Chapter 115: Qualifications to Praise the Holy Light
The night shrouded by the rules of the dead passed like this, and time came to six o'clock in the morning.
'Shuh! '
The moment the first ray of sunlight appeared on the horizon, it seemed as if the darkness that was solidified here was pierced through directly, without any chance of obstruction, and the endless gray fog completely disappeared along with it.
Even in places where this ray of sunlight had not yet reached, the darkness covering the sky dissipated in an instant.
Only on the earth, the darkness and gray fog on the shady side are still lingering here while the sunlight has not yet fully appeared.
But once the sun rises fully, what awaits them is sure to be complete annihilation.
At least, during the day it was a complete wipeout.
East of Balihe Street.
Urban-rural fringe.
As soon as the sun came out in the town of "Dherim", the day's work began with the shouts of their captains.
The Swadian militiamen who were standing guard on the city wall were replaced by new militiamen.
These newly arrived Swadian militiamen were holding spears, carrying old broad shields and hunting crossbows, with quivers filled with crossbow arrows and fighting hoes hanging on the left and right sides of their waists. They were wearing cotton robes and cotton hats, standing on the city wall with their chests held high, looking energetic and quite vigorous.
And on the city wall behind them, the Swadian light infantrymen wearing chain mail, also holding spears, walked in neat rows.
They are the patrol team.
Since there are still 591 Swadian light infantry in the entire town, it can be said that the manpower is quite sufficient.
Combined with the Lake Rat Gang saboteurs patrolling the town, the defenses were extremely tight.
Any abnormal situation will be discovered first.
Then it would trigger a reaction from the entire defense system, summoning a steady stream of troops to begin exploring and strangling the abnormal areas.
The current town of "Dehrim" may lack supplies, dinars, commerce, agriculture and even handicrafts.
But the only thing that is not lacking is soldiers!
Moreover, most of them are elite soldiers of the fourth and fifth ranks. In terms of combat effectiveness, they are definitely very strong.
At this time, Shen Mu had already arrived at the city wall of the town area again.
He is making his rounds.
Manide, the mayor of the town, was following behind him, explaining to Shen Mu the arrangements outside the city wall:
"Now the land around Dehrim has been simply measured, and basically 1000 acres of farmland can be reclaimed."
"1000 acres of farmland?" Shen Mu raised his eyebrows, looking at the flat dark brown, fertile land full of humus outside, and asked again: "Are you sure you can cultivate so much farmland?"
What Manide was talking about was that 1000 acres of land could be reclaimed in every direction of the town.
For Dehrim now, that means 4000 acres of land.
Isn’t this number astonishing?
"I'm sure." Manide said confidently, "This is still a conservative estimate, Master Shenmu." He pointed to the east and continued, "If we can continue to reclaim land outward, then the flatter land in the east can be reclaimed into more fields."
Shen Mu followed the direction pointed by Manide and looked towards the east of the town, which was a flat rural suburb that stretched as far as the eye could see, directly connected to the horizon, with only scattered high-rise buildings blocking the way.
He nodded in agreement and said, "Indeed, that place is the agricultural production area of the city."
But this kind of reclamation is not wise for Shen Mu.
Because the rules of the dead still exist.
Although vegetation on the blue planet can still grow under the rules of the dead, the growth of food crops is extremely slow and restricted.
Based on the memories left by the predecessor.
Many of them are similar to the wheat, corn, and even potatoes that were grown in the past.
If they are left to grow in the dark in the wilderness, they will grow poorly, with very few or even no ears, and grow like weeds.
Unless, beside the crops growing in these fields, bonfires were lit to dispel the darkness and gray fog.
This will ensure that the seeds grow successfully and ear, so that some grain can be harvested.
But even so.
The amount of grain harvested was also very small, more than half less than before the advent of the undead rules!
This is the result of careful cultivation over the past three years by the Blue Star humans in their hiding apartments or rooms.
In the end, it was proved that it would be more convenient to search for supplies in places shrouded in darkness.
Of course, even if you eat these foods, you will gradually become weak and powerless.
Especially for those Blue Star humans who have followers in the spiritual world or have experienced resonance at the soul level, the reaction will be extremely intense.
If you eat these foods frequently, even if you feel full, the end result will be starvation to death.
It's as if it can't absorb nutrients.
Unless using the body of a spiritual being.
Or…
Only by finding those lords who have the lord's mark and can summon all kinds of materials, food, and even various spiritual buildings and lands from the astral world can we live a normal life under their protection.
Therefore, we have to cultivate the land ourselves in this apocalypse shrouded by the rules of the undead.
Extremely unrealistic!
"Manide, we can just cultivate and sow the seeds from our own land."
