Chapter 79

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Chapter 79: For a Better World

The dungeon is being reorganized, unsure how long it will take, uncertain of the final outcome.

The Soul Fragment that Victor left behind as a guardian in the soul realm had become independent, unlike Tasha’s dragon body. Their memories and states should not have been connected, but the Book of Dungeons inexplicably recounted what the fragment had heard.

Two anomalies of moderate size appeared together, becoming a troubling threat.

The eldest, Mavis, also lacked understanding about dungeons and demons, but there was a wizard named Webster who had some guesses about it. He introduced himself as the "heir of Cretaceous College" and mentioned that this long-standing vanguard of the abyss had been under study.

"Dungeons operate independently, separate from the other monster armies of Decaying Disaster, and often serve as strongholds for high-level lord monsters and abyss devotees. It is considered one of the most effective abyssal combat units," Webster pointed out a relevant section as he flipped through an ancient manuscript. "Although the necessary triggers are still unknown to outsiders, restructuring is not necessarily bad for the dungeon itself. Dungeons have the most adaptable magical mechanisms in place. With your permission, I would like the honor of observing the restructuring process firsthand."

He talked about the dungeon like a scientist talking about extinct animals. Although the old, skinny man spoke politely, his cloudy eyes showed a strong desire that was hard to look at, making it hard to refuse his request to study.

Webster, over ninety years old, couldn’t see clearly without his magic lenses. His hand trembled as he held the book, looking like a strong gust of wind could knock him over. He arrived in Tasmarin with a cart full of books and insisted on registering them all himself, causing a big traffic jam at the entrance. The staff were exasperated and almost begged him to stop.

"Cretaceous College? Ha, those people on the plains." Victor mocked, "What ‘Abyss Researcher,’ clearly an Abyss Worshipper."

Judging by the strange tattoo on the old man’s wrist and his treatment of book thieves (heaven help their skin), he was definitely not a typical scholar in a white robe.

The loyal Abyss Worshippers had met their end with their master, and the arrival of the Cretaceous College would only bring traitors from the Abyss Worshipper ranks. But so what, the dungeon welcomed both white and black robes, welcoming Necromancers and witches.

The eldest Shadow Witch had no idea how to reorganize the dungeon. She warned Tasha to beware of demons. "Deal with problems first, as you can never guess the demons’ tricks." Bluntly admitting her shortcomings ("Come on, witches rely on intuition and charm for a living, I’m not a wizard!"), she then hinted at trying her methods to deal with demons.

"Such as?" Tasha asked casually.

The unnamed witch described some indescribable horror stories in a sweet voice, getting so excited that shadows wrapped around Tasha’s feet like furry tails. She eagerly asked for Tasha’s opinion, as if she had just shared a simple recipe. Tasha politely rejected without hesitation, tearing off the clinging shadows.

Victor should be utterly grateful for this.

The new wizard joined the dungeon, along with their books, but none of it could solve Tasha’s questions. She wasn’t a typical dungeon, and Victor wasn’t a regular middle-tier demon. In the end, the answers to both questions remained unknown.

"You don’t seem to be in a hurry," Tasha said to Victor. "Aren’t you worried about being outsmarted in the end?"

Victor was puzzled when he realized his own issues. However, after hearing Tasha’s guess, he quickly accepted the truth and carried on without any worries. Tasha didn’t think he was someone who just left things to fate.

"Can’t really tell if it’s being outsmarted or not," Victor said. "In the end, it’s all me."

"Doesn’t that create competition for dominance between the two?" Tasha wondered.

"They’ll blend together," Victor calmly explained. "Just as they were separated at first, they will merge back together, the two parts becoming one entity. Where does the concept of dominance come in for one soul?"

Tasha felt like she and Victor were speaking different languages.

"You two have already split," she tried to explain, "you didn’t know what I told him back then."

"But I could guess what he—’me’—would probably do, and I guessed right."

"I can guess most of the things Marion can do very accurately, but that doesn’t mean we are the same person."

"Well… that’s not the main point! Water poured into different cups remains the same water, and it’s the same when they come together. So why do you think in a way limited by your physical body? I thought only creatures from the Primary Material Plane had such restrictions." Victor clicked his tongue, "You can easily split parts of your soul and place them in different bodies. Why would you compete for dominance with those you are fighting over?"

"But we are connected, existing in the same time simultaneously," Tasha argued.

Different bodies are like different containers, but the souls inside different containers are still connected. When Tasha controls different bodies, it’s like putting a hand into a puppet – except the hand also has a brain.

