……

Melinda's appearance may be related to Seve coming-of-age ceremony.

This woman's temperament is extraordinary.

It gives a sense of superiority and inviolability.

Matthew couldn't figure out her strength.

So he looked back at Loraine.

Luo Lan narrowed her eyes:

"Fifth order, very close to the legend, it is likely that she already has all the conditions to be promoted to the legend, but for some reason, she has been suppressing her advancement."

Matthew blurted out:

"Domain?"

Lorraine nodded and said:

"It's possible that the domain components in her body are very mixed, and maybe they are in the process of further deepening."

Matthew looked at the direction in which Melinda disappeared and sighed:

"She looks mysterious, coming and going, leaving almost no trace."

Lorraine smiled:

"She did come very lightly, but when she went, she was not necessarily as relaxed as you thought."

Matthew looked at him with some confusion.

The latter pointed to a large crowd behind Matthew, including himself, and said:

"She may have been scared by us."

Matthew looked back.

Boy.

He hadn't even paid attention to it before, and the companions who came with him were murderous one by one, and Clegg pressed his hands on her double knives from beginning to end.

The momentum of pulling out the knife if you don't agree is written directly on your face.

No wonder Melinda hurried away without saying a few words to herself.

This dragon slaying team gathered by Matthew has the strength to shock the legend.

She's a quasi-legend.

Naturally, they did not dare to stay longer when it was unclear whether they were friends or foes.

Or maybe.

Is it that she feels weak?

Matthew even suspects that the land has some of her and Rhaeggar's past.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have said those words when she met herself.

Unexpected encounter with Rhaeggar's ex-wife.

It was just a small episode for Matthew.

He'll find a chance to inform Rhaegar but not tonight.

After returning to the barbecue site with the crowd.

Matthew began to explain what to do next.

"I believe everyone has more or less understood, I will bring everyone together for only one purpose, that is, to slay the dragon!"

"The black dragon Meonogas is the only target of our trip, he is an evil dragon of unknown origin, and he has now controlled the high leaf collar next door, and it is suspected that he has colluded with the red dragon Kusulus in the south of Rolling Stone, so the pressure on Rolling Rock Town is very high."

"As a member of Rolling Stone, I love this land and have a good relationship with the lord of this place, Mr. Rhaeggar."

"There will definitely be a fierce battle between Rolling Rock Town and Gao Ye Ling in the future, and I will also participate in this war and vow to kill that set of black dragons!"

"Of course, before I invite you to join my team in slaying the Black Dragon, I must state to you the risks."

Speaking of which.

Matthew took a breath and said with a very serious face:

"If you join me in this vicious battle, you may face risks on three fronts.

The first risk comes from the black dragon itself.

Although the black dragon Meonogas appears to be only a young dragon, he is ahead of his time and is not much different from an adult dragon.

His strength is also much stronger than that of ordinary black dragons.

He is suspected to have some higher-level blessings on him, which provide him with special abilities including concealment and escape.

I've made a pretty detailed plan for this.

But there are always surprises.

After all, fighting dragons is a risky thing in itself.

The second risk comes from the battlefield.

Theoretically.

My squad is part of the Special Operations Force in the official Rolling Stones forces.

We can move away from the forces and have a fairly high degree of freedom and autonomy.

There is a high probability that unknown damage on the battlefield will not be able to attack us.

But the same.

War is fraught with uncertainty.

In the unlikely event that the enemy has prepared some means that we have not thought of before, you may also be able to take a strafing shot from the frontal battlefield with area of effect damage.

Swords and guns have no eyes.

Even though everyone is a good player, I will definitely do my best to ensure that everyone is thorough.

But there are still risks.

I hope you will think carefully.

The third risk is less likely.

That is, we may succeed in taking out the Black Dragon, but we will be defeated in the frontal battlefield, and we will have to face pressure from the frontal battlefield.

