Chapter 51: Favor

This house was similar to the one in the capital that Sandru lived in, though it was smaller and darker. Various corpses and organs were neatly placed in containers, and two large stone tables stood in the center of the room. The air was thick with the smell of decay and embalming fluid. Aside from this, the room contained only a broken-down wooden bed and a few extremely simple living items. Like Sandru's mansion, it hardly seemed like a place meant for people to live in.

Although the old man invited them to "come in and sit," there didn't seem to be anywhere to sit. Even if there were, both Talice and Ayime likely wouldn't dare to. Talice cast a white magic aura around herself, as this place felt extremely strange, and knowing the occupant was a necromancer, she instinctively cast a Divine Armor spell on herself.

"Don't use white magic here. I don't like that color," the old man squinted, seemingly uncomfortable with the white light from Talice's magic. He waved his hand casually, and her spell dissipated.

Talice's expression darkened, but she didn't make any rash moves. The old man hadn't used purification or dispel magic to neutralize her spell; instead, he had used necromantic magic to counter it without causing her harm. This method was like using a large axe to remove a layer of clothing. Such control over magic was almost incomprehensible.

"Hmm..." The old man scanned Asa up and down, nodding slowly before coughing. "You're the kid who studied with Sandru, right?"

Asa nodded.

"I've heard about you for a while, finally meeting you..." The old man coughed and wheezed, muttering to himself. "Heh, Sandru, that damn brat, making such a mess... Five hundred years, and for the first time, someone outside learned True Meditation, learned necromancy... and stirred up Dehya Valley... Well, it was already a mess anyway... what's coming is coming..."

"Agrenel sent you to find me? What would an old man like me be needed for?" The old man sat on a small makeshift bed, his breath wheezing like a broken bellows, interrupted by coughing fits.

"Grandma sent me to ask Master Shante to show us a way. To the underground path to Nigen," Asa said.

"The underground of Nigen? Three hundred miles north, there's the largest road leading straight to the deepest parts of Nigen. Over ten years ago, Celest's army of tens of thousands marched in there. You should be able to get through," the old man said, coughing between words. Every time he spoke, it seemed like an effort, and those listening had to piece together his meaning between the coughing fits.

"The road we need to take is the one here, from your place, Master," Asa said respectfully, looking at the frail, coughing old man.

Shante glanced at Asa, his already clouded eyes growing even dimmer. He weakly shook his head and said, "The road here isn't for you. Only the acting guild master of Dehya Valley is qualified to travel it, and it must be the current one. Even if Agrenel herself came, she wouldn't be able to pass."

"I understand. The road you guard can only be used by the acting guild master of Dehya Valley, according to their rules. But our situation is urgent, so I ask you to make an exception, Master," Asa said carefully, pulling out the jet-black gem from his chest and holding it in front of Shante. "Take a look at this, and you'll know I'm not lying."

"Hmm?" Shante's cloudy eyes suddenly brightened, but then quickly dimmed again. "This thing couldn't have come from here. Agrenel should know that. I haven't failed in my duties, and I won't let you use this road. I know where you want to go, and I can tell you other paths that lead there."

"Just because it leads there doesn't mean I can reach it. Over ten years ago, even Lancelote with twelve temple knights couldn't get there. How could we three possibly make it?" Asa put the gem away with a bitter smile.

"By the way, if you kill me, you can pass," Shante suddenly coughed.

This wasn't directed at Asa, but at Talice. The female knight seemed somewhat impatient. Though she knew she couldn't act, a faint murderous intent still leaked from her.

"The path is under the bed I'm sitting on. You can try to kill me if you want..."

It seemed Shante had spoken too much, as his coughing suddenly grew more violent. His frail body jerked violently with each cough, and his wrinkled, ugly face flushed red. He was struggling to breathe, gasping for air. Anyone who looked at him would feel that there was no need to kill him; if they just stood there for a while, he would probably cough himself to death.

"Sir, are you alright? I have some medicine..." Ayime couldn't help but speak up. Although she knew the old man in front of them was a necromancer, his pitiful appearance made it hard for her to bear.

Talice remained silent, her face cold. She knew that no matter how pitiful and frail he looked, this old man was not someone she could handle.

But while she didn't act, Asa did. He suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Shante by the neck with one hand, and placing the other on his chest.

His movements were quick, with no warning or killing intent beforehand, and even Talice and Ayime were startled by his sudden action.

Shante, already small and frail, was almost completely gripped by Asa's hand around his neck. His coughing and gasping stopped immediately. The disparity between their sizes and appearances was stark, like a strong, mature wolf versus a dying old chicken. Asa seemed to have the strength to crush the already frail old man into a pulp with just a slight squeeze.

But the moment Asa tightened his grip on Shante, the entire room seemed to come to life.

More precisely, all the corpses and organs in the room began to move, and they moved quickly. The organs and corpses on the floor, on shelves, and in jars stirred as if they were alive, as though they had suddenly awakened after centuries of stillness, bursting with vitality and energy. They bounced, jumped, and lunged at Asa.

The fastest-moving ones were the things hidden under the cloth in the corner of the room. Even before Asa's hand could fully grasp Shante's neck, these figures, covered by the cloth, surged toward him at an astonishing speed, faster than Asa. From the outline of the cloth, it seemed like there were two figures underneath it.

As Asa moved, Talice also reacted. With a sharp sound, her long sword was drawn, and the light of white magic immediately began to shine on her. The spells of Divine Blessing and Divine Armor activated instantly. She rushed toward the two figures, the ones moving the fastest, as she could tell they were the most dangerous in the room.

Talice held her sword in one hand while she pulled out a crystal triangle with the other. The light of white magic flashed across it, and the crystal suddenly illuminated. Her movements were flawless, but just as she was about to engage, a loud command made her hesitate.

"Don't move." It was Asa's voice shouting.

It was unclear whether he was speaking to Talice or to Shante, but regardless, all the jumping organs and corpses in the room immediately stopped. Some of the organs and limbs that were mid-air fell with a loud thud to the ground. The two figures under the cloth also froze. The light in the crystal triangle Talice was holding immediately extinguished. Had she delayed even a moment more, that beam of prismatic light would have incinerated the smaller organs and limbs from such a close distance.

At this moment, Ayime finally reacted, hurriedly chanting a spell. A circle of blue water appeared around her and Talice, forming a protective barrier around them.

A faint magical ripple emanated from Asa's hands. It was a strange mixture of necromancy and an indescribable, mysterious magic that flowed from his hands toward Shante's frail body. As it reached Shante, a layer of black mist began to spread around him. The air in the room suddenly became heavy with the stench of death, magnifying the scent of the corpses several times. This mist was a concentrated form of necromantic magic, cultivated and refined for decades. It slowly began to move toward Asa, seeping into his body.

The two—one old, one young; one large, one small—remained still, the magic flowing back and forth between them. Talice and Ayime watched in confusion, growing increasingly anxious, but neither knew what to do.

After a long moment, Asa let out a deep sigh, and the magical energy between his hands weakened and dissipated. The black mist surrounding Shante's body also slowly faded away, until finally, the two separated. Talice and Ayime, who had been holding their breath, also exhaled in relief.

"I don't owe you any favors. I haven't owed anyone anything since I was thirteen," Shante said, his murky eyes staring at Asa with a hint of surprise. He spoke without coughing, and for the first time, his withered face seemed to have gained some vitality. "And as for what you did, it's nothing more than a simple favor in exchange for something. It's not a genuine kindness; I could even see it as a form of coercion."

The corpses and limbs in the room began to move once more, but this time, they returned to their original places. The two figures covered by cloth also went back to the corner of the room.