To help players distinguish between friend and foe, the game " World of Disorder " generally enables ID display by default.
If the distance between two players is less than 20 meters, a small cursor will appear above their heads to mark the location; if the distance is less than 10 meters, the specific ID will be automatically displayed.
It seems that this was why they had been exposed before. As for the Soul Returner on the other side, they had already turned off this option in their settings.
Realizing this, everyone fell silent. Only after today's battle did they learn their lesson and turn off their ID display early on.
[ Easily Soluble in Water ] The canvas curtain in front was lifted, and the group walked out of the tent and into the military camp.
This squad is currently stationed at a military camp on the front lines of the war between the Alliance and the Empire, and is on the offensive.
So in a practical sense, they have already entered the territory of the Skeleton Alliance. It's just that the desertification rules haven't fully taken effect yet, otherwise they probably wouldn't even have a single wooden wedge to hold their tent in place.
Seeing the group fully armed and ready to depart, the NPCs passing by cast respectful glances at [ Howling Pothos ] and his companions.
The reason is simple: although according to the Imperial military system, [ Howling Pothos ]'s current rank is Scout Corporal, which is the lowest rank in this world without "Squad Leaders," [ Howling Pothos ] is still the most capable fighter in this hundred-man squad. Many NPCs think they are even better than Centurion [ Practice More If You're Bad ].
But the centurion was a very honest man, and he never withheld anything that was due to be given to everyone. So everyone knew this fact, but no one had the idea of replacing him with [ Howling Pothos ].
The group successfully completed facial recognition verification and left the military camp outside the border, beginning their eastward journey under the cover of night.
As they advanced, the rules of the Skeleton Alliance became increasingly clear.
The desertification of the ground gradually increased, turning it into sand and gravel that was even worse than Wilderness of Chaos, followed by large chunks of sand.
Many players speculate that once they venture deeper into the heart of the Skeleton Alliance, they might find the kind of fine sand found only on beaches.
The scout team continued forward, and although it was night, there was nothing around to obstruct their view, so they made their way safely.
As they walked, [ Easily Soluble in Water ] suddenly took two steps forward and asked [ Howling Pothos ]:
"Captain, do you think what those soldiers are saying is true?"
What did they say?
"Oh, you haven't heard about it before?"
[ Easily Soluble in Water ] After a moment's hesitation, he explained:
"They said that before we were drafted, the officers above us had said—"
"The people in the Skeleton Alliance are all resurrected from the skeletons of the dead, and they are all different from when they were alive."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
[ Howling Pothos ] seemed a little confused, and [ Easily Soluble in Water ] continued:
"I heard it goes like this: A long time ago, there was a clash between the Empire and the Skeleton Alliance, and the bodies of the fallen soldiers were taken by the Skeleton Alliance. I don't know what they're used for."
"Later, someone recognized him as his former comrade-in-arms by the scars on the bones of a skeleton soldier, but the other party obviously did not remember any of it."
"According to those in the Imperial army, the souls inside those skeletons don't belong to the original owners of the remains; they've been inhabited by other souls."
"Or perhaps his personality has changed drastically?"
[ Howling Pothos ] pondered and said:
"After all, he died and came back to life; it's normal for him to be a little crazy."
He had been quite busy before and hadn't paid much attention to the rumors among the NPC soldiers. Now that he knew the truth, he was simply a little surprised and offered his opinion.
However, upon closer examination, it seems quite reasonable. If the resurrected soul still belongs to the dead, then as long as the Empire trains a group of suicide squads, they can return to the Empire after resurrection, thereby freeloading the resurrection funds from the Skeleton Alliance. They can even plant spies in this way.
"I usually hear that phrase you just said used to describe us, the Soul Returner..."
"But that's not all."
"[ Easily Soluble in Water ]" she whispered.
"Also, the Skeleton Alliance never leaves any Imperial prisoners alive; they are all turned into skeleton soldiers. So the Empire never leaves any skeletons alive either."
"Moreover, I've heard from some veterans that the Skeleton Alliance has no respect for their land and people. One veteran, when he was young, was sent out to scout, and he encountered a group of over a dozen skeletons..."
At this point, [ Easily Soluble in Water ]'s expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
What are we going to do in a group?
[ Howling Pothos ] was greatly puzzled.
"Let's form a group to dig up graves!"
"Such an outrageous thing? Whose is it?"
"Of course, it belongs to the ancestors of the Imperial people!"
Hearing this, [ Howling Pothos ] was also somewhat surprised:
"Even if it's not that simple, it's not worth digging up someone's ancestral grave. Besides, can bones that are hundreds of years old still be used?"
Who can argue with that?
[ Easily Soluble in Water ] exclaimed:
" The Skeleton Alliance's moral standards are truly outrageous, and after hearing this news, I started thinking about something else—"
Seeing the questioning look from [ Howling Pothos ], [ Easily Soluble in Water ] said:
"I was wondering, what if our corpses from when we died last time were also used to turn into skeleton soldiers?"
[ Howling Pothos ] paused for a moment, then lightly patted her forehead:
"Very likely!"
Following this line of thought, he quickly came up with:
"But our race is the ' Soul Returner,' not purely human, and when we die, we don't truly die; we merely lose our souls."
His voice lowered, carrying a hint of doubt and probing:
"In other words, if the Skeleton Alliance can create skeleton soldiers from our bones, is that enough to prove that they didn't put our souls into the skeletons when they resurrected them?"
"If this cannot be done, it means that the skeleton soldier's soul is still the same as the original soul, but perhaps it has been brainwashed, or its personality has undergone a huge change."
"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I meant."
[ Easily Soluble in Water ] He nodded repeatedly and said:
"Boss, how about this—"
"Whether this mission succeeds or fails, I'll give the other side another head. Make a clear mark on my bones, then come back and check if anyone's collecting the body or modifying it."
Upon hearing this, [ Howling Pothos ] immediately felt that this person was somewhat insane:
"A life and a gold coin, are you just going to throw them away like that?"
[ Easily Soluble in Water ] responded with a smile:
"Hey Captain, what's the big deal? Just consider it an investment in research funding."
"I'll publish a research paper on the reproductive methods of the Skeleton Alliance on the forum later, and I'll list you as the second author."
"And if the official organizers were to launch an event offering discounts for revival, everything would be much better."
As soon as the words were spoken, a new text box suddenly appeared in front of "[ Easily Soluble in Water ]".
The Pixel Blue Dragon stood in the corner of the field of vision, holding the text box, and looked at "[ Easily Soluble in Water ]" with its head turned to the side, as if waiting for his response to see if he wanted to view the content.
"Check."
"[ Easily Soluble in Water ]," he said in a low voice.