Shen Mu hesitated for a moment and then said, "If it leaves our land, then don't worry about it. When the land we own expands in the future, there will definitely be land suitable for reclamation and sowing."
"I understand." Manid nodded.
Didn't talk much.
Shen Mu took Manide to inspect the city walls of the town area and then parted ways with him.
Manid needs to return to the executive residence to continue dealing with the current trivial matters.
Shen Mu came to the Holy Light Torch Tower in the castle area.
At this time in the Holy Light Torch Tower of the Holy White Council, the warehouse on the first floor was full of chopped firewood.
They all look like high-quality, solid wood.
It would be fine even if it was used as a roof beam or a main beam, but now it is just used as firewood because of the Holy Light Torch Tower.
Shen Mu just glanced over and felt a little bit sorry.
But this pity is only temporary.
Come to the second floor.
This is the library area. It is empty with few books, so it was converted into a large dormitory for people to live in.
James and 20 believers from the Kingdom of Aidengard lived here together.
"Master Shen Mu!"
When Shen Mu entered the library on the second floor, James and the 20 believers in gray robes, who were still chattering among themselves, immediately noticed his arrival.
They all stood up quickly, then bowed respectfully to pay tribute to Shen Mu.
"Well, hello." Shen Mu walked over.
"Master Shen Mu, we are discussing matters concerning faith and sincerity of heart."
James, as the general, quickly moved the chair to Shen Mu's side, respectfully asked him to sit down, and then reported: "I think these believers from Aidengard who are extremely reverent to the Holy Light do have their own set of theories, which are very interesting, and I am also studying and learning them seriously."
"Mr. James is the purest person we have ever met, and he also knows how to accept the Holy Light with his heart."
Just after James finished speaking, a believer who was obviously the leader said with emotion: "We just had a simple chat with Mr. James about how to communicate with the Holy Light with a sincere heart, and he has already learned it. It is really an amazing talent and level."
"That's right. If Mr. James had been exposed to the Holy Light when he was young, I think he would have achieved great success in the Holy Monastery of the Kingdom of Aidengarde!"
Even the other older believers nodded affirmatively while expressing their feelings.
Obviously, during this communication process, James, the doctor with the most superb medical skills on the continent of Calradia and who also has unique insights into natural medicine and religious beliefs, left a deep impression on them.
"So, James, you have mastered the power of holy light?" Shen Mu raised his eyebrows and looked at James.
"Because I have reverence for you in my heart, the Holy Light accepts me." James smiled, then stretched out his hands, his face solemn as if he was concentrating.
'Om! '
Then, under the gaze of Shen Mu and other believers, tiny wisps of white light gradually emerged and formed little tiny spots of light that looked like large grains of sand.
Because the sun had just risen, there wasn't much light shining.
So in this still dim library on the second floor, this little spot of light the size of a grain of sand is extremely obvious!
"Praise the Holy Light!"
Especially the 20 believers, when they saw the tiny spots of light appearing in James' hands, their faces became extremely fanatical.
At the same time, they all bowed their heads respectfully and recited scriptures belonging to the Holy Monastery of the Kingdom of Aidengard.
They seemed to be showing great reverence for this tiny speck of light.
"Is this the holy light?" Shen Mu raised his eyebrows at this time, looking at the light spot that appeared in James' hand with some curiosity.
Although it looks tiny to the point of being cute.
But the light it brought was like a candle flame, illuminating the even darker crowd surrounding them.
And faintly, there is a warmth emerging from the soul level.
Very strange!
'Om! '
But just as James was exerting the power he had comprehended, the light in his hands flickered and then went out.
It lasted less than ten seconds.
"This is my limit." James finally put down his hands, sighed with sweat on his forehead, and said in a rather listless spirit: "I can only maintain the light balls for such a long time. I can't use these light balls to create the same sun rays as these devout believers to attack the enemy, or the holy light healing technique to heal injuries."
"Mr. James, for a beginner, you have done very well." The devout believer next to him comforted him, "Many beginners find it difficult to summon the Holy Light as stably as you do after several months. This requires a devout heart towards the Holy Light and a kind heart to support it. You can summon the Holy Light in just one night, which is really an amazing achievement."
"Yes, this is really amazing, Mr. James." The other believers nodded and looked at James with a little more respect.
Just as the captain of the faithful who spoke first said, it is not easy to summon the holy light.
Many beginners who began to learn to summon holy light in their teens often needed several months of hard training. Only when their hearts were calm and they had a reverent heart for the holy light, could they summon such holy light, which could last for more than ten seconds.
It was a night like this, no, it should be said that time when they taught James how to condense the holy light runes and how to summon the holy light to descend.
James had already summoned out the extremely tiny spot of light that appeared in an instant.
