Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

The smeared flesh and blood began to change, like a slug that had been crushed and killed using a death replay. The flesh and blood coalesced in the center of the pages, forming a lump the size of a human head, reeking of blood, with a gaping mouth opening beneath it. The mouth was pointed at Lyle, as if about to speak.

"Hungry……"

With a snap, Nia's tentacles shot out like a frog's tongue, grabbing the lump of flesh and pulling it into the shadows behind Lyle, while also licking the book clean.

Before Lyle could react, Nia had already digested the meat.

"What is that? Nia?"

Nia's upper body was pressed against Lyle's back, and she made sounds from her mouth, which had shark tooth marks and cracks.

"Meat from people who are starving to death tastes awful."

"That's clearly not for eating..."

Nia ignored Lyle's complaints and shrank into his collar. "It's already eaten, Nia can't throw it up!"

“I didn’t say I wanted you to return it. It’s probably not anything important that they put it in the book.” Lyle shifted his gaze to the notebook.

Surprise! Were you scared?! The top doctor in the epidemic!

Taking over the task of writing class notes from the operator, I, Shining, am determined to take the unconventional path!

Today was Mr. Scarlet's Flesh Conjuration Lesson. Aside from having to deal with that old pervert Scarlet, everything was pleasant; finally, no more beatings! Today we learned about simple flesh creation, forming magical manipulation neurons within flesh tissue to achieve basic flesh control. Well, I think you, Plague Doctor, probably don't need to learn much in this lesson, since you can already manipulate flesh. This is probably the most basic course you'll learn; the Flesh Tree is truly a biased creation.

In short, this class was all about sculpting blood clay. Unlike creating the Spinal Wheel, which has a fixed template, giving a piece of flesh to work with freely was much harder than I imagined. The guy next to me must have connected the wrong magical nerve; his flesh exploded, and he was immediately stripped naked and thrown out by Nora, the consciousness of the Flesh Tree. But the gruesome scene left a deep impression on me, so I prepared a surprise.

The "frightening chunk of meat"—I wonder if the Plague Doctor knows about the "frightening box"? That's where my inspiration came from. I stuffed the chunk of meat into the notebook I left behind. When you turn to this page, the flesh will reflect and become one, splattering onto your face! Hahaha, it'll be so funny when this lump of meat lands on your beak!

I'm really looking forward to that moment!

Lyle understood the surprise Shiny had prepared, but reality was probably not what he imagined. The chunk of flesh didn't bounce as he expected; instead, it was Nia's tentacles that bounced.

"Maybe Shiny forgot to feed the meat. After all, this thing isn't a lich; it's hungry."

Lyle stroked Nia's outstretched tentacles. "Shiny has forgotten that Nia is still by my side."

Nia made a cute humming sound, her tentacles swirling and twisting around Lyle's fingers.

"Nia will avenge you! Nia will tear off all those glittering scales!"

"There's no need, Nia, Shining failed."

Lyle looked at the remaining blood and flesh marks on the pages of the book.

"Tonight, there's also a lecture by Professor Arnoin, the chief professor of the Flesh and Blood School..."

Chapter 274 Gaze

Lyle didn't really want to visit Professor Arnoin. After the incident with the mermaid Vina, he felt his relationship with the professor wasn't good. Especially the rumors he'd heard about Arnoin's new changes felt like a thorn in his side. Lyle harbored an ominous feeling, even fear, towards Arnoin. After much deliberation, Lyle decided not to skip tonight's class. Whether it was the fear of the Ominous Giant or his ominous intuition about Arnoin, Lyle had to go see him. Only then could the heavy weight on his heart be lifted.

The Necromancer's Figurine Company received a group of new members specializing in necromancy. They were provided with detailed manufacturing instructions for the Spinal Wheel and all the necessary materials. These eager newcomers practiced their artifact-making spells day and night in the spacious side room, and their Spinal Wheels, after being tweaked by Lyle and others, would fetch a good price among the demons. It was common for Andrei's liches to be engrossed in academic pursuits; they were very enthusiastic about this kind of skill-enhancing practice, even if it involved repetitive, mechanical movements. The company didn't impose strict manufacturing goals on them, so this place, which Lyle jokingly called the assembly center, occasionally produced new surprises. However, the company's limited resources meant that most chose to create the Spinal Wheel.

Throughout the journey, Shift kept touting his capitalist theories. Although the outcome was positive, Lyle couldn't condone his view of treating lich researchers as mere tools. Incidentally, Shift himself was also such a lich, so was this a case of cannibalism?

