NOVEL NEXT Chapter 301 - 301 Distant
301 Distant
The ultimate solution was to detain them all.
“They are oblivious to their own demise, which is a good thing, but it’s mind-boggling how they can maintain their mental faculties.”
Floral asked in confusion after everyone was placed under control.
The undead relied on memories to keep going. It was like an echo that persisted long after death, or maybe more accurately, like a Resound that had been etched into time. The strength of a necromancer determined how many memories could be reawakened in the undead. But even the most powerful necromancer couldn’t create an undead like the one they were facing now, one that seemed to be in a fully resurrected state.
“Their self-awareness is almost that of the living… other than not admitting that they’re dead,” Nizemar, who was watching the survivors, added.
!!
They both looked to William, hoping for some kind of answer.
As the strongest Undead magic chanter in Currere, if anyone knew the truth behind these Forest Elf undead, it would be him.
“We’ll talk about this later… The most important thing now is on how to deal with these people.”
William could only change the topic when faced with their expectant gazes.
The truth was, William was baffled by how the Lady of Starvation did it.
Undead magic had an ironclad rule: a caster could summon the undead who were stronger than the corpse when they were alive, but they couldn’t restore the undead to a state identical to the time when they were alive.
The power of undead magic lay in its ability to stir up memories, but memories were tricky things. They held a certain level of ambiguity that often distorted the truth. Legends and history were all born from the exaggeration of memories, and the more ancient the corpse, the more potent its power.
Necromancers knew this all too well and weren’t too fussed with fresh corpses. Their interest lay in acquiring the more seasoned variety, for without the enhancement of history and legends, the strength of the recently deceased was limited to that of their living selves.
But these Forest Elf undead were different. They had the same intellect as ordinary people, and their strength was identical to when they were alive. They could even use their soulless bodies to harness the power of beast spirits.
William could only guess that this was a manifestation of Camilla’s power, although he didn’t know which authority corresponded to this phenomenon.
A glimpse from another timeline showed William that the timeline that gave birth to the Lady of Starvation was likely made up of a group of undead acting. One was simply the Kingdom of the Dead, Ravenwood,
where hundreds of thousands of the dead pretended that they weren’t dead and acted a role on-stage, keeping in sync with the current timeline.
“R-right.”
Floral’s heart raced as she looked at William’s deadly serious expression. She knew better than to question him. After a moment of confusion, she asked, “What should we do with them?”
William had already dismissed her previous ideas of sending them to the Ruins of Orsis or the Land of Eternal Night in the north.
“We’ll send them to the Moon Realm,” William replied tersely.
“But the Moon Realm’s concept of time is completely different from Currere…”
“But wouldn’t that require bargaining with the ruthless overlords of the Moon Realm or the formidable Void Sovereigns?”
Once these poor people were handed over to those powerful beings, their fate would be entirely out of their hands.
“There’s no need,” the other party, however, only shook his head and replied. William pulled out a handful of azure gems and tossed them into the air.
Floral watched as lightning crackled as the gems formed a connection and a portal opened to an unknown area.
“But if we don’t make deals with the high-level existences in the Moon Realm, won’t we be sending them to the ownerless areas?” Floral asked, her voice full of concern. “If anything goes wrong, they may be lost in the Moon Realm forever…”
The sudden cawing of a thousand crows filled the air, drowning out the rest of her sentence. In an instant, thousands of birds surged out of the portal into the dome of the tree hole, their blood-red eyes fixed on the group.
Everyone cowered and covered their heads, except for William and Nizemar.
“I don’t need to make deals with high-level existences in the Moon Realm. At least, not for such a trivial matter,” William said, looking up at the ominous cloud of crows.
As he spoke, the crows circled in the air, forming a terrifying tornado of black and red as the whirlwind gradually transformed
into a thin, tall young man with skin as pale as a drowned corpse. The man bowed deeply before addressing him respectfully, “I’m here on the orders of the Father of the Crows. My Lord’s master, is there anything you need me for?”
William couldn’t help but smile at the young man.
“I’m glad to see you again. But, tell me, what should I call you now? Can’t keep calling you the Crow Feather Prophet, can I?”
As Blake delved deeper into the mysteries of Black Crow Gaze, he realized that he held immense power—enough to create high-level Moon Realm existences akin to Demon Generals. But he knew better than to create such entities solely out of authority, for they would be too loyal to their nature and cause untold chaos. So he summoned the Crows, the organization that Jackdaw had created, and began his search for individuals who could and would become Moon Realm existences.
To put it simply, it was to create a Moon Realm Authority holder.
William, upon hearing of Blake’s plans, knew exactly who to recommend—the Crow Feather Prophet, who had been under Jackdaw’s control before being abandoned in Blacklight City.
After defeating Jackdaw and returning to Currere, William set out to find the Crow Feather Prophet’s soul, which was in tatters and difficult to repair.
He managed to elevate it to a high-level Moon Realm existence, saving it from certain destruction.
“Distant, My Lord’s master. My name and authority are both ‘Distant.’”
said the Demon General named Distant, who had been saved by William and Blake, bowing his head slightly.
The concept of distant possibilities was enough to produce despair that seeped into the very depths of one’s being. It wasn’t just the physical distance that caused the ache, but the idea of being able to see a goal but not being able to reach it.
Blake was a man with three Authorities. The one that resonated the strongest with him was Distant, the Authority closest to the concept of despair. It was stronger than Loss and Helplessness.
William nodded and said, “Distant? No wonder Blake said that no one is more suitable for this mission than you… Floral, please help this gentleman and transfer those people over to ensure that they stay in an absolutely safe place before the matter is over.”
“Ah? Lord William, hold on a minute. Are you sure…” Floral finally found her voice.
A Demon General-level Moon Realm existence had sauntered into her city, like it was paying a visit. It defied all logic and challenged her common sense. But that wasn’t the worst part. This Demon General claimed to be a subordinate of the Moon Realm Calamity.
Had she gone mad, or had the world gone mad?
Floral sidled up to William and whispered, “Are you sure you want to hand those people over to him… This is a Demon General-level Lunar Monster. Can he be trusted?”
In truth, there was nothing for her to hide. Floral was merely displaying her vigilance to the other party.
“He’s with me,” William replied tersely.
“I’m not quite following…”
Floral kept a wary eye on the Lunar Monster standing before her, feeling as though it was forever beyond her grasp.
“Simply put…” Distant turned to Floral and explained with impeccable courtesy, “My master and I serve the Presiding Judge. His will is our command—we will not hesitate, even if it means the utter annihilation of the Moon Realm.”
“Shall we proceed with our duties, ma’am?”
Floral was stunned by the overwhelming emotional aura emanating from the other party, but nodded subconsciously.
She watched as William strode towards the portal, crackling with lightning.
“Lord William, where are you headed?”
She couldn’t help but inquire. Was he departing from Emerald Province at this crucial moment?
Before he stepped through the portal, William replied, “The library. I need to brush up on timelines.”
William felt as though he had seen similar records in the past regarding the skipping of timelines across different histories.