"Noah, take a closer look. Are there any zombies you know?"
Charlotte withdrew her gaze from the zombie miners and looked at Noah.
The little werewolf had obviously never seen such a scene before. He might be cold or scared, and he was still shivering all over.
However, after hearing what Charlotte said, he still bravely stuck his head out and looked at the zombies that were mining.
When he saw this, he was quickly stunned and almost cried out in surprise:
"Dole... That's Uncle Dole! Oh my God! It's him!"
"He was still wearing his favorite Kolya kaftan!"
"He... He wasn't eaten, he turned into a zombie!"
"Cooper! And Brother Cooper, he's here too! He disappeared a month ago, and he's here too!"
"It's them... It's really them!"
"They are the missing miners! They are all here!"
"Sister Leisa, they have all been turned into zombies!"
In the darkness, werewolf Noah looked at the zombies with dull eyes, his voice trembling slightly.
Charlotte sighed slightly and thought to herself that it was just as she thought.
"It seems that this is the secret of the mine. The mithril mine is not exhausted, but has been deliberately sealed. Someone actually transformed the miners into undead to mine mithril here!"
"Such a big thing cannot be concealed easily, Master. It seems that... the water in the Earldom is deeper than imagined."
Sebastian couldn't help but speak, even changing the way he addressed people.
"Master... Master?"
Werewolf Noah stared at Sebastian blankly, not knowing whether he should show an expression of confusion and surprise again.
Charlotte thought about the attitude of the nobles towards her and nodded slightly:
“It’s time to straighten it out.”
Nice looked at the dull-eyed zombies for a moment and said:
"These zombies are not very spiritual and are very slow. The necromancer who transformed them should not be of a high level, probably no higher than Silver Moon."
"They can only do some simple, mechanical work, and I'm afraid they can't do anything else."
"However, I see that many of the zombies are quite old, and many of them have even shown a tendency to transform into spirit bones. I guess this place has been operating for many years."
After listening to Nice's words, Charlotte was thoughtful.
She looked at Noah and asked again:
"Noah, when was the Mithril Mine sealed?"
"It was sealed seven years ago. That's when the miners started to disappear."
Noah replied palely.
"Seven years ago..."
Charlotte compared the information she had read and suddenly remembered that the monthly income of Castel Manor began to shrink significantly seven years ago.
By the way, it was also seven years ago that the cheap grandmother who had caused Caster to be in such a mess sent all the nobles who followed the Caster family back to the territory.
Seven years ago, Castel completely lost control of the nobility in the territory.
It also started seven years ago when the Mithril Mine had an accident.
Concealing the news of the mithril mine and arranging thousands of zombie miners to continue mining here, such a big thing absolutely requires the cooperation of the top management of the mining workshop.
It is obvious that nobles are involved behind this.
Castel's mithril mine represents the interests of many nobles. It is not easy to conceal the truth about the mine. And to be able to hide such a big thing for so many years, there must be a powerful force behind it.
Or rather... a person who brings together all the relevant nobles!
Charlotte thought back to the family information she had read, and found that there was no such powerful local tyrant among the local nobles of Castel.
In fact, in the Earldom of Castel, the lords have always been more powerful than the nobles since ancient times.
This made Charlotte fall into deep thought.
"Noah, did the rumor about the dragon in the mine also start seven years ago?"
Sebastian asked suddenly.
Noah still hadn't recovered from the shock. His dull eyes were still fixed on those terrifying zombies. He just nodded blankly and mechanically.
"As for rumors, yes, but... my brother said it has been here for a long time."
"No way? Sebastian, do you suspect it has something to do with that black dragon?"
Nice's eyes widened and he gave the Fire Spirit an absurd look.
Sebastian nodded slightly:
"Although it is a little unbelievable, it is not impossible."
"I heard that some powerful dragons can even transform into human form. Dragons have always loved wealth, and precious mithril also has a fatal attraction to dragons..."
"What if a black dragon controlled the nobles of Castel to help it mine?"
Nice took a breath of cold air:
"Good fellow, you really dare to imagine that a black dragon sneaked into the human world... You really mistook the black dragon for a silver dragon! Even if that monster mastered the art of transfiguration, it would not bother to transform into a human."
"Not to mention that giant dragons like black dragons are born idiots in magic. Their talents are all in magic resistance and physical strength. As far as I know, except for those old immortal guys, most black dragons can't master the art of transformation."
"And for those old guys, the small Castel Territory is not even worth their attention."
Sebastian looked at Nice unexpectedly:
"You know a lot."
Nice looked very proud:
"Hey, I'm not like that useless elf with long hair and little knowledge. I, Master Cat, have a lot of adventures! Back then, when you were still eating milk and honey, I was already chatting and laughing with the legendary dragon!"