According to Shining's feedback, the Spine Wheel has become a craze among the Black Abyss Demons, with orders increasing daily. This has stretched the Necromancer's Figurine Company's workforce thin, forcing them to raise prices to dampen the demons' purchasing enthusiasm. However, orders only increased!

“The higher prices made those demons think it was worth it.” Shining complained on the road, holding a straight ruler and calculating his funds. “Damn it, how much have I lost?”

Looking at his silent president, he tapped the cold mask on his face, turned his head to look at the red moon outside Andrei's walkway, and began to talk to himself.

"Once you get to that reservoir, you won't be able to see the moon anymore. Actually, I suspect Professor Arnoin is a fake psychic because he hasn't really taught any classes properly. We attended three of his lectures, barely meeting the minimum standards set by the academy. He just sent us to that underground reservoir to clean up some silt or other waste in the water; other than that, there was absolutely no teaching in those two hours. Either he's an incompetent fraudster, or he's a vain little man who clings to his own knowledge. If it weren't for Mr. Scarlet's strong recommendation, and the fact that every instructor has their quirks, I would have given up on this course like most people."

Manipulate the turning of your head to bring your absent-minded friend back to the present.

"So, what's your impression of Arnoin?"

Shiny tilted her head. "That smiling person?"

Mr. Flexibility also offered his opinion. "This necromancy capitalist makes us work for free without any form of compensation. In a sense, he truly is a necromancy master, treating us liches like mindless zombies. Isn't that necromancy?!"

Lyle felt comforted by his companion's words, though it was of no use. His worries weren't about adapting to the new professor and the new courses, but about Arnoin himself, though his companion would never truly understand his feelings.

Continuing to worry wouldn't help, so Lyle decided to join the conversation.

"Does Mr. Arnoin smile? I can't imagine him smiling." Indeed, it's impossible to imagine that water monkey with malice flowing in his filthy eyes smiling.

“It’s not him smiling, Plague Doctor.” Shining gestured to his face, the reflective scales turning as if alive.

"Mr. Arnoin was wearing a skeleton mask, a smiling skeleton mask, though that eerie smile is hard to describe, I can't recall the word for it right now..."

Behind the mask they couldn't see, Lyle's pupils were dilating as he murmured softly.

“A joke…”

"Yes! That's exactly what I wanted to say! (A mocking smile)"

It seemed to be the same familiar reservoir. Lyle and the others walked down the spiral staircase leading to the Cold Reservoir. Whether it was psychological or not, the temperature in the vicinity was constantly decreasing, and the spiral staircase seemed to have no end.

When they reached the very bottom, the stone bricks were covered with a layer of white frost, and Nia formed a thin, insulating film on Lyle's skin.

This location is a reservoir that I used to be familiar with, but not everything about it is so familiar anymore.

The original shell-like closed door is gone. In its place is a black, vertical strip of gel that connects the top and bottom of the threshold, somewhat resembling a combination of tendons and muscles.

Perhaps it wasn't time yet, as there weren't many students waiting outside the reservoir. However, through communication, it was learned that the dozen or so people standing there were all of Arnoin's students. The repeated, pointless underwater cleanup operations had exhausted the patience of the lich students, and those who remained were mostly idle individuals like Lyle who had additional information channels or were genuinely interested.

"The door opened."

Shortly after Lyle and the others stood in the group, the curtain-like barrier opened a crack. Lyle guessed that these were muscle-like substances, since Arnoin was essentially a flesh-and-blood professor, and demonstrating teaching content to students was fundamental to his work.

However, these things that resemble muscles all exhibit behavioral patterns that are completely different from muscles.

Muscles can only stretch and contract, like springs, but these black things bend to both sides, creating a spindle-shaped gap in the center of the barrier. Even when stretched to its maximum, the gap can only allow two people to pass side by side.

"I guess Professor Arnoin designed it this way to show that his abilities are beyond ordinary flesh and blood, and to demonstrate his strangeness. But it's not efficient. Look, such a big door can only be opened this little bit."

Shiny gestured and beckoned his companions forward, only to realize after crossing the threshold that his doctor hadn't followed.

"Boss, what are you standing there for?"

When the door opened, Lyle stood there dumbfounded, staring at the strange sight as if his soul had been stolen away, until a bright shout brought him back to his senses.

Lyle took a deep breath before silently stepping into the reservoir.

It wasn't what Shiny thought. Those twisted flesh and blood weren't meant to showcase Arnoin's unusual nature.

This unfolding door actually simulates something commonplace: an eye. The black parts are eyelids, and the spindle-shaped opening in the center resembles an open pupil.

