques are all about trying your best to change part of your body to simulate the characteristics of flying species.
in this case.
Even if the flying spell is cast, the mage himself is sometimes at a loss.
When flying in the air, you may feel more like a bird than a human being.
And when it comes to Isabel's flying skills.
She proposed to deceive the change field and make the local change field think that human beings are a special flying unit.
As long as the field recognizes it.
Then humans can fly freely in the sky like birds.
There is no cost to learn this spell.
As long as you can understand Isabel's deceptive spirit and learn the corresponding spell.
However, this is also the difficulty of this spell.
Matthew went back and forth over all the theoretical knowledge of Isabel's flying skills several times, but he still couldn't figure out how to achieve the deception field.
Fortunately, he has accumulated some elements of deception.
Once you break through the difficulties.
He still has a chance to quickly master Isabel's flying skills.
The effect of this spell is much more powerful than the ordinary flying spell.
The most important thing is that it can fly straight up and down like a hummingbird, and its speed is more than three times faster than ordinary flying.
The only drawback may be that it requires a high level of concentration to maintain.
After all, it is very difficult to continue to deceive the field.
And after entering the advanced level.
Matthew also further demonstrated the importance of concentration at the practical level.
Many high-level spells require extremely high concentration to maintain.
Spells are also very different from spells.
For example, Astra's Claw is a spell that requires low concentration.
Matthew can use this spell while freeing up more mental energy to prepare several other spells.
The Curse of Death requires much higher concentration.
Discovered through Matthew's experiments.
While using the Death Curse, he can only use at most one additional spell of a slightly higher level.
A little more.
His mental strength will be at risk of collapse.
And among all kinds of magic.
There are also some that are more flexible in terms of concentration requirements.
Among them, the summoning of the dead is a representative one.
You can use higher concentration to maintain the summoning of the undead, in which case you can micromanage each undead unit;
You can also use lower concentration to maintain the spell.
In this case, the undead's movement trajectories will have a certain degree of randomness.
You can only give them a rough order.
As for what we can accomplish in the end, it is up to God.
However, Isabel's Flying Technique requires more concentration than the Death Curse.
This means that it is difficult for Matthew to cast spells while flying at high speed.
But Matthew still sees this point relatively clearly.
The purpose of flying is to quickly avoid danger and reach high places.
Casting spells while flying is a privilege only reserved for legendary mages or gold-rich warriors like Margaret.
He couldn't count on it for the time being.
Matthew's mental strength and concentration are actually top-notch among mages of the same level.
However, these high concentration spells are so unreasonable and seem to be specially prepared for real geniuses.
in this case.
He could only envy Luo Lan's plump book.
Just by briefly reading can add two points of temporary focus.
For Matthew, this meant that he could still maintain a life-killing spell while casting Isabella's flying spell.
The effect is also so fragrant.
"I hope Lorraine can show up."
"If that doesn't work, you can mail the little yellow book to me and lend it to me."
Matthew shook his head and planned to write a letter to Lorraine later.
In addition to the flying skills that I am learning.
Matthew has made great progress in the art of holding monsters.
It only took half a day.
He conquered all the contents of the dragon's body-holding technique.
This surprised Matthew very much.
After all, monster immobilization is a spell in the field of enchantment, and it belongs to Suriel's territory.
He has achieved nothing in the field of enchantment.
I didn't expect to learn this spell so easily.
Perhaps this is also related to the fact that he has mastered the human body-holding technique before.
"It's also possible that I have some talent in spells related to immobilization."
Matthew thought secretly.
But this is a type of spell such as Holding Body.
It is a relatively rare spell that can grow on its own.
The success rate will not be too high at the beginning, and the time to settle will not be too long.
There may even be an embarrassing situation where the scene freezes but ends in a few seconds.
And in order to make yourself last longer.
Matthew intends to seek the resources of the Alliance.
See if you can find someone who can practice the Dragon Holding Technique.
After all, it was in Matthew's plan.
This spell is crucial.
As long as the enemy can be immobilized for a moment, even if it only takes three seconds, there is a chance to put him into a near-death state.
