Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Why did her personality change like this? Her own sister, Frannell, was a typical quiet and serene dream fairy beauty in her memory. After getting married, she gradually adapted to the role of mother. Although she tried her best to hide her presence at home, the glint in her eyes often reminded those she was talking to that she was still that shrewd flower of thorns.

As for his brother-in-law, Dordo, the newly appointed Druid Elder, although their relationship wasn't harmonious, it wasn't hostile either. This was precisely because his reserved personality, like a courteous orchid, rarely aroused others' dislike. This habit of being kind yet indifferent made him trustworthy and attracted many disciples.

So, who does this reckless niece resemble?

Hines interrupted Fanila's conspiracy theories, which she was already fantasizing about a group of liches plotting to destroy the world—utter nonsense.

“Fanila, liches are not the enemy of nature. Don’t forget, they are dead. They have not broken the limits of death.”

"But they still act like the living, just like living creatures."

"That's what's puzzling me too. Liches, what are they doing? But I already have my own guesses."

"What is it, Uncle Hines?"

"I've tried communicating with a few relatively friendly liches, which was quite difficult. Those skeletons only care about their own affairs. I once piqued the interest of a lich, and we went to a bar called Blood Rose in the Shadow District for a drink. Isn't that interesting? A dead man actually misses the taste of ale. When the liquor flowed down his spine, I momentarily forgot what to say. Luckily, the waitress next to me praised his enormous capacity, which allowed our conversation to continue."

"Liches seem to be a species with obsessions. They carry the memories of their past lives but not the feelings of those past lives, like someone constantly picking up memories but only carrying a broken basket. They are fixated on a single task and indifferent to everything else. This may be the reason why you have a bad impression of them. In fact, if your interests align, they can be good friends. You know, one of the liches even interviewed me and said it would be published in a report."

"In my eyes, a lich is probably a fragment formed from the intense obsession of the living, just some beautiful remnants shattered by dreamers."

"In fact, I would like to learn more about liches and study death. I believe they are part of nature and one of its guardians."

Fanila's expression turned slightly strange. "Uncle Hines, were you communicating with some of your lich friends back then?"

"Yes, three of them. They called themselves Mr. Battlecry, Mr. Windfury, and Mr. Deathwhisper. They said they had won a great victory and were planning a celebration. By the way, it was Mr. Windfury who interviewed me at the time."

"Has Uncle Hines read issue number 109 of the Andre News?"

"what is that?"

"The newspaper from Andre College, a lich academy. That newspaper is hard to find on our Order side, but my Chaos side friend, who is also part of the honey trap criminal gang, once showed me one of its issues. After hearing your description, I have reason to believe that it was the interview report with Uncle Hines."

"Really? Tell me quickly, what did my friends write?"

"Our college's news media encountered a necrophilic, albino male elf in the City of Wandering. Our staff were forcibly dragged into the Bloody Rose Pink Bar, where, after being forced to drink, his twisted desires were further unleashed. However, our resourceful member Andrei managed to escape. Is this a distortion of humanity or a moral decay? Does he suffer from a severe mental illness? Is this one of the hidden dark sides of the beautiful City of Wandering? Due to the extreme difficulty of the subsequent reporting tasks, and for the safety of our media workers, there will be no further reporting operations."

"..." Hines brought the lantern close to his head, feeling the coldness of the flame. "I understand, Mr. Windfury. I look forward to our next meeting."

"Don't even think about it, Uncle. The people at Andre Academy are all liches. They have disguises and code names. You won't be able to find them."

"Tsk."

"Let's keep going, Uncle."

Hines added another point.

"Fanila, if a being breaks its own limitations and transcends death, do you know what it will become?"

“I already understand what you mean, Uncle. Those who break limits are enemies of nature. So, beings that have even broken the final limit of death are also of nature…” Fanila thought of something, because this description was so familiar.

“No weaknesses, no fear of death…” Fanila’s pupils widened, and she trembled as she clutched her head, trying to shake off the thought.

"Fearless of life and death, transcendent and supreme. Possessing the immense power of the world."

"Nature's enemy, the most powerful disruptor."

"It's like a god who is high above you."

Chapter 166 The Battle Rules of the Spirit Summoner

The large, white skeletal creature moved through the forest like a ghost, leaving only the rustling sound of its legs sliding across the grass.

Lyle and his two companions rested comfortably behind it. The movement caused minimal undulations, and any protruding branches blocking their path were cut off by the multi-legged chariot's forelimbs. As long as they remained half-crouched, they would encounter virtually no trouble.

"William, did you lose your lucky coin? It seems you forgot to put it away during the last heads/tails game?"

“Don’t worry, it’s here.” William pulled a small, glittering gold object from his coat pocket; it was the same gold coin with the man’s portrait and the emblem of a scroll and quill pen.

When did you put it away?

“I didn’t put it away; it came back on its own.” William smiled and, to demonstrate, threw the gold coin out. The shiny coin was casually tossed into the grass and gradually disappeared from the sight of the three speeding by.

