Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Chapter 219 Monica's Help

It took about two days for the throbbing pain in my head to subside. It seems that humans have a slightly stronger regenerative ability than liches, and the physical body played a crucial role, just as Mr. Crimson had said. My colleagues from the Necromancer Figurine Club hadn't shown up in Andrei these past few days. I also lost the will to continue my research.

He lingered at the Cup of Extravagance for a long time, but still couldn't find Ariana. Lyle remembered that she had mentioned at breakfast that there was a performance today. Lyle decided to return to Naslan Castle to inquire.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Decard."

The ghost lurking within Lyle revealed itself, correcting the spatial coordinates of the Cup of Extravagance, directing it directly to the main hall of Naslan Castle. With a twisting form and the release of magic, Lyle arrived at the first level of Naslan.

The sound of Shiba Inu running and barking came from outside the door, making Nia somewhat restless. Lyle patted the tentacle that had appeared on his shoulder. "We need to get down to business, Nia. You and Shiba Inu just finished playing two hours ago. The livestock in Naslan have decreased significantly recently. If this continues, they will all die out, and then there will be no more delicious meat."

Nia emerged from behind Lyle, her curved tentacles coiling around him. She pressed her head against Lyle's, her sharp nails tapping against her own head.

“Playing…and meat…I understand, Nia needs to be more restrained.” Nia lowered her head, her body coming into Lyle’s view. “But, Nia will play with Shiba Inu for an extra hour tonight!”

Isn't this practically the same? We can only hope that the ghost servants will introduce new livestock.

In the brief moment Lyle paused, two lines of ghostly servants had already formed in front of him. Perhaps it wasn't for show, because they had nothing else to do.

Right at the top of the stairs leading to the second floor, the ghost maid Monica looked at her with a cold expression.

Noticing Lyle's gaze, she bowed. Lyle sensed that she had a grudge against him regarding Ariana's arrangement for him to manage his living arrangements in Naslan.

"Monica, do you know when and where Anna's concert starts tonight?"

Monica nodded slightly, spun around and floated towards the second floor, glancing at Lyle before leaving.

Lyle understood what she meant and told him to follow. Following Monica upstairs, a door to a room slowly opened at Monica's signal.

The room was empty, but judging from the fluffy silk curtains and decor, it seemed to be a lady's boudoir.

"Ariana's room? It doesn't seem like the one I saw last time." Lyle didn't pay much attention; Ariana's boudoir, along with the ghostly maids he had seen before, had become a memory he wanted to forget.

Monica's ghostly form arrived at the bed shrouded in black gauze. Her eyes swept over the bedside table next to the large bed, and she beckoned Lyle over.

The information was in the bedside table? Lyle found it amusing as he approached, because Monica's aloof expression and the waving gesture created a charming contrast. Indeed, the ghosts of Naslan all had their own endearing qualities.

Just as Lyle reached out to open the bedside table, Monica tapped the wall expressionlessly.

The soft knocking sound was unusually loud in the empty room, as abrupt as the hollow mechanism that appeared at Lyle's feet.

Before Lyle could even scream, she was swept into darkness along with the slide beneath her feet. The last thing she saw was Monica's indifferent yet adorable face.

After nearly twenty seconds in the smooth, dark passage, Lyle finally landed with a thud in the dark room.

Lyle soon found out where he was.

The air was thick with the smell of alcohol, mixed with a young girl's natural fragrance, creating a rich and sweet aroma.

This is Nathlan's wine cellar. It's daytime now, the vampires' sleeping time. As for the room I originally entered, that was Beatrice's boudoir.

From the hazy darkness not far away, a young girl's soft moan escaped. That sound, powerful enough to ignite a man's affection and desire, was like Lyle's death knell.

Beatrice, still half asleep, sat up in bed, stretched her arms, and yawned.

"Jenny, is it already evening? Time flies. Sorry, I'm still so sleepy. I'll leave the dressing to you." Beatrice's voice was languid as she sat motionless on the bed.

Lyle felt he was doomed. With the caution one would use against a sleeping beast, he slowly walked towards the wall, groping for the exit of the cellar room in the darkness.

Outside the cellar door, a ghostly maid named Jenny was struggling desperately on the ground, reaching out to touch the door.

The indifferent Monica straddled Jenny's waist and used her extra strength to lock the door.

Reality is like a movie that can't be paused—a low-scoring, terrible film.

The prolonged stillness brought Beatrice back to her senses. Lyle's seemingly insignificant movements were perceived by the vampire as irritating as an exposed cockroach.

