Azure Scepter

Page 39

"Therefore, the next goal is very clear: to kill Lothaway completely."

Trier took a deep breath and turned to look at the crimson moon outside the window: "If we fail, then simply hiding in the Great Swamp won't be enough. I'll have to travel north to the vicinity of the Demon Rift—and if necessary, even consider hiding in other planes to avoid trouble until Lorsevie brings about her own destruction through her madness."

The aroma of food mingled with the songs of the dwarf blacksmiths wafted downstairs, and listening to the survivors' joyful laughter, Trier suddenly felt a surge of strength within him.

"Next is experience points. I gained a full 49000 experience points. Transforming Noi into an enhanced super spirit binder and engaging in a magical duel with Losevie cost 15500. Including the 600 experience points left from last time, I now have 34100 experience points left. I can raise my Paladin class level to 8 and gain two attribute points."

With this thought in mind, Trier glanced at his career panel.

[Main Class: Paladin lv7 (Vengeance Oath Limited) (Broken Oath Status)]

"To be on the safe side, it would be more prudent to wait until tomorrow when Noi has finished performing the Redemption Surgery, and then I will remove the Oath-Breaking status before leveling up."

In Azure Scepter, a paladin may break their oath if they fall into the wrong faction, break their oath, or do something too unorthodox. Breaking the oath will temporarily cause the paladin to lose the ability to use the Holy Slash, divine spells, and auras. However, if the break of the oath is not caused by falling into the wrong faction, then a single "Redemption" spell can restore them to normal.

However, the number of times one can repeatedly break and restore an oath is extremely limited. Generally speaking, each person has a maximum of three chances. After breaking an oath for the fourth time, one can only become a basic, unskilled warrior with few specializations, except for becoming a Black Guard.

Of course, a paladin can also choose to voluntarily and consciously break his oath completely, at which point he can become a Dark Guardian—Trier strongly suspects that Losevie's rather clumsy necromancy comes from the ability she gained after breaking her oath.

At this moment, the crimson moonlight silently fell on Noi's silver hair. Noi, who had become a bound spirit, was sitting across the table, resting her chin on her hand, carefully reading the books left in the inn.

“Noy’s mind should be fully back to normal by tomorrow morning, then we can probe her memories. Although I know about Losevie’s overall plan, I’m not entirely clear on the specific technical details, while Noy should be very clear about them,” Trier thought. “Besides, the original body’s chaotic memories can also be clearly and effectively sorted out through Noy’s memories.”

Neu used his long index and middle fingers to pick up a thin page from the book, then slowly turned the page, and Trier also looked away.

"Let's look at the expertise gains. There are two background expertise and two personal expertise. Let's look at the background expertise first."

[First Aid Specialist: You gain an additional 5 skill points when providing medical assistance.]

Trier's gaze quickly swept over the [First Aid Specialist] feat, because this feat was really dispensable; almost every spellcaster with healing abilities in the game had one—Noy probably did too.

He was already very skilled in medicine, so this expertise was just icing on the cake. But when he saw the next expertise, he immediately perked up:

[Harlan's Blessing: You have received the final blessing of the legendary paladin Harlan. You gain an additional 5 points of communication bonus when negotiating with members of the Roland family; you also gain a +2 Luck bonus on saving throws against all death spells and magical death effects, and you will have a saving throw that nullifies the effect, even if the effect normally does not allow for a saving throw.]

"It's practically a permanent anti-death barrier. The effect of this background feat is just too overpowered. Combined with the Paladin's Protection of Faith, I can basically ignore the instant-death effect."

To be honest, he didn't feel anything special when Harlan died, but now, looking at the cold, hard information on the cobalt blue screen, he suddenly felt a little lost.

Although he had only known Harlan for a very short time, they had experienced a great deal together. Harlan was even the first person he had encountered since his transmigration to speak up for him.

“Weak emotions,” Trier thought to himself, taking a deep breath to dispel the inexplicable feelings of melancholy that had arisen within him.

"Let's look at individual strengths."

[Mastery of Slashing Strike: Strikes all enemies within range of your weapon]

Mastering the follow-through chop is an upgraded version of the follow-through chop.