While Victor splits his soul by pouring a pot of water into different cups, he also puts those cups into the fridge. The water outside has salt and sugar added, then it’s boiled on the stove. When the cups from the fridge are taken out, can the ice cube and the half-filled cup be considered the same thing now?

If we view people as four-dimensional beings, considering a slice from a past time period compared to the most recent one, can it still be considered the same person? Experiences can change a person’s thoughts and character – the longer they live, the greater the impact of later influences. What defines a person? Who is "I"? This is truly an unsolvable philosophical question.

If Tasha were to answer, she would probably say, "The me at this moment is who I am." Even if there are cycles of reincarnation, she doesn’t believe her past or future selves are her – she wants to live in the present.

"After we merge, we will naturally connect and share memories from this time when we weren’t connected," Victor said. "I have split and fused many times; it’s not a big deal."

"After merging, which side will we be more like?" Tasha asked. "Depends on what? Soul quality? Power? Who is the original body?"

"No matter if we merge or not, the contract remains intact, you are still my master – this soul contract is not good." Victor sighed, "What are you so conflicted about? Can’t bear to let me go?"

He chuckled, using a tone that said "haha, I am joking." But Tasha remained silent, and Victor gradually stopped laughing. The pages of the book rustled uncomfortably.

"No need to worry." He muttered, "I won’t disappear from merging. Whether staying the same or finding ways to repair soul fusion, each version of me is the same. Will be interested in the same things, hate the same things, love the same…"

As he spoke, his voice got lower. Finally, the sound of flipping pages drowned out his words. The atmosphere became quite strange, making Tasha feel uneasy, as if she had discovered something. She stayed silent for a moment and said, "What I mean is, I might not get used to the new you."

The Book of Dungeons fell silent and slammed shut.

Not only did it shut, but it wrapped around like a belt, making knots that seemed as if it could jump to the top shelf. Waves of frustration radiated from the connection, making Tasha waver between mild sympathy and amusement. She couldn’t help but pat the top of the book.

"Go away, let me be alone," Victor said darkly.

Tasha refused to leave, unwrapping the book in place. Every loop she undid, Victor rewound – the scene of a book trying to protect itself was too comical, and any worries dissipated. Tasha laughed as she opened Victor up despite his protests, feeling like she was tickling a cat belly against its will.

——————————

A few months later, the Empire’s army organized another attack.

The Magic Core, like a worn-out boiler, barely recovered to a usable state. The Empire didn’t dare to use it to its full potential on the train. Another way was to fill the Magic Core with Magic Stones, similar to turning slime into gold, or like filling a battery on Earth. Light airships took off in human lands, acting more as airborne support for the infantry underground.

Surprisingly, this long-awaited attack, both in scale and intensity, was far less compared to the one led by General Shirel.

The seemingly powerful army charged into Tasmanian’s borders, Tasha’s troops stationed there fought back briefly, the Empire’s army retreated swiftly. The soldiers, ready to repel the invaders with high spirits, were confused. Officers thought it was a probing attack and ordered everyone to be on high alert. However, drones and spies reported the same news – there was no second wave; the Empire’s army had withdrawn.

This time, the leader was General Norman, a sly and cautious person. The attack came earlier than anticipated by Tasha; rather than being fully prepared, they were pressured by the life-and-death situation. As tensions eased, different factions offered conflicting opinions, leading to chaotic meetings each day. The dungeon’s propaganda continued without pause, spies preparing for a perfect moment. Using force to stop smuggling would only create more unrest, shifting internal conflicts to war was a common tactic.

However, Tasha didn’t expect the battle to fizzle out like this. She thought the Empire was preparing for a long tug-of-war to unite people against a common enemy.

Soon, Tasha understood their intentions.

The day after the skirmish-like battle, the Emperor gave a speech in the capital city.

"Citizens! It has been several months since that shocking accusation," he said solemnly, standing beneath the city’s clock tower. "As you all know, Hybrids from the Abyss have invaded our Aryan. These evil creatures emerged from the depths of the southeast, occupying and deceiving many unfortunate people. The shining jewel of Ribe Lake in the southeast of Aryan has been taken over, and even the whole of Tasmanian has been tainted. They have invaded our Empire, slaughtered our citizens, defiled our women, deceived our children, making them see thieves as fathers, believing it’s normal to coexist with Hybrids! If we allow these demonic allies to continue, what will become of our Aryan!"

