Witch Troupe and the Undead

According to an ancient but forgotten covenant, the mutual restraint of the divine powers of both sides determined that in the past, whichever family produced cultists, traitors, or heretics would be helped by the other side to cleanse the house.

"Of course we need it! We need a much stricter training program now than before! Look at how depraved these priests have become! One punch from me and they'd be crying for at least half an hour!" A hunter muttered mockingly, pointing at the old priest in the roadside community church who looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind.

"Don't underestimate yourself. If you punch him, you'll be crying for half an hour. You'll be begging him not to die!" the commander said seriously.

"That's true..." The priests of the Holy Light Church back then were also all muscle, wearing heavy armor weighing over 100 pounds in their seventies or eighties, wielding warhammers to smash the heads of those cultists and wild monsters. That was the normal image of a Holy Lord believer.

In a sense, the only thing that can be criticized about the horse-headed Saint Lord presented by the Redemptionists is the horse head itself—his muscular physique fits the stereotypes of Saint Lord followers and clergy.

Of course, they were the same. In that era, the wilderness was full of monsters, bandits, or cultists whose minds were corrupted by chaotic magic. And don't expect anyone to make offerings to you. You even had to dig out the stones for the church yourself. It would be really hard to survive in the border region without developing a strong physique.

Moreover, the core area was not as safe as it is now, and one needed to be very physically strong and adaptable to avoid dying on the way during a pilgrimage.

The church pilgrimage groups that are now traveling in carriages and surrounded by a large retinue of servants are a luxurious setup that was completely unimaginable back then—or rather, if the pilgrimage group had this setup back then, their goal would most likely have been to travel to the wild lands beyond the borders to hunt down the local lord monsters and expand the boundaries of civilization.

"Speaking of the Redemptionists, should we make contact with them?"

"Let's wait until we complete the goddess's instructions. I personally don't have any ill feelings towards them," which is more in line with their impression of the traditional Holy Light Cult.

Chapter 239 The Day of Judgment

In the northern mountains, the Stardust River, shimmering with fine gold, flows out from the northern mountain plains and merges with many tributaries of the Northern Plains County to form a great river rushing south. This is one of the two major water systems of the empire and is also known as the "Gold Rush Basin" because the Stardust River brings out a large amount of precious minerals from the northern mountains. Gold prospectors use the river water to wash the sand in order to obtain gold and stardust.

The latter is a mineral material that is more expensive than gold. Adding a very small amount to metals can smelt a metal called "Star Iron," which is the strongest known metal material that can withstand the strongest enchantment effects and magic power known to date.

A set of enchanted armor forged from Star Iron can generally be considered a mobile fortress with complete magic immunity and significant physical damage reduction. Of course, its price is roughly equivalent to the cost of emptying the treasury of a medium-sized country.

In the upper reaches of the Stardust River, amidst the mountains, lies a vast valley whose presence has been quietly erased by the veil of night. This valley was once the true headquarters and vault of the Church of the Night, with man-made gates and caves scattered across the mountainside.

In the valley, the temples, lined up one after another, are covered with vines and plants. Most of the buildings are abandoned, with only the temple near the end, which is almost as big as the mountain itself, showing signs of activity and wisps of smoke rising from it.

The old man, barefoot and wearing a black robe with silver constellation patterns, walked alone toward a huge door at least 20 meters high. The door was carved with the profile of a goddess and countless constellations. The ancient prayers worn by wind and rain were blurred. The setting sun shone into the temple through the one-meter-wide crack in the door, making the old man's shadow infinitely long.

The calloused soles of their feet seemed completely oblivious to the coldness and roughness of the large area of ​​sootstone. This was the temple's main hall, and also the training ground. Every Night Clan hunter had to complete their initial training here. The tiny, sharp crystals embedded in the sootstone taught them, through pain, how to walk silently and how to use their senses to judge danger in the darkness.

The old man walked through the forecourt, where countless dark purple, semi-transparent curtains hung from the ceiling. He passed ancient statues of goddesses and stone tablets inscribed with doctrines and records of various important events. After passing a dilapidated crossroads with two abandoned wings, he entered the second rectangular hall, which was the nave.

