Foreign Land Reclamation By a Vegetable-growing Skeleton - Chapter 1006

Chapter 1006: Chapter 575 What Does the Adult Do for Work? Chapter 1006: Chapter 575 What Does the Adult Do for Work? Huge stone columns slowly rose from the ground much like the fences of the Lich Underground City, which had always been there, yet had remained underground until a certain power lifted them.

These rising stone columns attracted the collapsed debris of bricks and tiles, as if an invisible hand were assembling them together, slowly propping them up, reminiscent of the way a skeleton assembles its body.

“Exactly, it’s this principle that is used. Bone Powder Glue and the like have been added to these building materials, and with just a Soul Core, they can be assembled. Clearly, now, the Undead Holy Fire is acting as a Soul Core. The stronger the breath of death, the more solid they become, and they can even self-repair,” explained Durken.

Negris couldn’t help but sneer. Isn’t this too convenient? As long as there’s the breath of death, wouldn’t these buildings never break down?

“Of course, they break down. Weren’t they already broken? However, when I design such large structures, I always create backups. It seems Your Majesty has adopted this approach and made a backup as well. These columns are the main framework. In case of damage to the main body, they can serve as a base for rebuilding the entire temple,” said Durken.

Upon hearing this, Kent could no longer hold back, “May I ask, who is this gentleman?” Why does he know secrets that not even I am aware of?

“Oh, my name is Durken,” Durken casually replied.

Kent gasped, “The Alchemy King Durken? Oh my, what an honor, what an honor to meet you in person! I have read about your great name on these Secret Inscriptions.” He excitedly shook Durken’s hand vigorously.

This surprised Durken, “You can understand those inscriptions?”

Kent said, “Originally, I couldn’t understand them, but after studying them repeatedly, I realized they seemed to follow a pattern, so I asked His Majesty about it, and he told me the meanings behind the inscriptions.”

“Oh, you actually noticed. You’re very meticulous. Can you tell what these inscriptions mean?” inquisitive, Durken decided to test Kent and pulled out the Gold-touch Stick to show him the inscriptions.

“A gift for the Smiling Bronze Dragon?” Kent guessed uncertainly.

Alongside, Negris quickly leaned in, “Why do you have my Gold-touch Stick?”

While saying so, he reached into his Spatial Bag and pulled out a Gold-touch Stick, “That’s odd, my Gold-touch Stick is right here.”

Durken chuckled awkwardly, “I made extra. Leite and the others needed them, so I made an extra batch. Everyone gets one; I just made more.”

Just the thought of a bunch of Alchemists each holding a Gold-touch Stick known as “A gift for the Smiling Bronze Dragon” made Negris want to leap over and smash Durken’s head in.

Because with a plethora of uniform equipment, a standard is easily set, and in the future, these Gold-touch Sticks could all be referred to as “A gift for the Smiling Bronze Dragon.” Oh, the embarrassment.

As Negris charged to choke Durken, while Durken brandished his Gold-touch Stick attempting to turn him into a frog, the magic failed due to high Magic Resistance resulting only in a frog’s head forming, then that frog’s tongue shot out, drenching Durken’s face in saliva–that’s when the main hall of the Undead Temple gradually took shape.

This anomaly certainly shocked everyone, as people of all ages instinctively knelt towards the direction of the temple, devoutly worshiping.

Although the festival of the Undead Holy Fire had become akin to shopping and carnival celebrations, making the trek with families on that particular day signified at least some reverence for the Holy Fire in their hearts. Such lay believers easily convert when witnessing miracles that move them.

With deep reverence, worshipers knelt continuously, and streams of Soul Flame surged towards the Undead Holy Fire, the flames leaping more than ten meters high. This Soul Flame became the energy supporting the temple’s revival, and once the Holy Fire Platform at the top of the main hall formed, the Undead Holy Fire seemed drawn by some invisible force, slowly ascending from its base towards the Holy Fire Platform.

“Oh! The Holy Fire returns to its place! Undead Eternity! Souls forever!” Anthony immediately shouted loudly, guiding the emotions of the crowd.

This was a golden opportunity; a grand ceremony like this could extract Faith Elemental Force equivalent to half a year’s worth of devotion from a single worshiper. People are prone to herd mentality–a single person’s fervor can easily infect others, stirring a collective frenzy.

Entering such a state, everyone could become zealous believers, offering beliefs dozens or hundreds of times stronger than that of ordinary lay believers.

“The Holy Fire returns to its place! Undead Eternity! Souls forever!” The believers cried out in a excited, coordinated chant.

In an era with a high illiteracy rate, common folk lacked education and were unsure how to express their emotions. Aside from cursing “Kvada” or invoking another’s parents, they needed the guidance of professional Clergy and Priests.

