Chapter 222: High Harpy

Apart from those three rings, the most valuable things on this necromancer were these books. Added to those Su Lun found in his laboratory, they totaled over thirty volumes. However, most of these spellbooks were from the necromancy and Voodoo Schools, with a portion being theoretical magic texts.

Beyond these, there were books on alchemy, magic potion-making, golem construction, dissection, and one particularly interesting tome: Lich Rebirth Ritual. This ritual described a magical ceremony that could transform a wizard into a lich. It was said this was a choice many powerful wizards made when their lives approached their end.

The minimum requirement for the Lich Rebirth Ritual was to be a Third Tier Wizard. Performers were usually wizards or warlocks, sometimes even priests. Building the ritual formation demanded vast resources: various precious magical materials, high-quality gems, gold, and more. Furthermore, the rebirth ritual had a chance of success or failure.

Successful transformation into a lich resulted in an undead creature retaining all previous memories and spells. Moreover, upon becoming a lich, they ceased to be constrained by life, gaining ample time to research spells and conduct various experiments.

It could be said that every lich was a top-tier wizard, immensely powerful masters of vast necromantic lore. In a lich’s domain, the appearance of a unit of death knights wouldn’t be surprising – they might even have a bone dragon! Over their long existence, liches crafted numerous magic items, making them essentially wealthy nobles.

The necromancer fallen to Su Lun’s hand was gathering materials for the Lich Rebirth Ritual. Though he appeared relatively young, accumulating the necessary resources as a wilderness wizard would take decades, perhaps longer.

Su Lun briefly flipped through the Lich Rebirth Ritual tome before tossing it into his storage space. The idea of turning into a lich had never crossed his mind; everyone knew liches lost certain… body parts.

With the looting complete, the rest of the battlefield was practically cleared. Ambushed by the gray dwarves, the skeleton warriors hadn’t caused any trouble and were swiftly dispatched, leaving behind nothing but some soul crystals – no other valuables.

They had annihilated the necromancer, retaken the gem mine, seized many soul crystals and magic books – quite a rich haul. The only regret was the meager amount of experience points gained. He was still lagging far behind the next level.

It was late by the time they secured the gem mine again. The group rested there for the night. Early the next morning, leaving a crew of miners behind, Su Lun led the others towards another mine.

Su Lun had visited this other mine once before – the place where they’d discovered the harpies last time. This was the largest of the gray dwarves’ mines, yielding iron ore alongside copper, lead, tin, and even gold. It was a rare multi-mineral deposit, and its output was substantial.

This was precisely why the gray dwarves hadn’t abandoned the mine despite the harpy attacks. Setting out again, their group was down to just over a hundred members. They journeyed through three tunnels and two underground caverns before finally reaching their destination.

The mine was infested with creatures from the Underworld, but the gray dwarves quickly cleared them out. Once the mine resumed normal operations, Su Lun turned his attention to eliminating the harpy problem.

Restoring the mines meant Su Lun absolutely refused the prospect of monsters invading every other day. It not only caused casualties among the gray dwarf miners but also hampered production. If not for this critical situation, Su Lun might have delayed dealing with the harpies.

Now that the gray dwarves had joined Zhenbei City and the mines were operational, harpies could appear anywhere within his mining territories anytime. Previously, the gray dwarves lacked the strength for anything but defense. Su Lun, however, had options against them.

Furthermore, these harpies could serve as an air force. In battle, they could carry stones weighing several kilograms high over enemy positions and drop them. Even a one-kilogram rock plummeting from height inflicted far more damage than arrows or throwing spears; even dwarf iron armor would be hard-pressed to withstand such an impact.

Beyond dropping rocks, harpies could hurl bottles filled with burning oil or other payloads. Under cover of darkness, they might even soar over city walls to open gates from within. Mastering an air force granted immense benefits on the battlefield.

…

“Lord,” a Drow elf scout approached Su Lun hurriedly, speaking in a low tone, “Ahead is the area where the harpies are active.”

Su Lun made a cutting gesture with his hand. “Halt here.”

“Dispatch scouts.”

Over a dozen scouts immediately melted into the surrounding shadows. The harpies inhabited a particular underground cavern, larger even than the one occupied by the gray dwarves. Their nests were built on the face of a cliff, bordered by an underground river. This cavern teemed with lush vegetation, including many glowing mushrooms and fungoid trees. The entire vast space was their territory.

