novelraw #257 - Section 257
#257 - Section 257
Xia Na thought for a moment, feeling it was quite interesting: "I won't argue with you about it for now, but you hurt my pride, so you must compensate me..."
"That... three project priority selection rights?"
This was a benefit that Roger, as a member of the Unified Committee, could offer.
"Five!"
Xia Na said decisively, with the air of 'If you don't agree, I'll start shouting now, and then you'll have to confront the dark elves head-on.'
Roger had used such shameless tactics a lot in the past, but he didn't expect Xia Na to threaten him in return. Facing that young and enthusiastic face, he reluctantly agreed with a helpless expression...
Actually, he was acting helpless!
No matter how many projects he gave, it was the Empire's money that was being lost, and he was just a committee member who didn't have to pay out of his own pocket.
Moreover, Xia Na wasn't just recklessly wasting money on projects. In the field of magic crystal machinery, she was second only to Frankenstein as a major figure, especially in energy and power, where she possessed extremely strong advantages.
Making some expressions was just to get through this easily; it was all an act.
If he agreed too easily, who knew what other tricks she might pull next.
The two quickly agreed on the routine and began to make arrangements according to what Roger said:
First, they would eliminate the reconnaissance team sent by the dark elves, and then create the illusion that they had a lot of people on their side to intimidate the commander over there;
Next, they would ambush ahead, find a suitable location to intercept the reinforcements called by this supply team.
Finally, they would notify the elven special operations command in advance, so that everyone could take down both the supply team and the reinforcements together.
This was a simple and effective routine. The dark elves were already a bit overwhelmed by the power of the Virtual Archmage, completely unable to estimate the enemy's current strength, and dared not act rashly.
After all, they had experienced too many mages who ran out of magic and suddenly started playing close combat with dual blades, and just when you finally figured out his close combat routine, he pulled out a staff and summoned divine magic...
Switching ability card builds to target and solve enemies, isn't that supposed to be a basic operation?
The dark elves found this kind of routine very troublesome. Even if not all abilities could发挥100% of their effectiveness, this kind of flexible and unpredictable combat, where you couldn't grasp the enemy's weaknesses, was very troublesome.
Before, in large-scale battles, the clash of soldiers on the battlefield wasn't obvious, but now that they had switched to small-scale skirmishes, both sides' reconnaissance teams were elites and experts. The elves' side was clearly playing cards... ah, no, their combat power was also rising, making them even more difficult to deal with than the lower-level soldiers.
After all, when everyone uses the Virtual Archmage, the total number of ability card points they can load is directly proportional to their strength, and the card decks they collect and build are also related to their wealth. The card decks that higher-level professionals can assemble are definitely more extensive than those of ordinary soldiers.
Under the guidance of this idea that "the enemy is very strong and difficult to deal with," the conservative commander fell for Roger's empty city ploy, exaggerating the number of elves and requesting reinforcements.
Ya Wenshali was also having a terrible headache. She complained to Taibeira while praying, but her god only expressed dissatisfaction to her, so she could only bring out her old resources and break through the borders of the Elven Empire as soon as possible.
Otherwise, if she didn't achieve anything in the first battle on the surface, and didn't even have any bargaining chips to offer for sacrifices to gain more support, Taibeila wouldn't have the opportunity to increase her investment.
The supplies being transported now were crucial for the next round of attack, so she naturally sent a highly valued general to lead the reinforcements.
On a narrow mountain road, facing the cooperation of Roger and Xia Na, these reinforcements were caught off guard and fell into chaos.
Then the special operations team from the elven side also arrived, successfully taking down the supply team and the reinforcements.
On the battlefield, littered with corpses and filled with chaos.
"Let me see what they're replenishing... Oh, it's celestial war beasts. Taibeila is really generous, even opening up the manufacturing method of this kind of thing to that useless matriarch!"
Xia Na lifted the black cloth covering those large carts, and her eyes were immediately filled with ridicule.
"Celestial war beasts? Don't you think that name and their appearance are really mismatched?" Roger expressed his disdain for her naming ability.
The main supplies transported by this supply team were a type of magical creature in a frozen, dormant state.
You could vaguely see the elves' signature pointed ears, but their bodies were swollen to three to five meters, with the number of arms, thighs, and heads randomly distributed between two and ten, with strange bulges of muscle all over their bodies, covered in black carapaces and steel wool bone spurs and stuff...
The art style was so chaotic it made you lose your sanity, more like a distorted hell worm.
Even more terrifying, if he wasn't mistaken, the basic materials for these magical creatures should be the elves who were defeated and captured in previous battles, and then received transformation early on...