A basic slash can only attack two enemies within its range, while a mastered basic slash attacks all enemies. In short, it's a low-powered version of Blade Storm.

Considering the upcoming plans, the ability to master the "Cleave" feat will be extremely useful, as he will likely be frequently fighting against overwhelming numbers of undead.

With this specialization, the next time he encounters a horde of skeletons, he only needs to switch to a halberd and have Noy give him the ultimate upgraded version of the giantification spell, "Majestic Stance," so he can go on a rampage through the undead horde.

Wherever the blade goes, it is invincible.

Trier looked at the last personal specialty:

[Undead Master (Legendary): You are a master of transformation and command of the undead. If transforming the undead is a skill, then your level in this area can be called an art. You are the undisputed ruler in creating and controlling the undead. Undead transformed by you gain an additional 2 points in Strength, Agility, and Charisma; this bonus increases to 4 when the transformed being is near you; there is virtually no limit to the number of undead you can control.]

Chapter 70 Interlude (Part 3)

"Undead Master" is one of the core specializations of the Necromancer, while the legendary level of Undead Master requires relentless effort and a certain amount of talent.

Trill, as a mage, spent nearly a major expansion—almost ten years of the game—studying alone in the Great Swamp to acquire this feat.

He transformed nearly a hundred of the Myriad Transformation Spirits and Skinning Demons alone. As for the number of relatively ordinary undead such as the Tomb Knights and Hungry Giants, the transformations have reached an astonishing level, to the point that he himself can't even remember exactly how many.

Thanks to Trier's diligent work, the intensity of wars among various undead forces in the entire Great Swamp region due to disputes and frictions increased several levels.

"This feat is incredibly powerful, but unfortunately, currently only Noy seems to benefit from it."

Thinking of this, Trier couldn't help but glance at Noy, who was sitting across the table.

By this time, Noe had finished reading the book. She was resting her chin on her hand, tilting her head and earnestly counting the stars in the night sky. The brilliant starlight was reflected in her eyes, so bright that it seemed untouched by any worldly dust.

Amidst the fresh and slightly bitter citrus scent, she faintly glowed, and combined with her focused and slightly aloof expression, a strange and surreal feeling of sanctity was created for a moment.

“Charisma.” Trier quietly admired Noy. “After Noy became a spiritbinder, she should have directly reached Charisma. Although I can’t directly check her attributes, based on experience, it should be in the range of 23 to 25.”

In the game, the undead do not have a constitution attribute, so the attribute that determines their maximum health is charm.

From a purely academic perspective of necromancy, Trier was very satisfied with his results. He even felt that this transformation was the pinnacle of his expertise in necromancy.

“In general, Noi has now basically acquired all the advantages of being a spirit, but without being bound by the corresponding disadvantages,” Trier thought. “Not only has she completely retained her consciousness and memories, but she has even retained the ability to cast divine spells in her previous life—this may be related to the fact that I simultaneously preserved both her immortal and mortal essences, or it may be related to the fact that Radiance is an impersonal philosophical god. These two related factors need to be further investigated.”

He pulled out a blank sheet of paper and wrote down two possible factors.

In addition to retaining his complete memories, thinking ability, and spellcasting ability, Trier also referenced and improved upon the technique by which the Wordsmith White could resurrect infinitely. Based on the basic principles, he applied some techniques of spirit-body conversion and cross-domain remote spellcasting to anchor Noy's resurrection to his own soul.

This means that, theoretically speaking, as long as his soul doesn't completely vanish, Noi can be resurrected indefinitely, at the cost of only some experience points.

Finally, and what Trier is most proud of, is that the spirit-bound Noi can freely switch between the real and the virtual—she can freely pass through various walls in spirit form, or she can revert to her normal physical state.

Suddenly, Noi turned her head, the lingering dullness in her eyes completely gone, replaced by the enigmatic liveliness she once possessed.

However, unlike in the past, now Trier can read and even distort Noy's thoughts and memories whenever he wants.

After all, Noi had been resurrected and enslaved by him as a spirit binder, and all masters skilled in necromancy were experts at manipulating souls.