Countless silver-white metal chains hung down to the ground like a winding swarm of snakes. At the top of the chains, dim, eerie blue lights illuminated the area. Around the statue were countless bookshelves that stretched all the way to the ceiling, piled high with scrolls, books, and documents.

Besides the church's own scriptures, there are also copies of precious scriptures from other countries and sects stored here. Although the Goddess of the Night does not have the power of the "knowledge" realm, as a library that simply collects knowledge, her powers of "secrecy" and "inclusivity" can ensure that these precious scriptures will not be harmed to the greatest extent.

In particular, the Temple of Knowledge sends a batch of copies of the content that records forbidden knowledge every now and then, and this process has not stopped to this day. It seems to have become a tradition and a habit. Even the clergy of the Temple of Knowledge may not know who is responsible for receiving and storing these copies.

"Ah, found it, here it is..." The old man reached into the deepest bookshelf and took out an ancient stone slab. Without breaking it, he placed it on top of the complex device covered with runes in the center of the hall. As the platform in the center of the device sank slightly, some ancient ritual began to operate.

The old man skillfully took out a sprig of rosemary, representing dreams and memories, and scattered it around. The aroma of the spice quickly spread, and a mysterious and ethereal aura emanated from the ancient ritual device. This device could simulate the power of the goddess of dreams and was a "forbidden creation" that had been stored here since an even more ancient era.

Originally, it was an attempt to steal divine power with human power, but it failed in the end. It could only simulate divine power with divine power, which would obviously cause the "pirated" divine spirit to sense it, and then trigger a double divine punishment or religious war. So the device could only be left here.

However, simulating the power of the Goddess of Dreams is not a troublesome matter for the followers of the Goddess of Night, nor will it cause any side effects. After all, when the Church of Dreams still existed, those Dream Guides often used this thing to simulate the power of the Goddess of Night, to erase or contain some of their memories and certain dream contents.

Especially when they are about to die, they either use this simulated Dark God power or personally go to the goddess's guardian to handle it, something like deleting browsing history before death.

After all, every dream guide is a master of lucid dreaming, especially those dream masters—heaven knows what dreams they have for themselves while they sleep—this kind of record must be deleted!

Otherwise, at the funeral, the dream pastors who preside over the funeral will bring out their memories and dreams as the deceased's final "appearance and voice" to the family and friends attending the funeral.

They even offered a dream imprinting service, which involved imprinting the deceased's last memories and life story into a dream, allowing the deceased's family to meet the deceased's phantom in their sleep as a form of comfort.

So here's the problem: what if a dream-weaver dies without having their memories and dream records cleared in time, and their colleagues pull them out and show them to everyone at the funeral... Just thinking about how many dream priests forgot about this and caused the deceased's family to shout, "Quack! I don't want to see this!" makes the old man's lips twitch a little.

The Dream God's power began to take effect, and the surrounding scenery rapidly distorted and sank into a deep dreamscape. "It seems that the woman is still alive, but... why is she no longer responding to her followers? What happened?"

The old man relaxed his mind and immersed himself in the dream world shaped by the divine power of dreams. The ancient information on the stone slab became the foundation of this dream. After passing through a veil of misty waves, he stood on a smooth, flat white jade platform.

As if a phantom hadn't disturbed anyone around him, the old man, his body ablaze with colorless flames, quickly found the best vantage point and gazed at the scene before him.

It was a scene of a large-scale sealing. The guardians, dressed in the same black constellation robes, were preparing a large ritual site to seal and contain a powerful evil spirit. This kind of thing, which is a mixture of chaotic magic and soul fragments, is very difficult to deal with. Most of them have a kind of "pseudo-immortality". Even if they are destroyed, as long as the chaotic magic itself is still there, they will not truly perish.

The best and only solution is to use divine power to isolate and seal it, severing its connection with the chaotic magic, until it completely exhausts its last bit of soul power and chaotic magic, and starves to death inside the seal.

The old man watched all of this intently, quickly memorizing the details. He couldn't take anything out of here except his memories.

Soon, the dream ended. The old man carefully put away the stone tablet that recorded the ancient ritual, then compared the previously recorded content with the content on the stone tablet and transcribed it onto a parchment scroll that he had prepared beforehand.

