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Chapter 590: Necro Plague Origin

— 10 AM - New Atlantis - New Atlantis Space Center —

In one of the Assembly Facilities, Daniel was monitoring the construction process of two Godslayer cannons. This was a top-secret project, accessible only to his team at the Atlanteus base, not to his regular employees.

The assembly had just begun, and the core components of the Godslayer cannon were still in production. Currently, the rockets were being worked on, as Daniel needed to test the cannon's power—on nothing less than an actual god—to see if it could live up to its name.

"Where is that old man now?" Daniel muttered while observing the progress, watching drones and mechanical scarabs working on the rockets.

He was thinking about Yuan, that cunning old fox, who had half-forced Tian Xingyun into his care before disappearing under the guise of conducting an investigation, without offering any explanation.

[Master, I believe you should see this.] The cold, robotic voice of Nexus Prime interrupted Daniel's thoughts, prompting him to look at the large screen in the observation room.

Nexus Prime switched the display from data to an international news channel. The screen showed a burning city, filmed from a helicopter, with hordes of undead flooding the streets.

A news reporter's voice then accompanied the footage, describing the events.

"Today, at approximately 8:30 AM local time in the Republic of Ottoman Levant, a virus outbreak resembling the infamous zombie virus has occurred in the capital, resulting in tens of millions of casualties.

Public services and local authorities in the area have ceased operations. The conflict between Ottoman Levant forces and the zombie hordes has escalated, prompting the authorization of heavy weaponry to control the outbreak within the capital.

However, the government's decision to use heavy weapons has sparked protests throughout the country. Meanwhile, large groups of citizens support the government's action, leading to widespread clashes between the two factions nationwide..."

"Call Albert for me," Daniel instructed Nexus Prime.

"Yes, Master," the A.I. responded, initiating the call. The line rang a few times before Albert picked up.

"Yes, my lord? How may I assist you?" Albert's voice came through the speaker.

"Have you seen the news about the Ottoman Levant?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, I'm watching it now, my lord."

"What's your take on this?" Daniel inquired. Albert, the head of his organization's spy network and a seasoned veteran in the world of magic and political intrigue, was someone whose opinion Daniel needed to consider before doing anything regarding this outbreak.

"This is most likely the result of the Necro Plague, my lord," Albert replied.

However, Albert was hiding something from his lord. He suspected that this outbreak might actually be connected to the teleportation magic his lord had used to send that nuclear warhead back to whoever had tried to detonate it in their city.

Since the warhead had been affected by obscure magic, there was a high chance that the warhead was, in fact, an artifact designed to contain the Necro Plague, which was now unleashed. In Albert's mind, this was poetic justice! their enemies were now getting the taste of their own medicine… Serve them right!

Of course, these were just Albert's thoughts. He chose not to share them with his lord, fearing the burden of guilt might be too much. This wasn't just about the lives of enemies but innocent people as well. Albert made his mind to keep this information hidden, at least until he could no longer conceal it.

"What is the Necro Plague?" Daniel asked.

"In short, it's a zombie plague capable of wiping out all life on Earth. To elaborate, it's a plague designed by a radical necromancer cult called the Cult of Thalassar to…"

"What did you say!? The Cult of Thalassar!? Are you sure!?" Daniel interrupted, alarmed. The name struck a familiar chord.

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Thalassar, or the Archlich Thalassar, was a villain Daniel had written into the lore of The Crusade of Light and Darkness card set. Thalassar was the final boss of the set—a powerful and ancient Archlich whose story dated back to the era of King Solomon.

"Yes, my lord, it's Thalassar—the Archlich Thalassar. You know about him too?" Albert asked, surprised.

"Ah, yes... I do. Please, continue. Sorry to interrupt," Daniel said, quickly shifting the topic.

"Alright, my lord. Where was I? Ah yes. The plague was designed to turn the world into a realm of the undead. The cult believed that the undead are eternal and that their lord would rise from the grave to rule the world, granting them power and eternal life to experience an eternity of glory."

