This necromancer is going to seduce the beautiful girls who are already dead.

To Sheila's astonishment, the old dwarf acted as if he were very familiar with Ergunda, using magic to help it crystallize, then cooling it, and then skillfully polishing it with his own tools.

Before long, a deep blue lens appeared between the dwarf's thick fingers. He continued to polish it, using magic to slowly refine the lens, making it appear clearer and clearer. Under the laboratory lights, it became increasingly bright, as if it were glowing on its own.

“This is a dwarf master from over a hundred years ago, who had extraordinary knowledge of lenses,” Abyss whispered to Sheila and Edvina.

As Sheila listened to Abyss's introduction, her eyes remained fixed on Egunda. In her eyes, those beautiful, deep blue lenses radiated a comforting glow; simply looking at them gave her a sense of intoxication, like drinking fruit wine.

Chapter 173 Plan First, Then Take Action

The dwarf's short, stubby fingers were exceptionally accurate; with the aid of magic and a series of tools, he polished the lens flawlessly throughout the entire process. With each swish of the polishing, the lens became increasingly clear.

"Ah...it's done! Now it shines like a mountain spring!" The dwarf wiped the lens one last time with a fine cotton cloth before holding up a lens the size of a walnut in front of his eyes to examine it, and then handed it to Rebecca.

"As expected of Master Helsey, your craftsmanship is still as reliable as ever!" Rebecca held the lens up to her own eyes and looked at it. Even though she didn't have the bloodline that Sheila inherited from another world, she could feel that the light produced a mysterious change when it passed through the lens. This change was indescribable and perhaps it could produce a wonderful reaction with Sheila's eyes.

The scholars present who participated in the crystal testing were also very happy. Some were busy taking notes, while others applauded, and the atmosphere in the laboratory was very lively.

“So, our search for Eganda is now over,” Rebecca said with a smile. “Although we couldn’t get the whole Eganda, we did get a smaller version of it.”

"So, can I show you my true strength now?" Sheila was immediately delighted upon hearing Rebecca's announcement.

She had been waiting for this day. She thought that as long as she obtained Eganda, she could realize her true value and become an aid to the Abyss in defeating the evil god and protecting the world.

Now, looking at that radiant lens, her heart pounded, her hands clenched nervously, and an overwhelming sense of anticipation filled her heart.

"Wait a minute."

However, at that moment, the Abyss reached out and took the Egunda from Rebecca's hand, holding it in its own. Sheila was taken aback by the Abyss's sudden interception and looked at it strangely.

"What are you doing here...?"

“You can’t use this right now. First of all, Sheila, you must understand one thing: I have never regarded you as a tool. Your value is not just in being able to see things that we cannot see.” Abyss smiled as he put Ergunda into the magical catfish. “I will not completely ignore the warning that the Lord of Delusion gave me before. For your safety, we need to make some other preparations.”

"Eh...but..."

“Silly girl.” Leona patted Sheila on the back at this moment. “You are our comrade, my fan. Even if ABC wanted you to risk using Egunda, I would not agree. Besides, your value has already been demonstrated—it’s your character.”

"Mmm." Sheila felt a little embarrassed by Leona's words, but she was much more sober now and no longer wanted Eganda as much.

After completing the task in Ergunda, the necromancers returned to their respective work. Many of them had been conducting other experiments, but had come to help Rebecca when she needed them. Now that the mission was complete, they devoted themselves to their research.

“Master Bellator, what should we do next?” Edvina, who had just toured the alchemy laboratory, walked up to Abyss and asked him.

“Next,” Abis smiled slightly, “is to rescue Miss Sophia.”

"So, you have an idea?" Edvina blinked.

Several girls standing nearby were also very curious and gathered around.

"Of course not." Abyss patted himself smugly.

"Then why are you so happy?!" Leona said angrily, biting Abyss's arm.

Abyss removed Leona from his arm, rubbed his arm, and said, "So we need to discuss and come up with a strategy to rescue Sophia, making sure it goes smoothly. As for the general direction, I already have one. The time Sophia appeared, I guessed some possibilities based on her behavior. These possibilities need to be confirmed by luring her out again."

“I see.” Edvina nodded seriously. “Then I will tell you everything I know. Perhaps my understanding of Sophia can serve as a bridge for communication between us and her.”

"Flora, Agnes, you two should join the discussion. I think we might need your help later." Abyss turned to Flora, who had just brought tea to Sheila and Edvina, and Agnes, who was leaning over the lab table looking at a strangely shaped flower.

“Okay.” Agnes immediately stood up, walked to the Abyss’s side, and stood there without saying a word.