Due to the high probability of the outbreak between Rolling Stones and High Leaf Collar, there is a conquest battle in which only one of the two sides can exist.

Although in the rules issued by the Alliance.

Conquest battles must follow the best-of-three rules, but the first battle is crucial.

In the case of these two territories.

As long as the first game is lost.

There is a high probability that it will be a thousand miles later.

So neither side can afford to lose.

Of course, most of the soldiers of the Gao Ye Collar were coerced by the Black Dragon Lord, and there was a big question mark over how much combat power and morale they had.

Rolling Stone, on the other hand, is different.

I can assure you that at least all those who participated in the war are on the same page. ”

Say this in one sitting.

Matthew motioned for the group to think carefully.

He himself picked up a bunch of mushrooms from the barbecue rack next to him and tasted it.

These mushrooms are all newly grown in the mushroom house.

The quality is quite sweet and tender.

Paired with Matthew's own wine.

It's called a delicious hearty.

But he didn't have to wait long to enjoy it alone.

Cloud Elf Emilia was the first to stand up:

"I am a military man by profession and fully understand the risks of war.

But I have been commissioned by Ms. Bobo to take her place in this war.

Rest assured, I have enough war skills and a good escape experience.

If the whole army is really destroyed, I will protect myself well.

So, I participated.

Can you give me a bunch of mushrooms by the way?

Don't be spicy, thank you. ”

Matthew smiled and handed it over.

Followed by.

The orc female sword saint Clegg also stood up, her eyes bright and her attitude sincere:

"If it weren't for you, I would probably have died under the watchful eye of God. For me, there is no fear of war, I will fight to the end. But for now, I don't think it's going to happen, after all, the big guys seem to be very strong. ”

As she spoke, she looked around.

Then he looked at Matthew generously:

"Bring me two skewers of beef?"

Matthew quickly handed it over.

Samantha followed suit:

"Clegg is exactly what I was trying to say, the last time I explored the hive was so dangerous that I don't even remember what happened, it was Clegg who told me back then."

"I owe you a great favor, and the resonance of the Oak Realm, and participating in this war is even difficult to counteract."

"Well, you don't have to hand it to me, I'll get it myself."

After saying that, she took the initiative to run over to help grill the skewers.

Then there is Lumière.

As the future king of the rainforest, he didn't say anything.

I just leaned over and gave Matthew a hug.

He whispered in Matthew's ear:

"When my tribe was most short of money, it was you who gave me a large sum of money—

I know you might say that's what I deserve.

Even then it is a rarity.

The outside world is always full of prejudices against our tribe.

I have a lot of seniors who want to get out of the jungle.

But that step out was too hard.

Really Matthew.

You've helped me a lot.

I know you wrote to me to continue to help me.

But I'm too embarrassed to keep bothering you.

If I can help you this time.

I would be very happy.

Remember.

It doesn't matter who you're at war with.

I will always be on your side. ”

He spoke very quickly, some of which were mixed with some Jango words, and Matthew could only hear a rough meaning.

But he noticed Lumière's slightly flushed cheeks.

I know that this guy is also a person who is not good at expressing emotions.

So he patted Lumière on the back.

Said softly:

"Thank you."

Lumière smiled, his nervous and embarrassing emotions eased a lot, and he also ran over to eat the skewers.

At last.

Only Loren remained.

When Matthew's gaze met his, the latter looked relaxed:

"Relax, when I was younger, I used to have a fortune teller with a famous prophet.

He said that I would not die if the world was destroyed.

So a war doesn't scare me at all. ”

Matthew asked curiously:

"How is the prophetic mage doing?"

Luo Lan took out the turquoise piccolo from his waist and said with a smile:

"The day after I finished telling my fate, he was hit and killed by a runaway carriage."

Matthew was silent.

Then he asked:

"You always said before that there would be a big incident in Rolling Stone Town or near Gao Yeling, so is the black dragon sneak attack a big event?"

