The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 619 - 643: Do You Want to Go?

Chapter 619: Chapter 643: Do You Want to Go?

“That was the process we discussed last night, and she agreed in the end,” Lancelot set down his glass of fresh juice and said to his companions at the dining table, “This isn’t just an adventure. There are many things completely beyond our control, so if anyone doesn’t want to go, I completely understand. After all, we’re going to war, and the risks far outweigh the rewards. If I didn’t have personal needs, I’d stay far away from this mess.”

“Count me in,” Bruto put down his glass too—which, like all dwarves from Twin Bridges Town, was filled with ale for breakfast.

“Don’t agree so quickly,” Lancelot shook his head, “You just got back, wouldn’t you spend more time with your old man?”

“I spent all day yesterday helping out in the infirmary,” Bruto shrugged, “Need me to describe it for you?”

“How are things?” Lancelot’s face turned grim, “Uncle Barrend wasn’t harmed, was he?”

“Dad got lucky, took a hit to the head, but his sturdy helmet protected him. He’s also got a few scrapes elsewhere, nothing serious,” Bruto speared some jam with his knife and smeared it on his toast, “There are quite a few seriously injured, many are disabled, but Tijana said she’d arrange for the spellcasters to heal them soon. The dead aren’t many, just over twenty, all from a cannonball that struck directly on the city wall. Those can’t be brought back.”

“How could that happen?” Lancelot asked, puzzled, “Alamir, can you help?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t,” the Elf Priest shrugged, “Resurrection magic varies greatly, the most basic is the Third Circle’s ‘Resurrection Art,’ requiring that the death occurred within the last minute, meaning the soul has not yet left the body or is still nearby; also, any lost body parts cannot be regenerated, so if the head was severed, the divine art would be of no use.”

“I know,” Lancelot nodded, “In that battle with the succubus, you used it to bring everyone back, right?”

“Yes. But now I’ve mastered a more powerful version, the Seventh Circle’s ‘Resurrection of the Dead.’ Compared to the Resurrection Art, it works on creatures dead no longer than ten days, even if the deceased’s soul has already departed the original plane, waiting in the Domain of the Vague for judgment. However, it still cannot regenerate lost body parts; if vital organs are missing from the corpse, the divine art will automatically fail.”

“But soldiers killed in war rarely have intact corpses,” Lancelot looked at Alamir, “and divine arts that can restore limbs must be incredibly difficult…”

“Indeed, the Seventh Circle’s ‘Resurrection Technique,’ effective for creatures dead no longer than one hundred years. It can heal fatal wounds and regenerate missing limbs and organs. But this spell is extremely costly, based on how many ‘parts’ the body is missing, needing at least one diamond worth a thousand gold coins. Additionally, clerics capable of casting Seventh Circle divine arts are exceedingly rare, as deities grant such powers only to priests they highly trust, making it almost impossible to purchase such services…”

“I understand,” Lancelot nodded, looking apologetically at Bruto, “I’m partly to blame for this, as it was on my advice that Tijana decided to form the dwarven legion…”

“The dwarves thank you more than you could know! Why would you think otherwise?” Bruto shook his head vigorously, “Many craftsmen have been in Twin Bridges Town for over a decade now; this is their home, and the significance of that legion is beyond your imagination. Everyone is holding a grudge now, desperate for another battle with the demons, but the Succubus Lord forbade them from joining that army heading to the Volcano Fortress…”

“I wouldn’t agree either,” Lancelot stroked his chin, “at least in the Abyss, craftsmen are far more valuable than warriors.”

“Exactly, everyone understands that, so it’s not like they can’t see Tijana’s decision,” Bruto tilted his head back and downed a big gulp of ale, then firmly slapped his cup on the table, “but I’m no craftsman, and those restrictions don’t apply to me. If there’s anything that could keep danger further from my old man, then I must take part. I was already planning to join that mercenary legion, and now that you’re going too, big brother, things just got a lot simpler.”

“You, always getting yourself covered in wounds, need immediate healing, so count me in as well,” Alamir said casually, “Lancelot, you wouldn’t object, right?”

“Of course not, I’d feel much more at ease with you there,” Lancelot nodded gravely, then turned to the conflicted Scholar, “Kalalin, what do you think?”

“I… perhaps shouldn’t go,” Kalalin pursed his lips, his gaze quickly scanning his companions’ faces, “I must admit, I don’t have the confidence to protect myself in battle, nor can I expect you to keep an eye on me all the time, which would only make me a burden. Besides, I want to transcribe and study the contents of the Scroll of Darkness as soon as possible, something I’m obligated to do as a member of the Dark Cult…”

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

“Understood,” Lancelot responded softly, “This time we’re engaged in a large-scale military operation, magic can’t do much…”

“Brother, I want to go!” a girl dressed as a maid, standing next to the dining table with a plate in her hand, suddenly spoke up, “I’m a Wanderer, I can definitely be of great use!”

“Unfortunately, you can’t,” Lancelot, with a stern face, shook his head decisively, “This is something Tijana specifically requested, and I agree with her view.”

“Why not!” the little vampire pouted, looking displeased, “I’m not useless at all… not to mention, last time Uncle Bruto nearly fell into the Stygian River, wasn’t it me who pulled him back?”

“I certainly don’t doubt your capabilities, but this time you really aren’t suited for it,” Lancelot reached out, patting the girl’s puffed-up head, “The sunlight on the Plains of the Abyss is too intense, and the weather is very unstable; it could be a sandstorm one second and clear skies the next… Tijana said she has invited a powerful ancient vampire to come to Twin Bridges Town to train you specifically…”

“Not training again…” The expression on little Isha’s face froze like an ice cube, pitifully looking at Lancelot, “Brother, just take me with you… I won’t do a thing, just stay in your Dimensional Bag, okay? I’ll be well-behaved and only come out when you allow me to…”