By then the surrounding layout will be completed.
Slaying a dragon is no idle dream.
In addition to learning spells and deducing the dragon-slaying plan.
Matthew is still integrating the undead in the cemetery to practice micro-management and command in a war situation to a certain extent.
Because the upper limit of the undead he can control has been increased.
As a result, some of the dead who had just been buried in the graves were transformed into skeletons and zombies.
This way.
The number of skeletons and zombies in the cemetery has reached 360.
They are lined up together, giving people a dense and terrifying feeling with no end in sight.
At this time.
Only then did Matthew truly realize the concept of numbers.
A few hundred undead people would be as oppressive as the ocean.
Thousands of words.
I'm afraid it's even more frightening.
However, Matthew still encountered some obstacles in controlling the undead.
The main reason is that there are too many people.
He is not a professional general.
Just fight small-scale battles.
In a large-scale decisive battle, Matthew estimated that he would only swarm forward, wait in place, and quickly evacuate and other stupid instructions.
More detailed operations are somewhat difficult for him.
He is a mage.
You can't just improvise and study some tactics now.
Even if necessary.
It seems that there is too little time.
What makes Matthew feel even more helpless is...
None of the contracted immortals under him are talented generals.
Ah Bing is a pure lone wolf who only knows how to fight alone and spread the hip-twisting virus;
Renesmee does have certain leadership skills, but the number cannot exceed twenty. If there are more, she will become dazed;
Xiao Fei does have the ability of a general, but once the war starts, he will appear more often beside Matthew as a personal guard or mount;
As for Paige…
The dishes she cooks are very good.
And in several high-end units in the cemetery.
The black warrior Argus is a real general.
But it's a flaw that this guy can't stray too far from the cemetery.
Elite Ghost Ali is also good.
He had no choice but to command his own kind;
As for the new coolie mother.
This guy is purely an internal affairs talent. He can run a zombie construction team, but fighting is funny.
This way.
Matthew's dilemma of having too many soldiers and major generals was fully exposed.
He thought about the candidate for most of the day.
Suddenly I thought of someone.
That is Centaur Obest!
As a tree shepherd, Obest actually has considerable commanding abilities.
It's just that the ones he commands are usually natural creatures, tree spirits and the like.
"Wouldn't it be wrong to let a nature-loving centaur command an evil undead army?"
Matthew hesitated and found Obest.
Speak out your thoughts.
as expected.
Mr. Centaur was shocked:
"You want me to command those dirty... undead?"
He began to swallow furiously.
Matthew smiled:
"I'm just here to discuss this issue with you, you don't have to be particularly nervous."
Obest hesitated for a moment and finally shook his head:
"Sorry, Mr. Matthew, I know I am not qualified to refuse you, but I really can't convince myself to get mixed up with a group of zombies or skeletons, even if they are no longer as hateful as they were in my eyes now, I'm sorry."
Matthew got the expected answer and was not particularly disappointed.
At that moment, he patted Obest on the shoulder, then turned and left.
On the contrary, Obest looked at Matthew's back, his expression became very complicated, including dissatisfaction, discomfort, and a hint of shame.
It happened to be at this time.
A white light flashed around him.
A lively and cute little light demon emerged from the inner layer.
"Dang-dang-dang!"
"The little pineapple is here!"
"Dear Mr. Obest, the little pineapple represents everyone in the world of trees and seas to say hello to you!"
The little light demon flew onto Obest's shoulder:
"Everyone is very concerned about the progress of immigration. How is the situation here?"
Obest's face tightened, and then he sighed:
"Hello little pineapple, I'm afraid this is not a suitable place to move to. I have communicated with the lord here. A few days ago, a giant dragon attacked the small town near the woods. This place will soon be involved in a war. You are now
If you come here, you may also be affected by the war."
Unexpectedly, Little Pineapple stared with big eyes and said:
"Is there a war here too?"
“But over there in the sea of trees, we have been involved in the war——
The ancient basin that we used to avoid danger has been flooded with a large number of twisted astral creatures.
Many people were injured as a result.
Those astral creatures are too powerful, could this place be more dangerous than the Taikoo Basin?"