"Where is this cult now?" Daniel asked.

"The cult has already been destroyed, its members scattered across the globe. Some were absorbed into the Hightower, as you know how most of the mages' brains work, they don't shy away from heresy or forbidden knowledge. As a result, the knowledge of how to create this magical plague ended up in the hands of the Hightower, but it was classified as Strictly Forbidden.

None of the Hightower's members may practice it without approval from three Grand Councilors and half of the High Council.

So... the outbreak you're seeing is most likely the work of the Hightower or the cult's remnants. Though, I doubt it's the latter," Albert explained.

"Why do you think it's not the cult remnants? At the very least, the Hightower still represents the legitimate authority in the Curtained World. They wouldn't act rashly like this, would they?" Daniel inquired, half doubting it.

"It's because of resources, my lord," Albert explained.

"Resources?" Daniel repeated.

"Yes, my lord, resources. It's a simple reason. The remnant cult doesn't have enough resources for even basic experiments, let alone creating a magical plague designed to wipe out all life on Earth. Such a plague requires a vast amount of magical materials, complicated rituals, and the sacrifice of many living humans.

Even if it's the remnant cultists, they would need a specialized lab and substantial resource support from the Hightower, since many of the materials required for this kind of plague are monopolized by the Hightower," Albert explained.

"What exactly does this plague do, besides the obvious of turning people into zombies?" Daniel asked.

"Well…" Albert paused to think before continuing. "Aside from turning people into zombies, the plague carries a very dangerous element when it infects individuals with high magical potential. There's a small chance they could evolve into Ghouls, Wights, or even Liches.

As for non-human creatures, they may transform into various types of undead monsters. The full range of these transformations hasn't been thoroughly documented, as the Hightower avoided experimenting too much with it—too dangerous and not worth the risk," Albert clarified.

After hearing all the necessary information, Daniel thought carefully. Should he assist the Ottoman Levant, or remain uninvolved and focus on preparing backup defenses in case the plague reached his territory? He was particularly concerned about what the plague might do to Abysmos, the Kraken that swam around New Atlantis and helped guard it.

If the plague could transform Abysmos into something monstrous... well, not that Abysmos wasn't already a monster, but Daniel feared he might become an uncontrollable beast, unable to distinguish friend from foe. If that happened, Daniel would have a major headache dealing with an even more monstrous Abysmos.

"There's one more thing I want to warn you about, my lord, in case you decide to get involved in the Ottoman Levant," Albert said, drawing Daniel's attention.

"In that area, there's a legend about a mausoleum or tomb where Archlich Thalassar is buried, somewhere in the desert. Testimonies from cultists and old texts dating back to the Middle Ages, when Wallachia fought against Thalassar's undead army—before Vlad was betrayed by the Vatican—mention it.

It's very likely that Archlich Thalassar's phylactery uses the souls of the dead as fuel to regenerate his body. So, please be cautious if you decide to intervene in that area. Also, please consult with Vlad; he's the one who fought Thalassar and managed to destroy his body. He might have some useful tips," Albert warned.

"I see... thanks, Albert," Daniel thanked him before hanging up.

He walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it with a tired sigh, massaging his forehead as he felt a headache coming on. This whole situation felt like being splashed with turd water by a passing car in the morning—enough to sour anyone's mood for the entire day.

"I hate surprises," Daniel muttered to himself, especially ones like this.

Whether he liked it or not, he needed to contain the plague and eliminate it as quickly as possible. He doubted the Hightower would lift a finger to help.

"Those f*cking morons," he cursed again at the mages of the Hightower before forcing himself to calm down.

Daniel then gave an order to Nexus Prime. "Prime, contact Cao Cao, Albert, and the members who hold the top 10 Senate seats from the Order of Ember. We need to come up with a plan to contain and eliminate the Necro Plague."