Chapter 541 - 538 – THE CITY IN THE MOUNTAIN’S BELLY AND THE QUEEN’S DINNER

Twilight slowly descended, blanketing the continental sky and transforming the horizon into a terrifying blend of bruised purple and blood red. In the west, the sun appeared like a giant ball of fire sinking into a thick ocean of miasma. The poisonous fog rising from the emerald forest grew denser, creeping toward the perimeter of the Eclipse-Class Fleet’s emergency base like the tentacles of some supernatural creature searching for an opening. Yet thanks to the anti-magic rune barricades installed by the Dwarves and the tireless defensive formations of thousands of undead troops, the camp area remained sterile and secure.

Amid the noisy military activity and construction, an aroma that starkly contrasted with the stench of miasma and ancient moss began to spread from the direction of the field kitchen. It was the sharp scent of spices mixed with the savory smell of red meat fat slowly roasted over magical flames. The Beastkin chefs had poured every bit of their culinary skill and survival instinct into fulfilling the absolute command of the Queen of Death. The house-sized giant mutant bull had by now been skinned, cut with anatomical precision, and cooked through various methods. Sweat soaked the Beastkin’s fur as they continuously turned the giant roasting spit that supported the monster’s rib bones.

Meanwhile, inside the black wooden pavilion built with classical elegance, the atmosphere felt far calmer and more refined. Crystal lamps powered by mana stones radiated warm golden light, driving away the shadows of dusk. Sylvia sat leaning back in a velvet-upholstered armchair, her legs crossed elegantly. Her heterochromia eyes stared straight at a slowly rotating holographic projection map above the table, displaying the rough topography of the Chimera continent’s coastal region.

Across the table, Stacia, her elder sister who served as Nocture’s logistics brain and chief alchemist, was busy tapping her slender fingers across the surface of a crystal stone tablet. Thin-framed glasses rested on her nose, reflecting rows of rapidly moving rune data.

Yet the silence inside the pavilion was suddenly broken by an extremely subtle energy fluctuation, so faint it was nearly undetectable by ordinary magical radar.

From the darkest corner of the room, the shadow of a wooden pillar suddenly lengthened and writhed like dense liquid. The shadow crept up across the floor surface, forming a human silhouette wrapped in thick black mist. A pair of glowing red eyes pierced the darkness from behind its hood. It was one of the Shadow Zombies, a high-level special unit of the undead race created exclusively for espionage, silent assassination, and high-speed reconnaissance.

Unlike ordinary zombies that moved slowly, or even skeleton knights that relied on physical strength, Shadow Zombies possessed the ability to melt into the shadow dimension, making them the fastest information couriers in the entire Nocture military hierarchy.

The black silhouette stepped forward without producing the slightest sound of footsteps, then knelt on one knee before Sylvia. The black mist covering its face faded slightly, revealing nearly flawless pale grayish skin.

"Your Majesty the Queen of Death," the Shadow Zombie’s voice sounded hoarse, echoing as if it came from a vacuum. It bowed its head deeply, displaying absolute subordination. "This servant brings a direct report from the front line of exploration. The Elite Zombie Knight Battalion has penetrated the mid-level zone and secured territory one hundred kilometers northward."

Sylvia did not change her sitting position. She merely propped her chin with one hand, gazing at the shadow soldier with calm interest. "One hundred kilometers in such a short time. The elite battalion has not disappointed me. Tell me, what did you find beyond this primitive forest? Is it only a collection of mindless mutated monsters?"

"More than that, Your Majesty," the Shadow Zombie answered, its glowing red eyes flickering dimly as it transmitted the information. "We discovered a range of black rocky mountains rising high, splitting the northern region like a giant wall. And there, we found traces of an existence highly unexpected on this deadly continent. We found a living human civilization."

Stacia’s fingers, which had been typing on the tablet, instantly stopped. She looked up, staring at the Shadow Zombie with a furrowed brow. "Humans? Are you certain those are not mutated humanoid species or illusions from psychic-type monsters? The concentration of miasma out there is enough to damage ordinary human DNA within hours."

