Chapter 132: Absolute Power

Three days passed quickly.

Sunan set out for Black Valley as agreed.

Black Valley was only about twenty kilometers in a straight line from Lake U City.

However, in the intricate underground world, straight-line distance held little significance.

The actual journey between two points often exceeded the straight-line distance by several times.

Flying through the labyrinthine paths, it took Sunan nearly an hour to reach his destination.

Before him lay a vast, sunken valley, the ground pitch black, appearing like a black hole devouring everything under the faint glow of overhead glowstones.

Upon entering, Sunan immediately sensed the peculiar atmosphere.

An invisible pressure enveloped him, causing his energy particles and mental power to feel mired and difficult to mobilize.

Of course, he could forcefully mobilize them, but instinct warned him of the danger in doing so.

"As Karolaina said, this place is indeed unsuitable for combat."

Sunan's eyes flickered.

Even if a golem tried to fight here, its soul core would likely be destroyed instantly.

In Black Valley, there was no need to fear ambushes.

"Wizards are punctual."

A raspy, low voice sounded from the left front, like bones grinding against each other.

Sunan turned to see a tall, gaunt figure emerge from the darkness.

It was a humanoid skeleton, icy blue, encased in thick ice.

The skeleton had flesh of ice, and through the translucent ice, bones were faintly visible. Only its skull was free of ice, with black soul flames flickering in its hollow eye sockets, a dark flame halo atop its head like a corona.

Jagged ice shards adorned its fingers, resembling large, sharp claws.

Even from dozens of meters away, Sunan felt a biting cold.

The Black Duke, ruler of Osen, and a Frost Ghoul.

Frost Ghouls were the nobility among ghouls and often clan leaders.

A typical Frost Ghoul possessed first-circle legendary power.

A Frost Ghoul over two hundred years old could reach second-circle legendary levels.

According to Karolaina, the Black Duke had lived over three hundred years, likely approaching third-circle legendary strength.

"The wizard is younger and more handsome than I imagined."

A melodious and alluring voice came from the right front.

A woman swayed gracefully from the darkness.

She was stunningly beautiful, with golden hair, crimson lips, and eyes like pools of blood exuding an enticing allure.

She wore a boldly cut black dress.

The dress clung to her body, revealing expanses of skin, as smooth as white silk but not pallid, instead flushed with a rosy hue like cream mixed with strawberry juice.

Seductive.

That was the first impression she gave!

The Red Widow, ruler of Matu, a vampire over two hundred years old.

Unlike the typical image of noble and elegant vampires, the Red Widow's attire and demeanor hinted at debauchery, evoking thoughts of a courtesan.

Yet the Red Widow was as powerful as the Black Duke.

"I've long wanted to meet the wizard, but you refused my invitation last time, leaving me quite disappointed."

The Red Widow gazed at Sunan with smoldering eyes, full of allure.

Unmoved, Sunan asked calmly, "What's your purpose in meeting me?"

"You know why we're here," the Black Duke replied coldly. "What else but Kasham's insect disaster is worth us meeting here?"

The Red Widow laughed charmingly, "Don't play coy, wizard. Do we ally against the insect disaster or not? Give us a clear answer."

Sunan noncommittally asked, "How do you propose we cooperate?"

"As before, the three city-states send forces to intercept the swarm en route from Kasham, joining forces to destroy them," the Black Duke said.

"That's it?" Sunan raised an eyebrow.

The Red Widow asked, surprised, "Do you have a better suggestion?"

Sunan pursed his lips, shaking his head inwardly.

He had learned of past cooperation from Karolaina, hoping the Red Widow and Black Duke had better ideas. Cooperation might save some golems in the inevitable casualties of attacking Kasham alone.

But these two were still set on simply destroying the swarm after all these years, not considering attacking Kasham to eliminate the threat entirely.

This suggested Matu and Osen hadn't significantly strengthened over the years.

"Have you never thought of counterattacking Kasham to eliminate the threat?"

Silence followed.

After a moment, the Red Widow laughed, "You're joking, right? Didn't Karolaina tell you about Kasham's situation? It's the swarm's home turf. Our armies would be severely limited there, unable to deal with the swarm."

The Black Duke nodded silently.

Seeing this, Sunan lost interest in further probing, saying lightly, "Then let's forget cooperation. We'll each handle it ourselves."

The Black Duke's black flames flickered violently in his eyes. "Do you think Lake U City can withstand the insect disaster alone? Remember, Lake U City's geography makes it more vulnerable to Kasham's swarm than Matu or Osen. The attacks have always been more intense!"

"That's not your concern."

With that, Sunan turned and left without hesitation.

Once he was gone, the Red Widow chuckled, "See? I was right. This wizard is confident and never intended to cooperate with us."

"You've seen the mines, using clay golems instead of cheaper slaves for mining, guarded and transported by stone golems and spiders. Lake U City must have many golems. They truly have the means to face the disaster alone, without needing us."

"Perhaps they're already planning to deal with us after the disaster."

"The proposal to counterattack Kasham might have been a setup. Lake U City is much stronger than us. Cooperating with them against Kasham could make us cannon fodder. Even if we succeed, we'll suffer heavily, becoming easy targets afterward."

