Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

When Lyle came down from the spinal wheel, they greeted themselves as if they were heroes.

Mr. Dragon also brought good news: as the most outstanding graduate of this year, Lyle can keep his creation, the Wheel of the Spine.

"This is the creator of the three-locked creation you see before you, the outstanding graduate of this year's Conjuration Studies, the Plague Doctor! And his... avatar, Jodnia!"

Nia pressed her body against Lyle's head, responding enthusiastically to the cheers from the crowd below.

"Thank you everyone! Nia is the best! Nia is number one!"

Among the crowd, the most intense reaction came from the literary society trio: Mr. Gentleman, Mr. Reporter, and Mr. Delusional. I think their excitement was largely due to the large bag of gold coins at their feet. Mr. Reporter even lifted his skirt and did a short tap dance, the crystal camera in his hand flashing in rhythm with the movement.

"Mr. Epidemic Doctor, please join our club. We need outstanding newcomers like you!"

"No, joining our club would be more suitable!"

"Ours is the perfect match!"

Suddenly, the crowd below the stage extended invitations to various clubs, themes that had nothing to do with spirit possession, leaving Lyle momentarily bewildered.

Mr. Dragon patted him on the shoulder and gave Lyle a detailed explanation.

"This is part of the Andrei tradition. You've participated in recruitment and the private invitation to the Cup of Extravagance, so this is the third way the society recruits. The graduation exam for the Fundamentals of Spiritualization is also known as the cradle of Andrei. A large number of promising newcomers will emerge from here, and in the eyes of most people, only those who pass this graduation exam will be recognized as true members of Andrei. This is a new beginning, and it is your beginning. Plague Doctor, I very much hope that you will continue to choose Spiritualization, but if you have other ideas in your heart, I respect your choice, my proudest student. Your future begins from this moment."

Lyle looked at Mr. Dragon's solemn expression, and the answer he was about to say remained on his lips.

“I can already see the future; this newcomer will achieve great things in my organization.”

A deep voice, rising above the clamor of the crowd, resonated like the tolling of a giant pendulum at the top of a cathedral, striking a chord in everyone's hearts. It belonged to a man clad in a long, colorful robe, its dense, intricate patterns dazzling and possessing a captivating allure. His features were hidden in the shadows of his hood, and an air of mysterious power emanated from him, striking a chord with everyone present.

Whispers rippled through the surrounding crowd, but they seemed afraid to speak too loudly.

"Who is he?"

"Mr. Destiny, the president of the newly established large organization, the Evangelists of Destiny, is said to possess the ability to foresee the future."

Mr. Fate paid no heed to the whispers and furtive glances of those around him, as if they were all mere ants.

He was facing the plague doctor standing on the platform, as if gazing at a sculpture. He stretched out his hand, and Lyle could only see his beckoning hand. "Come, follow your destiny, and return to where you belong."

Lyle felt like a puppet being manipulated, mindlessly following his instructions.

"I……"

"You want to steal my person?"

If the voice of fate is like a majestic person who silences everyone through intimidation...

That loud voice is like a slap in the face, followed by a bandage, to shut you up completely.

Mr. Raymond pushed aside several unfortunate souls who were too close to him and had been stained gold by the holy light, and walked over step by step like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

The surrounding crowd had gone mad.

"What's going on! Why is that damned jinx here? Doesn't he never participate in the necromancy graduation exam ceremony? Did I run into a ghost today? I'm so unlucky!"

"I suddenly remembered who this plague doctor is. Isn't he the sacrifice of the Holy Light? Damn it, I should have known. Now we're doomed. I wonder if we'll be able to go back intact."

Mr. Raymond, who had originally intended to put on a heroic entrance, was now speechless. These damn bastards were ruining the atmosphere. Didn't they realize that I was the one on the side of justice?

The righteous Mr. Raymond decides to defend his place in the hearts of the pure.

"Shut up, you trash, or I'll come to your club tomorrow and give you a piece of my mind!"

"..." The entire room fell silent.

Mr. Raymond nodded in satisfaction and looked back at his enemy.