Lorain shook his head:

"It doesn't count."

Matthew's face tightened:

"So there's a possibility of something more serious going on?"

Loren said seriously:

"Frankly, I don't know, bards can only catch a few clues, and their ability at prophecy is far inferior to that of a true prophetic mage.

But even the most powerful prophetic mages can't tell where the future holds.

I can only tell you about some of the signs of anomalies that I have captured.

Rolling Rock is still the place in the entire South with the highest probability of breaking big news.

Gao Ye collar is second.

As for what kind of form and when these things will erupt, I can only have a very vague perception, which is not accurate.

Ultimately.

We are all mortals who have been beaten forward by the tide of fate.

But you don't have to be so nervous.

The outbreak of a major event does not necessarily mean a disaster, and it can usually bring considerable opportunities.

Under the existing pattern of the South.

Rolling Stones is already in the best of its best realms.

Not to mention.

And I'm here. ”

said.

He gave Matthew a reassuring look, then put the flute to his lips and began to play a cheerful tune.

Accompanied by the sound of Loraine's flute.

The whole forest seemed to be noisy.

Lumière was the first to go off the pitch and twist his body.

Clegg and Samantha were not far behind.

Only the cloud elf Emilia stood reservedly and watched curiously as everyone danced.

Matthew watched for a while, just wanting to go in and join in the fun.

Who knew that it was at this time.

A zombie climbed up the stone staircase below the passage.

Behind this zombie.

It's his vast number of people and more skeletons.

They twisted their hips and danced to the sound of Loraine's music.

That moment.

It was as if the oaks had come to life, some writhing and some pointing at the dancing of the undead.

Matthew ran to the cemetery to take a look.

Boy.

The sound of Loraine's flute reverberated throughout the underground space.

It seemed that all living beings and the undead were infected by that cheerful mood.

data bar.

……

"Hint: Your companion Loren played the legendary poem "A Midsummer Night's Love", and all units that listened to the music gained +1 morale;

The volitional test has been greatly improved;

Peach Luck +1"

……

Soon.

Pegasus in the oak forest, burrowing owls in burrows, grouse by streams......

All the creatures of the oak forest came alive with it.

The living and the undead.

Under the moonlight, between the love songs, they actually put aside the prejudices and conflicts of the past, and danced together in harmony.

Matthew could feel the joy that came from the depths of everyone's soul.

Except that the mother of coolies, Miao Saqi, complained to him that the creeper zombies were not working well under such beautiful music.

The rest of the units were happy.

Even the arsonists in the handicraft workshop are more energetic when they are working!

So Matthew also relaxed.

Immerse yourself in the sea of beautiful music with everyone.

……

After a short period of joy.

Intense preparations continue.

July 26.

On behalf of Rolling Stone, Rhaegar formally submits a request to the Seven Saints Alliance.

The goal is a high leaf collar.

The war mode is "Conquest".

The Conquest was theoretically a win-of-three battle, but everyone knew that the winner of the first battle would win almost everything.

According to Zeller's scout messenger lurking in the High Leaf Collar.

The Black Dragon Lord is sending people to collect war tools from house to house, including military weapons, various greases, wood, and iron tools.

The high leaf collar is almost a purely agricultural territory.

Rolling Rock barely has some textile industry.

In addition to producing grain and cotton, Gaoye Collar is left with only rich land resources and mountain reservoirs.

The news was a huge morale boost within Rolling Stone.

Because when Rhaega was preparing for the war, he didn't need to collect materials from the people, and he couldn't buy them in the market, so he would release the collection list to the residents through the city hall.

The items on the list are also traded according to the market price.

Therefore, the overall preparedness of Rolling Stones is quite optimistic.

Matthew did not participate in the frontal battle, nor did he interfere in the preparation of the large army.

He is mainly responsible for providing spell support and leading the dragon slaying team in special operations.

However, in order to cooperate with Rhaegara's newly formed "arson squad".

