Chapter 67

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Chapter 67: Things

The ground cracked open, with the sky just above. The dragon wings beat against the air, fighting against gravity, carrying Tasha all the way to the clouds, then folding back.

Inertia carried her upwards by a few meters, then her whole body suddenly plummeted. Plunging from ten thousand meters high, the height transformed into increasing speed. With the sharp vision of an eagle, her target was locked a hundred meters above the ground long before reaching it. The spear crafted by the Craftsman Dwarf for this occasion was held in Tasha’s hand, but strictly speaking, the weapon was her own: only a creature of her colossal dragon stature could remain intact during such a high-speed descent, any bird would disintegrate on its own.

She fell like a shooting star from the sky.

The chaotic wind tore at Tasha’s skin, or rather, her resilient body tore through the air in front of her. Her curly black hair tied up in a special hair net into a bud-like bun, Victor mentioned that this body had magical properties in the hair, stating that the hair and nails would not grow or fall out, cannot be cut short, making this hairstyle the most suitable for action. The ground and everything on it rapidly enlarging in her view, Tasha’s target was not the armored vehicle with the dragon, but a distance away from the large vehicle.

The spear of gods roared as it hit the ground, easily piercing through the tiny window of the armored vehicle with its terrifying energy, shattering the glass into pieces upon contact with the tip of the spear. The sensation of impact traveled up Tasha’s arm through the spear, and she quickly opened her wings.

The owner of the spear plummeted onto the armored vehicle in the next instant, a deafening sound erupted from the several centimeters thick steel shell. As if struck by a giant hammer from above, a round dent appeared on the roof of the armored vehicle, expanding uncontrollably in the next blink of an eye. The hit steel giant beast seemed like a piece of crumpled paper, or a tin can stepped on, the entire body of the vehicle collapsing from the middle, squeezed, and split in half.

Any possible mechanisms, runes were completely scrapped with this strike, the steel spear’s body took on an astonishing curve, and the tip lost its sharpness, turning into a long stick as if melted. Even though flapping her wings to reduce the speed at the end, Tasha’s body still ached faintly, as if she had been hit by an airbag in a car accident, skin unharmed but internal organs churning. She breathed rapidly, swallowing the taste of blood in her throat, the spear shaft piercing through a jumble of armored vehicle debris, lifting the collapsed roof, prying open a side.

The interior of the armored vehicle was a mess, the pilot turned into an unidentifiable lump of flesh, Tasha used the spear shaft to pry them off a structure resembling a dashboard. As soon as she finished this action, she swiftly flapped her wings, the dragon wings lifting her into the air, the wreckage beneath her crashed heavily into another armored vehicle, sending it flying out. The other armored vehicles quickly reacted, starting to move around frantically, if it weren’t for the bloody and real bodies on the ground, Tasha would say it looked like a crazy bumper car ride in an amusement park.

They ran fast and irregularly, making it almost impossible to play out the strategy of descending from above. But it was enough. The power and speed of the previous strike, along with her assessment of the approximate defense capabilities of the armored vehicle, had appeared in Tasha’s mind—the brief glance inside the armored vehicle and the swift actions of the other armored vehicles that followed somewhat confirmed her guess.

Suddenly changing direction mid-air, she was as agile as a bird. This time the ascent was only a few meters, the landing point became more precise, reducing unnecessary casualties. Although not as sharp as before, the sturdy spear still thrust powerfully at an angle, piercing through the small window of the armored vehicle, impaling the pilot and pinning him to the seat.

Tasha pulled out a long spear and smashed the remaining glass in the window. The window was too small to crawl through, but she could hear sounds coming from inside.

"Number twenty-three under attack!"

"Number seven providing support!"

"Number twelve advancing towards two o’clock…"

"…Number twenty-three, please respond!"

A cacophony of electronic noises came from inside the armored vehicle.

The many similarities between Earth technology and magic technology, along with what Tasha had seen and heard so far, were enough for her to make some reasonable guesses.

Tasha smiled, took off again, and headed towards the other armored vehicles charging in that direction.

The armored vehicle that was about to head in that direction immediately turned when it saw Tasha kicking the tank out of the battle and no longer paid attention. The other vehicles temporarily ignored the immobile wreckage. Tasha engaged with them, waiting until the majestic horse ran towards the battlefield.

