After a series of rapid-fire remarks, not only the ordinary skeleton cavalry, but even the real skeleton knight was stunned in place.
Its empty eyes seemed to be conveying some kind of deep contemplation, and soon it asked in the Imperial language:
"Several forces, as you said."
"?"
After a brief moment of confusion, [ Clear Soup Master ] quickly realized that he had made the classic mistake of thinking, "This place can't accommodate so many people."
But that's alright, that's the kind of awe-inspiring effect we want.
So he looked at the knight seriously and said:
"This refers to a faction."
He cleared his throat:
" The Second Holy See is a newly emerging power in the northern part of the Theocracy in recent years (I'm sorry to say the last year), led by the Tree God's son (?), and is currently vying for orthodoxy of papal power with the heretical sect, namely the Tree Worship Church Theocracy."
The Soul Returner stared intently at the skeleton knight before him, certain that the other was not someone completely ignorant of politics and the current situation—or rather, a skeleton.
" The Tree Worship Church Theocracy is your neighbor to the north, surely you've heard of it?"
"I know, the Theocracy."
"The Skeleton Knight said."
The Soul Returner feigned a thoughtful expression:
"But you don't know about the Second Holy See? Hmm, it seems the people on the border of the Theocracy have done a very good job of keeping things secret."
"After all, in their eyes, this is a kind of 'family scandal,' hahaha!"
Listening to the arrogant laughter of his companions, the [ Dark Archmage ] felt as if the skeletal figure in front of him was frowning.
The skeleton knight remained silent for more than ten seconds, then suddenly raised his right forearm.
"Whoosh!"
A series of cavalry sabers, reflecting an eerie luster, were instantly placed against the necks of the two men.
"Hahaha, hahaha, ha..."
The laughter in [ Clear Soup Master's ] throat gradually faded, replaced by genuine astonishment—was he really going to make a move? Where had he made a mistake?
Before he could ponder this further, the skeleton rider before him spoke in a deep and authoritative Psionic Energy voice:
You are spies, in disguise!
" Theocracy, border, espionage."
Are you disguised spies, tasked with gathering intelligence on the Theocracy?
The two instantly understood the meaning behind each other's words.
At this moment, the [ Dark Archmage ]'s heart was racing. The survival rate for adventurers wasn't actually low, but for a captured spy to survive was going to be a nightmare.
Meanwhile, [ Clear Soup Master ] seemed lost in thought:
You guessed it so quickly?
But they guessed the most crucial part wrong. We're not here to gather intelligence on the Theocracy, but rather...
But this is for the best.
A new idea quickly formed in his mind, and he sent a message in the chat box:
"Watch me outsmart them!"
He stiffened his neck and said:
"No, we are just adventurers, not spies."
"Whoosh!"
The blade of the scimitar parted the outer robe, causing a cloth bag full of things to fall to the ground along with it.
"Search!"
At the skeleton knight's command, two skeleton soldiers immediately dismounted and began searching.
Besides the necessary water, tree species, and some seedlings to be activated, they actually found a map drawn on yellowed paper!
[ The Dark Archmage ] was taken aback by this, looking at his companion with some surprise, and at the same time sent a message:
"Was this also part of your calculations?"
"It was just improvisation, nothing more."
"Is that map really okay?"
"Don't worry, I haven't synchronized the information about the Skeleton Alliance yet. Right now, it only shows two provinces in the southern part of the Tree Worship Church Theocracy."
"..."
The Dark Archmage fell silent, recalling his adventures over the past few days.
Her cheap teammate seemed to really enjoy drawing maps, and she had even asked him why he did so.
After all, the map function in the game "World of Disorder" even has three-dimensional layers, which is much more convenient than this.
The response from [ Clear Soup Master ] was: This is just his own little hobby.
Just as some people enjoy counterfeiting money, some enjoy imitating famous paintings, and some enjoy replicating stone sculptures...
His hobby is drawing semi-realistic, yellowed maps with a medieval feel, which he then hangs on the wall of his cabin on the outskirts of Valhalla after a series of aging treatments.
According to the person involved, this would give him a great sense of accomplishment.
Well, it was a lucky accident.
[ The Dark Archmage ] thought.
The map was delivered to the skeleton knight by his subordinates. The crystallized finger bone unfolded the yellowed map, and he carefully examined the rivers, mountains, villages, fortresses marked on it...
And the boundaries between provinces, between Theocracy and empires, and between Theocracy and the Skeleton Alliance.
The only thing missing is...
The dividing line between the Empire and the Skeleton Alliance.
This area serves as a buffer zone between the two countries.
In other words, they are currently standing on that line that has not yet been marked.
Looking at the rather professional and detailed annotations, the Skeleton Knight fell into deep thought.
A map is all it takes to prove the two men in front of you are spies.
The map shows the southeastern part of the Theocracy in great detail, but the Empire and the Skeleton Alliance seem to have been drawn with no effort at all, making them look like two empty shells each occupying one-eighth of the map.
Such a significant difference made it both doubtful and gradually convinced.
At this point, the Skeleton Knight had completely confirmed the identities of the two people before him.
They are definitely spies, but their specific affiliation and purpose remain to be verified.
Based on current intelligence, it seems that the two of them inadvertently arrived here while merely surveying the border line, as evidenced by the fact that the border line was not yet fully drawn.
Since they are most likely not here to spy on the Skeleton Alliance, should we let them go?
Of course not.
No matter where you are, spies are the most hated presence by regular armies, without exception.
They dealt swift and decisive blows to enemy spies, but treated their own spies with sarcasm and cynicism.
Now that these two guys have fallen into his hands—an Essence Knight guarding the border—they can forget about getting away with it until the Sand Capital gives a clear decision on how to deal with them!
A voice, mixed with Psionic Energy, echoed across the valley between the two dunes. Perhaps it was too indistinct, or perhaps for some other reason, but the two Soul Returner couldn't make out what the knight said.
However, the next moment, most of the curved blades that had been wrapped around their necks were removed, leaving only two blades at the front and back.
At the same time, the two of them suddenly felt an increased pressure on their bodies, as if their entire upper body was firmly bound.
Feeling the texture transmitted through their clothes, the two found it to be somewhat too hard.
Ugh, why are these skeletons so hard?
Whether it's physical or attitude.