Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 464 - 426

The end of the carnival night also marked the grand finale of the City of Wandering’s supremacy competition.

The clear-headed citizens still wore traces of yesterday’s excitement on their faces, the excessive pleasure turning into an unhealthy hue that lingered on their skin. With expressions signaling "We’ve overdone it this time," the townspeople flitted back to their districts with feet light as feathers.

Lyle walked along with the stream of Liches, and incredibly, these beings of boundless energy seemed to also be feeling a weariness of the soul, remaining unusually silent throughout their journey.

The gloomy alleyways of Dark Zone Seven were crowded with figures, each face numb as they stared at the nape of the person ahead, and the only sound in the slowly advancing procession was the footsteps that filled the gaps.

The transport portals back to Andrei district must be overloaded again, Mr. Nameless is probably going to go mad.

Lyle stood at the back, the incessantly growing queue now reaching in front of him—this was the entrance to the Lich District.

Lyle hesitated, wondering whether to join the masses in exercising their legs.

"I mean, why doesn’t the City of Wandering just remove the Spatial Anchors? We have to squeeze through portals when, without them, we could simply use our rings to return."

The glittering grumbling came from not far behind Lyle, a scaled palm caressing the inner ring of the Spine Wheel, gaze shifting between his own vehicle and the dense crowd up ahead.

"Are you an idiot? Without locking down space, how can the city’s safety be ensured? Spatial Anchors are the most effective defense against attacks. Anyone with a brain would not allow strangers to distort the space of their home at will. What would you do if an enemy transported a Calamity Curse Skill directly above your house?"

The hard-driving attitude brought silence to the shimmering complainer for a moment.

"It sounds very important indeed, but our academy doesn’t have one, right? After all, we can use the Andrei Ring."

"We do have it," Mr. Versatile nodded towards Lyle as he walked up, continuing to add, "The space lock of the Andrei Academy is set by the Magic Research Society, which is now managed together with the Advanced Magic Research Society. Our locks aren’t that tight, so some low-intensity spatial distortions are still possible."

"Additionally, there are not a few Liches who study space. The Advanced Magic Research Society has even created a path for observing the void in Andrei. So, although our defenses have weaknesses, finding the coordinates of Andrei amidst the chaos of space-time would be a feat only for those who are powerful enough to become Liches."

"Indeed, there have been enemy forces that have wanted to destroy Andrei, that once existed."

Lyle couldn’t help but remark, "A virus doesn’t need an immune system."

Bored, Shiny spoke up as the other three seemed to reach some consensus.

"So are we really just going to keep waiting like this?"

A roaring rush shattered the stillness of the Andrei district.

Aboard the Spine Wheel, Mr. Reporter and Sir Fantasist were vying for control—the bone wheel finally crashed into the wall, incidentally shattering a few unlucky souls in its wake.

The blood splattered from the Spine Wheel painted the scene with an unmistakable stench of blood, as the bloodsoaked Mr. Reporter was thrown out.

"Good news! Good news! There’s a new event in the City of Wandering!"

"There’s an event again!" The disguised eyeballs of the Liches lit up once more, as some gathered around the reporter, waiting for his news.

"The Secret Pivot Council of the City of Wandering is to hold their heir ceremony, it’s said to be related to the heir of the Dolgette Royal Family."

"Eh? Is the City Lord of the City of Wandering planning to retire? We don’t seem to have troubled him much."

Hearing that it was about promoting the heir, many Liches lost interest. For Liches, royal power was as dry as bones, and wealth would eventually turn to dust. They had little expectation for the royalty and didn’t need to understand matters of bloodline succession. It was something irrelevant to them, and their memories from before also told them that it was a solemn and dull affair.

Still, the long queue made some Liches choose to attend the ceremony, as City Lord Carlos had extended an invitation to everyone in the City of Wandering.

Learning that the location was at the plaza beneath the central tower, Lyle also took a step forward.

He had a premonition that this inheritance ceremony was definitely related to him and not to miss.

Looking at the divided army, he turned his attention to his friend.

"What do you say?" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Follow the old Plague Doctor and join the buzz."

The Liches attending the ceremony were mostly young newcomers from Andrey, with relatively younger bone ages. They were not as deeply academic as the older Liches, and were more driven by novelty.

At this, the other Liches who continued to wait just smiled; each soul had its own way of pursuing.

Among this crowd, a Lich was making a decision.

"Heaven moves the myriad things."

Mr. Nameless furrowed his brow at the result of the divination.

"Fate is asking me to stay here? But, I need to return to Andrei to start my metaphysics research project now. Well, let’s follow the guidance of fate."

"Uh, Mr. Nameless..." A faint voice came from under the condensing boulder, and a small piece of lace-edged velvet fabric popped out a head, "Since your divination is over, could you pull me out?"

The heaven-moving omen congealed into a boulder, which chose Mr. Journalist.

Nameless smiled and nodded, "Alright, Mr. Journalist, let me calculate if I should save you."

"Heaven-moving omen." Fate chose Mr. Journalist again.

"Nameless!!!!!!!"

Lyle’s steps were somewhat urgent. When the Arcane Eye atop the central tower cast down its glory again, Lyle had arrived among the crowd; the Lich companions who had arrived earlier had already erected a scaffolding of bones in place, and Nia’s tentacles took Lyle up to the top to observe the entire ceremony scene.

The Arcanists, all draped in hooded robes to conceal their faces, wrapped the arranged platform. A pale blue magical barrier excluded the citizens.

"That platform..."

The circular platform was engraved with unknown characters—serpentine in shape, sharp as claws, the magic flowing in the hieroglyphic-like font was clearly visible. What surprised Lyle even more was that the stone was diamond-studded; the uncut diamond rough that broke the integrity of the rock’s structure did not destroy the characters, and appeared both natural and man-made, positioned in certain places, forming a faint Array.

Lyle saw familiar figures among the crowd.

Mr. Schiller, the troupe leader of the Soul Theater, Madam Pomfrey from the Queen of the Black Abyss... and members of Twilight Memories.

When the great doors of the Silver Castle opened and the Magic Guide Puppets cleared the overgrown weeds along the way, everyone discovered a hidden path that connected the Royal City and the central tower.

Following the procession, City Lord Carlos of the City of Wandering walked out of the Royal City, surrounded by the Arcanists, and ascended the platform.

City Lord Carlos, dressed in a Bright Silver Robe, removed his hood. The Golden Crown and Dolgette’s sun-like golden hair were one and the same, his gaze looking down upon all living beings, but Carlos inclined his proud head to that one.

Steady steps drummed into everyone’s hearts. Above and below heaven, only that one voice remained, like the breath of an angry dragon. The ancient figure, carrying an academic aura, received the monarch’s bow. The usual serenity was gone, and the indifferent divine light in his gaze was like a god who looked down on all living beings.

"Irean Dolgette. That is my name."

"I am the ruler of the declining kingdom of Morocoy."

"And from a previous era, the King of Magic."