Within the Abbasid Empire, at the Elder Council, in the Iliad Laboratory.
Todd, now free from the soul space, opened his eyes with a solemn expression as he looked at the woman before him.
Meredith, seemingly unperturbed, toyed with a black feather in his hand and said, "The situation is not optimistic?"
Todd nodded, glanced at the closed laboratory door not far away, and said in a low voice, "Hopefully, Elijah will find something."
Meredith chuckled and said, "That guy has been inside for a day and a night. He hasn't eaten, drunk, rested, or slept, and has been studying that undead parasite, but he hasn't come up with any results yet."
Todd said, "Theodore, the creator of the Necromancers, was a close friend and classmate of Elder Eliard. I believe the two of them must have had academic exchanges."
Meredith tossed the black feather into the air, caught it, and said, "Things aren't as simple as you think. Theodore and Eliade took completely different paths."
Todd sighed and turned his gaze to Meredith: "Last time, Eleanor...?"
"You want to ask if Eleanor gave me a hard time when you left last time?" Meredith said with a smile. "She won't completely turn against me until she gets rid of the big problem that is Iliad... But I still have to thank you for your concern."
Todd continued, "So, when I came here this time, Eleanor..."
“She knows.” Meredith looked a little helpless. “I bet she noticed your presence the moment you set foot on the Southern Empire’s territory.”
"In fact, as far as I know, she seemed very happy about your arrival."
Meredith thought for a moment and added, "Extremely happy."
Todd became alert: "Why would that woman want to see me?"
Meredith shrugged. "Who knows? She's a madwoman. One second she might be laughing, and the next she might just strike."
After tilting his head and thinking for a moment, Meredith said, "The Council of Elders is currently in a delicate balance. Eleanor's power and Illid's power are evenly matched, and no matter which one makes the first move, the result will only be mutual destruction."
“However, Eliard has a trump card yet to be played: Sutherland, who lies dormant in the underground magma. If Sutherland awakens one day, this balance of power will be completely broken, which is probably the last thing Eleanor wants to see.”
Meredith stared at Todd and said, "So, I suspect that Eleanor's delight in your arrival is actually a ploy to win you over, to break this balance of power first, and to stop Eliard's actions before Sutherland awakens."
Todd was somewhat skeptical: "Is that even possible? Last time when Rachel and I left, I was her enemy."
Meredith emphasized, "Like I said before, that woman is crazy, you never know what she'll do next. But she definitely has something that can influence your decision."
Todd said, "My purpose in coming to the Council of Elders is to find a way to break the parasite of the undead. If the undead are allowed to continue to spread like this, the whole world will be destroyed, and the Council of Elders will be no exception."
“I think that on this point, both Elijah and Eleanor are actually on my side.”
"As for the internal struggles within the Elders' Council, I have no intention of interfering."
Meredith shook her head and said, "There are some things you can't escape."
At this point, the laboratory door opened.
Looking weary, Eliard beckoned to Todd, signaling him to come in.
Entering Eliard's laboratory, Todd walks through petri dishes filled with human organs and remains, and arrives at the experimental table where Eliard works.
The undead parasites were soaking in a large jar of a transparent liquid whose name was unknown but whose smell was pungent. Even though the liquid looked so thick and dangerous, the parasites were still writhing there.
Eliard stared at the black parasite in the jar and said in a deep voice, "That old bastard Theodore has done a lot behind my back."
Todd asked, "You don't know about necromancy?"
"I know about Necromancers, but this is the first time I've heard of this thing."
Eliard carefully observed the necromancy parasite: "The birth of the necromancy successor was actually an experimental error."
"Theodore saw the potential of the successor and planned to use it to modify the human body, hoping to obtain a more perfect body to withstand the stronger power of the alien."
"However, after the experimental subject died due to incorrect dosage and catalyst formulation, some basic physiological reactions unexpectedly occurred."
"Theodore continued to increase the dosage, eventually turning the corpse into a living, mobile corpse."
"Later, he shared the results of this experiment with me, and with my help, he improved the method of creating this necromancer successor, and finally obtained a corpse servant with different superpowers who could understand simple commands."
Todd glanced back at the door: "Your men, those guards standing outside..."
"That's right, they are all my carefully selected corpse servants..."
Todd was puzzled: "After repeatedly improving the Necromancer's successor, why does Theodore still need to conduct Necromancer experiments?"
Elijah said, "The next thing is my guess: he continued the experiment in an attempt to achieve immortality."
"eternal life?"
“Immortality is the pinnacle and most difficult achievement in alchemy, the glory that every alchemist dreams of,” Eliard said, stroking his beard. “That’s one reason. Another reason is Eleanor.”
Upon hearing that familiar name again, Todd was taken aback: "The Necromancer's successor is related to Eleanor?"
"There was a history between Theodore and Eleanor, which was not long, but it was a very memorable experience for Theodore."
"But later, for some unknown reason, the two had an argument and eventually parted ways. Some say it was because Eleanor's promiscuous private life angered Theodore, leading him to leave her."
"Although Theodore repeatedly told me that Eleanor was a stain on his life, I could tell that he may never have gotten over the past."
Eliard sighed softly: "Theodore is a very proud man. To him, mastering the technology of immortality is not only an honor, but also a form of revenge against Eleanor. It's like a man who was once abandoned by love, wanting to use wealth and fame to attract his lover's attention again."
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