Obest became even more nervous.
He quickly asked:
"How is everyone's situation? Why are there astral creatures invading the sea of trees?"
Little Pineapple sighed:
"Little Pineapple doesn't know. Everyone's situation is getting worse day by day. Everyone wants to leave the Taikoo Basin. Currently, the only one who supports everyone to continue fighting is Lord Obest."
"If there is only one giant dragon with two heads, it can be driven away with everyone's strength, right? It's better than dealing with a large number of twisted astral creatures. What do you think, Mr. Obest?"
Obest gritted his teeth.
Four hooves were pacing back and forth in place.
After a while.
He resolutely said to Little Pineapple:
"Ask some of you to prepare, I will pick you up soon!"
Little Pineapple looked at Obest suspiciously:
"is that true?"
"Master Obest, aren't you trying to coax me?"
The centaur said firmly:
"My words are a promise!"
As he spoke, he ignored the little pineapple who was happily there.
Instead, he stepped forward and caught up with Matthew.
"Mr. Matthew."
"I am willing to become the general of the undead army. As long as you give me the authority to command them, I promise to give you a brand-new army!"
Obest said with a serious face.
Matthew looked at him in surprise:
"Why did you change your mind?"
Obest said honestly:
"My people have been violated, and I hope to find a safe place for them in your oak forest—especially on the edge of the descendants of the World Tree. To do this, we must build a stable portal that communicates with the sea of trees.
Okay, this may cost a lot of gold coins."
The more we talk about it later.
His voice gets quieter.
Matthew didn't hear the word "gold coins" clearly at all, he just made it up in his head.
"How many people are in your tribe?"
Matthew was happy in his heart but his face was still quite cold.
Obest thought about it and said:
"The first batch, about 100... no, 50 people are enough!"
Matthew asked curiously:
"Are they all centaur tree herders like you?"
Obest explained:
"They are centaurs, but not necessarily tree shepherds. There are also spearmen, archers and magicians."
"We centaurs are better at long-range attacks."
Matthew almost drooled after hearing this.
Centaur archers?
That is the top long-range unit in the multiverse!
Rolling Stone Town is particularly short of archers right now.
What is there to hesitate about now?
At that moment, Matthew waved his hand:
"How many people are there in your clan? I'll take care of them all!"
Obest was shocked:
"is this real?"
"Are you really willing to accept all of us? My people are quite edible..."
"And establishing a stable tree sea portal also requires a lot of gold coins."
Matthew waved his hand:
"A little thing."
Anyway, the money can be reimbursed by Lei Jia.
After all, recruiting archers also helps Rolling Stone Town, right?
Obest was almost moved to tears on the spot.
He bowed deeply to Matthew:
"Thank you for your generosity and kindness!"
on the data column.
…
"Tip: Your follower Obest's loyalty to you increases to 85.
Obest shared with you his ability "Eagle Eye";
Eagle Eye: You can see distant images clearly;
Your long-range aiming ability is increased by 100%"
…
Can followers also share abilities?
Matthew was greatly surprised.
Obest actually belongs to the Sanctuary of Life ceremony venue.
He is indeed a follower of Matthew.
Perhaps the Sanctuary of Life plays a role similar to the Pact of the Dead.
Matthew was very interested in this.
"If I recruit more followers through the Sanctuary of Life in the future and ensure their loyalty, wouldn't it be like a continuous source of free prostitution power?"
"Even this kind of free prostitution ability can be directional..."
Now.
Matthew discussed with Obest for a while.
The two confirmed some details about the Sea of Trees portal.
After that, Obest went into the cemetery excitedly.
This is the first time he has entered a cemetery since settling in Oak Grove.
That moment.
Matthew could feel that the elements between the two ceremonial venues began to further blend.
…
Three days later.
Matthew, who was trying his best to explore the secrets of flying, suddenly received a message from Isabel!
When that beautiful face lights up in the crystal ball.
Matthew almost thought he was hallucinating.
He hurried to the starry sky cabin of the Crucible House to meet Isabel.
The latter was wearing a mercury dress today. His eyes were slightly swollen and his eyes were very groggy, as if he had just woken up from a long sleep.
