Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

The young man pointed tremblingly to the nearby woods:

"It's Stott! He just went into the woods."

The captain, with a solemn expression, looked around for a moment, then pointed to the left and right respectively. The six soldiers immediately spread out in unison and surrounded the grove of trees, while the remaining four entered from the front.

The young man stood there in a daze for a moment, then immediately turned around and rushed towards the shed area where the lights had just been turned on.

........................

The spearhead parted the withered grass, its sharp point leaving a scratch on the bark. The armor plates rustled as they moved through the vegetation. The bowstring was slightly taut, ready to unleash an arrow in the blink of an eye.

It was just a small grove of trees. The soldiers had quickly searched the other areas and were converging on this spot in the northeast corner, their torches flashing in unison. Meanwhile, more troops had surrounded the area, ensuring that not even a rabbit could escape.

In a patch of fallen bushes, they found the man named Stott, and also discovered the carcass of a deer, except...

This was undoubtedly the carcass of a red deer, except that its once beautiful brownish-red fur had now turned rotten and green, exposing its bones and internal organs. Its four slender legs stretched out high like withered tree branches, lying in the mud in a strange posture.

A strange red light spread here, so lustrous and bright that it even overshadowed the flames burning on the torches in their hands. The soldiers were so surprised that they stood still and, out of some instinct, began to retreat hastily. In the process, one of them did not forget to grab the stunned guy on the ground by the back of his clothes and drag him away.

In the darkness, the crimson hue and firelight mingled, and on the body of the red deer, its intestines rotting, bones decaying, and blood flowing freely, fungi resembling teacups were growing and spreading. The tall stalks and caps were fused together, distinguished only by tiny bumps, while within the concave caps, a blood-red, fluorescent liquid rippled gently, like fine wine… except these “wine cups” stretched from the deer’s head to its hooves, covering every inch of the area with countless tiny, densely packed clusters. (Such fungi do exist in reality; this has been slightly modified.)

This scene was enough to send chills down anyone's spine after the initial awe; their deepest instincts were driving them away from this beautiful yet dangerous area... especially when the captain saw that the deer's head was still twitching slightly...

………………

The thick wooden door was flung open, and a pungent, musty smell rushed out, overwhelming everyone's sense of smell and reason like a tidal wave, causing them to turn away and cough violently. Even the thick masks they wore couldn't block out the eerie odor.

A magnificent, vibrant red pierced through the wooden door, reflecting on everyone's face as if it had been splashed with blood. Every animal was covered in brilliant, goblet-like, blood-red fungi; milky-white hyphae burrowed deep into the flesh, keeping it in a state of decay yet brimming with life. This caused the skin and flesh to peel away on a large scale, exposing the underlying bones, muscles, and internal organs.

Intermittent gasps of breath still lingered here, and at a glance, one could see that there were still surviving creatures emitting their final cries, maintaining a decaying vitality.

Tersolius stopped what he was doing, a wary look in his eyes. He waved his hand lightly, and everyone immediately retreated, moving as far away as possible to a safe zone 30 meters away.

The situation deteriorated far faster than he had anticipated; in just a few hours, and not even late at night. What initially appeared to be a simple plague had escalated to this point, with these dangerous, bizarre, and beautiful things everywhere… No normal, rational person would consider approaching such things a wise choice. The best course of action would be to pour kerosene on them, throw in a torch, and let the intense flames destroy everything unsettling, damp, and rotten.

"What is Dr. Talina doing right now...?"

Before he could ask the question, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded beside him. Hearing the familiar rhythm and voice, Tersolius immediately knew:

“You’ve come at just the right time. Come and see, Talina, this place is very strange.”

"My lord, I've discovered it! This isn't a plague, it's an infection, a fungal infection..."

Talina hurried along, but when she reached Tersolius, she was drawn to the intense, vibrant red light. She turned her head and froze, her words only half-finished.

“Your judgment is absolutely correct, Doctor, but now our first priority is figuring out how to deal with this. I don’t want all the warhorses in the camp to end up like this.”

Tersolius adjusted his face mask, which had been soaked in medicine, and shifted his shoulders slightly due to the constriction of the protective suit he was wearing. He then turned to look at his personal guards behind him:

"Clear the surrounding forest. I don't want to see any wild animals coming near here and spreading this damn stuff... I hope this stuff hasn't spread yet, otherwise it will be even more of a headache."

