Awakening, the Sleeping Souls

The thick fog dissipated.

A bright spot high in the sky dispelled the necromantic fog that had been swirling around the city. The lingering banshees stopped moving, and the undead soldiers lowered their rusty weapons. They all looked towards the bright spot in the sky, where a glimmer of light appeared in the previously lifeless, soulless, and emotionless eye sockets, gradually brightening as if echoing the light in the sky.

Bathed in white light, the bodies of the undead underwent a transformation. Their ethereal spirits and terrifying skeletons were enveloped in vibrant flesh, reverting to human form. They stared in astonishment and bewilderment at their surroundings. Their frozen souls were released from their seals. As humans, they had finally returned to this world.

Li Lin's spell couldn't truly guarantee everyone's survival. After all, when he cast it, very few people remained alive in the entire Capital of the Magic Empire. Moreover, this barrier magic required the target's own power to cooperate; therefore, the souls of ordinary people without power couldn't be preserved. Only mages could preserve and transform souls that met the requirements. It was precisely because of their mage status that these people became the primary targets after the city fell.

"Thirteen thousand seven hundred people."

Sensing the life fluctuations and responses emanating from within the barrier, Li Lin frowned helplessly. He needed to maintain his physical form and store reserve Magic Power; this amount was only slightly short of Li Lin limit. Although he greedily hoped more people could survive, it seemed impossible. In fact, the fact that so many people were still absorbed by the barrier after the city's fall was already quite fortunate.

"Call..."

After confirming that the spell was working perfectly, Li Lin finally felt relieved. His body, which had been completely drained of strength from maintaining the spell, could no longer support him and he fell backward. However, two people quickly came forward to support Li Lin.

"Owner!"

"Li Lin!"

Angela and Nia gripped Li Lin's arms tightly, supporting his body. Li Lin managed a weak smile and nodded to the two of them.

"It's alright, the barrier is functioning normally. It's just that your body is a little weak because you've used up too much energy. You'll recover after resting for a while."

Sitting on his throne, Li Lin reached out and stroked Angela's hair. In truth, the power of this spell exceeded his expectations; even the Li Lin of his past life probably wouldn't have been able to complete it so easily. However, it seemed his theory was correct. After pinpointing the internal flow of Magic Power, the entire barrier operated without any problems. And as long as the souls remained within the barrier's range, they could maintain their materialized state.

However, this wasn't without its drawbacks. Li Lin's original intention was to retain some valuable personnel to ensure the empire's resurgence. But now, even with a considerable number of powerful mages, they couldn't leave the city or attack other countries. The only use these mages seemed to be logistics. This was undeniably a slight imperfection. But from another perspective, exchanging so many former imperial talents for this method was already a very worthwhile trade.

"Call..."

Sitting back in his familiar seat, Li Lin closed his eyes, savoring the nostalgic feeling. Then, he opened his eyes, looked at the people before him, and slowly issued his orders.

"Nia, you're in charge of dealing with those people outside. Although the necessary information about the barrier was implanted into their minds during their resurrection, there will definitely be some problems with them. You're in charge of this; make sure they're handled properly. Suoxiate, go to the 'Core' immediately. I want to get a detailed report after my rest. Kalin, I want you to return to the 'Garden of Verdure' and check on the damage there. That's your territory; you should know what to do."

"Okay, Li Lin, get some rest."

"No problem, Master, please leave it to me."

"Received. Don't worry, it'll be taken care of quickly, Your Excellency."

In response to Li Lin's order, the three responded in their own unique ways, then quickly turned and left. Li Lin watched their figures disappear before letting out a long sigh.

"It feels like I'm finally back."

He muttered to himself, then looked at Angela, who was still lying beside him. The little one was staring straight at him, practically wagning her tail behind her.

"Angela, you can find a suitable room to stay in. Of course, your two maid sisters also need to be arranged. I'll leave that to you. Go and do it."

"Um!"

