Hiding A Logistics Center In The Apocalypse - Chapter 85
Chapter 85: The Symbol of Resurrection (2)
TL/ED – Miso
After Lydia’s “Dialogue Growth Method” showcase successfully concluded.
“Then it would be best to start right away.”
Following Cooper, we headed straight to the dwarves’ factory.
He added a few precautions for me to keep in mind.
“As I mentioned before, once the engraving process begins, it cannot be stopped midway. If the circuit flow is lost even once, the item becomes completely useless.”
Normally, one could simply discard the damaged item and continue the engraving process on a new one.
Since I could use the subspace’s replication ability, it was possible to supply new items indefinitely.
However, this time, there was a variable.
“The vengeful spirits of the knights are the issue.”
“That’s right.”
The knights each had their own unique individuality.
Even if Camelot itself could be replicated, their souls could not.
Simply put, the situation was as follows.
If Camelot were to be replicated, a decision would have to be made as to which of the two castles the knights’ souls would belong to.
Especially in this case, where the process of engraving the magic circuit was underway…
“During the engraving process, the vengeful spirits must be bound to it. Only then will it make sense to embed the conditions you mentioned into the circuit.”
They had to be bound to the Camelot where the magic circuit was being engraved, rather than the one in subspace.
“Of course, there shouldn’t be any problem with them coming and going. What matters is that they are affiliated with it.”
Fortunately, this did not mean that the knights had to remain inside the castle at all times.
After hearing all the details, I shipped out the new Camelot to Cooper.
Thunk.
A crown with a dull gray hue and an unremarkable, monotonous appearance.
Cooper took out a magnifying glass about the size of an egg and analyzed the traces engraved on Camelot.
Before long, he let out a sigh.
“This is quite…”
As expected of a dwarf who handled objects, he had also sensed the ominous nature imbued within Camelot.
He added one final note to me.
“As we discussed, I will set the condition to ‘resurrect the Knights of Camelot’. From now on, I will have to reverse-engineer the dark magic engravings that were originally inscribed. Unfortunately, traces of the original will inevitably remain. To be honest…”
Cooper seemed conflicted.
Was this something a craftsman should even say?
“I can’t guarantee what the newly added effect will be…”
Perhaps it would be a matter left to luck.
Camelot was an item created according to Barnaul’s will.
All I could do was hope that my intention to revive the knights was properly conveyed to it.
***
A week had passed since then.
The battle against Fermegon unfolded as overwhelmingly as ever.
We divided the Holy Knights into two teams, alternating attacks, and in the process, we destroyed thirteen demon castles that Fermegon controlled while liberating approximately thirty surrounding detention camps.
Given our packed schedule, our gains were significant.
The kill count of the Holy Spears soared at an alarming rate, and with each region we passed, I installed subspace portals.
Each time, I took down golden Gate Cores, allowing me to acquire a substantial amount of mana stones.
In fact, I had gathered enough to exceed the requirements for reaching Subspace Level 7. However…
“This thing is a money sink…”
Due to the cost of engraving the magic circuits, I had no choice but to put off leveling up for now.
It was the cost of operating the mana reactor.
The more complex the conditions in the circuit, the more mana stones were required. Especially with this Camelot, because of the pre-existing dark magic engravings, the consumption was more than double.
“One way or another…”
There was no doubt that the situation in Europe was quickly being resolved.
According to Lydia, Fermegon had a total of twenty-seven strongholds across Europe.
We had already conquered nearly half of them.
Even now, we had just returned from a battle in Valencia.
As the warm Spanish evening settled in, I stepped into the subspace, feeling somewhat dazed.
“Is it time for everyone to be asleep?”
The subspace was a place where the distinction between day and night did not exist in the first place.
However, my father, mother, and the rest of my family still maintained a day-and-night routine in their own way.
Thanks to that, whenever I returned from working outside, it was not uncommon to see the logistics center enveloped in silence.
But today was different…
“…….”
I heard someone murmuring.
The location was none other than near the military base , where Camelot and the World Tree were situated.
As I approached, it was not long before I identified the voice’s owner.
‘…Lydia?’
The awakened ones from the Czech Republic had been spending busy days taking care of the liberated prisoners.
However, Lydia had been spending all her time in the subspace.
Her buff/debuff ability played a crucial role in the growth of the World Tree.
Unless she was eating or sleeping, she had to continuously talk to the World Tree, at least for the time being.
“So, at that time…”
It seemed to be part of that conversation.
By now, she spoke with the World Tree as if she were having a casual chat with a person.
Unintentionally, I overheard her words.
“Leo stole that pendant, you know. I don’t get why a boy would like something like that… Anyway, I gave him a good scolding and made him save up his allowance properly to buy one himself.”
‘…Wasn’t her brother’s name Leo?’
She had mentioned before that her younger brother was being held in Dresden.
We had been randomly attacking two of Fermegon’s strongholds per day, but frustratingly, Dresden had not yet come up in the rotation.
For Lydia and the awakened ones from Germany and the Czech Republic, their anxiety only grew.
Perhaps as a result of those feelings, the awakened ones of Europe were putting more effort into their assigned roles than anyone else.
It was at that moment.
Lydia, who had been chatting away, suddenly began to scold the World Tree.
“This thing won’t eat again…! Hurry up and absorb it! Stop only taking in the fertilizer that suits your taste!”
Sluuurp.
The World Tree’s leaves were turning yellow and withering.
Now that I looked closely, Lydia was holding a vial of the substance I had taken from the Southern Army.
More precisely, it was the toxic fertilizer I had modified as part of my “giving the disease and the cure” strategy.