"By the way, the canal excavation project should not be stopped, except for sites 27, 26 and 28. Except for necessary ones, all horses should be under control, and if any infection occurs, they should be isolated immediately."

........................

Babies have a very different perspective from adults. Most things are new and explorable to them. Because of this, they do many things that seem silly and cute to adults, and they devote all their energy to these actions and enjoy them immensely.

Especially during the period when their teeth are growing in, the most important thing for them to explore the world is their mouths. There is almost nothing they won't put in their mouths to taste, to try out the texture, and they do it quite quickly without any hesitation, even if the thing they want to taste is part of their own brother...

Ikosoya started babbling, but unfortunately, wrapped up like a cotton ball, he didn't have much room to move. His little arms and legs couldn't even touch the things around him. He could only let his sister nibble on his cheeks with her tiny mouth, which only had two tiny teeth the size of rice grains, and spread her saliva evenly on half of his face.

This biting behavior was unlikely to cause any harm and was mostly to relieve the itching caused by teething. However, it made Ikosoya feel strongly offended. After finally getting to the edge of the crib and finding stable support with one of her little hands, she kept twisting her head, which was wearing a white cotton hat, trying to bite back. The two little ones quickly became a ball again, leaving drool marks on each other's faces and making a mess of the wool blanket they were on.

A slender hand, calloused at the fingers, reached into the cradle and gently cradled Fercitara's head, pulling the restless little one off her brother. Fercitara unceremoniously grabbed the hand, opened her mouth, and bit down, rubbing her soft gums against the other's fingers. As she chewed, her expression became subtle, and finally, her cheeks puffed up, and she hugged the hand tightly, biting even more enthusiastically.

"Sometimes I wonder if my two children have too much energy. They stayed up late last night and woke up before noon today. Shouldn't children this age be very sleepy? Why are they not like this at all?"

Christina smiled and reached out to pinch Felsitara's cheek. Only after making the child laugh did she finally release the emperor, allowing Clautina to glance at the drool on her fingers with amusement, before reluctantly taking a soft cotton towel from the side to wipe it clean.

"Perhaps I should issue an order that these two little guys will be able to come and go from the arena without any hindrance in the future; they will surely become stars there."

"I don't think it's necessary. Anyway, with the two of them around, these two little guys will inevitably have to deal with swords and knives in the future. Do you remember those two knives?"

"Of course I remember, it was given to me by Tersolius, right? But it seems they won't be useful for another few years."

The emperor smiled as he grasped the pink sword and drew its blade. The gleaming edge showed no sign of diminishing its sharpness, remaining as sharp as it should be, even though it was a gift for a child. Whether in the hands of a child or an adult, it could easily slice through flesh with astonishing lightness, giving the illusion that even a skinny monkey could wield it.

Christina had been smiling, but the smile gradually faded, and a deep worry surfaced. The emperor noticed the change in her mood, and with some doubt, sheathed his sword and turned to look at her.

"Why that expression? Christina, you can tell me anything."

"...What is the situation at the front? Your Majesty, you must have other things to say, so why are you hesitating so much?"

284 An unexpected discovery (1)

“I just wanted to come see you, Christina. You shouldn’t have doubts about them. Don’t you know that guy? Who could possibly put those two in such a difficult situation? And if anything goes wrong, I can’t hide it from you.”

Clautina was somewhat helpless; the emperor, who held supreme power, was now having a headache and trying every means to dispel her friend's doubts.

"Although the Assele have declared war on us and have begun mobilizing their legions, those deserters in the south have no idea what they're about to face. We've already discussed our countermeasures. Natamus will provide support from the south; they won't be able to cause any trouble, they'll only get themselves involved..."

"Alright, alright, it's good that you're alright. I was worried about you."

Christina smiled gently, quickly calming the fussy little one in her arms until he was giggling, and then gently placed him back in the crib.

"I believe you will handle national affairs well, and I don't need to worry... My only concern is whether you are under too much pressure?... You may not know, but since you came in, your brow has been furrowed."

“I know that being an emperor is a very difficult thing. Such a large country, there are so many things that need your responsibility, so many decisions that need your making, and so many people who are secretly opposing you... I can't do much, but I want you to know that no matter when, no matter what your status is, you will always be my closest friend, and my trust in you will never change in the slightest.”

