Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　However, the gradually cooling corpses lying on the ground constantly reminded them that if they didn't want to die, they had to obey the will of the necromancer.

　Moros was well aware of the resentment and resistance these politicians harbored, and they might choose to slack off as a silent protest against him.

　But the necromancer didn't care, because he knew that as long as he offered enough incentives, these politicians would eventually grovel before him willingly.

　Seeing that there was no one so stupid as to dare to contradict him to his face, Moros continued his speech in an unquestionable tone.

　"My requirements are actually very simple."

　He said it calmly.

　“I will not interfere in your daily administrative processes, but you must meet the targets I set.”

　As Moros finished speaking, a magical projection appeared out of thin air, detailing the specific data on the various resources that should be paid to him this year.

　These data are like a sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of politicians.

　"As long as you can complete this target on time and in the required quantity."

　Moros's voice carried an undeniable air of authority.

　"Then, I will not concern myself with anything else."

　Upon hearing this, the eyes of all the politicians kneeling before the necromancer instantly lit up.

　With their extensive political experience, they naturally understood Moros's implication—that if they met the targets, they could rule the continent as they pleased.

　This is undoubtedly a huge temptation for politicians who crave power.

　Noticing the glint of greed and ambition in the politicians' eyes, the necromancer's lips curled into a smug smile.

　Moros knew that as long as he could keep his promise in the days to come, his rule over this land would be as solid as a rock.

　"Remember, I'm only giving you one chance."

　Moros's voice suddenly turned cold.

　He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping across each politician present with a sharp, piercing look, as if he could see right into their hearts and desires.

　"If you don't meet your targets, then..."

　Moros didn't continue, but the threat in his words was clear enough.

　Politicians are worldly-wise and can naturally understand the necromancer's unspoken meaning.

　They knew that failing to meet the targets would mean severe punishment, and the gradually cooling corpses lying on the ground were a silent warning that Moros's punishment would not be as simple as being removed from office.

　If you disappoint a necromancer, the price you pay could very well be the end of your life.

　Therefore, they all lowered their heads, expressing...

　The delegation will do its utmost to complete the task and will not dare to slack off or resist in the slightest.

　Seeing this, Moros nodded in satisfaction.

　"Very well, now that you all understand my intentions, let's get started."

　As if he had thought of something, Moros added a sentence after a moment's thought.

　"The undead forces will cooperate with your operations and provide you with the necessary support."

　With that, Moros granted the politicians who had sworn allegiance to him the lowest level of temporary command authority.

　Although this temporary command authority can only be used to command low-level undead, and the number of undead soldiers that can be commanded is pitifully small.

　But for a small, scattered group of rebels, a few dozen undead soldiers were enough to solve the problem.

　Thanks to the powerful boost of the necromancer's 20 points of [Attack] and 62 points of [Defense], even the lowest-level skeleton archer is enough to compete with the elite-level ranger assassin.

　It's truly unbelievable that politicians with such military strength, who are local powers, couldn't even effectively deal with those rebels who lacked heavy weapons.

　As for the regular army on the Australian mainland, Moros decided to handle it personally.

　He had been eyeing modern military equipment enhanced by Honkai energy for a long time.

　Now that he finally had the chance to get his hands on it, Moros naturally wouldn't miss it.

　Although Australia is not the most powerful country on the planet, it still possesses a considerable amount of new weapons and equipment enhanced by Honkai energy, which is a hallucination that a modern nation should have.

　By converting these Honkai energy-enhanced weapons and equipment into standard war machine templates through the [Blacksmith Shop], Moros can continuously obtain modern Honkai energy-enhanced weapons of the same quality at the cost of consuming a huge amount of Ashan gold coins.

　On the battlefield of the Second Great Collapse, that 155mm howitzer battalion had fully proven its value.

　Given this, Moros would naturally consider equipping the undead legion with more modern war machines.

　However, for the necromancer who has now reached the legendary rank, the performance of those old-fashioned howitzers that were not enhanced by Honkai energy can no longer meet his needs.

　What he needs are new, modern weapons and equipment enhanced with Honkai energy and with superior performance.

　Clearly, the Honkai-enhanced modern weaponry of the Australian mainland's regular army perfectly suited Moros's needs.

　After granting temporary command authority to the undead army, Moros and the conductor left the Capitol together.

　His next target is the military bases scattered across the Australian continent.

　Wilwy was also quite interested in the weapons and equipment used by the regular Australian army and wanted to find out more.

　Therefore, when Moros asked her whether she would like to go on the expedition with him or choose to return to the demiplane, Velvey made her decision almost without hesitation.

　Although the various mechanical devices developed by expert Virvi are in no way inferior to the weapons and equipment of the regular army in terms of technology, and even far surpass them in many aspects, the weapons and equipment of the regular army do have unique advantages in terms of mass production and cost control.

　This is something the expert herself admitted.

　Yes, after confirming the upcoming schedule, Miss Conductor logged off on her own.

　The one who took over controlling Wilvi's body from her was the expert.

　As one of the many personalities of Velvi, the conductor has an excellent overall perspective and knows how to help Velvi grow to the greatest extent.

　Since the upcoming itinerary mainly involves mechanical research and development, it would be more appropriate for expert Virvi to lead the effort.

　So, the expert took over Wilvi's body, hoping to draw inspiration from the weaponry of the regular Australian army during this field trip and further improve her mechanical skills.

　Moros, whose life level had already entered the legendary realm, was fully aware of Velvi's personality switch.

　But he had no objection to it.

　Whether they are the conductor or the expert, they are all Vervie, different facets of this soul.