He shut down the forbidden device, sprinkled the prepared Shadow Gem Powder and Clove Powder on the ground, and the shadow rolled outwards like mud. Before the shadow disappeared, the old man threw the scroll in his hand into it.

Temporary lodging in the northern part of Xicheng District, Beijing.

"Oh, I received it~" The young hunter pulled out a scroll from the shadow vortex formed on the altar. "It's about the sealing array and the ritual process, as well as the materials. Wow, they're so expensive~" The cheapest materials on this list cost 20 gold coins or more.

"Didn't the elder mention anything about manpower and money?"

"Well, regarding the money, the goddess's divine power is reviving. They are taking inventory of those ancient vaults, hoping to find more useful items. As for manpower, they have already set off, but it will take at least a month for them to arrive."

After all, they don't have any mounts or means of transportation, and the Shadow Passage isn't suitable for living people to pass through. Perhaps there were masters who could teleport quickly through the Shadow Passage in the past, but now... it's a death sentence!

Imperial Academy, main building, large exhibition hall.

"God of Knowledge, please bless me!" Natalia clutched the amulet she had obtained from the Temple of Knowledge tightly, watching anxiously as Alessina walked into the hall. In her hands was a stack of exam papers that was more than half her height. Yes, it was the last week of spring, their final exams, and then they would be on vacation.

"Please keep it simple, or I'll be dead when I get back!" The boy next to him looked terrified. Chun Yue was going home for the holidays. Those from noble and knightly families had to go back to their manors to help with spring plowing, while ordinary families also needed extra labor during this lean season.

At Professor Roach's suggestion, their report cards will now be sent back before they are even born, and the numbers on those report cards will determine whether their month-long vacation is hell or heaven.

"The exam will last for 4 hours. Does anyone need to go to the toilet, eat, or drink water?" Alessina asked. She was the proctor, and after all, no one had a sharper eye than a high-level beastman warrior.

"The young lady asked me to tell you all that she has set up a powerful interference barrier around the examination hall. If any of you can break through her barrier to complete a spirit summoning ritual or some other strange spell to cheat, you can get a perfect score and be exempt from the exam. However, if you fail and are discovered, you will get 0 points. Anyone want to try?"

Cheating is not prohibited in the magical world's exams, provided that you have the ability to bypass the defenses set up by the instructor, or in other words, if you have that ability, you can get a perfect score without even taking the exam.

If you lack ability and it is discovered, then you get 0 points. This means that you not only lack ability, but you also lack self-awareness, so it is normal to get 0 points.

"The Alchemy Academy does not prohibit the use and manufacture of potions and tools, but as always, drinking yourself into the infirmary will result in a score of 0." Potions that enhance concentration and intelligence are permitted, but they must be made on-site. If you can complete the potion-making process on-site, it means your score is actually up to standard.

If an alchemist drinks himself into the infirmary, then like a sorcerer, it means you're not just lacking in knowledge, but simply stupid—a zero. Multiple zeros could lead to expulsion, indicating you lack both the necessity and basic qualifications to attend the academy.

"Anyone from the Stargazing Academy who needs to go out for a divination?" This is allowed, and there's no cheating or zero points, provided that they trust the results of their divination.

In contrast, students in the General Education College are quite calm, because they have no supernatural means of cheating, nor any way to get a perfect score without taking the exam. Once they are caught using cheat sheets or looking at other students' notes, they will be eliminated with a score of 0.

"In addition, the number of test papers distributed and the number of test papers collected must be the same. If a test paper or test materials are damaged, the score for that test paper will also be 0." This is also part of the exam. If you burn the test paper by drawing runes, it will definitely be 0 points and there is no need to look at it.

"Friendly reminder: Do the math and theoretical runic exams last, otherwise you'll find you don't have enough time at the end." Alessina distributed the exam papers from the four colleges one by one, with the General Studies College's papers being the thinnest and the Alchemy College's papers being the thickest.

The paper calculations and balancing of various alchemy recipes alone took up three pages, plus two more pages of application problems involving material analysis, ideal material calculations, and magic parameter calculations, plus the most math and physics problems among the four academies—three and a half pages!

