Chapter 539, Someone is performing a requiem
A few days ago, contact had already been made with Shanella.
The wood elves had essentially placed her under house arrest, with no restrictions on food, drink, or daily life, but the only condition was that she could not leave the city.
Meanwhile, the wood elves, after discovering that Wu Heng was the biggest client of Gold-Silver Island,
wanted to continue maintaining cooperation with him.
Thus, they proposed that if they wanted Shanella to return, he had to maintain an order of no less than 200,000 gold within three years.
In other words, it felt like they were saying, "Spend this money, and we'll let Shanella return, granting you the chance to be together."
From Wu Heng's perspective, he already relied on the wood elves' grain to supply the zombie world, along with weaponry, equipment, or purchases of gunpowder and copper mines.
Securing the 200,000-gold order was not difficult.
So, he agreed.
In the past few days, Shanella had also been discussing this matter with the other party, and it seemed like there was now an answer.
Wu Heng picked up the receiver and lightly tapped it. "Shanella, can you hear me?"
Soon, Shanella's gentle voice came from the other side. "Yes, I'm here, drawing."
"Uh... how did your talks with the elders go?" Wu Heng asked.
"We've finished. I can return anytime, and there will be a trade delegation to discuss the goods with you. The 200,000 gold in three years is a bit of pressure on Gold-Silver Island, especially since you've exempted those trade caravans from taxes," Shanella said, her tone somewhat somber.
"It's fine. Having you back is more important than anything."
"Right now, I'm not even worth 200,000."
"Priceless—far beyond 200,000."
Shanella's tone suddenly became gloomy. "There have been some adjustments regarding Starflower. Nominally, I am still the president of Starflower, but I no longer have the authority to mobilize or manage. Simply put, I'm a figurehead to maintain the clan's public image. A president who's in a relationship with a small island master doesn't sound good."
Wu Heng listened, and his brow furrowed.
In other words, Shanella now only held an empty title with no real power.
To outsiders, it seemed like nothing had changed, but in reality, she was no longer involved in affairs.
Seeing that Wu Heng remained silent, Shanella joked, "Do you regret not asking my sister for more money? Honestly, I'm a little regretful. I should've earned my future living expenses ahead of time."
Wu Heng chuckled, "There's nothing to regret. With your abilities, it's their loss."
"Let's hope so!"
Wu Heng changed the topic. "When will you return? I'll have Felipa pick you up."
"I'll arrange it in the next couple of days and let you know in advance."
"Sounds good." Wu Heng nodded and then asked, "I'm thinking of buying some ships for Gold-Silver Island's patrol fleet. Any recommendations for shipyards?"
"You've seen Starflower's ships—large and sturdy. The hulls here are made from special timber, which should be more than enough for you, though they do come at a higher price."
"Alright, I'll place an order with Starflower."
"Mhm."
Wu Heng then shared stories of recent events on the island.
When Shanella heard about Sheila Grey's sister nearly dying at someone's hands, she gasped in shock.
An attempt to assassinate a guild steward right on the island.
That's not something an ordinary person could pull off.
After chatting for a while, someone came to visit Shanella, so they ended the call.
Wu Heng went downstairs to eat and then returned upstairs with two maids to rest.
...
The next day, in the zombie world.
Iron North Commercial Street.
Boom!
After the third bomb drop, the skeletal wyvern roared overhead, returning to its position.
The dust on the street began to clear.
Severed limbs and rubble littered the ground, with flesh and blood turned to sludge.
But there were still nearly a thousand zombies gathering on the road, roaring and charging forward.
Wu Heng glanced at the battlefield ahead and issued a direct order. "Spear formation, ready!"
Clatter!
The spear formation, covering the entire road, uniformly aimed forward, creating a solid, dense wall.
At the same time, Wu Heng gestured toward the rooftop of a nearby building.
A bright light appeared overhead.
In front of the spear formation, a circular magic array formed.
It was Wu Heng's creation—the 'Soul Capturing Jade Flashlight.'
The Soul Capturing Jade was a strange item he obtained after defeating the necromancer last time.
Its effect allowed it to capture residual souls of living beings or corpses, but the trigger condition required light to pass through the jade, projecting the array onto the ground.
Wu Heng had spent considerable time studying it.
He eventually found a flashlight of the right size and attached the jade to the front of it.
As long as the switch was turned on and aimed at the ground,
a complete array would appear.
Using it now displayed the full array, much better than lighting candles and shining light stones from behind.
However, its effectiveness was reduced under sunlight.
The location Wu Heng chose had the building blocking the sunlight, keeping the array in shadow.
Whether this strange item would work on zombies remained to be seen this time.
If it worked, leveling up his two wraiths would no longer be difficult.
He could even raise a group of high-level wraiths.
If it didn't work, he would have to figure out a way to use regular living beings or corpses in other worlds.
With these thoughts in mind, the large group of zombies swarmed in.
Their roars and shoves filled the air.
They charged straight into the spear formation.
Their bodies were pierced by spears, the sound of tearing flesh and breaking bones echoing across the battlefield.
Wu Heng kept his eyes fixed on the entire area.
The two wraiths, one on the left and one on the right, silently waited.
"Will it work? What if something appears, and we can't defeat it?" Xiaoxiao asked, worried.
"Residual souls, and their levels are low. It's written in the books," Wu Heng replied.
"What if the books are lying?"
"We'll know when they show up," Glenda added, also keeping her eyes on the front.
"True."
The two wraiths and Wu Heng spoke softly.
The battlefield ahead began to change.
A distorted residual soul, barely humanoid, floated up like translucent smoke.
"There it is!" Xiaoxiao pointed and shouted.
Wu Heng's heart lifted with joy. "What's the level?"
"Below level five—probably around level two or three."
As they spoke, waves of residual souls floated densely into the air, their contorted faces showing confusion and malice as they spiraled upward.
It was as if countless bubbles were being released into the sky from the ground.
But the scene was eerily terrifying.
"Are they all below level five?" Wu Heng asked again.
"Yes, they are."
"Then hurry up and absorb them. It's broad daylight, and residual souls may disperse quickly," Wu Heng urged.
"Got it." Glenda flew out first, coiling around a residual soul and devouring it as it howled.
Xiaoxiao pumped her fist several times for courage.
Under Wu Heng's urging, she also charged into the battlefield and began absorbing souls.
For a moment, the skeletons and zombies fought below while the two wraiths hunted residual souls above.
[Wraith level increased to level 10, Constitution +1, Perception +1, Intelligence +2.]
[Wraith level increased to level 11…]
[Wraith level increased to level 13…]
The two wraiths leveled up continuously, especially Xiaoxiao, who, sensing no danger, began chasing the residual souls.
Their levels climbed rapidly.
She no longer feared ghosts, instead chasing the mindless souls as they fled in all directions.
...
In the distance, atop a high-rise apartment building,
a disheveled girl wrapped in a quilt stared wide-eyed out the window.
She turned and shouted, "Mom! Someone's performing a requiem for the zombies! I saw their souls ascend to the heavens!"