Knowing such shocking news, Lyle felt... well, actually, Lyle didn’t feel much at all, just a sense of fulfillment that Andrey’s ceiling was the ceiling of ceilings, and that he had a true powerhouse at his back.

From another aspect, those guys from the literature club who were frolicking before the Grim Reaper were also quite strong.

The literature club, flirting with death with their lives, we are professionals.

Dispelling the amusing thoughts from his mind, Lyle continued his museum journey.

The late Director must have been a very meticulous noble, as the environment and layout here revealed the fastidiousness of an old aristocracy. Lyle even found a bottle of refined rose essential oil in the exhibition area, lending a faint fragrance to the place, although Liches might not be able to sense it.

The block of essential oil was an ellipsoid solid, much like a golden egg. Perhaps Nia had already started drooling, as she had no resistance to fragrant foods at all.

"You can’t eat that, Nia... Nia?"

Where had Nia run off to this time!

"Medusa, have you seen Nia?" A pink little paw emerged from around Lyle’s neck, pointing towards a location.

Lyle saw her; Nia was not small now. Excluding the upper limbs similar to humans, the elongated lattice tentacles had fully extended to about four meters, spreading on the floor like a thick layer of fungal mat. This was what she looked like when she completely dashed away from Lyle.

Turning around the display case, Lyle saw Nia. She was lying completely on top of a display case, and her active tentacles had already taken root around it, as if she planned to build a nest there. The extended tentacles licked the centerpiece of the Director’s exhibit like a puppy would.

"Nia, what are you doing!"

"Nia likes this!" She made a small space, revealing the gem-encrusted and glowing crown behind her.

Had this creature developed a Giant Dragon syndrome! Lyle angrily walked up, ready to pull Nia off. This was someone’s office and the Liches’ treasure trove. To request this item in someone else’s home was like being a thieving evil god! 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Medusa’s voice chimed in Lyle’s ear, "Lyle, that is..."

"That is?"

"Nothing..."

It seemed Lyle had suddenly realized something, "Right, the Director mentioned that the exhibits should not be touched, they could be dangerous."

"Girl, let go of it now!"

Lyle grabbed Nia’s tentacles, intending to pull her down. He thought it would be a tug-of-war, but Nia complied easily.

The flowing flesh turned into shadows, retreating back into her body, and finally, the crown fell into his own hands.

Damn, Nia pulled the crown down!

"Damn it, now I’ve ended up with the crown, haven’t I?"

The crown in his hand, made of Mithril and unknown gems, was a magical artifact. The flowing magic power had a strange attraction to Lyle.

But he didn’t pay much attention to it.

"Put it back quickly, this isn’t something I can touch!"

"No need, perhaps others can’t touch it, but this, you can, Plague Doctor."

The Director’s voice suddenly came from behind, and when Lyle turned around, he was standing there with the written documents, much like a homeroom teacher conducting a surprise check during evening self-study, and Lyle had been caught playing with his phone.

"Eh? Can I... can I really touch this?" Lyle subconsciously touched the exquisite surface of the crown, feeling that surging cold magic power.

"Of course, rather, it was only a matter of time before you touched this crown. You simply accelerated the process."

"Director, can this crown be given to Nia?" Nia was thrashing her tentacles behind Lyle, clamoring.

Hey, don’t push your luck!

The Director calmly looked at Lyle, "Yes, it can be lent to you, to assist with the experiment project you just applied for."

That’s when Lyle finally understood, "Director, are you saying that this crown is precisely the item I needed for my experiment application?"

"Yes, Plague Doctor."

"Does this crown have a name?"

"It does," Mr. Dean replied, stroking his faux beard contentedly, "This is Andrei’s Crown of the Lich, the crown of the Andrey liches’ clan."

Clan? Crown? Lyle’s eyes had already widened, feeling the substantial weight of the Lich Crown in his palm, "I remember, clan crowns seem to be just an authority of power, an intangible form of energy."

It was only natural for Andrei, this super-large lich group, to have its own crown, but was Andrei’s crown a tangible object? Or was it merely a namesake?

Mr. Dean seemed very satisfied with Lyle’s astonishment.

"Plague Doctor, I am an enchanter. I can imbue items with value beyond imagination, so why can’t I materialize an intangible authority and power into an artifact?"

Mr. Dean had turned the clan crown into an artifact.

Lyle stared blankly at the crown in his hand, which had suddenly become extremely attractive in his eyes, becoming the King of Andrey...

"Mr. Dean, what is the power of the crown?"

"What do you think the power of a king’s crown is? What is a king? A king is a ruler, the supreme sovereign over everything. Wearing it, you can control everything about Andrey. What are you hesitating for, Plague Doctor? Wear it, and you will be the master of Andrey, the master over all liches, over all knowledge. The Lich King of Andrey..."

Dean’s deep voice echoed in Lyle’s ears.

Become the master? To rule over the likes of Giant Dragon, Scholar, and Mr. Raymond... Lyle felt the crown drawing ever closer to his head. Yes, perhaps he was well-suited for it.

And all the other gentlemen, reporters, delusionists, miracle workers, muses, and dark lords would become his subordinates; he would need to manage them... and pay the price for their actions.

Lyle put it down, content with being useless.

"Indeed, it would be best for Mr. Dean to keep the crown."

Dean was very dissatisfied with Lyle’s reaction. "You really are a coward, Plague Doctor."

"There’s no such thing as a free lunch, Mr. Dean. Besides, I do not believe Andrey’s liches could be controlled by a mere tangible symbol of monarchal power." How could they be? Were those bastards ever obedient? If the crown truly had that ability, would the academy still have so much chaos?

Dean was disappointed, his amusement ruined. He had planned to have a good laugh, but now he continued to explain the true abilities of the crown.

"Andrey is an academy, and academies do not need kings, only teachers and principals. This crown might give you a sense of fulfillment in controlling everything, which I believe is a side effect of the crown. As for its true function..."

"Plague Doctor, do you remember how many times your experiments have failed?"

"Countless times, sir. Success is built on a pile of failures."

"Andrey has had zero failures in the process of large-scale experimental projects."

"...Because of the crown."

"Yes, Andrei’s Crown of the Lich is a Crown of Knowledge forged by me. The ability of the clan’s crown is to grant the king a certain miraculous power, which I’ve converted into an accumulation of academic knowledge. This crown allows research to progress with half the effort, which is why Andrey’s technological development has been so rapid. Every initiator of a large project will be blessed by the Lich Crown after their application is approved, pursuing research as a sovereign of knowledge."

"The power of the crown may be lost, but the knowledge and experience it shapes will create powerful individuals."

Mr. Dean looked at Lyle with pride.

"This is my masterpiece, the creator of Andrey’s legion of strong individuals."

"So, Mr. Raymond..."

Mr. Dean deflated like a punctured ball.

"That’s not the case. Melok never wore the crown; do you expect him to submit any academic research proposals? His only application was over a decade ago, when he wanted to conduct a large-scale Church of Holy Light evangelism in Andrey. Good grief, his last evangelism nearly prevented half of Andrey’s population from getting back on their feet."

"That’s all. For the time being, you will have the right to use Andrei’s Crown of the Lich until my approval of the next major project experiment. After the experiment is complete, return the crown to me; it needs to be properly sealed away."

"Sealed away?"

"Yes, although the Lich Crown is a physical object, it still carries some characteristics of the clan’s crown power. The crown wanders, transferring itself to those more qualified to be the king."

"I personally would be very pleased to see the crown inherited by someone more exceptional."

"Until I found out that this Lich Crown, if not properly controlled, would often turn up on the doorknobs of the Church of Holy Light."