Chapter 73 The Necromancer Boss, Soul, Gift
When Ray and Lamb arrived, they didn't bring much; they just needed to put on an outer garment and that was about it.
After quickly washing up and getting ready, Lai stood at the top of the stairs waiting for Lamb, who was still in the room.
In the quiet third floor, the rustling sound of fabric rubbing against each other suddenly came from upstairs.
At first, Lai didn't care.
Where there are people, there will inevitably be sounds. When he heard a few familiar, sporadic clattering sounds, Ray's expression froze.
He suddenly looked up at the ceiling of the corridor.
The rustling of fabric, the creaking of the door opening, and the thud of the door closing. Less than half a minute later, the sound of something hard hitting the door could be heard.
"Bang! Crack!"
What exactly happened upstairs?
Lei hesitated for half a second, but still went up.
The stairs leading to the fourth floor were carpeted, and the entire fourth-floor corridor floor was also covered with thick carpet.
The fourth floor maintains the same overall decor as the rest of the building, looking almost identical to the third floor. But for some reason, it feels more luxurious than the lower floors.
It's that kind of shimmering, golden feeling, like it's reflecting light everywhere.
It was quiet all around; not a sound was heard from his shoes on the floor. Rye frowned as he walked from one end of the corridor to the other, but he heard nothing more from the previous sounds.
That's strange, I clearly heard a sound just now.
He knocked on a guest room door, but no one answered. He tried turning the doorknob, but it was locked.
There must be someone on the fourth floor; Butler Jin mentioned that the owner of the Kakou Inn lives here.
Having made up his mind, Ray stopped knocking and went from door to door. There was another creaking sound, and Ray followed the sound to a seemingly ordinary wooden door.
The noise inside grew louder and louder, as if someone was putting some hard objects into a bag, and they were making a lot of noise as they collided with each other.
"Click".
The door in front of me opened.
Ray hesitated whether he should hide or just face the people in the room.
"Please come in, guest."
Ray put his hand in his pocket and felt for the bone knife inside. With that confidence in his heart, he pushed open the door and went inside without any hesitation.
A sack full of bones was piled up by the door, with a thigh bone sticking out conspicuously.
The room was very large, as if half a floor of rooms had been knocked down and turned into this one room.
Upon entering, you'll find a study with a large desk and all sorts of strange and unusual items piled up in every corner. The thick carpet is also covered in things, making it impossible to find a place to step.
The room was covered by thick, deep red velvet curtains, embroidered with intricate flowers in gold thread.
"Bang!"
The door was closed and locked, and a person came out from behind and to the left of Lai.
Silently, Lai didn't notice the person's presence from the moment he entered the room.
He had grey eyes and long, curly hair, and his skin was a pale, almost glowing white. He was wearing a grey cardigan and sat in the only empty chair in the room.
"sit."
His voice was equally cold and aloof.
Ray searched around and finally found a chair that looked a bit empty. He moved the things on it, made some room, and sat down.
Before Lai could ask anything, the man looked at Lai carefully and slowly spoke.
“You have a very interesting soul; I’ve never seen it in anyone else.”
From the moment that man began to mention the word "soul," Ray felt a chill run down his spine and his whole body went cold.
Has his secret been discovered?
"If I could, I would love to keep your soul. Of course, I'm joking; keeping you alive seems more interesting than letting you die."
Although he was smiling, Ray couldn't detect a trace of friendliness in him.
"Your soul is new, bright, pure and without a trace of impurity."
Such praise is not pleasing; rather, it gives one a creepy feeling. It's like someone telling you that you're like a delicious little cake covered in fresh cream.
"You should feel fortunate that all the interesting little things from the past have become part of my collection."
"......"
Then I should thank you.
"You're welcome."
"......"
The man smiled radiantly.
“I see your soul thanking me.”
"......"
Did charlatans emerge at this point?
Lai was somewhat confused, but now was not the time to let his guard down. Perhaps sensing his unease and wariness, the man snapped his fingers, propped his head up with his hand, and tilted his head to look at Lai.
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Seral."
A skeleton emerged from nowhere, its long, slender bones carrying a walnut tray upon which rested a skull with equally green eye sockets, its interior swirling with chaotic black mist.
"He is a necromancer."
The skeleton placed the skull on a high platform; if it weren't for him, he would have thought the platform was for the colorful parrot to rest on.
The skeleton gave Seral a very standard noble salute, tapped its skull lightly on Laiyi, and then left Laiyi's sight.
Ah, is it because I didn't sleep well last night and I'm a little dazed? Why do I see elegance and nobility in a bare skeleton?
