Do you have a problem with necromancers?

Chapter 94 The Sand People Are About to Do Something Big
The idea of ​​an ancient Rose Queen becoming a member of parliament in a modern human empire is not entirely far-fetched.

In the Imperial House of Representatives, there are four types of people who are best suited to be members: "those without titles", "highly educated individuals", "minorities", and "women".

People without titles are more likely to win the votes of poor voters; highly educated people are more likely to win the votes of middle-class voters; minority races (specifically elves) are more likely to win the votes of noble voters; and women are more likely to win the votes of female voters.

Berthalia possesses all four of these qualities, so if she were to run for office, her chances of winning would be very high.

"Impossible," the Rose Queen said with a smile. "To get the Amazon Association's full support for a candidate, what qualities do you think a candidate needs?"

“Anyway, they won’t be any better than you,” Renn said.

“Hmm, but there’s one thing I don’t have,” Bersalia chuckled. “She has to be willing to be Her Majesty the Queen’s loyal dog.”

Raine was immediately speechless. In truth, a parliamentary seat in the House of Representatives was practically nothing, not even enough to make a ripple. But based on his understanding of the Virtuous Empress, she would undoubtedly value this seat highly, and would be more than happy to send her hound, which she kept at the royal palace, there—if the Empire were willing to grant dogs citizenship.

“Then forget it.” He quickly abandoned the idea. “Her Majesty the Queen, please let me know as soon as you have a list of candidates to run for parliament.”

“Of course,” Bersalia said with a smile. “Anyway, there are a lot of people who bite randomly in the association, so picking out a loyal dog shouldn’t be a problem…”

The two were still chatting when suddenly a guard in a golden robe ran over to report:
"A murder has occurred on Triumph Avenue!"

"Take me there immediately!" Renn said solemnly, standing up.

During election season in the capital, clashes and brawls between different campaign teams, sometimes resulting in serious injuries or even trampling deaths, are commonplace. Hiring a few thugs to drag the bodies away and wash the bloodstains off the street is all that's needed.

However, "murder in the street" is a completely different matter.

When Ryan arrived at the scene, he saw a dozen or so Sand People confronting the Imperial Guards, with many corpses lying on the ground. Some were Sand People, and others were vote-buying thugs.

The Sand People, hailing from the vast Golden Sands, mostly entered the Empire for trade and commerce. They are generally known for their passionate, unrestrained, fierce, and reckless nature.

Although they are both human races, the Imperials view the Sand People much like the Ancestor Elves viewed the Dark Elves... You can refer to Elrina's attitude towards Bersalia.

Some imperial scholars have even argued that the god of fire and blood worshipped by the Sand People and the god of light and sun worshipped by the Dark Elves actually originate from the same deity. This could explain why the two groups share so many similarities in various aspects.

In the four borders of the empire, issues related to the Sand People are often quite sensitive. This is partly due to differences in religious beliefs and social customs, and partly because the Sand People tend to stick together, which could lead to serious problems if not handled properly. Therefore, the empire usually adopts a policy of appeasement.

Before Ryan could speak, several vote-rigging thugs scrambled towards the guards, shouting in alarm:

"Captain in the Golden Robe! These Sand People say they want to kill all the Imperials!"

Upon hearing this, the golden-robed man beside Renn immediately tensed up, because the Sand People were completely different from the blustering but cowardly street thugs. These fierce foreigners were actually capable of drawing their swords in the capital.

Raine squinted, sizing up the Sandman chieftain opposite him.

He was a man in his thirties with dark skin, wearing a headscarf typical of the Shamin people, and sporting an extremely thick beard.

Influenced by their beliefs, the Imperials generally considered long beards to be a sign of unkemptness and poor hygiene. However, the Sand People held the opposite view, believing that beards enhanced a man's masculinity. As a result, most adult men grew beards, which often led to disputes between the two groups.

"You dare to kill people on the streets of the capital?" Renn questioned the person opposite him in a deep voice.

"It was you imperial people who struck first," the Sand People's leader said coldly.

"You mean, we Imperials just randomly kill your people whenever we encounter them on the road?" Renn sneered.

A commotion arose among the sand people, a hint of unease creeping in. The chieftain gestured for those behind him to quiet down, then said:

“Leader of the Golden Robes, we have no intention of being enemies with the Empire. It is these people behind you who have broken into our Chamber of Commerce and threatened us that we must vote for the candidates they support, or they will drive us out of the capital.”

"He's lying!" the vote thugs shouted. "We just went in to campaign for the candidates, got into an argument with them, and they suddenly pulled out knives and even chased us into the street!"

