Dark Sovereign

Chapter 4 The Mysterious Visitor

As one of the underground gathering places of the North, Branden Stone City is the pride of the dwarves. Rather than calling it a city, it would be more accurate to describe it as a gigantic cave. Numerous dwarves have carved out this massive space with their blood and lives, building a bustling and lively city within. Naturally, this place also attracts countless intelligent races who come here for brief rests, trade, or even to settle down.

For the dwarves of Branden Stone City, travelers are the least noteworthy beings they encounter in their long lives.

So, when the guards at the city gate saw a slender figure in a black robe approaching them, they didn't find it unusual.

"Halt! Traveler! This is Branden Stone City, what brings you here?!"

A dwarf guard marched forward, frowning as he scrutinized the group in front of him.

The one leading the group was clearly a mage. The dwarves didn’t have much affection for spellcasters, but they weren't as fearful of them as others were. Although the dwarves' lineage inherently limited their ability to become mages, it also granted them superior magic resistance. Most mages weren't regarded highly by the dwarves.

Following the black-robed mage was a girl in a bright red dress, her dazzling golden hair making her quite conspicuous. At this moment, she had her arms crossed and was squinting her eyes, looking at the guard with an arrogant gaze.

Without strong guards or any remarkable features, it was indeed curious how they had managed to pass through the endless darkness of the gloomy passageways to reach Branden Stone City.

"Answer my questions, travelers! Show me your luggage and weapons for inspection!"

Perhaps thinking he could earn some extra, a dwarf loudly shouted as he raised his spear towards the black-robed mage.

But he soon regretted his actions.

"Begone."

A cold, deep voice emanated from the mouth of the black-robed mage. Accompanying this voice, a translucent ghost suddenly appeared between them. She was transparent, wearing tattered robes, and her emerald green hair floated in all directions as if submerged in water.

Then, the banshee swiftly reached out, grabbing the spear raised by the dwarf. Before the dwarf could react, a bone-chilling coldness that could freeze the soul itself traveled through the spear, entering the dwarf's body without resistance.

Although dwarves have considerable resistance to magic, no creature could withstand the strike of death itself. The unfortunate guard screamed and was then sent flying, crashing heavily against the thick stone wall. His face turned pale, and his beard was covered in frost, his short body shivering from the intense cold.

Seeing this, the other two guards who had initially thought to come forward to help, involuntarily stopped in their tracks, their faces turning pale as they looked at the black-robed mage. Although they didn't know the mage's identity, the sudden appearance of the banshee and the terrifying aura of death had revealed his true nature.

Necromancer!

"Hmph..."

Glancing at the dwarves who halted, Zane snorted coldly, then proceeded towards the city. This time, no one dared to block his path. Even others intending to enter the city held their breath, watching these three individuals with eyes filled with terror and awe until they disappeared.

Only after they were gone did the air, which seemed to have frozen, begin to flow again. Quickly, one of the dwarf guards ran into the city, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

"It seems the dwarves have already started to act, Master."

Squinting her eyes and wearing an elegant smile, Enoa withdrew her gaze from the depths of the alley. Then, she turned to look at Zane.

"What are your plans?"

Facing Enoa's inquiry, Zane, out of habit, pushed his glasses up his nose before speaking.

"Dwarves are a cautious and greedy race. I can assure you, the arrival of a necromancer is enough to make the rulers of this city lose sleep. If they don't want their city to become a ghoul's diner, then they will surely come looking for me... At that time, they will likely try to entice me with generous rewards to work for them or help them solve some problems that the dwarves themselves are too afraid to face. What we need to do is just quietly wait until that moment comes."

Saying this, Zane paused for a moment, but soon, a sinister smile appeared on his face, hidden beneath his cloak.

"I believe they won't keep me waiting for too long."

No matter the era, rumors always spread the fastest and widest. Just as Zane had entered the inn, even before he had a chance to close the door of his room, rumors of a necromancer appearing in Branden Stone City had already spread throughout the entire city.

And with that, the undercurrents began to stir.

However, at this moment, Zane didn't care about these trivial matters. In fact, while the outside world was bustling about because of him, Zane was comfortably nestled in his room, smiling as he reviewed the information that appeared before his eyes.

【Banshee Squad (Silver Elite)】

【Number: Ten】

【Level: 1】

【Attack: ★☆】

【Defense: ★☆ (Ethereal)】

【Special Ability: Soul Piercing (Physical obstacles are nonexistent to them, nothing can refuse the touch that comes from the depths of the soul —— Piercing +15, Damage X3)】

【Special Ability: Soul Devouring (Despair is like fine wine, pain is like a delicious steak, fear is the best dessert, death is the main course —— Defeating enemies allows them to consume souls to recover health and mana)】

【Special Ability: Undead Transformation (Death is not the end, but a beginning. Only by relinquishing the desire for life can one fall into this eternal cold world —— A certain chance to transform opponents into undead creatures)】

Three special abilities!

