Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 199 The Ring of the Dead
"Many people give up when they are young, feel that the world is fake, and drift through life aimlessly, not knowing where they are."

"I'm glad you were an exception and didn't waste your time. Looking back now, do you feel it was all worth it?"

A ball of light floated in the darkness, and the scholar rested his chin on his fist, seemingly contemplating some philosophy of life.

[The Wandering Scholar: You encounter a strange scholar in a dark clearing. He promises to teach you something before he leaves, but you need to exchange something for it.]

"Hello hero, we meet again!"

Su Mu opened his eyes wide, only to find that he had not escaped the dream, but instead entered a void space. Above him were stars and the sea, and below him was a blue swamp. He had no idea where he was.

This place is definitely not Isildur's territory; it is very likely a fictional illusion, or that I have been pulled into some bizarre dream.

Faced with this situation, Su Mu did not panic too much. He used his magical power to observe the wandering scholar and first judge whether the other party was genuine or not.

Having made a deal with the wandering scholar once, Su Mu was quite familiar with his aura. Moreover, the scholar's magical power was extremely unique, something that ordinary heroes could not imitate, and even powerful alien evil gods could not replicate.

"Stop looking. I told you we would meet. Have you forgotten already?"

“I have a new business deal recently, no, I mean a knowledge exchange, and it just so happens that it involves you. We also happened to meet, so I came to ask you about it.”

Seeing that the wandering scholar meant no harm, Su Mu asked, "Scholars from a mysterious other continent, shouldn't you teach me some knowledge first? It seems a bit inappropriate to start by talking about a deal, doesn't it?"

Listening to Su Mu's teasing, the wandering scholar actually nodded: "The rules will naturally not be broken. Since you have the opportunity to meet me, you have the chance to learn special knowledge."

However, you've progressed very quickly; low-level magic is no longer effective against you. You have two skills to learn this time; how you choose is up to you.

After saying this, the wandering scholar's upper and lower body suddenly split apart, and his two legs went in different directions.

His left leg plunged into the azure waves, below which lay a deep abyss, where countless lightning bolts struck and converged into a pool of thunder, suppressing all elemental magic.

Stepping into the starry sky with my right leg, countless stars outline a grand cosmos, where the knowledge of ancient sages is concentrated, allowing me to gaze upon even more mysterious magic.

"This time it's not about resources anymore. To learn one of them, you need to provide enough level 6 troops (30) or a level 4 special treasure."

If you want to learn both, you must fulfill one of my requirements.

Su Mu originally thought the wandering scholar would use the astrology he had shown last time, but unexpectedly he went a step further and gave a special skill.

Compared to special magic, special skills are naturally rarer and have a higher tactical importance.

The skill on the left should be a special skill that weakens the enemy's spell power and magic resistance. It is extremely rare in land-based countries, and only heroes who have been drifting on the ocean for many years have the opportunity to learn it from the ruins of the abyss vortex.

The skill on the right is most likely a special kind of wisdom magic. Having witnessed the brilliance of Maggie and Sidelos before him, he had sensed special wisdom magic multiple times. However, the skill given by the scholar is even more powerful and mysterious; if he could master it, he could even learn special advanced magic.

As expected of a scholar who roams the heavens, his grasp of human psychology is very accurate; these are both highly valued skills.

But Su Mu didn't hesitate much and went straight to the right.

The art of wisdom is essential to learn. Even if one possesses the art of governance and can inherit the wisdom of their subordinates, it is only temporary. One must master this skill oneself to better utilize one's own strengths.

"Why don't you consider buying them together? This is a rare discount!"

Despite the temptations of the wandering scholar, Su Mu gritted his teeth and persisted; greed is the original sin of everything. The fact that the other party offered such generous terms showed that the request was not simple.

Given his current circumstances, scholars are most likely to mention the ancient ruins of the Undead Grand Duke, or the secrets of the Void Cult. Neither of these will be easy to deal with.

He didn't want to be caught in a passive pursuit, even if the rewards were very generous.

"Alright, since you insist, that's how it is for now. If you change your mind, you can come find me anytime."

"Once you have prepared the necessary personnel, come to me in my dreams!" The scholar's voice grew fainter and fainter, soon disappearing behind him.

The void around Su Mu was dissipating, the world was regressing wildly, and his body was pushed out of the place. Every inch of his skin felt like it had been cut open, which was even more painful than death.

"Remember this next time, death isn't a pleasant experience!"

When Su Mu opened his eyes again, he had already returned to the first layer of the dream.

He got up, draped a coat over Maggie, and gently woke her up.

"What happened? I clearly felt that you had comprehended reincarnation in your dream, but the aura of your magical power suddenly vanished without a trace?"

"It's a long story, I'll explain it to you in detail later. Let's leave the dream and go back first, in case Uller launches a surprise attack."

Maggie nodded, walked to the center of the floor, and miraculously produced a large bed from thin air, pulling Su Mu down to lie down.

"The secret door to my dreams is the bed in my bedroom; only it can allow me to enter and exit dreams!"

The pink curtains were gradually drawn, creating a slightly ambiguous atmosphere, and the light dimmed. This reflected the change in the dream's owner's state of mind. It's no wonder Maggie felt this way; any noble lady lying naked in a man's arms would inevitably experience emotional fluctuations.

"It's all to protect the plains!"

The Marquis's daughter kept trying to comfort herself and find a plausible excuse.

And the dream realm gradually entered a sweet phase.

……

The army of Dread Knights guarded the center of the formation, working tirelessly without rest, ready to attack Bear Keep at any moment.

Uller took out a skull ring, which was engraved with the Magic Spring and continuously gushed out magical power.

【Ring of the Dead (Tier 4 Treasure): Morale -2 for all players, allows heroes to store double mana in the ring, which can be taken out and used at special times (requires a certain amount of time), increases the effects of resurrection, summoning, and transformation magic by 50%, and is one of the four components of the combination treasure Tolling Bell.

Commentary: The reason the dead are immortal is because they will continue to toll their death knell.

Before arriving at Bearhold, Uller never imagined he would need the Soul Ring. He had to admit that the castle heroes were quite powerful.

But that was the end of it. Su Mu and his men had exhausted themselves defending Bear Fortress. Although they had killed 50 terrifying knights who had stormed into the city, the griffon troops and fearless swordsmen had suffered losses, and Ouling's strongest ranged legion was almost wiped out.

After meeting Sumu, Uller finally understood why the other party's hero was so powerful. No wonder the Grand Duke of the Undead had warned him to be extremely careful around Sumu.

Once he regains his magic, he can use the Forgetfulness skill on Su Mu to end this battle completely.

He will not hold back then. All the Dread Knights will march into Bear Keep, slaying enemy generals and burning the city to the ground!

Moreover, judging by the time, Katherine will be arriving soon. By then, Bearhold will be besieged by two undead legions, and there will be no chance of survival.

Of course, it's best not to give the opponent time to recover their magic in the magic tower.

Uller put on the seal ring, and pointed the ghostly longsword at Bear Keep.

"Kill!"

The Dread Knights and tens of thousands of undead troops raised their weapons and launched another attack on the city.

(End of this chapter)