Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 132 - 127 Arnold

"Your thoughts have bound your abilities. Medical knowledge is your skill, but as a medic, your instinct drives you to view the creatures of this world with a critical and corrective eye. That is also why your bioengineering completely lost its flavor,"

Mr. Dragon walked Lyle back to the Andrei Castle, heading straight for a spiral staircase that led underground. The black stone walls exuded melancholy and oppression. The confined space seemed to shrink every moment, moving toward the center. The bending stairs had no visible end, creating the eerie feeling of endlessly marching in place that weighed heavily on the traveler.

This path led to the location of the supplementary courses Mr. Dragon had spoken of, and along the way, he was pointing out Lyle’s problems.

"The purpose of our present form is to pull you away from your narrow biological construction knowledge. This world harbors many creatures that defy understanding, and I hope that after close contact with them, you will change your attitude towards living beings."

"Plague Doctor, the gentleman we are about to visit is my assistant. But I must say, he’s also one of the people I detest the most. So apart from necessary communication, I usually don’t interact with him. He is odd-tempered, sinister, and has a nasty character."

"Arnold, the Deep Sea Creature Researcher, is a madman obsessed with sea monsters, a person who sickens others. He is also an adept at life transformation. As for why he became my assistant..."

"The creations of Spirit Summoning Studies can be divided into three major categories: Skeleton Transformation, Flesh Transformation, and Soul Transformation. The expert in Soul Transformation moves in mysterious ways. I excel at Skeleton Transformation, and Arnold is skilled in Flesh Transformation."

"What I truly despise about him is that although he researches life and death, he has no sense of respect for them. He performs live experiments on creatures and, after obtaining the desired data, he doesn’t care about the transformed creature’s fate, allowing its carcass to be devoured by other monsters in the deep waters."

While they talked, the two had already reached the end of the stairs.

In the candlelight, a large white archway stood before them, like a closed giant pearl oyster, with overlapping pieces that left only a central crack, through which a chill colder than the silent old castle was seeping.

"No need to knock; he can’t hear it. Even if he did, he wouldn’t open the door. We’ll need to force our way in."

Mr. Dragon pulled out a turquoise pouch and untied the thin cord. Two huge skeletal arms crawled out from the pouch, grasped the sides of the shell door, and applied a tremendous force that caused the surrounding walls’ dust to scatter due to the vibration.

Accompanied by a creaking sound and cracks forming on the shell, the door eventually opened just wide enough for a person to pass through, and a gust of cold wind blew through, bringing with it the feeling of winter.

"Teacher, you’ve broken the door,"

"It doesn’t matter. Next time he might just seal the door with barnacles. Don’t be polite; Arnold won’t bother with the niceties of hosting guests anyway."

Stepping into this frigid area, they faced a large circular platform, a research table, materials and equipment fixed to the wall, and in glass jars on the counter, a tentacle groped blindly, but due to its short body, it could only reach the air at the mouth of the jar and nothing else.

Not seeing the so-called Mr. Arnold, Lyle searched for areas where he might be and then spotted it: the dark turquoise surface of the water at the edge of the platform, swallowing the steps.

It was no small pond or river. The dark turquoise waters were clear enough, but one still couldn’t see the bottom. Lyle had the premonition that it was beyond any depth he could imagine. In such a body of water stood several marble columns reaching the ceiling, with nets tied around them holding stones emitting a faint yellow light, preventing the underwater from being completely dark, though they didn’t provide much brightness.

"Mr. Arnold is underwater?"

"Of course, that disgusting fellow hasn’t retained even a few habits of normal people."

Mr. Dragon took the jar with the small tentacle, which swayed like a sea anemone.

Only when Mr. Dragon poured it into the water did it become clear that at the end of the tentacle, a human eyeball was attached, with dense blood vessels stretching to the dilated pupil, but it didn’t move or blink.

Tiny tentacles flailed in the water, leisurely making their way toward the ocean floor.

Having accepted Nia’s new form, Lyle even found this creature somewhat cute.

Just as it was about to vanish from Lyle’s sight, a swift figure burst forth from the depths, its gaping maw engulfing the tiny tentacles, along with a grown man’s screams of agony that drifted out from between the shark’s teeth, spreading the scent of blood and attracting more sharks.

They fought over the bloody scent in the seawater until they began tearing at one another, turning the once-calm tide into a tumultuous surge.

Then, a dark shadow appeared.

He emerged slowly from the water.

His skull was wrapped in dark skin, with entirely black, sunken eyeballs emitting spiteful glances from amid hair like seaweed or serpents. As those orbs focused on him, Lyle felt as if a large spider had crawled onto his face.

His voice was hoarse, expelling a mouthful of black, disgusting mucus with each word.

"Foolish, filthy vermin, you have once again disrupted Arnold’s experiment and even managed to kill Arnold’s precious Number 736."

"I wouldn’t keep my treasures in a jar. Arnold, if it weren’t necessary, I would never let you pollute the air around me."

"Official business? Flesh Transformation classes aren’t scheduled yet. You’re supposed to be teaching those novices playing with bone blocks, not wasting Arnold’s precious time."

Arnold’s eyeballs twitched as he looked at Lyle, "Another, annoying new bug, the stench of mud, the stink of it. Arnold must get back into the water soon; the stench is almost too much, big bug. Finish what you have to say quickly. What is it? I really don’t want to spend another second with you trash."

"Nia hates him."

Nia poked her tentacles out from behind Lyle, half-closing her large eyes, glaring at Arnold.

Upon seeing her, any trace of disgust on Arnold’s face vanished, replaced by fervor and excitement.

"Arnold’s treasure has appeared, Arnold’s beauty, ah, she will be Arnold’s, she’s truly beautiful," he exclaimed.

Arnold climbed the steps with his deformed legs, leaving the water’s surface.

He approached Nia with a face full of obsession, like a filthy, ugly, rotting dwarf.

A white bone claw opened in the air, and a giant palm slapped Arnold back into the water.

Mr. Dragon drew back the Claw of the White Bone. "Andrej Academy’s rules, Arnold, the property of members is inviolable."

Arnold crawled back to the surface, spewing more filth from his foul, cursing mouth.

"Dirty Andrei Academy, damned insects, stealing Arnold’s beauty."