Chapter 145: Skeletons (Part 2)

Wu Qingsong quickly realized that there was no limit to the number of skeletons he could control. Given enough corpses and soul fragments, he could continuously produce skeletons.

However, this was in terms of their mere existence, not their effective command. Effective control was akin to playing a real-time strategy game that required micromanagement, where he had to quickly switch his focus to issue commands to different skeletons.

With his beginner-level skills, substituting brain speed for hand speed, he could manage around forty to fifty skeletons within his line of sight without error under extreme concentration. However, maintaining such a highly focused and tense state was too taxing, and Wu Qingsong found that comfortably controlling about twenty skeletons was quite an achievement.

If he wished to annihilate the city of Esola, he could summon thousands of skeletons and issue a unified command, “Kill all the people in that city!” 

He could then have a select few skeletons carry large logs to batter down the city gates.

As for the rest of the skeletons, they would be left to their own devices. Whether they chose to attack the walls, bash their heads against them, or form skeletal pyramids to scale them was entirely up to their instincts, with no expectations. Whenever the skeletons he directly controlled were destroyed, he could simply pull in another to replace it. As long as the gates were breached, the skeletons could flood in and engage in instinctual combat.

The strength of the skeletons depended on the robustness of the original corpse’s bones and the potency of the soul fragment he harnessed. Wu Qingsong felt the soul fragments had a more significant impact, but if he accidentally used decayed bones, the resulting skeletons would be utterly ineffective.

In terms of strength, they closely resembled ordinary beastpeople. They didn’t tire but also couldn’t burst into sudden strength. 

As long as the soul fragment’s energy remained, they could maintain consistent output, which was decidedly average. Due to the skeletons’ inherent limitations, they lacked the ability to make agile or flexible movements and struggled with intricate tasks, unless Wu Qingsong was close enough to direct them, which defeated the purpose.

Once armored and armed, their combat capability might match that of ordinary houndmen, yet they fell short in terms of agility and flexibility. In scenarios where the houndmen weren’t intimidated, the skeletons almost always lost one-on-one battles. 

Wu Qingsong deduced that unless the skeletons initially intimidated and demoralized the opponent, such a rigid army would likely fail against a well-organized military formation. They could only hope to overwhelm with sheer numbers to drain the enemy’s physical strength and morale before seeking victory.

However, against an untrained army, the silent, fearless undead army, with soul fires flickering in their eye sockets, could likely win half the battle based solely on their appearance. A silent frontal charge might bring the enemy close to collapse. Yet, given their slow movement, surrounding and catching up to the enemy would not be easy.

In essence, for labor, too many could drive one to frustration, so moderation was crucial. For combat, however, such a fodder army benefitted from larger numbers. The more, the better.

However, the task of creating a walking corpse presented challenges. 

According to the manuscript, the materials required included a fresh corpse that hadn’t yet become rigid after death, a heart carved from a ghost cypress tree, and finally, either a sufficiently potent soul fragment or a complete soul.

It was also possible to awaken a corpse directly using a soul fragment, but that would result in nothing more than a rotten corpse with merely an extra layer of skin over a skeleton, capable only of instinctual actions. Its flesh would still gradually decay, an outcome Wu Qingsong found distinctly unappealing.

Finding ghost cypress was not hard to find. This tree was prevalent in shady valleys, and carving it into a heart shape and meticulously inscribing it with runes, while slightly more demanding, wasn’t too complex. 

Obtaining soul fragments wasn’t challenging either. In the ruins of old Orgrimmar, Wu Qingsong discovered many potent soul fragments, which he carefully purified and brought to the mine’s secret chamber.

However, procuring fresh corpses proved difficult.

Wu Qingsong would never consider killing someone just for magical experimentation. Obtaining the bodies of beastpeople who died from natural causes or accidents, without arousing suspicion, was challenging. By the time these bodies were discarded or buried and accessible to them, they would have already stiffened, rendering them unsuitable for creating walking corpses.

Xeila found his principles hard to comprehend and even somewhat amusing. She believed that while killing civilians might be off-limits, sacrificing one or two ailing slaves for experimentation shouldn’t be considered a big deal.

“If the price of using necromancy means becoming someone who takes lives and kills the innocent, then I would much rather not use it at all,” Wu Qingsong declared firmly.

Xeila still couldn’t grasp what she saw as his pointless determination. To her, what value did the lives of those perpetually submissive rabbitfolk and mousefolk slaves hold?

Yet, she had learned over their time together that while Wu Qingsong was generally easygoing, there were moments when he became stubbornly unreasonable. Therefore, she gave up her objections and directly asked, “Then, what do you suggest we do?”

“We will hunt down bandits,” said Wu Qingsong.

The Esola Hills were rife with bandits.

The chaos and opportunities for glory brought by the insectoid surge attracted numerous mercenary and hunter groups from neighboring regions. While many fell in combat against the insectoids, others took investments from trade companies or secured high-interest loans to acquire equipment. By absorbing smaller groups and rapidly expanding, many successfully gained control over territories.

Their success quickly attracted a host of imitators, and indeed, some of them also achieved success through similar means. 

However, as the insectoid threat was gradually neutralized, the likelihood of success dwindled, leaving many hunter groups struggling to even feed themselves. Consequently, some naturally transitioned into banditry.

These erstwhile hunter groups often exhibited greater brutality than ordinary bandits. Typically, bandits were interested only in loot and would spare their victims’ lives. In contrast, to cover their crimes, these transformed hunter groups frequently slaughtered all those they robbed.

Under these circumstances, small merchant caravans struggled to survive, opting to either join larger convoys or band together to hire trustworthy mercenaries for protection. The robbers, in turn, would often form large, temporary groups for raids, quickly scattering to evade capture after a successful heist. Occasionally, they infiltrated merchant caravans by posing as guards, secretly communicating the convoy’s strength and guard detail, and cunningly leading the caravan into traps where they would betray and rob them at a critical moment.

Such deeds could not remain hidden forever. With their notoriety established after numerous heists, they were marked by law enforcement and placed on wanted lists, barred from entering towns to restock and respite, and relegated to wandering the wilderness.

Wu Qingsong set his sights on these villains.