Yarra’s Adventure Notes -
Chapter 1222 - 8 Building the City
Chapter 1222: Chapter 8 Building the City
"No one knows why, but this is a question that the upper echelons of all forces and most powerful beings want to know the answer to." Flare didn’t tease Catherine for her small blunder, but solemnly said, "Everyone only sees the result, which is that after the Undead had increased to a certain number, they stopped expanding their ranks. Apart from a portion who continued to serve as sentries, the remaining Undead focused on strengthening their positions, solidifying their defenses, and even building higher walls."
"Walls?" Pannis raised an eyebrow and pursued, "Even if they have developed self-awareness, understand how to wage war, and know how to construct defensive fortifications, what are they building walls for?"
"I don’t know, perhaps to reinforce their positions, as, in a war, relying on walls for defense is far more secure than merely depending on fortifications in open grounds." Flare hesitated as she spoke, "But I have another suspicion, I think they’re not just intending to defend; they want to..."
"They want to build a city?" Pannis, a step ahead of Flare, voiced his speculation with an enlightened tone, "Lord Yarra above, are they intending to build a city for the Undead around Death’s Gate?"
"That’s what I suspect," Flare said with a rueful smile, nodding. "Of course, it might not necessarily be a city, could be a military fortress as well, but no matter what, what they’re constructing is definitely more than just fortifications."
"I think we are both wrong." Pannis stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "This time, we should not regard them as simply Undead anymore; we should treat them as a race possessing equal intelligence. Perhaps this change in mindset could help us understand their behavior better. Of course, it might not be that all of them have obtained intelligence, but at least some part of it is beyond ordinary beings."
"How likely do you think it is for the Undead, who have existed for over a hundred years, to suddenly all possess intelligence?" Flare countered, "I can understand a few individuals with Divine Wisdom emerging from the millions of mindless Undead, but the thought of so many proactively building a city—honestly, as much as I want to believe it’s possible, I find it hard to convince myself, let alone others."
"Anything is possible, isn’t it?" Pannis retorted, "Remember the phrase the Lion often mutters?"
"If something has the potential to go wrong, no matter how small the likelihood, it will inevitably happen at some point." Flare sighed, "I thought of that phrase, too, but just that phrase alone probably isn’t persuasive enough."
"Let’s put that aside for now," Pannis said with an odd smile, "Assuming it’s true, these Undead emerging with intelligence—you must have considered that, right?"
"Yes, I’ve definitely analyzed the possible consequences of that scenario." Flare’s sharp ears twitched; not until the distant sounds of life had passed did she whisper, "The outcome is terrifying. Our greatest advantage in fighting the Undead has been their lack of clear self-awareness. They blindly pursue and slaughter living beings, not understanding tactics or cooperation. Thus, even if their numbers are vast, we can gradually eliminate them through tactics. But if they also learned tactics and cooperation, it would be a different story. With the Undead’s tide-like numbers, it’s us who would likely be annihilated."
"But what if we think about it from a different angle; maybe it’s not necessarily a bad thing," Pannis said, facing the puzzled looks from the younger women, with an insinuating voice. "I bet you thought of it before me, hehe."
"Ahem." Muir coughed, standing up, "I have just recently ascended to Demigod Rank, and my state isn’t very stable yet. I need some time to consolidate, you all go ahead, I’ll leave first."
"You’ve mentioned something similar before," Catherine said, watching Muir hastily departing. She spoke softly, "Maybe it’s because I’m too dense, but I really can’t comprehend your thoughts. Why wouldn’t it necessarily be a bad thing?"
"Big sister, although I didn’t understand the first time about Death’s Gate opening, saying it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, this time I do understand," Freya nodded at the knight girl and said, "Indeed, it’s not necessarily a bad thing."
"I’ll explain the first time later," Pannis said. "And this time, I think His Majesty might have already taken some covert measures, but it isn’t quite convenient to announce them publicly, right?"
"Yes, I knew you couldn’t be fooled. Indeed, I did send a secret envoy to attempt contact with the Undead, but the envoy reported that they couldn’t get close to the Undead’s gathering places," Flare’s ears flickered as she lowered her voice. "Any attempt to approach, even alone, would meet threats of attack from the Undead. They warned against advancing; if ignored, the Undead would launch a ranged assault without hesitation. In their ranks, there are now even Undead of Demigod Rank; our messenger didn’t have the freedom to come and go as he pleased, so he hasn’t been successful in making contact yet. And according to what he reported, trying to make secret contacts with the Undead isn’t only our endeavor; almost every force is attempting to dispatch people to contact them. However, such actions can only be carried out secretly. Even though everyone theoretically understands, any collaboration with the Undead could easily destablize our forces and be exploited by others, both internally and externally."
"I understand," Pannis nodded, "The Return of the Dead a hundred years ago killed so many; the hatred and aversion toward the Undead remains strong, especially among the longer-lived races. Your actions must be under tremendous pressure."
Flare shook her head with a bitter smile, "If it weren’t for the laurels of a hero fighting against the Undead from those days, I doubt many would support my actions. Even so, among the Elder Council members who are privy to the situation, opinions aren’t unified, which makes it even less likely to bring up in the Elder Council discussions."
"Hmm, I understand now; it’s indeed not necessarily a bad thing," Catherine, although bright enough and skilled at grasping people’s hearts, as a knight dedicated to the light, was still slower to react to political and conspiratorial maneuvers than Freya, who was more accustomed to such dealings. It took her this long to realize, speaking softly, "But isn’t this contact a bit rushed? Also, why can’t everyone join together for the contact? Ah, I see now. Damn the interests."
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