Chapter 191: Prelude to War

Adrian and Creepysoo were shocked by what they just heard. Adrian remembered that Valar is that strong looking undead that is a Ghoul Tyrant. Having a Tyrant as a name modifier means that someone must have to be domineering and overbearingly powerful.

Creepysoo is the most shocked as he is speechless ever since he heard the news. Valar is the strongest undead in their faction that has the most attack power. He knows that just one punch from the Ghoul Tyrant could decimate mountains into dust in an instant.

Creepysoo knew that if Valar fell in battle that means someone must have been stronger than him which is terrifying to just imagine. Adrian saw Creepysoo's expression and he could see that the latter is jumping into conclusions. Adrian decided to break the ice and speak to Creepysoo.

"We should wrap our adventure here then. Let us head out of the dungeon." Adrian stated as he prompted everyone to head to the transportation circle inside the vault.

It seems that for Creepysoo, the undead family he has is actually not just mere ones and zeroes. The boy must treat them like real family for him to be shaken up by the sudden news. Everyone headed immediately to the transportation circle and just stuffed their inventories with everything that is inside the vault.

They could no longer be picky and just stuffed everything inside. Gefroren did say that they could take everything that is inside the vault. The Barbegazi also followed them outside using the same transportation circle. The Barbegazi were excited to view the outside world once more as it has been years since they wandered the outside world.

The transportation magic circle actually led to the peak of Mt. Nieve. The area they were sent is rather flat. The Barbegazi looked around with intense curiosity as this is the first time they have set foot on the outside world since they were told to become caretakers of the tomb.

"Adventurers, we will say our goodbyes here as we need to find a place to call our home. Be well and if you encounter us again then do not be shy on asking for our help." Barba stated as the rest of the Barbegazi bid their farewells.

"Now onto the problem at hand. You should call Du'an and tell him to pick us up." Adrian said to Creepysoo who is still clearly shaken.

Creepysoo whispered Du'an's name on the ear of the shrunken head and it made a continuous clicking sound. It did not take long before the shrunken head's mouth suddenly started mouthing words. It is the same voice that previously called Creepysoo that told him to return to the castle.

Creepysoo told Du'an to pick them up and asked the latter if he could bring others with him. Du'an hesitated for a moment but the voice of the undead king came through to the shrunken head and answered it is alright. A portal then suddenly appeared before them as the shrunken head is also some sort of GPS.

Du'an is the one who appeared from the gate and he bowed to the group as he must treat the prince's friends with respect. Du'an gestured them to go inside the portal and the others immediately complied. They reappeared outside of the castle and the others who have just seen the castle were deeply amazed. The castle looked majestic yet imposing at the same time.

"Wow! Is this a different dimension or a different world?" Peridot stated.

"This is a different world if you really want to know." Adrian replied and then they saw Creepysoo bolt.

"Well, someone is impatient." Levin Cloud commented.

Creepysoo ran towards the castle as he could no longer wait. The others just followed Du'an's pace as the Astral Wraith is calm. Du'an is even answering the questions of the curious visitors which are mainly Peridot and Kabrakan. Those two have yet to travel in a different world because the main world is big enough so adding smaller worlds even made it bigger.

Those two feels like tourist that just left for their first trip. Finally, all of them arrived at the throne room and saw all the high ranking undead except for Valar. Creepysoo still looked sad but he is now calmer than before as the undead king must have told the former of the situation.

"Greetings! I hope the castle is to your liking. My son was a bit rude as he left his visitors without even a word. I apologize for that. I am what history calls as the Undead King. You can address me as such." The undead king heartily stated exuding his friendly aura.

The others knelt and bowed but the undead king told them that it is not necessary. He told the group that the friends of his son is like his children as well. The others except for Adrian though were a bit shy to speak. Adrian had to start the conversation in order for the atmosphere not to turn awkward.

"I am sorry for being blunt your majesty but what did Du'an mean when you said that your faction might go to war?" Adrian asked with a bit of worry.

War is never a beautiful sight as there would always be casualties on both sides. The undead king could only sigh slightly before he answered Adrian's question. He beckoned the Blanche to give Adrian something before he spoke.

[You have received a Crown Fragment of the Undead King.]

[You have successfully completed the quest Return the Crown to the King.]

Adrian is actually shocked by the item he was given because it is a quest item. He was given the last fragment that he needed to obtain. Adrian looked towards the undead king in a questioning gaze as it is the first he learned that NPCs could actually help you in your quests even if they are not in the party.

"We managed to find a location of one of the fragments but apparently we were not the only one who is looking for them." The undead king stated.

"Did the Church of Light encounter you guys?" Adrian asked as he did get some fragments from them.

"It would have been better if it was the Church of Light but it is far worse." The undead king replied.

"Worse! Do not tell me that they encountered a dark god." Adrian replied with shock because dark gods cannot just manifest in the mortal plane without sacrifices.

"It was not a dark god per se. It was actually the new Envoy of the Dark Gods. He managed to take control of Valar using his defiling magic. Thankfully, Valar is not completely under his control so the others managed to escape. The only problem is that Valar is still under his control and the longer we take to rescue him then he might be under the envoy's control." The undead king stated.

This is a new term to some of their party members so Adrian had to explain it to them. Adrian gave them a basic rundown of envoys and dark gods. The others were shock because this lore is not revealed to everyone and it is actually different from the known truth of the world. Their minds were completely blown.

"Then do you need help in finding Valar?" Adrian asked after briefing everyone on what was happening.

"No dear champion. I would like for all of you to search for a demigod blacksmith who would be able to repair my crown. The fragments themselves do not combine even if you collected them all. A demigod blacksmith would be needed in order to restore my crown. You should leave the search for our kin to our own." The undead king stated.

Adrian then wracked his brain but he does not know any blacksmith much more a demigod blacksmith. He looked at the others to see if they have any idea but even they were dumbfounded. Nevertheless, they all received the mission and the reward is fitting enough for this difficult request.

*QUEST NOTIFICATION*

Find a Blacksmith Demigod

The Undead King Caesar wants you to find a blacksmith capable of fixing his crown so that he would b ready to confront his enemies.

Difficulty: S

Requirement: Find the Blacksmith and convince the blacksmith to fix the crown.

Reward: The formal oath of the Undead King's faction to the God of Death. Pick an item in the Undead King's treasury.

Failure: The Undead King and his attendants will not be able to join the battle against Arch Lich Malus.

Time Limit: May vary depending on Arch Lich Malus' actions

The only thing difficult for this quest is that the time limit might vary. Adrian has a lot on his plate right now. He still need to help find a cure for the world tree. He is thankful that he is not the only one to receive the mission as all of them received it.

Even if one of them finds the blacksmith, they would all be rewarded. They could split up and search in order to cover more ground in order to quicken the search. The only troubling thing is that they do not know where to start searching.

"Demigod Blacksmiths tend to stay in areas that has high heat and abundant metal. I hope you can finish my request early as we would prepare our kin to be ready for a possible war. That damned Arch Lich must have made a contract with the dark gods. He might have wagered the location of the Lich King." The undead king explained.