Chapter 84: 65. Stage Progress
Translator: 549690339
About twenty minutes later, all the undead gathered on the third underground level had been killed.
Bloody stains, chisel marks, and bullet holes appeared in large quantities on the floor and walls. Chilling limb fragments were visible everywhere, making it impossible to distinguish which remains belonged to human soldiers and which were remnants of undead creatures.
The sight was a literal bloodbath, far more terrifying than when Alvin’s army cleared the undead on the third underground level. Noland Lee felt his scalp tingle at the sight.
However, it was a testament to how powerful Lieutenant Sterling’s combat troops were.
Noland Lee seemed to understand why Lieutenant Sterling, even as a mere lieutenant, dared to throw down the gauntlet in front of Captain Murphy.
If Noland Lee himself had such a formidable combat-force under his command, he might even be more arrogant than Sterling.
Near the Spirit Pivot.
Lieutenant Sterling Parker, arms folded, was intently watching Noland Lee’s back.
Sergeant Mars had permission to witness the process of modifying undead runes.
He stood next to Lieutenant Sterling, nervously alternating between hands in his pockets and crossed arms, seemingly anxious about Noland Lee’s situation.
Underneath the towering Spirit Pivot, Noland Lee stood alone, his back appearing lonely and desolate.
“Hey- Jarvis, if you’re not sure, think about it before you start-”
Seeing Noland Lee hesitate for a while, Sergeant Mars cupped his hands into a makeshift horn and shouted towards him:
“We just want to verify whether modifying the undead runes can weaken the magic protective shield. So, it doesn’t matter if you make minimal changes, as long as you don’t make mistakes.”
Noland Lee turned around and waved towards Sergeant Mars:
“Alright, Chief Officer! I was just recalling translations, that’s why I delayed.
Don’t worry, I don’t want to lose my life here either.”
Noland Lee looked once again at the magic protective shield in front of him.
He was indeed recalling translations and trying hard to decipher the undead runes on the magic protective shield.
After all, this matter was related to his own safety; he had to think it through before making a move.
Facing the towering Spirit Pivot, Noland Lee was as calm as still water.
Black death energy clung tightly to the outer shell of the Spirit Pivot, forming a layer that seemed light but was practically unbreakable; an energy membrane.
This black energy membrane was the magic protective shield.
Upon close observation, it was not difficult to find undead runes dispersed all over the energy membrane.
The numerous minuscule characters constituted the cornerstone of the energy membrane.
Noland Lee circled the Spirit Pivot, scrutinizing the undead runes near the ground level over and over again.
He pulled out the rune staff from his waist and cautiously brandished it above the magic protective shield, deliberately displaying his caution and hesitation.
After ensuring that his nervousness was rightly portrayed, he finally touched the magic protective shield with the contact point of his staff.
“Hiss..” Sergeant Mars watching Noland Lee’s action couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath.
Even Lieutenant Sterling Parker next to him slightly adjusted his posture, revealing a hint of nervousness.
Fortunately, Noland Lee was trustworthy.
The contact point moved slowly and steadily on the magic protective shield, modifying an undead rune without triggering a death storm.
The modified area spewed out black fog, leaking a significant amount of death energy. It was as if Noland Lee’s actions had punctured a tiny hole in an inflated balloon.
The magic protective shield trembled slightly, weakening just a tad. This minor change was easily perceived by observers standing ten meters
away.
Lieutenant Sterling Parker was taken aback with surprise. He rested his hand on his goatee, furrowed his eyebrows, and closely observed Noland Lee’s every move, falling into deep contemplation.
In this moment, his faith wavered.
As a seasoned member of the Imperial Army, he was well aware of how hard it was to deal with the magic protective shield.
The amount of death energy released into the air just now was not much, with an energy reading of around 30 points.
But Noland Lee had achieved such results merely by gesturing with the contact point a few times!
If it had been a flame burning magic shield, it would have taken at least ten minutes to burn away.
The efficiency gap between the two was so vast, it could only be described as colossal and immense, it was like night and day.