The emperor was stunned. He subconsciously touched his forehead and felt the gentle undulations on his smooth, jade-like skin—a slight frown.

Only then did the emperor realize why everyone he had met since that morning had looked so apprehensive—because they had all seen his furrowed brow and, fearing to offend the emperor's authority, dared not say a word.

None of her trusted advisors were in the capital, so it was only Christina who pointed out the worry in her eyes... Otherwise, she might not have noticed it until the next time she looked at herself in the mirror.

"You're always so understanding, Christina, if you keep this up, you're going to completely charm me~~"

The emperor smiled brightly, then nestled against Christina as if boneless, wrapping his long, slender arms around her waist and gently blowing a breath onto her neck:

"Perhaps I should snatch you away from Natamus? Hmm?"

With a blank expression, Christina reached behind her and accurately grasped a soft, elastic piece of flesh, then twisted it forcefully to the left.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! You're offending the Emperor's dignity... No! I was wrong, I was wrong! Be gentle, be gentle!"

"Don't make jokes like that! You audacious little girl."

..............................

"That should be about right, sir! I've already scrubbed myself three times, and I'm sure I've rubbed off a layer of skin, because my whole body aches, even getting dressed hurts!"

"That's about right. Please understand. After all, you were the first person to discover it. If there is any infection, you are the prime suspect. And it's not just you; everyone who came into contact with the livestock in those two days is being treated the same way. I also find it quite troublesome, but there's nothing we can do about it."

The young scholar was fully dressed in protective clothing. In front of him was a man in clean linen clothes. His skin was red from being rubbed in the medicine, and he was moving his shoulders with a stinging sensation all over his body. Even his hair had been shaved off and burned.

He was absolutely cleaned, probably never before in his life. He could even feel his skin was as slippery as oil, and he felt extremely uncomfortable all over.

Although he doesn't have to work now, rests every day, and receives his usual food and vegetables, and even had a little meat in the morning, it should be a very comfortable life. The lazybones in the village probably dream of living like this—but for him, he'd rather pick up his hammer and chisel away at big rocks than suffer like this again…

You should know that in just this morning and afternoon, he was asked to scrub his whole body three times, and at least five times yesterday. Moreover, he couldn't sleep well at night. Every now and then, scholars wearing protective suits soaked in medicine and cloth bags on their feet would come in to check on them. His drowsiness would be interrupted. Even though he slept until the sun came up in the morning, he still felt very tired. He was also asked all sorts of questions until he was dizzy and confused.

The other workers were in a similar state, all looking dejected and completely lacking energy. After all, although they didn't have to work, they weren't allowed to drink or gamble, so they had no idea what to do. They could only stand there blankly in the sun, and when they were done staring, they would go back to sleep—of course, someone would check on them at any time and wake them up.

"Let's finish this quickly. I feel a sense of familiarity looking at those rocks now, and I can't wait to smash them open with a hammer..."

He never imagined he would say such a thing one day. Right now, all he wants to do is do something, even if it's just to work... It's better than being monitored and spacing out like this. This makes him, who has been busy since he was a child, feel lost and helpless.

A scholar carefully carried a sealed glass box on a wooden tray. They walked quickly past him, and everyone knew that there must be something dangerous inside, so they all avoided him. He walked through the crowded square, up a gentle slope, and finally arrived at a neat little house.

The reason this house is described as well-maintained is that no normal person's house has ever been sealed up like this—there are no windows or ventilation spaces, every corner is firmly sealed with volcanic concrete, and the exterior looks like a smooth and clean large area. Even the door is pitifully small, so narrow that only a man can squeeze in sideways.

This is definitely not a place a normal person would want to live in, yet the scholar walked up to it and knocked on the door without hesitation:

"Dr. Talina, the samples from the third time period have been collected. There are no further visible changes, and the increase is about three-tenths."

"Okay, place the sample on the extraction table."

A clear, melodious voice, as gentle as sunshine, came from the room. Then, a flat wooden board suddenly collapsed outward from the door, secured on both sides with long leather locks to prevent it from tipping over completely. It was just the right size to put things on.

The scholar carefully placed the wooden tray he was carrying before slowly turning to leave. The wooden tray was quickly taken inside, and the boards were then securely closed.