So, Lyle saw those blood-red eyes staring at him in the darkness.

Lyle's body began to tremble. "Good morning, Beatrice."

The expected embarrassment and anger from Beatrice did not materialize; her blood-red eyes merely narrowed to slits, displaying a contemptuous look towards trash. Beatrice made no further move. While Lyle felt relieved, he also inexplicably felt a sense of defeat.

Beatrice noticed Lyle's change; darkness was like daylight to the vampire.

“It’s strange that I’m not angry, even though you barged into my room.” Beatrice got off the bed, the fabric of her gauze dress rustling suggestively. She walked barefoot to Lyle, looking down at him with a sense of superiority.

“Would you care if a steak was posing in front of you? No, you’d choose to grill it and eat it. But that would make Ariana angry.” Beatrice’s gaze shifted to the door. “Jenny, come in quickly, I need you.”

The door finally opened a crack, and a wine glass and sunlight entered the room.

Lyle then noticed Beatrice's attire: a sheer, almost transparent dress that made it seem like she wasn't wearing anything at all. Beatrice began changing with Jenny's help, as if Lyle didn't exist. Lyle, embarrassed, turned his head away and closed his eyes.

After the sound of the wine being swallowed was heard, Beatrice, fully dressed, exhaled a breath of alcohol into Lyle's ear.

"So, human, what do you want with me? You shouldn't have the guts to trespass into my room."

Ghostly servants will fulfill their masters' requests, whether through help or mischief. Monica wanted to tell Lyle that Beatrice knew about Ariana's concert, even though the process satisfied her wicked sense of humor.

"I want to attend Ariana's concert."

Chapter 220 Mourning the Dead

"Everyone starts out drunk. When they reach a turning point in their lives, they can choose to be sober like a smart person, or continue to be drunk like most idiots."

"Is this why you wanted to find a bottle of wine before we set off?" Standing on the upper floor of the Blood Rose Bar, Beatrice and Lyle arrived here after being teleported from Naslan Castle.

“That’s because I need you, you human idiot. Every second I spend with you requires me to suppress my lust and restrain the urge to bite your throat.” Beatrice rolled her eyes at Lyle and finally pulled out a brown glass bottle. “I need a bottle of liquor.”

"Oh, thank you for your patience, Beatrice."

"Thank you for my dignity; it made me realize that you are nothing but a disgusting worm that is hard to swallow."

Beatrice clearly had lost interest in chatting, so Lyle, sensing her expression, started looking for something to distract himself. He saw a crystal ball on the table, which displayed the current situation in the bar. Because it was still morning, there were relatively few customers, but quite a few people were still partying. Most of the waiters had already changed shifts or were on break, and Lyle only recognized two of them in the projected image.

"Candy has become a full-fledged waiter." The delicate boy in the picture is taking orders with a smile on his face. His face still looks childish, but his expression is much more mature than before. Then, Lyle's eyes widened suddenly because of what he was about to see.

He looked at Beatrice in surprise.

"Why is William in Blood Rose, still working as a cleaner?"

"How would I know? I was quite surprised when Anna brought him to me and said this guy wanted to be a cleaner. But under Anna's eager gaze, I accepted. Maybe this elementalist can even set off a few fireworks to liven things up at the ball."

"You mean William is pursuing the succubus Anna?"

"Maybe, maybe not. After all, you men's eyes are blank, you can't see what you're thinking. I don't know if you're good at disguising your thoughts or if they're just completely blank." Having selected enough wine, Beatrice was ready to leave. "Now, want to go down and catch up with your cleaning buddies?"

Lyle waved his hand. "No need, that would put us in an awkward position. Is there another exit, like a fire escape?"

In the moment Lyle was distracted, Beatrice spread her bat wings. "We'll fly. Raise your hands."

The instant Lyle's fingers were higher than hair, Beatrice became a blur, grabbing his arm and flying out the window. Feeling the emptiness beneath their feet and the dizziness from the swaying in the air, Lyle, tense, tried to distract himself by starting a conversation.

"Beatles, you could actually carry me on your back or... hug me?"

“Mr. Lyle, when you are fifty meters in the air, you should learn not to offend the pilot.”

“But Miss Beatrice, may I see your pilot’s license? I want to confirm whether drunk driving is illegal in the City of Wanderers.”

“Of course, you sharp-tongued sir, do you want me to burn it for you?” Beatrice spun around in the air, silencing Lyle completely. “Because of someone, the laws of the Wandering City have limited effect on me. You don’t need to worry about any legal disputes later, after all, your Andrei legal team accepts outside clients.”