Beast Speaker Pulima rode her spirit pet Joey into the battle, carrying Minstrel Jacqueline with her. The horses that had made a contract with the Druid were now shinier and smoother than before. Their large iron hooves could knock down soldiers in their path, yet could quickly turn and evade armored cars like fish. Following Tasha’s orders, they arrived at the forgotten armored car, where the horse leaped onto the vehicle, and Pulima gently set Jacqueline down from the horse.

Despite being in her mid-twenties, Jacqueline, with her fairy bloodline, was still petite like a young girl. She crawled through the window with her harp, her cat-like flexible body squeezing through successfully. She nestled between a corpse and a dashboard, caressing her harp.

Of course, Jacqueline would not operate the armored car, and Tasha had no intention of letting her do so.

"Sing, Jacqueline," said Tasha.

The pilot of a car seemed to realize the potential danger and drove straight towards Jacqueline’s armored car. Tasha skillfully repeated her actions, landing like an eagle swooping down to prey. The pierced pilot stubbornly slumped onto the dashboard, the armored car continued forward, while Tasha forcefully plunged the steel spear tip into the tank tread of the armored car. The metal treads and the spear shaft emitted a grating sound, sparks flying like a grinding wheel sharpening iron. The armored car hadn’t stopped yet, Tasha ascended and descended, accelerating and forcefully colliding with the side of the armored car.

The armored car finally veered off course, overturned after drawing an arc, and the long spear that had completed many tasks also met its end, twisted into a piece of scrap metal. Tasha, who had confronted the steel giant beast with her body, was flung out by the reaction force. She flapped her wings to stabilize herself, wiping away the fresh blood from her mouth and nose. Her irregularly beating heart reminded her that her dragon attributes did not make her indestructible. One more hit like that, and Tasha’s body would likely be beyond repair.

However, the objective had been achieved, and the humans had lost their chance.

Jacqueline began to sing.

The harp was strummed, her velvety voice filled the air. The gentle hypnotic sound drifted, soothing the taut nerves.

The intensity and range of the minstrel’s songs are inversely proportional. To lull the tense and passionate warriors on the battlefield, the songs need to have a limited reach. Sound is the medium through which the minstrel uses their skills, and the chaos and noise on the battlefield can have a significant impact as well.

However, there is something similar to a walkie-talkie or radio between each armored vehicle.

The magical singing resounded inside an armored vehicle, accurately transmitted to each vehicle with the help of magic technology. This technology had once helped humanity stay connected, and now it faithfully carries out its duty, even though the users are enemies of humanity. The devilish melody surrounded the cramped space, becoming unavoidable whispers. The pilots widened their eyes in fear, then their eyelids grew heavy, their bodies swayed, and they fell asleep.

The impact on the instrument panel was not enough to wake these people up.

Finally, a collision occurred between the armored vehicles. The sleeping pilots caused vehicle after vehicle to rear-end, crash into trees, and drive off the battlefield. Those who survived the crash and woke up had not yet reacted when they quickly fell back asleep to the singing in their ears. Tasha chose to stop one vehicle in the middle of the battlefield and used the additional skill of the minstrel.

[Increase Volume]: Increase Volume! Speed up the rhythm! Louder! Stronger! Farther! You can amplify the effect of something hundreds or thousands of times, totally getting high non-stop! Living things can be boosted to the max! Even dead things can be amplified for you to see!

Think carefully, this skill was truly tailored for the minstrel.

The broadcast was greatly enhanced, the song pierced through the steel plates, echoing across the battlefield, making everyone drowsy. The ensemble in the broadcast was repeatedly strengthened, with sound waves sweeping across the vast wilderness, gradually calming down the previously lively battlefield. The shouts of killing stopped, the clash of weapons ceased, and the warriors, exhausted, struggled to keep their eyes open, eventually swaying and falling to the ground, sleeping side by side with the enemies they had just fought to death with.

This scene was truly spectacular.

On the battlefield, all regular soldiers were defeated, falling into a deep sleep. The few who were still able to move quickly sprang into action. Strong spirit beasts and druids capable of transforming into bears and lions, along with a gnome who could collapse structures, hurried to push a armored vehicle skillfully enhanced by Tasha out of the battlefield to a safe distance. The gnome then used vines to bury the vehicle. As soon as the vehicle and its occupants ran away, the armored vehicle exploded seconds later.

Amidst the explosion, those on the ground remained deeply asleep.

The battle ended earlier than anticipated.

