Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 580 - 533 Mr. Zhiyan

The twilight sun stretched the tree shadows long, as the birds and beasts returned to their nests. Night brought humidity and cold winds that erased the traces of buds on the bushes. Night was a breeding ground for danger and plots, where nocturnal predators and true monsters crept within the invisible darkness.

Two figures, one tall and one short, were striding through the forest, the taller one dressed in a simple puppet costume, the top of their hat covered with random leaves from frequent brushes with tree branches, and their eyes shimmering with a scaly light like two clumps of will-o’-the-wisps nestled within a weed helmet. The shorter one was relatively clean and tidy, the white beak mask on the black clothes being the only splash of color, which against the backdrop of the night, seemed to float in midair, very eerie.

Off in the distance, the howling of jackals and wild beasts drowned out the rustling of leather boots scraping through the grass.

Lyle did not pause, pulling his foot out and taking another step through the knee-high grass. He had gradually adapted to the darkness and considered himself one of its native inhabitants.

"How much longer must we continue on foot, Master Giant Dragon?" Mr. Giant Dragon had sealed the Spine Wheel, their mode of transport, under the pretext of not disturbing the wildlife. As compensation, he had offered to let Lyle ride on his shoulders, but Lyle had refused.

"Not much longer, my student, just around that twisted-neck tree where the thrushes used to roost and through two bear territories," the Giant Dragon replied.

Lyle glanced towards the pitch-black area indicated by the Giant Dragon’s finger, silently agreeing to assist Nia with transportation, with still a way to go.

"Is that where we’re going?"

"That’s where my friend was last seen."

Lyle was taken aback, suppressing an uneasy feeling in his heart.

"Master Giant Dragon, your friend... isn’t referring to some animal or Alien Beast, is it?"

"I understand what you mean, plague doctor. But my animal friends wouldn’t be of much help to you. The friend we are looking for is a Lich, one who seldom returns to the Andrei Academy due to being often abroad. Therefore, his memory of the academy is probably stuck around... thirty years ago. You don’t know him, just as he doesn’t know you."

"Will I be able to learn a lot from this gentleman? Is that the purpose of our journey?"

"No, in terms of combat prowess, my friend might not even be able to beat you. His knowledge is indeed profound, but he has a severe imbalance in his expertise. I brought you here to meet your future partner. I have a very important experiment that requires cooperation between the two of you. This experiment will serve as your final exam in White Bone Spirit Summoning Studies, my most outstanding student," the Giant Dragon said, patting the twisted-neck tree and the swaying branches conveniently swept the messy leaves off his head.

"Additionally, Mr. Zhiyan is a scholar of ancient languages. If you are interested in the languages of ancient races, such as Eomo, Merv, or Somu, you may consult him. He is a kind-hearted scholar, provided he deems you worthy of an exchange of knowledge."

Mr. Zhiyan, Lyle noted the name.

"But how can I impress a scholar who is engrossed in research abroad?"

"That I do not know. Perhaps you could use your dark god knowledge. If that fails, you could always resort to brute force to pry his mouth open. Remember what I told you? He’s weak. Just don’t tell him I taught you that."

Lyle took a moment to mourn for Mr. Zhiyan and then began to assess the dangers of offending a master of linguistics.

"Master Giant Dragon, does Mr. Zhiyan belong to any clubs at Andrei Academy... or does he have any sort of backing?"

"A mountain to lean on? The biggest mountain Mr. Zhiyan has... is probably just me as a friend," replied the Giant Dragon.

Threat assessment confirmed, no danger.

Lyle couldn’t help but wonder how Andrei Academy could have such odd characters.

Something else seemed to occur to the Giant Dragon.

"Ah, I recall looking at Zhiyan’s club membership list; he seems to be a member of the Andrei Literary Society, having applied for extended leave with Mr. Dark, the president."

The remnants of the literary society? An outsider to the literary society? Lyle felt Mr. Zhiyan suddenly got a lot closer.

"Unlike the small group that gentleman belongs to, Mr. Zhiyan is a lich who can truly be called a literary worker. It might be his enthusiasm for ancient texts and his meticulous mindset that make him incompatible with his society, leading him to spend most of his time outside."

A sane person ostracized by a bunch of idiots?

"Because we share similar interests, that’s how I became good friends with Mr. Zhiyan."

"Interests? An animal lover?"

"Mr. Zhiyan, devoted to rocks. He is more interested in ancient fossils, and some of these prehistoric fossils happen to be my favorites too. To study these historical artifacts, Mr. Zhiyan usually finds himself in tombs."

Lyle imagined a scholar seated in a chair, carefully examining a fossil in his hands.

"Tombs, ah, so he’s a homebody."

"No, he’s usually in other people’s tombs, scrutinizing their burial goods or wall paintings and murals, including their skeletons."

"..." Should I say that’s typical of the literary society?

"So ’tomb raider’ is a taboo word for Mr. Zhiyan. Every time it’s mentioned, he gets hopping mad and argues, ’How can a scholar’s borrowing be called tomb-robbing! I am engaged in a noble and glorious endeavor!’ and such."

Some expectations in Lyle’s heart fell, while others sprouted, and some anxieties disappeared forever.

Interesting topics always make the journey more enjoyable.

"So nobody complains about Mr. Zhiyan’s actions? Disturbing the dead so frequently like that?"

"No one complains. Either the tomb’s owner has long turned to ash, or the tomb’s owner will climb out of the coffin to personally ’welcome’ the sacred researcher. I forgot to mention, Mr. Zhiyan has also been Andrei Academy’s recruitment ambassador for a century, awakening about one-third of the liches at Andrei, many of whom are very powerful. So he might just have the highest personal grudge score next to Raymond. If you’ve seen the mountain of trophies piled up in the corner of the Andrei Executive Committee Hall, those are all his recruitment ambassador trophies. Honors that many necromancers dream of are discarded by him like trash, truly a lamentable fate."

Lyle was wrong—members of the literary society, even external ones, are just as fierce.

In the midst of their conversation, they arrived at the tomb of ’others’ they were talking about. There were no animal disturbances along the way, probably because the animals instinctively deciphered who the real monsters were.

A human-styled, semi-subterranean tomb, with its stone gate wide open, exhales the tomb’s deathly air among the nightshade flowers.

The Giant Dragon did not enter the tomb but walked straight to the stone stele and started reading it.

Lyle saw what the Giant Dragon was looking at: writing in Emos language, inscribed with magic power, strangely familiar handwriting.

Andrei Zhiyan’s Record of the Investigation into the Nameless Tomb:

The antechamber, two deceased, skeletons small, burial items a few gold coins and gems, no additional artifacts. Conclusion, likely sacrificial servants or powerless wives or concubines, my expectations for this tomb have been lowered.

The main chamber, a big surprise, one deceased, who got up and broke my left thigh bone. Temporarily subdued the newly awakened lich using the name of Andrei. I slipped away before he could react.

Before I left, I made a mark.

I, Mr. Zhiyan, will definitely come back!"