Lyle didn't speak again. He felt the breeze in the air to suppress the stomach acid rising in his throat. He was wearing a mask and didn't want to wash his face with vomit.

When Lyle arrived at the teleportation array in the Dark Tenth District, he was kneeling as he touched the ground. Beatrice's bat wings gradually receded into her flesh, revealing her originally smooth and flawless back. She took out a scarf, draped it over her shoulders, and grabbed Lyle's shoulders to begin the teleportation.

"Teleport to Dark Zone 1."

The Dark Zone 1 is the Ghost Zone, containing only one building: a massive Gothic-style opera house. The area in front of the opera house is already overrun by creatures from the Chaos Side, although at first glance, there seem to be more undead creatures resembling ghosts and liches.

Lyle stood up for two or three minutes to catch his breath before standing up again. Looking at the crowded "people" already in line, Lyle breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness I wasn't late. Beatrice, when does Ariana's concert start?"

"Eight hours later."

"Eight hours later? Then why did you rush to send me here? We had plenty of time to find a place to land and walk over."

Beatrice looked at Lyle with a smug, knowing smile.

Lyle took two deep breaths. "Where is Ariana?"

In a private room backstage at the opera house, Lyle saw Ariana flipping through sheet music. She wore a vibrant, fiery red gown, and the veil covering her face resembled wisps of smoke rising from a flame. Just looking at her serene profile, Lyle felt his restlessness wash away.

Lyle made no sound. He quietly walked behind her and looked at her reflection in the mirror. His hand, through her clothes, gently rested on her shoulder blade. Just as reflected in the mirror, Ariana watched the figure that had come from the world outside the mirror to stand behind her. She looked at the mirror, her head slowly tilting back to rest on Lyle's wrist.

"A surprise?" The tone of her voice, devoid of any physical presence, wasn't quite as vivid, but it was enough for Lyle to sense her delight.

"You are beautiful." The simple exclamation was enough to express her sincerity. Ariana let out a soft laugh in response to the compliment. She rose from her chair and turned to look at the person in front of her.

“In the past, I should have put on my disguise and responded to your compliments, but I’m sorry, Lyle. I need to maintain my lich form to find the right feeling. This kind of large-scale performance requires me to take it seriously.”

Lyle smiled, feeling Ariana's fingers intertwined with his. "Of course, Anna, it's your performance, and I certainly want to hear your full voice. Anna, I want to be in this concert."

Ariana hesitated for a moment, her voice tinged with unease and trepidation. “Of course… Lyle, I’m so happy you could come to my concert, but you might not be suited to listening to my singing. I mean, darling, you’re a human, it would be harmful to you. Besides, tonight’s performance is different from your first one, I think you’ve already seen that at the entrance.”

"What do you see?"

Ariana turned her head and looked at Beatrice, who was leaning against the wall.

"We didn't come in through the main entrance; we came in through a special passage."

Ariana looked at Lyle. "Tonight's concert tickets are only open to listeners at level 5 or above, or level 4 with their own race. If you are a living being, you also need to bring your own resurrection device."

"Lyle, tonight's concert is a dirge, people will really die."

Chapter 221 Sorrow, Pain, and Peace

The Lament, where all singers infuse their voices with the power of their souls, immerses the audience in the impact of the soul's voice—it is a very high-level musical performance. Because the pure soul's voice is so impactful, it has been hailed by Chaos as the most sophisticated and effective ritual for transforming spirits; this is merely a side effect of this auditory feast. Many renowned musicians are eager to participate in such a spiritual celebration, becoming a ghost with music as its soul while enjoying the experience. This alone is enough to demonstrate Ariana's extraordinary musical achievements.

“Lyle, this kind of concert is a bit too…stimulating for you. I’m not saying I dislike you being ghost-like, I just think you should appreciate the value of life more.”

Lyle felt a warmth in his heart as he looked at Ariana, who was worried about him and trying awkwardly to comfort him. He grasped Ariana's knuckles; perhaps calming those throbbing little bones would soothe her heart. "Ariana, actually, I want to learn the Soul Scream. Someone told me you could teach me how."

“Soul screams, indeed, the Lament for the Dead can do that easily, and incidentally turn you into a real ghost. You want to study soul studies? You don’t need to go through all that trouble, Lyle. Sister Helena is a master of manipulating souls; she can easily fulfill your desires, and more safely.”

Lyle shook his head, but that wouldn't be safe for Medusa. He had a feeling that Helena was hiding something. She was a deep thinker and not an easy person to get along with.

"Am I truly unable to safely participate in the eulogy, Ariana?"