The prayers and scriptures of any religion are carefully chosen and arranged to be simple, catchy, and easily provoke emotions.

Many religious texts are filled with colloquial language and contain phrases that seem grammatically awkward, appearing nonsensical to the educated. One might wonder how such phrases have survived through the ages.

But once you consider the intended audience for these prayers and scriptures and try shouting them out loud, their purpose becomes clear. Those awkward phrases were deliberately crafted to flow smoothly during prayer.

Besides, foreign religions needed to pay attention to accent issues; praying with an accent from the Black Mountain Kingdom would resonate differently compared to a marshland accent.

As a professional old god stick, Anthony had quickly devised a prayer that rolled easily off the tongues of the believers who spoke with inner line accents. When they chanted together, their voices shook the fields.

After one recitation, everyone, for some inexplicable reason, felt a fiery itch all over their body, almost tearing off their clothes to shake it out.

Anthony immediately floated towards the distant Holy Fire Platform, dancing and gesturing as he moved forward, “Holy Fire! Hey! Burn! Hey!”

The movements were simple, even a bit comical, but for some reason, in this environment, they stirred a strong urge to move in many people.

Kent couldn’t help but nudge Negris, asking, “What does this gentleman do for work? Didn’t he say he was the Pope of Light?”

“Hehe, he’s a professional charlatan,” Negris proudly declared. “He’s much more professional than you. Want to learn? I’ll get him to teach you later.”

Next to them, Ange cocked his head, sensing a strong conviction: I want to stand up — I wish to stand up — let me stand up —
Ange looked in the direction from where the belief emanated, which he had noticed much earlier on, as there was a rather luxurious carriage among a bunch of tents and even open-air straw mats. It bore an exquisite emblem — the Howling Opera Troupe’s emblem.

Yes, it was the Witch’s Howling Opera Troupe; it seemed that the Undead King in this world had not only replicated Durken’s creations but also copied many of the Witch’s.

Ange projected his awareness along this strong belief to see a woman lying inside the carriage, bony and thin. With her face turned to the side, she gazed through the window at Anthony dancing in the air, her eyes filled with fervor: “I want to stand up. Is this a soul dance? I want to learn it — I want to dance it –”
Her conviction was strong, accompanied by billowing Soul Flame. Ange took a brief look at her body.

The woman shook all over and looked around in shock, her voice trembling, “Is it… the Undead God?”

She felt a gaze sweep over her, and warmth slide across her withered body which usually felt nothing, not even when maids pinched or squeezed her.

Was it the Undead God? Did the Undead God hear her prayer and bestow His gaze upon her?

With just one glance, Ange knew what her problem was. Her cervical vertebra was fractured, and the split had proliferated, pressing on the nerves, leaving her without sensation from the chest down.

Such an injury was all too easy for Ange to treat. With a few strokes here and some casts of the Purify technique there.

The woman only felt the skin at the back of her neck split open, a force sliding across her vertebrae, and then, something fell out. Before she could feel pain, a warm current rushed into her body, and the split skin rapidly healed.

She experienced an unprecedented sense of relief. To her amazement, she discovered that her arms and legs, her ‘body,’ had ‘returned.’
Yes, they were back. She had lost the feeling in her body and limbs for ten years, but now she could feel them again.

Trembling, the woman used her bony hands to prop up her equally bony body. It was a struggle to do this simple act due to so many years of disuse.

When she finally looked back, the woman saw what had fallen out — a piece of bone with strands of blood.

A miracle, oh, a miracle! With just one look from the Undead God, a piece of bone was cut away, allowing her, paralyzed for ten years, to recover. Oh, what a miracle!

From self-pity to despair, she had never believed in the existence of the Undead God as much as she did today.

With trepidation, the woman crawled out of the carriage, her movements twisted as she attempted to move her limbs, stiff as a corpse from ten years of stillness.

The maids kneeling beside the carriage noticed her and couldn’t help but scream, a sound that startled more people. As everyone’s eyes turned, a greater commotion ensued.

The luxurious carriage, the paralyzed woman — their arrival had already become a subject of conversation, and the people nearby knew the carriage’s owner was a paralyzed patient. Now, seeing the woman who was supposed to be paralyzed in bed standing up, they were naturally astounded.

This was far more shocking than the elderly ‘standing up.’
To their further shock, the woman, with twisted movements, began to walk forwards, getting more agile with each step, slowly starting to jump. Her eyes fixed on Anthony in the air, she imitated his every move.

The whole venue grew even more exuberant, and some people, unable to help themselves, followed the woman, moving their bodies to the rhythm.

The flames of the Undead Holy Fire grew rapidly, its burning light visible from tens of kilometers away. This anomaly naturally disturbed the Council of the Undead, and on the far horizon, silhouettes dragged long shadows, rushing towards this direction.