"Our report is accurate, Lady Stacia," the reconnaissance zombie replied in a flat yet confident tone. "They are pure humans. However, they do not live on the surface. Our front-line battalion discovered artificial air ventilation systems hidden behind giant boulders, as well as traces of large-scale excavation. This civilization has survived by digging deep into the mountain’s belly and building an underground city system."

Sylvia narrowed her eyes; a thin smile filled with curiosity began to bloom on her pale lips. "A city inside the mountain’s belly. Hiding like moles to avoid the predators on the surface. It makes sense. If they built walls and cities on the continental ground, they would only become easy targets for Rank 5 monsters like the bull I dragged earlier today. So they isolated themselves underground."

"Exactly, Your Majesty," the Shadow Zombie continued its report. "They appear to use geothermal energy to survive and cultivate mushrooms or underground plants. We monitored several groups of humans exiting through camouflaged doors. They wore armor made from monster bones and used weapons coated with poison. Their expressions showed high-level paranoia. The moment they finished collecting the remains of monster carcasses, they immediately went back inside and sealed the entrances with giant stones."

Hearing the comprehensive report, Sylvia fell silent for a moment. Her strategic mind spun rapidly. Discovering a human civilization still surviving on this isolated continent was an interesting variable. They could become a highly valuable source of information, maps of ancient ruins, or even additional obedient labor if subdued properly.

Yet sending undead forces openly to smash through the mountain doors was not an efficient action. It would only trigger unnecessary panic and bloodshed. Sylvia preferred elegant conquest.

"Leave several Elite Zombie Knights from the front battalion stationed there," Sylvia ordered, her voice soft yet carrying authority that could not be refused. "Order them to spread out, blend with the shadows, and monitor the activities around that mountain entrance. Study their movement patterns, the structure of their defensive hierarchy, and most importantly, study the true nature of those humans. Are they a group of righteous people who protect one another, or a collection of selfish bastards who survive by sacrificing their own?"

Sylvia paused, tapping her index finger against the chair’s armrest. "Besides, the Elite Zombies we currently possess have almost no physical differences from living humans. Pure evolution from Nocture has restored the structure of their flesh tissue to perfection. Their skin no longer decays, and their bodies are warm. The only remaining distinctive trait is that pair of glowing red eyes."

"That is correct, Your Majesty," Stacia interjected, adjusting the glasses on the bridge of her nose. "Biologically, the Elite Zombies in our forces currently stand at the intersection between living corpses and immortal humans. If they wear hoods or use a bit of low-level illusion magic to hide their red eyes, not a single human in that mountain will suspect them of being undead. They can easily disguise themselves as lost wanderers or survivor groups from other regions."

Sylvia nodded in agreement. "Convey my orders. Do not make direct contact or provocation until I give further instructions. Become ghosts that watch them from within the darkness. If any humans come out and find themselves in mortal danger from monsters, you may ’rescue’ them occasionally to build a little trust. Play it cleverly."

"Your decree is our destiny, Your Majesty," the Shadow Zombie bowed deeply. "This servant will immediately convey this order to the front battalion commander."

Without wasting a single second, the Shadow Zombie’s form melted back into a pool of black shadow, crept backward into the dark corner of the room, and in the blink of an eye its existence vanished completely from inside the pavilion, as if it had never been there.

Just a few moments after the departure of the reconnaissance zombie, the pavilion’s double doors opened slowly. In walked a line of skeleton servants wearing clean white uniforms. They moved with highly coordinated mechanical motions, each carrying large silver trays covered by metal lids. Behind them, the head chef from the Beastkin race, a half-wolf man whose fur appeared slightly singed, entered nervously, wringing his apron that was stained with broth.

"Y-Your Majesty the Queen, Lady Stacia," the Beastkin chef bowed until his snout nearly touched the wooden floor. "Dinner is ready to be served, exactly as you ordered."

The skeleton servants moved forward, placing the silver trays on the large round dining table made of solid ebony wood in the center of the room. When the silver lids were lifted, clouds of hot steam carrying a heavenly aroma immediately filled every corner of the pavilion, completely driving away the residual scent of miasma.