………………

Tarina had been working intently for a long time, and now she could finally draw a conclusion—this fungus completely lacked spores, regardless of the observation methods used. Its reproduction and spread did not rely on the wind-borne structure of spores, but rather—

In the completely sealed observation box on the left, a mouse had been living with a wine glass-shaped fungus for several hours, but showed no signs of infection... During this time, it even licked the bright liquid inside the fungus, but showed no abnormalities; on the contrary, it seemed to be quite energetic.

The observation box on the left presents a different picture—the laboratory mice were fed upright hyphae growing near the fungus. Within minutes of ingesting the food, the mice developed infections, with thumb-sized, goblet-shaped fungi growing on their bodies. Their bodies were partially immobilized, having become a complete breeding ground for the fungus.

It is worth noting that the size of the fungus can vary greatly depending on the host. The fungus that grows on a strong bull is as big as a beer mug, while the fungus that grows on a mouse is only the size of a little finger. The liquid inside looks like only a few drops, but it is still bright red and has a kind of magical attraction.

In the samples sent in the third time period, an even more disturbing change appeared—some of the upright mycelia began to exhibit a special shape, becoming thinner and longer, and turning a tender green color. In the blink of an eye, it even grew the texture and veins characteristic of grass leaves.

Now, a small patch of green grass has appeared in the incubator, and no herbivore could resist such temptation. Especially in the dead of winter, finding these tender blades of grass is extremely difficult... If such tender grass were right in front of them, who could resist taking a bite?

This basically explains why it's mostly herbivores that get infected...

However, the origin of this liquid remains a mystery. Perhaps I should analyze its composition carefully... After all, logically speaking, an organism that produces this structure and secretes this liquid must have some function. It's impossible for it to waste precious energy on meaningless things.

Tarina frowned, deep in thought, while making notes on the parchment in front of her. She only put down her brass pen when a noise from the side drew her attention.

The still-living rat was frantically tearing at the remaining fungus, ripping it apart with its yellowed little teeth. In no time, it had shredded the remaining milky-white stalks into pieces, scattering them everywhere. Its little eyes were bloodshot, and it was incredibly agitated, desperately gnawing at everything around it that it could bite.

Tarina stared at the creature in surprise, her gaze involuntarily drifting to the bacterial strain she had just collected beside her, and a bold conjecture formed in her mind…

………………

Why should the Empire be feared? The surrounding kings and nobles could probably come up with a whole host of reasons: its powerful military, its vast and fertile lands, its large population, its wealth as boundless as rivers and seas, its impregnable cities and powerful engineering machines, and even the country's tolerance and encouragement of knowledge...

If Yoros were to answer, he would say that what the Empire fears most is not any of the above... or rather, that it is not profound or direct enough.

What is truly terrifying about this country is their terrifying organizational and mobilization capabilities. Apart from them, every country has nobles who can bargain with the king, armies controlled by the nobles, and enormous power they wield in their own territories. No monarch can have such a profound grasp of their country as the emperor of an empire, nor can any monarch possess such unquestionable and immense power.

Power in this country is so centralized that there are no nobles who can act with impunity, nor is there a second army that does not belong to the empire. A huge institution composed of officials manages every aspect of the country. As long as the emperor's order is issued and approved by the Senate, the entire country will be mobilized in a very short time. The large population will be tightly bound together like muscle fibers in an instant, and under effective organization and management, it will unleash a terrifying power.

For this reason, there will never be another country in the world that has so greatly damaged their cause, made it so difficult for them to move forward, and is such a terrible threat that they must face.

There cannot be such a powerful nation on earth, such a terrifying country... Otherwise, he couldn't imagine how they could possibly fulfill their ultimate ambition! The repeated failures of the plan only proved the truth of this...

The bottles and jars on the table were swept away by the heavy blow, instantly leaving the table empty. Broken glass and porcelain created a large, sharp, and dangerous area on the floor, the sharp edges pointing blankly and helplessly to the ceiling, awaiting some possible destined person to offer their blood.

Yoros gritted his teeth, not even caring about the precious medicine and experimental samples he had just destroyed. At this moment, he could hardly suppress the anger in his heart.

The experiment failed once again, no matter how careful he was... The lack of the necessary catalyst rendered all his previous efforts futile in an instant—the larvae wriggling in the glass jar in front of him were gradually losing their activity, turning pale and stiff under the ravages of the drug, and soon relaxed into a lump of dead flesh.