The Arcane Academy, on the other hand, had the most theoretical runic literature exam questions, a full seven and a half pages. Even though runic literature takes up a lot of space due to the numerous rune patterns, this amount still made every student turn pale; it was a potentially lethal amount.

"Start the timer now~" Alessina took out an hourglass and placed it on the table. This magic hourglass takes 30 minutes to complete one rotation, which means the exam will end after 8 rotations.

Natalia was someone who listened to advice. She decisively skipped the math and physics section and the theoretical runic texts, and went straight to the basic theory of arcane arts. Then she breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the professors really didn't intend to send them home to get a beating. This part was indeed at a basic level of difficulty. If she couldn't do this part, the beating she would get when she got home would definitely be well-deserved.

Next came the branch knowledge of various disciplines in the Mystic Academy, as well as the optional questions (the difficulty of the mystic domains that the mystics are good at is different). The difficulty began to increase, but it was still within the range of those who listened attentively.

However, when it came to the later theory and ritual questions, Natalia started sweating. Fortunately, she quickly remembered that she was a wizard and a "hostage," so even if she got a zero, nothing would happen, and she immediately relaxed.

Meanwhile, her roommate next to her looked like a pale corpse. Her foundation was more solid than Natalia's, so she started working on the theoretical runic questions. The questions for this part were set by the little witch, and the difficulty of Livia's questions was based on her learning progress. Simply put, the little witch thought that Livia could answer the questions after studying for three months.

"Phew~" Someone's exam paper was burned. Fortunately, it was salvaged in time. Only the theoretical and literary content was burned. There were still points left, but with 75% of the points burned, passing was out of the question.

"Thump!" The sound of a head hitting the table. Someone got a zero. "They really don't believe in evil spirits~ I told you it was the young lady who arranged it herself!" Alessina gave the school staff a gesture, telling them to throw that headstrong kid who dared to face the interference ritual spell that the little witch had spent the whole morning setting up into the infirmary.

Of course, if he succeeds, he'll definitely get a perfect score, and some professors might even think he could become a professor on the spot—if you can cheat by casting a spell in a ritual space that a proper witch spends a whole morning setting up, you're more than qualified to be a professor!

"Does anyone else need to go out and have their fortune told before coming back?" This is a strange sight that never happens during exams on Earth: examinees leaving midway through the exam and performing divination at the entrance. Yet, you can see it here.

Seeing several students from the Stargazing Academy and the Mystic Academy who also studied divination raise their hands to go out for a reading, Alessina sighed, hoping they were just seeking psychological comfort rather than actually believing in the divination results.

Outside the examination hall was a separate quiet room for divination, and at the entrance to the quiet room was a small metal altar with an unremarkable half-sword lying horizontally on it.

The altar was constructed of black cedar planks, with intricate constellation patterns outlined in pure silver. Between the cedar planks was a silver incense burner, the lingering scent of cloves and rosemary filling the air, reminding the examinees passing through the corridor of roast meat and steaks.

"No problem, right?" Roach looked at Lulua, and the girl confidently patted her chest. "Absolutely no problem, I am the high priestess of the goddess!" The girl indicated that there was no problem at all. Setting up an altar of the goddess of night at the entrance of the divination room and then praying for the goddess's blessing to construct a somewhat incomplete "veil of darkness" barrier was just a piece of cake for her.

Even though the "Fragment of Nightlight," a true artifact, wasn't particularly powerful, it was still enough to divine useful information under the veil of darkness. After you finish the exam, you can just go straight to work at the Imperial Observatory.

Lulua originally planned to use the complete altar, but that would mean she wouldn't be at the level of working at the Star Gazing Institute, but rather at the level of the continent's most wanted criminal. After all, she was able to break through the information defenses of the Nightshade Church's secret vault, so there's no secret in this world that she can't know—knowing too much is the number one cause of death for a fortune teller!

"Professor Roach, you've gone too far. While we've set up some obstacles for our students before, isn't this clearly aimed at making sure they don't pass?"

"Dean Elena, I personally dislike cheating. It may prove their ability, but this habit of taking shortcuts will have a greater negative impact on their academic future." Simply put, it easily fosters an atmosphere that encourages academic misconduct.