However, whether before or after his time travel, Trier respected other people's free will, so he did not intend to treat Noy.

“You know what I’m thinking, right?” Noe asked, her tone surprisingly excited. “Now we’ll have no more barriers between us!”

excited?

Neu's opening remarks took Trier by surprise.

He thought Noy's idea of ​​turning him into an undead was already perverted enough, but he never expected that something even more outrageous was yet to come.

Noy placed her long, slender index finger on her delicate lips and chuckled softly, "It seems you haven't been able to read my mind, how disappointing..."

Trill watched Noy's performance in silence, expecting her to say something even more interesting, but the next moment, Noy's tone suddenly changed: "It's really... reassuring—thank you, Master."

For the second time in a short period of time, the usually composed Trier was surprised. He subconsciously tried to read Noy's mind, but after thinking for a moment, he realized that this was exactly the result the other party wanted to achieve.

Noi stood up, floated lightly onto the table, and then materialized again to sit on the edge of the table.

“You’re still as forgiving as ever.” Neu looked down at Trier. “You were like that when I was a child, and you’re still like that now. Do you remember that time when the Duke flew into a rage because I completely destroyed an entire iris field?”

Trier stood up, grabbed Neu's cold hand, and then, amidst Neu's gasp, pressed her into a chair. The next moment, he sat down on the table himself.

—The positions have been reversed, this feels much better.

Seeing the confusion in Noe's eyes, Trier smiled with satisfaction: "I don't remember."

“You admitted my mistakes for me, just like this time.” Noe’s eyes were lowered, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. “I’ve always been a bad woman… I’m sorry.”

Trier ignored Neu's words and instead asked a completely unrelated question: "Can you see it?"

As he spoke, he shoved the cobalt blue information panel directly into Noe's face.

Noi blinked blankly, then looked around: "What?"

The time traveler silently read Noy's mind.

—Feeling lost, confused, and at a loss...

"What is he saying? Has his headache flared up again?"

Trier nodded in satisfaction and then disconnected.

If even the bound spirits under one's control cannot see the information panel, then no one, no being, could possibly see it.

The next moment, he jumped off the table, grabbed Noe's cold hand again, and then gently put his arm around her waist.

A chilling sensation emanated from the thick nun's robe, and the citrus scent mixed with rosemary almost filled Trier's nostrils. Noy ​​gently closed her eyes, and her pure white eyelashes slowly moved closer to Trier.

But the next moment, Trier simply put Neu back on the table.

Noi was stunned. Due to the violent fluctuations in her state of mind, her spirit even began to distort slightly.

"you..."

“There are more important things to do now,” Trier said. “I need to plan our next move.”

“But…” Noi blinked her misty eyes, “Tonight is still very long, and I seem to… I don’t need to sleep anymore.”

Trier picked up a bag from the table and placed it in Neu's hand.

The next moment, he directly gave the spirit a command: "Go grind the diamond. You must finish grinding it before seven o'clock tomorrow morning—this will greatly benefit your recovery of intelligence."

Under the influence of necromancy, Noy had no choice but to take the diamond, sit back down at the table, and begin his dedicated diamond-grinding journey.

Trier then sat back down in his chair and took out a new stack of white paper.

He took out his ink-stained quill, took a deep breath to dispel the idyllic thoughts from his mind, and then wrote on the white paper:

"Current time: March 20th, Year of Stars and Crimson Moon".

"Princess Edith Lorinman massacred the city in late June."

PS: 13 chapters still owed.

Chapter 71 Memory

The fire flickered, scattering a warm orange glow.

The pen tip made a rustling sound as it glided across the paper.

—Without a doubt, dealing with Lothaway is an extremely difficult task.

Before transforming herself into a lich, Lorse was a renowned legendary paladin on the Prime Material Plane. During the establishment of the Kingdom of Orko, she was still just a mortal, yet Lorse, relying solely on her swordsmanship and wisdom, confronted and defeated a powerful dream demigod.

According to some story-driven players in the game, the Dream Realm demigod defeated by Losevie was even considered one of the best among demigods.

