After the staff member finished his work, he left the warehouse filled with various forms of zombie soldiers, even including a dozen large zombie flying beasts, together with Biscuit Tang.
However, it was evident that this staff member looked down on Biscuit Tang coming from the remote Cross Camp. So, as he left, he disdainfully tapped on Haoyun's helmet and said to Biscuit Tang, "Hmph! These low-level zombies are originally made from inferior bloodlines. What's there to repair? It would be better to recycle them directly into the blood pool for raw materials. You guys are really a bunch of bumpkins, treating these things like treasures! You're really wasting Elven Biscuits."
Biscuit Tang smiled apologetically and said, "Oh, look at the way you're talking. It's because our place is remote and far from the war zone that we're only provided with these low-level zombie soldiers by our superiors. Besides the ones provided to us, if we want more zombie soldiers, we have to purchase them ourselves."
"You know, our little place already has insufficient funds, how could we possibly spend extra money to purchase expensive zombie soldiers? So, once these zombies have problems, we can only send them back for repairs and continue to use them after some patching up. This is at least more cost-effective than buying new zombies."
Then, Biscuit Tang quickly took out a small bag of Elven Biscuits and handed it to the staff member, respectfully saying, "Oh, you must be the teacher in charge of repairing the zombie soldiers, right? It's troublesome, but please take care of our zombie soldiers and try your best to repair them properly."
Because this staff member inherently looked down on the Dak people elves from remote areas, when he saw the red envelope given by Biscuit Tang, he naturally accepted it with an air of entitlement. However, since he had accepted the benefits, the staff member's attitude improved slightly as he said, "Rest assured, I am one of the best zombie repairmen here. The zombie soldiers in those warehouses nearby are all specifically sent to me for repairs by others. So, it's your luck that your zombie soldiers ended up in my hands. Since fate has brought us together, I will naturally do my best to repair those four pieces of junk zombies for you!"
With that, he hummed a tune from his hometown, leisurely leading Biscuit Tang out of the warehouse.
Only after the warehouse door was locked did Haoyun finally breathe a sigh of relief. While taking advantage of the light in the warehouse, he surveyed the rows of standing zombie soldiers around him and exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! We finally made it in! I never imagined there would be so many zombies stored here! But I must admit, after all this commotion, I am truly immune to these zombies now!"
"Two mighty ones, what should we do next?" Compared to the calm demeanor displayed by Haoyun and Dao Lao, the other two elves disguised as zombies seemed a bit anxious.
"Don't worry. Since we won't be repaired for the time being, let's just wait and see what news comes from Old Tang's side first, and then we'll consider our next move. Besides, that repairman from earlier seems to be very experienced. This makes it difficult for us to find another way to replace us for repairs and fool him. So, please give me some more time to think about how we can get out of here." Dao Lao made a calming gesture to the two elves and said.
Since Haoyun and his group were only ankle-locked to the ground, it didn't prevent them from sitting down. So, the four of them sat down to rest in place while observing the situation in the warehouse. Dao Lao maintained contact with Biscuit Tang and his group visiting the zombie maintenance center, and based on the information they provided, he mapped out a detailed map of the zombie maintenance center using the mold spirit energy tracking system.
Meanwhile, the repairman had come in and out of the warehouse several times to deliver applications for repairs. However, since Haoyun and his group were positioned deep inside the warehouse, they had enough time to stand up each time the repairman suddenly opened the door and ensure they were standing still in their original positions before he noticed any anomalies. However, what annoyed Haoyun was that the repairman seemed to have a special interest in him, as he would deliberately walk up to Haoyun each time before leaving the warehouse, and after knocking on Haoyun's helmet a few times, he would mock Haoyun as a completely useless trash zombie not worth repairing, and then leave with satisfaction.
Haoyun cursed angrily in his heart every time: Why does this guy always have a problem with me? Just because I'm handsome? You wait for me! Don't let me catch you! Otherwise, I'll smash your head in!
After the annoying repairman brought in another dozen or so zombie soldiers, the warehouse was finally full. Therefore, the annoying repairman walked up to Haoyun once again, counted the number of zombies while muttering to himself, "98, 199, 200. Haha! Another 200 pieces of trash zombies! Those low-level necromancers are simply a bunch of useless people! According to their rubbish level of refining techniques, wouldn't all the zombies they refine have to come to me for inspection before they can be officially put into use? Sigh! Maybe after this work contract expires, I should really apply for a position in the quality inspection department of the refining factory!"
Then, this zombie repairman, full of self-love, praised himself as an outstanding necromancer. Of course, when he was in a good mood, he would rhythmically tap on Haoyun's helmet with the metal body of his charcoal pen. Finally, after satisfying himself, the repairman returned to the center of the warehouse, took out the dark necromantic control token again, closed his eyes, and loudly recited the spell: "Under the command of Archbishop Anselin, with the senior token in hand! All zombies present, release all lower-level control spells on you, and now only obey my orders! Stand by in place, without my instructions, do not move a single step!"
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After the zombie repairman recited the spell, the zombies in the warehouse immediately emitted a chorus of "uh uh uh" sounds, and then all of them changed from their upright standing posture to a weak and lifeless stance. Fortunately, Haoyun's group was standing close to the edge of the warehouse, which caused them to react slightly slower and not attract the attention of the repairman who was focused on casting the spell. After completing the spell, this annoying Dak elf patrolled the warehouse again, knocked on Haoyun's helmet a few times, and finally satisfied, locked the door and left.