As the gate slowly opened, in Lyle's eyes, it was as if a giant beast had opened its vertical eyes.

Lyle knew perfectly well how absurd his idea was, but the things in his head still twisted his thoughts into something even worse.

Arnoin only has one meaning.

I am watching you.

Chapter 275 Flesh and Blood Transcendence

After passing through the gate to the Eye of the World, the temperature dropped even further. Lyle had to have Nia cover her head as well, otherwise every breath would cause snowflakes to blow into the air, which would be too conspicuous among the group of liches.

With the help of Nia's deformable membrane, Lyle's breathing method was slightly altered. Inside the bird's beak, a soft mass covered Lyle's mouth and nose, connecting to the membranes that covered his entire body, through which he breathed—a de facto oxygen tank. This was Lyle's solution for underwater operations.

The huge circular platform had all the miscellaneous items that were originally placed in the corner gone. The lab benches and shelves were well preserved, but the neat and harmonious arrangement on them was not something a slovenly-dressed person would do.

Even Arnoin, who was a professor, did not provide the students with a table and chairs, although they didn't really care about such things.

Lyle gripped the ring on his finger, searching for Arnoin's figure, ready to summon Andrei's professional terrorists at any moment if things went wrong. As for the impact on the other trainees, who cared? They were used to being broken anyway.

Arno was out of Lyle's sight. Lyle looked at the smooth, mirror-like surface of the water beneath his feet, its pristine appearance concealing turbulent waves within.

A shadow emerged from the water, causing ripples on the surface. The students watching stepped back, making room on the shore closest to the shadow.

Arno emerged from the water.

If he is Arnoin.

Wearing a pair of spiraling bone masks, the eyes were not visible in the shadows through the eye openings, and the lips were a deliberately carved, eerie crescent smile. Black triangular scales covered the entire body, and through the gaps in the scales, the shriveled limbs, like those of a frozen corpse, did not absorb water and swell, as if the skin was still functioning.

A man named Arnoin appeared before Lyle, looking completely different. With a strange smile, he gazed at the crowd around Lyle.

The striking resemblance to the Ominous Titan stirred feelings of powerlessness and fear in Lyle's mind. However, Lyle's response was rather indifferent; he lowered his hand from the ring.

That was indeed the mocking smile from his memory, and it truly instilled in Lyle an irresistible fear. Even as his heart began to tremble, Lyle actually relaxed.

That's too mild.

Arno's fear and unease were so subtle they were almost clumsy, so clumsy they resembled imitation.

Arno was mimicking Lyle's inner fear, and although everything he displayed was remarkably similar, that inexplicable fear was nowhere near as intense, like licking honey before tasting candy. Lyle felt it wasn't quite right; this underwhelming feeling reassured him considerably.

Arnoin's body was no longer the hunched and twisted figure he once was. He held a twisted, knotted tree branch and bowed to the group of students.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Plague Doctor. I am very grateful for the changes you have brought to me. Yes, I have a new life and new pursuits from the modified organism you gave me. My unreasonable excuses and perfunctory attitude the past few days were all for this moment."

"To express my gratitude, as a gift, I will share all my knowledge with you, so, Physician, you will not miss a single lesson."

Arnoin's behavior caused a small stir among the students, but the liches calmed down after a few whispers and stares.

They showed a certain degree of adaptability to this situation.

Shiny and Flexible chatted for a few minutes.

"There's no séance instructor that the Plague Doctor can't handle. I'd be surprised if Arno didn't show any affection for the boss. After all, he's the man who conquered the entire séance teaching community."

"Although this is to be expected, I still look forward to more surprises. However, reality is just so unimaginable."

Although he was skeptical of Arnoin's change, after all, Arnoin had originally been a madman, and now that he had returned to normal, Lyle naturally needed to maintain the manners that a normal person should.

“I am flattered, Professor Arnoin. All your changes are the result of your own efforts. If my actions have any effect, I believe they are just some insignificant changes.”

Arno gave a sinister smile.

"The flapping of a butterfly's wings can also cause a storm, Physician."

After the casual conversation, Arnoin began his lesson. Just as he said, everything was in preparation for Lyle's arrival.

"My teachings are solely about what we have lost: flesh and blood. Perhaps some have told you that necromancy is divided into three major schools. That is merely a shallow, idiotic notion that fools itself. Flesh and blood are the very foundation of life. The living beings in this world, even yourselves, are merely living puppets constructed from so-called souls and bones, and are in reality failures of evolution."

"That idiot Scarlet must have taught you this: flesh and blood are the support that connects bones and nurtures the soul."