章 105: The Legacy and Bequest of Cruton
Zhong Yi tightened his grip on the hoe, unperturbed by fear, though I found the dynamics of our struggle inscrutable. Before we could reach a decision, the skeletal figures began their slow advance towards us, moving with a speed reminiscent of a Ferrari running low on gas—perhaps even a car propelled by its owner could outpace them.
This realization brought a sense of relief. As the nearest skeleton approached, I swung my cleaver, shattering its bony frame with a crack.
Observing my effectiveness, Wang Zhong made a swift motion with his single arm, wielding his hoe with a reach far superior to my cleaver, toppling three adversaries in one fell swoop.
What utter weakness! That was merely a false alarm."
In mere moments, we had dispatched our foes. Yet, with the appearance of such creatures, our hopes of encountering the living were dashed.
While we searched the camp, I conducted my examination meticulously and soon discovered a stone door leading downward.
Without a word to Wang Zhong, I kicked the dilapidated stone door open and strode inside. The subterranean chamber was modest in size, housing an imposing stone sarcophagus. As the wind swept through, an ethereal figure began to materialize.
"I am Cruton, the necromancer who lies in eternal slumber here…"
This introduction confirmed I had indeed found my mark. Wang Zhong, a step behind me, took a moment to acclimate to the eerie scene before joining me in listening to the necromancer's lengthy discourse.
After briefly recounting his life and mentioning a bequest left for those who came here, Cruton got to the crux of his request: he sought someone to locate a spectral archer named Blood Raven, his son, to convey an apology for neglecting him in favor of his obsession with magical studies.
After a long, silent exchange of glances between Wang Zhong and myself, this stoic man finally complied with the necromancer's instructions and opened the sarcophagus. Inside, he retrieved a bronze box containing ten cards and two weapons.
The tenfold strength cards are hardly valuable. To think he would part with three at once—one transforming into a giant bear, another into a werewolf, and the last into a silverback gorilla. The remaining four are limited-use spell cards, better than my initial offerings on Demon Island."
I was encountering limited-use spell cards for the first time. These cards required no inherent power from the user, allowing them to unleash five to ten instances of a single type of magic daily, making them quite accessible as weapons.
However, these weapons bore an unassuming label indicating they were specifically designed for calamities. My own materials confirmed that they would only function within such contexts, rendering them useless outside, which quelled any temptation to hoard them.
"Remarkably, there's a pair of heavy war hammers and a set of daggers. What are these cards?" Wang Zhong inquired, lifting one of the war hammers.
After weighing it in his hand, he nodded in satisfaction at this formidable weapon. I opted for the daggers, as the heavy war hammers were beyond my capability.
At least the daggers were manageable. Notably, the war hammers Wang Zhong selected were not of the traditional Chinese design with spherical grips, but rather cylindrical, Western-style weapons weighing no less than fifty kilograms each—indeed, impressive that he could wield them. When swung, the hammers emitted a swirling black mist, likely enhancing their impact while lightening their weight. However, such weaponry did not pique my interest;
while the daggers were inferior to the dual swords I was accustomed to, they were still superior to the cleaver.
As I pondered how to explain the utility of these cards to Wang Zhong, he suddenly picked one up and gasped in surprise. A gray magical projectile erupted from his hand, arcing through the air before crashing into the opposite wall, igniting a shower of sparks.
How can this be? Aren't card types supposed to be usable only within the Demon Book?"
After a moment of bewilderment, I reasoned that since the calamity was a top-tier spatial card, we must be within Judy Nana's Demon Book, thus making the use of card-type items unsurprising. It was conceivable that we, too, were ensnared within a single Demon Book, let alone these items. Of course, it was also possible that the rules of the calamity world differed from the outside, or that these weapons were particularly unique—a detail not mentioned in my materials.
Wang Zhong pondered for a moment before stating, "So this is how these cards function. Wang Lin, you should choose a couple as well.
They are quite powerful weapons." I selected a tenfold strength card and a spell card capable of firing ten petrifying projectiles daily, opting for the daggers and discarding my cleaver. As I grasped the cards, a notification echoed in my mind, sparing me the need for further explanation.
Wang Zhong selected a tenfold strength card and a gorilla transformation card, having previously utilized the gray magical projectile, which turned out to be an explosive spell of considerable potency.
We exchanged no words regarding our choices; I had anticipated such changes, while he was striving to adapt. Neither of us harbored thoughts of distributing these weapons among the others. Wang Zhong, unusually solemn, murmured, "Let's find the others and distribute the remaining weapons, ensuring they have the means to protect themselves.
This world is unlike what I imagined, but at least a glimpse has been revealed; soon, I shall understand its nature."
This man was adapting more swiftly than I had expected.
After a few battles, he would likely grow significantly. Grasping the bronze box, Wang Zhong and I exited the camp, where a cloud of dust rose in the distance, signaling the approach of an unknown cavalry, heralding our imminent first battle.
As the cavalry drew near, Tang Lei felt his heart race. The foremost riders were tall figures, clad in tattered attire, seemingly a grotesque amalgamation of various creatures, their mounts not the horses one would expect but rather terrifying beasts with goat heads, skeletal necks, and blood-red, sinewy bodies. All eyes were drawn to this fearsome and peculiar cavalry.
"I warned them not to come this way, yet they wouldn't listen. What is this place? A stage for a performance?"
Li Mingda, the fugitive, reacted swiftly, leaping onto a nearby old horse and yanking the stunned Lu Li down, galloping away.
Another man, Huang Shengqiu, was paralyzed by fear, a suspicious yellow liquid dripping beneath him, though no one noticed his cowardice. Gu Lengzhai and Zhang Bo maintained a semblance of composure; as teachers and lawyers, they had dealt with various individuals and had cultivated some courage.
They quickly shouted, "Everyone, retreat into the camp; perhaps they won't notice us."
Wang Lili, having spent years navigating the workplace, finally reacted a beat faster than the others. With a sharp scream, she hurried towards the camp, her legs moving with surprising agility, perhaps a remnant of her athletic prowess from her school days.
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