Chapter 205 Casefile 7: Lich Formation (8)
The sudden onset of 'madness' was like a storm, quickly pulling Mi You from the sparkling sea surface into the deep, lightless seabed where he could not call for help.
Everything around her was becoming unfamiliar, and strange whispers kept ringing in her ears. No one could hear them except her, as if they were the eerie hums coming from the bottom of her heart.
She began to see her own shadow come alive, transforming into the image of the woman in her work. The 'voice in her heart' said to her, "Look, what a beautiful person that is! Become her, become her, and you will be welcomed and loved by the people. You will no longer be the ugly rat that is despised and can only hide in the shadows of the gutter."
Mi You tilted his head and said hesitantly to his mumbling shadow, "...No, are you really my shadow? Are you mistaken? I've never liked a glamorous, spotlight-grabbing life."
She was quite baffled. "I really don't have many friends... but if someone is superficial and only likes me and admires me for my looks, then they're definitely not worth truly connecting with. Why would I change my appearance for someone like that?"
Number Four, who was hiding in the shadows and holding his voice, broke out in a cold sweat: Oh no, she won't be fooled.
After receiving the report from Number Four, Dresi gritted her teeth. "Increase the dosage! Resurrect Mi Funa as a zombie! It seems that controlling Mi You still requires the intimidation of her mother."
Mi You felt that his madness had become even more serious.
Her shadow was still talking to her day and night with those strange whispers. She felt that those were not the thoughts that should be in her heart, but after all, what were her real thoughts in her heart?
She began to doubt herself, becoming confused and at a loss. Then one night, when she struggled to wake up from a nightmare and got up to pour herself some water, she suddenly saw the long-dead Mi Funa standing outside the window, with maggots crawling in and out of her half-rotten face, and Mi Funa smiled at her as if she was unaware.
"Ah!" Mi You screamed heartbreakingly. The servants outside rushed into the room, but no one could see Mi Funa outside the window. One servant even said hesitantly, "Miss Mi You, this is the third floor..."
Mi You's previously solid mental defenses finally crumbled. She couldn't sleep or eat well, and she quickly lost weight. The whispers in her ears seemed to make some sense, so she hastily ended her trip and decided to return to Eston West City.
Mi Funa and No. 4 had been following her quietly, jumping out when Mi You was least prepared, disrupting her thoughts and breaking her mind again and again.
Mi Funa never needed a daughter, nor did she ever love her own daughter. She only needed a sacrifice to sacrifice for Dresi. This need became even more urgent after her death, because only Dresi had enough resources to turn her into an immortal lich.
A zombie differs greatly from a lich. It lacks a phylactery, merely a soul bound to its dead body. While a corpse can move under the influence of necromancy, it lacks breath, a heartbeat, or the touch and warmth of a living being. Eating is no longer essential to life. Mi Funa can use a zombie's body to feed, but the cost of this activity far outweighs the benefits. Rather than expending that energy, it's better to harvest the soul energy of the living.
Deresi only resurrected Mi Funa as a zombie. The cunning princess promised that after she became a complete lich, she would make a phylactery for Mi Funa and find a sacrifice so that Mi Funa could become a true lich.
"Mi Funa just believed Dresi's nonsense?" Jiang You said in disbelief.
"At this point, it's probably no longer a question of belief or disbelief, but simply a game of interests," Andre said. "Mi Funa is dead. If she wants to become a lich, she can only rely on Dresi, who holds the resources. If she betrays Dresi, she will be dealt with by Dresi as well... Of course, this shouldn't be a reason for her to attack her own daughter."
They continued to watch Mi You struggle to save herself. Mi You kept writing letters to the Great Magician Mebucha, but all the letters were intercepted and destroyed by Number Four as soon as they left the workshop, preventing any message from being passed on. Meanwhile, the whispers and Mi Funa made Mi You lose faith in the outside world.
"They won't believe you."
"You've gone crazy."
"A daughter who has lost her mother in agony, constantly seeing the ghost of her dead mother... Oh, what on earth did you do to make your mother die with regret?"
Under pressure from the ghost of Mi Funa, Mi You resumed her mother's business and opened a brewing workshop. Receiving an order for an age-enhancing potion, she unsurprisingly failed to create it. Then, disturbed by whispers, she suffered a crucible accident. Mi You was splashed with the spilled potion, instantly aging most of her exposed skin by decades, with the aging spreading to her internal organs.
Mi You panicked, she could clearly feel her life slipping away. Although she had spent most of her life in depression for more than 20 years, she was even more afraid of death.
Whispering words began to guide her, asking her to find a way to save herself from the items her mother had 'left behind.' In reality, it was just Number Four placing the phylactery materials and lich books they had prepared where Mi You could see them.
In times of crisis, desperate people will grab any lifeline thrown their way. Dresi and the others' plan wasn't perfect, but only if Mi You stopped to think calmly could he realize how abrupt the appearance of these materials and books was.
However, Drexi and the others did not give Mi You any chance. The terror of death was like a ferocious dog from hell, constantly driving Mi You forward.
Out of fear of death, Mi You almost unleashed the greatest potential in her life. She successfully (with the secret help of No. 4 and Mi Funa) completed the drawing of the magic circle and created the life box.
Until the last step of activating the magic circle and signing the real name, Mi You held the parchment with the real name of Dresi's soul in one hand and the pen in the other hand, carefully drawing, but suddenly stopped and trembled twice involuntarily.
"This... this is not my real name..." Mi You murmured in horror. Her voice was so weak that No. 4 did not realize something was wrong at first.
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