Sebastian: …
"Really? Then how did you, the experienced adventurer, become a cat that can't even defeat the lowest-level blood demon?"
He smiled slightly and said.
Nice Cat's face turned black, and it was obvious that he was hurt, and his fur instantly exploded:
"Who says I can't defeat it! I, Master Cat, can kill it with a Void Banishment! Not to mention the Blood Demon, even if the Evil God is revived, Master Cat will not be intimidated! Back then, the Holy King's Court even asked me to seal the Evil God!"
"Well, yes, and then it became a pet that lost weight every day."
Sebastian nodded in agreement.
Nice: …
The cat and the dog glared at each other and were about to start fighting.
"Shut up!"
Charlotte glanced at them.
"snort!"
They snorted at each other and turned their heads away.
Charlotte: …
These two guys are both capable, and each has more secrets than the other, but they just can't see eye to eye when working together.
But, Black Dragon...
Charlotte thought about Sebastian's guess.
Although it sounded reasonable, she always felt that something was wrong.
It was not until she looked at the mountain of mithril deep in the cave again that she suddenly realized something was wrong.
A greedy dragon... I'm afraid he wouldn't leave so much mithril here unprotected, and he wouldn't seal the mine tunnel with just a seal that Nice could easily break!
Thinking of this, Charlotte looked at Nice again and asked:
"Nice, is there any dragon's breath here?"
Nice immediately became serious:
"That's exactly what puzzles me. I didn't smell any dragon here. Either... it left a long time ago, or it never existed."
Sebastian: …
He looked at Nice speechlessly:
"Since you didn't smell the dragon, why didn't you say so earlier?"
Nice laughed:
"Why tell me so early? I just like to see the embarrassment of someone when they make a mistake in judgment."
"you!"
The cat and the dog are showing signs of fighting again.
It wasn't until Charlotte gave them a cold look that they fell silent.
Charlotte retracted her gaze and looked at the zombies in the cave. A faint light flashed in her eyes. After a moment, she retracted her gaze and said:
"These zombies are indeed the lowest level zombies, even worse than the undead that attacked us that day."
"Besides looking scary, they are not dangerous. I'm afraid they will just dully carry out the orders given to them by the caster..."
"I didn't sense any mental fluctuations from the Necromancer. I guess these zombies were just left here alone to carry out the mining work."
"Let's go down and take a look. Maybe we can find something."
After saying that, she took the lead and entered the cave.
Sebastian and Nice followed quickly, one on the left and one on the right, followed by Luffy.
Although the little werewolf Noah had a look of fear on his face, he looked at the people walking away and suddenly felt even more uneasy standing there, so he quickly trotted after them.
Charlotte came to the cave, and just as she had judged, these mining zombies didn't care at all about them breaking into the cave.
They still rigidly and mechanically repeat the mining work.
Only those zombies that looked relatively fresh, probably those that had been transformed not long ago, seemed to still have a high level of spiritual perception. As the crowd approached, they turned their stiff bodies slightly, and faced Charlotte and the others with a pair of eye sockets burning with faint green flames.
What's worse, some of the ones that were not highly undead still retained their original eyeballs. Their rotten, pale cheeks and empty eyes were extremely creepy. Noah was so scared that his face turned pale. He quickly tucked his tail between his legs and hid behind the tallest Luf, pinching the corner of his clothes.
"If you are afraid, you don't have to look at them."
Luf glanced at the little werewolf and said.
However, despite being extremely frightened, Noah's gaze was still fixed on the zombies.
Or to be more precise, he was wandering among the zombies, seemingly looking for something.
Charlotte saw everything and asked,
"Noah, how many years has your brother been missing?"
Noah drooped his ears:
"Seven years."
Charlotte sighed:
"This place should be relatively safe. Time is limited, so let's split up and explore. Luf, you take Noah to the miners who have undergone bone spiritualization."
Seven years...
If Noah's brother had also been transformed into a zombie, he would probably be difficult to recognize now.
Luffy nodded silently and led the little werewolf towards the miners who had obviously been converted earlier.
"Sebastian, go check over at the workshop."
Charlotte gave Sebastian another order.
There is no strange aura in the workshop, but it looks elf-like. Maybe Sebastian can find something.
Sebastian left, and Charlotte continued to move among the zombie miners, wanting to see if there were any new discoveries.
However, just as she passed by a zombie that had obviously been transformed recently, the zombie suddenly stretched out his hand towards her.
Even though Charlotte was mentally prepared due to her keen sense of perception, she was still startled. However, the zombie did not attack her. Instead, it trembled and said with a dull look:
"help me… "
Charlotte was stunned for a moment, and then her expression suddenly became solemn.