Waited until now.
The holy light can be maintained for nearly ten seconds.
This is simply amazing!
The time when these devout believers could maintain the holy light for a dozen seconds was at least six months.
Now it seems that how could they not know that this James in front of them...
Can it be called an excellent talent? !
"I don't have much idea about holy light, but when I was meditating, I felt that there seemed to be some special power in this holy light torch tower. In addition, I couldn't help but think of Mr. Shen Mu, who was still holding on in such a dangerous alien world. So I felt more and more respect for Mr. Shen Mu in my heart, so I felt the power of the holy light."
James hesitated at this time and chose to tell the truth.
Just these words stunned everyone present.
"Huh?" Shen Mu felt a little confused: "When you were meditating on the Holy Light, you thought of me?"
This is interesting.
The 20 believers present did not refute James' words.
You know, they are devout believers who have faith in the Holy Light, possess the gift of the Holy Light, and have mastered how to use the Holy Light for self-protection and healing. But at this time, they are all surprisingly silent.
They looked at each other and saw the look in each other's eyes that said, "As expected."
He did not get angry at all because of such language which was almost blasphemous to the Holy Light!
"Lord Shen Mu is indeed the same as the legend circulating in the Kingdom of Aidengard." The leading devout captain spoke slowly with emotion, and his tone was also complicated: "Lord Shen Mu is the incarnation of holy light!"
"That's right, Lord Shen Mu is the incarnation of holy light!" The other believers responded seriously.
This is a response and also represents their attitude.
"What incarnation of holy light?" Shen Mu frowned slightly at this time.
What kind of title is this?
"Master Shen Mu, when your name spread among our ears, there was already a legend that you were the incarnation of holy light, the messenger of justice, and the spokesperson for kindness."
The captain of the faithful straightened his chest and spoke in a very solemn, almost chanting tone:
"This has spread from the Ainfas Empire to our Kingdom of Aidengard, even to the former exile place, now the home of elves, the Kingdom of Avalon."
"You represent the Holy Light!" the other believers said in unison.
Like a choir singing in unison.
But at this moment, all the believers present looked at Shen Mu with more fanaticism and respect.
There were tears in his eyes.
"..." Even at this moment, Shen Mu still felt a little complicated about this scene with strong religious connotations.
But if you think about it, you will understand.
This should be the special identity that the Mount and Blade system adds to itself.
Especially in the Kingdom of Aidengard, which was founded on religion, the Kingdom of Knights, which is famous for its belief in Holy Light, and the forces that own religious organizations such as the Templar Monastery and the Inquisition.
This identity itself is a kind of myth about Shen Mu.
It symbolizes that Shen Mu himself is a mythical existence at the level of a living saint!
"Calm down, everyone." Shen Mu nodded, and asked the 20 believers in front of him who were extremely fanatical and even more respectful to him to calm down.
It is better to communicate calmly.
After a while.
These devout believers finally broke free from the fanatical religious sentiment they had just experienced.
The leading believer once again touched his chest and bowed, saying, "Sorry, Master Shen Mu, we are so excited because we are so happy to see you."
"Well, it's a small matter." Shen Mu waved his hand, indicating that the topic should continue.
At the same time, he looked at James and asked, "Just now you said that you mastered the power of Holy Light because you felt the special power in the Holy Light Torch Tower, and then through your reverence for me?"
These are James's exact words.
James did not hide it and said immediately: "Yes, Lord Shen Mu, to be precise, it should be the energy source that fills the Holy Light Rune when I condense the Holy Light, which is in this Holy Light Torch Tower."
"Where does the energy that fills the Holy Light Torch Tower come from?" Shen Mu was even more confused.
He was indeed unfamiliar with the extraordinary.
"It's like this, Lord Shen Mu." The one who explained at this time was the captain of the devout believers who had put his mind at ease.
He pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "Sir, we do feel a special magical power surging in this Holy Light Torch Tower. Although it is very weak, it can indeed become the energy for me to summon the Holy Light to descend."
"That's right, that's right." The other believers nodded in agreement.
"Is that so..." Shen Mu thought thoughtfully.
But before Shen Mu could explain the origin of the Holy Light Torch Tower of the Holy White Council.
The captain of the devout believers continued, "And from my perception, this Holy Light Torch Tower does have a sincere and pure energy similar to the Holy Light. It's a pity that it lacks effective mana support, otherwise it would be able to release a very pure Holy Light energy!"
"Yes, that's true." Shen Mu nodded and briefly explained the origin of the Holy Light Torch Tower.
"The Holy White Council? The Maia elves?" At this time, the faces of these devout believers changed slightly: "It seems that these are... the creations of the high elves."