The explosive power of the one-time ability was immense, causing even the individuals pushing the vehicle to fall due to the impact, despite the cushioning effect of soil and vines. Could this move be used as an attacking technique in the future? Tasha briefly pondered, then regretfully dismissed the idea. The greater the energy, the more powerful the explosion, rendering it ineffective with small objects, and enhancing an enemy’s weapon could cause more harm than good. The magical energy required for this move was better off used for making bombs, for emergencies, it was barely satisfactory.

The professionals quickly cleared the battlefield, restrained the enemies, rescued their own people. Those affected by the hypnotic music could sleep for a whole day and night as long as they were not harmed. The druid and Mavis, who were reluctantly considered as magic users, went to investigate the dragon net on the last vehicle’s roof. They stared at each other cluelessly, unable to come up with a solution.

The dragons and dragon riders were in a deep sleep, the magic formation silently operating. The armored vehicle seemed like a single entity, the runes preventing it from being cut or dismantled, not even the iron tracks could be moved. Tasha attempted to make the structure collapse or rise, causing the long iron tracks to fluctuate up and down, but they did not break.

"You can’t figure out a solution either?" Tasha looked at Victor.

"It’s kind of like a magical lock… Why should I be able to figure it out?" Victor retorted immediately, "I’ve never seen anything like this before, have you?"

"I thought a big demon like you would at least have a broad perspective," Tasha commented.

"Just because you’ve seen it, does that mean you can do it? Have you seen a short person blacksmithing, does that mean you can blacksmith too?" protested Victor.

"Yes," replied Tasha.

No matter how mysterious Craftsman Dwarf’s words were, to Tasha, forging equipment was as simple as assembling furniture according to the instructions. With her excellent memory and dragon attributes that allowed her to withstand high temperatures, swinging a hammer, even though she could never become a master who created masterpieces based on experience alone, Tasha felt fully capable of being a craftsman. Her mind was elsewhere, and there was no need to waste time.

Victor choked for a moment, then said, "So, if you hear a language, can you speak it?"

"Yes," said Tasha, who had once self-taught herself a foreign language while on a business trip.

"…Alright, you’re amazing, applause for you," Victor said dryly, "I can’t do it anyway, so it’s up to you. Things like the magic lock will disappear once the energy runs out, just wait for it."

It was quite bold to just wait for it to fail in this situation.

All attempts to cut and destroy failed, and it was Craftsman Dwarf who finally came up with a solution. Instead of moving the rails or dismantling the iron plates on the armored vehicle, they used the technique of welding Magic Stones to add new strokes to the runes. The magic array shimmered like a faulty circuit overloaded with wires, flickered a few times, then melted into the air.

With a resounding crash, the giant dragon fell, crushing the roof of the armored vehicle. The dragon, which had struggled fiercely just moments ago, now lay motionless, eyes closed tight in unconsciousness, its scales devoid of luster. Dragon rider Douglas tumbled off the dragon, looking equally defeated, unable to stand on his own but still conscious.

"This thing is definitely for dragons," Douglas said worriedly, "Otherwise, I shouldn’t be awake."

Tasha’s hand lightly touched the damaged magic circle, feeling a slight sting like touching dry ice. She couldn’t sense anything more, unsure if it was because the essence extracted was not purely dragonborn, or because the magic circle had already been destroyed.

The good news was that the railroad tracks became much weaker when the magic circle disappeared, making it easier for the gnome to destroy them. Tasha controlled the gnome to move along the tracks, flipping over the laid iron bars. Items nearby were salvaged, while those far away were destroyed completely. The gnome itself required little magic power to operate, so it wasn’t a big loss if it got damaged.

Many things could be salvaged from this battle.

Most of the mechanical birds were blown to pieces, but luckily the dungeon had its own direction for developing drones, using similar mechanical birds only for recycling materials. The lullaby was used to preserve the remaining armored vehicles to the fullest extent possible. Some armored vehicles that stalled in the middle of the battlefield were like canned meat served on a platter, no matter how tough the metal, it couldn’t withstand being slowly dismantled by diners.

The most intact armored vehicle only had its door pried open, with the pilot captured alive.

The Craftsman Dwarf’s workshop had a big harvest, with craftsmen eagerly eyeing the new toys. Tasha instructed them to temporarily ignore the vehicle bodies and focus on studying the communication systems inside the armored vehicles. If they could develop a loudspeaker to broadcast, having flying dragons hold a few Jacqueline concerts in human gathering places might potentially resolve many battles without bloodshed.