In addition, there is an archaeologist in the Trier Guild who has been active in the Demon Rift region for many years. After careful investigation, he even proposed the following hypothesis: Lorsevie once went deep into the abyss and killed a demon lord alone in the abyss.

According to Trier's analysis, the secondary artifact "Sacrifice" in Lothaway's possession may have come from that demon lord.

Lorse was incredibly powerful when she was still a mortal, and after becoming a lich, her power reached an unbelievable level—her very existence slightly distorted the operation of the entire material world.

Defeating the lich is undoubtedly extremely difficult, and contrary to this difficult goal, Trier has very few resources at his disposal.

Although he knew what the future held, he was actually completely unaware of the situation outside Beaver Town.

All the information he possessed came from his past memories, and this information, whether true or false, was intertwined and obscured by each other like a tangled mess of yarn shrouded in mist.

Making an accurate plan under these conditions is undoubtedly an extremely difficult task.

However, at this moment, Trier's face did not show any anxiety. With the monotonous and rhythmic sound of the pen scratching the paper, his thoughts gradually became clear.

"First, I need to recall as many important events as possible that will happen next, and list the relevant important time points."

Trier gently circled the timeframe of late June with his pen.

“I estimate there are still three months left, but considering the ripple effects of what I did in Beavertown, that time may be extended a bit,” Trier thought. “But in any case, time is not ample, so I’d better make a backup plan.”

With this in mind, he wrote down several other important dates below the date in late June.

"In late June, the Blood Plague broke out in Thurmer, the largest city in the southern duchy. To prevent the citizens from turning into an unstoppable army of undead, Edith Lorraine ordered the massacre of the city before most people had taken hold. After the massacre, she was burdened by an overwhelming moral burden, which led to her complete mental breakdown around August. Her body was then completely taken over by Lorraine, and the old lich obtained the most suitable agent to cause the Kingdom of Orko to explode."

"In September, Edith returned to the capital and, at a meeting to discuss the relevant issues, publicly beheaded the old king and forcibly detained the lords from various regions who were attending the meeting."

"By mid-November, the entire southern duchy had completely fallen."

"In early December, a fierce civil war broke out in the Kingdom of Orco because Edith illegally detained lords and nobles from various places."

"The following year, in June of the Year of the Dragon's Shadow, Losevie, through skillful political maneuvering, completely destroyed all organized resistance within the Kingdom of Orko and successfully completed her reconquest plan, turning the entire Kingdom of Orko into a dead land."

Trier couldn't help but place several heavy underlines under Edith Lorinman's name.

Although Losewey was exceptionally powerful, the Kingdom of Orco, as one of the strongest nations among human kingdoms, possessed a combined strength far exceeding that of the liches when fully mobilized. However, due to Edith, the entire kingdom offered no respectable resistance and was easily defeated by the liches through a divide-and-conquer strategy.

After the fall of the Southern Duchy, the only decent resistance in the Kingdom of Orko came from a single Crusader unit that had retreated from the Demon Rift region and was half-crippled in the battle against the demons.

“Edith has limited abilities, a weak will, and the impetuousness typical of young people. She is really not a qualified leader.” Trier couldn’t help but sigh. “What’s worse is that, because of her background, Rhodes could easily use her as a breakthrough point to divide and disintegrate all potential opponents.”

In the game, Princess Edith is consistently popular and generates a lot of discussion, with most players liking this tragic hero. However, Trier is the opposite; he doesn't like the princess and sees Edith as nothing more than a pathetic weakling.

Trier believed that the entire Plague massacre was not an epic tale of a beautiful and resolute hero rebelling against fate, only to be betrayed and ultimately defeated; rather, it was merely a realistic story of a sensitive, impulsive, and somewhat naive young girl being manipulated by a cunning lich.

The core of Lorraine's entire blood plague conspiracy actually consists of only two points: one is the blood plague itself, which is spread through contaminated food, and the other is Edith Lorraine, who is easily corrupted and controlled.

Therefore, to deal with the lich, we should start with these two core issues.

Next to "Edith Lorinman," Trier wrote down possible solutions: "avoid putting her in a moral dilemma," "persuade," "imprison," "kill."