Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

The endless rows of shacks in the three dark districts completely obscured the surrounding environment and terrain. Damn it, I thought finding my way up here would be much easier, but am I really going to have to wander through the streets again?

With a sigh, William turned and crept down another dark alley. He didn't have Lyle's guts to ask any demon guard for directions, so he had to find his way on his own in the dim alley.

Thanks to the perception granted by the wind element, William's reconnaissance range was significantly greater than during his previous smuggling attempt. Thinking back, William smiled involuntarily, wondering if he'd ever encounter another piece of candy.

Just then, a gentle breeze whispered in my ear—an opportunity!

William unconsciously changed direction and walked into the alley. When his mind came to its senses, William didn't stop himself. He had become stronger; this was a way of reminiscing about the past.

The sounds around him gradually became clearer, and from them, William heard the words "bullying" and "candy".

Candy?

William's mind drifted to that seemingly delicate and frail boy.

Could that guy have been bullied again? Sensing the magic concentration in this area, hmm, it shouldn't exceed my limits.

With only a corner remaining from the scene of the bullying, William, driven by a desire to reclaim his past dignity, emerged from the corner, radiating a powerful, almost magical aura.

“Bullys, I advise you to release my friend, otherwise…” William tossed his hair in what he thought was a dashing gesture before noticing the participants in the bullying.

He recognized the people being bullied; they were the same three kids who had bullied Candy before.

He recognized the bully; that face was his nightmare—it was the succubus Anna. The once alluring succubus girl's body had undergone some changes. Her left side remained that of a succubus, while her right side was covered in thick black crystal, like armor, diminishing her seductive aura and giving her a more ferocious and dangerous appearance. One half of her face retained the succubus's allure, while the other half bore the grotesque ugliness of a demon.

Well, the change in Anna's aura didn't make much of an impression on William, because in his eyes, Anna was just a demon.

They completely lost their sense of justice and courage; they came so wildly, and left so anxiously.

William, his back hunched, hid his face in the darkness, and was about to flee.

"Are they your friends?" Anna's voice was like the dry, cracking sound of tearing fabric, or the wailing of hell. She put down the imp in her hand, spinning its still-curvaceous body, the demon's tail scratching the wall like a chain sword.

"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..."

"You've mistaken me for someone else. I was just passing by."

A fierce wind swept through! William moved with lightning speed, slipping away.

He walked through alleys, and the demon guards on the main street were only a step away from him. William didn't care about his identity being exposed; he just wanted to call the police.

But walking fast can never outrun flying fast.

With a series of giggles, the succubus Anna flapped her bat wings and landed, blocking William's path.

She had transformed back into the woman she once was at the Bloody Rose Bar, her sheep-like horns nestled in her fluffy blonde hair, her sparkling eyes capable of illuminating even the darkest alleyways. A mischievous glint in her eyes as she looked at William.

"Isn't this Mr. Good Man? Darling, you've come to see me again."

William felt a chill run down his spine. Had he been exposed? He decided to play dumb for now.

"You've mistaken me for someone else, ma'am."

The succubus chuckled, "Stop pretending, Mr. Good. Every prey lured by a succubus is marked by us for easy consumption later. My dear, you have my mark on you, a mark that only succubi can see."

"!!!" William followed the succubus's gaze and began searching her body.

Anna let out a seductive laugh, and as William rummaged through his clothes, his arm slipped into Anna's soft flesh. The sheen of her lips lingered on William's earlobe. She murmured like a siren.

"Stop searching, darling, we have important things to do. Let me feed you first." Anna's voice was like poison, and William felt weak all over, only able to be led away by Anna's support.

"Allure..."

"Yes, darling, any creature that is bewitched just once will fall into my trap and sink deeper and deeper. Don't worry, I'll let you go once I erase your memories with alcohol. You seem to be worth more now."

No, it shouldn't be like this. I still have things to pursue.

William, with a sudden burst of strength, swung his arm and pushed Anna away. His weak body fell to the ground, and he gasped for breath.

Anna stood frozen like a wooden stake, her beautiful eyes filled with surprise as she watched the figure gradually rise from the muddy ground.