Upon hearing this, Ryan immediately guessed what had happened.

The tactics of these vote-buying thugs are brutal. Lacking much education, they rely on physical shoving and verbal intimidation to coerce ordinary people into voting. When they encounter the stubborn and unyielding "sand people," it's like trying to pick on a soft persimmon but ending up with a pineapple – these people are fiercely martial; if you make a move, they'll immediately draw their swords, resulting in a bloodbath.

Such cases are actually difficult to handle. If one is slightly biased towards the Sand People, the citizens of the capital might question whether one is "overly appeasing foreigners"; but if one is biased towards the Imperials, it might provoke the Sand People to band together and rebel, and all those who questioned one would fall silent. Instead, the court would be "greatly surprised" and might even hold him accountable for "losing the dignity of the Empire".

Therefore, impartial enforcement of the law is absolutely unacceptable, because being impartial to both sides often means that both sides have grievances against you, so special measures must be taken.

“Your testimonies are completely different,” Ryan said coldly. “One says the other started it, the other says it was just an argument and the other pulled out a knife first. So you have to come back to the camp with us for questioning before we make a judgment.”

"Take away everyone still standing! And carry away those still alive lying on the ground!"

The thugs, quite pragmatically, immediately raised their hands for the guards to tie them up. Meanwhile, a commotion erupted among the sand people; many were about to charge out with their swords, but their leader again raised his hand to stop them.
"Stop! Don't let this ruin everything!"

He spoke these words in the Sand People's dialect, "Sand Language." The Golden Robes were extremely nervous, fearing that the Sand People's leader was ordering an attack, but Raine could understand Sand Language.

Big news? What big news? What, are you all plotting something big too?

In the capital, there's no shortage of ambitious people who want to do big things. Recently, someone planned to create a huge scandal, but ended up getting that lady who guards the capital's defenses in there, and she's still in the royal dungeon!

Therefore, with a wave of his hand, Raine took all the Sand People and the vote-rigging away and sent them back to the military camp in a grand procession.

After entering the military camp prison, Raine assigned Berthalia, an expert in interrogation, to conduct separate interrogations, and they quickly obtained irrefutable confessions:

It was the vote-rigging side that pretended to take action first, threatening the sand people that "if you don't want to be beaten, go vote." As a result, one sand person took it as a signal to start a war and, in a fit of excitement, drew his knife.

The leader of the tribe claimed that they had overreacted and were willing to pay a certain amount of cash compensation to the families of the deceased from the capital in exchange for their forgiveness.

Upon seeing this, Ryan became even more interested:

As a member of the Sand People, aren't you being a little too agreeable? In my experience, Sand People usually refuse to cooperate in this kind of situation by saying, "I don't speak your common language," pretending not to understand. And this guy actually knows that obtaining the victim's forgiveness can exempt him from detention. He seems to know the rules in the capital a little too well. It looks like he's in a hurry to get out and doesn't want to stay in jail!

"Keep them locked up for now," he ordered Magus. "Keep an eye on them from day to night and see who comes to rescue them."

"Don't worry," Magus said seriously. "Since the last incident, we've pried up all the floor tiles in the dungeon and sealed off all the secret passages we could find. We'll make sure that even if the other side turned into a fly, they couldn't get in!"

As evening approached, the expected assassin did not arrive. Instead, a representative of the Yunling Chamber of Commerce stationed in the capital came to pay a special visit to the commander of the capital's garrison.

"That's how it is." The other party didn't beat around the bush and said very frankly, "The sand people in the capital came to me and asked me to release their companion. They are willing to pay you gold sand of equal weight as a reward."

Renn pondered for a moment, then smiled and said:
"No need for thanks. He was locked up just for interrogation. The facts of the case are now basically clear, and the police have said they are willing to compensate the victim's family in exchange for their forgiveness. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, he can be released on parole first thing tomorrow morning."

"Ah, that's wonderful." The other person hesitated before asking, "Besides those imprisoned, they have two companions who were seriously injured in the battle with the people from the capital. I wonder if they can..."

"In accordance with humanitarian principles, we have sent both of them for treatment," Ryan said with a wave of his hand. "If they are confirmed to be out of danger by tomorrow, they will naturally be released as well."

After seeing off the head of the Yunling Chamber of Commerce, Raine sent guards to the hospital near the military camp to check on the condition of the two injured Sand People.

In this world where magic trumps science, powerful and wealthy people only seek help from the Temple of Life, while doctors lacking financial support have a truly questionable level of medical expertise.

