The Mythical Path of a Princess from a Destroyed Kingdom

"This is the capital's secret weapon. Anyone want to try it?"

"Let me do it."

Oren, the president of the Psionic Mutual Aid Association, stepped out from the crowd. As a mid-level cultivator, he wasn't worried about being killed by the undead creature in front of him, so of course he wanted to give it a try.

Leaping into the arena, the ferocious tiger, eyeing everyone menacingly, immediately pounced on Oren, its gaping mouth stretching all the way to the base of its neck, and a large number of tentacles with sharp blades flew towards Oren.

Oren sculpted a pale blue blade of thought and swung his weapon to sever all the tentacles, but he actually felt a sense of stagnation in the middle.

The overly hard tentacles made him squint, and he rushed in front of the tiger, raised his hand, pressed down on its head, and slammed it down hard.

A small crater was blasted into the ground, but the immortal giant tiger did not lose its ability to move. It bent its claws and tore at Oren's arm. If the foul-smelling pus flowing from its claws really flowed into his body, it probably wouldn't feel too good.

He kicked the giant tiger away, and it roared as it stood up again, only to be completely shattered by the split blade of thought.

Oren jumped back onto the platform, nodded slightly to the crowd, and then asked the city lord a question:

“It’s very strong. It would take three or four of the weakest low-level monsters to defeat it without taking any damage. The problem is how many of these undead monsters can be produced. What if the church finds out?”

"Hehe, His Majesty Abes has already prepared for all of this."

Although Oren had taught Maginus, it was merely a matter of paying for the course. No one believed that Maginus would actually send someone to find him. Therefore, in the eyes of the nobles, he was a mid-ranking official in Riverman City and had no connection with Maginus.

The city lord formally introduced the undead creature lying on the ground. A fully armed soldier approached and dissected the giant tiger's body, removing its heart. The fresh heart greatly surprised those who knew anything about undead creatures.

“These aren’t some undead creatures, but living beings, and they’re even using wild beasts. That means the Church has no reason to take action, right? What we need to be wary of are the druids.”

"However, druids don't make up a large percentage of the Netheril faction, so there's no need to worry about them, right?"

The city lord smiled smugly, as if they had made the thing themselves.

The only druids who would feel sorry for the animals being experimented on and protest to the kingdom are probably some of the more extreme ones, but there aren't many druids in Nesserah, so they can't cause any trouble at all.

"There's also the issue of mass production, which is a very good question. His Majesty the Great Ebes has already mastered the method of mass production. In fact, in our city alone, hundreds of similar biological weapons have already been quietly deployed."

"Their only problem is that they are a bit uncontrollable, but that's okay. The capital is working hard to solve this problem. As for our River City, we can use these hundreds of monsters to fight against Maginus's Blood Puppet. Their negative energy can effectively suppress life force."

The city lord smiled as he explained the situation, then spread his hands to indicate that the nobles should make a choice:

"Now that things have come to this point, I believe you have all made your choices, haven't you?"

The nobles remained silent. If these monsters could indeed be mass-produced, then Maginus's army, and most importantly, her blood puppets, did not seem to be an insurmountable obstacle.

No, the Blood Puppet should be compared with the mid-tier ones. That way, the monsters can completely ignore the Blood Puppet and charge into the army to trade lives with the soldiers.

"Hehe, everyone, go back and think it over carefully. In any case, my plans will not change, and I hope to be able to work with you all again."

After explaining the stakes to everyone, the city lord signaled that they could all leave. On the way back, Hans was still trying to persuade Oren:

"President, you've seen the power of those biological weapons too."

"Let me think about it again, let me think about it again."

No one noticed that a figure had left from the shadows of others.

"That's how it is. Will those monsters that look like half-undead creatures be difficult to deal with?"

Back at the inn, Neko immediately lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep, talking to Maginos in her dream.

“Mass production of biological weapons using animals, what a good idea. It is indeed very troublesome. The main problem is that these degraded killers can chase after my blood puppets and attack them. The negative energy on their bodies can also counteract the scattered life force that has not been improved and aggregated.”

When Maginus learned of this, he did not become overly arrogant and think that his clones were the best in the world. Instead, he regarded this kind of biological weapon as something that the blood puppets would have a hard time dealing with.

"What should we do then? If they actually mass-produce them, won't our battle lines collapse?"

While Neko inquired about solutions, Maginos wasn't too worried. Her cat had recounted the entire conversation, and she deeply felt that the Riverman City Lord's words made perfect sense.

The Church of the Good God is not good at causing trouble, but the Druids and the Church of the Sleepers are perfect for it.

Animals are associated with Druids and certain forest churches. Simply taking food and clothing from animals will only draw objections from a small number of extreme animal rights and plant protection groups.

However, most druids would not do the same if they were to use natural organisms to create biological weapons.

This action completely disrupts the natural balance and could easily lead to problems in the food chain.

