NEC Chapter 124: Each Bullet Births an Enemy

Lord Chen Mo's graceful demeanor of pointing out the country's affairs and commanding with vigorous spirit vanished without a trace like mist scattered by a fierce wind when the dawn's first light appeared the next morning.

He was even somewhat flustered and exasperated!

Although the exploration team had only fought one battle, adhering to the rigorous and meticulous traditions inherited from East Xia, the assault team had continuously deployed a large number of concealed surveillance equipment along their advance route.

On top of walls, in stone crevices, even within armor remnants, tiny cameras were scattered like stars.

Their mission was to allow Vast Sea Territory to observe changes within the fortress during non-combat periods, summarize patterns, and prepare for the next attack.

Then, the personnel responsible for monitoring discovered a bone-chilling sight.

It was footage recorded and transmitted by night vision cameras.

At some point during the deep night, a wave of dense black mist, rippling like water, emanated from the depths of Blood Fortress in concentric circles.

This black mist gently stirred the dust, swayed the sand grains, and also moved the broken armor pieces on the battlefield.

In the command center, the high-ranking military officers of Vast Sea Territory held their breath and watched with wide eyes as the huge screen displayed the scattered remnants of ruin guards from yesterday's battle, their armor debris covering the ground, swaying slightly under the black mist's influence.

The amplitude grew larger and larger, as if awakening some form of life, until at a certain moment, under the pull of some invisible force, a figure swayed unsteadily to its feet.

Without flesh and blood, only cold twisted metal and shadows, a brand new ruin guard had thus declared its birth before the camera's lens!

One after another... on the battlefield that had been swept clean yesterday by the Vast Sea Guards like a devastating storm, those scattered components writhed and spawned countless ruin guards, filling the gaps in the ruined walls.

It was simply a merciless mockery of Vast Sea Territory's victory from the day before.

This wasn't the end. Right under a camera's nose, a metal artillery shell casing that hadn't been retrieved in time gradually became tainted with a heavy black color in the black mist.

After a much longer "gestation" period than the armor fragments, in the dead silence of deep night, this shell casing also slowly "came to life"!

It twisted, stretched, and finally manifested as a new guardian with a bizarre form and staggering gait, swaying as it joined the ranks of Blood Fortress.

"Additionally, according to our cross-observations, our cameras... our cameras have also been infected."

"By 8 AM, all cameras within a one-kilometer radius from the second ring inward had lost contact!"

"This is... this is the scene recorded by our outer perimeter cameras."

A camera embedded in a stone crevice, under the high-magnification night vision mode of monitoring personnel in the rear, had its sturdy engineering plastic outer shell rapidly curl and peel away as if corroded by strong acid, exposing the cold metal skeleton inside.

Then, like all the metal objects before it, it turned black, swayed, extended "arms," and slowly climbed down from the wall.

After a brief signal interruption, there was a large black screen.

The video surveillance team spread numerous captured photos across the big screen.

Besides yesterday's ruin guards that clearly showed cold weapon characteristics, embedded with armor pieces or swords, the photos showed many new varieties.

Some had drone rotors on their heads, like wearing a "head propeller";

Some had twisted shell casings protruding from the sides of their entire heads;

Some had fragments of disconnected cameras embedded in their chest cavities, their cold "electronic eyes" swaying with their body movements as if still scanning back and forth;

There was even a guardian with a piece of wood that everyone found extremely familiar protruding from its shoulder blade!

It was the wooden handle grip that Vast Sea Territory had added to hand grenades.

"So you're saying all our battle achievements from yesterday were wiped out?"

"I'm afraid... it's not just wiped out, my Lord." The reconnaissance team leader swallowed hard and replied, "Although we tried our best to recover shell casings, it was an active battlefield after all, so there were bound to be omissions."

"And the crossbow bolts from the cold weapon group, most of them weren't specifically recovered..."

Another veteran from Vast Sea Territory added, "From their movement patterns, these newly born ruin guards might be somewhat weaker than the previous ones, but their numbers have definitely increased significantly."

Chen Mo held his head with some distress.