In the center of the table sat a giant crystal bowl filled with clear marrow bone soup. The broth gleamed golden, the result of hours of simmering that extracted the entire essence of the mutant bull’s bones, combined with exotic spices, soft white radish pieces, and a sprinkle of magical green onions. Meanwhile, on the two main plates in front of Sylvia’s and Stacia’s seats were served giant beef rib portions Slow-Roasted Mutant Bull Ribs. The meat was a perfect reddish-brown with a caramelized layer on the outside. The size of a single rib bone was even longer than an adult’s arm, yet the meat attached to it looked extremely tender, nearly falling off with just the touch of a fork.

Sylvia’s eyes glowed faintly. Her boredom with the seafood that had tormented her for weeks on the ship evaporated without a trace.

"Good work," Sylvia said briefly, yet praise from the Queen of Death was enough to make the Beastkin chef release an extraordinary sigh of relief, as if he had just escaped a death sentence. The chef bowed once more and quickly retreated from the room, allowing the two Nocture high officials to enjoy their meal in private.

Sylvia stepped from her grand chair toward the dining table, followed by Stacia who had already turned off the holographic projection from her tablet. The two sisters sat facing each other. There was no stiff royal formality between them while eating only family intimacy.

Sylvia took a silver knife and fork. The moment the tip of her knife touched the surface of the rib meat, it parted extremely easily, revealing a juicy interior with a perfect pink gradient. She cut a small bite-sized piece of meat and put it into her mouth.

Instantly, an explosion of savory flavor from the melting mutant bull fat mixed with black pepper seasoning and special Dwarf herbs swept across her tongue. The meat’s texture was dense yet extremely soft, providing satisfying resistance with every chew. The warmth of high-level monster mana energy from the meat flowed down her throat, warming her body that always felt cold.

"Truly different from sea fish," Sylvia murmured, smiling slightly while enjoying her second bite. "The muscles of land monsters that continuously run and fight produce extraordinary meat density. The bone broth is also extremely rich."

Across from her, Stacia was enjoying her meal in a slightly more analytical manner. She sipped the clear broth from her silver spoon, letting the liquid rest on her tongue for several seconds before swallowing.

"Interesting," Stacia commented, adjusting the position of her glasses with the tip of her index finger. "The slow cooking process has neutralized the residual miasma toxins that had settled in the spinal marrow of this bull. Consistent heat breaks down the complex proteins in these mutated muscles into amino acids that are extremely easy for the body to absorb. If we can breed this bull species in Nocture’s pocket dimension, it could become a highly efficient post-combat healing ration supply for our mortal forces."

Sylvia laughed softly at her sister’s words. "You always think about everything from the perspective of military efficiency and alchemy, Stacia. Can’t you simply enjoy delicious food purely as... delicious food?"

"Analyzing nutrition and resource potential is my greatest way of enjoying something, Sylvia," Stacia replied with a thin smile, then cut the thickest part of her rib meat. "Besides, someone has to keep thinking about the future logistics of our kingdom while our Queen is busy having fun defeating monsters with one finger."

The two sisters continued their dinner in a peaceful and warm atmosphere, the soft clink of silver forks against porcelain plates serving as the background to their light conversation. They discussed plans for infrastructure development on the continental coast, and how they would use the tough hide of the mutant bull as additional plating material for ship hulls.

Although the dishes were served in extremely large portions enough to feed an entire squad of soldiers Sylvia and Stacia’s physiology, which had long surpassed ordinary human limits, allowed them to absorb the entire pure energy from the food without feeling the torment of being overly full.

In the midst of the warmth of the pavilion dining room, there was only one Nocture high official who did not join to taste that precious red meat.

Celes, the Supreme Commander of the Combat Forces, did not join the meal. Not because she was not invited, but because an entity like Celes, who was still a commander, remained busy arranging several matters.

Meanwhile, inside the pavilion, Sylvia sipped red wine from her crystal glass to cleanse the residual savory taste in her mouth. She turned toward the window, gazing beyond the base’s defensive perimeter, staring far to the north where the giant mountains reported by the Shadow Zombie stood in the darkness.

Her thoughts drifted to the unfortunate humans hiding inside the mountain’s belly there, living in fear and paranoia every day, completely unaware that outside, a Queen who commanded an ocean of death had just made their continent her newest playground.

"An enjoyable exploration," Sylvia whispered to herself, grinning behind the shadow of her wine glass. "Let’s see how interesting the underground civilization you have built truly is."