"Don't test me." The Black Duke's black flames flared, his voice raspy. "Since refusing the wizard's proposal, I won't change my mind."

"But the insect disaster needs addressing. What do you plan to do? Really collaborate with that shadowy figure in Kasham against Lake U City?"

The Red Widow toyed with her nails, replying lazily, "It's not a bad idea. He seems to have a grudge against the Lake U City wizard, or he wouldn't have sought us out."

The Black Duke snorted, "That guy's been hiding in Kasham for years, never showing himself, only sending swarms to hunt. Who knows what he's up to? Collaborating with someone like that risks being devoured entirely."

"True." The Red Widow's eyes gleamed with cunning as she smiled slyly, "I've thought of a good plan."

"What?"

"We can pretend to agree with Kasham's man, then stand aside when he attacks Lake U City, watching them fight it out. Once they're both exhausted, we step in and deal with them both!"

The Black Duke's soul fire flared brightly. "Good idea!"

He glanced at the Red Widow, marveling inwardly at her venomous cunning.

"Seize the chance to eliminate Kasham and Lake U City at once!"

Unaware of the Black Duke's inner musings, the Red Widow laughed smugly.

The Black Duke nodded emphatically.

Kasham needed no discussion, and since Lake U City changed hands, its threat had skyrocketed.

The wizard's actions after taking Lake U City showed clear expansionist ambition.

If Lake U City continued to grow unchecked, it would eventually threaten Osen.

Better to seize the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, dealing with both Lake U City and Kasham!

Afterward, if he could merge Matu, he'd control the entire region within a hundred kilometers.

Meanwhile, the Red Widow plotted silently.

"Once Lake U City and Kasham are dealt with, I can handle this black-boned fool. Then all three city-states will be mine."

The Red Widow and Black Duke exchanged a glance, laughing triumphantly.

"Master."

Sunan had just returned to Base 2 at Lake U City when Karolaina approached.

"Insects from Kasham have appeared near Mine 7. Over a dozen have been killed by stationed stone golems."

Sunan paused, a gleam in his eyes.

Mine 7 was the farthest from Lake U City and closest to Kasham.

With Kasham's insects reaching Mine 7, the invasion was imminent.

His preparation time was running short.

"Send the insect corpses to the lab," Sunan instructed.

Having only heard of Kasham's insects from Karolaina, he hadn't seen them firsthand. This was an opportunity to examine and dissect a few, potentially gaining insights.

"Yes, Master!" Karolaina complied, then cautiously asked, "About Matu and Osen..."

"Ignore them." Sunan waved dismissively.

Karolaina understood immediately. The Master had decided to face the disaster alone.

Seeing this, she said no more, wisely withdrawing to instruct the delivery of insect corpses to the lab.

Returning to the golem factory, Sunan quickly put the Red Widow and Black Duke out of his mind, focusing on crafting golems.

He sensed the Red Widow and Black Duke were scheming.

Their reaction to his refusal to cooperate had been too calm.

Matu and Osen, unlike Lake U City, lacked a golem army for defense, leaving them vulnerable to the disaster.

Even combined, Matu and Osen couldn't withstand the disaster.

This was a matter of survival for the city-states; the Red Widow and Black Duke's composure was unnatural.

They likely had other plans for the disaster, so even if Lake U City refused cooperation, they weren't overly concerned.

Sunan didn't know if their plan involved him or Lake U City, but he didn't care.

In the face of absolute power, any scheme was a paper tiger.

With enough golems, he could crush any plot by the Red Widow or Black Duke.

"Three high-grade elite stone golems have been synthesized, along with five elite Twin-Blade Spiders. I now have eight second-circle legendary units."

"Now I can focus on crafting regular golems."

Excluding those guarding mines and transporting ores, Lake U City had five hundred stone golems, one hundred fifty Twin-Blade Spiders, twelve elite stone golems, and five steel golems.

This force could flatten any earl's domain on the surface.

But facing a disaster that Matu, Osen, and former Lake U City could barely withstand combined, it might still fall short.

Not to mention counterattacking Kasham.

He needed to expand the golem army, at least doubling the number of puppets.

This would also help advance his [Golem Crafting] skill, aiming for level 5 in preparation for crafting adamantite golems.

"And the Magic Rune Core."

"Only a little material remains for the third Magic Rune Core."

During Sunan's battle with the Spark Church, Karolaina diligently collected rare metals per his instructions, gathering most materials for the third Magic Rune Core.

Only eight rare metals were needed to synthesize a level 3 Magic Rune Core.

Though Lake U City boosted his rare metal collection efficiency, Sunan hadn't stopped researching alternative metals.

Replacing rare metals in the Magic Rune Core's composition would eliminate the need for tedious collection, allowing him to craft entirely with substitutes.

Then, synthesizing a level 3 Magic Rune Core, or even levels 9 and 10, would be effortless.

"Among the eighty-nine rare metals for the Magic Rune Core, twelve can be purchased through the Fire Fox Merchant Guild, forty-five have substitutes, leaving thirty-two."

"Now, without new spells to learn, I can use that time to research substitute metals."

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