Chapter 137: Divine Being, Surrender and Competitors
Kasham resembled less a fortress and more a stone pillar, riddled with holes and pockmarks.
Standing nearly three hundred meters tall, this imposing structure was carved with countless openings, resembling a vast ant nest, with its internal passageways forming a complex labyrinth.
Aside from insects, which could communicate through pheromones, any other race venturing inside would easily become lost within its maze-like corridors.
Overall, it was a battlefield perfectly suited for insects.
It was precisely this home-field advantage that had kept Kasham undefeated for so many years.
“Wu Ge certainly picked a good spot,” Su Nan remarked as he gazed at the stone pillar before him.
It was a pity this place was fit only for insects, and having been hollowed out like this, it would be challenging to repurpose. Once taken, it would likely fall into desolation and abandonment.
Unless he, too, chose to cultivate a swarm of insects, like Wu Ge.
Gathering his thoughts, Su Nan took flight, entering the stone pillar.
The narrow tunnels were ill-suited for Golem combat. Su Nan released nearly a hundred Twin Blade Spiders, spreading them out along the tunnels to clear out the remaining insects.
Meanwhile, he searched for Wu Ge's laboratory.
An important location like the laboratory would surely be at the deepest part of Kasham.
Su Nan did not take long to locate his target.
At the very center of the stone pillar, a massive cavern had been partitioned into a series of areas, including a laboratory, a meditation room, and a spell training room.
Su Nan thoroughly searched all the areas. Aside from discovering numerous Wizard Codex in the study, he found hardly any valuable items elsewhere.
Finally, he arrived at the laboratory.
Of all the areas, the laboratory was the largest.
Several wide workbenches occupied the center. On one of them lay broken pieces of carapace and dried fluids.
In the corner, a small mountain of insect eggs awaited.
The faint glow from the ceiling illuminated the pale, white eggshell, revealing something quivering softly inside.
Su Nan glanced at the insect egg before striding over to the workbench. After a quick search, he found a lab notebook.
He immediately opened it and began to read carefully.
As expected, most of the notes detailed the cultivation and modification of various insect beasts.
Su Nan skimmed through these until he reached the section about the Death Knell Striker. He then slowed down, reading with greater focus.
As time passed, a look of pleasant surprise spread across Su Nan's face.
According to the notebook, the source of the Ancient Bloodline within the Death Knell Striker wasn't merely a powerful Ancient Exotic Beast; it was a rare Divine Being.
Generally, there are three ways for a Divine Being to come into existence.
The first occurs when a God personally separates a wisp of Divinity, infusing it into a creature and transforming it into a Divine Being. Many of the divine beasts worshipped in God churches originated this way.
The second method involves totem worship. In certain realms, some ignorant and backward tribes treat totems, as well as trees and rocks, as symbols of spirit. Years of worship and prayer, accumulated over millennia, gradually give rise to a wisp of Divine Energy within these objects, awakening their spirits and transforming them into self-aware Divine Beings. In fact, many gods originally evolved from this type of Divine Being.
The third method is the most unique: a naturally born Divine Being, possessing a wisp of Divinity from birth. Moreover, this Divinity is passed down through Bloodline inheritance. As long as the Bloodline concentration reaches a certain level, the Divinity will awaken.
However, this type of Divine Being is extremely rare. Lacking methods such as faith to increase its Divinity, the strength of the Divinity within it does not change much throughout its life.
Even so, among all Ancient Exotic Beasts, this type of Divine Being is one of the most powerful.
The source of the Death Knell Striker's Bloodline is the third type of Divine Being.
"That guy truly got lucky, finding such a rare descendant of an Ancient Bloodline," Su Nan said, clicking his tongue in admiration.
"But now, this treasure belongs to me."
After reading the notes, Su Nan finally understood why Wu Ge was manipulating the Insect Swarm to hunt everywhere.
The reason was still linked to the Bloodline of the Death Knell Striker.
After fusing with the Death Knell Striker's Bloodline, Wu Ge's lifespan had greatly increased, initially estimated to be no less than three hundred years.
The only issue was that he needed to regularly consume the blood and essence of the Death Knell Striker.
However, there was only one Death Knell Striker, which was insufficient to meet his feeding needs.
So, Wu Ge devised a method to replace quality with quantity: he extracted the Death Knell Striker's Bloodline, merged it into the bodies of other insects, and after multiple genetic modifications and screenings, the insect race known as the Death Knell Beetle was born.