As the insect master in charge of breeding, he couldn't help but feel despair at the stupidity of his colleagues... and he didn't know when the new catalyst would be delivered to him, but time was running out. No one knew when the imperial army would appear before the city, and his remaining chances were pitifully small...

285 An unexpected discovery (2)

The place was remarkably clean, but this cleanliness carried an unsettling, eerie quality. The ground was covered with smooth, fine stone slabs, each with tiny, sesame-seed-like protrusions to prevent it from being too slippery. The seams were filled and repaired with a fine, fine clay paste, so that not a single drop of water could penetrate. Everything was shiny and white, spotless, without a single gap connecting it to the outside world, which evoked a subconscious sense of unease.

The most eye-catching thing here is several huge glass jars, each as tall as two people. On both sides are brass end mechanisms, which are connected to leather tubes that continuously supply nutrients and medicines into them, allowing the fleshy chunks writhing in the purple solution to develop and specialize according to the creator's will, growing black tentacles and nerve bundles.

The huge pool next to it was completely dry, filled only with a horrific sight of mangled flesh piled up—a hand still twitching, its skin torn open, marked by the cuts of a thin, sharp knife, with a brass ring still on its knuckles.

A strong and robust arm, labeled as "inferior" because of a scar on it, was separated from its owner and abandoned here. The cut at the shoulder joint was smooth and clean, revealing a mixture of milky white cartilage, blood-red muscle, and yellowish fat.

Amidst the dismembered and scattered flesh, half of a woman's face peeked out, her eyes wide open, half of her skin hanging down from her forehead like a curtain, struggling desperately in decay.

The convulsing limbs and internal organs were piled up together; these were all deemed unfit and superfluous parts. They remained there, lifeless, until the mechanism was pulled and they were dumped directly out of the hole under the pool, where they would rot in the dark underground and become food for rats.

Suppressed and desperate screams echoed throughout the pool. Every now and then, men in black, completely covered up, would bring fresh "waste" and dump it into the pool, waiting for it to be disposed of once there was enough space.

Julius entered this place under such circumstances. The once vigorous king now had a full head of white hair, wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and a furrowed brow, as if he had suddenly gained more than a decade of experience. Only his straight back remained unchanged from beginning to end, as straight as a sword drawn from its sheath.

A sharp, inhuman scream rang in his ears. It contained the ultimate pain and despair, causing him to grip the sword at his waist for a moment, almost unable to control his urge to kill these guys, but in the end he did nothing... He walked around with a cold, hard expression, letting the black-clad men who came to greet him introduce him.

“I hope you won’t make such demands again. You should know that my tolerance for you has its limits… You broke your promise to me, and I did everything I was supposed to do, but you still got nothing, and now you’re still greedily demanding more from me… I’m starting to wonder if my support for you has been enough to get a fair return?”

Faced with the king's veiled insults, Yoros merely let out a low laugh, seemingly unconcerned:

“Your Majesty, I admit that our previous actions did indeed fail and did not achieve the results we all wanted to see... But don’t you also know very well how difficult it was to achieve that result? All our efforts were in vain, and the losses we suffered were no less than those of Your Majesty’s country.”

"Don't make me laugh, sir. The vast majority of the price you've paid is still borne by me, and I haven't seen a single thing you promised. Tersolius is still driving his legions to conquer cities and territories. In just the past month, I've lost four cities in the north, and Duke Onk has become a prisoner of the Empire. If this continues, I, this so-called king, will probably become a laughingstock hiding in the southern corner, and you can only watch as the Empire devours our fertile land and becomes even stronger."

Julius continued walking without changing his expression, doing his best to ignore the screams beside him and suppressing the urge to draw his sword and tear the man next to him to pieces.

“Every nobleman is against me, every dignitary is harboring resentment towards me. They are gossiping about my foolish decisions, inciting the kingdom's soldiers and people… I know exactly what they want to do, and the only reason they don't is because the imperial army is approaching. They dare not turn against me now, and I can't guarantee this situation will continue indefinitely, do you understand? What if it really comes to that…”

He turned his head and stared at Yoros with the look one would give a corpse:

"Whether it's me or you, all our efforts will be in vain."

Yoros did not reply with his usual smile; his expression turned serious, carrying a certain firmness and sharpness.