The believers exchanged glances again and nodded gently, "No wonder, the high elves who founded the Kingdom of Avalon are indeed a race with powerful magical powers."
Moreover, the relationship between the Kingdom of Avalon and the Kingdom of Edengard is extremely special.
It is also an ally in the fight against darkness and evil.
Overall, the relationship is quite harmonious.
Apart from the fact that the Inquisition had some criticisms about the elves as a race, the Kingdom of Aidengard generally maintained a neutral and friendly attitude towards the Kingdom of Avalon.
"Sir, if possible, can you let us visit this Holy Light Torch Tower?"
The devout also ask at this time.
"Of course." Shen Mu smiled: "This Holy Light Torch Tower will be handed over to you to take care of from now on. When my caravan comes back, it will bring a batch of mana scrolls, which are the key energy source for driving this Holy Light Torch Tower. At that time, the daily maintenance and use of this Holy Light Torch Tower will also require your help to maintain it."
"Thank you for your trust, Lord Shen Mu. We will fulfill our duties conscientiously."
Upon hearing Shen Mu's arrangement, the 20 devout believers immediately stood up respectfully, bowed their heads to their chests, bent over to salute, and spoke in a solemn and serious tone.
"James." At this time, Shen Mu looked at James again and instructed him: "I will leave this to you to lead. While you are seriously learning how to use the Holy Light, I also hope that there will be no mistakes in this Holy Light Torch Tower."
"Absolutely not, Lord Shen Mu, I will defend your entrustment with my life." James answered solemnly.
"Yeah." Shen Mu was also very satisfied with James' answer.
Then left the Holy Light Torch Tower.
The mystery of this Holy Light Torch Tower was left to these believers and James to study on their own.
For now, the caravan heading to the White Tower has not returned yet.
Nor did he bring back the mana scroll to maintain the Holy Light Torch Tower.
So, this torch tower is really just a torch tower. It is now completely a decoration. When it is not in use, it can be recycled and let these devout believers who are of high magic background to study it. Who knows, they may find some surprises.
Accompanied by the knights, Shen Mu turned around and came to the southwest corner of the town area.
At this moment, a faint stench permeated this side.
Because all the corpses of the enemies encountered in the entire town of "Dherim" have been piled up here.
Whether it was the corpses of the abyss demons or the corpses of the spiritual creatures, they were all piled up into small hills, which now emitted a strong smell of blood and stench.
Shen Mu, who had a slight obsession with cleanliness, couldn't help but frown and cover his nose.
Perhaps the only thing to be thankful for is that with the advent of the undead rule, there are fewer insects such as mosquitoes and flies. In addition, the temperature is a bit cold, which will not allow the corpses to rot easily.
Otherwise, with so many corpses piled up here, they would rot and stink.
It is estimated that the entire town of Dehrim no longer needs to maintain normal operations. Just smelling this smell will make you feel nauseous and vomit.
There wouldn't be some Swadian light infantry specially arranged to pick and choose here, as if picking up junk, stripping off all the valuable things from the corpses of demons or spiritual creatures, whether it be linen, iron products, weapons, armor, leather armor, etc., and classifying them separately.
"Lord Shen Mu, you are here." The person in charge of supervising this work here is Ailen.
This noble knight of the Kingdom of Vigia.
It was also an arrangement he volunteered to make.
After all, although Airen had participated in battles in the Kingdom of Vikia and the continent of Calradia, he had also won many wars.
But to be honest, I am still quite unfamiliar with the demons of the abyss and the creatures of the spiritual world.
This is the first time I’ve seen it.
So even if he had to suppress his nausea, he had to come and see for himself what these guys looked like.
It can also be regarded as a way to understand the enemy first and prepare yourself mentally.
"Well, thank you for your hard work." Shen Mu's expression became quite complicated when he saw the piles of corpses of various kinds in front of him.
"I'm OK. These are child's play." Aileyon patted his chest covered with chain mail and said proudly:
"In the bloody battle with the Nords that lasted for several months in Zhiwacheze, I saw even more corpses than this. The bottom layer had already rotted like mud, with green fat mixed with black pus and blood flowing everywhere. I could still eat vegetable soup on the city wall while being alert to the incompetent and furious Nords below who might attack at any time."
"..." Shen Mu glanced at this guy who was talking without thinking in order to show off his military exploits, and didn't say much.
We just chatted briefly and then left.
Ailen does have some character issues. It can be seen from the background story that he is quite stubborn.
But this cannot deny that he is an excellent knight and a strong warrior.
"It's Bandak who reassures me." Shen Mu saw Bandak directing the soldiers to clean the west wall, wipe off the blood and carry the corpses at the edge of the city wall in the distance. He walked over and briefly inquired about the situation.
(End of this chapter)