The two injured men were wrapped in bandages, given a numbing belladonna syrup, and then left on the bed to tough it out on their own—it's safe to say that doctors in the capital city did not resort to bloodletting for the two who had lost too much blood.

The guard quickly returned to report that one of the men had died, and the body had been sent back to the camp for further processing; the other man, although running a fever, did not appear to be seriously injured, and if he could withstand the infection, there was still hope. "So you're planning to play your necromancy again?" Elrina had just finished teaching Dia and returned to put the books back on the shelf. After the reporting guard left the office, she casually remarked, "This time, are you planning to resurrect a stray dog? Or curse rats and ants?"

“Neither,” Raine replied calmly. “These sand people are clearly hiding some secrets, and I intend to uncover them.”

“It’s a waste of your talents to be the commander of the Imperial Capital Garrison,” Ellina said with a smile. “You should be the chief of the Palace Intelligence Bureau.”

"It turns out that people always end up in positions they're not suited for," Ryan said slowly. "It seems you're better suited to be a tutor than an executioner slaughtering alien races."

These words broke Ellina's defenses, so much so that she couldn't hold back her fake smile and turned away with a dark expression to organize the bookshelves.

“I don’t know how long you plan to remain trapped in guilt,” Raine said, watching her retreating figure. “In an era when the White Walkers are about to destroy the world, excessive self-reproach is just a waste of time.”

"Hmph." Ellina was silent for a moment, then showed a somewhat sullen expression. "I don't expect you to understand something like sin. As long as I help you, that's fine. As for my mental state, that's none of your business."

“Of course it’s none of my business.” Ryan put his hands behind his head and said with a smile, “Perfect timing, I have a task for you.”

"What mission?" Ellina frowned.

“I will resurrect the Sandman who died today,” Raine said calmly. “He will go back and infiltrate the Sandmen to gather intelligence they have hidden.”

"You will go back with the Sand People tomorrow and wait outside their hidden camp for my next orders."

“I have a question,” Ellina said, frowning. “In this urban environment, isn’t Aurora’s archery and sniping skills more suitable for combat missions than mine? I don’t think there are any formidable enemies that require my marksmanship and lightning speed to take down.”

“You have a pretty clear understanding of yourself,” Ryan said, somewhat surprised. “I just wanted to see your attitude. Didn’t you say you were willing to help me? Take this opportunity to prove it to me.”

"Oh." Ellina said expressionlessly, and left the office.

--------

The next morning, a group of Sand People arrived at the Imperial Capital military camp and took their comrades out of the dungeon.

Seeing that they had no signs of torture, the leader breathed a sigh of relief and cursed:

"Ramad, you've truly disgraced the Sand People. So many of you surrendered to a few golden-robed men?"

"Otherwise what?" the other party retorted. "Are we supposed to gather more people to fight them? Will we even be able to complete the mission?"

The chieftain chuckled and turned to ask:

"Canso and Dieffenley are not dead?"

“Kanso’s injuries weren’t serious to begin with,” the other replied. “It was a real surprise that Differin survived; he looked like he was beyond saving… Apparently, the Golden Robe arranged for him to have the best doctors and medicine.”

"In that case, let's send the gold sand to the Imperial Army camp as a token of our gratitude."

"Jinsha? You guys are really willing to spend a fortune."

"There's nothing we can do. The Golden Robe's status in the capital is too privileged. If they start keeping a close watch on us, we won't be able to do anything."

Ellina quietly followed behind the Sand People, listening to the faint sounds of conversation coming from afar.

The people of the desert are very aware of how to avoid being followed. They not only look back frequently, but they also sometimes turn around and walk back for a while to make sure that no one is following them.

But Ellina's tracking skills were even more impressive. She maintained a sufficient distance from the other side while staying close behind to ensure she wouldn't lose them. Only the already deceased Defenri, under Rein's sorcery, could see Ellina behind him through undead vision.

The sand people were hiding in an inn near the outer city. The area was low-lying and damp, so the rent was extremely cheap.

They bought all the rooms in the hotel and sent the owner home, thus successfully securing a relatively secluded base in the capital, ensuring they wouldn't be bothered or spied on by outsiders.

Back at the inn, the two chieftains gathered their men in the lobby to discuss their next mission.
"It's election season in the capital now, and the streets are full of campaign teams and vote-buying thugs. You all need to remember to keep a low profile and keep your tails between your legs! Otherwise, if anyone else gets arrested by the Golden Robes and thrown into jail, we won't have any more gold to bail you out!"

"Next, let's report on everyone's mission progress!"

The Sand People's men then took turns speaking, reporting the results to the two chieftains.