“You…” Raymond uttered a single word, his eyes more serious than ever before.

Raymond turned his head to look at Sister Elian following behind him, and pointed to the Destiny's robe.

Who is he?

Elian lamented his misfortune, "He is Mr. Fate, belonging to a society that studies fate."

Raymond suddenly realized, "Ah...never heard of that. But never mind, fortune teller, you want to steal someone from the Holy Light? Did you forget to calculate your own death date?"

Faced with Raymond's threat, Mr. Fate remained calm. "You cannot defy fate."

Raymond let out a sneer, raised his arm high, and tore a large hole in the dark clouds in the sky, allowing holy light to shine on Raymond and illuminate his wings, which looked as if they were made of gold.

"I am destiny."

As Mr. Fate looked at Raymond, something seemed to have occurred to him. His gaze shifted to the sky, as if he saw an unseen beyond. He trembled, as if all his spirit had been drained away in an instant.

"Fate... has been changed? My club... has been destroyed?"

Seeing the person in front of him give in, Raymond wanted to happily declare his victory.

Lyle said what he wanted to say.

“Mr. Raymond, thank you. You have taught me that I must take control of my own destiny. I have decided that I will continue to refine my skills in necromancy. I will not let down Master Dragon’s expectations. I will continue to advance necromancy and develop it to a new level, to a level where we necromancers can control our own destiny.”

Lyle looked at the dragon with his hands clasped behind his back, the crimson man emerging from the blood mass, and the astonished man floating in place. "Teachers, please impart your precious knowledge to me."

"Whatever you ask for, I will grant it."

"Whatever you are confused about, I will answer."

"What we seek goes beyond us."

Mr. Raymond watched as his heroic act became a boon to someone else. Pointing at the still-dazed Mr. Fate, he declared, "Your gang is doomed! I, Raymond, will become your nightmare!"

……

The operators and others, who had just come out of the examination hall, looked at the lively scene here and stared at Lyle's figure with shining eyes.

"As an alternative, I think I'll major in spirit possession."

Mr. Flexibility smiled and said, "Of course, my brother, I will be with you to the very end."

Chapter 153 Necromancer Figure Shop

The next day, the sun sank into the distant woods with its last rays.

Lyle sat on the balcony of the Cup of Extravagance, watching the light of the moon goddess dominate the world, feeling only contentment and peace.

"Earl Grey tea! Fresh cheese! Nia loves you!" Black tentacles practically crawled across the entire table, sticky slime wetting the mountain of cheese like saliva. Nia wasn't just enjoying it herself; she had learned to share. A dozen or so light bats were held in her tentacles, dancing and singing loudly with her movements. It was like a mini-carnival, and Nia was the little drunkard intoxicated by the atmosphere. She hummed along with the light bats' loud song, and when her enthusiasm reached its peak, she shoved her little companions into the cheese pile like rice seedlings, leaving only the light bats' tiny claws sticking out amidst the slightly sour, creamy aroma. The gentlemen and ladies left on the cheese began to feast, their constant chewing and occasional sighs of delight revealing their satisfaction with Nia's invitation. Nia quickly joined the scramble for food, until the delicious treats were visibly gone.

She lay sprawled on the table like a lump of mud, while her little companion poked its head out from the slowly moving pile of tentacles, its face still showing satisfaction, bathed in slime, and resting contentedly on her tentacles.

"Gurgle! Nia wants another one!" She stretched out a tentacle, expressing her desire to Lyle.

“Nia, you’ve already eaten ten servings today.” Lyle watched as Nia’s tentacles collapsed, as if she had suffered a huge blow. “But eat as much as you want, today is a special case!” He reached out from the pocket at his feet, grabbed a handful of gold coins, and scattered them at Nia.

The next scene had happened many times before: the light bats that had been so lazy just moments before swooped down and grabbed the gold coins scattered in the air with their claws.

"Big Sister Nia!" Light Bat exclaimed excitedly.

"Cheese Expedition, Captain Nia, attack!" She leaped to the ground, her tentacles wrapping around her body into a circle, and rolled out of the room of the Cup of Extravagance in a flash. The light bats followed closely behind after saying goodbye to Lyle.