Flora took a moment to process it, then realized the Abyss was looking for her and immediately cheered. Although her life in the City of Eternal Night was peaceful, it always lacked the happiness of being with the Abyss. Being able to help the Abyss now was exactly what Flora wanted.

"Yes! If you need my help, just call me!"

Abyss reached out and patted Flora and Agnes on the head, then said to Rebecca beside him, "Rebecca, do you want to come? I see you still have experiments to do. Breaking the curse of the Lord of Delusions must be very tiring."

“I won’t be coming. The experiments here might be slow without me.” Rebecca shook her head with a smile. “You guys can make the plans. Just tell me what you need me to do. I need to break the curse of the Lord of Delusions as soon as possible—to be honest, this guy is no easier to deal with than the Lord of Nightmares. Although his curse has a smaller range and isn’t particularly destructive, it’s extremely stubborn. Bothers has shown some positive reactions in my recent attempts, but in the end, he always reverts to his mad state.”

“Then I’ll leave the task of breaking the curse to you. I’m confident you’ll find a solution soon. With Sophia’s help, we’ll be even stronger,” Abyss nodded.

“When you lure Sophia out, you must be careful. She’s very strong and an assassin, so your mission is very risky.” Rebecca straightened Abyss’s collar and then turned and left.

Without further ado, after gathering everyone, Abyss led the girls to the meeting room in the Palace of Eternal Night to begin a meeting. This meeting lasted for a whole day, but when they came out of the meeting room, even Sheila was full of energy and enthusiasm.

Chapter 174 The Other Half of the Research Data

The three giants raised their glasses.

Only the afterglow of the setting sun could be seen in the sky.

The sword severed the giant serpent's spine.

The clear spring's sound fades and returns.

Abyss sat on the edge of the bed and read aloud the riddle poem he knew by heart. It was a riddle he had found in the extremely hidden basement of Leona's house when he visited her old home years ago; it was a riddle recorded in the diary of Leona's ancestor, Skal.

This mystery contains the location where Starr hid the crown of the Lord of Delusions.

Now, the crown has clearly broken free from the constraints that Starr set up back then, but perhaps Starr left something else there.

"Leona, what do you think your ancestor, Sir Starr, could have left behind there?"

“Ah, my ancestors…” Leona sat with Abyss, speculating, “Perhaps he left some other research results there?”

“I think so too,” Sheila said, raising her hand in agreement as she sat in a chair nearby.

Edvina sat to the side, listening attentively to Abyss and Leona's conversation without saying a word.

The Abyss and his party have now returned to Sheila's home. Agnes has returned to the City of Eternal Night to continue her favorite environmental modifications, while the Abyss has assigned tasks to his followers.

The plan to regain the initiative has begun, and Sheila's house has been chosen as the starting point. It's not that Sheila's house has anything special, it's just that Sheila always needs to tell her family before embarking on her adventure.

“I think the same as you two,” Abyss said. “If we can find where Starr hid the crown, we might find some other research materials he left inside. If that’s the case, then the contents—I think—would be far more exciting than the few observation notes we have right now.”

"Is it the kind of thing that makes your scalp tingle after you see it?" Leona asked curiously.

Who is Stahl? Stahl is a household name in Western India, and his various literary works are quite captivating. Moreover, he wrote in a wide variety of genres, spanning various fields, including romance novels, adventure novels, ethical literature, horror novels, detective novels, and so on.

After his military career ended, he devoted himself to the entertainment industry and literature, becoming an exceptionally prolific writer. Moreover, all his creations were done without expecting anything in return; many of his books were even made available for free borrowing and copying. The content of these literary works is so rich that it seems as if they were written by a single person.

Among them, Starr's horror novels are also unique; adults who listen to them can't sleep all night, and children who listen to them can't expect to get a good night's sleep for a week.

Starr, who could write such terrifying horror novels, must have produced research materials that were "only accessible to qualified descendants," which probably weren't simple either.

“Maybe it really is like that. Let me ask you first, are any of you afraid of horror stories?” Abis asked with a smile.

"I'm not afraid. No matter how terrifying something is, it will disappear one day." Leona maintained her usual fearlessness and said proudly, "Monsters and evil gods, haven't we beaten them all with our own hands?"

“I’m not afraid… Although my heart races when I hear them, I don’t think I’ll dwell on them too much,” Sheila said.

Edvina then raised her hand: "Then I'm the only one here who's afraid of horror stories."

She smiled somewhat shyly, but didn't seem to be joking.

"Huh?" Sheila was quite surprised. "Ms. Edvina is afraid of horror stories?"

She never imagined that Edvina, the dignified leader of the Shadow Sisters, would be afraid of horror stories. No one else on the continent would believe her if she told them.