Furthermore, it even saved a substantial amount of fuel.
At that instant, Lieutenant Sterling Parker couldn’t help but be captivated by Captain Murphy’s daring experiment.
“Sergeant Mars, I have a question for you.”
Lieutenant Sterling Parker asked in a low voice:
“Is it necessary for a scholar at the level of a history assistant teacher to understand the original text and its translation?”
Sergeant Mars, returning from his elation, paused to ponder before shaking his head:
“No, Chief Officer. It’s not necessary to be a history assistant teacher.
“Originally we applied for three Sin Soldiers from the Intelligence Headquarters. Noland Lee Jarvis was one of them and the most knowledgeable.
“The other two Sin Soldiers were a pair of brothers, habitual tomb raiders. Their understanding of the ancient Tatis language was limited, but they were sharp-witted enough to understand the original text and its translation.” Lieutenant Sterling nodded thoughtfully and then asked:
“What happened to those tomb raiders? Why didn’t you let them try?” Sergeant Mars replied helplessly:
“Well, they both died on the steam train. The train guards said they tried to jump off the train and escape. They resisted fiercely and were killed on the spot. By the time the train arrived at the Legion Fortress, only Noland Lee
Jarvis and two cold corpses were left.”
“Oh, I see…” Lieutenant Sterling exhaled slightly regretfully and asked again:
“Are there any other personnel, Sergeant Mars? Without mincing my words, two days ago, my scouts informed me that the death energy concentration in Grave 717 was rapidly approaching the critical value…” Sergeant Mars’s complexion changed slightly:
“Grave 717? You’re referring to that special geographical burial site?”
“Correct, that’s it. This burial site has always been a key point of attention for me. The process of clearing it is always arduous, and there is a high risk of counterattacks from the undead army when destroying the Spirit Pivot.” Lieutenant Sterling stroked his beard, deciding to be straightforward:
“If you have any other candidates, can you lend one to me? Once I dismantle the Spirit Pivot at Grave 717, I’ll share 10% of the spoils of war with you.” Sergeant Mars seemed troubled:
“Chief Officer, the spoils of war aren’t the focal point. The real issue is that only Jarvis is currently capable of dispelling the magic protective shield. If you want to borrow his assistance, I would suggest having a discussion with Captain Murphy, I don’t have the authority to make that decision.”
“I see… Are there so few people who understand the ancient Tatis language?” Lieutenant Sterling glanced back at the tent.
“Yes, Chief Officer. I suppose spending so much time at the Suffering Borderland means you’re disconnected from the heart of the Empire.” Sergeant Mars clarified:
“Ever since the establishment of the Death Herald Guild, the Emperor has ordered a reduction in the scale of the Tatis history major. The City College has seen a reduction in the intake of new history major students. This number has dropped from an average of 15 per year to a maximum of 3. Of these, only about a third graduate successfully. As for someone like Jarvis who was offered a position immediately after graduation, they are exceedingly rare, one in a million.”
Lieutenant Sterling inquired:
“What about the tomb raiders? Where did they learn about ancient knowledge?”
Sergeant Mars lowered his voice and replied:
“The two of them are dropouts from the City College of Mingdok. This is a scandal that Mingdok City has been trying to suppress.”
“So it’s college students again… The bar for this line of work is really high.” Lieutenant Sterling stroked the corner of his mustache.
He looked at the silhouette of Noland, nodded his head, “Alright, then let it be Sin Soldier 888. I’ll talk to Captain Murphy. When the time comes, I’ll report to the Legion and apply for a joint operation with the Alvin army to clear Grave 717.”
“Understood, Chief Officer.”
Sergeant Mars let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The plan had finally made significant progress.
In the Imperial Army, there were many soldiers like Lieutenant Sterling who were staunchly opposed to studying Necromancer runes yet urgently desired to defeat the Undead Cult.
If Sterling was able to accept the practice of “modifying Undead runes”, then the other warrant officers should be able to as well.
Once this approach is universally accepted, the war between the living and the dead should be nearing its end.
Sergeant Mars silently hoped for the day the war would end….
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