A Realistic Mount & Blade Game

Night finally fell.

Outside the low walls of Derchrem, a large area was still shrouded in holy light, thanks to the illumination from the Holy Light Torch Tower of the Holy White Council.

This light not only brought brightness but also a scorching heat, allowing them to feel a trace of warmth even without a bonfire in the wilderness, as if they were under the sun.

"What powerful strength! I truly didn't expect this human empire to be able to create a domain that shields against the rules of necromancy."

At this time, many Blue Star humans were squatting and resting in a small community green belt outside the low walls.

Turning their heads, they could see the white light emanating from Derchrem, like a sun, shining brightly.

Each of their faces showed considerable shock.

However, shock aside, they had actually grown accustomed to it over the past few days.

After all, they could see this gentle light shining on them every night, and it also brought them a warmth from the depths of their souls, which they truly enjoyed and gradually grew accustomed to.

This was truly a warmth that could illuminate the soul, different from ordinary bonfires.

Moreover, bonfires made from Blue Star materials in the Blue Star world only provided light and surface temperature.

After the descent of darkness, they still felt a chilling cold and isolation from the depths of their souls.

Unless they could find materials from the Spirit Realm to light a bonfire, only then could they burn a light and heat that could warm even their souls.

This was why, when Shen Mu eliminated the Diesel Company, he found many materials from the Spirit Realm in the company's storage warehouse.

Because only those Spirit Realm materials, or even scraps of cloth, could be used as raw materials for Spirit Realm bonfires, and the flames ignited would illuminate their souls and warm them.

During the Black Tide, it was especially necessary to burn these Spirit Realm materials to light a bonfire, in order to effectively resist the even more bone-chilling cold within the Black Tide.

Of course, for ordinary humans without souls, it was enough to light Blue Star materials to illuminate their physical bodies.

After all, without souls, they couldn't feel the bone-chilling cold that could freeze even the soul.

However, for those Spirit Realm Commanders who already possessed souls, as long as such a terrifying cold wave appeared, they had to light bonfires made of Spirit Realm materials to protect themselves from harm.

Of course, they no longer needed to light bonfires made of Spirit Realm materials, because the Holy Light Torch Tower erected in Derchrem was already enough to dispel the chill in their souls.

"Yes, it's truly powerful," Zhang Bo said, turning his head to glance at the location of the Holy Light Torch Tower.

Then, he took out his staff and hugged it in his arms, his face devoid of much expression, and even his words seemed perfunctory.

However, he felt quite helpless in his heart, and also carried a hint of awe.

Yes, awe.

The more he understood the depths of Derchrem, the more he feared how powerful the human empire that owned Derchrem, or rather, was behind Derchrem, truly was, and this fear stemmed from a sense of panic.

In his understanding, for all forces that currently lacked the ability to effectively resist the rules of necromancy, this Holy Light Torch Tower was truly beyond comprehension.

At least in Zhang Bo's view, the former Diesel Company couldn't do it, and the current Green Leaf Group couldn't do it either.

Being able to continue using the rules, they were still in a situation where they could only burn bonfires to resist the darkness.

Even if they possessed Spirit Realm rules that could protect their territory from the appearance of necromantic rules, as long as they left the territory's boundaries, outside their city walls, the necromantic rules still existed.

At night, they still needed to light bonfires in their territory to prevent the darkness from becoming too dense.

Although the darkness wouldn't produce necromantic monsters or gray mist because of the Spirit Realm rules they possessed, the cold brought by the darkness could still weaken their condition significantly.

Adding to what he had learned before, the ability to quickly build structures and the special upgrades available to these human soldiers.

And the sudden appearance of another castle in a short period of time.

All of this made Zhang Bo increasingly uneasy.

He truly felt a immense pressure from this human empire in his heart.

If it continued to develop like this, it would suffocate him.

"Absolutely not like this!" Zhang Bo gritted his teeth, looking at the peaceful appearance of those people around him, all immersed in this warmth.

He felt an even stronger sense of unwillingness spreading within him.

After all, everyone being immersed in this warmth meant they had submitted to Shen Mu and had already acknowledged Shen Mu as their supreme leader in their hearts.

Then, it would become extremely difficult for him to incite discord among these people and sow division in their relationship with Shen Mu in the future.

Moreover, it was already very difficult now.

With the appearance of those Spirit Realm Commanders one after another, whether it was Zhang Caidong or those high-level managers and middle-level managers, although they had now developed some rifts.

They could still unite under Shen Mu's name and call, for example, they could still unite now and go to the darkness together to level up their soldiers, because they already had a common interest, which was that their soldiers needed to level up and needed unity.

Only by uniting could they resist those necromantic monsters in the darkness and become stronger together.

This was the common interest they had formed.

In the face of this common interest, all the small frictions and stumbles could be temporarily ignored.

Moreover, Derchrem had just been established, everything was waiting to be rebuilt, and the current positions and treatments were not fixed.

If capable people showed their abilities, they would definitely be able to obtain channels for promotion.

After all, they hadn't yet blocked the channels for promotion, and class solidification hadn't yet formed.

As long as it was gold, it would always shine.

Since one could shine sooner or later, then why care about other people's opinions of oneself?

Once one went up, then everyone would be in the same class.

Even if one was unwilling in their heart, they could only hold their nose and endure it.

Otherwise, if they fell down, they would definitely be retaliated against.