"What is this? Each bullet births an enemy?"

Indeed, this bizarre magical world really wasn't so simple!

For some unknown reason, an absurd yet infinitely terrifying scene spontaneously appeared in his mind.

On a vast open space stretching beyond sight, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of abandoned shared bicycles were densely piled up, yellow ones, blue ones, green ones... rusted and corroded, forming a boundless "bicycle graveyard" emanating a decaying stench.

Then, waves of black mist swept over, climbing onto every frame, every wheel hub...

Chen Mo couldn't help but shudder, every hair on his body standing on end.

The conference room was silent as death. After a long while, Chen Mo finally managed to shake those chaotic thoughts from his mind and instructed the guards to invite the people from Night’s Edge over.

When the several regiment commanders of the Night’s Edge mercenary group heard this incredible bad news, they too looked utterly despairing.

After yesterday's bloody battle, they had already seen hope for completing their mission. This wasn't just about money, it meant enormous reputation and honor.

If they could add this battle achievement to their record, their credibility and bargaining power when taking on future missions would certainly be much stronger.

Yet they had ended up with such a result but they dared not speak carelessly.

"Respected Lord, I know of this mechanism, it's called elemental manifestation."

The speaker was Geddy, vice-captain of Night’s Edge. This veteran pressed his eyes against the photos on the screen, examining them repeatedly, and explained in a somewhat reverent tone:

"Many powerful ruins have their unique elemental manifestation mechanisms. As long as these elements exist within the ruins, they can manifest various types of spirits."

"For example, Greenspine Kingdom has a tome-manifesting ruin where any books thrown into it will, after some time, transform into terrible monsters that constantly ask questions from the books' contents."

"Those who cannot answer will be attacked by them."

"The Silver Alliance even actively built a gold-manifesting lair."

"As long as gold is thrown in, it will manifest golden humanoid spirits. It has become a famous lair that all professionals passing through the Silver Kingdom must visit!"

At this point, Geddy took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Chen Mo, nearly at a ninety-degree angle.

He had already heard about yesterday's ruin exploration, where Vast Sea Territory's exploration team actively asked the Night’s Edge mercenaries to fall back.

Though deeply moved, he had suspected at the time that this lord was powerful and felt victory was assured, so he was willing to show some care for these mercenaries.

But if this lord discovered that clearing Blood Fortress had become a pipe dream, would he become angry from embarrassment, or to save on mercenary fees, forcibly order Night’s Edge to attack and fill this bottomless abyss?

Geddy didn't know, so he could only plead in advance.

"Previously, people had speculated that Blood Fortress's element was blood manifestation, because mercenary groups had discovered that companions who died inside were infected and transformed into ruin guards."

"Now it appears it's likely dual-element manifestation, 'iron-blood' manifestation!"

"If that's the case, we... we currently have no hope of breaching the fortress. My Lord, perhaps we should retreat early!"

Doyle also stood up. Yesterday during the final phase, this necromancer had summoned large numbers of underworld creatures to draw fire, which seemed to have overloaded him, and his face was still somewhat pale even now.

"We, our mercenary group, are very ashamed that we cannot complete the task you assigned, and we're too embarrassed to accept your payment. I'll go get it right now to return to you!"

His face twitched, then he added with difficulty, "Also, there's a little extra token of our appreciation, please accept it."

"You're overthinking it!" Chen Mo suddenly waved his hand, his gesture carrying an unquestionable decisiveness. "Whether we can take Blood Fortress or not has nothing to do with you, and the payment is what you've earned."

"I'm not such a petty person."

"Rest assured, I won't send you to your deaths. Tell me, can you think of any useful solutions?"

The solution was actually obvious.

Since this elemental manifestation occurred during specific time periods, they could concentrate forces and push through to the end, flattening the entire Blood Fortress before the elemental manifestation time arrived.

Even if they couldn't finish the job, they could arrange personnel to withdraw all metal objects and fallen personnel, giving the fortress no opportunity to replenish its guardians.

But the difficulty of this was somewhat absurd.