"So, I deliberately arranged it this way to let them know that taking shortcuts requires paying several times the price and facing greater difficulties. This way, when they encounter difficult problems in the future, their first thought will not be how to take shortcuts or cheat. Not every 'exam' has shortcuts."

"..." Elena took a deep breath. "You're right. I didn't expect you to be so experienced in education, Roach. Is it because of Miss Livia?"

"No, it's just that I've had similar experiences before. In reality, it's impossible for students to learn all the knowledge in school. Further learning is a lifelong endeavor for them. So, what we can do is cultivate their learning methods and help them maintain a thirst for knowledge."

What Roach didn't say was that the knowledge learned in school might be outdated by graduation. This was mainly because he considered that the development speed of the knowledge system in this world was not that fast, and magic was different from technology. A large part of its power belonged to itself. In other words, even if your magic theory was outdated, it wouldn't prevent you from spending more time and effort than others to create a fireball of the same size.

"I hope the results of this exam won't be too bad..." Professor Wedel complained. "After all, if one person's grades are bad, it's the student's problem. But if everyone's grades are bad, then it's our problem."

"It's okay, I had Alessina record their cheating methods and processes, and I'll give a copy to the parents too." What's more infuriating than cheating? It's failing even after cheating!

Chapter 240 Roach's Moving Castle

After the exams, there was basically nothing left for the students to do. Most of them packed their bags to go home, while those who lived too far away to travel back and forth were either looking for accommodation in the capital or simply continuing to live in their dormitories.

Most of the aristocratic students choose to rent a small villa in the eastern district of the capital. Although the academy's dormitories, in Roach's eyes, could almost be described as luxurious, they still seemed particularly cramped and small for the aristocratic students.

However, this year they probably have no interest in showing off their villas and estates. Everyone is anxiously waiting for the results. Before Roach came, the college did not have a unified final exam. There were only tests given by the professors of each subject, and then a rough evaluation was given.

Apprentices who perform well can receive more resources from their professors. However, most professors are not very interested in such tests and will not conduct them. But after Roach arrived, this kind of unified final exam came into being.

Natalia stood with her roommate in the crowd, waiting for the school clerk to post the report cards. As someone who didn't care about grades, she remained as calm as the other aristocratic children who were also hostages.

"What should I do? What should I do? I'm so nervous~" My roommate looked like she was about to be beheaded. Well, that's probably how she saw it. A female high-level arcane mage has the ability to control her own destiny, but an ordinary, mediocre arcane mage who has been around for a few years is destined to be married off according to the family's wishes, or even sacrifice herself for the family's benefit.

"Don't be nervous, the exams are all over, being nervous won't help anymore," Natalia comforted her. However, after hearing this, her roommate's expression became even more ferocious.

"It's out!" The long scroll of paper listed everyone's scores, and Natalia found her name at the end as expected. As a wizard, she had high scores in spellcasting and incantations, but everything else was a mess.

"I'm doomed!" Several people in the crowd knelt on the ground, their faces pale. The huge 0 points were shocking. If they sent this score back home, they would experience what it meant to "live like a year" for the next month, especially those who were locals in the capital and whose neighbor's child hadn't gotten a 0 yet.

"The average score is less than 200 points, which means most people can only pass one or two subjects~" Dean Elena looked at the copy of the report card in her hand and shook her head. It seems that it will be difficult to arrange practical courses for senior students next semester with these scores.

Practical courses are a common practice at the Imperial Academy, but the courses arranged for different people are different. Nobles mostly have some normal training tasks or no assignments at all, but commoner students are mostly sent to the front lines or border fortresses as military mages. Since they enjoy the empire's financial subsidies, they naturally have to pay a price.

Moreover, this kind of thing is not actually a bad thing for students from the common people. On the one hand, there are relatively high subsidies, and on the other hand, spellcasters like them in border fortresses and front lines usually have very good treatment and even a lot of gray income, such as spoils of war.

"It's normal. It's their first time encountering this kind of exam. At the very least, they'll learn to cram before the exam." Luo Qi wasn't surprised. In his opinion, learning to cram at the last minute is a very good habit for these students who might actually be going to the battlefield, even if it's not very useful in the exam room.

