Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 213: Mana hairpin

[Night retreats, dawn arrives!]

Alex spent the night in Hurricane City, where the food was truly delicious. Ruby would probably love it here.

Alex got up, put on her mage robe, pinned her medal to her chest, and used her hat to cover her hair before stepping out of the room.

"Good morning, esteemed Alyssa. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you very much for your hospitality."

The maid at the door greeted Alex politely, and Alex responded courteously.

Leaving the palace, Alex walked outside the city. Hurricane City was still quiet in the early morning, though a few early-rising mages were already busy.

Hurricane City might not be as bustling as Thunder City, but its clever use of wind magic in its architecture gave it a unique charm.

The shield outside the city had disappeared, indicating that Hurricane City was no longer under lockdown.

Alex was eager to leave; she felt no sense of security staying here.

"Alyssa, are you leaving the city so early?"

This one-star mage, named Onak, seemed to have been waiting for her. He was the one who had hosted Alex at the banquet the previous night.

"Yes, I have some matters to attend to."

"Alyssa, you are indeed diligent. I won't ask you to stay longer, as mages are always busy."

Onak smiled, as if he and Alex were old friends.

"By the way, please take this. When traveling, such items can be quite necessary. As protectors of humanity, we can't always rely on others for food and drink."

Onak handed Alex a heavy gray cloth bag. Opening it, she found it filled with gleaming gold coins, the common currency among the human empires.

Onak had paid out of his own pocket, thinking that someone as young and powerful as Alex was worth befriending.

"Thank you for your kindness."

Alex knew this might come in handy later, so she accepted it, and Onak smiled.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Alex left.

Onak watched Alex leave, then went to a study in the city's palace. He knocked lightly on the doorframe.

"Come in."

A woman's voice came from inside.

Onak entered, facing a middle-aged woman with a mage hat, writing with a quill at her desk.

"President, she has left."

Onak spoke respectfully.

"Did you find out her relationship with Eldrin?"

The woman paused her writing and looked at Onak, her tone indifferent.

"I discussed it with her. When I mentioned Vice President Eldrin, she didn't seem particularly respectful, more like... grateful?"

Onak thought for a moment, feeling this was the best way to describe it, though he didn't understand why the president didn't ask Eldrin directly.

"Alright, let me know when she returns."

After a brief exchange, the woman dismissed Onak, who bowed and left, leaving the woman deep in thought.

Meanwhile, Alex, leaving the city, was grateful she had learned basic wind magic. Otherwise, a Monarch-level mage who couldn't fly would be too suspicious.

As an Honorary Mage, Alex moved freely in Hurricane City. A casual inquiry to a guard even got her a map of the entire Starfallen Empire.

Through brief conversations, Alex learned some basics about the Starfallen Empire. It was vast, with a population in the billions, housing nearly half of Eldoria's human population and protected by the mage association.

The strength of the Starfallen Empire relied entirely on the power of its mage association branch.

Hurricane City was the main hub for wind magic within the mage association. Most mages there practiced wind magic, though other types were also present, albeit less common. Talented mages were often sent to other major cities for further training.

Located in the northwest of the Starfallen Empire, near the capital, Alex needed to leave quickly. She avoided using dark magic within the empire to prevent exposure.

She also avoided using Hurricane City's teleportation array to the empire's border to keep her movements hidden.

Alex had enough experience to level up but chose to continue accumulating it.

Soon, Alex flew out of the core area of the Starfallen Empire, entering the Barren Plains, a near-border wasteland with only a few villages.

No longer hiding, Alex stored her mage robe and medal in her ring and used dark magic to fly at full speed. Basic wind magic was too slow.

Instead of crossing the Frostwind snowy mountain to return to Undead City, she headed south to the swamp near Chi-Chi's castle.

The castle was now ruins, soon to be reduced to sand by the wind.

Alex landed and entered the alchemy magic circle she had set up, digging a pit to bury Chi-Chi's body.

"I wanted to bury you with your family, but I didn't have the time or opportunity. Rest here."

"From here it begins, and from here it ends."

Alex wasn't one for sentimental words. She had seen too many deaths, perhaps making this a fitting end.

If asked whether she regretted saving Chi-Chi, Alex would say she would regret it either way. It was a choice with no perfect answer.

After a few minutes of gazing at Chi-Chi's peaceful face, Alex knew it was time to leave.

Chi-Chi's story ended here, but Alex's was just beginning.

Alex buried Chi-Chi, flattened a stone from the ruins as a tombstone, and carved Chi-Chi's name on it.

Standing up, she took one last look at the grave hidden by the alchemy magic circle before turning away.

Undead City wasn't far. At Alex's flying speed, it would take only minutes to return.

That battle had cost many Monarch-level undead lives, showing Alex the hobgoblin kingdom was no easy foe. She had underestimated them.

Without Alex, the Monarch-level forces couldn't be replenished, making victory against the hobgoblin kingdom uncertain.

"But according to the system messages, no undead have died since dawn. What's going on?"

Alex was puzzled, not paying much attention to the goblin kill messages, knowing goblins were hobgoblin slaves.

[Congratulations, Lord, on obtaining high-level lightning magic. Do you want to use 1,000 magic crystals to learn it right now?]

Entering her territory, Alex received a system prompt and chose to learn without hesitation.

Instantly, a flood of knowledge filled her mind. She could now touch and use the lightning elements in the air without discomfort.

Alex knew the power of high-level magic. As a destructive force, lightning magic became her second high-level spell. She quickly integrated it into her right eye for enhancement.

A purple arc flashed in her right eye, lighting up the third element on the six-pointed star magic circle.

Alex then took out the gift Chi-Chi had intended for her from the Warehouse.

[Item Name: Mana Hairpin]

[Item Grade: Commanding level]

[Item Feature: Increases Mana Points limit by 30, enhances Mana Points recovery efficiency.]

It was a red butterfly hairpin with long ribbons, an auxiliary item.

Alex pinned it to her hair, perfect for recovering Mana Points after flying.

Originally, she recovered one Mana Point per minute. With the hairpin, it increased to 1.5 times, recovering three points every two minutes.

With 300 Mana Points, full recovery took five hours. The hairpin reduced it to three hours and twenty minutes.

This saved a lot of time, helpful in battles.

Entering Undead City, Alex saw the army had stopped teleporting and gathered outside the main fortress.

She didn't notify the siblings of her return; the system dashboard showed no undead deaths, only goblin kill messages.

Seeing this, Alex wasn't in a hurry. She decided to take a bath and level up before checking the situation.

Alex undressed, walked barefoot into the bathroom, and pulled the shower curtain closed.