Feeling embarrassed for eavesdropping the entire time, I decided to speak up first.
“…It seems like your conversations have developed quite a bit?”
“Of course… Do you know how smart this thing is? If I use vague words, it won’t take me seriously.”
Fortunately, despite my sudden appearance, she did not seem particularly startled.
Lydia explained that mindless praise or criticism no longer worked, so she had decided to be honest when dealing with the World Tree.
“It’s actually easier. I don’t have to sugarcoat anything.”
Even as she said that, she continued to scold the World Tree, which stubbornly pushed the substance away into the soil outside.
It seemed the “whip” part of the “carrot and stick” approach had yet to end.
For some reason, the sight made me think a lot.
‘Rather than giving the disease and the cure… Was I supposed to be disciplining it?’
I had put the World Tree through all sorts of hardships in an attempt to make it grow strong.
Now, I suddenly felt guilty toward it.
Ding!
[Hyponex Vitality Solution Plant Activator, 10L, 1 unit, price: 317,240 KRW.]
“Tree, Tree. How about a delicious nutrient solution from your big brother?”
I tried speaking to it as a gesture of reconciliation…
But mending a broken relationship was not so simple.
The World Tree extended a branch toward me.
凸
At the end of it, the leaves were folded into a very particular shape.
.
.
.
A rare sight of receiving the middle finger from the World Tree.
Lydia let out a small laugh and asked me.
“So… where was it today?”
“Valencia. It just ended.”
Her expression was somewhat complicated, but she did not seem overly expectant.
If it had been Dresden, I would have informed her in advance before the battle.
After pondering something for a moment, Lydia finally spoke to me.
“You know… about Paris… It might not be connected to a gate.”
“I think so too. Even in Valencia just now…”
It was something I could agree with.
Fermegon had originally attempted to destroy the gate installed in Bukhansan.
It was clear that they were desperately avoiding a direct confrontation.
“…The demons themselves were trying to destroy the Gate Core.”
Perhaps the gate in Paris had already been destroyed.
If that were the case, we could not simply continue repeating our current strategy.
By toppling the demon castles installed across Europe, we were slowly closing in on Fermegon.
However, their base in Paris would still remain intact.
‘Maybe it would be better to just charge straight into Paris.’
That thought crossed my mind, but…
“…My lord.”
With the report Lancelot brought, I had no choice but to shake my head again.
“The detention center was empty? Again?”
“Yes, there were clear signs of a hurried evacuation. From what we can infer…”
Fermegon had been suffering repeated defeats.
Now, they were resorting to secretly relocating the prisoners altogether.
Obviously, they would not have used land routes.
“…They must have escaped through the gate again?”
“That’s right. The traces continued in that direction.”
While Paris, their base, remained shrouded in uncertainty, their movements continued.
Even if their strongholds were being destroyed, they refused to give up the prisoners they had captured.
Their intentions were painfully obvious, which meant we could not simply ignore them and advance to Paris.
“What’s the next location?”
And then…
“Dresden.”
“…!”
That was a place we could never afford to overlook.
It was where Lydia’s younger brother and the families of the awakened ones from Prague were held.
Lydia shot to her feet, her eyes trembling violently.
“But… my lord, the situation is somewhat different from before.”
The Skeleton Knights had been on reconnaissance with the awakened ones from Prague.
Through Julian, the scout-type awakened, Lancelot had gotten a direct look at Dresden.
He gave me a detailed report on the enemy’s situation.
“It doesn’t seem like they relocated the prisoners this time. It appears they believe they can defend Dresden sufficiently. From our observations… that confidence is not entirely unfounded.”
Lancelot continued, his voice unusually cautious.
“Rows of defense turrets line the perimeter… The front lines include massive demons clad in heavy armor, along with high-ranking demons capable of energy bombardment. Of course, there were plenty of gargoyles as well.”
Fermegon, who had been constantly on the run from us…
It was clear that their forces had increased, evidence that they had finally decided to make a last stand.
Of course, that alone was not a problem.
The forces of PAX FC, enveloped in holy power, were nothing short of a natural enemy to the demons.
Lancelot’s warning was that we could not use our usual strategy this time.
“It’s beyond a castle; it’s large enough to be called a fortress. Its height and thickness are incomparable to the demon castles we’ve seen before. Bringing it down like we did before… Honestly, I don’t think that will be possible.”
Up until now, we had been toppling demon castles like dominoes as we fought.
But this time, a fortress of overwhelming solidity stood in our way. He was suggesting that we needed to change our approach…
However.
“It’s fine. As it happens…”
I had something to show the demons as well.
Ding!
—
[Blessed Demon Devourer +5]
Grade: [Unique]
Description: [A holy spear blessed by the goddess Emes. After devouring 1,000 demons, additional effects have been unlocked.]
Attribute: [Holy]
Options: [Penetration +5] [Acceleration +3] [Purification +3]
—
Through the battle in Valencia, Emes’ Holy Spear had finally achieved 1,000 confirmed kills.
As a result, it had reacted to the conditions met within the magic circuit, evolving into a completely new item.
Its rank had jumped significantly, and its penetration stat had increased.
There were many new aspects to it, but…
Ding!
[Double Punishment: The ‘Double Penetration’ effect applies to relevant targets.]
[Devour: For relevant targets, devours the souls of defeated enemies.]
[Holy Explosion: Fires the devoured souls as projectiles, triggering a holy explosion.]
This was clearly the real deal.
And that was why.
I could not change my strategy.
“Bringing down castles… is fun.”
No matter how I looked at it, this was a siege weapon.
****
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The Fool
How I missed this series so much. Thanks for the updates again!!!