After receiving the order, Angela jumped up excitedly, then leaned close to Li Lin and gently kissed his lips before revealing a satisfied smile and turning to leave the room.

"She really can't stay idle..."

He shook his head, then closed his eyes.

"The Empire... now I'm all Fanuosi. Beilun, Xierte... you've both left to clean up the mess, leaving me to deal with this mess all by myself."

Although he was complaining, a joyful smile was unmistakably playing on Li Lin's lips.

"However, it's fortunate that I'm still alive... At least we still have time to undo our mistakes. We failed once, and we absolutely cannot fail a second time."

With a deep murmur, Li Lin closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep...

At that very moment, chaos reigned across the entire continent.

Are you telling the truth?

The president of the Vila Federation Council stared in disbelief at the mage beside him, his eyes wide with astonishment.

"Everything I said is true, Speaker of Parliament."

Facing the highest-ranking executive of the Federation Council, the mage maintained his pride. He looked at the Speaker's uneasy eyes and calmly answered.

"Not only our Vila Federation Council, but Xialuo, Kudel, Dideyasi, and Lalia should have received this news at the same time. After all, the fact that the terrible fog surrounding the cursed city, which had lingered for a thousand years, had actually dissipated is unusual in itself. The Mage Council has already convened an emergency special meeting, but obviously, no conclusion has been reached yet. After all, it's a history we're unfamiliar with, and magic we're unfamiliar with."

"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have destroyed it so thoroughly in the first place..."

The council speaker sighed, his brows furrowing. The Five-Nation Alliance had always had mages observing and monitoring the ruins of the Capital of the Magic Empire. This was a precautionary measure, demonstrating the Five-Nation Alliance's extreme caution. After all, it was the Capital of the Magic Empire, a place of unparalleled strategic importance, both in its historical significance and geographical location. Whoever controlled the Capital of the Magic Empire could control the entire continent. The Capital of the Magic Empire's location was incredibly difficult to attack; without the relentless human wave tactics employed back then, the Five-Nation Alliance could never have destroyed the entire Magic Empire. Now, the population was less than a fifth of what it was then, making an attack even more challenging. In fact, from the very beginning, when they attacked the Capital of the Magic Empire, all five nations harbored the intention of seizing this vital city. If Li Lin hadn't cast a powerful magical barrier at the last moment, expelling all the living, the Five-Nation Alliance would likely have engaged in several major wars within its own ranks over the following decades.

What did the Temple say?

He shook his head. The mistakes already made couldn't be undone, so he could only focus on the present.

There has been no response from the Temple.

The monk answered the council chairman's question, but he kept his voice low.

"However, according to intelligence, the Temple recently dispatched an exploration team to the Capital of the Magic Empire..."

"The Temple does this pointless thing every few years, we're used to it... Do you think it's related to the anomalies in that ruined city?"

"Whether it's related or not, this isn't a good thing for us."

The monk frowned; as an advisor to the council president, he naturally considered things from a longer-term perspective.

"We all know that the Temple sends an exploration team into the area every few years, but we don't know what they're doing. The priests have never reported this to the Five-Nation Alliance. What if they suddenly claim that the anomalies in the Capital of the Magic Empire were indeed their doing? The Temple has long wanted to establish its own sphere of influence. We've used the excuse of not having a suitable location, but that won't work now. Moreover, if it really is their doing, we'll be in an even more passive position."

"Indeed."

Hearing his advisor's words, the Speaker of Parliament frowned even more deeply.

He didn't know what the Temple was planning, but the Temple had shown a desire to establish its own religious state for hundreds of years. The Five-Nation Alliance was naturally very uneasy about this, but fortunately, the territory of the entire continent had long been fixed. The Temple couldn't possibly use expansion as a pretext for aggression. Therefore, the matter was barely stalled. But now the situation had changed. Although the Capital of the Magic Empire was nominally a city, its area was large enough to be a country! What if the Temple really intended to establish its own divine capital...? The Five-Nation Alliance naturally couldn't object. After all, with so many years of cultivation, there were many devout believers of the God of Justice within the five nations, and even many holding high positions. They couldn't afford to lose face for the Temple on such a matter.

