43: Fighting poison with poison: a wise strategy to win in a perilous situation (Part 2)

Lin Zhou's divine oracle descended upon the edge of his Divine Realm, an area designated as the "Auxiliary Zone." The environment here was relatively simple, lacking the dense Spiritual Qi and grand architecture of the core area; instead, it consisted mostly of caves and workshops suitable for Skaven life.

Inside a crude but fully functional [Shadow Council Chamber], Chen Hai was standing before a large map sandbox cobbled together from various scrap parts, directing several exceptionally capable Skaven Thieves in a simulation exercise. His Divine Realm's development was far behind Lin Zhou's, with a Skaven clan population of about eight hundred and an average Rank of only LV12, though it did not lack elite units.

[Hero Unit]: Chen Hai (Consciousness Projection)

[Divine Realm]: Skaven Nest

[Clan]: Skaven

[Core Clan Unit Types]:

[Skaven Thief] (LV10-15): Specialized in stealth, lockpicking, and trap disarming; weak combat power.

[Skaven Plague Monk] (LV12-18): Fanatical melee units whose attacks carry disease; low defense.

[Skaven Slinger] (LV8-12): Ranged units with average accuracy, but can form a barrage in large numbers.

[Hero Unit]: Snik Shadowclaw (Skaven Thief Leader)

[Rank]: LV 25

[Talent]: [Shadow Affinity] (Stealth effectiveness in shadows is greatly increased, making detection difficult), [Sleight of Hand] (Success rate of stealing and disarming traps is greatly increased)

[Skills]: [Smoke Bomb], [Poisoned Dagger], [Sprint]

[Attributes]: Strength 18, Agility 55, Physique 20, Intelligence 25, Spirit 22 (True Neutral, loyal to Chen Hai)

[Equipment]: [Shadow Leather Armor] (Excellent, enhances stealth), [Silent Boots] (Excellent, silent movement), [Paralysis Poison Blade] (Excellent, attacks have a chance to paralyze)

Receiving Lin Zhou's divine oracle, Chen Hai was both shocked and delighted. Shocked that Lin Zhou seemed to be in big trouble, and delighted that Lin Zhou finally had a place where he needed help! He had always felt his strength was meager and that he couldn't help his brother, who had already become the top scholar, which left him feeling quite guilty.

"Brother Zhou! What is it? Just give the word! Me and my rat-pups won't hesitate for a second!" Chen Hai thumped his chest, responding with his consciousness.

Lin Zhou briefly and concisely informed Chen Hai about the situation in Blackstone Territory, the threat of the plague, and the need for corpse soul grass and disintegration stones to refine a critical medicine.

"...That's the situation. A frontal assault would cost too much. I hope your Skaven can use their specialties to infiltrate 'Wraith Ravine' and 'Tremor Canyon' to gather enough Materials without alerting the guardian tribes." Lin Zhou's tone carried trust and expectation.

Upon hearing this, Chen Hai's small eyes immediately lit up with an excited glint. "Infiltration? Stealing things? That's right up our Skaven's alley! Don't worry, Brother Zhou! Mission guaranteed! I'll personally lead Snik and the most elite thief squad!"

"Be absolutely careful! Safety first! If it's impossible, retreat immediately, and we'll think of another way," Lin Zhou urged, while mobilizing his Divine Power. "I will open a temporary teleportation channel to Blackstone Territory for you and have Elwin meet you to provide necessary intelligence and support."

"Understood!"

Soon, a miniature, inconspicuous pillar of teleportation light lit up in a remote corner of Furnace Fortress. Chen Hai (Consciousness Projection) and his hero Snik Shadowclaw arrived quietly with twenty [Elite Skaven Thieves] ranked LV15 or higher.

Elwin was already waiting there. Looking at this group of short, raggedly dressed but alert and cunning Skaven, she felt a bit strange. However, out of absolute trust in Lin Zhou, she still received them politely and shared detailed intelligence, maps, and the characteristics of the guardian creatures in "Wraith Ravine" and "Tremor Canyon."

"The Wraiths in Wraith Ravine are incorporeal; physical attacks are useless, but they are sensitive to life auras and positive energy. Perhaps... you could try to shroud yourselves in negative energy or use certain items that can mask your life aura?" Elwin suggested.

"Hehe, that's easy enough." Chen Hai grinned, pulling several jars of grease emitting a faint putrid scent from his ragged backpack. "[Ghoul Camouflage Paste]. Smearing this on the body can mask one's life aura and simulate the scent of the undead. It's a treasure for us Skaven when hiding or infiltrating! It just smells a bit foul."

[Item]: Ghoul Camouflage Paste

[Quality]: Common (White)

[Effect]: After application, it can slightly mask one's life aura and emit a scent similar to low-level undead, reducing the probability of being discovered by undead creatures. Effect is weakened against high-level undead.

[Side Effect]: Foul odor, may attract carrion-eating creatures.

"As for those big bugs in Tremor Canyon..." Snik Shadowclaw laughed shrilly, "Their perception mainly relies on vibration and scent. If we stealth, avoid their main activity paths, and use something to interfere with their sense of smell, it won't be a big problem."

The Skaven quickly formulated an action plan. They decided to split into two groups: Snik would personally lead ten thieves to the more dangerous "Wraith Ravine" to gather corpse soul grass, while Chen Hai would direct the other ten thieves to "Tremor Canyon" to gather disintegration stones.

The operation commenced under the cover of night.

