The most conspicuous thing was the several heavy wooden crates piled up in the corner.
But what sent chills down Nix's spine was a small container next to the wooden box, made of some kind of dark black stone that seemed to absorb light!
The container was only a foot square, and its surface was covered with twisted, dizzying runes.
The most bizarre thing was that—in the light of the oil lamp, there was no shadow on the ground around the container! The light that shone on it seemed to be swallowed up, forming an absolute, chilling vacuum of darkness!
As soon as Nix sensed that she was near that area, she felt a chill and repulsion from the depths of her soul, as if the shadow power she relied on for existence was being greedily sucked and polluted by that thing!
"Waaah..."
Nix instinctively shrank back in the shadows, suppressing the urge to flee.
She forced herself to concentrate and looked at a simple wooden table next to the black stone container.
Scattered on the table were some parchments covered with hastily written notes.
With the help of the dim light and her extraordinary eyesight, Nix struggled to decipher the distorted handwriting.
Several shocking words, like a red-hot branding iron, were instantly imprinted into her mind:
"Shadow Abyss Source Quality"
"Steps: Inject near death, harvest the dead souls around you, and it will take shape within three days, the more the better."
Next to it was a simple human figure, with the words "Successful Sample: Shadow Abyss Split" written next to it. Below the figure was a scarlet cross, and next to it was written "Failure: Unknown Magic".
A bone-chilling cold instantly swept over Nix! Those soldiers who "went to their deaths" during the day! They were all... materials!
The Sassians, or rather the forces behind them that have been bewitched by the Shadow Abyss, are using the lives of their own soldiers as a breeding ground for those terrifying monsters!
Those bottles contain the "seeds" that allow the dead to merge with the abyss of shadows in extreme pain, twisting into monsters!
She could even "sense" that inside the black stone container, several small black crystal bottles lay quietly, their viscous, life-like black liquid emanating a silent, nauseating, and evil pulse.
The pulse seemed to whisper, calling for death, swallowing the boundary between light and shadow.
It was terrifying! More horrifying for Nix than facing a Shadowfiend directly! This was a systemic, blasphemous evil!
Without a second thought, and daring not to linger any longer, Nix, like a startled cat, instantly withdrew from the gap and swiftly "flowed" down the shadow of the tent, merging into the darkness of the ground, and "swam" towards Greenburg at top speed!
She must tell Lord Lind everything immediately!
As she emerged, still shaken, from the shadows beneath Lind's feet and reformed, lingering fear remained in her amber eyes, and her voice was choked with rapid breaths:
"My lord! Something terrible has happened! They...they're using dead people...to make monsters!"
She spoke incoherently, but with intense terror in her voice, recounting everything she had seen: the resentment in the camp, the black stone container that devoured the shadows, and the key information in her notes about "Shadow Abyss Essence," "Death Warrior Fusion Agent," and the creation of "Shadow Abyss Rippers."
It particularly emphasizes the chilling feeling that the liquid evokes, as if it could corrupt the soul.
Upon hearing this, Lin De's expression instantly turned grim, and the cold glint in his eyes almost pierced the night.
"I see……"
He whispered, his voice as cold as the polar wind, "A feigned attack to send people to their deaths is to provide 'raw materials'! Setting up camp and confronting each other is to provide a stable 'breeding ground'! What a cunning Shadow Abyss! What a vicious scheme of using someone else's body to bring them back to life and undermine their foundation!"
He clenched his fist so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palm. The enemy hadn't shown himself directly, but had instead laid an even more insidious and vicious trap!
Time has become more urgent than ever! We must destroy those evil "seeds" before those "suicide squad members" are completely converted!
A cold glint flashed in Linde's eyes, and his tightly clenched fist slowly loosened, his knuckles turning white from the force.
The intelligence Nicole brought back was like a cold, venomous snake, coiling around her heart, bringing a chilling feeling and an immense sense of urgency.
"The core area...is heavily guarded..."
Linde's voice was deep and cold, echoing in the silent command room, "Indeed, venturing deep into the tiger's den and destroying those 'seeds' is no less difficult than killing the enemy chieftain in battle."
He walked to the window, his gaze piercing through the night, fixed on the enemy camp with its flickering campfires.
With Jeffrey severely injured and out of position, the castle's core is currently comprised of Silver-level warriors, but against monsters like the Shadow Abyss Splits, only Gold-level or higher combatants can play a crucial role in suppressing and countering them.
He and Astaire were the only two pillars of stability for Greenburg at that moment.
"Aster cannot move."
Lind muttered to himself with absolute certainty, "He must be stationed at the city walls to command the overall situation and guard against any possible frontal assault or feint. If he leaves, the castle's defense system will lose half its deterrent power."
The security of Grinburg itself is the overriding premise.
“And I…” Linde’s gaze sharpened, “cannot leave the command center for too long. But this matter must be done! And it must be done quickly! If it is delayed until tomorrow, or even just the latter half of the night, those dead soldiers may be continuously absorbed by the Shadow Abyss and become an asset to the enemy.”
The messages Nix brought contained phrases like "near-death injection," "harvesting souls," and "three-day formation," which sounded like death knells.
Those Sass soldiers who fell during the daytime "perfunctory" attack have now likely become a breeding ground for the power of the Shadow Abyss.
Time is passing by, every minute and every second.
A bold and dangerous plan quickly took shape in Lind's mind.
"Nix."
Linde turned around and looked at the still-shaken kitten girl in the shadows.
"Your stealth ability is the only hope of getting close enough to take those things without being detected. But you need cover, massive cover that will draw all the enemy's attention."
"Sir...you mean?"
Nix's amber pupils widened slightly, as if she had a premonition of something.
"I will lead the team myself."
Linde's tone left no room for argument.
"Organize an elite squad; the number of members doesn't need to be large, but they must be the most agile and valiant veterans. Objective: the flank of the Sassanid camp, to create a large enough night raid and disturbance!"
Set fire to their camps, create chaos, and ideally, mislead them into thinking our main force is attacking, drawing all our reserves and all our attention to them!
He walked to the Greenburg defense map hanging on the wall and pointed heavily at a pre-designated weak point on the flank of the enemy camp.
"Just when the chaos reached its peak, and the enemy's attention was firmly pinned down by us..."
Lind turned his gaze to Nix, his expression filled with unprecedented seriousness and trust.
"The time is right for you to act! I will prepare a sturdy small metal box blessed with the power of the light veins."
Your mission is to infiltrate the core area as quickly as possible, find the black stone container, and pack all the 'Shadow Abyss Essence' inside—those damned crystal bottles—into a chest! Bring them back here!
He paused, his tone chilling: "Remember, Nix! Never try to touch or destroy those liquids! The consequences of direct contact would be unimaginable."
I have some special methods to destroy these things directly.
Remember, your safety is paramount. If you succeed or encounter unavoidable danger, retreat immediately!
Nix straightened her small body, her tail taut, and the fear in her eyes was replaced by a strong sense of responsibility and trust in Lind:
"Understood, meow! Nix will definitely complete the mission! Pack all those bad things into the box and bring them back, meow!"
Lind nodded, then raised his voice and ordered, "Men! Immediately notify the Silver Lance Knights! Assemble inside the castle; we're going to launch a surprise attack tonight!"
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