"We bribed a servant to steal the book from the Royal Library for the royal family. Unfortunately, the ancestral Elven Empire did not mention the princess's whereabouts in the book."

"We have already explored the ruins of the Elven Royal Tomb on the outskirts of the city, but we did not find any remains. According to the nearby residents, after the human slave uprising conquered the capital, in order to vent their anger against the ancestral elves, they filled the entire royal tomb with firewood and burned it all to the ground."

"As planned, we visited Alexander, a historian specializing in the study of the ancestral elves. He said that Princess Jinsha may not have married into the elven royal family back then, because the capital had not yet fallen, and many elves still harbored illusions about the empire's war of suppression and resisted the idea of ​​a human woman marrying into the royal family in order to borrow troops."

"This is inconsistent with our historical records!"

"Historians' speculations may not be consistent with history. The First Human Empire was very secretive about that period of history, claiming that it was a joint human resistance against the tyranny of the elves, so they would inevitably have concealed and omitted this part of the content."

In the commander's office of the military camp, Raine overheard the conversation of the Sand People through the undead's spiritual senses, and he already had a guess in his mind.

In the game, there's an unofficial historical account introducing the world's setting called "The Tale of Princess Jinsha." It tells the story of General Jinsha, who fought alongside Elrina and others against the White Walkers. His daughter was married off by the lords of Jinsha to the ancestral Elven Empire as part of a cooperative alliance between the two powers. Jinsha provided troops to the ancestral Elven Empire to suppress rebellions by human slaves, while the Elven Empire was obligated to ensure that Princess Jinsha and Emperor Darlovin Francesca's children would be the sole heirs to the throne.

As a result, after Princess Jinsha entered the empire, she was shocked and moved by the oppression suffered by human slaves. In the end, she chose to commit suicide on the eve of her wedding, thus destroying the mutual trust between Jinsha and the ancestral elven empire, and making an extremely important contribution to the latter's eventual overthrow by a human slave uprising.

Of course, what makes unofficial history unofficial is that it likes to use dramatic language to explain some details of the official historical text.

This book portrays the death of Princess Jinsha as the direct cause of the breakdown of the alliance between the Elf Empire and Jinsha Land. The official history left by the First Human Empire does not even acknowledge the existence of this Princess Jinsha, but only says that Jinsha Land demanded that the Elf Empire cede Yunling Province, which was rejected by Emperor Darlowen, and the two sides ultimately did not reach a cooperation agreement.

For Renn, the official historical account is clearly more credible. If Princess Jinsha chose suicide, how did the author know the reasons for her death and describe them in such detail? It's better to treat it as fiction than history.

Not to mention, there are many fantastical descriptions in "The Legend of Princess Jinsha". For example, this princess inherited the powerful martial arts of General Jinsha and wielded a pair of swords with unparalleled skill, even able to cut through water... Even if this woman really existed, she could not possibly directly crush the laws of physics as described in the book; she would probably use magic.

If he had to choose one to be resurrected, he would definitely prioritize General Jinsha. Unfortunately, the general had instructed in his later years that his body be burned to ashes and scattered in the desert, so it's unlikely that his remains could be found to resurrect him.

Raine continued listening to the Sand People's discussion and discovered that their reason for seeking the Golden Sand Princess was actually to obtain her burial goods—the two legendary swords of the Golden Sand General, "Tosca" and "Dalek." In the Sand People's language, the former means "drought" and the latter means "scorching."

Unfortunately, these sand people did not know the location of Princess Jinsha, only that she should have been buried in some corner of the capital.

Meanwhile, Ellina hid behind a corner outside the inn, quietly listening to the conversation inside.

Her hearing was actually excellent. Although she couldn't get too close to avoid being discovered, she could still barely distinguish the familiar words in those voices.

So, Princess Jinsha's original fiancé was Darlovian Francesca, the then-emperor of the empire, my brother.
With his younger brother inheriting the throne from their father, is the empire already on the verge of falling apart?

Ellina didn't know what expression to wear. Logically, she should be grieving for her brother's possible fate, but in reality, she felt nothing at this moment, perhaps because she felt the destruction of the ancestral elven empire was already predetermined.

The sand people discussed for a long time but still couldn't determine the location of the Golden Sand Princess. Finally, they came up with a solution:
Buy intelligence from the black market in the capital.

All information can be found in the black market, especially secret intelligence unavailable outside. If even the black market is unknown, then perhaps no one else in the world can find the answer.

However, they did not know the exact location of the black market, so they could only try to find thieves in the capital, catch them, and then interrogate them to find out where the black market was.

(End of this chapter)