“That’s one of the Dorgit family’s treasures; it’s a magical item. No matter where I leave it, no matter how far away, it always returns to my pocket intact after a while. I’ve used it as collateral for quite a few things, but it always ends up back in my pocket. It contains some very advanced magical techniques, and it might have other uses as well. But I can’t open it yet.”

The creature beneath their feet suddenly stopped moving. Its body lay low, its long legs outstretched, like a starfish gliding on the seabed. Red flesh and blood flowed from between its bones, forming a membrane that enveloped the white skeleton. Under the influence of this red cloak, the massive bony legs landed silently on the ground. It was a professional predator.

A red fleshy mass, serving as the head, formed a hole at the back of Lyle's head. A skull, wreathed in soul flames, emerged from the hole, its eerie eyes fixed on Lyle.

"It has detected the enemy, or rather, the living thing."

"The battle is about to begin, gentlemen."

The three got out of the car in a dark corner.

William and Kevin looked at Lyle. Not counting the previous attack, this was the first real attack by the three of them, or rather, Lyle's first attack.

"How to do it?"

"First, we need to find the rats hiding in the shadows."

"Lyle, let me remind you, we're also in the shadows."

"A mascot with no fighting ability, please don't interrupt." Lyle glared at Kevin, relaxed, and, under William's watchful eye, focused entirely on manipulating his creation.

The skeletal spider silently climbed the tree, its sticky flesh securing it to the trunk. The skeleton, emerging from the hole, was scanning its surroundings.

"Lifeline One is here..."

"Number Two, over there..."

"Number Three, over there..."

In Lyle's mind, figures crouching in the bushes appeared scattered, like loose sentries. Around the three of them were twelve hidden sentries. Black liquid crept up Lyle's body; Nia transmitted the information she had sensed to Lyle's mind.

The animal traps were hidden under the scattered withered grass, the menacing iron clamps stained with blood waiting for reckless prey.

Lyle opened his eyes and shared the information with the two of them.

"Assassinate him. Can you still poison him, Lyle?"

"They are too far apart, like a line, and they are wary of each other, so it is not appropriate to release the plague."

Lyle's eyes gleamed as he looked at William.

"William, you can summon the wind, right?"

……

The thief, marked as Life Number One, was crouching in the bushes; only Life Number Two could observe his position.

William stood in front of the two, Nia's black tentacles pressed against their faces. They closed their eyes, sensing the skeletal spider's vision.

"Kevin, you find the right opportunity."

Kevin observed Life No. 2 from an unusual perspective.

"Now! From two o'clock to eight o'clock, a light breeze."

Following Kevin's instructions, William released the blower.

A gentle breeze stirred the bushes where the second thief of life was hiding, and the trembling leaves obscured his vision.

Life One merely shivered in the breeze, inwardly complaining about the sudden chill it felt.

Unbeknownst to him, a colossal figure was descending directly above him, its sharp leg spears silently unfurling in the air, one in front of the other, like a pale waning crescent moon. A spray of red, acidic sap landed on Life One's head, completely enveloping it. Before he could even feel the sting in his face, two crossed bone spears pierced his body completely.

He screamed in agony, but only a distorted human face emerged from the red slime.

The bushes around Life Number Two stopped shaking. He glanced at the bushes around Life Number One, but there was no change.

everything is normal.

Number two, number three, number four...

The three men removed all the sentries, and the bandits lost their sight.

From the perspective of the skeletal creatures, Lyle discovered a small camp. It was the bandits' headquarters.

……

A panicked figure was running across the grass, clutching his wound. He had lost an arm, and blood had flowed all the way through him.

The bandits guarding behind the wall quickly spotted him. Judging from his rough clothes and the distorted but still familiar face, he was one of the scouts they had sent out.

He was shouting in panic, a commotion that could alert everyone in the camp.

He pounded on the door desperately, begging his former companion to let him in.

"Monster! A monster is hunting us!"

The bandits guarding the city questioned their captain.

Should we let him in?

"Let him in. We know nothing about the new monsters that have appeared in Hamlet. Hopefully, we can get some useful information before this fool dies."

The two robbers manipulated the wooden wheel connecting to the gate, letting in their companion, who was barely recognizable as human.

Before he could even rest for a moment, a strong and powerful hand grabbed his collar and dragged him like a dead pig to the squad leader.

"Tell me what kind of monster you saw, and I'll give you herbs to save your life."

"Okay, boss, I... I'll tell you right away."

The bandit, who had lost too much blood, was deathly pale, and his voice was extremely weak.

The bandit squad leader had to get close to him to hear him clearly.

"That monster is... is..."

"Inside my body."

His flesh instantly rotted, and fleshy tentacles grew from the splattered blood. The waving tentacles wrapped around the surrounding human bodies, and in the empty abdominal cavity, a glass bottle containing a ghastly green liquid was crushed by the tentacles.

The tentacles were quickly severed by the outlaws, and the skeleton was shredded along with them.

The bandits were terrified by what they saw; even though he was just a skull, he was still talking.

"Time is up."

Before the shock had subsided, everyone's bodies began to tremble involuntarily.

Amidst this terror, a gigantic, skeletal spider-like monster crawled in from outside the walls.