Chen Mo made a quick calculation. Based on yesterday's intensity of consumption, his ammunition would be completely depleted after at most three such battles.

Even if he completely disregarded damage to firearms and gun barrels and focused solely on replenishing ammunition, using the next or even the one after that Sacrificial Altar entirely to transport ammunition from East Xia, facing this steel fortress that had accumulated for over a hundred years and god knows how many guardians hidden in its depths, it probably still wouldn't be enough.

Moreover, more powerful ruin guards must be lurking in the fortress's depths.

Did he really have to retreat in disgrace and train for another year or so, raising his level a bit higher and increasing the altar's transport capacity before making a comeback?

"Let's adjourn for now, let me think about it!"

During this idle time when the lord was troubled and tossing and turning, Doyle became the lord's temporary magical advisor, responsible for answering the lord's bizarre yet only entry-level necromantic summoning questions.

For example, today's question about the distinction between summoners and necromancers.

"I've always been puzzled. From professional classification and etymology, 'summoner' on the Starry Continent originally meant 'interdimensional summoner.' Why did it later become almost equivalent to 'necromantic summoner' or 'necromancer'?"

Doyle followed closely behind the lord, his wide gray robe's hem trailing like a clumsy tail on the uneven ground, stirring up dust clouds.

His robe could be tied up, but he didn't know how.

Usually, there were plenty of people serving the regiment commander, support troops in the group, and Dark Knights at home.

Yes, intelligent Dark Knights could also do housework.

But now, because Chen Mo had gotten up early and called hastily, the mercenaries and undead creatures who usually assisted were all kept at a distant isolation line.

Vast Sea Territory's guards wouldn't let these fellows approach the lord, especially dangerous weapons like Dark Knights.

These Night’s Edge members could only watch from afar as their fourth-tier grand mage regiment commander, like a large broom, followed behind that young lord who was said to be first-tier but wore no first-tier insignia, slightly bent over and following step by step.

"Lord, summoners and the medium through which summoners communicate with otherworldly lords, summoning altars, were not originally specifically targeted at the undead."

"In the glorious era of antiquity, summoners could summon all kinds of creatures, even entire tribes from other worlds."

"For instance, the blood clan in history was summoned as a whole from another world."

"But at the twilight of the ancient era, a great event occurred, the deity worshipped by the summoner clan fell!"

"Ah?" Chen Mo turned around abruptly, somewhat surprised.

"Is this credible? Can deities fall? What was the reason?"

"Yes!" Doyle nodded. His robe got caught on a weathered rock again, causing him to stumble before steadying himself, but his words didn't stop. "We don't know the reason for the fall, mortals cannot glimpse affairs of the divine realm."

"However, our summoning lineage has traditions. Though many things aren't found in public historical records, they've been passed down through generations. I believe it's truly real!"

Chen Mo became interested and, unable to bear watching Doyle's awkwardness any longer, beckoned him to sit on a large stone nearby, finally sparing the mercenary commander from his dragging embarrassment. "Continue!"

Doyle said, "Before the ancient era, interdimensional summoning had divine protection, and living beings could safely pass through summoning altars shrouded in divine power without being affected."

"But after the summoning deity fell, summoning channels could only be maintained by the summoners' own magical power. Most living beings simply couldn't withstand the forces of crossing space, what was summoned would only be a corpse."

"From then on, lords of life from distant worlds no longer responded to summoners' prayers."

"This was the first decline of summoners!"

At this point, Doyle smiled helplessly. "Summoners used to have high status. My teacher heard from his teacher's teacher's teacher that summoners who could communicate with hell and summon succubi were honored guests at various lords' tables!"

"Unfortunately, we weren't born in that era!"

After a brief moment of nostalgia, Doyle put away the longing in his eyes.

"From then on, except for a very few who could advance to the pinnacle as grand summoners, other summoners could only summon undead creatures, elemental beings, and... non-living things!"

Lord Chen nodded. At least logically, this explanation was quite clear.

"Right, you mentioned the first decline, so there must have been a second."

"Mm, the second was called the Elemental Catastrophe."

