Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 223 - 210 Introduction to Soulology
The journey to the City of Wandering always brings surprises, at least that’s what Lyle thought, because every trip to the city had yielded something for him. The four members of the Necromancer Figure Club had just struck a fantastic deal with the Demon Race. Twenty Spine Wheels were exchanged for tons of Demon Race Horn measured by the ton.
Before the deal began, the four of them were very satisfied.
When the reward of two hundred thousand Oliou was democratically voted to be converted into what they claimed was the even more precious material of Demon Race Horn, three were satisfied. Mr. Lyle was making an effort to restrain the impulse to disassemble his companions into Lich Dust.
But his own instruction in etiquette still made Lyle hold back his anger and meticulously explain to his clients how to use the Spine Wheels.
"Such thoughtful service, Plague Doctor. Especially the way you deliberately mimicked the sound of a Flame Demon breathing, it made me feel your sincerity and respect. Your service attitude is just as perfect as your products," said a flamboyantly dressed male member of the Demon Race as he tightened his dungarees and approached the displayed twenty Spine Wheels. He reached out and pinched the restrictor bone within the inner ring of the Spine Wheel, which Lyle had described in detail, after all, safety first.
Crack.
The Demon pulled out the restrictor bone, and the coagulated blood drew an arc in the air, glittering and translucent like the champagne that hits the hull of a newly launched ship.
"Goodbye, my friends, I’ll bless you when I’m racing through Hell. Hahaha, sorry, I mean curse you, you know, same thing." One by one, the Demons did as their leader and then the twenty Spine Wheels with speed limits removed stormed into the Demon Portal.
Improv looked at his brother.
"Does the speed limit ordinance mention whether or not preventing destruction of the speed limit device is illegal?"
"Andrei law doesn’t extend to the City of Wandering."
"I know, but I also know Mr. Law has a very close relationship with the local enforcement department here, and maybe the speed limit here is just a clone."
"No big problem, they’ve already returned to Hell, and we have plenty of time to erase the evidence present."
Shiny then looked at the portal that folded into a thin crack and disappeared into the air, then at Lyle.
"Boss, did you remove the over-speed protection mechanism of the Spine Wheel, the one that causes necrosis of flesh?"
"Yes, Mr. Law informed me that the speed limit law had already been generated in Andrei. Now in Andrei, if you exceed the speed limit, you and your vehicle will hit an air wall, Mr. Laser is the best demonstration. So, the protection mechanism isn’t needed anymore, if you overspeed... you’ll be in a very bad way." Lyle looked at the restrictor bones dumped on the ground, and together with Nia, picked them up, "I’ve also added a gyroscope-like inner ring to allow the Spine Wheel to remain relatively still internally when speeding, reducing the sensation of dizziness, and used magic to make the connection in the flesh slide between the inner and outer rings. Our creations are now open to life, if they don’t mind the Spine Wheel’s appearance."
"Boss, what are you going to do with these bones?"
"I’m economizing, they can still be used for the speed limiter of the next batch of Spine Wheels. The two hundred thousand Oliou have already flown out of my pocket, and I need to do something to take my mind off things, to prevent myself from carving you three into bone figures on a whim."
"Hey, boss, I know you love money, but it’s all for the ultimate goal. You’ve said that assembling giant humanoid constructs is the romance of a Male Necromancer."
"Yes, provided that the ultimate romance doesn’t interfere with my little romances. I’ve never had so much money before, and I was meant to meditate in Gold Coin today."
Shiny looked at the complaining Lyle with some befuddlement.
"Now you can meditate with a bunch of Demon Race Horns, they are as obstructive as Gold Coin, and they can hang on your ribs to prevent loss."
Not following the thread, Lyle waved to his manipulating and improvising teammates who were still fiddling with the shed Demon horns, and started to head for the portal to Dark Zone Two.
"Let’s go, gentlemen, there are classes in the afternoon, um... what class is it again?"
"The first lesson of Soulology."
The classroom for the spiritual faction was not outside of Andrey Academy, perhaps because the physical damage caused by Soulology wouldn’t be too great.
He had maintained this belief until he stood in front of the shattered bridge at the very top spire of Andrey Castle.
It had seemingly been a path leading to a tower, but due to long years of being weathered, it had fragmented, and no trace of the tower it led to could be seen. The strong winds at tens of meters high whistled, blowing the students’ robes noisily.
The four hundred and fifty-two new Spirit Summoners who had chosen to specialize in Soulology stood in the cold autumn wind, looking at the transparent specter fluttering at the very front, that was the professor of Soulology, Professor Astound.
He flipped his own body around, not by spinning, but because his transparent form broke through the three-dimensional plane, the back of his head becoming the front. A dead man’s face looked at the new students, squeezing out an unsightly smile.
"Don’t worry, newbies, I have also heard about your encounters with the Flesh Sect and White Bone Sect. I deeply sympathize with you. The instructors from those two sects have been at odds from the highest rank, but our spiritual faction is very harmonious. We maintain our traditions, mysterious and low-profile, and we are very kind to all newcomers."
Mr. Astound extended his hand, displaying the shattered bridge, "Welcome to the Soul High Tower, my students."
Stones knocked loose by the cold winds clattered on the tiles of Andrey Castle. Everyone stared at the void that Mr. Astound was pointing towards: there was only air.
"Professor? Where is the tower?"
"Step forward, students, and you’ll know."
Lyle bravely looked over the edge of the broken bridge and saw Andrey’s garden below, no larger than the size of a palm.
"Professor, do we need to jump off the building and commit suicide to enter the Soul High Tower? But we are Necromancers, jumping off won’t kill us."
Mr. Astound looked at his shallow student and patiently explained, "The Soul High Tower exists in the gap between the material world and the spirit world, you can’t see it, but it is indeed there. You just need to take that brave step to enter the tower."
So that’s it, just invisible architecture, as long as you have courage. Lyle sighed in relief internally, but upon opening his eyes and seeing the tiny objects below, his legs couldn’t help but tremble. This isn’t ordinary courage, I’d better wait and see.
Soon, a brave young man stood out. Under Mr. Astound’s encouraging gaze, he stepped onto the broken bridge and took that step into the void.
"Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" He fell faster than Lyle had imagined, perhaps because reality is harsher than one expects. Landing with a thud, the first brave soul turned into broken bones.
All eyes were fixed on Mr. Astound, and he, as if anticipating this, spoke without any expression.
"Next."
"Professor! What is going on! Didn’t you say the tower was just invisible? Isn’t this still jumping off a building?"
"It’s really there, it’s just that the student was determined by the Soul Tower to have no talent, hence it did not appear. Soulology requires talent, the selection of students and instructors is a two-way process. You chose us, now it’s our turn to choose you."
"Don’t worry, children, this is just a simple selection, a mere initiation ritual."