Matthew provided him with a large amount of fiery gel, Molotov cocktails, and high-purity sulfur ore.

Many of the arson props are in stock.

Matthew was wholesaled to Rhaegar at a price of 20% below the market price.

After the deal was made.

He received a return of 120,000 gold coins in one go.

Thus.

It is true that war money comes the fastest!

And when it comes to price negotiations, neither of them is a calculating person.

The accounts should be calculated separately.

For the common good of Rolling Stone.

They are all willing to make certain concessions.

For example, the scroll of "Fei Capital's Dragon Slaying Spear", the result of the negotiation between the two sides is-

Raega gave 250,000 gold coins, Matthew gave 50,000 in cash, plus Surier's 300,000 interest-free loan.

The ownership of the scroll was firmly in Matthew's hands.

correspondingly.

Matthew must make the following commitments:

"This scroll must be used in the defense of Rolling Stone, or in related wars."

And in return.

Matthew will receive the highest priority claim for the dragon-slaying proceeds.

That is to say, after the dragon slaying income is converted into cash, it must be supplemented by Matthew's actual cost (400,000) first, and then Rhaegard's income will be followed.

Considering the significance of slaying a dragon, it can almost determine the direction of the battle.

Rhaegar happily gave up the recourse of more than 600,000 (in case).

Other words.

In case the dragon is slaughtered, it has a higher value.

The surplus has nothing to do with Rhaegar either.

Of course.

When the two of them discussed the relevant terms, they both carried out the attitude of losing as little as possible.

Special.

In order to prevent Matthew from losing money.

Rhaegar also proposed that after the victory, Matthew and his dragon slaying team would receive 15% of the tax revenue for the next 30 years.

That's a pretty impressive number.

Matthew was taken aback when Rhaegar brought it up.

To know.

Rhaegar had to feed an army of nearly 1,000 men.

And his dragon slaying team currently has a total of less than 10 people.

can make such decisions.

It shows that he is very optimistic about the actions of Matthew and others.

It is also further proof that Rhaegar is not without reason.

These are not isolated cases.

There are too many stakeholders involved in starting a war, even between Matthew and Rhaeggar, the various economic relations must be calculated one by one-

food expenses during the war;

casualty allowance;

additional subsidies and incentives;

Costs incurred in the consumption of weapons and items;

Depreciation expense for various large equipment......

All of this is not to be said.

In short, at the end of July, for a whole little more than a week.

People from all walks of life, including Matthew, went in and out of the office hall of the Lord's Palace.

Don't talk about Zeller.

Even Rhaegar was so busy that he was smoking.

However, all this was sorted out by the end of July.

It can be so efficient in administrative efficiency.

In addition to Rhaegar and Zeller's overtime, Parton Jr. also played a big role in it.

This guy is a tax officer, has outstanding calculation skills, and seems to be a good hand at administrative back-office.

He was responsible for drawing up many wartime economic contracts.

comparatively.

Matthew, who was a spell advisor, gradually reduced the frequency of his visits to the office hall.

He mainly exploded in the cemetery.

Since the level has been raised to LV16, Matthew's single summon limit has also been increased to 480.

Other words.

He can summon up to 480 zombies plus 480 skeletons.

The number of undead in the cemetery is clearly not enough.

Then.

Matthew's nearly 3,000 corpses that had been turned over from the Golden Fertile Fields came in handy.

With the blessings of the cemetery.

Day and night, he called out to the dead in the cemetery.

Zombies and skeletons take shape one after another.

The number of active undead in the cemetery has almost doubled!

They will play a pivotal role in the battle that follows.

And in the process.

Matthew also discovers that the newly summoned zombies have completely lost the "Silver Moon" effect.

This means the quiet estrangement of the goddess of moonlight.

After the last iniquity event.

Matthew was wary of her.

