In the dark night, the city of Kislev fell into sleep under the shining stars.
The streets were quiet and deserted. The bright lights of a few pubs were like sparks falling into the world, dotting every corner of the city.
When the clock struck twelve at midnight, the cold wind passed by, and the flames of the Temple of Esun dimmed a bit.
On the cold street, a small group of soldiers escorting the coffin walked silently. The leader was not the captain of the Kislev garrison, nor the Tsarist Guard. It was an elf.
Her thick cloak covered her pointed face tightly, but a pair of white pointed ears peeked out from the gap in the cloak, making it obvious that she was an elf.
Aliria walked at the front of the team, her face expressionless. Her soft boots stepped on the stone road, making a subtle thumping sound. Accompanying her were Norscan Guard Captain Celta and Shattered Iron.
By Grondi.
From the gloomy expressions on everyone's faces, the palace guards had noticed that something was wrong. But they didn't know what happened or who was in the coffin. However, these people were familiar to them.
Judging from their blood-stained robes and armor, the Tsarist Guards already felt that this incident was more harmful than they imagined.
Under the orders of Virgil, the captain of the imperial army, the tsarist guards opened the gate of the palace for the team.
In the church, moonlight filtered in from the giant floor-to-ceiling windows on the south side, dyeing the floor a layer of snow-white.
Right above the main hall, Kislev's supreme commander, Rhodes, was sitting on the cold stone chair, watching Alyria and her group slowly walk into the main hall.
This is not a celebration dinner, on the contrary, it is a mourning party.
In the hall of this huge royal palace, important Kislev officials stood upright in two rows on the left and right, watching as several people carried the coffin into the hall.
When the heavy coffin was placed on the stone slab in the center of the hall, two priests stepped forward and slowly pushed open the top of the coffin. Rhodes stood up from the cold throne, walked to the wooden coffin, and stared into the coffin.
That familiar face made me feel a little dazed.
Another old friend who has been with him for many years is gone. Even in a world where magic is rampant, a dead person cannot be resurrected. The dead person is gone forever. Even if he is resurrected with undead magic, he is just a walking corpse.
The witch hunter Diego lay quietly in the long and narrow coffin. His thin face was covered with scars, and a scar almost penetrated his entire skull. The complete corpses now must be those of Aliria and her party.
I pieced it together by myself. You can imagine how brutal and horrific the injuries the witch hunters suffered in the Land of the Dead were.
"When we found him, his body was mutilated. His head was hung on the tower, and his body was cut into several pieces and thrown into the weeds."
Aliria said expressionlessly.
The dwarf on the side had already turned red. After all, the person lying in the coffin was his comrade who once fought side by side. The feelings of life and death were now separated by yin and yang.
"Thank you for bringing him back. Diego is a comrade and loyal partner to all of us. He also saved you, Dennis."
Rhodes said, turning his eyes to his daughter aside.
The Snow Queen nodded. She remembered. Of course she remembered that it was Diego who rescued her from danger when the palace was in turmoil.
Belshazer Gelt also walked to the coffin and looked at the person lying in the coffin melancholy. He had not been familiar with him for a long time, but Gelt still remembered the time when they entered hell together.
The scene in the pit, no matter their status, at that moment, they were comrades sharing life and death, handing each other's backs and entrusting their lives to each other. Now, only this cold and broken body in the coffin is left.
's corpse.
The moonlight shone coldly on the coffin, as if it were covered with a light layer of white frost.
"Cover it. I have sent someone to inform the Empire of Sigmar Church that they will take away the body. Diego will eventually return to the Empire and his hometown."
Rong Zhong's funeral was not held in Kislev. When people from the Church of Sigmar came to pick up the witch hunter's body, Rhodes asked a stonemason to build a monument and placed it in the Martyrs Cemetery on the outskirts of Kislev as a memorial.
.
And now, he must get back on his feet.
In Bandaga Palace, Rhodes retained the head of the Sigma Church mission.
Even in the warm room of the fireplace, the Grand Master still refused to take off his noble attire.
But Rhodes doesn't care, as long as he doesn't feel hot...
"Diego is an excellent witch hunter and warrior. He has helped us a lot. I must express my gratitude to you for this."