Next is a big piece of evidence comparing the past to now, from a thousand years ago when humans were oppressed, to five hundred years ago when humans were oppressed, to three hundred years ago when humans were oppressed, to two hundred years ago when humans were oppressed… If what the leader said about humans’ sufferings is true, theoretically, there should be no more living people in Aryan right now.

"If it was a year ago, I would urge citizens to join a great war fought for humanity. Let’s reclaim our land from the evil Hybrids! Without hesitation, I say this is a battle of honor and survival for humanity, where we must pick up our swords!" The leader said passionately, "However, the evil Hybrids have corrupted some weak guards, destroying our resources!"

Those who were unsure about what weapons needed what energy also became angry in the heated atmosphere.

"Our weapons became useless, leaving only soldiers fighting with their own bodies. We were not able to defeat those evil creatures who sold their souls to the abyss. But! We will never surrender!" The leader said, "We have secretly thwarted countless attacks by the Hybrids in unseen battles, allowing our citizens to remain safe, even unaware of the great warriors who fought tirelessly for Aryan. Just yesterday, we launched a full-scale attack, all our strength put into defending our empire! Citizens! Those of you safe in the heartland! Have you also seen the indomitable airships in the distance?"

Finally, Tasha understood why, during the critical shortage of energy, the light airships were circling over the entire Aryan Empire territory – apparently, their main role was just to circle around.

The leader vividly described a fierce battle where brave soldiers fought valiantly, advancing triumphantly, driving the Tasmanian Hybrids to flee in disarray, almost jumping into the sea. Of course, due to lack of coordination from Tasha’s side, as they did not jump into the sea, the story took a twist. The foreshadowing had been set, with insufficient energy due to past evil tricks of the Hybrids, the weapons finally failed, leading to the defeat of the great Imperial Army.

The story was lively and rich in twists and turns. The writer of this speech truly had the talent of a storyteller. If read to the dungeon soldiers who participated in yesterday’s battle, they would likely listen with amazement and even cheer – after all, with the adaptation to this extent, the original story would be unrecognizable.

This was not a battle where the sorrowful soldiers would inevitably win.

"If it was a hundred years ago, we would gather soldiers from across the empire, fighting to the last man standing," the leader said, "But now, the Aryan Empire is unshakeable, and humans are rightfully the rulers of the world, the spirits of all things! They should fear us, not the other way around! The longer time passes, the more they, who are being controlled, will become shaken and chaotic. Once our energy is fully restored, we can easily break into the Hybrid-occupied cities without losing a single soldier, eliminating those terrified evil creatures like scaring birds away!"

On the contrary, this is a "no battle mobilization".

The empire’s high-ranking officials and army, who are uncertain, don’t want to fight for now.

The leader grandly talked a lot of nonsense to show that this ceasefire is what everyone wanted, a triumph of humanity and kindness, a display of humanitarianism towards soldiers and civilians. He declared that the most important thing now is to restore energy, recruit "misunderstood wizards" from the past, and counter the propaganda full of lies from the southeast. In summary, his lofty words amount to nothing but empty threats before running away.

"Citizens, the night has fallen in the southeast," the leader concluded, "but the darkness is always temporary. When the sun rises, it is destined to be driven away. For a better world, let us endure for now."

The "Nightfall Speech" ultimately became the beginning of the showdown between the dungeon forces and the Aryan Empire.

That’s strange.

The leader’s speech spread throughout the whole capital city, and then expanded to the Aryan Empire through newspapers and propaganda announcements. However, before the whole country could hear and accept it, a new major event erupted at the border.

Airships belonging to the southeast took off.

More visually stunning airships than light airships or even colossal whale airships flew in groups, bearing the emblem of the Tasha faction – it had previously been printed on drones and propaganda leaflets dropped, and the residents of the Aryan Empire were already familiar with it. The military and residents at the border looked up in astonishment, watching the massive flying objects slowly approaching in the sky.

When the dark clouds spread towards them, people heard the mechanical rumbling.

The armored vehicles from the dungeon, Iron Golem, and artillery, came along with the airship’s shadow.

"Are they crazy?" exclaimed the officer stationed here, "Do they really want to start a full-scale war?"

It was as if a massive bomb exploded at the empire’s border, catching the military off guard. The troops who had just returned to the capital after a performance battle in Tasmanian were now only responsible for building defenses and handling smugglers. They were completely unprepared and panicked.