"Do you really think this will work?" Victor poured cold water on the idea, "The minstrel’s skills rely on sound as a medium, but that doesn’t mean sound transmission can solve all problems."

Tasha understood this well.

She still found it difficult to understand how spells worked, but she could sense the fluctuation of magic. What really worked was not the singing, just like how Mavis’s potion did not work because of the taste—it was all about sound, taste, color, all of which were external manifestations of some complex mechanism at work.

But here, the broadcast used magical technology, a technology powered by Magic Stones.

Tasha had a hunch that there could be some kind of connection between the two, even if the result of this "hunch" judgment was not certain, it was not without a trace. Tasha felt her understanding of Aryan’s laws was like how ancient Earthlings understood scientific laws in the dark ages, unable to find the principle but able to deduce a law, only able to use mysticism to comprehend the world. Mysticism, it’s always hard to pin down, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

"Let’s give it a try," Tasha said.

Armored vehicles were piled up everywhere in the factory, while the hospital was filled with wounded soldiers. The hospital’s healing capacity had indeed made a significant leap, with the number of wounded increasing significantly: in addition to their own wounded, enemy wounded were also brought back.

The lullaby brought in a large number of prisoners of war to the dungeon, and the prepared prisoner-of-war camp was almost overcrowded. The act of not slaughtering the prisoners of war made many humans with complex feelings towards the enemy breathe a sigh of relief and also aroused some discontent.

"Many nurses want to know why we have to take care of the enemy," Mavis sighed, "The young folks are not bad-hearted, but taking care of our own bloody comrades makes many people inevitably angry at the enemy. Let’s hope we can convince all the kids who are momentarily misguided, doctors save lives, not take them."

"Orcs do not have a tradition of keeping prisoners of war," Marion said, "there are still many Orcs who believe that the best fate for a defeated army is to die on the battlefield, and capturing prisoners is shameful and pitiful—but some people are also happy about this, they want to know if we will soon have human slaves."

Marion tried to maintain a neutral and objective tone, but at the end, she still stuck out her tongue and made a helpless expression of annoyance. "We won’t have slaves here!" Mavis laughed and shook her head. Tasha nodded and said, "There are no permanent enemies either."

According to the standards of the Geneva Convention, Tasha’s actions were considered not very humane. She prioritized medical resources for her own people, leaving severely injured enemies behind. However, she did not see any reason to abandon or overlook young enemies with only minor injuries.

They saw enemies, but Tasha saw resources.

"Including the ones we’ve encountered?" Marion frowned as if thinking of something, "They are… difficult to persuade."

"How are they doing, Samuel?" Tasha asked.

"They’re doing okay," Marion replied.

"Then let them continue," Tasha smiled, "We have time."

Saro’s Saint Child was no longer the sole leader.

People in white robes moved between hospitals and prisoner camps. This group, preaching the ideals of light and justice, still carried the name of Saro, although it may have evolved from previous versions of Saroism. Among their followers were humans, Craftsman Dwarves, and Orcs, shaping the new Saroism through Samuel’s guidance.

The Pastors of Saro engaged in various charitable activities, caring for enemies that medical staff avoided, performing rites for the deceased, offering last confessions for the dying, and praying for grieving loved ones. They preached fables to children and the ignorant, promoted good deeds, accompanied the lonely, and comforted the depressed. They displayed unmatched patience and unwavering tolerance, spreading the message that "God loves every soul equally, and all those who do good can be saved."

In the past few days, the growing Saroism followers have become like the newspaper in the southeast corner, serving as the dungeon’s voice to the outside.

Every battle and sight of death helped Saint Child of Saro grow, showing Samuel’s unique talents. What kind of person will he become in the end? Tasha waits to see.

The final gain from this battle seemed insignificant at first glance.

The mechanical bird and aircraft exploded in the wilderness between Ribe Lake and the southeast corner, leaving armored vehicles shattered and their metal debris collected, while most of their energy dissipated into the air.

This was not a loss.

Mixed with the remnants of the previous airship, the magical air made Tasha feel more comfortable. It almost seemed easier to fly now.

"The magic environment has indeed improved a lot, although the change is quite extravagant." Victor confirmed her speculation about the magic fluctuations, "For a long time, the ground magic was as thin as a zero magic zone, and now the air here is almost as rich as it was centuries ago."

