Spirit Rain?
In the Radiant Holy City, the Council of Cardinals finally agreed to the demands of the dwarves.
The global manhunt for necromancers is now practically nonexistent. Not to mention in the Eastern Continent, even in the Western Continent, many forces are secretly helping necromancers escape.
The reward offered by the Final Bone Mad Machines was an irresistible trade priority, covering their various creations that were affordable yet performed exceptionally well.
Those books were especially deadly!
The books published by the Mad Machines Publishing House are more beautifully bound than the highest-grade sacred texts of the Temple of Light, yet they contain completely obscene illustrations, allowing those inferior people to freely flip through and pass them around with their mud- and grease-stained fingers.
Influenced by this unhealthy trend, when priests in solemn robes ascend the preaching platform, they can no longer find the ocean they once looked up to with such devotion.
Instead, the crowd below the stage drew closer together, whispering and creating a cacophony of unsettling noise, with various pointing fingers and ambiguous glances.
"The situation cannot be allowed to continue to deteriorate like this!" A cardinal slammed his fist on the table, his voice filled with indignation.
Pope Augustus glanced at the bishop indifferently, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.
When the Gnome Chamber of Commerce delivered the first batch of blue pills to the Holy City, this lord couldn't wait to "claim illness and take leave," disappearing for several days. Now that he's finally shown up, he's sporting dark circles under his eyes and a pale, ashen face.
Unfortunately, the power to allocate many of the temple's core resources has always been firmly held in the hands of a group of people.
"Wait patiently." Augustus suppressed his agitation. "We've discovered that the Rebellious Bone Demons are frantically gathering strategic resources and preparing transoceanic transport capabilities on an unprecedented scale!"
"Based on intelligence from all sides," a uniformed officer reported, "They are highly likely to launch a probing attack against us within a month."
"Then let them never return!" the cardinal with the bruises around his eyes shouted passionately once more.
"No!" Augustus's voice was icy. "We must not only sever their filthy claws, but also launch a preemptive strike to wipe out Su Ming and the chief culprit, Bay Owl, in one fell swoop!"
The other cardinals followed suit.
"Holy!"
"Purify heresy!"
May the Holy Light shine forever!
The council hall was filled with shouts. On the overwhelming hatred directed at Su Ming and Bay Owl, these old foxes, who usually bickered and argued all the time, had reached a rare and pure consensus.
Seeing this scene, Augustus's tightly clenched lips finally relaxed slightly.
This means that the massive resources needed to prepare for the war—enough to empty half of the Holy City's treasury—can finally be easily extracted from the pockets of these bishops and their factions!
****
Later that day, Su Ming received a report: the "Great" plan had been successfully completed, the Temple of Light had officially lifted its warrant for the necromancer, and the news would be announced to the world within a few days.
Of course, the Final Bone Mad Machines led by Su Ming and the false saintess Bay Owl were still declared "minions of the outer demons" and "heretics who betrayed all of Taya".
The temple's announcement also earnestly appealed to the necromancers who had joined the Final Bone Mad Machines, urging them to "return from their misguided path and return to the right way."
"Send a letter of thanks to Queen Ghostly Flower," Su Ming instructed his secretary Ainuobia.
"Yes." Ainuobia quickly wrote it down.
This cooperation with the dwarves, with them negotiating with the Temple of Light and bearing the pressure, was facilitated by Queen Ghostly Flower.
However, Queen Ghostly Flower also made a somewhat difficult request to Su Ming regarding this matter. Although it wasn't absolutely necessary for him to agree, if he couldn't do it, he would have to make compensation in another way.
While pondering, Su Ming went to find Zijin, who was in the conference room of the government affairs center, holding a seminar with dozens of necromancer scholars.
"In short, the 'Spirit Rain ' system allows for the joint control of multiple undead creatures and the sharing of Magic Power among a large number of necromancers," Zijin said. "We must hurry and strive to perfect the details of ' Spirit Rain ' within a month, refining it to a point where it can be practically applied on the battlefield!"
An elderly scholar, puzzled, said, "Spirit Rain can indeed enhance the combat power of necromancers, but the name sounds too much like ' Spirit Cloud.' He questioned, 'The principles behind Spirit Rain are clearly different.'"
"Yes!" another scholar agreed, "The ' Spirit Rain ' also adopted a similar visual representation of energy aggregation and flow, which is really easy to evoke panic!"
"The uncontrolled ghosts of yesteryear multiplied themselves, sweeping across half the world like a nightmare, devouring tens of millions of lives!" a scholar stood up and said. "Things related to these events are like touching the most sensitive scars, stirring the most vulnerable nerves of all races!"