Are they joking? Is this a hoax? Didn’t they report few casualties from the recent battle? How could they suddenly launch a full-on attack like this? The officers asked each other in horror, rubbing their eyes in disbelief. The soldiers at the front cursed and blamed their fleeing allies who had stirred up trouble, many showing despair. Why were they, the outer perimeter troops, facing such a well-equipped iron army? The troops hastily and chaotically gathered, hesitating to charge forward.

Firstly, the troops stationed here were far from elite and completely unprepared, lacking the determination and courage to fight till the end, as mentioned earlier. Secondly, their opponents, the iron army, were breaking through their half-built defenses with ease.

The "Nightfall Line" planned by the emperor had just begun construction, considering that allied forces had recently needed to exit for a closing performance. The trench was neither deep nor wide enough, and the wooden planks carried by infantry beside the armored vehicles were enough for the troops to cross. Overcoming the terrain obstacles, they reached the semi-finished wooden isolation barrier. Without the need for armored vehicles to ram through, Iron Golem tore apart the defense line with ease.

Imagine the feeling of the peripheral troops who had never witnessed the power of golems nearby.

Tasha always appeared defensive, the troops from the dungeon were indeed outnumbered and always short-staffed, never initiating a battle since appearing on the Aryan stage. The empire’s expert scholars studied her past performance and behavior, confirming that the Abyss Passage had not opened, viewing Tasha as an unusual dungeon with conservative behavior patterns – likely having some deadly restrictions.

Maybe these people know about dungeons and Nest Mothers, but unfortunately, "Understanding the psychology of modern humans who enter dungeons" was never Aryan’s area of study.

The Iron Golem army was advancing effortlessly. Armored vehicles and infantry were moving forward together. As the defending soldiers arrived late, the oddly equipped infantry charged ahead.

Before the crossbows could be brought into action, the first batch of defending soldiers, armed with swords and spears, faced the humanoid soldiers rushing towards them. At least they were facing other humans (or they appeared to be). It was better than facing terrifying giant puppets and war machines, right? Even though these people were carrying strange canisters and wearing peculiar closed helmets, how bad could the situation get? Before the defending soldiers could feel relieved, the enemy started hurling canisters towards them.

The canisters did not hit anyone but landed on the ground, releasing a thick white smoke. It was just smoke, with no strong explosion or anything else. It seemed harmless, but before this thought could fully form, it vanished from the soldiers’ minds.

What kind of smell was this? It was like a mix of three-month-old rotten fish left in a dark corner in midsummer, combined with socks unwashed for three months, excrement, sewage, no, no, no, those descriptions were too mild. The current smell was intense, like a powerful punch of horror that hit their nostrils and exploded in their brains. Before they could react, they were on their knees, crawling, crying in pain.

The skunk secretion and some fly-pollinated fungi, processed by the Druid and condensed into canisters under the Craftsman Dwarf’s craftsmanship, created ammunition that was natural, pollution-free, and superior to bio-weapons.

In this brutal attack, the army moved as if they were in a deserted land.

"We have too few men for a full-scale war," Victor said. "Are we not planning to fight?"

"Of course," Tasha replied. "This is a declaration of peace."

This is indeed a peace declaration. Without the strength to support a peace declaration, it will only be seen as a sign of surrendering and showing weakness.

The dungeon had never been able to create military airships that could be useful on the battlefield. The civilian airships for passengers were not much help either, but making advertisement airships was no problem. Groups of advertisement airships flew out from Tasmanian with slogans written on them, and flyers were dropped from above. The Iron Golem crushed all obstacles, carrying a large number of horns, playing the declaration repeatedly at full volume. Protected by tear gas infantry, the mechanical arms of the armored vehicles branded the short declaration in a prominent place, with tank tracks themselves forming slogans…

Before the large-scale Imperial Army arrived to block them, this peaceful propaganda army had already penetrated deep into Aryan territory to a terrifying extent, causing no casualties, and eventually withdrawing unharmed. They left behind plenty of traces, flaunting in front of plenty of people, to the extent that their presence could not be covered up or blocked off at all.

Tasha didn’t speak as extensively as the Chancellor.

The message she sent was very simple: Tasmanian will choose the path of peaceful development, welcoming all well-intentioned outsiders while advocating peace, openness, cooperation, harmony, and mutual benefit. We do not intend to start a war, even though we have the capability to do so.

The slogan is: For a Better World.

With the "Nightfall Speech" as the introduction, the "Peace Declaration" officially opened the prelude of the non-belligerent confrontation between dungeon and the Aryan Empire.

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