Chapter 59: The Sun Ring
Su Xiao reviewed the fortress's data, finding that his side now had 173,351 Pig Warriors, with over 30,000 having fallen in battle.
This number seemed large. From the start to the end of the battle, each contractor had killed over 40 Pig Warriors on average, but that was under normal circumstances. Even with the War Lord's bonus, Pig Warriors were still soldier-type units, and moreover, they were soldier-type units that hadn't fully completed their transformation.
In Su Xiao's estimation, the Evolution Nest's transformation of the Pig-Headed Men still needed one more upgrade.
Initially, injecting the Demon Beast genes into the Evolution Nest was meant to allow the Pig-Headed Men to master combat methods as quickly as possible and to dare to fight. Facts proved that the Demon Beast genes didn't disappoint Su Xiao.
After that, Su Xiao injected the Sun Warrior's Soul Blood into the Evolution Nest. The concentration of Solar Force within this Soul Blood wasn't high; it was more like a seed that was relatively easy to accept and had a sufficiently high power level.
The effect of this Soul Blood was never to let the Pig Warriors use or harness Solar Force directly. Instead, it was first to transform their bodies, allowing them to absorb Solar Force and to generate a faith in the sun within their hearts.
To harness Solar Force, one not only needed a corresponding constitution but also a faith in the sun within the heart. Without that, once Solar Force was absorbed, this energy would purify the absorber's consciousness and soul, making them pure—commonly known as being purified into an idiot by Solar Force.
Su Xiao had made the Pig Warriors harbor faith in the sun in their hearts, and their bodies, due to the transformation in the Evolution Nest, had good adaptability to Solar Force. So, what was the next step?
Naturally, it was to cause another mutation in the Evolution Nest, and then, through it, let the Pig Warriors possess Solar Force within their bodies and understand how to simply use this power.
Assuming this third upgrade to the Evolution Nest succeeded, although the Pig Warriors would still be Tier 3 units, their actual combat power would be infinitely close to Tier 4 units.
If Su Xiao had commanded Pig Warriors capable of using Solar Force in the previous battle, there would have been no need for Sacred Hymn to ascend and act as a toxic healer; the enemy would have been beaten into submission.
For the Evolution Nest's third upgrade, Su Xiao had already decided what to use: the [Sun Bird Source Blood] obtained from killing the Sun Bird Tahakaka in the previous world. He still had 2 test tubes of this, and using 1 test tube this time wouldn't be a loss.
The strength of the Sun Bird Tahakaka was unquestionable. If not for the fact that it wasn't within the Sand World, had gone deep into the seabed, was besieged by 90% of the Sea Clan's elites from a Sanctuary City, and had fought alongside Zuiyasi and Wood, Su Xiao would never have been able to defeat this enemy.
Su Xiao always remembered a scene from the Sand World: the Sun Bird Tahakaka, high above, spewed Solar Flame downward. The force of the flames shattered the earth, and everything it touched was vaporized into gas by the high heat.
At that time, Brother Donkey, acting as the big boss, ran like a wild donkey let loose—incredibly fast. The Old Knight turned and left without even glancing at the Sun Bird Tahakaka.
Su Xiao didn't need the Sun Bird Tahakaka's bird form or divine traits; he only needed the purest essence: the granting and harnessing of Solar Force.
He couldn't inject the [Sun Bird Source Blood] into the Evolution Nest just yet. The Sun Warrior's Soul Blood had only been injected recently, so the Evolution Nest needed to settle down to avoid any issues.
Su Xiao opened the hidden door in the room and walked into the Alchemy Laboratory. Bubu Wang followed behind, with shallow cat claw marks on his dog face. He must have gotten bored and provoked Beini again.
Su Xiao sat before the workbench, thinking about what to use to create the "Sun Ring." This item would become the symbol of faith for the Pig Warriors, so it couldn't be taken lightly.
Not only did its quality need to be solid enough to store faith energy well, but it also needed to have representative significance, like a cross or a statue.
While Su Xiao was deep in thought, Bubu Wang brought his dog head over, resting his chin on Su Xiao's lap, begging for a head rub.
Ignoring Bubu Wang, Su Xiao continued to ponder.
"Woo~"
Bubu Wang made a sound from his throat, a bit dejected. Hearing this, Su Xiao looked down at Bubu Wang, and suddenly, an inspiration struck him.
Su Xiao cupped Bubu Wang's chin with one hand, while his left index finger and thumb formed a circle, which he then placed in front of Bubu Wang's eye socket.
"Woof?"
Bubu Wang was a bit confused at first, then tilted his head, as if to say: 'Master, from now on, this dog's head symbol will be the faith emblem?'
"Meow."
Beini, lying on top of a cabinet nearby, cast a look that said 'idiot.' Seeing this, Bubu Wang arched his body and grabbed Su Xiao's chair back with his dog paws, as if clinging to Su Xiao. This was clearly imitating Xian Lulu's manner, but his size was much larger than Xian Lulu's, and hunched over like this, it had an inexplicable comedic effect.
Seeing this, Beini stood up on the cabinet, her tail bristling. She 'transformed' into a flying squirrel, diving from above like a glider onto Bubu Wang's dog head, and soon, dog fur and cat fur flew everywhere.