However, on the battlefield, thinking a little more and making a little more preparation before the battle may be the key to their survival chances.

“That makes sense… On the battlefield, it always comes down to who is better prepared.” The dean and other professors nodded in agreement. As spellcasters, most of them had also served as combat and war advisors in their spare time.

"By the way, the Empire is pressing us again. The Frost family's castle is becoming increasingly difficult to attack. The Grand Duke has concentrated almost all of his alchemical weaponry. The Imperial military has already lost nearly half of its full-strength infantry regiment to that castle."

This is a huge loss for the Empire. The Imperial military is demanding that the Academy produce a brand-new "Assault Flamethrower Rotary Tank" as soon as possible. The merchant guilds that funded the Academy are also urging them, saying that Count Anta is almost finished with the bridge and they are eager to get the operating license and start their own railway company!

The academy's external test track is located in an open area on the outskirts of the capital. The prototype train, "Let's begin testing," is ready, and its appearance is already close to the modern high-speed train that Roach remembers.

It's unclear how the local alchemists crafted that streamlined exterior. Unlike high-speed trains, the front of the train has numerous side air intakes similar to those on jet engines, but most of these openings face the rear, with only the braking engines on the roof and under the train facing forward.

"At least it's not the Armstrong Cyclone Acceleration Armstrong Cannon anymore~" Roach paid the most sincere respect to the craftsmen of the Imperial Academy. They actually turned a Moro Chariot into this thing full of industrial beauty—provided that most of its structure was handmade (witch crafts are still handmade).

"Prepare to dock with the platform track" The bottom of the vehicle is in direct contact with the track, without wheels. After iterations, the mages realized that since they were already using intense wind as propulsion, why would they need wheels?

So now the bottom of the car is a super-large levitation array. The car's bottom is supported by high-pressure airflow bound by magic, which further reduces friction and allows the vehicle to run faster under the influence of wind elements. At the same time, the magic of these high-temperature, high-pressure airflows also charges the levitation array at the bottom of the car.

The huge metal disc at the bottom of the prototype vehicle slowly rotated and docked with the track, which circled in the valley and had curves, ramps and bridges, covering basically all the test terrain.

"Ignite!" The fuel powder was poured into the magical furnace, and the little witch gently tapped the furnace with her staff. A surge of magical flames ignited at the furnace core. Then she jumped off the vehicle and ran to the side of the bunker.

The intense fire and water elements generated by the magical furnace combine and annihilate each other, then are converted into wind elements by the magic circle to drive the windmill, gradually suspending the bottom of the vehicle. Then, the excess fire and water elements flow outward, and the scorching water element magic passes through the spirit water cavity, turning into high-pressure steam to further drive the windmill.

Amidst the complex magical reaction, the train gradually began to accelerate, and the scale-like jets on both sides emitted faint green halos. The train quietly roared through the straight track, then the braking engine started smoothly, slowing down as it passed through curves and bridges. After circling once, the basic test was about to be completed...

"Boom!" Everyone in the capital saw a black object flying in the sky. When the train was climbing the hill, it had to activate the boost system, and so... it took off, soaring into the sky like a missile, and getting faster and faster.

This would be completely counterintuitive on Earth, but in the magical world, the faster it flies, the faster the windmills move, and the denser the wind element magic becomes. As a result, the black thing's outer shell begins to be enveloped in a thick layer of wind element magic, and it gradually disintegrates in the storm.

"Boom!" The train crashed into farmland on the east side of the capital, carving out a ditch about two hundred meters long and destroying the ruins of an ancient watchtower.

"..."

"..."

"I think if the cost of this thing were reduced to a quarter of what it is now, the Imperial military would definitely be willing to buy it as some kind of siege weapon."

"That's impossible, it's too expensive. They'd rather double the number of magic cannons or buy a more advanced magic cannon system than spend that much," Professor Wedel complained.

The cost of this train is quite high. However, as a long-term operational item, its price is still acceptable. After all, given the current demand for railways and high-performance transport vehicles in the Empire or even the entire continent, it will recoup its costs in two or three years at most, and then it will be pure profit.