The Church of the Sleepers is also strongly involved; Ebes's actions completely violated the boundary between life and death, which is something the Sleepers cannot tolerate.

Things that are dead should die peacefully; why are they wandering around the prime material plane?

Maginus, mindful of past friendships, decided to prevent Oren and his former mutual aid society "classmates" from encountering him on the battlefield.

If they were to meet on the battlefield, she wouldn't hold back.

Chapter 516 Maybe I should just be a fence-sitter.

Will, what do you think?

"What do you mean, 'how I see it'? That's something for you to consider, Uncle Oren. But let me make it clear beforehand, I don't want to go to the battlefield. Fighting people is pointless; if we're going to kill, we should kill monsters."

In the courtyard of the mutual aid society, Oren was guiding three children to activate their psychic potential, teaching them to control the power within their bodies, and occasionally talking to Will, who was standing next to him in a strange posture.

The boy who had met Maginus was already a very tall young man. He didn't really want to get involved in the war, since participating in the war didn't guarantee anything and the possibility of losing something was much higher.

As a Soulblade, the money, gratitude, and power he gains from adventuring might be far greater than what he could achieve in war.

Will, at least, felt that taking risks and undertaking missions was safer than the meat grinder that is war.

"Sigh, I'm getting old, and I really don't have any ambition to climb the ranks anymore, but I have to think about you guys. If you don't join this time, and the Mutual Aid Association doesn't have any mid-level members when I die, we'll be oppressed by other forces in the city."

Oren naturally didn't want to join either side, but life is often beyond one's control, and he had to consider his children and descendants.

“Leave it to me then,” Will said, swinging the Nen blade in his hand and pointing a thumb to his cheek with a smile. “By the time you’re old, I’ll definitely be even stronger.”

"Okay, I'll be counting on you from now on."

Oren rocked back in his old chair, plucked a white hair from his head, and remained undecided about whether to defend against the army's attack.

They had to find the most advantageous solution for themselves. The army of the Windward Territory was nothing; Maginus was the biggest problem. The allied forces had failed to kill the emperor who had been their student for a few days, and it was even more impossible for the capital to do so.

Time passed quickly, and when it was time to rest at night, Oren sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and began self-hypnosis. As his body aged, the focus of his self-hypnosis training was no longer on the body, but on the mind and soul.

Just as he was about to fall into a deep sleep, a completely unfamiliar surge of psionic energy interrupted his cultivation. Oren opened his eyes, looked out the window, and without hesitation, dressed and walked out the door.

Leaving the small courtyard, he stepped into the dark alley and threw the pale blue psychic blade into one of the corners.

The blade was deflected back into Oren's hand, and Neko emerged from the shadows, staring at the mid-level player: "Hello, Guild Master Oren."

"When did River City produce another mid-level player?"

“I am here on behalf of His Majesty Majesty, simply to offer you a reminder.”

Neko smiled and reminded, or rather warned, Oren: "She's reluctant to fight you because of past ties, so she hopes you can remain neutral in this war."

"If we really meet on the battlefield, His Majesty will not show any mercy."

Looking at the somewhat serious girl, Oren, who had long since lost all ambition and fighting spirit, took a deep breath and nodded with a cold face: "I understand."

He didn't say whether he would join the battle, and Neko didn't ask either; it all depended on Oren's choice.

Watching Neko disappear into the alley, Oren raised his hand and patted his lower back. Returning to the courtyard, he couldn't help but sigh, "I'm getting old, aren't I?"

If he were younger, he would have acted without thinking twice, instead of being so timid and hesitant now.

"In that case, there's nothing wrong with being a fence-sitter; at least you won't die."

Having made a decision that was at least correct for now, Oren felt much more relaxed and started thinking about what to eat tomorrow, which was the more important thing.

"Okay, I'll call my cousin over to talk to you right away."

Holding her child, Kercia learned that Maginus needed to speak with her cousin. Without asking why, she used magic to contact Cosimoia, who was in the capital.

The elven druid quickly entered the palace and raised his eyebrows when he found Maginus there, adopting a wary defensive stance: "Why are you here again? Kxia, didn't I tell you not to get involved with the Slaughter God?"

"First of all, I have no ill intentions towards Kshia. Secondly, don't confuse me with ordinary killing gods."

Maginus corrected her and began to explain the situation:

"I've come to see you today because I have important matters to discuss in detail. I do need your help, Druids. My enemies in Netheril have done something to disrupt the balance of nature."

"Oh? Tell me more." Cosimoya became interested.

When Cosimo learned that Ebes had experimented on a large number of animals and created biological weapons, even though the Orchid Cult was a plant cult and he himself was not an extremist, he couldn't help but get angry.

"If the Orchid Cult is willing to help, we can talk about the reward. Moreover, once my kingdom is established, Netheri welcomes you. At that time, we can discuss the greening of the territory and the balance between nature and man."