The Death Knell Beetle originated from the Death Knell Striker, and its blood and essence naturally shared some similarities. After refinement and concentration, it could serve as a substitute for the blood and essence of the Death Knell Striker.
Using this method, Wu Ge had managed to survive until now.
To cultivate a large number of Death Knell Beetles, a substantial amount of food was naturally required. Therefore, every so often, Wu Ge would send the Insect Swarm out to hunt, only pausing temporarily once he had accumulated enough food.
"Increasing lifespan through Bloodline fusion often comes with various flaws," Su Nan thought of Eweigni, who had fused with the Blood Soul Worm's Bloodline. He was the one who had ultimately succumbed to the defects of that Bloodline.
Although the flaws in Wu Ge's fused Death Knell Striker Bloodline were relatively minor, the increase in lifespan was also modest.
Generally speaking, the more effective a Bloodline was in extending lifespan, the more serious its flaws.
Of course, there were exceptions, but such Bloodlines were exceedingly rare.
Su Nan had no interest in fusing with the Death Knell Striker's Bloodline and quickly scanned through this section. Even if he desired to fuse with a Bloodline, he would wait until he was promoted to a Formal Wizard and found a suitable one.
Before that, randomly fusing with a Bloodline would only narrow his future path.
After reading the experimental notes, Su Nan breathed a long sigh of relief.
The Golem Legion had suffered significant losses in this war. One Higher Stone Golem and one Elite Double-Bladed Spider were completely destroyed, resulting in approximately three-quarters of the Golem Legion's total force being rendered ineffective.
When the final calculations were made, the estimated loss was close to eighteen thousand gold coins.
The profits from this year's mine had practically gone down the drain.
Fortunately, the gains were just as substantial; a single Death Knell Striker was enough to recover those losses.
With the Death Knell Striker, research into the Bloodline Mark could now be prioritized.
Additionally, he could attempt to extract Divine Energy from the Bloodline of the Death Knell Striker.
If successful, he would secure a stable source of Divine Energy in the future, causing the growth rate of his Spiritual Power to soar.
As long as he could accelerate the growth of his Spiritual Power, any amount of Gold Coins spent would be worth it!
Putting away his experimental notes, Su Nan glanced at the Death Knell Beetle Insect Eggs in the corner, thought for a moment, and with a wave of his Flames, incinerated them all.
Wu Ge could control the Death Knell Beetle because it had fused with the Bloodline of the Death Knell Striker, but he lacked that ability. Keeping the Insect Eggs would be pointless, so it was best to dispose of them.
Besides, the relevant data on the Death Knell Beetle was already documented in his experimental notes.
If needed, he could use the Bloodline of the Death Knell Striker to recreate them at any time.
When he stepped out of the laboratory, the battle in the Kasham had concluded.
The remaining insects had been eradicated by the Twin Blade Spiders.
Leaving over ten Twin Blade Spiders to guard the Kasham and prevent any wandering creatures from entering, Su Nan then returned to Youhu City.
Since the battle had unfolded outside the city, Youhu City had suffered almost no damage.
The city remained a picture of tranquility.
Back at Base 2, Su Nan immediately made his way to the Puppet Factory.
During the conflict, the Golems had sustained varying degrees of damage and needed repairs.
Originally, they could have been automatically repaired at the Leyline Node, but Su Nan had been in a rush to deal with Matu and Olsen, so he had taken matters into his own hands.
However, the way events had unfolded had taken him by surprise.
On the third day after destroying the Kasham, Karolina knocked on the door of the Puppet Factory, and upon receiving Su Nan's permission, walked in with an unusual expression.
"Master, Red Widow is outside the city requesting to see you."
"She also brought Black Duke's head."
Su Nan was slightly startled, and then a playful smile spread across his face.
"Let her come to the Reception Hall."
Karolina responded and withdrew.
When Su Nan entered the Reception Hall, the Red Widow was already waiting inside.
Upon seeing Su Nan, she immediately stood, a flattering smile appearing on her beautiful face.
"My Lord, congratulations on defeating Kasham."
Su Nan glanced at her, calmly sat down opposite her, and said, "My defeat of Kasham isn't necessarily good news for you."
"My Lord is joking. Kasham's Insect Plague has always been a significant headache for us. This time, you have completely resolved the problem, saving us from its threat. The entire Matu is beyond grateful to you."
