Wizard: I Have a World of the Dead

Wallenberg, study.

Lynch leaned back in his chair, clutching the invitation in his hand. The parchment was of fine quality, with a gilded falcon emblem pressed along the edges, gleaming slightly in the fireplace light.

He looked at it for a while, then placed the invitation on the table.

"The fifteenth of next month."

Lynch tapped his finger lightly on the edge of the invitation and pondered, "It's a week earlier than the harvest festival in previous years."

Cliff was taken aback. Only after Lynch mentioned it did he realize that it had indeed been brought forward. And not just by a day or two, but by a whole week.

"It seems that this Earl," Lynch said calmly, "has something important to announce at the banquet."

Cliff frowned. Something important. What could be so important at this crucial juncture?

He asked, "So, are we still going?"

If the Earl were to declare rebellion at the banquet, he would be in a genuine enemy relationship with Lynch, who is loyal to the royal family.

Lin Qi glanced at him: "Don't be nervous. The Earl isn't fully prepared yet, so it's unlikely he'll make any big moves. I think he's just testing the waters."

"Even if they really wanted to do something, they wouldn't do it at a banquet for guests. There are quite a few people in the Southern Territory who are loyal to the royal family."

"It's impossible, and there's no need to."

News of the Wind Ridge Pass has already been released.

Any nobleman of sound mind could see that Lin Qi was clearly trying to avoid getting involved in this mess.

A nobleman with a weak armed force and a neutral stance but a great reputation is no threat while alive, but a threat when killed.

At this point, Lin Qi changed the subject and asked, "How much money do we have left in our warehouse?"

Cliff quickly calculated in his mind and said, "I spent a lot of my savings on buying Knight's Flower seeds, and now I only have a little over a hundred gold coins left in the warehouse."

"However, this year's tax revenue has already been collected. After selling the agricultural products, we should be able to bring in another two or three hundred."

"No." Lin Qi shook his head, then suddenly said, "This year's agricultural products will not be sold to the public. They will all be stored in the cellar."

"In addition, take all your money and go to the market to buy grain. Buy as much as you can."

"Also, gather all our able-bodied men, recruit some more craftsmen, fortify the castle, and replenish the armory immediately."

The study was quiet for a few seconds.

Cliff looked at Lynch: "You mean...?"

Lin Qi nodded, quite certain: "Regardless of which side the Earl ultimately decides to take, marching north is inevitable."

This was an era of rigid class divisions. Whether poor or noble, there were few avenues for upward mobility. The only way to transcend class was through war.

The poor gain merit in war, are granted titles and become knights; minor nobles acquire territory in war and become great nobles.

Whether they were poor or noble, no one wanted to miss this opportunity.

War is something everyone desires.

War is inevitable.

"Once the Earl commits all his military forces from the south to the north," Lynch said, "leaving the rear vulnerable will surely invite a large-scale invasion from the Asdok."

"At that time, minor nobles like us will have no choice but to rely on our castles and fight our own battles."

Cliff's brow furrowed even more.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "With the front lines at a stalemate, if the Earl were to launch a rear attack on the royal family at this time, wouldn't the war end much sooner...?"

Lin Qi shook his head: "That's not necessarily true. The royal family still has a trump card to play."

Cliff said, "You mean... Grand Knight Mithius?"

Great Knight!

That is the ultimate level of a knight, a state where human potential is developed to its limit.

If knights are superhumans, then great knights are gods, possessing immense strength, invulnerable to swords and spears, and capable of single-handedly defeating a thousand armies.

A fully armed Grand Knight on the front lines is absolutely capable of crushing an entire legion.

And Mithius was the kingdom's only Grand Knight.

This being, hailed as the guardian of the empire, rose to fame at a young age, becoming a knight at just 18, and after decades of rigorous training, finally achieved the title of Grand Knight!

The current Duke of the North is also a renowned knightly genius in Lorunt, and he even became a knight at a younger age than Mithius, becoming a knight at only 17 years old!

However, he is still too young, not even 30 years old this year, and there is still a considerable distance between him and a Grand Knight, and there is a difference in rank between him and Misius.

The battle lines are still relatively loose, with Mithius remaining in the capital to ensure safety. However, the war will eventually have to be decided by a strategic decisive battle.

Only then can we truly determine the outcome of this war.

Lin Qi said, "In short, we just need to do our own thing. Stockpile food and fodder, reinforce the city walls, build up the armory, and have everyone prepare to dig tunnels for the winter."

Cliff nodded. "Yes."

But then he frowned, a troubled look on his face.

Cliff said with difficulty, "But sir, due to the war, food prices in the market have risen too high. With our little money... I'm afraid we won't be able to buy much."

Lynch didn't say anything. He simply bent down and pulled a wooden box out from under the table.

It was just a regular big wooden box for storing things, dusty and unremarkable.

He gave it a light kick with his toe, and the box slid across the floor and came to a stop at Cliff's feet.

"Open it and take a look."

Cliff bent down in confusion and lifted the lid of the box.

His hand stopped.

The box was full of gold.

It's not gold coins, it's gold.

It had clearly been burned, and it was impossible to tell what kind of gold it was before. It had melted and turned into a mushy mess.

But they are all genuine gold!

Cliff's hand trembled slightly, his eyes filled with shock.

He had never seen so much gold at once before and couldn't understand where Lin Qi had gotten it from.

However, Lin Qi did not offer any explanation.

He simply waved his hand casually, as if he were talking about something trivial: "I found it by chance in a cave when I was out some time ago."

"This should be enough gold. Go and get it done."

Cave...

Cliff's lips twitched. Was this a fairy tale?

However, he didn't ask any further questions, since Lin Qi's attitude clearly indicated that he didn't want to talk about it.

"Yes."

......

The Undead world, Stormwind.

The blood moon hung overhead, its crimson light spilling onto the city walls.

Lynch stood atop the main gate tower of Stormwind, his hands resting on the crenellations, looking down at the nascent, resurrecting city below.

Below the city walls, the entire city was bustling with activity.

Hundreds of skeletons and zombies roamed the streets like a silent swarm of ants, carrying stones, clearing away broken bones, and tidying up collapsed houses.

The wind blew from the edge of the wasteland, stirring up gray-black dust that swept over the newly repaired city walls.

The breach in the city wall has been repaired, and the collapsed slope has been transformed into neat steps.

The broken bones on the main street have been cleared away, revealing the long-lost stone pavement underneath.

Although the houses on both sides are still collapsed, the rubble and tiles at the entrance have been cleared away, revealing the original steps and door frames.

During this time, Lynch has built three new cemeteries in Stormwind, and his population has grown to 300.

Aside from leaving one hundred skeletons to repair the city, he assigned the remaining two hundred skeletons to various resource points to mine shadow stone ore.

Shadowstone reserves: 8286.