NFBE Chapter 455 - 376: A Deal with Modi Caesar and Rewarding Merits
Chapter 455 - 376: A Deal with Modi Caesar and Rewarding Merits
The ribs that had formed the dome stretched endlessly upward, converging into a grotesque, hundred-meter-long spine of bone.
The bone walls on either side of the Fortress extended outward, transforming into two forelimbs also pieced together from countless skeletons.
The black-robed envoy had, at some point, appeared atop the Fortress. That spot was now the crown of a massive skull.
Within just a few short minutes, the Bone Fortress had come completely to life.
It had transformed into a massive White Bone Giant Beast.
It possessed the torso of a giant tortoise, the limbs of a lizard, and a terrifying, grotesque head fused from over a hundred skulls.
As it walked, innumerable faint blue Soul Fires flickered in and out of existence within the gaps of its bones, like will-o’-the-wisps in the night sky.
This colossus took heavy strides, marching forward.
It changed direction, heading step by step toward the northeast of the swamp.
High in the sky, Baofeng sensed the terrifying pressure emanating from below and let out a series of uneasy, low cries.
Raylo’s pupils contracted slightly, a wave of shock washing over him.
’Forty potions in exchange for a Domain Level Giant Beast. For the Necromancer Modi Caesar, that’s a more than worthwhile trade.’
And for Black Stone Territory, it was a worthwhile trade as well.
After all, not only were these bones useless to Black Stone Territory, but they would have also required time and effort to burn or bury.
Raylo noticed that this newly reorganized White Bone Giant Beast was not as powerful as the one he had seen in the western Jade Swamp, which had been transformed from a Bone Fortress built by the Black King. This one only had the Power of an Initial Tier Domain Level.
The reason was likely that Raylo had ordered Bolin and the others to cut corners, moving all the High Tier Magical Beast corpses back to Black Stone Territory. This resulted in the grade of the bones making up this White Bone Giant Beast being generally low.
"Let’s go, Baofeng."
Raylo lightly patted the Griffin King’s neck. It immediately accelerated, turning into a yellowish-brown streak of light and catching up with the party ahead.
He glanced down at the Knights marching on the ground. Some of them had also noticed the disturbance in the distance and were pointing, their faces filled with shock and awe.
’I have to be extra careful when dealing with a being like that,’ Raylo warned himself again.
But when he thought of the wooden box full of potions in his Spatial Bag, he felt that this deal with the devil was worth it.
’When I get back, I’ll have Master Barnaby check them. Can’t risk being tricked by that Necromancer,’ Raylo thought.
...
「Back at Black Stone Castle.」
The lights of Black Stone Castle were already lit.
Raylo leaped down from Baofeng’s back.
"Ed."
Raylo nodded at Ed.
"Come eat with me."
"Yes, my Lord."
Ed did not refuse. He pulled out the chair at the head of the table for Raylo and then took a seat to the side.
On the long table sat a roasted leg of deer, sizzling with rendered fat, and steaming mugs of ale. Servants quietly set out the tableware before retreating.
Raylo carved off a large piece of venison.
"Ed, I need you to draw up a list," Raylo said.
"Organize it by four ranks: Earth Knight, Great Knight, Knight, and Knight’s Attendants. Military merit is the only criterion."
Ed paused, his knife and fork hovering in the air.
"My Lord, you mean...?"
"We’re holding a victory celebration tomorrow."
Raylo took a sip of ale, the sharp liquid sliding down his throat.
"We will reward all the Knights who have distinguished themselves. I want everyone to know that in Black Stone Territory, bloodshed and sacrifice will never go unrewarded."
A glint flashed in Ed’s eyes, and he nodded firmly.
"I understand, my Lord. The list will be on your desk before dawn."
After dinner, Ed hurried away.
Raylo walked out onto the castle terrace alone. The night wind, carrying the chill of the mountains, made his clothes flap loudly.
Raylo didn’t go to rest immediately. He needed some time to sort through the current situation.
Holding a victory celebration and distributing all the precious potions was not a decision made on a whim.
First, there was the Nine-headed Demon Serpent.
