Chapter Four: The Three Heroes of the Undead

Faced with the choices of the two bone dragons, Reed had little to say. He could only grant one of them the name “Blood Night” and convert it into a subordinate hero, while the other was given to Li Bin as his mount.

Confronted with the bone dragon that had been assigned to him, Li Lin was at a loss. Normally, bone dragons served as combat mounts, but Li Bin doubted his own melee abilities would allow him to coordinate effectively with such a creature. After much consideration, Li Bin took out a small bronze bell and hung it around the neck of the newly designated mount.

He then turned his attention to the valkyrie and the skeletal sharpshooter Gru, both of whom insisted on being made heroes. Li Bin truly didn’t know what to do with them. The valkyrie was easier to handle—at worst, she could be turned into a hero and assigned command of the Amazonian troops, as she had done before. Gru, on the other hand, posed a real conundrum.

Perhaps sensing Li Bin’s difficulty, Gru said, “Master, just allow me to become a combat hero. That might make it easier for you to arrange things.”

“No,” Li Bin replied firmly. “You contributed the most in this battle. I can’t let your talents go to waste any longer. Here’s what we’ll do: you may pick the personnel you want from my mixed unit for now. In the future, when the unit you desire becomes available, I’ll do my best to arrange it for you.”

“Thank you for your trust, Master,” Gru said, nodding.

Li Bin then turned to the valkyrie, but before he could speak, she said, “Don’t look at me like that. The Amazon tribe isn’t all I want—I’m also interested in the three squads of harpy creatures you have.”

“They’re not harpies, they’re undead,” Li Bin replied with a smile.

“I don’t care. Give them to me, and I guarantee you’ll have the best ambush unit possible,” the valkyrie said confidently.

“Very well, I agree,” Li Bin said decisively. “If you perform well, I can promise you’ll be in charge of all future swamp assassins and any harpy-type undead we train.”

“It’s settled then,” the valkyrie said excitedly.

With everything arranged, San Nei stepped forward. “Master, shouldn’t we be leaving now?”

“Not yet. We’re still waiting for someone,” Li Bin replied, shaking his head.

“Waiting? For whom?” San Nei asked, confused.

“He means me,” came a deep voice from behind the group.

They turned to see a towering, powerfully built death knight in black, spiked armor, eyes burning with black flames, wielding a heavy, long-handled warhammer, standing behind them.

Upon seeing Li Bin, the death knight immediately asked, “Have you found the mount I requested?”

“I have. If you can subdue him, that bone dragon will be your companion,” Li Bin said, pointing to the freshly made mount.

The death knight turned and saw the bone dragon staring back at him. Without a word, he strode forward and swung his hammer.

The bone dragon did not back down. With a swipe of its bony claws, it struck the death knight. The two were soon locked in fierce combat, a blur of black shadows and white light clashing back and forth. After a short but intense fight, both collapsed to the ground.

Li Bin hurried over. “Ted, are you all right?”

“He’s impressive. From now on, he’ll be my companion,” Ted replied, gently stroking the bone dragon’s head. At that moment, the bronze bell Li Bin had attached to the bone dragon began to glow with a white light, and under its radiance, the dragon’s body rapidly became as transparent as crystal.

Startled, the bone dragon tried to struggle, but Ted held him down firmly. “Don’t be alarmed. Soon, you’ll have a body far stronger than any ordinary bone dragon.”

Hearing this, the dragon ceased resisting. Moments later, a black crystal bone dragon stood before them. Ted leaped onto its back, pointed at the other bone dragon—nicknamed “Little Wretch”—and declared, “Come, I challenge you.”

Faced with such a formidable opponent, Little Wretch’s fighting spirit soared. With a beat of its wings, it charged at Ted, who spurred the black crystal dragon forward to meet him.

They exchanged blows mid-air more than a dozen times. Eventually, Little Wretch could no longer withstand Ted’s relentless assault. With a great sweep of its wings, it soared higher, unleashing a hail of ice rings and arrows toward Ted.

Ted clapped his mount, urging it rapidly upward in hopes of escaping the magical barrage, but before he could ascend far, an ice wall rose before him.

Little Wretch darted out from behind the ice wall and, with a heavy lash of its tail, sent Ted and the black crystal dragon crashing to the ground.

The others rushed over. Li Bin realized that although Ted was defeated, his performance against Little Wretch would earn him a reward far greater than any they had received.

Indeed, Ted was immediately promoted to an elite hero; his combat level leapt from five to eight, and he acquired the Black Steel Warhammer, which doubled the attack chance of his subordinate death knights, along with a small squad of death knights.

With that, Li Bin finally led his group out of the underground temple. On the way, his subordinates learned of Ted’s origins: he was someone Li Bin had met while repairing Bloodthirst City.

At that time, Ted had given Li Bin a task—to find him a suitable mount. In return, Ted would have his small group of death knights join Li Bin’s forces.

However, Li Bin had never found an appropriate mount for Ted, and the bronze bell for the quest remained in his possession until now. This opportunity fell perfectly into place—summoning Ted with the bell, and Ted being wholly satisfied with his new companion. Thus, Ted and his death knights became Li Bin’s newest subordinates.

With these additions, Li Bin’s army was transformed. Not only did the newly joined Level 9 death knights greatly enhance his force, but his four direct heroes and one magic hero now formed an effective small-scale command system.

Gru, the skeletal sharpshooter, led the mixed unit; the valkyrie, Shen Ni Ling, led the ambush force; Reed commanded the bone dragon aerial corps; and Ted led the cavalry. With a single command, Li Bin could execute his strategic plans, supported by San Nei as advisor and his own personal guard.

If he wished, Li Bin could now easily organize a major campaign affecting four or five cities.

Satisfied as he surveyed his forces, Li Bin quickly departed the city and set out for the teleportation gate.