LRAB Page 63
Page 63
His inner monologue began to flash wildly: 'It's chaotic...it's outrageous...' 'But...'
'The little auspicious grass king's smile is very sincere, and Ruoduo seems to be enjoying it too... (although his appearance is a bit unbearable to look at)'
'Gui Zhong... Gui Zhong was laughing happily, and even started discussing funeral design with Hu Tao... (This doesn't seem to be the main point?)'
'Yelan… well, she seems very 'fulfilled' (spiritually).'
'As for D'Artagnan... it's good for young people to experience more setbacks. (Isn't burying someone in the ground a form of resilience training?)'
Finally, all my thoughts converged into a heartfelt sentiment:
He is now extremely, extremely, extremely grateful that he has retired!
If the sky falls, Ningguang will hold it up; if there are any issues with divine diplomacy, those four Hilichurls... well, the "Knights of Honor" will handle it; as for the minor disturbances in the neighborhood? Leave that to Keqing and the Thousand Rock Army.
The life of a retired senior citizen is simply drinking tea, watching plays, and casually enjoying the various aspects (farces) of life performed by old and new friends.
This life, apart from occasionally worrying about how one's funeral arrangements will be planned, is truly... Morax would be so envious that he'd want to retire again.
Chapter 68 Nazarick
"Alright, we've had enough fun. It's time to deal with the mess that's causing trouble for Sumeru."
Qingyu, who was lying on the grass sunbathing, suddenly stood up, brushed the grass clippings off his cloak, and spoke as casually as if he were going on a picnic rather than going to overthrow the ruling group of a country.
"Have you figured out how to deal with that mess with Sumeru?"
Ying also sat up, straightening her skirt which Gu Qian had accidentally wrinkled, and asked the "idea king" in the group.
Paimon flew beside him, nervously munching on a sunset fruit, his little face filled with excitement and unease, as if wondering, "Is something big about to happen again?"
"Of course there is a way! That is..."
A mischievous glint flashed in Qingyu's eyes. He suddenly lunged forward, appearing before Narcida, who was interacting with Paimon. Before the little grass god could react, he lifted her high into the air, as if raising a flag of justice. Then, gathering his strength, he shouted in a voice powerful enough to shake the entire Liyue Harbor:
"Clear! Your side!!"
The loud voice echoed in the air, startling a flock of pigeons in the distance.
"Purge...purge the court of corrupt officials?"
Held high in the air, Nasita looked back blankly at Qingyu's Qiuqiu mask below, her little head filled with huge question marks.
She quickly connected to the knowledge base of the virtual terminal, only to find that the database did not contain the concept of "purging the emperor's inner circle".
Was it because the Council of the Order deemed the word too dangerous and censored it? Or is this tradition simply absent from Teyvat?
"It means to purge the treacherous ministers and villains around the monarch!"
Zhang Chu stood up and pulled out an ebony box that looked ominous and exuded an ominous aura from some otherworldly pocket.
The box had no fancy decorations, only a simple yet awe-inspiring emblem – “overlord”.
"This is a very legitimate and classic reason for war."
Zhang Chu opened the box, inside which were neatly arranged countless miniature skull chess pieces emitting a dark glow. He picked up one of the exquisitely carved skull knight chess pieces, holding a giant axe and shield, and calmly explained.
"And you, the grass god of Mount Sumeru, the god of wisdom, Buyer, have been imprisoned for five hundred years by a mere great sage, stripped of your powers, and your people deceived. There is no more perfect or just reason to send troops than this."
His tone carried a hint of cold mockery, and his gaze was sharp as a knife.
"The Great Tomb of Nazarick..."
When Gu Qian saw the box, his massive body couldn't help but shudder, and even the ground trembled slightly.
"Is it... is it from that series of chess pieces? It's... a bit too brutal..."
He recalled how, in Inazuma, he had used Hilichurl chess pieces to cause chaos among the Shogunate army and the resistance forces.
And the power contained in this Nazarick Great Tomb set is completely incomparable to that of Hilichurl pieces!
According to the information Zhang Chu shared with everyone, the legion to be summoned this time is modeled after the one in that otherworld story where "Ainz Ooal Gown" displayed his power in front of the lizardmen.
• Nazarick Senior Guard: Numbering up to three thousand! These elite skeleton warriors are covered in heavy armor that shimmers with magical light, and wield rune-inscribed magical shields and sharp battle axes, longswords, warhammers, or longbows.
They are the core guards who willingly lay on the ground to serve as stairs for Ainz Ooal Gown, possessing extremely high loyalty and combat prowess! They are adept at both offense and defense, and are suitable for both close and long-range combat; they are an iron torrent that can crush ordinary soldiers!
• Nazarick's seasoned guards: two thousand in number! Clad in gleaming silver armor, each holding a shield in one hand and a gleaming longsword in the other.
They were the backbone of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, disciplined and well-organized, and the main force that tore apart the enemy's defenses.
• Nazarick High Guard: One thousand in number! Clad in more ornate and defensive golden armor, wielding magical spears.
Each one of them is as powerful as a veteran of the Thousand Rocks Army from Liyue's ancient legends! These thousand golden skeletons are enough to form an invincible elite formation!
(Actually, there are even more terrifying beings inside the box, such as necromancers who can summon armies of the dead, and even the guardians of each level... But in Zhang Chu's words, "There's no need to make such a fuss over something as simple as attacking the Sumeru Cult Academy, where even gods are imprisoned. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?")