Regarding Wraith Ravine:

Snik and his squad used the [Ghoul Camouflage Paste] to mask their auras, gliding into the mountain ravine filled with icy mist like true ghosts. The light here was dim, and translucent Wraiths (LV20-25, incorporeal, strong mental attacks, physical immunity) floated everywhere, emitting shrill wails.

The Skaven held their breath, minimizing their presence to the lowest level, and moved close to the shadows using their [Shadow Affinity] talent. They keenly discovered [corpse soul grass] growing in the crevices of the cliffs, emitting a faint purple-black glow. As expected, several particularly solid-looking Wraiths were circling around the herbs, seemingly guarding them.

Snik made a hand gesture, and two Skaven Thieves noiselessly threw several bones soaked in a special potion into the distance, making a faint sound. The attention of those guardian Wraiths was immediately drawn away.

Seizing the opportunity, Snik darted out like lightning, using a specially made jade shovel to quickly and accurately harvest five high-quality stalks of corpse soul grass, placing them into a lead box that blocked auras. The entire process was silent. By the time those Wraiths turned back in confusion, the Skaven had already quietly exited Wraith Ravine with their harvest, leaving behind only the faint, putrid scent of the Ghoul Camouflage Paste.

Regarding Tremor Canyon:

The squad directed by Chen Hai faced a physical challenge. The canyon was filled with massive boulders and bottomless fissures, with countless Subterranean Burrowing Worms—the size of calves, with hard shells and mouthparts capable of spitting strong acid—scurrying through, making tooth-grinding scraping sounds.

Using their small stature and agile bodies, the Skaven jumped and climbed among the giant rocks, perfectly avoiding the main tunnels and patrol routes dug by the Burrowing Worms. They used another potion—[Aura Masking Dust]—which caused their own scent to almost dissipate.

In a frequently vibrating area deep within the canyon, they found their target: an exposed, grayish-white rock wall that looked as if it would shatter at any moment. This was the [disintegration stone] vein. Several particularly massive Burrowing Worms (LV25, Elite) were lying on it, seemingly absorbing some kind of energy they needed from the disintegration stones.

A direct confrontation was impossible. Chen Hai's eyes darted around as he came up with a dirty trick. He had the Skaven Thieves quietly place several small explosive devices (Gnome Engineering products, low power but loud) in an area where insect eggs were clustered, far from the mineral vein.

"Boom! Boom!" Several muffled thuds echoed, accompanied by the juices of shattered eggs and the hissing of larvae.

Those elite Burrowing Worms were immediately enraged, letting out sharp hisses and charging frantically toward the site of the explosion. The Burrowing Worms throughout the canyon were alerted, falling into a brief state of chaos.

"Quick! Move!" At Chen Hai's command, the ten Skaven Thieves immediately pounced on the disintegration stone vein, using special pickaxes to quickly knock off various sizes of disintegration stones and pack them into anti-interference Storage Pouches. Within a short minute, they had collected enough raw disintegration stone ore for twenty portions of the medicine!

"Retreat!" Seeing that they had what they came for, Chen Hai immediately led the squad along the pre-planned retreat route, using grappling hooks and their agile movements to quickly escape the chaotic Tremor Canyon.

Both groups of Skaven succeeded brilliantly, returning safely to Furnace Fortress with the precious Materials!

When Chen Hai handed the containers of corpse soul grass and disintegration stones to Elwin, she looked at this group of seemingly unremarkable Skaven who had completed a nearly impossible mission, her eyes filled with shock and admiration.

"Hard work! Your Excellency Chen Hai, Hero Snik, and all the warriors! On behalf of all living beings in Blackstone Territory, I thank you for your immense contribution!" Elwin said sincerely.

"Hehe, it's nothing, nothing!" Chen Hai scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, but his face was full of pride. "As long as it helps Brother Zhou!"

With the Materials in hand, Lin Zhou felt greatly relieved. He immediately ordered a temporary medicine workshop to be set up in a secret underground chamber in Furnace Fortress, close to a leyline and relatively rich in negative energy. Supervised by Elwin personally and assisted by several Scribes who had grasped basic knowledge of the School of Medicine and Lightforged Gnome Technicians, they began the careful refining of [nether-skeleton dissipation powder] according to the method transmitted by Lin Zhou from afar.

The refining process was extremely complex, requiring precise control over heat, the Fusion of medicinal properties, and energy guidance. Fortunately, with Lin Zhou's Divine Thought monitoring remotely and the indirect guidance of the intent of the medical sages, although the first refining was bumpy, it was ultimately successful!

When the chamber door opened and Elwin walked out holding a small jade jar emitting an eerie grayish-white light, everyone could feel the power contained within it—a power that posed a fatal threat to the undead.

[Item]: nether-skeleton dissipation powder (Standard Portion)

[Quality]: Epic (Special effect against undead)

[Effect]: As previously stated.

[Quantity]: Sufficient to cover approximately 500 square meters or coat 50 standard weapons.

"Success!" Lin Zhou felt the power within the jade jar, and a surge of heroic spirit rose in his heart. With this item, the chances of victory in attacking the Valley of the Dead had increased by at least fifty percent!

"Elwin, immediately organize the elite troops and equip them with this medicine! Also, notify Clan Chief Brook and Glick—the Supreme Allied War Council is to be convened immediately!"

"Yes! My Lord!"

The horn of the counterattack was about to sound! With the trump card of [nether-skeleton dissipation powder], Lin Zhou was going to turn the Valley of the Dead into a Scourge graveyard to bury the undead!