Although he had anticipated this, Zane still revealed a delighted smile. Special abilities are traits only rare elites possess, and the amount is entirely random. A full-fledged top-tier rare unit could have up to five special skills, and now, his Banshee Squad having three special abilities was quite impressive!

Moreover, the Banshee Squad's defense was ten points, and with their ethereal form providing resistance to physical attacks, along with the ability to transform creatures into undead, they were arguably the best summonable unit for the early stages.

Most importantly, as beings of undeath, they do not require food, at most consuming remnants of souls to recover. Even without soul remnants, they can exist by drawing on the mana provided by Zane's dungeon, without competing with Zane for food.

Zane was not actually a necromancer. As mentioned earlier, although he had learned much from the libraries of the demon race, his own limitations prevented him from using those spells. Thus, necromancy was no exception. Until now, as a dungeon master, Zane could only cast 【Thunderbolt】 and 【Flame Serpent】, two basic spells provided by the system.

His ability to masquerade as a necromancer was entirely reliant on his Banshee Squad. As long as he had these ghostly banshees by his side, even if Zane claimed he was not a necromancer, probably no one would believe him.

In fact, Zane's reason for disguising his identity and coming here was not just to show off his power. A dungeon needs a lot of resources to develop, but Zane himself didn't have many resources. While he could let goblins mine for ores and crystals, construction materials and food could only be obtained through purchase and trade.

Especially wood, which is worth its weight in gold in the dark underground world. Many of Zane's dungeon constructions in the later stages would require wood — it's not like he could just plant trees himself, not to mention the challenge of obtaining seedlings in a world without sunlight.

If it were his siblings, they could simply march in with a large army and force the cities to submit and supply resources. Unfortunately, Zane didn't have such vast power, so to ensure the smooth and sustainable development of his dungeon, he had to take matters into his own hands.

Thus, Zane chose to appear in Branden Stone City under the intimidating and respected guise of a necromancer. He believed the dwarves would not ignore this ticking time bomb in their midst, and as long as they dared to send someone to him, Zane could then make his demands. By then, he would be able to obtain the resources he wanted without raising any suspicions.

And indeed, Zane's plan proved to be correct.

On the morning of their second day in the city, five dwarves dressed in lavish attire knocked on Zane's room door.

"Good day, esteemed mage."

The lead dwarf, wearing a half-armor decorated with exquisite patterns, offered a warm and somewhat overly enthusiastic smile, looking at Zane attentively.

"To be honest, it has been a long time since Branden Stone City has seen a mage. They are the greatest and most powerful beings in the world, and I believe you can understand what kind of feeling we had when we learned that a mage of your caliber had graced our city. As the governor, I represent all the people of Branden Stone City in extending the warmest greetings to you."

The dwarf governor named Kadec rubbed his hands together excitedly, looking more like a hotel manager welcoming a guest than the governor of a city.

"I am Zane."

Still concealing his true face beneath his cloak, Zane sat on a chair, nodding at the dwarf governor before him.

"You don't need to be too nervous. In fact, I came to Branden Stone City just to find a relatively quiet place, free from the disturbances of those foolish underground monsters, for my experiments. If you don't bother me, then there won't be any problems."

"This..."

Hearing this, Kadec's chubby cheeks twitched involuntarily. By the stones above, a necromancer wanted to conduct experiments in his city?

Kadec could almost envision the scenes of plagues, ghouls, and undead creatures throwing a Halloween party in the city!

However, as one of the most cunning and sly races of the underground, Kadec naturally wouldn't act as foolishly as his distant dwarf cousins. After hearing Zane's words, he only showed a brief moment of panic before once again displaying an overly enthusiastic smile.

"That's wonderful! We never imagined that such a powerful mage like yourself would come to our city. I assure you, esteemed mage, that Branden Stone City warmly welcomes your arrival. How about this? We will provide you with a building for your experiments free of charge, ensuring that no one will disturb you. However..."

At this point, Kadec rubbed his hands together, raised his head to sneak a peek at Zane, then lowered it again.

"...If possible, I would like to boldly ask the esteemed mage to help us solve a small problem..."

Hearing this, Zane and Enoa exchanged glances, both seeing the hidden amusement in each other's eyes.

As expected, the drama begins.