Red Widow's smile faded as she noticed Su Nan's ambiguous, almost mocking expression. Her face stiffened, and she inwardly sighed, realizing that Su Nan had already guessed what had transpired. Therefore, she dropped her evasiveness and got straight to the point, opening the wooden box in her hand. Inside lay Black Duke's head.
However, the solar flare-like black flames atop the head and the Soulfire in the eye sockets had already dissipated. Yet, judging from the aura, it was indeed Black Duke.
"My Lord, even after Kasham's destruction, Black Duke sought to harm Youhu City. I took advantage of his unguarded state and eliminated him. Olsen has also been captured. I am willing to offer Matu and Olsen to you, my Lord. I only ask for the chance to follow you."
As expected.
Su Nan raised an eyebrow, feeling no surprise at all.
When he heard that Red Widow had come bearing Black Duke's head, he inferred that she intended to surrender to him.
Whether Black Duke truly wished to continue opposing Youhu City and was ambushed and killed by Red Widow was anyone's guess.
Regardless of the truth, it was evident how decisive Red Widow's actions had been.
This was a ruthless, determined, and cold-blooded woman!
Su Nan glanced at the skull, showing no intention of taking it. He maintained a calm expression, saying, "What can you offer me?"
"My Lord is incredibly busy and likely has much to accomplish. However, you currently have only Karolina under your command, making it challenging for her to manage three City States alone. Although I cannot claim to be particularly skilled, I believe I have some experience in managing City States and could help alleviate some of your burdens."
Su Nan narrowed his eyes slightly, understanding the underlying meaning behind Red Widow's words. With only Karolina under his command, he couldn't be certain she wouldn't betray him. However, if he had another follower, they could keep an eye on Karolina, which would benefit him in many ways.
It must be said, Red Widow's words hit the nail on the head. Mutual supervision was one aspect, but the key was that he needed to expand his sphere of influence in the Underworld. This would inevitably require recruiting more local manpower to assist in managing various City-States and resource points.
After all, he couldn't be everywhere at once, and he couldn't afford to let mundane tasks consume too much of his time.
Red Widow was precisely the right person for the job.
As for loyalty, he had the Soul Contract, and that was enough.
"You've convinced me."
Having made his decision, Su Nan wasted no time. He directly stated his requirements.
"I will allow you to become my follower, but on the condition that you and all of Matu's legendary-level Vampires sign the Soul Contract."
"As you command, Master," Red Widow replied without hesitation.
Signing a Soul Contract was something she anticipated; she had long been mentally prepared for it and had persuaded her entire clan. Although having their lives dependent on another was difficult to endure, it was far more acceptable than death.
Besides, the wizard before her was extraordinarily powerful. He was the most formidable being she had encountered in her long life. Becoming a follower of such a powerful expert was not something she found hard to accept.
Su Nan then took out a gem and signed the Soul Contract with Red Widow on the spot.
"I will give you three days to settle your affairs. Afterward, I will send people to take over Matu and Olsen, and I will also sign the Soul Contract with the remaining members."
Su Nan waved his hand and suddenly remembered something.
"Don't you have a silver mine under your control?"
"Yes, Master," Red Widow replied, not daring to hide anything.
Su Nan immediately made his decision. "I will send a Golem to take over the silver mine. Have your people cooperate."
The locals were too slow in developing the mine. He still needed the Clay Golem to expedite the process. The sooner the silver mine was developed, the sooner he could gather enough Mithril to refine a Secret Puppet.
"Red Widow naturally had no objections and nodded in agreement.
Su Nan waved his hand, signaling that she could leave.
As she walked out of the Reception Hall, Red Widow was immediately met by Karolina, who stood a short distance away, staring at her with an expressionless face.
Red Widow returned the gaze with a charming smile.
Karolina snorted coldly and turned to walk away.
Seeing Red Widow emerge safely from the Reception Hall, Karolina realized that her master had undoubtedly accepted Red Widow's surrender.
This was not good news for her.
From now on, she would have one more competitor, and a particularly cunning one at that.
"Shameless hussy!" Karolina cursed inwardly.
Meanwhile, as she watched Karolina's departing figure, the smile on Red Widow's face slowly faded, replaced by a flicker of disdain in her eyes.
"Fake and phony bitch!"
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