A year ago, the "Spirit Cloud" technology caused worldwide panic because it enabled these ghosts to form a united force, greatly enhancing their combat power. This was then used by the Temple of Light to launch a manhunt for all necromancers.
"It's alright." Zijin waved her hand. "After detailed investigation and follow-up, the truth will prove our innocence."
"But once a rumor spreads, many people form an initial impression, and no amount of explanation can change that," another scholar countered worriedly.
Spreading rumors is easy, but debunking them is exhausting – that's an ironclad rule.
Su Ming appeared at the doorway. Zijin caught sight of him and slightly raised her chin. "Something wrong?"
"The dust has settled, and we can announce the good news now." Su Ming waved the report in his hand. "The Pope and the Council of Cardinals have officially declared that, after a thorough investigation, the Spirit Cloud case was a miscarriage of justice, and the necromancer community is innocent. The true culprit is the evil cult ' The Plundering Clock '!"
In an instant, the conference room was filled with tremendous cheers! The scholars jumped up in ecstasy and hugged each other excitedly.
Zijin pressed her hands down to suppress the boiling clamor, "In short, everyone, follow the arrangements made at today's meeting and go all out to complete the final research and development and practical debugging of the 'Spirit Rain ' system."
"But—why?" The old scholar who first raised the question voiced the confusion in everyone's hearts. "Since the Church has lifted the warrant and cleared our names as necromancers, why should we deliberately associate ' Spirit Rain ' with 'Spirit Cloud ' and invite trouble upon ourselves?"
"It's just a small trap," Su Ming explained casually. "Don't worry, everyone, this will be worth it!"
Despite lingering doubts, the scholars refrained from further comment now that the leader's instructions were clear.
****
The afterglow of the celebrations continued in the conference room and quickly spread to the rest of the base.
Su Ming ignored these comments and left side by side with Zijin, discussing related matters as they walked.
"Your 'explicit' game is actually quite well done," Zijin praised. "The results were unexpectedly good, educating the dragons on a lot of basic land management knowledge."
"----That's called Stardew Valley," Su Ming said helplessly.
"Keep up the good work, make a few more of these blatant ones." Zijin completely ignored the correction. "Now, many dragons, after using up their time on the machine, still gather there to discuss crop rotation cycles, yields per acre, and even seasonal price fluctuation curves—these are things they wouldn't learn even if you whipped them!"
"How about I make a ' Baby Math ' book or something?" Su Ming pondered. "I've noticed that many dragons struggle with math, and they have to count the scales to figure out two-digit addition."
"That works too," Zijin nodded. "For example, many dragons are now reporting that the goblins who contracted their land are manipulating the rent accounts—but they can't figure out exactly how much they've cheated."
"Hmm, I happen to have someone named Xiyabeite here, I'll assign him to you," Su Ming said. "You can have him lead the formation of an audit team to investigate all the areas where problems have occurred."
"That's good," Zijin replied.
This Xiyabeite is actually the accountant who betrayed the Goblin Chamber of Commerce's "Shrewd Gear" before.
Rupert was "warmly entertained" by the people at the "Chicken Dinner Internet Cafe"—a pay-to-win game called "Beautiful Girl, Please Don't Interfere with My Bill," which easily emptied his pockets and left him owing twenty gold coins.
This former accountant is now being held captive in the kitchen of an internet cafe, washing enormous dishes day after day to pay off his debts.
Incidentally, after the goblin problem was resolved, the headquarters of the "Shrewd Gear" guild was completely razed, literally physically razed, including its managers and owners.
As they reached the corner of the corridor, Ainuobia, who had been silently following behind, paused and stood still.
Sure enough, just as Zijin and Su Ming disappeared around the corner, a soft, damp "smack" sound rang out.
"Where are we going later?" Zijin asked, leaning very close.
Su Ming didn't answer immediately, but instead leaned closer again and sealed her lips with a firm kiss. After they parted, he whispered, "The Celestite Hydropower Station will be conducting a high-altitude ballistic test launch of the Vermilion Bow today."
"Okay, see you tonight then."
The two parted ways, each heading off to their busy schedules.
****
As Su Ming flew high in the sky, he could clearly see a wide land passage that stretched straight from the heart of the Dwarf Kingdom's interior, eventually reaching the vicinity of the Celestite Hydropower Station.
This path, named "Friendship Avenue," was originally carved out by the giant feet of a super Crystal Dragon. It is almost a straight line, and all obstacles along the way—whether hills, forests, or buildings—were leveled.
Based on this, the dwarves and Dragon Race solidified, repaired, and paved a smooth road surface, building the first "highway" in the other world.
"Now many necromancers are also starting to take this new route," Ainuobia said. "Including their accompanying family members, the reception point is now receiving over seventy people per day."