Su Xiao took out a certain amount of Fire Gold, the main material for making Apollo. Then he got some Sun Remnant powder, a trace of [Sun Bird Source Blood], and finally, a segment of Black Maple Tree branch. Using the heat conduction method, the Black Maple Tree branch could be melted into a semi-fluid state, making it an excellent material for the "Sun Ring."
Half an hour later, Su Xiao finished the creation. A mass of golden fluid floated before him. This was the semi-finished "Sun Ring."
How could he make the Pig Warriors regard this as their faith's anchor? Tell them directly? They weren't stupid; due to the Lord's orders, they would all be willing to comply. But deep in their hearts, they wouldn't truly regard the "Sun Ring" as the anchor and medium of their faith. This wasn't disobeying Su Xiao's orders; it was that the Pig Warriors felt something was missing.
Doing things required a sense of ritual. Some seemingly unnecessary procedures could bring unimaginable power to the faithful.
Since ancient times, people have worshipped totems. Why was that? It was due to fear of the future, of darkness, of beasts.
Simply put, faith is a pillar for the soul. With a strong pillar in the heart, one is less likely to collapse when facing despair. Because the heart has faith, there is no fear, no dread.
Baha flew into the Alchemy Laboratory and said, "Boss, I found him. Tufu is the most suitable candidate."
"Oh."
Su Xiao recalled the scene when he first entered this world: a Pig-Headed Man pushing a dining cart, wearing dirty work clothes. At that time, Tufu had his tongue cut off and used gestures to warn Su Xiao not to speak casually, lest his tongue be cut off too. He was the first Pig-Headed Man Su Xiao had seen.
And now, Tufu was dead. According to Baha, from the scorch marks on the body, he was killed by a magic-type contractor.
That's how war is. It's not just enemies who die; one's own people die too. Or rather, entering a mission world, anyone could die in battle—whether it's Su Xiao, Baha, Amu, Bubu Wang, or Beini.
Death means everything disappears. What's sadder than that is being quickly forgotten after death.
Su Xiao used his index finger to tap the golden semi-fluid floating in mid-air. It looked very much like golden mercury.
Baha carried the semi-finished "Sun Ring" and merged into the alternate space. Bubu Wang, with a few small bite marks on his face, followed along.
An hour later, on the open ground before the fortress, all the fallen Pig Warriors from their side lay in rows. Over 30,000 Pig Warriors were arranged in over a hundred rows. Each corpse wore a name tag around its neck. For those whose bodies couldn't be found, only a wooden stick was inserted, with the name tag hung on it.
One by one, the Pig Warriors bowed their heads, placing a single hand over their chests, eyes closed in silent mourning. At the very front stood a Sun Priestess in a white robe, with golden patterns on her face.
She had originally been a female Pig-Headed Man. Due to her frail build, she was considered inferior during her labor days. After arriving at the fortress, by the aesthetic standards of the Pig Warriors, she was the type who, even among a crowd of bachelors, wouldn't easily find a mate.
This female Pig-Headed Man got angry. She wanted to become a warrior! After applying to Hausmann, she got the chance to enter the "Sacred Nest"—yes, the Pig Warriors, Dwarf Pigs, and female Pig-Headed Men all called the Evolution Nest the Sacred Nest.
This female Pig-Headed Man had several times more human genes than War Pig genes, which was why she had a slender figure. When she walked out of the Evolution Nest, her form was 98% similar to a human's, except her ears were slightly pointed, and she had very fine golden patterns on her face.
For such talent, Su Xiao wouldn't ignore her. Although her combat power was lacking, as a Sun Priestess, combat power wasn't needed.
At that moment, the Priestess was bowing her head in silent mourning. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes. Just as she turned, a flash of golden light caught her retina. Her body paused, and she looked toward where the golden light had appeared, seeing the corpse of Great Warrior Tufu.
The sorrow in the Priestess's eyes deepened. She approached the corpse of Great Warrior Tufu and, seeing his skull blackened by burns, crouched down. Carefully and gently, she pressed her hand against the charred ribs of the corpse.
"May the Sun..."
The Priestess's words stopped midway because she saw, in the blackened right eye socket of Great Warrior Tufu, a golden light. As the edge of the skull's eye socket gradually burned into a circle of golden ring, the golden light on it grew more and more radiant.
Ding~
A metal ring, the size of a skull's eye socket, detached and slowly floated upward. This ring, like an enlarged earring, wasn't finely crafted but seemed naturally formed.
The higher this ring floated into the sky, the stronger the golden light it emitted, drawing the attention of many Pig Warriors.
When the ring floated several hundred meters high, it blocked the sun, radiating brilliant light. This scene was impossible to ignore.
The Pig Warriors cleaning the battlefield all stopped their work. They looked up at the ring above that covered the sun. Without anyone organizing them, they raised their arms, making a gesture of embracing the sun—or rather, it wasn't just about embracing the sun; it was also about embracing the "Sun Ring."
Second Era: Alchemical Civilization maxim: 'When you find something that cannot be artificially created, add the necessary sense of ritual.'