Xia Na nodded as a matter of course: "This is a common cultivation method, but because the base material and technical proficiency vary, the final appearance of the cultivated war beasts is also different, but in our place they are collectively called celestial war beasts, do you have a problem with that?"
Roger was speechless. After a simple inquiry, he also understood where these things came from.
Don't throw away the captured heretics, put them in special culture dishes, guide the alien god's faith to a frenzied state, and then they become humanoid beasts with only animal nature and no human nature.
Strengthened bodies, weak shapes, possibly retaining talent skills, no fear, and a crazy desire for destruction. On the battlefield, these so-called celestial war beasts can have extremely powerful destructive power.
At the same time, the materials are everywhere, and compared to unbelievers, they are also part of the heretics...
So this is a conventional modulation method used by the Seven Gods camp to attack shields with spears.
It's just that the creatures of this type that appeared on the battlefield before all looked different, and the technology was much more mature than Ya Wenshali's, so Roger couldn't think of them as products of the same technology.
This batch of new products can be regarded as modulation failures, but if they are used as cannon fodder, even if they fail, they can still exert combat power.
All they need to do is charge.
Xia Na inherited Nari Nell's memory, so she naturally easily distinguished the unique smell on these things, saw through the phenomenon to the essence, and directly called them by their common name.
"By the way, since they are irrational modulation creatures, the control method is actually very common and simple, which is to construct the illusion of a hostile god in the specified direction..."
Xia Na found the body of the supply team's general, sensed it, and then her fingernails shone with magical light as sharp as daggers, dissected her arm, and took out a small stone with magical marks.
"Mastering this biological weapon, why didn't this general use them to counterattack?" Roger understood that this thing should be the controller.
"Because she doesn't want to die! Relying on reinforcements to defeat you, there is still a chance to survive, but releasing these things will result in her being killed by the celestial war beasts even if she wins."
After all, these things are beings with only destructive instincts, completely obliterating the human nature that should have been there. They can slightly guide the direction of the battle, but they will also frantically destroy everything they see around them...
Roger was silent. He had long understood the madness of the Seven Gods camp, and knew that the gods never treated mortals as equals.
But the Seven Gods camp still pretends to have a bright exterior. Even when they modulate celestial war beasts, the craftsmanship of those gods is far stronger than Ya Wenshali's, and the final product still has a "celestial" art style.
But Ya Wenshali can't do it. Dark elves also have magical talents, but Ya Wenshali's divine power is too low. Her subordinates have a high failure rate in modulating this kind of thing, and most of the final products are this kind of sanity-dropping thing, which seems even more cruel than the Seven Gods camp...
This is the side effect of the Seven Gods camp's technology diffusion. Originally, it was an evil and crazy product. When the Seven Gods use it, it still has some exquisite and beautiful appearance.
But when those believers and newly appointed subordinate gods use it, there is no even the last fig leaf, it is a complete madness and chaos, a model of using any means to win.
The elven soldiers who were called by Roger to support also discovered what this supply team was transporting. Some people found their friends and family members who were captured and transformed into this appearance, and roared in anger and heartbreak...
"Jenot..."
A beautiful elven archer looked at the celestial war beast in front of Roger. Although its appearance was distorted, she still recognized her fiancé, who had disappeared in the previous battle, through the familiarity between lovers.
She could accept him dying on the battlefield with the honor of a warrior, but she couldn't accept him being tortured and transformed like this by the enemy.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she raised her head to prevent them from falling.
If they hadn't stopped this supply team, would that heroic man have launched an attack on the fortress he had guarded for fifty years, fighting with his former comrades?
The elves present were angry, surprised, and shocked. The scene made Xia Na a little uncomfortable.
Because everyone found out that she understood these things, and recognized that she was a consultant sent by the Green Vine Empire, they recognized her knowledge and asked her if these elves could still be saved.
"This is an irreversible change." Xia Na bit her lip, but lying was useless at this time. "Their souls and sanity have long been worn away in the transformation process. Now, divine power is maintaining their bodies, leaving behind their last madness and resentment."
The elves couldn't accept it, but they could only accept the reality in front of them, understanding that Xia Na was not deceiving them.
That female elven archer bowed to Xia Na, turned around, and walked towards the direction from which the supply team had come.
Xia Na felt her gaze make her tremble, and quickly grabbed her: "Where are you going?"
"I want to destroy the place that made them! That is a dirty place that even demons would despise!"
"You will definitely die alone. That kind of place... will only make you become the same transformation material as him..."
"But... but... I hate it so much!"
The elven archer sat down on the ground weakly, and the tears that she had been holding back finally fell uncontrollably.
She was not afraid of death, but she didn't want to become like this herself, becoming an accomplice of the enemy.
