Traces of the Undead

Listening to the sandfolk's tale, Haotian felt an overwhelming sense of misfortune. The troubles with the Rat Kingdom and the dragon Charles remained unresolved, and now it seemed an undead disaster was looming. It was as if all calamities had converged at once. Wasn't everything fine just a while ago?

Haotian asked, "How can there be undead beneath this desert?"

The sandfolk explained, "Long ago, immortal gods fought in the Karar Desert. Back then, it was a fertile land inhabited by countless intelligent races. That divine war resulted in innumerable deaths and even the fall of gods. Thus, the Karar Desert is also known as the Land of Fallen Gods. The undead sleeping beneath the sands are the spirits of those intelligent races and the followers who fought for the gods."

Haotian mused, "Who would have thought this godforsaken Karar Desert had such a mythical history?"

The sandfolk continued, "The devil fish usually sleep underground. During their mating and spawning season, they burrow out and head towards water sources. Often, they awaken the slumbering undead in the process. The awakened undead then follow the devil fish."

Haotian understood. The devil fish were heading toward his Golden Oasis, which meant the undead would follow. He asked, "Have you encountered these undead before?"

"I've seen them twice," the sandfolk replied. "They are mostly mummies and skeletons, sometimes ghouls and undead knights. The undead are hard to kill. We usually avoid fighting them. When we see devil fish, we relocate our tribes. We only return once the undead go back to sleep."

In the Holy Continent, undead were the stuff of nightmares, especially for ordinary people. They were seen as synonymous with demons, best avoided at all costs. However, moving his territory wasn't an option for Haotian. Even though his core building, the Town Hall, could be relocated and rebuilt elsewhere, it was too much trouble. Rebuilding meant re-upgrading all buildings, and the system wouldn't refund the resources spent on previous upgrades.

Fleeing wasn't an option. If a dragon couldn't scare him away, mere undead wouldn't either. Haotian instructed the sandfolk, "Tell your people to speed up capturing the devil fish and return to the territory immediately. Also, send someone to the salt lake to bring back the sandfolk there."

"Yes, my lord!" The sandfolk hurried away.

Haotian then turned to the gnoll Akul, "Release all the desert wolves from the livestock grounds. Have them patrol the sands around the territory. Report back immediately if they spot any undead."

Desert wolves, though low-level magical beasts, were intelligent enough for such tasks. "Yes, divine emissary!" Akul rode off, and soon the gates of the livestock grounds opened, releasing a tide of desert wolves. It was an impressive sight.

Haotian now had over five thousand desert wolves, most born in the last couple of days. He estimated that by the end of the week's Lucky Aura, their numbers could exceed thirty thousand. Their levels, however, weren't high. Most wouldn't reach beyond level two unless they were lucky enough to undergo a bloodline evolution in the livestock grounds.

For Haotian, combat wasn't the primary function of these wolves. Sending them to hunt with the royal gryphon knights would only slow down the knights and split the experience.

Soon, over five thousand desert wolves spread out around the Golden Oasis, perching atop sand dunes and vigilantly watching their surroundings. This full-coverage surveillance ensured that any undead appearance would be reported to Haotian immediately.

Haotian also built three hundred Arrow Towers around the oasis to bolster his defenses. Though low-level, these towers packed a punch against low-tier creatures, potentially killing them in one shot. The cost was minimal: fifty units of wood and twenty units of stone per tower. Building three hundred towers cost just fifteen thousand units of wood and six thousand units of stone—a bargain.

Having set up these defenses, Haotian returned to the Town Hall with his maid, Sally. "Master, will there really be undead?" Sally asked, her face pale with fear. She had heard countless stories about the undead growing up in the Tulip family, tales of the dead rising and causing havoc.

Haotian pinched her cheek playfully, "Don't worry. With me here, there's nothing to fear. Even if the undead come, our territory is strong enough to handle them." He commanded nearly two thousand royal gryphon knights, all high-tier warriors, with several at the extraordinary level. Ordinary undead, even in vast numbers, would only provide experience points.

Reassured by his words, Sally quickly put the thought of undead out of her mind and cheerfully went to prepare dinner.

By evening, Butler Horden was still on his way back to the Golden Oasis. Haotian, however, had already received reports of undead sightings. Numerous desert wolves returned to report, and the royal gryphon knights, returning from their hunt, also confirmed seeing undead in the desert and even in the sandy forests miles away.

Haotian was taken aback. The undead seemed to be appearing in droves.