Nasita, who clearly sensed everyone's thoughts, looked at the densely packed skull chess pieces in the box, representing death and war, and imagined the scene of such a terrifying army of the dead descending upon Sumeru City... Her big green eyes instantly filled with tears, her little mouth trembled, and she almost cried!
"no, do not want!"
She cried out.
"That's my country! There are so many innocent people there! They'll be scared! So many people will die! This can't happen!"
She also wanted to change the status quo, but not in a way that would bring war and destruction!
"Don't worry, little grass god."
Er Kang squatted down and comforted him in a rare serious tone, even though his crab helmet still looked ridiculous.
“We know what we're doing. This is just a ‘show of force’ and ‘precision elimination.’ The target is the die-hards in the Council of Religious Affairs, not civilians. And…”
He gave a (self-assured) reliable smile: "Even if someone is accidentally caught in the crossfire, after we conquer Sumeru and clean up the mess, we will do what we did in Inazuma: resurrect all those who were unfortunately caught up in the chaos and died unexpectedly! We guarantee that not a single one will be missing, and they will be perfectly restored!"
(Upon hearing this, Zhongli, who was in the distance, paused again, his hand holding the teacup still. He began to ponder whether it was in accordance with the natural order for the boundary between life and death to be crossed so casually... Then he decided to continue drinking his tea; retired old men shouldn't concern themselves with such matters.)
Hearing the guarantee of "resurrection," Nasita's tears finally did not fall.
She glanced at Ying, whose eyes were firm; at Qingyu, whose face said, "Leave it to us with confidence"; at Zhang Chu, who was calm; at Gu Qian, who was honest and simple; and at Er Kang, who, although unreliable, seemed very serious at the moment.
She sniffed, wiped her eyes with her small hand, and finally nodded vigorously. Although there was still a trace of worry in her emerald eyes, there was more trust and determination.
"Hmm... I believe you."
Naxi Da said softly but firmly.
"Please... clean up the 'lesions' of Sumeru."
Qingyu excitedly put Naxida back on his shoulder.
"Target: Mount Sumeru! Let's go! Let those bookish sages see what a 'dimensional reduction attack from another world' really means!"
Zhang Chu closed the box in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, a cold smile playing on his lips.
An army of six thousand high-ranking undead skeletons is about to make a grand entrance into Sumeru City! The audience will be the stunned sages of the Faith Council and the people of Sumeru.
This grand drama of "purging the emperor's inner circle" is destined to unfold in an extremely hardcore and outrageous way!
Chapter 69 The Scouts of Nazarick
Mount Sumeru, the path is formed deep within the forest.
The sunlight was fragmented by the layers of huge leaves, barely managing to fall onto the ground covered with humus and damp moss.
The air was filled with the rich vitality emanating from the plants and a subtle, cloying, rotten smell.
A young female ranger, Lana, is carefully walking through the rainforest, her notebook filled with notes on biological activity and ecological changes.
The rustling sound of writing mingled with the chirping of birds and insects in the forest, creating a tranquil and peaceful natural scene.
Suddenly, a heavy, oppressive, and highly rhythmic thud came from the depths of the dense forest, violently shattering the tranquility.
The sound didn't resemble any known creature; it was more like an extremely heavy, metallic behemoth, treading the earth step by step.
Each time she landed, the ground beneath Lana's feet trembled slightly, making her heart race.
"what sound?"
Lana jerked her head up, looking warily toward the source of the sound, nearly dropping her pen. The animals in the rainforest seemed to sense the threat as well; the birdsong abruptly ceased, the insects fell silent, leaving only the chilling "bang... bang..." sounds that continued to approach, carrying an unstoppable sense of oppression.
Fear gripped Lana's heart in an instant.
She quickly stuffed the notebook back into her backpack and pulled out the forest ranger's axe tucked into her waistband.
The axe blade gleamed coldly in the dappled light, but it offered her no sense of security whatsoever.
"Who's there?! Come out!"
Lana mustered her courage and shouted in the direction the sound came from, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness.
She gripped the axe tightly, assumed a defensive stance, and stared intently at the dense bushes ahead.
The response to her was not any language or the roar of a beast.
Boom, boom! ! !
A deafening crash! A massive tree in front of her, requiring two people to encircle it, seemed to have been snapped or pushed aside by some unimaginable force, emitting a tooth-grinding groan, before slowly and irreversibly tilting to her side!
The massive tree canopy crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of fallen leaves and dust.
With the obstructions blocking the view removed, sunlight was finally able to reach the area.
At that very moment, the true face of the "thing" that had caused all the commotion was exposed to Lana without reservation, revealing its hideous nature.
However, at this moment, Lana wished she hadn't seen anything!
I wish that big tree hadn't fallen! I wish I had never even entered this rainforest today!
"What...what kind of monster is this...?"
Lana's axe fell to the soft soil with a clatter. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, her limbs cold and numb, without the strength to even get up.
Extreme fear, like ice water, instantly washed over her entire body, leaving her mind blank and only instinctive trembling remaining.
What came into her view was a colossal creature that was completely beyond her comprehension and existed only in the most absurd nightmares!
A towering figure, over three meters tall, resembling a moving black iron tower!
It simply stood there silently, its shadow almost completely engulfing Lana.
A suffocating, bone-chilling aura of death emanated from it like a tangible tide, and wherever it passed, the vibrant plants seemed to wither instantly, their colors turning gray.
The air seemed to freeze and solidify because of its presence.