"What spell did that guy just use? How did all these zombie soldiers suddenly become like robots with their power cut off, all paralyzed in place?" After the repairman left, Haoyun immediately checked the nearby zombies and asked in confusion.
The two accompanying elves couldn't answer Haoyun's question because they were also encountering this situation for the first time. So, Dao Lao immediately relayed this question to Biscuit Tang, who was still visiting the maintenance center, hoping he could extract some relevant information from the staff.
Soon, Haoyun and his group received a reply from Biscuit Tang. It turned out that there was a primitive factory spell similar to a safety valve inside all the zombie soldiers. The reason why these zombie soldiers would have problems such as losing control was mainly because the secondary control spells applied to them could not blend well with the factory-installed spells. As long as the secondary control spells applied to these zombie soldiers were removed, restoring them all to their original factory state, they would return to a stable controllable state.
Therefore, the masters responsible for repairing zombies would first remove all secondary control spells applied to them before officially repairing them. By doing so, they could better manage these problematic zombies during the repair process and ensure their own safety.
Furthermore, Biscuit Tang also learned that the reason why the repair masters could quickly remove all secondary control spells from the zombies was not because of their own strength in dark necromantic magic, but because of the high-level necromantic control token they held and the spell they used to cast it. With this high-level token in hand, the repair masters could easily control these problematic zombies and become their sole designated controllers for a certain period. However, for safety reasons, they did not disclose what the mysterious spell was.
Wasn't it a coincidence? The annoying repairman had just recited the same mysterious spell that Biscuit Tang mentioned in front of them, right? So, Dao Lao told Biscuit Tang that they had learned the content of that spell and asked with great interest, "For a period of time to become the sole designated controller of zombie soldiers? Old Tang, do you know how long this 'period of time' approximately refers to?"
"I asked about this question earlier. This 'period of time' refers to the time before the zombie soldiers are repaired, during which the zombie repair masters can temporarily gain exclusive control over them. Moreover, they can even use this high-level token to control the behavior of hundreds of zombies at once. Of course, this token is only useful for these problematic zombie soldiers and cannot be used to control other zombies in normal condition."
"In addition, for safety reasons, the supervisory department of the maintenance center also stores a higher-level necromantic control token. It is said that this purplish-red token can forcibly sever the control of the zombie repair masters over the zombie soldiers to ensure that they will not abuse this authority." Biscuit Tang continued to explain.
"Got it. This is a very interesting discovery. Let's note down this situation first. Maybe it will come in handy later." Dao Lao said.
After Biscuit Tang and his group successfully completed the tour of the zombie maintenance center, they, led by a few soldiers, went to the forbidden zone nearest to the maintenance center, which leads to the Blackstone Castle, for further exploration. Before parting ways, Dao Lao specially gave Biscuit Tang a mini tracking device. Therefore, while Biscuit Tang and his group were touring the zombie maintenance center and the area around Blackstone Castle, Dao Lao had already used the feedback information from the tracking device to draw a more accurate terrain map in the mold spirit energy tracking system. This ensured that they could smoothly reach the target area in subsequent actions.
Biscuit Tang and his group completed their tour task very smoothly, but they were not happy about it. Instead, they became more worried about Haoyun and Dao Lao's plan to sneak into Blackstone Castle. From the on-site investigation they conducted, the vigilance set around Blackstone Castle was very strict.
In addition, within a circular area with a radius of 100 meters centered on Blackstone Castle, the entire ground was paved with black stones. This allowed the guards stationed in the restricted area and the flying beasts on guard in the air to easily detect any targets approaching Blackstone Castle in the first instance. So, based on the observations they made on-site, Biscuit Tang now seriously doubted whether Haoyun and Dao Lao could successfully carry out their plan to infiltrate Blackstone Castle. Because in his opinion, unless Haoyun and Dao Lao possessed special abilities such as invisibility, there was absolutely no possibility for them to sneak into Blackstone Castle smoothly without avoiding those guards.
"By the way, the guards responsible for guarding Blackstone Castle and the special district guards on this side of Cold Moon City are all wearing advanced heavy armor completely different from others in style. If we could somehow get our hands on their armor, maybe you two would have an easier time getting closer to Blackstone Castle. But how can we get their armor?"
"Then let's do this. We'll find a way to get you out of the maintenance center in the next few days, and at the same time, send another team out to see if there's an opportunity to get that kind of advanced armor. Since there are still a few days left before you accept repairs, as long as we act swiftly, we may be able to find a solution." Biscuit Tang suggested again.
Everyone agreed with Biscuit Tang's proposal. So, they prepared to spend the night idly and start a new operation tomorrow. However, as the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. Just shortly after they ended their conversation, Haoyun and Dao Lao received an urgent call for help from Paladinod.
"Dao Lao! Brother Hao! Urgent message, please respond! Urgent message, please respond!" Paladinod called anxiously through the communicator.
"Paladinod, this is Haoyun. What's going on?" Haoyun, who was immersing his consciousness in his mold spirit energy tracking system, simulating the practice of the Phantom Pierce, immediately asked as soon as he received the message.
"Biscuit Tang was just taken away by several Dak soldiers!" Paladinod replied.