"You've broken free from the allure..."

William felt the power gradually returning to his body, then looked at Anna. The pressure wasn't as great as before; that was progress, he thought. A smile appeared on his face, which was covered in a fine layer of sweat.

"I can grow, so don't underestimate humans."

Anna stared at that utterly unladylike smiling face. "Humans bewitched by succubi only become more deeply affected by the spell. Those who manage to escape after being bewitched are even rarer than those who are not bewitched at all."

"Really? Thank you for sharing this valuable information. I'm so glad I was so capable." William straightened his loose clothes, looking at Anna as if saying goodbye to his dark past.

"Goodbye, Miss Anna, I have other things to attend to."

"You can't leave!" Anna instinctively stopped him.

“I don’t think so. You can’t charm me right now, and I’m stronger than you. Even in your complete form, I’m still a bit stronger.”

"You saw it after all, my secret."

"Hmm? That half-body armor? I promise I won't tell anyone, could you please make way?"

The succubus Anna glared at him. "Getting a man to keep his promise is like winning the lottery by betting on a demon soul."

William, angered by Anna's persistent pestering, snapped, "Woman! What can you do to me?"

Anna remained expressionless, a small metal piece held between her slender fingers. It was marked with the words: Light and Shadow Zone, Cromandy Wayne. "You want to sneak into the Light and Shadow Zone?"

"What do you mean by that? Are you going to report me?"

Anna shook her head. "You've been fooled. I've heard a little about the human smuggling business in the Dark Zone. Getting identification from the Light and Shadow Zone is easy because it's a mixed bag and difficult to manage. So, the cost of your business card is no more than two Oriu. The real difficulty is finding a place to live. Because it's difficult to manage, the Light and Shadow Zone is different from other areas. Identification must be linked to a place of residence or workplace, otherwise you'll be deported. So, your attempt to smuggle yourself in failed."

Anna's face once again wore a triumphant smile. "I can help you, on the condition that you keep my secret."

"How can you help me?"

"Bloody Rose is hiring a new cleaner. Lady Beatrice is sure to be interested in a second-circle elementalist cleaner. Bloody Rose will be your workplace."

William weighed the pros and cons in his mind and finally gritted his teeth and agreed. "Okay, I promise you."

"Very good." Anna breathed a sigh of relief, straightened her chest, and regained her previous confident demeanor.

"Newcomer, tell Anna what your real name is. Don't tell me you're an idiot who uses your real name as a business card."

"William. So Anna isn't your real name either?"

"Hmph, I won't tell you my real name, William."

Tsk, I've been tricked again. William looked at Anna, who was smugly pleased with herself; her fluffy blonde hair blended perfectly with the sunlight.

Chapter 213 Introduction to Soul Studies

The journey to the City of Wanderers always brings surprises, at least that's how Lyle feels, because every time he comes to this city, he gains something. The four members of the Necromancer Figurine Company just struck a fantastic deal with the demons. Twenty Spine Wheels were exchanged for demon keratin measured in tons.

All four were satisfied before the deal began.

The three were quite satisfied when their reward of 200,000 Oriu was converted, through a democratic vote, into what they called a more precious material: demon keratin. Mr. Lyle was struggling to resist the urge to dismantle his companions into lich dust.

However, his own etiquette training allowed Lyle to suppress his anger and carefully explain to his client how to use the Spinal Wheel.

"Extremely thoughtful service, Plague Doctor. Especially your deliberate imitation of the Flame Demon's breathing sound, which made me feel your sincerity and respect. Your service attitude is as perfect as your products." The dashing male demon tightened his overalls and approached the twenty Spinal Wheels on display. He reached out and pinched the speed-limiting bone in the inner ring of the Spinal Wheel. Lyle had described that piece in detail; after all, safety comes first.

Click.

The demon pulled out the speed-limiting bone, and the accompanying blood drew an arc in the air, like the champagne bottle being tapped on the outside of a newly launched cargo ship, crystal clear in the air.

