Are you kidding me?! Hao Yun almost cursed out loud when he heard that. These armors had been worn by those things! That's revolting! Hao Yun struggled to suppress his disgusted expression, grumbling incessantly in his mind.

However, given the situation, Hao Yun could only endure the nauseating feeling and accept the armor. He tried to minimize his breathing after being forced to wear the helmet to avoid inhaling the foul stench lingering on the armor. Even Dao Lao, who was usually rough and unbothered, was gagging from the lingering smell of decaying flesh on the armor.

Seeing their discomfort, Serwinf laughed, "Haha, my lords, there's no need to worry. These armors have been thoroughly washed and aired out for a long time. While they still carry the smell of decay, this odor will help mask your scents, making you smell just like real zombies. I took these measures to help you blend in better, as your appearance would make you too conspicuous in the Dark Elf territory. So, please bear with it."

Serwinf's reasoning was sound, so Hao Yun and Dao Lao reluctantly endured the stench. They began practicing the basic movements of zombie soldiers with the other soldiers to better integrate into the Dark Elf army and find a way to approach Blackstone Castle without being identified too quickly.

As for why Hao Yun and Dao Lao had to disguise themselves as zombie soldiers, Serwinf explained that due to the Dark Elves' long practice of dark magic, they were very robust. Hao Yun and Dao Lao's physiques couldn't compare, making it unsuitable for them to pose as Dark Elves.

However, some zombie soldiers were made from the incomplete corpses of Light Elves and Dark Elves. Given the crude crafting of zombie soldiers, they came in various shapes and sizes. Thus, for the tall and short pair of Hao Yun and Dao Lao, disguising as zombie soldiers was the best option.

Fine, since Serwinf's explanation was reasonable, Hao Yun and Dao Lao had no grounds for objection.

Once they were ready, Serwinf pointed to the nearby giant eagles. "My lords, because the Dark Elves' aerial beasts are very powerful, we cannot penetrate their territory. We can only send a flight squad to escort you to the edge of the Dark Elf territory. After that, you'll be on your own."

"But rest assured, my lords. We will not only escort you to a relatively safe location but also send a flight squad to patrol the drop-off point every fifteen days, three times in total. If you need it, you can return to the drop-off point in time and wait for our flight squad to bring you back," Serwinf added.

Dao Lao expressed his gratitude for Serwinf's thorough arrangements and said they would try to complete their investigation of Blackstone Castle and its surroundings within the three patrol periods to ensure they could catch the return ride to Misty Town. Hao Yun knew Dao Lao was just being polite, as who knew what could happen once they reached Blackstone Castle?

"Since there are no more questions, please, my lords, set off early," Serwinf said, signaling Hao Yun and Dao Lao to mount the giant eagles. He instructed the accompanying soldiers to ensure the lords' safe arrival and quick return to prepare for further attacks from the Dark Elves.

Hao Yun mounted the eagle, expressing his thanks to Serwinf, though internally he was irritated by Serwinf's words, "set off early." This old man probably wanted them to hurry off to their deaths!

"Remember, my lords, you are disguised as zombie soldiers. Do not converse with strangers to avoid revealing your identities. I wish you success in your mission, and Serwinf will be here eagerly awaiting your triumphant return," Serwinf said, bowing respectfully as the giant eagles took off, their piercing cries echoing as they soared into the sky and quickly disappeared on the horizon.

Watching the eagles fly away, Serwinf's previously honest and simple smile faded into a grim expression. He walked to a secluded corner of the training ground, muttering discontentedly, "Finally got rid of those two jinxes!"

In this inconspicuous corner stood several fully armed soldiers. Serwinf quickly approached and bowed respectfully to one of them, "Lady Elinna, is it really okay to let them go so easily?"

"Alas, it’s a necessary measure! With my current strength, I can't guarantee dealing with them. And obviously, they dared to leave me aside and head to Blackstone Castle because they’ve already sealed this place off," Elinna said, removing her helmet and pointing to the sky with some helplessness.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Lady, do you think those powerful ones won't come down and cause us trouble?" Serwinf asked, looking worriedly at the sky.

"Don't worry. Unless it's a last resort, they won't interfere here. So as long as we keep our actions in check, we won't face any immediate danger," Elinna reassured with a smile.

"Sigh, we must hurry and help you advance your power, Lady Elinna. I've already deployed more personnel to track the Dark Elves' movements to ensure we receive their updates promptly," Serwinf said anxiously.

