Chapter 56 28. Performance Art
Weakness is despised in Naggaroth, and when a Druki dies, his companions rarely care for the husk he leaves behind.
But these Duruchi soldiers who fought to the last moment deserve respect, and their bodies need to rest in peace instead of becoming food for harpies or cold lizards.
In this world of supernatural powers, only burial in an obsidian coffin can bring eternal rest, so cremation is the only option.
The bodies of the Druki soldiers were placed in rows on wooden racks. Their faces had been tidied and the blood had been wiped clean. There were no coins placed on their eyes as tolls for crossing the River Styx. This was not a tradition in Druki.
All the Duruch who could stand in the village came and lined up in the square. Dakuus raised the torch and looked back at the neatly lined up people. There were 500 Duruch a few days ago, but now there were less than 200 of them.
Dacus did not make any speech, but turned back to light the bonfire. A ball of flame suddenly burst out and then spread rapidly. The smell was not so pungent because it had been sprinkled with fragrant oil before. The fire flickered in his eyes.
"May their souls return to the arms of Es Haiai." After saying this, Dacus took out the Echo Drum from his waist and began to beat it slowly and heavily.
The Dread Spearmen struck the ground with their spears to the beat of the drums, the Gloomy Swordsmen struck their shields, and several nobles, beast tamers, Black Sharp Crossbowmen, Reaper Crossbow Artillery Teams, and Dark Riders stomped the ground with their boots.
The funeral was solemn and full of ritual.
Whatever filth they had done in their lives was wiped out at this moment.
The weather is getting colder and colder, and the days go by in a dull manner.
Good brother Maranul still did not come to the forest farm to visit his good brother, and of course, good brother Dakus did not return to the city to visit his good brother.
However, despite Maranul's repeated attempts to contact Daquus with his crystal ball, the Soul Eater's daughter remained unaware of the situation, seemingly frightened by the recent events. However, the Soul Eater's black ark, the Fortress of Malice, returned at the last moment before the Sea of Malice froze. This small, two-kilometer-long black ark was severely damaged and in need of major repairs. It was said that it encountered the dragonship Calendian, the flagship of the Asur Sea Lord Aislin, and was defeated in a fierce battle, with its only black dragon slain. It was only through the cover of night and the desperate efforts of the plundering ships that it managed to escape.
Malanur orchestrated an accidental killing of one of Walter's brothers, who was serving in the army. Upon learning of this, Walter mourned for a moment and presented a document found in his brother's estate, which indicated a tomb outside Clar Karonde, where Elleril the Damned was buried. The legendary Soul Dagger was missing after his death, and was likely buried with him in an obsidian coffin.
"Good fellow, what is Duluqi Faqiu Zhonglang Jiang?"
Daxus looked at the map carefully and found that the tomb was right below Brother Walter's manor outside the city. He put the documents away and had no plans to rob tombs for the time being. He needed Annasara's help in this matter, otherwise he would not be able to handle it, as it involved souls and black magic.
Daxus asked Watt to count the slaves in the forest. Most of the slaves were Norscans, Huns, a small number of Druzi, humans and a few halflings.
Most of the Druzian slaves were criminals, mercenaries, gangsters, and bankrupts. Some were just unlucky people who were handcuffed by city guards while walking on the street. If they could post bail, they would be released. If they didn't have bail, they would be on their own.
Most of the human slaves were old farmers from Bator. May the Moon Goddess Lilith bless them? There were also some War Dog mercenaries and farmers from the southern city-states. Those poor halflings were captured on their way from the Imperial Mutterland to join the Lumpin Krupp Cockfighting Company. They were now practicing their culinary skills in the kitchen. There were no alchemists or potions among the slaves, which disappointed Daquus.
Dwarves are very rare and precious among slaves. They are usually used to build spires, castles, fortresses, manors and forge weapons and equipment, and they are treated very well.
As for the greenskins? They're disorderly, incapable of the obedience of the orcish laborers of another world. Long ago, an unfortunate individual captured a group and presented them to the Witch King. As a result, most of the greenskins broke free from their shackles and fled to the mountains and wildernesses of the north. They adapted to the climate and environment there, growing from the earth. They often attacked armies traveling between Naggarond and Gorond in droves. Now known as the Frost Savage Orcs, their skins, of course, remain as green as ever.
The unlucky guy was killed by the Witch King, and his body remained forever in the square of the Black Tower of Malekith. The tombs on both sides were buried with the remains of the Dread Lords who wanted to usurp Malekith's throne, and he was lucky enough to sneak into them.
Since then, the Greenskin option has disappeared from the Naggaroth Slave Band's options. Now, the Greenskins, Huns, and Chaos Warbands are considered the three major scourges of the Druzi North.
Of course, these have nothing to do with Dacus, and life here is still peaceful.
In the morning, he practiced martial arts. After lunch, he went to see the Ankylosaurus and the Big Guy. A thick layer of hay had been laid in the enclosure. The Ankylosaurus had been transformed by dark magic, its shell beginning to take on a black hue. Perhaps it was now resistant to magic? Or perhaps it had unlocked new abilities. Darkius had no idea, as he didn't have access to his dashboard. As the weather grew colder, the Ankylosaurus and the Big Guy grew increasingly listless, only perking up a bit when they saw Darkius. It was clear that the Big Guy hadn't inherited the cold resistance of his northern bloodline.
In the afternoon, he inspected the forest farm and checked the sentry posts. The Shadow Tribe came down from the mountain twice, but each time they did not gain any advantage. They left behind several corpses and ran away. Daxus had the corpses stuck upside down in the snow.
The next day, it stood upright on the snow. Dacus called it performance art!
In the afternoon, after inspecting the forest farm, Daxus began to shoot with the Black Crossbowmen in the shooting range of the barracks. Perhaps due to the blessing of Morayg Heg, Daxus showed a high talent in the use of bows and arrows, and made rapid progress every day. Bainie, who was watching from the side, told him that he needed to start practicing horse archery and long-distance archery in the wind.
After practicing archery, Dacus would also go to the armory to dismantle the Aurora Dragon Crossbow, the Druzy Repeating Crossbow, and the Harpoon Crossbow. Several Druzy dignitaries came together to research and develop a weapon that combined the power of the Harpoon Crossbow, the rate of fire of the Repeating Crossbow, and the range of the Dragon Crossbow. After a period of research, they realized that everyone had their own strengths and weaknesses, and they abandoned the research and development.
After dinner in the evening, Dacus brought several dignitaries to hold friendly talks with the Duruchi soldiers.
Only one soldier is selected each time to talk about his family situation, family relationships, beliefs, current needs, future aspirations and whether he has a need for land.
After the soldier entered the room and saluted, he sat stiffly on a chair three swords' distance away and began a classic question-and-answer session, from the initial nervous stuttering to the final eloquent conversation.
At first, Dacus asked, Walter took notes, and the three Takia siblings were lost in thought, their expressions asking, "Why am I sitting here? What am I doing?" Bainer? They weren't coming at all.
Later, Franais took notes, Ryan began to ask questions, and Daqian and Walter pondered. After several discussions among the dignitaries, everyone expressed confusion and had no idea what Daqian meant.
Although the discussion stopped, the recording continued.
In Malus's novel, this tomb is in Caronde Carr.