"Shuton was the youngest son of a nobleman, and his portrait hangs downstairs."
Skulls and portraits... There are so many portraits downstairs. I can't think about this any further, or I'll definitely get a chilling answer.
Ray steadied himself and subtly touched his pocket. The hard feel of the bone knife once again brought him a sense of security.
"Is there something you need from me?"
Lei calmed himself down and began to probe Seral's background, hoping to find out more about him.
"Nothing, just a bit curious. Jin said there's a young man who's quite special, and maybe I'll be interested. You've certainly caught my attention. How old are you this year?"
"Twenty-two."
"No, your soul looks older."
"That might be because I'm mentally older."
Seral frowned slightly and reluctantly accepted Lei's very imprecise explanation.
"Alright. You're quite an interesting young man. I can spare your life for now, but your soul will belong to me after you die."
Seral looked at Lei with great interest.
"My soul belongs only to myself."
With a whoosh, a small black flame suddenly ignited, and some ashes from the burning paper fell onto the table in front of Seral.
"That's so boring."
Ray's palms began to sweat.
If I'm not mistaken, it should be a kind of magic that's very similar to "word magic".
Once the person targeted by the spell agrees to a request from the spellcaster, a contract is formed. The person targeted by the spell must fulfill the request unconditionally, or they will be punished in accordance with the promise.
This necromancer is definitely not as harmless as he appears.
"Sir, I have matters to attend to at home, so I must take my leave now."
"Pfft~ Are you that scared of me?"
Lai didn't think there was anything shameful about it. Given that he was clearly no match for the other party and there were no other fighters downstairs, the best course of action was to make a quick getaway.
Forget heroism and cowardice; survival is the only thing that matters.
“Sori went downstairs last night to sell some of His trinkets, and I’m so sorry he startled you. He has already received his due punishment.”
The skull on the platform moved restlessly, its jaws clattering together as if trying to say something. But it had no organs to speak, nor any magical aids; it could only keep chattering its teeth.
"Keep quiet."
As soon as Seral finished speaking, the skull immediately stopped all movement, as if it were just an ordinary bone.
Lai thought that the skeleton named Sori must be feeling very wronged here in Serar.
"I have a little something I'd like to give you as compensation for last night."
"You're too kind. The compensation has already been settled with the housekeeper, so we don't need to spend any more money on you."
Lei rejected Seral outright.
He dared not easily accept the gift from the necromancer, since no one could say for sure what materials it was made of.
Seral ignored Ray's refusal and snapped his fingers again. Skeleton Shulton dragged in a tray covered with a square cloth.
"Come and take a look, you'll like it."
Shutton lifted the handkerchief, revealing a tiny skeleton that was only twenty centimeters tall.
"All the bones in its body are made of plaster. Don't worry, this is just a small souvenir, a lifeless object that won't move. It can withstand one attack from a mid-to-high-level mage."
Seral winked at Lei.
Ray was highly suspicious of Seral's motives, but it seemed impossible to leave the room without this exquisitely detailed plaster doll. Ray reluctantly wrapped it in a handkerchief and carried it in his hand.
Looking at it from another angle, if it can withstand an attack from a mid-to-high-level mage, why not take it?
"Your friend is already waiting anxiously downstairs, go check on him. Oh, and Luce fried some more pork chops, it's one of his specialties."
"Thank you for reminding me."
Click.
The door lock opened by itself, and thoughtfully left a crack in the door for Lei to enter and exit.
Seeing the door open again, it was impossible for Ray not to be happy. He left the room without looking back. The door behind him closed again as if by magic.
"How is he, Hughton?"
The green flame in Shulton's eyes flickered, but he did not answer.
“Don’t play dumb, Hughton. The necklace is still hanging on your neck.”
"He is a very cautious and rational human being."
A hoarse, dry voice came through; the owner of the voice hadn't spoken in a long time, and the tone was somewhat strange.
Shudson truthfully expressed his feelings.
You shouldn't interfere in his life.
Serar seemed very angry upon hearing Shutton's last words.
"It's none of your business how I conduct myself."
"..."
Schuddon knew this would be the outcome.
It was probably several decades ago, when Serbia was even crazier and more irrational than it is now.
He never lets go of anything he wants.
"I can already picture him as a skeleton!"
Serar hummed a little tune, looking quite cheerful.
Xiu Dun remained silent and began tidying up the room.
Why can't Cerral buy a few big shelves to properly display all his collection? I've had enough of him.
What about Sori's body at the door?
"It's locked in the cabinet; He doesn't need it right now."
Hughton dragged the sack out of the living room without looking back.
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Author's note: It's been so long since I wrote a short skit, *crying*.
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