"Moreover, as you, sir, are aware of the Temple's massacre of the village of Lalia... although the authorities didn't pursue the matter, the Temple's current principles... it's hard to say whether they are still in our favor."

Indeed, the Temple has been acting strangely lately, inexplicably sending Templar Knights to massacre a small village within Lalia without giving a reason. Although the Grand Duke of Lalia has stated he will not pursue the matter, the other four kingdoms are still somewhat uneasy. After all, that was territory of the Five-Nation Alliance, not Temple land. With this precedent, will the Temple indiscriminately commit massacres on its own land in the future?

Of course, the other four countries also probed the matter, but all of them were met with a cold shoulder – the Temple stated that this was an internal matter and they could not disclose it.

You killed someone and didn't even give a reason?

"So, in your opinion, what should be done?"

Regarding the recent anomalies in the Capital of the Magic Empire, the council chairman no longer wanted to seek confirmation from the Temple. If he were to proactively inquire, wouldn't he be putting himself in a passive position?

"In my opinion, Your Excellency should immediately dispatch an advance force to scout ahead. The other nations will likely make similar decisions. In any case, we must immediately order the nearest city to send troops!"

I agree with you.

The council speaker nodded. Regardless of how the necromantic fog was dispelled, the danger in the Capital of the Magic Empire was certainly not as great as before. Therefore, they were determined to obtain this land!

"Immediately issue the order to the border garrison closest to the Capital of the Magic Empire to dispatch an elite force to the Capital of the Magic Empire for reconnaissance."

Ultimately, the Speaker of Parliament made up his mind and issued the order.

The same scenario is unfolding in several other countries.

A storm is coming.

After a brief meditation, Li Lin finally regained some of his mental strength, and just then, the report from Nia and the others reached him.

Just as Li Lin had expected, these surviving citizens of the Magic Empire were utterly bewildered by the current situation. They were unwilling to perish like this, but the Magic Empire was gone. Those who remained were all powerful mages, and naturally, they would make rational judgments. Therefore, although they were very excited and happy about their resurrection, they held reservations about restoring the glory of the Magic Empire. This wasn't a major problem, and Li Lin understood that mages weren't like those rough warriors who would be easily swayed by a few slogans to sacrifice their lives for others. If they agreed to all of Li Lin's demands so quickly, Li Lin would suspect that there was something wrong with the barrier, turning these mages into idiots.

The situation on Suoxiate's side was much more optimistic. The Five Heroes, after all, weren't mages and didn't know much about magic, so they hadn't truly destroyed the core. Once repaired, it could be put into immediate use. Kalin's situation was even better. While the sections of Ringwraith City belonging to the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys had suffered damage, it wasn't extensive, clearly related to their absence at the time. Furthermore, Li Lin quickly cast Necromantic Barrier, preventing the soldiers from causing further damage.

"Very good."

Hearing this news, Li Lin felt much more relaxed.

"Suoxiate, you and Nia go and deal with the core immediately. Make sure it's repaired by tomorrow. The Five-Nation Alliance should have noticed the anomaly here. If I'm not mistaken, they'll respond soon. We should give these uninvited guests a proper welcome... As for Kalin, are you sure everything is normal on your end?"

"Of course, Your Excellency."

Kalin waved casually.

"Everything is perfectly normal... including that... It's a pity Yi Aier isn't here, otherwise, we probably would have had an even better show."

"They won't go all out from the start; you're enough to hold them off. Although Beika's absence makes me a little uneasy about the defenses of the Ringwraith City, given the current state of these mages' declining skills, the chances of them causing any damage are slim. Besides, I'll temporarily entrust the defenses to Nia Ringwraith City. You don't need to worry about that."

As he spoke, Li Lin revealed a confident smile, like a hunter waiting for his prey to fall into a trap.

"Moreover, it's time to announce our existence."