The latter didn't seem to be too lazy to act, and when Ella, the owl, the only liaison between the two sides, came over to help ripen the seeds, he didn't talk to Matthew much.

This shows that she is only here to fulfill her obligations.

For a natural soul like her, the will of the Moonlight Goddess is above all else.

Matthew can only regret this.

comparatively.

Samantha, who is also a patron of the goddess of the moonlight, seems much more normal.

She still joins Matthew's dragon slayer team in her personal name.

It seems that it is not hindered by the goddess of moonlight.

However, in Samantha, Matthew also keenly noticed a little abnormality -

Ever since she arrived.

It seems to be looking around all the time.

There is also a look of loss on the face from time to time.

Matthew didn't understand what she was losing at first.

It wasn't until she began to knock on her side to find Eli's whereabouts that Matthew vaguely understood something.

But look at Clegg, the female orc who is close to her.

Matthew was confused again.

What is the relationship between these people?

He put his arm around Clegg and asked where Eli was.

That is, Eli didn't know why he didn't arrive.

Otherwise, Matthew will be embarrassed for them!

Time passed in this tense atmosphere.

July 28th.

Night.

In the workshop of the cemetery.

"Zizizi!"

A cold chill emanated from Matthew's right hand.

The terrifying negative energy spread from the base of the palm to the forearm, all the way to the elbow, and all the skin turned blue-gray.

Look at this scene.

Matthew's eyes showed satisfaction.

data bar.

……

"Hint: "Negative Energy Transformation" is successful, and your right palm (including forearm) has been filled with negative energy! These parts have the following effects -

1. Palm (Pale Hand/Negative Energy Transformation): Instant Death Judgment/Vampire Judgment

2. Forearm (Negative Energy Transformation/Flesh Armor): When "Flesh Armor" is activated, your Forearm will be filled with negative energy and gain 18 points of "Innate Armor".

3. Right Hand (Whole): You gain a local power equivalent to 18 points of overall strength

Negative Effects –

In a state full of negative energy, it will be difficult for your right hand to perform delicate operations such as writing words, transcribing scrolls, playing with the hands of mages, and so on."

……

The first round of negative energy transformation was quite successful.

Since his right hand is already solidified as a "pale hand", many of the negative effects are negligible.

Just wear leather gloves.

And the "flesh armor" provided on the forearm can be described as quite powerful.

It directly turned Matthew's forearm into an iron hand!

The 18-point innate armor can be compared to the second form of Argus's Strange Mountain Shield.

For a mage, it is an attribute against the sky.

Theoretically, as long as his hands are fast enough, he can easily swing arrows with his bare hands.

But at this stage.

Matthew's attempt is not over.

Taking advantage of the negative energy in his right hand that had not yet faded, he slowly activated the oak realm.

The next moment.

A huge stream of life energy couldn't help but pour out from the realm.

Poured it hard into Matthew's right hand!

……

"Warning: Your right hand has been injured, is it being treated through the Oak Domain?"

……

Matthew groaned for a moment.

I selected "Yes".

The inspired life energy rushed straight into Matthew's palm, and the negative energy injected before only resisted a little, and then quickly withdrew.

Ultimately.

Except for a small black dot in the center of the right arm.

The rest of the place is occupied by life energy.

Matthew shook his right hand and found that it had recovered to its original state, and even the effect of the pale hand had been stripped away!

……

"Warning: Your right hand has been healed by the Life Realm and has lost its negative energy properties, is it possible to activate the 'Undead Domain' to repair it?"

……

Matthew thought for a moment.

In the end, I decided to take the plunge.

He first opened the realm of equilibrium, making sure that concentration was enough, and then opened the realm of the undead.

Suddenly.

Negative energy begins to fight back.

Matthew only saw his right hand, sometimes gray and sometimes green.

The two sides are engaged in round after round of fierce games.

At its worst.

The back of Matthew's hand was as black as charcoal, and the palm was green with oil, and the whole palm looked distinct.