"It was around the 300s of the Sky Calendar. The Sky Empire still dominated most of the Starry Continent then, and there was an ambitious emperor who wanted to build what he claimed would be an unparalleled super elemental pool in the Sky's imperial city."

"He used numerous magical arrays as support, arranging for summoners to mass-summon elemental creatures from other worlds, including many commander-level elemental beings."

"After summoning them, they immediately killed them and filled the corpses of the elemental creatures into elemental pools within the Sky's arrays."

"Eventually, the elemental lords discovered what was happening."

Doyle laughed self-mockingly. "Actually, given enough time, such things would inevitably be discovered. They were blinded by greed and lost their minds!"

"They thought that after summoning, with summoning contracts in place, they could trample on summoned beings like slaves."

"But high-tier summoned creatures all have intelligence, even emotions. How could they tolerate such things!"

"Several enraged elemental lords joined forces and, following the summoners' summoning channels, injected large numbers of chaotic elemental creatures that carried out frenzied slaughter in the Sky's imperial city."

"After the Elemental Catastrophe, elemental creatures never again responded to Starry Continent summoners' calls. Summoners became completely necromantic summoners."

"The Sky... the Sky Empire also began its decline from that time, having lost too many top-tier professionals, and has been falling ever since."

"The Sky Empire, which once shared glory across the continent with summoners, shared the same fate as summoners, retreating again and again, losing battle after battle, watching helplessly as the Resting Moon Dynasty and Mistmoon Divine Court became the continent's new overlords."

This was truly... heartbreaking.

Chen Mo felt quite distressed. If he could return to before the summoning deity's fall, he could summon tens of thousands of elite troops from home with a wave of his hand. Why would he be stumbling around like this...

Oh right, I didn't exist then!

And it seems the home team couldn't have won back then either... never mind then.

He could only continue working hard himself.

"So only necromancers who reach very high levels can summon living beings, right?"

"What specific level would that be?"

Doyle shook his head helplessly. "I really don't know. Although necromancers on this continent aren't considered extinct, they're no longer mainstream."

"During the Elemental Catastrophe, the continent's top-tier necromancers were almost all killed by chaotic elements. Much knowledge about necromancers can only be explored by ourselves."

He paused, looking at the young and promising lord before him, his tone carrying a hint of flattery. "I only know... first transformation should not be enough. At least second transformation is needed to have some hope!"

"However, the lord is still so young and exceptionally talented. You need only pay attention to your health, and second transformation will be effortless. By then, I'll have to call the lord a great senior and ask for your guidance!"

Although Chen Mo knew Doyle was flattering him, at this moment, being stuck by Blood Fortress in an awkward position, hearing that at some future time he might possibly invite comrades from home to help, even knowing the goal was still distant, he couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved.

He also developed goodwill toward Doyle, who answered all questions without reservation.

Gazing at the vast desert, Chen Mo rubbed his somewhat stiff shoulders and casually joked with Doyle.

"Mm, health, of course I need to stay healthy. I'm carrying the hopes of a country... a territory on my shoulders!"

"If my posture weren't upright, I'd probably be compressed into cervical deformation and herniated discs by now."

"There's no MRI or CT scan here to check!"

Doyle smiled along, saying auspicious words about the lord's wisdom, prowess, and eternal health. Finally, he asked curiously, "So... is nuclear magnetic some new type of magic?"

"Oh, that's a device for examining the body. You can scan and know what problems are inside the body."

Doyle frowned slightly. "Isn't that an embedded detection eye? Using spiritual energy to scan inside the body, the body can't handle that, right?"

"What can't the body handle? As long as you're not wearing metal, that thing isn't dangerous..."

"?"

"Nuclear magnetic? Metal?"

Chen Mo stopped walking and turned to look at the mist-shrouded Blood Fortress behind him.

An extremely bold idea, like lightning splitting the night sky, thundered through his mind!

So it's iron-blood manifestation, relying on metal, is it?

How about a permanent magnet with hundreds of thousands of times Earth's magnetic attraction, wonder if you can withstand that?

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