No, old Ephu continued, "This is a story of my great-grandfather.

Do you truly believe this story?" The bearded man inquired, "Prior to this day, whether the story was true or false, old Efu's willingness to finance their endeavors had compelled them to accompany him.

However, now that the narrative involved battles against the undead and secrets of immortality, they felt the need to seek clarity.

The key and the ancient tomb have already been verified, have they not?" Old Efu countered.

The mercenaries exchanged glances.

Mr.

Efu, shall we visit the ancient tomb tomorrow? The bearded man asked softly, his demeanor returning to one of respect.

Indeed, we shall go tomorrow, old Ephu replied as he rose to return to his chamber.

Do not let this information leak.

Otherwise, we shall encounter greater troubles.

Understood.

We shall not disturb your rest any further, they said before exiting the room, closing the door behind them.

As the skeletal army made its way back, Fong Hao exited his divine state.

Sitting on the bed, he first contacted Jeang Bin.

Jeang Bin, are you there? Boss, what can I do for you? Jeang Bin replied promptly, I have instructed blood hunter to send you an animal called the iron claw rat, which can aid the farmers in loosening the soil.

When it arrives, distribute them among the villagers for separate rearing.

Oh, understood.

How many? 505.

Once you receive them, distribute them to the villagers and keep an eye on them.

These little creatures are fond of burrowing.

Huh? Oh, all right.

Jean responded, slightly bewildered, but still agreed.

After ending their conversation, Fong How descended the stairs, having not eaten throughout the day, he felt quite hungry.

"Master, please wait a moment.

Dinner will be ready shortly," Eir said with a sweet smile.

"All right," Fungho acknowledged as he stepped out of the Lord<unk>'s manor.

Upon exiting the door, he spotted Nelson quietly seated on a bench awaiting his arrival, accompanied by an orc skeleton.

Scholar Nelson, you have emerged from seclusion.

Fonggho approached him immediately.

After Nelson saluted, he introduced, "My lord, this is Blackthornne.

" The skeletal hero stepped forward, kneeling on one knee as he stated, "I have met the lord.

" Fong Hao understood then that the orc's commanding title for the 300 troops was indeed Blackthornne.

Blackthorni.

For now, he could only refer to him as such.

Blackthornne fifth tier hero faction undead template blue.

Racial traits: undead, hollow skeleton, light weakness.

Legion talents, fortress defender, infantry commander, range commander.

Skills: Encampment, thorns, torture, converse with the dead, innate abilities, advanced defense mastery, intermediate tactics mastery, intermediate command mastery, intermediate one-handed weapon mastery.

Fortress defender.

Units under command experience a five morale boost and a one increase in defense when engaged in defensive battles.

Camping passive.

The efficiency of the camp establishment for the commanded troops is increased by 20.

Torture passive.

This unit excels in punishment, causing the morale of the punished to plummet to zero.

Thorns, active inflicts 50 skill damage upon the target.

Conversation with the dead, active bestows an illusion of life upon a corpse, granting a temporary animation to respond to inquiries.

Prerequisite: The corpse must possess a mouth and must not be an undead creature.

Description: A product of the immortal necromancer, not recognized by the deity of the undead.

This hero cannot be enhanced or advanced.

The attributes of Haging are somewhat peculiar.

He resembles not a leading hero, but rather an executioner suited for severe coercion.

Fortunately, I emerge victorious in this battle.

Otherwise, if I have fallen into his hands, what fate would await me? I would surely be subjected to torment.

All right, you may rise now.

Once the team returns, I shall assign you your duties, Fonggha remarked.

Yes, my lord.

Hijing replied, standing up and respectfully positioning himself to the side.

Chapter 189, the true bloodline.

After engaging in conversation with Nelson for a while, the main force of the return journey entered the territory.

This time, there were no corpses available for conversion.

Yet, a significant amount of gold and silver vessels was acquired, being transported in carts to the warehouse.

Additionally, the weapons dropped by the undead could be repaired by the blacksmiths.

yielding a commendable price.

Most importantly, however, were the blueprints and rare materials obtained.

Blueprint scrolls included heroic killing skill scroll, fortress construction blueprint, white steel two-handed sword crafting blueprint, copper corpse preservation casket crafting blueprint, noble staff sword crafting blueprint.

Rare materials included trace of death 244, blood stone 27, shadow stone 160, wriggling spine.

The wriggling spine was only dropped by the three dusk revelers, while the rest belonged to the undead and would not yield any drops.

Receiving the backpack handed over by Anna, all the blueprints were meticulously cataloged.

By the way, Bachelor Nelson, I acquired a heart in the ancient tomb.

Should I keep it or would it be more profitable to turn it into an organ jar? Fonggha suddenly recalled the dark gold hero's heart.

If sealing the organ jar could yield powerful skills, it was worth considering.

The heart was still encased within a pottery jar which a skeleton carried back with great care.

Let me have a look, Nelson replied.

The skeleton held the jar and Fong how along with Nelson peered inside.

The heart continued to pulsate vigorously.

Where did you obtain this, my lord? Nelson inquired.

Fongghao recounted the entire sequence of events to Nelson, including the inquiries made in Human Cities.

After listening, Nelson nodded slightly, contemplating the matter.

My lord, do you intend to craft it into an organ jar? May I first observe what effects it may produce? Fongo suggested the heart possessed a special task, and he wished to ascertain what attributes it might acquire when stored in the organ jar.

If the attributes were favorable, he would forego the task.

But if they were mediocre, he would retain the heart for the quest.

Ultimately, it would depend on which option would yield the greatest benefit.

My lord, I do not advise you to pursue the creation of an organ jar.

Such an endeavor could spell disaster for the territory.

Nelson spoke softly.

His tone was calm.

Yet Fong, how could perceive the gravity of the situation? A heart retrieved from the wild could bring calamity to the territory.

Were his hundreds of thousands of undead troops merely ornamental? What do you mean, bachelor? Please speak plainly.

Fong Ho furrowed his brow.

Ordinary bloodlines do not possess such formidable vitality.

This heart embodies the purest bloodline power, likely belonging to someone closely related to the progenitor of the bloodline.

To seal, it would be akin to crafting a ticking time bomb.

Once discovered, it would invoke the wrath of the bloodline.

Nelson spoke solemnly.

The bloodline adheres to a stringent hierarchy.

Not every creature bearing fangs and bat-like wings is granted recognition within the bloodline.

They possess their clans and legacies.

Yet, regardless of the clan, all share a common ancestor in the bloodline.

The heart in question, intricately linked to the progenitor of the blood clan, serves as a testament to the gravity of the situation.

Although Fongo could provoke any local force, he must tread carefully around such a powerful faction.