"Are you planning to slay the dragon?"
Isabel asked straight to the point.
Her tone of voice was still so domineering and direct, giving people an unquestionable feeling.
Matthew replied:
"Just like what I wrote to you in my letter, the dragon has threatened our survival..."
Isabel interrupted him rudely:
"You can be on your own."
Matthew pursed his lips:
"I can not do it."
Isabel raised her eyebrows, with a hint of contempt in her expression:
"Do you have that ability?"
that moment.
Matthew was under tremendous pressure.
It seems like countless people are laughing at me in my ears.
In the sky full of abuse and ridicule.
It seemed that it was so difficult for him to even speak.
"I am trying……"
"But I'll do my best!"
Matthew said sweatingly.
The stress disappears instantly.
Isabel commented without saltiness:
"madness."
"But he's still a bit human."
As she said this, she stared at Matthew for a while and snorted softly:
"Finally level 4...are you learning flying skills?"
Matthew nodded and said:
"Yes, it is the flying technique you created."
Isabel said decisively:
"Stop learning it, it's a second-rate version for mediocre people."
Matthew was shocked.
Immediately, he secretly smiled bitterly.
The second-rate version prepared for mediocre people is so difficult to learn by myself.
So how difficult is it to prepare a first-class version for geniuses?
But what I need now is time!
Before Matthew could speak.
Isabel looked at him with burning eyes:
"I can let you learn this flying technique directly, but you will owe me a promise for this."
"How about it, do you dare to do this deal?"
Matthew's heart trembled.
He did not question whether Isabel could really teach herself flying directly.
After all, Suriel also has this method.
There is no reason why Isabel, who is also a divine mage and even more powerful, cannot do this.
But the problem is.
"What is that promise...?"
Matthew asked cautiously.
Isabel said coldly:
"I will only tell you if you agree to the deal."
Matthew smiled bitterly:
"Isn't that just gambling?"
Isabel raised her eyebrows:
"The question is whether you have the courage. Opportunities always come once in a blue moon. Even if you are my mentor, you may not always be able to catch me in a good mood."
Matthew gritted his teeth.
Isabel's words are quite similar to Suriel's.
He quickly realized that this might not be the time for him to consider cost-effectiveness.
It was Isabel who was testing her loyalty.
So he made a decision in his mind:
"I do!"
"good!"
Isabelle doesn't have much nonsense.
Her body actually passed directly through the dark starry sky and the distance of hundreds of thousands of miles in time and space to arrive at Matthew's side.
In an instant.
Matthew only felt that his body became extremely relaxed!
Isabel held his shoulder with one hand.
He fiercely flew towards the dome of the starry sky cabin!
Before Matthew could react.
He seemed to have traveled through time and space.
Traveled through countless galaxies and planes.
When he came to his senses.
He was still standing on the floor of the Starry Sky Cabin.
In my ears was Isabel's lazy voice:
"I have some minor achievements in the field of transformation, so it is very simple to share some spells with you."
on the data column.
…
"Tip: You have been granted the "Legendary Flying Technique" by the divine mage Isabel!"
Legendary flying technique: You have mastered the legendary flying technique, but the consumption of mental power and mana is 5 times that of ordinary flying technique;
You can use the spell downgrade ability to cast the legendary flying spell. In this case, you will obtain the fifth-level flying spell effect and the corresponding consumption."
…
Legendary flying skills!
Matthew could hardly believe his eyes.
I am only at the fourth level.
He unexpectedly learned the legendary flying technique?
Is this the ability of a divine mage?
He looked at Isabel in shock.
The latter said calmly:
"Now I can tell you what that promise is."
"That is, after you become legendary, you must assist me in killing Ekmund."
These words rang in Matthew's ears.
It’s like a ground-breaking surprise!
Matthew looked around and realized that Ekmund, who had been inseparable from Isabel, was not at the scene.
His heart was pounding.
And in front of me was Isabel.
The infinite glory and splendor of the Divine Mage are quickly fading away.
It turned into a ruined mummy at a speed visible to the naked eye!