　In Moros's view, each of the various versions of Vervies possessed a unique charm.

Chapter 145 Taking Over Military Bases and Experts

　Guided by detailed military maps provided by politicians, Morrow and Verwy visited all the military bases on the Australian continent.

　Unlike mercenaries, when regular troops received a legally binding surrender order from the Federal Parliament, the vast majority of officers and soldiers chose to obey the order and lay down their weapons.

　Military forces like those in the Far East, which are prone to insubordination, are a minority. For the vast majority of soldiers, obeying orders is their duty.

　Moreover, Moros and Velvi were accompanied by a group of ferocious and terrifying ghost dragons that looked like they would be difficult to deal with.

　Under such immense pressure, surrendering is undoubtedly the wisest choice.

　Moloss showed a considerable degree of friendliness towards these military bases that responded to the Federal Parliament's order to surrender.

　He simply had the vampire count control the officers, confiscate the weapons of the ordinary soldiers, and then told them to wait for further instructions from the federal government.

　The weapons and equipment stored in the military base, including the batch that had been seized, were transported back to the cemetery territory by the undead soldiers through the demiplane portal.

　These weapons and equipment will be sorted and categorized by mid-to-high-level undead with sufficient intelligence, and then await further processing by the necromancer.

　After sending all the weapons and equipment into the demiplane, Moros will board the Ghost Dragon with Velvi and lead the Ghost Dragon horde to the next military base.

　Moros was not at all worried about whether the vampire counts remaining at the military base could handle any sporadic resistance that might arise.

　On the one hand, the unarmed rebels, who at most possess a few hidden individual weapons, could not possibly defeat the Vampire Count.

　On the other hand, the others inside the disarmed military base were unlikely to allow a few scattered resistance fighters to implicate them.

　Don't forget, Morlos's current action to seize weapons and equipment from the military base is backed by the federal government.

　For ordinary officers and soldiers, the title of the federal government still carries some weight.

　As for those well-informed senior military officers, they were very clear about the current situation on the Australian continent.

　These high-ranking officers knew very well that, in the current situation, refusing to obey the necromancer's orders would be tantamount to suicide.

　Therefore, having initially chosen to accept the federal government's orders and surrender to the necromancers, they were certainly not going to rebel again.

　At least that's the case unless the situation changes fundamentally.

　This choice is not difficult to understand.

　Trying to stop a chariot with one's bare hands is unwise; most people would choose to go with the flow.

　Of course, the forest is big and there are all kinds of birds.

　The vast continent of Australia is naturally not lacking in passionate patriots.

　Despite receiving the surrender order from the federal government, these patriots, driven by patriotism, still took radical actions.

　That is, relying on the armed forces of the military base to resist the necromancer's takeover.

　Moros reacted very directly to this kind of clueless fellow.

　With just a simple level 1 battle spell, [Curse of Weakness], the military bases firmly controlled by the Patriots were easily disarmed in just a few minutes.

　This doesn't mean the necromancer has changed his nature.

　Rather, it was the female expert beside him who restricted his movements to some extent.

　Even though Velvey, who had not yet undergone the fusion warrior surgery, was a genius who would lead civilization forward, she was ultimately just an ordinary person with a weak body.

　If Moros were to recklessly use indiscriminate, wide-area destructive spells like [Curse of the Underworld] as he did when he took over the mines in Africa, Velvey's body would likely be unable to withstand the impact of such a powerful battle spell.

　Given Velvi's physical condition, Morros had to be more cautious when casting spells.

　He avoided using powerful battle spells that could harm her, opting instead for a gentler approach to the problem.

　However, given the legendary strength of the necromancer, even with such limitations, the military forces on the Australian continent could not possibly resist him.

　Under the influence of the [Curse of Weakness], the stubbornly resisting military forces were quickly overrun by the undead soldiers.

　What followed was a bloody massacre.

　For those patriots who dared to wield weapons and stand steadfastly against their own will, Moros bestowed upon them the honor of death.

　However, for a legendary necromancer, death is not the end.

　Under the influence of necromancy, the remains of those patriots were transformed into new life forms, becoming loyal servants under the command of the necromancer.

　Having witnessed firsthand the bloody scene of [Necromancy] transforming the Patriot's corpse into undead minions, the expert's face paled slightly, but she didn't say much.

　With her intelligence, Vilvie certainly understood that this was an inevitable outcome of taking over the Australian continent.

　Conquest wars are not like dinner parties; casualties are inevitable.

　From the moment she boarded the Ghost Dragon, Velvi was mentally prepared to face everything.

　Noticing the change in Vervie's expression, Moros felt a pang of heartache.

　He gently offered suggestions, trying to get Vilvie to temporarily avoid this cruel scene.

　"Vilvie, you don't look well. Why don't you go back to the Magic Guild and rest for a while? I'll finish things here as soon as possible and then come back to be with you."

　In response to Moros's suggestion, Velvi gently shook her head and smiled in reply.

　"Moros, thank you for your concern. But I can't leave at this time. I need to witness all of this firsthand so I can better help you. Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."

　Hearing the expert's words, Moros felt a warm feeling well up inside him.

　He said nothing more, but simply reached out and gently put his hand on Vervi's, who was standing beside him.

　He pulled her into his arms.

　“Moros, you…”

　The expert was quite surprised by the actions of the person next to her.

　Having always worked with machinery, she seemed quite uncomfortable with such intimate gestures.

　However, Moros did not let go; instead, he held her even tighter.

　"Let me hold you for a while."

　Feeling the soft, warm touch in his arms, Moros whispered in the girl's ear.

　The warm, moist breath near her ear caused a blush to rise on Vilvi's fair face.