Volume One: The Infernal Lord's World Chapter 30: Undead Pursuers

After forming an idea in his mind, Chen Gu approached the map with a newfound sense of purpose. He discovered that the underground river of Silverpine Valley connected downstream to a nearby large river, which in turn joined the Holy River close to the Elven Sanctuary. If they traveled by boat, they could simply drift downstream. Silverpine Valley had both a shipyard and a dock, clearly supporting this route.

Yet Chen Gu felt uncertain; if he counted all his soldiers, how many boats would they need to transport everyone? Ships could be built, but what about sailors? Without sailors, could the boats move on their own? With these thoughts, his interest in the map faded. He set the map down on the table and stepped outside.

In the council hall’s lounge, he found Allen waiting for him.

“Why didn’t you just come in to find me?” Chen Gu asked.

“According to the rules, unless there are special circumstances, heroes aren't allowed to enter the second floor of the council hall directly, nor to approach the city’s heart. I don’t want to cause trouble.”

Recalling Allen’s earlier insistence on Chen Gu presenting the hero’s token, Chen Gu understood Allen’s mindset. He was a man who followed rules; though he had ambitions and ideas, once he accepted his role, he would carry it out dutifully. This had been evident throughout their journey.

Now that Allen was his hero, Chen Gu was willing to trust him.

“Oh, Allen, how many boats would we need to take all our people if we were to leave by river?”

By boat? Allen was puzzled for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m not a naval officer, but elven ships can each carry three hundred people. There’s a shipyard here in Silverpine Valley; we can check it out.”

He paused, then added, “My lord, if you have plans, it would be best to visit the tavern first. Not only are two heroes available for recruitment there each week, but the thieves’ guild also provides intelligence that can inform us about the outside world.”

Chen Gu realized he had truly forgotten about the tavern. At the same time, he remembered he hadn’t summoned his own followers from outside.

“That can wait. I need to bring my Fire Spirit Crows and Blood Shadow Wolves back first.”

At the mention of Blood Shadow Wolves, the one-eyed wolf that had been following Allen glanced up at Chen Gu, then settled back at Allen’s feet.

Chen Gu called for the carriage and rode out of Silverpine Valley. As he left the city gates, the [Territory] interface appeared before him, marking the distance from Silverpine Valley and indicating how long it would take for commands to reach the city and for it to respond.

This surprised Chen Gu for a moment, before he realized it allowed lords to manage their cities even from outside the walls. Still, he believed the best way to ensure a city’s development was to assign a hero to oversee it.

Once his followers returned to Silverpine Valley, he planned to recruit two heroes: one to stay and manage the city, and another to accompany him, lest having only Allen as his hero cause unnecessary tension.

After exiting Silverpine Valley’s tunnels, Chen Gu sensed something amiss—the air nearby had grown colder and more sinister. At once, he realized that undead had discovered the Blood Shadow Wolves and Fire Spirit Crows waiting for his command on the surface.

He didn’t disturb the undead but retreated into Silverpine Valley and alerted Allen to come quickly. As he withdrew, Chen Gu used the [Legion] interface to instruct the Blood Shadow Wolves and Fire Spirit Crows to search the woods for undead.

He needed to determine whether these undead were native to the area or had appeared for some other reason.

Allen was startled by the news of undead outside, but quickly led his troops out. Besides his elven hunters, he brought along elven sword dancers wielding twin blades and vine-draped druids carrying long staffs.

Upon arriving with his followers, Allen immediately gazed into the forest.

“It’s colder than usual; there must be undead as you said.”

“I’ve told the Fire Spirit Crows and Blood Shadow Wolves to spread out and search. We don’t know the enemy’s exact location yet.”

“No matter; I can handle this,” Allen replied, leading his forces into the woods.

Allen didn’t arrange his troops in any particular formation; instead, they scattered through the trees in apparent disorder. Yet Chen Gu noticed they coordinated seamlessly: elves worked with elves, and elves worked with their pets. Though this was their first encounter, the elven hunters treated themselves, the two Fire Spirit Crows, and the Blood Shadow Wolf as a single battle unit. The crows and wolves could advance or retreat, harass or attack, while elven hunters fired arrows from afar. If danger arose, nearby hunters would assist. Their cooperation made them capable of handling even powerful foes with ease.

The sword dancers and druids, however, stayed close to Allen, awaiting his command.

Once they had rushed out, Chen Gu began to recall the Blood Shadow Wolves and Fire Spirit Crows. The wolves were few and didn’t draw much attention, but the hundred-odd Fire Spirit Crows responded instantly, flying in from all directions. Each crow carried ten flickering sparks, seemingly able to set the entire forest ablaze in an instant.

As the crows returned, Chen Gu spotted the undead troops in the woods—a skeleton army six hundred strong, marching in formation. They wore thick, dark armor and carried matching spears and shields. Within their ranks rode a skeleton astride a bone-white warhorse.

Seeing the elven hunters in the forest, the skeletal rider grinned.

“My luck is excellent. I thought I’d stumbled upon stray mortals, but here’s an elven city, undiscovered and ripe for the taking. This city will be mine.”

He drew the bone sword at his waist and pointed it in Chen Gu’s direction.

“Skeletal warriors, charge!”