"Goodbye, my friends, I will bless you as I race through hell. Hahaha, sorry, I meant curse, you know, the same thing." One by one, the demons did as their leader did, and then twenty speed-unlimited spinal wheels whipped up a storm and rushed into the demon portal.

He looked to his brother for an alternative approach.

Does the speed limit order state whether failing to prevent acts of vandalism against the speed limit device constitutes a violation of the law?

"Andrei's laws have no jurisdiction over the city of bewilderment."

“I know, but I also know that Mr. Law has a very good relationship with the law enforcement agencies here, so perhaps the speed limit here is just copied.”

"No problem, they're back in hell, we have plenty of time to erase their presence."

Shining watched as the portal folded into a thin slit in the air and finally disappeared, then looked at Lyle.

"Boss, did you disable the overspeed protection mechanism of the Spinal Wheel, the one that causes flesh necrosis?"

“Yes, Mr. Law informed me that the speed limit decree has been generated in Andre. Now, if you speed in Andre, you and your vehicle will crash into an invisible wall. Mr. Laser is the best example. So the protection mechanism is no longer needed. Speeding means death... and you'll be in big trouble.” Lyle looked at the speed limit bones discarded on the ground and picked them up with Nia. “I also added an inner ring similar to a gyroscope, so that the spinal wheel can remain relatively still inside when traveling at high speeds, reducing dizziness. The fleshy slide between the inner and outer rings was connected with magic. Our creations can now be open to life, if they don't mind the appearance of the spinal wheel.”

"Boss, what are you going to do with these bones?"

"Savings can be used to make speed limiters for the next batch of Spine Wheels. Two hundred thousand Orihu have already flown out of my pocket, and I need to do something to distract myself so I don't lose my mind and turn the three of you into bone sculptures."

"Hey boss, I know you love money, but it's all for Gundam. You said it yourself, assembling giant humanoid creations is the lich's romance."

"Yes, provided that achieving the ultimate romance doesn't interfere with my little romance. I've never had so much money before; I could have been meditating in the gold coins today."

Shiny looked at Lyle's complaining and expressed his bewilderment.

"Now you can meditate while hugging a whole bunch of demon horns. They're as annoying as gold coins, and you can even hang them on your ribs to prevent them from falling off."

Despite their nonsensical conversation, Lyle greeted the demon who was still manipulating and adapting the broken horn that had shed its skin, and then headed towards the portal to Dark Zone 2.

"Let's go, gentlemen, we have class this afternoon, um... what class was it again?"

"The first lesson in the study of the soul."

The Soul Faction classrooms are not located outside Andre College, perhaps because the physical damage caused by Soul Faction wouldn't be too great.

He held onto this idea until he stood before the broken bridge at the highest spire of Andre Castle.

This path, which once seemed to lead to the tower, has been broken by the passage of time, and its destination, the tower, has vanished. A strong wind howls dozens of meters above, whipping the trainees' robes through the air.

The 452 newly appointed necromancers who had chosen to specialize in soul studies stood in the early autumn wind, watching the transparent phantom floating at the front. It was Professor Ghost Astonishment, the professor of soul studies.

He flipped his body over—not rotated, but his transparent form broke through the three-dimensional plane, the back of his head becoming his face. A deadpan face stared at the new trainee, forcing an ugly smile.

"Don't worry, newcomers. I've heard about your experiences with the Flesh and Blood faction and the Bone faction, and I have deep sympathy for you. The mentors of those two factions have been at odds since the time of the chief, but our Soul faction is very harmonious. We maintain our traditions, remaining mysterious and low-key, and we are very kind to all newcomers."

Mr. Astonishment stretched out his hand, showing the broken bridge. "Welcome to the Tower of Souls, my students."

Pebbles blown off the broken wall by the cold wind clattered against the tiles of Andrea Castle. Everyone stared at the void that Mr. Astonishment had indicated—only air.

"Teacher? What about the tower you mentioned?"

“Go up there, students, and you will see.”

Lyle bravely looked at the edge of the broken bridge and saw the Andre Garden, which was only the size of a palm, on the ground.

"Teacher, do we need to jump off a building to enter the Tower of Souls? But we are liches, jumping off a building won't kill us."