"That's not necessary. This is entirely his personal behavior and has nothing to do with the church."
The head of the group replied in an understatement.
His white scarf hung on his shoulders, looking holy and inviolable. However, the arrogance in his eyes was still difficult to conceal, even if he was facing the supreme commander of a neighboring country.
"No matter what, we are people on a united front."
Rhodes shrugged and whispered.
Snowflakes fall lightly from the windows, telling the unique sadness of this season in the North.
However, Rhodes could not read any sadness on the face of Pastor Sigma, the grand leader. On the contrary, there was more hatred.
That's enough. Rhodes doesn't need these bald guys to have any deep feelings for Diego. They just came from the same school and went their separate ways due to different orders. Speaking of feelings, maybe Diego and Kislev
The affection of these comrades is better than that of their fellow disciples.
"A vampire killed him."
Rhodes added.
The grand leader nodded, his expression becoming more serious.
"How much do you know about Sylvania and Duncanhof Castle?"
Rhodes asked next.
"It's a city of the dead."
The head of the group returned coldly——
"Five witch hunters have died tragically while investigating the Land of the Dead, and Diego is the fifth."
He took another deep breath and continued -
"An ancient force is resurrecting in that land. It is very powerful and very dangerous."
"Ancient power? What do you mean?"
Rhodes asked. Although he had more or less guessed the answer in his mind, out of curiosity, Rhodes still pretended not to know anything and asked about the imperial priest.
"I don't know, great lord. If we knew, we would have reported the matter to the emperor long ago."
"We sent so many witch hunters to investigate just to find out this."
"There is no need to send more people in, no one will come out alive."
Rhodes interrupted the grand leader——
"There is no need to make meaningless sacrifices. Your Excellency, Grand Commander, I know how much effort and effort it takes to train a qualified witch hunter. Losing an excellent witch hunter is sometimes more regrettable than a regiment."
.Sending people to fight alone will not achieve anything. The land of the dead is full of dangers. Even the trio of Lost Travelers almost couldn't get out."
"If we want to obtain useful intelligence and suppress the ancient evil power you speak of, the only way is large-scale suppression and encirclement."
"I am ready to launch an act of revenge against Sylvania, a land bordering Kislev."
Rhodes paused and looked at Priest Sigma's reaction across from him. Seeing that the other person was in a calm mood, he continued -
"For thousands of years, this land has been under the dark rule of vampires, and it has also threatened the core security of the empire. Now, it is when it is most vulnerable, and it is necessary to give him a heavy blow to weaken or even annex it.
It will eliminate the troubles of vampires."
"Do you want to join us in attacking the City of the Dead?"
The grand leader asked back. His brows were furrowed, and there was some surprise in his eyes.
"Yes."
Rhodes replied.
"I don't have this power, and neither does the great priest. It's the emperor's power to use the army, it's not my decision."
The grand leader returned directly and decisively.
"Of course, this is the emperor's power. I will send an envoy to explain the situation to your emperor. But before that, I hope to reach an agreement with you first."
"High Lord, do you really want to launch an attack on Sylvania?"
The grand leader still stared at Rhodes with suspicion and astonishment.
"Do you think I'm joking?"
"You have just lost an excellent witch hunter, and I have just lost an old friend who has been with you for many years. This revenge will be avenged sooner or later, so why not take advantage of the moment, when the enemy is weakest and you and I are at peace?
Come and do it.”
"At the kingdom level, Sylvania and Kislev are both bordering the empire, and strategic threats are always present. You know, the dead and the living cannot coexist. What's more, I am also worried about the ancient power you mentioned
.”
The grand leader nodded, seeming to agree with the words of the Kislev commander in front of him.
However, he still has concerns——
"You know, for hundreds of years, the empire has been trying to eliminate this threat from the east. However, many times of crusade ended in failure. The City of the Undead is not as easy to capture as you think. Everything in that land is in ruins.
, the sky is shrouded in darkness, and no living person can escape the corrosion. Marching on Sylvania is more difficult than marching on any living fortress. If the war fails, the corpses of the soldiers will become
The new force under the Necromancer’s command will have more serious consequences than if we didn’t attack.”