Since they were already in the same class, it would be good to stick together and develop together.

Of course, it would be harmonious, at least on the surface it would look quite united.

So, since everyone can get along and unite, why bother getting worked up over small matters or past events?

Why resort to deadly infighting when we can all get rich together, grow stronger together, and develop together?

Isn't that a wonderful thing?

Therefore, their current mindset has largely undermined the divisive tactics that Zhang Bo has been subtly employing.

This is the inevitable trend.

That's why Zhang Bo is feeling so helpless right now. If he can't successfully sow discord between these senior and mid-level managers, then once everyone accepts their fate and starts working diligently to impress Shen Mu, eagerly striving to be at the forefront, who will even glance back at him?

Even if he uses underhanded tactics, their fear of falling behind will override everything. They won't care about these petty schemes; they'll keep pushing forward, striving to become stronger, and presenting themselves as shining gold before Shen Mu, hoping to gain better treatment and a higher position.

"This absolutely can't happen!" Zhang Bo thought, glancing at Zhang Caidong, who was still chatting with several senior executives not far away, a look of helplessness in his eyes.

Although Zhang Caidong is currently his most useful pawn, it seems he's foolishly following Shen Mu down a dark path. While he can subtly influence Zhang Caidong's direction, it's questionable whether Zhang Caidong would even respond if Zhang Bo were to rebel now.

Most likely, Zhang Caidong would imprison him, keep him alive instead of handing him over to Shen Mu, and consider that a kindness.

"Alright, it's getting dark now. In the darkness, the undead monsters have descended. Let's split into our respective groups and head into the darkness, leading our human soldiers to battle."

Zhang Caidong then called out to the Blue Star humans, who began to divide into different groups and head out into the darkness.

Without exception, read every word carefully!

And before they left, he earnestly cautioned: "If you encounter monsters you can't defeat, immediately retreat to the area illuminated by the torch towers. Don't engage in prolonged battles. If you encounter any special situations, leave immediately, and don't venture too far into the darkness. I think you all understand the dangers."

"Understood," the Blue Star humans replied, nodding. They weren't rookies fresh from the tutorial.

They already had combat experience from before, so they understood what Zhang Caidong's instructions meant.

Moreover, the Swadian peasant soldiers they currently possessed were quite weak in combat, not even worth mentioning compared to the gnolls and lizardmen they had before.

They were just armed farmers.

In fact, even calling them armed farmers was an exaggeration.

Therefore, these senior and mid-level managers wouldn't lead these Swadian peasants too far into the darkness. They would just hold torches at the edge, and when they saw some skeletons or zombies—clumsy undead monsters—they would swarm forward, eliminate a few, and then retreat.

This formed a hit-and-run tactic, harassing the enemy and retreating when faced with tough opponents.

In any case, those undead monsters didn't have much intelligence.

It was always right to be careful.

"Also, Bo-ge, come with me. My side has Swadian recruits whose combat strength is about the same as those ordinary spirit realm creatures. Plus, they're all equipped with long-handled scythes and can form spear formations, so safety isn't an issue."

After Zhang Caidong finished giving instructions, he came to Zhang Bo's side, looked at the small sprites, each holding a short sword, and sighed: "As for them, just tell them to be careful on the battlefield. If they're not careful, their lives could be in danger."

"Okay, I understand." Zhang Bo looked at the small sprites beside him, barely reaching his thigh, and pursed his lips helplessly, especially when he saw their short swords, which were practically daggers. A helpless expression appeared on his face.

If these little things encountered those clumsy zombies and skeleton soldiers, managing to kill one would already be a remarkable feat.

More likely, these little sprites would be too slow to dodge or not agile enough, and they would turn and run at the sight of zombies and skeleton soldiers.

"Fortunately, I'm a prophetic mage, possessing a relatively high level of soul energy. I don't need to resonate with these little sprites on a soul level. I can just connect to the magic net to obtain the mage's soul. Otherwise, if I really resonated with these little sprites and became short and ugly, that would be a disaster!"

Zhang Bo then told Zhang Caidong a joke.

This immediately brought a smile to Zhang Caidong's face: "Bo-ge, don't say such things. No matter what you become, you'll always be my good brother. Besides, you now have the identity of a prophetic mage. Once your level increases, even Lord Shen Mu will have to rely on you."

"I hope so. Right now, I want to work hard and find more spirit realm imprint fragments to make myself stronger." Zhang Bo smiled, and their relationship became harmonious again.

Then, together with Zhang Caidong, he led the Swadian recruits and about ten small sprites towards the darkness ahead.

Then, they engaged in fierce battles with the clumsy zombies and skeleton soldiers that appeared in the darkness.

Of course, it was mostly the Swadian recruits fighting the zombies and skeleton soldiers and other undead monsters, while the small sprites just screamed in the back or watched the battle in fear, not daring to go forward, cowering and quite timid.

Of course, Zhang Bo would never lead these small sprites to fight alongside the Swadian recruits. He wasn't really there to find spirit realm imprint fragments, as he said. He just wanted to see what the human soldiers were like.

"After tonight, I might be able to level up," Zhang Caidong said, not caring if he was revealing any secrets.

Besides, this kind of information was already common knowledge. As long as one was promoted to squad leader under Shen Mu, this news would be known naturally. Moreover, Zhang Caidong didn't want to be petty and secretive with Zhang Bo, whom he considered a trustworthy friend.

(End of Chapter)