Lyle achieved first place in the séance fundamentals graduation exam, earning himself a substantial prize and becoming rich overnight. Lyle ran his hand through his money bag, the clinking of the coins adding to his satisfaction.

“Nia has run away again.” Mr. Dragon walked in from the doorway, holding a white letter, and handed it to Lyle.

"Mr. Manipulation and Mr. Flexibility asked me to pass this on to you. I hope you haven't forgotten your classmate's name."

"What is this?" Lyle examined the envelope in his hand repeatedly. The Andrei emblem on the wax seal was as conspicuous as his own. "A challenge letter? Could it be an invitation to the Black Abyss Arena inside?"

"Why don't you open it and see?"

A simple parchment, after Lyle unfolded it, had black text automatically appear on top.

"...A club establishment application? Teacher, what...what does this mean? Is there some code I don't understand, Andrei?"

The dragon looked at his student, and even though he had become the first person of the new generation of Andrei's spiritualism, the cautious skepticism in the plague doctor still remained. He didn't know whether to be happy or frustrated.

"Why don't you just go and ask them? They're right there."

Following the dragon's finger, Lyle saw the three guys on the lawn outside Andre Castle.

Mr. Flexibility, Mr. Manipulation, and Mr. Shining—the two brothers were probably fooled by Shining. All three of them were covered in glowing scales, and their radiance was as conspicuous as torches at night.

“The plague healers, like you, have chosen to continue their studies in spirit possession. I think you should have a good talk and become friends for a long time to come.”

……

"Mr. Plague Doctor." The night wind clung to the fluttering hem of his robes as the Doctor manipulated his wand, ice crystals condensing at the tip, and a chill began to spread.

Shining and adaptability brought it to its knees.

“He was a little upset, Doctor of the Plague, please forgive him. My foolish brother does not represent our attitude.”

The manipulator, who had been struggling, remained calm as he had said, though the eye holes in his mask were still staring intently at Lyle.

"So, Mr. Flexibility, what exactly do you want from me?"

"What has the physician decided?"

"what?"

"Regarding the creation of a new club, didn't we agree to work together to revitalize necromancy and reach new heights? Let's form a new club."

I don't think I told you guys beforehand; I was the only one who made that bold statement. Looking back now, it's really embarrassing. Maybe having more companions would have been better.

"You want to create a new club?"

"Yes, a society with the goal of achieving a great revival of necromancy. Yesterday, after witnessing the creations of the Plague Doctor, we realized that we might actually be able to do it. Plague Doctor, you probably can't imagine the shock your creations have brought us. Our understanding of necromancy since ancient times may have been one-sided. Our creations are not limited to powerful destructive force or shields to protect ourselves. They can be non-humanoid, and their uses can be applied to many fields. Like your spinal wheel, its speed is a revolutionary means of transportation, and our way of moving is no longer limited to those portals. The huge wheels, the swirling sand, the thunderous noise, for some reason, these elements excite me, like... um... the feeling of mashed peas and potatoes dancing on my taste buds, I really miss it."

"Because we have witnessed your creations, we have new ideas and new innovations. We want to create more groundbreaking necromancy creations. We need more knowledge and we also need brains as excellent and imaginative as the Plague Doctor."

Mr. Flexibility handed over a parchment with design drawings. It was clear that the creation in the drawings combined the ideas of the three elements, resulting in a humanoid creature with a huge exoskeleton armor.

It's like the assembly diagram of the mecha figure that Lyle saw in his previous life, only this one is much more detailed.

The figure has detailed descriptions of each body part, as well as possible reference designs and dozens of alternative designs. Due to a lack of knowledge, these designs are still just drafts and have a long way to go before they are realized.

Lyle noticed an inconspicuous point of reference: an adult skeleton on the drawing was only the size of the palm of this humanoid creation.

With a jolt of surprise, Lyle asked Mr. Flexibility a question in a trembling voice.

"Approximately how large would this creation actually be?"

"Thirty to forty meters."