Although they had defeated the warbands from the Jade Swamp multiple times, those were merely tentacles on its massive body.
Its Catastrophe Level avatar was about to awaken. The Jade Swamp was bound to be thrown into turmoil, and as its neighbor, Black Stone Territory could not hope to remain uninvolved.
Second, there was that mysterious Necromancer, Modi Caesar.
A Catastrophe Level being making frequent moves in the Jade Swamp—his ambitions were surely not small.
Finally, and most critically, there was the heart of the Modo Giant Beast deep within the Jade Swamp, which he planned to acquire in two months.
He was determined to obtain this ultimate treasure.
To that end, he had already extended an invitation to Astra.
Once he made his move, it would mean going to war with the entire Jade Swamp.
The clouds of war were already gathering on the horizon, ready to erupt into a thunderstorm at any moment.
Under such pressure, hoarding any resources would be the foolish act of a miser.
The potions lying in his Spatial Bag would only become true Power when they were transformed into the surging Fighting Spirit in his Knights’ bodies and the flashes of their swords on the battlefield.
He needed a more powerful army.
Looking down from the terrace, the Alchemy Workshop in the distance was still brightly lit.
Raylo stood up and went downstairs, carrying the wooden box of Breakthrough Potions.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
"Come in, the door’s unlocked! Stop knocking, you’re shaking the dust from the ceiling!"
Master Barnaby’s impatient roar came from within the laboratory.
Raylo pushed the door open and walked in.
Master Barnaby was hunched over a pile of messy blueprints and various jars, his hair as messy as a bird’s nest. His gray Mage Robe was covered in stains of indeterminate colors.
"Raylo, my boy, it’s you again..." Master Barnaby said without looking up.
"Go on, what trouble have you gotten into this time?"
Raylo placed the wooden box on the only relatively clean corner of the table and opened the lid.
"These are from the Necromancer, Modi Caesar. Help me see if there’s anything wrong with them."
"Modi Caesar?"
Master Barnaby froze. He had, of course, heard of the infamous Catastrophe Level Necromancer.
He leaned over the box, picked up a bottle of Sky Knight Breakthrough Potion, and examined it carefully against the light. He even uncorked it and cautiously probed it with his Magic Power.
A few minutes later, he also checked an Earth Knight Potion.
"Hmph!"
Master Barnaby tossed the bottle back into the box and curled his lip.
"The technique is crude, and the alchemical formula has that lifeless rigidity typical of the Undead Faction, but the effect is genuine. There are no Curses, no soul traps, and no chronic Poisons. That Necromancer was quite ’honest’ in this trade."
"That’s good."
The last trace of worry in Raylo’s heart vanished.
"Don’t be naive, Raylo my boy. For a Necromancer, the greatest honesty is their malice toward the living. He gave you clean potions because he’s confident you’ll use them to cultivate more ’delicious’ souls and more ’sturdy’ corpses. This is an investment in itself."
Master Barnaby sneered.
Raylo nodded and closed the wooden box.
"I understand. Thank you, Master."
He turned to leave, Barnaby’s muttering drifting after him.
"Good that you understand. Don’t go getting yourself turned into a Sewn Monster one of these days, or I’ll have to go through the trouble of collecting your corpse..."
Early the next morning, Raylo found the list from Ed on his desk in the study. It detailed each person’s merits, leaving out almost no detail.
Raylo picked up a quill and, one by one, circled the names of the Knights deserving of a reward.
That afternoon, the Central Plaza of Black Stone Territory was packed with people.
All the resting Knights and Knight’s Attendants had gathered there. They crowded below the high platform, whispering amongst themselves, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation.
On the high platform, Raylo stood tall and straight, dressed in his formal lordly attire, his cape fluttering gently in the wind.
Ed, Bolin, Monk, and the others stood in rows behind him, their expressions solemn.
Raylo’s gaze swept over the faces below, some young, some weathered by time. He began without any lengthy preamble.
"Knights of Black Stone Territory!"
"Your merits will not be forgotten by Black Stone Territory."
"Merit will be rewarded, and faults will be punished! This is my eternal promise to you!"
"Today, we reward merit!"
The plaza erupted in an instant.