About 500 meters above the ground, a figure hovered at the boundary between sunlight and dust.
He wore a dark gray robe, his long black hair fell to his waist, his face was as pale as porcelain, and two silver-white flames flickered slightly in his eye sockets.
Nine golden halos surrounded his body, and a dark gray crown floated three inches above his head.
He held a pale bone staff in his right hand, with a dark purple crystal embedded at the top.
About five meters to his side and slightly behind, the Lich King Sazar hovered, his dark purple robe's hood obscuring most of his face, and four golden halos slowly swirling around him.
Hel Shadow spoke, his voice low, as if ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) asking about a trivial matter: "How are the advances in Silver Shield City and Lionheart City going?"
Sazar bowed slightly: "The human defenses of Silver Shield City and Lionheart City are stronger than expected. Both cities are equipped with enough high-level awakened people and complete logistics systems. The two flanking forces we sent have been tied down and it will be difficult to make a breakthrough in the short term."
He paused for a moment, "White Tower City has gathered the main force of the human race in the Eastern Extreme Region, so it will probably be even more difficult to take down. The wonders of that city were built for defense, so if we attack it head-on, the consumption will be huge."
Hel Shadow did not respond immediately, his gaze fixed on the direction of White Tower City.
After a moment, he spoke: "After arriving in White Tower City, proceed in three steps."
"The first step, for the first seven days, is to release necromancy toxins into the upper reaches of the Jing Shui River to pollute the water source. White Tower City has taken in a large number of refugees, and once the water source is polluted, the order in the city will be disrupted first."
"The second step is to send out thirty skeleton army columns, each with a strength of 20,000 men, to cross White Tower City and penetrate deep into the heart of the Morning Light Plain, with White Tower City as the center and a radius of 300 li as the target."
Burn down granaries, capture villages and towns, destroy farmland; leave no land where anything can grow.
Turn the humans into refugees, drive them to White Tower City; the more people there are, the faster the food will be consumed, and the greater the chaos will be.
"The third step is for the main force to surround White Pagoda City on three sides, leaving the east gate open so that they feel there is still a way to retreat. The army digs trenches and sets up barricades outside the city to block all roads leading out of the city, only surrounding it without attacking."
On the eighth day, the general offensive began, with the main attack on the west gate. The attack continued day and night for three days, causing the defenders to become complacent and believe that the offensive was always focused on the west gate.
Three days later, the main force suddenly turned towards the south gate in the dead of night, taking advantage of the enemy's inability to regroup and opening a breach there.
He didn't add anything after he finished speaking.
Sazar was silent for a moment, then lowered his head slightly: "Your Majesty's plan is to step on the weakest points of the human race step by step. First, cut off their water and food, then drive out the refugees, then besiege them to wear down their morale, and finally use illusions to cover up the real direction of the breakthrough."
Even with its spectacular natural wonders, White Tower City will gradually crumble under the weight of internal and external troubles.
Hel Shadow did not respond to those words. His gaze remained fixed on the direction of White Tower City, and the silver-white flame in his eye sockets slowly shifted, as if to confirm how much distance was left.
The grayish-white tide in the distance behind him continued to advance forward without stopping or slowing down.
...
The white stone slabs of White Pagoda Square gleamed warmly in the afternoon sun.
The four of them set off from the square and walked slowly along the east-facing stone path.
Lucy walked slightly ahead of him, at a moderate pace, occasionally glancing to the buildings on either side and briefly explaining the street layout and functional areas.
As Lucy passed the White Tower, she stopped and looked up at the silvery-white flame at the top of the tower: "That tower is called the Eye of the White Tower. It is the core wonder of White Tower City. The flame at the top of the tower has been burning since the city was built, and it never goes out, rain or shine."
Once the 'Holy Light Canopy' is activated, it will last for thirty days. During this period, the city lord and designated command units will have full vision of the entire territory, including the real-time location and movement of all enemy units within a 200-mile radius of the White Tower.
All ranged units within the city have their range increased by 50%, and ranged units with damage below 500 have their damage increased by 30%.
Within a six-mile radius of White Pagoda City, all methods of concealment, including stealth, disguise, and illusion, will be forcibly dispelled.
Lin Feng looked up for a moment and said, "A real-time vision range of 200 miles, long-range attack and damage amplification, plus forced invisibility breaking, this amazing ultimate skill is the strongest I have ever seen."
Jiang Yelan's voice came from the side and behind: "In other words, as long as the White Tower is still standing, the undead can forget about launching a sneak attack."
Jiang Zhaoyue's gaze fell on the intricate patterns on the tower's surface: "With such a large area, the activation cost must be considerable, right?"
Lucy nodded: "Yes, we need to stockpile a large number of energy crystals in advance to maintain it. Lord Isabella ordered the preheating to start yesterday. If the undead army approaches, the barrier will open ahead of schedule."
The three of them did not linger at the foot of the tower for long, and continued to follow Lucy in a southeast direction.
The main street of the commercial district was much busier than the square. Most of the shops on both sides of the street were still open, but it was noticeably different from a normal daily market.
The racks outside the blacksmith's shop were filled with forged arrowheads and spearheads, instead of everyday farm tools and horseshoes.
Rolls of bandages and hemostatic cloths were displayed in the window of the fabric shop.
A long queue formed outside the pharmacy; some people held empty medicine bottles in their hands, while others looked down at the copper coins clutched in their fingers.
Lucy stopped in front of a three-story wooden building with dark red exterior walls. A tin sign hung above the door, depicting a copper coin and an ear of wheat crossed, its edges worn smooth by wind and rain.
"Copper Coins and Wheat Ears, one of the oldest taverns in White Tower City. The first floor is where ordinary people eat and drink, while the second floor has private rooms."
She pushed open the door as she spoke.
The afternoon sunlight streamed in from behind, making the tavern a bit darker than outside, with voices and the occasional clinking of glasses blending together.
Scattered on the first floor were many soldiers who had just been relieved of their posts: Kingdom halberdiers, gray-robed crossbowmen, and Dawn Crusaders.
There were also some Blue Star Awakeners wearing multicolored leather armor; some were leaning against the wall with their eyes closed, taking a nap, while others were lying on the table whispering to their companions.
The atmosphere was much more relaxed than on the streets outside, but there was still an indescribable tension, like a string stretched to its limit.
Several Awakened Ones were sitting at a table near the bar, one of whom had his back to the door.
He was gesturing to his companion while holding a wine glass, his voice loud, with the booming voice characteristic of someone who had just come from the battlefield.
"You didn't see it. When the gray-robed crossbowmen on the north gate wall fired a volley of arrows, the rain of arrows knocked down a large number of the skeletons charging at the front, and bone fragments flew everywhere."
As a result, the necromancers in the back row raised their hands, and the fallen skeletons rose again, even faster than when they fell!
He was speaking with great enthusiasm, and some people around him chuckled while others shook their heads.
Another person, holding a cup, asked, "You were at the North Gate? Wasn't that the first gate to fall? How did you escape?"