“This is quite unexpected,” Abis said, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s actually quite understandable… In fact, after experiencing that terrifying mission and losing my three best sisters and comrades, I’ve had a lingering psychological trauma.” Edvina still smiled, but there seemed to be a hint of bitterness in her eyes. “I’m not only afraid of horror stories, but I also often see the image of the Lord of Delusions at night, waking up in a cold sweat from my dreams.”

“That’s an evil god who manipulates people’s minds and has the ability to corrupt their spirit and will. This is not your problem,” Abyss comforted Edvina.

"Will your plan really work?" Edvina suddenly asked, staring at Abyss with great hope.

“I can’t guarantee it 100%, but you just need to trust me. Like you, I hope that Sophia—the uncorrupted Sophia—can return to this world.” Abyss said to Edvina with a smile. He reached out to touch Edvina’s head, who was sitting in the chair opposite him, but then remembered that Edvina seemed to be a composed adult woman of considerable status, so he withdrew his hand embarrassedly.

Leona slapped Abyss's hand: "Control your stupid hand! Why do you have to pat people's heads every time you see them?"

“I believe you.” Edvina didn’t mind Abyss’s action just now. It’s not a loss for an elf to be patted on the head by an elder; it means that wisdom has been bestowed upon them. “I will definitely do my best in the future.”

"Miss, the map you requested has arrived." A maid stood at the door and respectfully addressed Sheila inside the room.

"Oh, thank you for your trouble." Sheila nodded. "Please bring it in."

Sheila has learned a lot from Abyss these past few days, such as his polite manner when speaking to his subordinates. Although he still maintains a leader's position, he doesn't come across as arrogant at all.

The maid brought in the map, placed it on the table in the room, and then respectfully left. The four Abyss members who were waiting inside the room also gathered around, looking at the slightly yellowed map on the table.

“This is an antique map from my family’s collection, recorded more than two hundred years ago,” Sheila said to Abyss. “Is this map alright?”

"It's good enough. Between the two hundred years ago and the three hundred years ago when Starr was located, there were no major geological changes or large-scale wars on the continent. This map can be used as a reference."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and began to search the former territory of the Eastern Empire with his eyes.

"So... now we need to find the first line Sir Starr mentioned in the riddle—'Three giants raise their glasses.' Who are these three giants, and what do their raised glasses represent?"

Chapter 175 Starr's Hobbies and Hiding Place

Abyss and his group of four began searching on the map.

The keyword is "three giants," so their main search will naturally focus on three sufficiently large landforms or structures arranged in a triangle. This structure isn't easy to find, as many cities and mountain ranges share some similar characteristics.

They soon discovered that this method of understanding sentence by sentence and gradually narrowing down the scope was not very suitable for the vast Eastern Empire.

“This one line is a bit hard to find…” Leona lay on the map, looked up at the Abyss, and said, “Should we include ‘The sword cuts through the spine of the giant serpent’ as well?”

“That makes sense.” Abis nodded. “We can guess what these four lines of poetry mean.”

"The three giants raise their cups; perhaps this refers to the three castles atop the three mountains?" Sheila offered her first interpretation of the first line of the poem.

“That makes sense. Although there are quite a few castles built on mountaintops in the Eastern Empire, this idea can greatly narrow down the possibilities.” Abyss nodded in agreement.

After a moment's thought, Edvina said, "A sword severing the spine of a giant serpent—this certainly doesn't mean there's actually a giant serpent, since even the largest python couldn't possibly have a place in the earth. I guess it refers to a mountain range that's broken in the middle, or a river that's stopped flowing."

Abis nodded and jotted down Edvina's conjecture on a notepad.

"What does 'the clear spring flows away and then returns' mean?" Leona pondered, tracing the map with her finger. "Does it refer to a river?"

“I guess… it’s a place along a river.” Abis stroked his chin. “Going and returning… perhaps it refers to the river’s serpentine shape. Maybe the place where the crown is hidden is at a bend in the river.”

With these assumptions in mind, the search for the location in the riddle became much easier. The Abyss and his party immediately began a second, purposeful search on the map, and before long, Sheila pointed out a place that perfectly matched their guesses.

“Here! This seems to match the riddle perfectly!” Sheila exclaimed to the others in surprise. “Look, this region has three mountain peaks, and there are fortresses on each of them. This is a mountain range, but there’s a large crack in it, and then—there’s a river here, and one of its tributaries just happens to flow back, just like the riddle says—and there’s also the line about only the afterglow of the setting sun in the sky, which means that there are mountains to the east that block the view of the sun before it moves from east to west, which also fits perfectly.”