Ashen Dragon-Chapter 417 - 340 Undead Research Institute
Chapter 417: Chapter 340 Undead Research Institute
“On September 14, 1786 of the New Calendar, I transformed seventy thousand skeletons on the Okaglar Plains for His Majesty Cassius.”
“On September 16, 1786 of the New Calendar, I transformed the bodies of two hundred frost giants on Stormy Ridge for His Majesty Cassius.”
“On September 16, 1786, I transformed six thousand skeletons on the plains for His Majesty Cassius.”
“On September 18, 1786, for His Majesty Cassius…”
“…”
Within Soulcry Castle, the bone pen continued to scribble in “The Great, Immortal Orestes’ Diary.”
Orestes had the habit of keeping a diary. He had linked the bone pen to his own soul, making it a living undead creature that could constantly feel and record the lich’s moods.
“Imperial Special Operations Team, move in!”
“All undead inside, don’t move! Or you’ll be obliterated!”
Suddenly, a team of Tieflings armed with specialized necromancy weapons broke down the door and stormed into the defenseless Soulcry Castle.
The bone pen immediately stopped writing, hopping up onto a shelf, while the human skin diary closed itself slowly.
Mages dispatched from the Department of Magic inspected the arrays and traps within Soulcry Castle and disabled them. Although Kai Xu’s intrusion had already rendered most spells ineffective, there were still some hidden remnants in the castle’s corners that were hard to detect.
After the Tiefling Guards confirmed there was no danger, officials from the Imperial Engineering Department, most of whom were human, entered.
They walked through the entire Soulcry Castle, pointing at everything.
“These head decorations are too gruesome; they’re bad for the Empire’s image.”
“And this human skin chair is too evil. What would the Starfallen think if they saw it? Change it!”
“The Prime Minister personally said that this place should showcase the splendor of the Empire! Don’t let the lich’s disgusting aesthetics pollute it!”
Meanwhile, the imperial construction team stood ready at the entrance. These ogre and bugbear workers pushed various large construction machines, while frost giant slave laborers carried heavy rebar and cement materials.
After the construction of Isdalia, the Imperial Construction Team’s skills had become increasingly proficient. Even without the help of players, they could complete tasks very well—especially with the large equipment provided by the Mechanical God Cult.
Without a doubt, this centuries-old Soulcry Castle was about to undergo a dramatic transformation.
“Boom!”
A heavy iron ball fell from the crane, smashing the stone gate adorned with a skeleton crest to pieces.
“Watch it! Don’t hit the load-bearing walls!”
…
Within the Empire, on the Avton Plains.
Orestes, who was preparing to transform undead creatures, suddenly felt a shiver, his face turning grim.
Through the soul link, he saw some peculiar scenes happening in Soulcry Castle—for instance, a giant iron ball smashing through walls.
But those were scenes from several days ago.
After thinking for a moment, he cautiously inquired: “Master, about my Soulcry Castle…”
“Your Soulcry Castle?”
“Didn’t you dedicate the Bewildering Valley and Soulcry Castle to the Empire?”
Kai Xu “confusedly” questioned.
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
The lich repeatedly nodded, not daring to show any negligence: “Of course, of course, everything in Bewildering Valley belongs to the Empire.”
“I was just wondering if changes are being made to the Empire’s Soulcry Castle?”
“After all, it’ll also serve as my workplace.”
Kai Xu glanced at him and coldly said, “It is now a public place of the Empire, with its arrangement handled by the Empire’s specialists. You don’t need to worry about it; just focus on transforming undead creatures for me.”
“As for the changes to Soulcry Castle, you’ll know in due time.”
“Yes, Master.”
Orestes nodded again.
After days of relentless exploitation, the lich, who once possessed vast soul energy and a legendary level, had become dispirited and feeble.
The ghost fire in his eye sockets was now as faint as a flickering flame, and his entire body no longer emitted the thick aura of death—it was restrained to conserve energy, trying to maintain his existence and avoid being downgraded to a half-lich.
Kai Xu spoke calmly:
“Orestes, you have made significant contributions to the Empire recently; I’ve taken note of them. This batch from Avton will be the last.”
“In two days, you’ll be able to return to work in Bewildering Valley.”
“Yes, Master!”
The lich, trembling, knelt down, almost moved to tears.
In recent days, Orestes had transformed more than a hundred thousand undead creatures, nearly exhausting the soul energy he had accumulated over centuries, keeping only a small amount to sustain his existence.
It would finally be over!
At least he could return to Bewildering Valley and no longer experience the constant fear of being close to the Emperor’s mood swings.
Kai Xu spoke again: “However… it seems your soul energy is running low.”
“I’ll allow you to keep five hundred undead creatures for yourself during this transformation.”
“Th-thank you, Master!”
After days of indoctrination and subtle control, he was on the verge of carving the command “The undead belong only to His Majesty” into his soul.
Keeping the undead he transformed should have been a given.
Yet at this moment, the lich felt overwhelmingly excited and incredulous.
Excited because he hadn’t tasted the sweet sensation of soul feedback and controlling the undead for days.
Incredulous because this greedy, stingy red dragon master actually allowed him to own undead creatures!
“Master, is this… is this true?”
Orestes’s withered hand gripping the scepter trembled slightly; he even thought he might have heard wrong and was overwhelmed by the favor given.
“This is a special case.”
“I said the Empire would not mistreat any being that makes a contribution.”
“Now, begin your work.”
The lich nodded, excitedly raising his scepter and chanting fluently.
Another ten thousand skeletons emerged from the ground, awakened by him, forming a vast undead skeleton legion—this time, five hundred of them belonged to the lich himself.
“Excellent…”
“It’s up to standard.”
Kai Xu observed the undead skeletons, nodding slightly.
At Bewildering Valley, there were already a hundred thousand undead skeletons. Under the Empire’s powerful military might, they didn’t need to be used as an army.
These undead skeletons could be employed for mining, transporting, and exploring missions in underground and dark areas without light—extremely cheap low-end labor that could be used without concern as expendable materials.
When the players’ technology reached a certain level, they could even use these undead skeletons to generate electricity.
“And Orestes.”
“This valuable lich couldn’t be wasted—of course, he must properly serve the players, undergoing sustainable exploitation.”
A menacing smile appeared on Kai Xu’s face again.
Under his plan, these undead creatures could integrate perfectly into the Empire’s system, just as the lich would.
…
After completing his work, the lich finally received Kai Xu’s verbal permission to return to Bewildering Valley.
But Orestes stood stupefied in front of the brand-new “Soulcry Castle,” staring at the familiar yet strange building.
It was no longer that old, gloomy castle. The original interior filled with severed limbs and spattered blood had disappeared.
Replaced by cold metal doors, clean and smooth walls, and the Empire’s unique, simple, grand industrial style permeating everywhere.
Even at night, it was brightly lit by new electric lights.
The metal sign at the entrance stood out prominently.
——Undead Research Institute.
“Where is my Soulcry Castle…”
Orestes murmured, gazing at the words on the metal sign.