Roger handed the stone that Xia Na had just given him to the elven archer: "You should be able to create miracles by fighting together."
"Deep Blue, what do you mean..."
"He must also want to destroy the place that gave him the deepest torture."
Since that dark elven commander didn't dare to release the celestial war beasts even to death, it seemed that they had limited control over these things, so even transportation had to be frozen.
Even the place where they are modulated lacks counter-measures.
With these celestial war beasts attacking, and other elves making up for it, they really have a chance to break through the magic laboratory.
The elven archer was experienced in combat and immediately understood what Roger said, thanked him, and went to gather her companions.
Soon after, Roger and Xia Na stood side by side, watching a team of a dozen elves controlling vehicles, driving towards the Underdark from another secret path.
Xia Na said with complicated emotions: "I want to kill that ugly god of revenge immediately."
"But she is not the instigator. We need to let more enemies enter the game, and let this fire burn more fiercely."
Roger answered seemingly without thinking, but his fist clenched unconsciously.
Perhaps these are some of the reasons why they must continue to fight.
Will this world always light up with a different light?
Chapter 234: The Counterattack of the Rebellious Daughter and Her Father
A small team of elves went to the Underdark, and the rest quickly retreated. Roger and Xia Na naturally had to leave as well.
They didn't want to run into Ya Wenshali, who was rushing to support them.
They could win the fight, but it would cause more trouble.
Roger no longer pretended to be Deep Blue. He believed that there would be larger-scale battles in the future. It was enough to test the effect of the devouring card. There was no need to rush to eat himself fat in this war.
A space anchor that prohibits teleportation has been set up in this area of the battlefield. They have the means to forcibly break through, but that will inevitably attract attention and cause uncontrollable variables.
So, like when they sneaked over, they simply rode away on horseback honestly.
Roger was in front, and Xia Na was in the back, occasionally exchanging a word or two, and the atmosphere was fairly accommodating.
So Roger didn't notice Xia Na's flickering gaze. The little angel had been calculating the distance between the two and the Ashes Leaf, and finally made up her mind.
"Hey!" she called out.
"Yes, little grandma, what are your instructions?" Roger turned his head back without any defense, only to feel a flash of light in front of him, and suddenly lost control of his body.
He was like someone in a martial arts novel who had been hit with acupuncture points, maintaining the posture of turning his head back on horseback.
Damn, it's the Virtual Archmage. The ability loaded was taken over by Xia Na, and then she controlled my body, leading to this situation!
Roger was no longer the rookie he used to be. He had been in this time for almost seven years. He hadn't experienced many battles, but not few either. He immediately realized that he was being controlled by Xia Na.
But he couldn't think of a reason why Xia Na would suddenly attack him. She was happily doing research in the Empire, and it was impossible for her to return to the Gods camp, and she was even angry about the means of the celestial war beasts just now...
Xia Na's face was uneasy and pale. She observed Roger for a long time, and then did a series of checks with concern, before finally breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that Roger had no way to ask the Eternal Night Empress for help.
At this time, she showed a smug smile: "You can't figure it out, right? You have to strike when you can't figure it out, and you have the most chance of success."
"You're not that vengeful, are you?"
"I'm super vengeful, didn't you know?"
"But you won't gain anything from this?"
"Anyway, I'm happy, that's all."
Roger was suddenly speechless. If Xia Na had been planning to plot against him since she started accepting the Virtual Archmage project, then it was really impossible to guard against.
Who would have thought that her grand project on Divine Energy Conversion, which had rendered outstanding service to the Empire, would ultimately lead her in a roundabout way to orchestrate a situation where she would render him helpless on a certain night?
They say there's a strategy called 'taking a roundabout route to save the country,' but Shana's route is so winding, it's practically celestial – buying a king crab just to get some vinegar!
But Shana, lost in her own amusement, halted two horses, tied them to a tree, and then swept Roger up in her arms, heading into the depths of the dense forest.
"Hey, leave me some dignity, okay? You even opened a dimension before; now you're changing to a small grove?"
"What, afraid that if we go out, Her Majesty will find out, and your little life won't be spared?"
"Nonsense, why would I fear her?"
"Then that settles it."
Shana began to undress Roger. Roger couldn't move, looking like a wronged little wife, and could only ask, "Why suddenly now?"
"My soul has been shaken; I need a channel to vent."
"Come on, you're a six-winged angel. You've done these kinds of operations with battle beasts before, haven't you?"
"She is she, and I am me. I don't have those memories... Isn't it normal to have a wounded soul?"
"Actually, the Yas Leaf has many excellent service providers; you could experience all sorts of styles..."