This zombie... actually still retains some consciousness.
However, when she looked at the other party again, the zombie had resumed its stiff movements and continued to mine the ore.
"It's living transformation... It's a living transformation that even necromancers despise!"
Nice Cat, who was following Charlotte, had a serious face and spoke in a solemn voice.
Charlotte's heart moved slightly:
"Living transformation?"
"Yes, some evil necromancers are not capable enough, so in order to make the transformed undead more spiritual, they will choose to directly transform living people into undead."
"They are dead, but not completely dead. Before they really die, their souls will still retain their consciousness. They will watch their bodies rot and feel the pain of their bodies until their spirits gradually disappear and they completely turn into undead. The undead bodies will always remember the last actions they were forced to do when they were alive, and they will keep repeating them..."
"Because it is too cruel, living transformation is a taboo even among necromancers!"
Nice said solemnly.
Charlotte was silent.
She looked at the zombie with dull eyes, gently stretched out her hand and placed it in front of the other person.
Then, a faint light flowed in her red eyes.
At this moment, Charlotte started sharing memories with the zombies in front of her, just like she did with the souls of the murdered girls.
However, after turning on the memory sharing, Charlotte did not gain any memory fragments, but only a fear and pain that penetrated deep into her bones.
That is the pain of the miners. It is the fear and pain of losing control of their bodies while being forcibly turned into zombies, watching their bodies gradually rot, feeling themselves gradually being eaten away by maggots, and their souls being annihilated day by day!
That kind of fear, that kind of pain, is like a bottomless abyss.
Charlotte felt as if she had fallen into endless darkness. In the darkness, countless pairs of rotten arms trembled and reached out to her, and countless painful and desperate prayers came to her ears:
"Help...Help me..."
When Charlotte withdrew from the memory sharing, a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back. She gasped slightly, and the immersive pain and fear made even her tremble.
"Lady Charlotte, the memories of the undead transformed from living beings cannot be read because their spirituality is damaged."
Nice said in a deep voice.
As it said this, it scratched its head:
Although it is a bit strange for a little kitty like me to teach you this knowledge, it seems that you have forgotten more memories than I thought... "
Charlotte was silent.
She gave up memory sharing.
After taking a look at these trembling zombies, Charlotte sighed and continued walking forward.
However, as he walked, Nice suddenly stopped.
Charlotte's heart moved and she turned around, only to see the other party staring blankly at a patch of mushrooms growing on the ground with a strange look in his eyes.
Her heart moved:
"Nice, what's wrong?"
"Lady Charlotte..."
Nice's expression was a little strange:
“Maybe what Noah said is true. There may have really been a giant dragon here!”
"Um?"
Charlotte raised an eyebrow.
Nice pointed to the mushrooms on the ground:
"Lord Charlotte, look, this mushroom with scales is called Ambergris, and it only grows where dragons appear..."
"However, this Ambergris seems to have degenerated a bit. I'm afraid the dragon has been gone for a long time. That's why I didn't smell it."
Are there really giant dragons
Charlotte thought.
After a while, Sebastian, Luf and Noah also came back.
The little werewolf seemed a little lost, but at the same time, he seemed relieved.
Charlotte's heart moved:
"did not find?"
Noah nodded with a complicated expression.
"Not finding him may be a good thing. It is possible that your brother is still alive."
Charlotte consoled.
As she said this, she looked at Sebastian again.
"There are only a few zombies working in the workshop... Um, Master, have you discovered anything?"
Sebastian asked curiously after finishing his report.
"Nice found a piece of Ambergris."
Charlotte said.
"Ambergris?"
Sebastian was stunned.
Then, he said in surprise:
"So... my speculation might actually be true?"
"Who knows, but... maybe we'll find out soon."
Charlotte looked at the zombie miners around her and said.
After saying this, she closed her eyes again, stretched out her hands, and magic energy surged through her body.
Nice eyelids twitched:
"Lord Charlotte, are you planning to..."
"Help them out, they are... in so much pain."
Charlotte sighed and said.
As she spoke, her voice turned slightly colder:
"At the same time, this method is also used to call out the people behind the scenes."
There is a connection between the necromancer and the undead. Even if there is no contract, they can sense the changes in the cave.
Now that she knew the secret of the mithril mine, Charlotte was too lazy to play hide-and-seek with the guy behind the scenes. The trump card of the True Ancestor's liberation made her fearless. She wanted to destroy this place and force the other party out.
However, just as Charlotte finished speaking, a lazy voice sounded in the cave:
"Oh? Scream it out?"
"Dear werewolf lady, are you talking about me?"