Maginus was very sincere; he truly wanted to protect his land.

"Alright, don't try to tempt me with power or benefits. We can talk about those later."

Cosimoya was unmoved by her empty promises: "What they are doing is a desecration of nature. If what you say is true, I can immediately send people to help you."

“That’s not enough. I’m being very sincere,” Maginus shook his head. “I need more druids to follow me and help me maintain the balance between agriculture, animal husbandry, and the natural environment, and to achieve sustainable development.”

“That would be even better, but you are an evil person… Never mind, I won’t ask any more questions. I’ll go and contact the people in the sect and see if I can call some of my friends over.”

After hanging up the communication and finding the druids she knew, Maginus finally met the person she was waiting for.

"Greetings, Your Majesty Imperius."

The man in the black robe knelt on one knee before Maginus, adopting the air of a queen. Maginus slightly raised her hand and said, "Rise, Pastor Roland. Welcome to Nesery. I apologize for the humble surroundings."

Roland is a sleeping priest from the country closest to Netherre, a mid-level professional. He was specially sent here after learning about the life-and-death confusion issue in Netherre.

The capital city also possesses the ruins of the god of slaughter, which they must carefully guard against. Maginus also intends to seal the ruins away, so naturally everyone should deepen their cooperation.

"No, the order is very stable, and there are no vampires or undead creatures in the city. It is one of the cleanest cities I have ever seen."

Roland had a good impression of the Windward Territory. His senses of the undead told him that there wasn't a single undead creature present, which showed that Maginus didn't want any undead around her.

Chapter 517 Feel the Druid's Wrath

"Our battle with River City is about to begin. If you see any weapons on the battlefield that can break the line between life and death, please take action. I will reward you according to the wages of an adventurer."

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is what I should do, it's not necessary..."

“Pastor Roland, it’s not that I want to give it to you, but you don’t want the Sleeping Church to be seen as being on my side, do you?”

Maginus raised her head slightly and curled the corners of her mouth: "At least until the other side showed the corrupted killer, you joined us in your personal capacity, not on behalf of the Church of the Sleepers."

Otherwise, the Church of the Sleepers would have already colluded with Maginus.

Roland lowered his head, unable to look directly into those red-gold pupils. After thinking about it carefully, he realized it made sense and nodded his thanks again.

"Let's get going. Once you and the druids I called arrive, we can start the war."

War...

Roland sighed slightly, pushed open the door, and left the study.

He did not like war, because war meant more and more people would die, and the number of undead would increase accordingly. The Sleeper was a death god who could be said to be very kind.

I would rather have fewer deaths and fewer souls pass through my hands than see widespread suffering.

Unfortunately, even the gods cannot make everything go according to their wishes; even the goddess of fate is bound by fate itself.

As time passed, White Dove City was successfully captured, and Maginus's army began to steadily advance towards River City, eventually setting up camp not far from the city, intending to rest briefly before launching an offensive.

Cosimoia, a druid from the Orchid Cult, mingled with his brothers from other cults within the army, while Roland, alone, stood among the many druids.

Although they were summoned by Maginus for different reasons, they got along fairly well. At least in terms of their views on life and death, the Sleepers were very similar to many nature gods, with only minor frictions between their doctrines.

"I didn't expect His Majesty to even summon the Sleepers. It seems the intelligence is probably true."

Cosimo raised his jug in salute to Roland, and the priest returned the gesture, his gaze fixed on the distant city of Riverman.

"I didn't believe it at first, but when I got here, the long-lasting dark clouds above the city, brought by negative energy, made me have no choice but to believe it."

"I actually wish it were a person who died..."

Another druid with some animal rights leanings muttered to himself as a fast-moving eagle flew back from afar, transforming upon landing into a scantily clad female druid with a grim expression and an overwhelming murderous intent emanating from her.

"Ha, that's enough. You don't need to tell us what you saw, so as not to spoil everyone's mood."

The druid, who had gone to investigate the animal situation, returned with these feelings. It was clear that Maginus's intelligence was true; the capital was indeed wantonly hunting wild animals to achieve certain goals.

"No, I can't be the only one suffering."

After holding it in for a few seconds, the druid still felt that only by sharing anger could he feel better, so he began to talk about what he had discovered in various places.

Except for a few regions, people in Nesserre have not hunted animals extensively, and everything is very harmonious compared to some large countries that indiscriminately cut down trees.

Sometimes, hunting wild animals is simply for the purpose of filling one's stomach and does not affect the food chain. Even hunters who want to obtain animal hides do not kill many animals.

The few regions that were excluded were all very close to the capital, and the druids gritted their teeth at their hunting methods—they actually led armies on hunts!

Each time a powerful, live wild animal was captured, the army would send it to the capital. Ordinary, less powerful wild animals would be butchered and processed into meat and hides.

"How can this be tolerated?! By the grace of the forest goddess and the unicorn goddess, I will kill them!"