Perhaps even more so.

On the next evening, tiny purple fruits appeared on the battlefield.

A plain little plant called Fairy Lamp appeared, neither good nor bad. Its sudden appearance last time didn’t cause much impact (except for some interesting stories dug up from Victor), only Mavis seemed quite happy, "It’s this one!" the mixed-blood elf said cheerfully, "Although it has no taste, Mom used it for decoration. It’s rare to have such an elegant purple color. I only ate it a few times when I was a child, then it stopped growing in the forest."

When asked about its origin, Mavis couldn’t say. As for the reason for its disappearance, she was even more clueless. No one knew why Fairy Lamp disappeared in the first place, and why it reappeared in Angaso Forest hundreds of years later.

It is still the same now.

Fairy Lamp silently spread, quietly covering the wilderness between Ribe Lake and the southeast corner. It used to only appear in Angaso Forest, how did it spread here in a single day? It has no flowers, only fruits. It has no roots and leaves, only tiny inconspicuous vines. Tasha, watching the battlefield, saw them grow. There were no visible signs, the small dew-like spots expanded rapidly like the opening of a night-blooming cereus.

Tasha, who could feel the flow of magic, felt more as they grew.

"Are fairies magical creatures?" Tasha asked, "Do they sprinkle fairy dust?"

"Yes, fairies produce fairy dust on their wings, used to conceal their tracks—it’s a unique magical ingredient. The moment you see it, you forget its existence, except for creatures with fairy bloodline, even the most skilled wizards need a magic circle to collect it," Victor said, muttering, "Your description sounds like a bird molting."

Tasha suddenly understood.

The dungeon quickly absorbed a Fairy Lamp, broke it down, analyzed it. The results discovered by Tasha were astonishing; if Fairy Lamp were to be classified, it probably wasn’t a plant but a type of fungus.

Fairy Lamp lives together with fairies. Magical spores, invisible to the naked eye, mix with fairy dust and appear in places where fairies often visit. Even when fairies disappear, Fairy Lamp does not disappear with them.

Just like how the Blue Ear spreads around riding on deer, the departure of the deer does not make the Blue Ear disappear, because what truly makes the Blue Ear grow is water and soil. The spores of Fairy Lamp remain in the world, like seeds in the desert waiting for the rainy season. When the dry land like the zero magic zone regains its magical energy, these magical creatures that have been missing for many years will thrive once again.

It is not useless at all. This mushroom that lives together with pure magical creatures has unique characteristics.

Fairy Lamp is an excellent conductor of magic.

No, it cannot become some extraordinary magical material, otherwise the wizards of the past would have discovered its use long ago. The "magic conductor" property of Fairy Lamp is only useful for itself, allowing it to unconsciously seek the most suitable place to grow. But Tasha, as a dungeon, wants to mimic creatures without souls just like it devoured the land and trees before, even though it cannot please the Abyss, it can completely mimic similar creations.

She can possess the abilities and perspectives of Fairy Lamp.

The dungeon version of Fairy Lamp is born in the Magic Pool, where invisible spores float down to the ground under Tasha’s guidance. They leisurely drift along the magical currents in the air, heading towards the heavily guarded Ribe Lake.

The magic of Ribe Lake is not enough for Fairy Lamp to grow, but the magic array that once trapped the dragon on an armored vehicle was once a massive magic circuit connected to the railway tracks. Even after gnomes removed a large part of the tracks, there are still traces of abundant magic flow. The spores of Fairy Lamp stick to the surface of the railway tracks, instinctively seeking places with more abundant upstream magic.

What lies upstream on the railway tracks is what Tasha is most curious about.

She felt the tiny spores swirling around her, moving at a frightening speed – after all, they were magical species that could grow all over Angaso Forest in a single day. Tasha could vaguely sense the colorful scenery being stretched in her senses by Fairy Lamp, making the world seem immense. As she moved forward, she felt a huge presence, a massive burst of magic! It seemed like Fairy Lamp knew it was almost at its destination, rushing forward quickly, and at that moment, Tasha used the "Increase Volume" skill on one of the spores.

Her narrow and blurry vision suddenly expanded and became crystal clear, allowing Tasha to see clearly what was in front of her for a brief moment.

There was a huge creature spewing out white mist and roaring as it approached on the railway tracks… Was it a train?