"Indeed. It's a pity my divine body doesn't serve much purpose, or I might have already met the requirements to obtain that power. Sigh! I wonder how long I still have to train before I receive its response," Elinna lamented.

"After all, even Archbishop Anseline couldn't control it with her strength back then. It will surely raise the bar to find a truly powerful successor! But, my lady, you needn't worry too much. The fact that you've achieved such significant improvements in such a short time means you have the potential to become its successor. We just need to quickly provide you with more energy sources, and it shouldn't take long for you to succeed," Serwinf comforted Elinna.

"Thanks for your kind words, Serwinf! Ah, if only I could go to the Dark Elf territory and directly absorb the Doom energy from them!" Elinna sighed again.

Hearing this, Serwinf quickly advised, "My lady, you mustn't! Although we have the Dark Magic Association's covert assistance, we can't conduct large-scale massacres of our soldiers and zombies on our own turf. That would cause a huge commotion!"

Elinna shrugged, "Don't be so nervous. I was just speaking casually. But you're right, I need to quickly improve my strength without drawing attention, not stir up trouble. Otherwise, if those guys upstairs get annoyed and send reinforcements to hunt me down, that would be truly troublesome!"

Elinna then looked up at the giant eagle squad gradually disappearing into the sky and said, "I hope those two enjoy their time in the Dark Elf territory. The longer they stay away, the less I'll have to deal with them."

Serwinf added with a venomous tone, "Hmph! I hope those two get skinned alive in the Dark Elf territory if they don't die outright!"

"Haha, forget it, Serwinf. They're not ordinary people, so we can't rely too much on the Dark Elves. Besides, they're even more afraid of using divine power too overtly in the lower realm, which will certainly inconvenience their actions," Elinna said, waving off Serwinf's words.

Serwinf nodded firmly, "You're right, my lady. Let's hope the Dark Elves can keep them tied up there for as long as possible! We can't let those two hinder our plans!"

"Don't say that. If they manage to find the power Anseline left behind, wouldn't that indirectly help us a lot? Hehehe. So, since those two troublemakers have left, let's not concern ourselves with them for now. We need to focus on gathering energy to ensure I reach the standard to inherit that power as soon as possible. Then, if we have the chance, we can deal with those two later," Elinna said with a sinister smile.

"Wise words, my lady!" Serwinf bowed respectfully and then changed the topic, "By the way, my lady, the corpses of the Dark Elf soldiers we defeated earlier should be transported back soon. You should return to the base and prepare to absorb more energy and practice your magic. I'll spread some false information about that dark magic power to attract more Dark Elf troops to the Misty Forest for slaughter."

Elinna patted Serwinf's shoulder, praising him, "It's good to have your help, Serwinf! Well then, I'll leave these matters in your capable hands, oh no, I should say, thank you, Siewen!"

With that, Elinna turned to leave the lookout tower. However, after taking a couple of steps, she stopped, turned around, and added with a mysterious smile, "Oh no, I should say, thank you, Siewen, hehehe."

Serwinf smiled respectfully at Elinna as she left. Then he turned his gaze back to the blue sky over the Misty Forest. He took a deep breath, full of ambition, and headed toward the military camp.

High in the sky, a squadron of giant eagles was swiftly flying. The view from above was more enchanting than the scenery seen from the ground, making Hao Yun feel like he was in a dream. But for now, what fascinated Hao Yun the most was the giant eagle he was riding.

Despite being an animal, the giant eagle's flight speed rivaled that of a small civilian propeller plane. No matter how fast it flew, it carried Hao Yun steadily on its back. Even more amazingly, despite flying at a high altitude, Hao Yun felt no discomfort. He was sure this was because his protective system neutralized any adverse effects of high-altitude flight or because his physical condition had improved, enabling him to adapt to such extreme environments.

Hao Yun was thrilled to discover his physical enhancement, knowing that the Dark Elf territory wouldn't offer fine wine and food, but rather a variety of deadly enemies. Every bit of improvement in his strength could be crucial for his survival.

This realization kept Hao Yun from lounging idly like Dao Lao, who was reclining in a spacious seat on the giant eagle's back, leisurely playing auto chess with his dark energy capture system. Instead, Hao Yun focused on the rare free time during the flight to further study the techniques in the "Phantom Thorn" manual, ensuring he had enough combat prowess to face any imminent battles.