Su Lun activated his strategic map. A rough topographic sketch formed in his mind. The harpy-infested cavern lay dozens of kilometers in a straight line from the dwarf territory, but with the labyrinth of tunnels and chambers between them, the navigable distance exceeded a hundred kilometers. Huge swathes of the surrounding map remained black, waiting to be explored.

From what Su Lun knew, few tribes called this part of the Underworld home. Beyond the kobold tribe, the gray dwarf settlement, the goblin tribe, and the minotaur tribe, there were no other significant groups. Much of the land remained claimed by monsters of various sorts.

On the strategic map, the current area was marked with the icon of a harpy, signifying their presence nearby. The other explored zones featured icons like “Clawterror” and “Underground Salamander.” A rough glance showed easily over a hundred distinct monster markers.

The local harpy population numbered in the thousands. Though a single harpy wasn’t particularly formidable – perhaps equal to a human militia soldier – their flight capability made them extremely troublesome. Combined with their sheer numbers, they were essentially a major power bloc in the Underworld. Even the notoriously impulsive and aggressive minotaur tribe avoided provoking them.

The scouts soon reported back with gathered intelligence. Currently, the majority of the harpies were out foraging. Only a small number remained within the nest complex. Receiving this confirmation, Su Lun sensed the opportunity had arrived.

Capture first the leader. Despite their numbers, the harpies answered to a common queen: the High Harpy. Gaining control over her meant gaining control over the entire flock.

Su Lun didn’t bring the Drow elves along. Stealthy infiltration worked best with minimal numbers. After casting invisibility on himself, he began carefully approaching the harpy nests. High Harpies were natural-born spellcasters. Defeating them might be possible, but capturing one alive? That presented a real challenge.

Especially when surrounded by protective harpy guards. Doubling their numbers wouldn’t increase their chances of capturing the queen.

The High Harpy’s nest was situated at the very pinnacle of the cliff. Reaching it required flight or a perilous climb. Using magic to ascend risked creating elemental disturbances the harpies would easily detect, as they possessed acute sensitivity towards wind elementals. The cliff wasn’t excessively tall, but riddled with excavated caves. Su Lun found a spot offering decent handholds and started climbing.

Occasionally, a few harpies would fly past overhead. Their figures appeared surprisingly well-proportioned… if one ignored their faces, which were less than appealing. Many also sported a layer of downy feathers. These were the most mundane members of the flock, their bloodline degraded almost to the level of beasts.

Those with forms closer to humans exhibited far greater intelligence. Some harpies could even use spell-like abilities, though such individuals were rare and typically served as the High Harpy’s personal guards.

Navigating past several harpy caves, Su Lun neared the cliff’s summit. Just then, a harpy emerged from a side cave, evidently preparing to fly out. But as soon as it spread its wings, it froze. Its nose twitched repeatedly, as if detecting a scent.

“The scent of a male! (Harpy screech)”

The harpy emitted a sharp, avian screech. Immediately, other harpies swooped in from the surroundings, and others poured out of the nearby caves. Seeing this, Su Lun knew instantly – he’d been discovered.

Because all harpies were female, they possessed an acute sensitivity to the scent of males. While invisibility hid his form, it did nothing to mask his odor – one of the spell’s inherent weaknesses. Only legendary abilities like a rogue’s Shadow Step, transferring the user entirely into the Shadow Plane, severed all ties to the Prime Material Plane, completely erasing both body and scent.

Realizing he was spotted, Su Lun dropped the pretense. He was only a move away from the cliff top. If he moved fast enough, the High Harpy wouldn’t have time to escape!

“Lightning Glow!”

Blinding lightning flashed out from Su Lun, the intense bolts enveloping all nearby harpies. The accompanying paralysis effect instantly locked their bodies rigid. They plummeted from the air. The space around Su Lun cleared in an instant.

Seizing that fraction of a second, Su Lun shoved hard with both arms and legs, propelling his body rapidly upwards. He reached the top ledge in a breath and flashed into the cavern entrance.

The cave was unexpectedly larger than Su Lun had imagined. Two harpies, their appearance startlingly close to human, stood guard inside the entrance. Seeing the intruder, they charged straight at him.