Fortunately, in the area of equilibrium, it still worked.

Under the coordination of the equilibrium area.

Life energy and negative energy have tentatively reached an agreement to alternately take over the right hand.

Ten minutes later.

Matthew's hands returned to their normal skin color.

And on the back of his hand.

A field diagram consisting of three commas appeared!

Oak, the undead, balanced.

The three check and balance each other.

A temporary reunification was reached.

data bar.

……

"Hint: You've reconciled the conflict between life energy and negative energy, and you've gained a new 'Equalizing Hand'!

The Balanced Hand contains two forms –

1. Pale Hand (When you use Pale Hand, you will consume negative energy, release instant death effect and bloodsucking effect externally, and convert a certain amount of life energy in equal proportion during this period)

2. Healing Hand (When you are using the healing hand, you will consume life energy, continuously export healing effects, and convert a certain amount of negative energy in equal proportions during this period)

+20 for your equalization factor!

You have earned 1 Practice Point (Path of Legends)!

Warning: Due to the lack of a "Domain Pact", it is difficult to maintain the balance effect of the current Equilibrium Hand for a long time, so please complete the writing of the "Domain Pact" within 360 days."

……

It's done!

Matthew looked at his right hand magically.

Now.

He could feel the powerful negative energy and life energy attached to the same hand.

The two conflicts, which were originally full of conflicts, are perfectly combined.

All it takes is Matthew's mind.

He was free to switch back and forth between the Pale Hand and the Healed Hand.

And if he chooses to suppress the power of the realm.

What is presented is the "balanced hand" of the normal state.

The Equalizing Hand has no characteristics.

It's just that the power is a little more than normal.

Besides.

Matthew noticed that the disadvantage of the balanced hand was that it was easy to sweat and oil all the time.

That's not a big deal.

Just have a few extra handkerchiefs.

"360 days should be enough time for me to find the materials that can carry the contract of the realm, right?"

"When the time comes, I will be able to complete the coordination of my right hand and the ritual field, and my legendary path will be able to move forward a lot!"

Matthew thought contentedly.

At this moment, Peggy suddenly walked in.

She said unhappily:

"Matthew, you haven't called me in any fights lately, do you think my combat power is holding you back?"

"I have to show you that I'm the best one under your command!"

"Please let me participate in this battle!"

Matthew looked her up and down, and suddenly asked:

"Upgraded?"

Peggy said happily:

"Hmm!"

"On the day the Black Dragon attacked Rolling Stone, I was suddenly promoted to level 17!"

"I don't know what's going on, but now I'm also a fifth-order boss!"

Level 17.

It just happened to be 1 level higher than Matthew.

Matthew wonders if there is something strange about Peggy.

And the reason why he didn't let Peggy participate in the battle was actually out of the psychology of protecting her.

The last time Peggy went into battle, she lost a lot of bones.

Matthew is still quite distressed.

However, seeing that she was in high spirits, Matthew was not good at beating her:

"Don't worry, I will definitely take you with me in this battle, and there will be a very difficult task for you."

Peggy was overjoyed:

"Really?"

"Then I'm going to cut ten!"

Matthew smiled weakly.

Cooking for a large army should be a difficult task, right?

In fact, he didn't want anyone around him to appear on the battlefield from the bottom of his heart.

If he could, peace would be Matthew's greatest wish.

It's a pity on the way to peace.

It is destined to be full of ups and downs.

……

The next evening.

The official post house of Rolling Rock Town is full of people and traffic.

Today is Sif's birthday.

It was also the time when she held a coming-of-age ceremony.

Matthew arrived at the inn's venue early, his eyes sweeping back and forth among the visiting guests.

It didn't take long.

Little Patton, who had been busy in the venue for most of the day, came to Matthew's side.

Matthew asked in a low voice:

"How?"

"Did you tell Rhaegar that?"

"What's his reaction?"

……

(End of chapter)