Chapter 90: The Meeting

  At the edge of Diya Valley, at the foot of the Shadowspire Peaks, there was a small passage leading directly into the mountain's belly. Hundreds of meters deep within the rock layers was a small room, a meditation chamber exclusively for Necromancers.

  Vedenina emerged from the passage, looked up facing the sunlight she hadn't seen in over a month, and took a deep breath, savoring the sensation.

  This was a gesture she had enjoyed most when she was still human long ago. Feeling the sunlight slowly spread across her body, across every inch of her delicate skin, bathing in the warmth of the light, with every pore touching the vitality between herself and the world. And whenever she made this gesture, her face, which was no less brilliant than the sun itself, and the expression on it would absolutely dazzle any observer.

  But now she could only feel the withered dead flesh attached to her skull slowly deforming in the long-absent sunlight due to the temperature change from coming out of the underground, as if zombies of earthworms and maggots were reviving on her face.

  A circle of black mist permeated around her, and the dark magical power had begun to fluctuate around her body in substantial form. Having just awakened from a month-long meditation, her magical power had entered an unprecedented realm. The immortal body of a Lich needed no rest, food, or sleep. Such a body existed purely for power, magic, and wisdom. She could even feel her emotions and her biological instincts as a living being continuously weakening and disappearing as her power increased.

  Sometimes she wondered, what would happen if these things completely disappeared? Without basic desires and emotions, there would be no purpose for consciousness, no need to think, and perhaps even one's own existence would become meaningless.

  But fortunately, those emotional imprints branded deep in her soul had not yet disappeared. She knew what she needed to do.

  Not far from the exit stood three figures, who seemed to have been waiting here. Vedenina walked over, and the three also came forward to meet her.

  The old man at the lead looked Vedenina up and down, nodding with approval in his desolate voice: "Respected Lady Vedenina, I never thought your magical power would reach such a realm. Given time, you will surely approach the greatness of Archibald."

  The Lich glanced at the three, replying coolly: "You flatter me, Master Aiden. But I doubt the three of you came here just to praise me. I'm busy, with very important matters to attend to."

  "The three of us today wish to ask you some questions," said a middle-aged man with a ferocious appearance beside him in a very gentle tone.

  "To require the presence of all three of you, it must be a very important question." Vedenina took a step back, able to sense the strange magical fluctuations emanating from these three companions.

  "For someone with such power and wisdom as you, this question should be easy to answer," Master Aiden said lightly. "We remember that you won the last wager, requesting our agreement to admit a new member. Now we would like to ask, what kind of person are you recommending to join our guild? Does he have sufficient qualifications to join our noble organization?"

  "Absolutely qualified," Vedenina took another step back, saying in a calm tone despite her harsh, raspy voice. "He should be the most qualified person to join the Necromancer Guild."

  "Why?" Master Aiden's aged voice remained indifferent, as if this were an extremely casual question that could be asked or not. But he and his two colleagues took a step forward, forming a triangle that trapped Vedenina in the middle.

  "I have my reasons," Vedenina didn't retreat further, the black mist around her beginning to thicken.

  "Hahaha..." Master Aiden let out a laugh as light as mist. But the atmosphere didn't ease because of this laughter. "Respected Lady Vedenina. We don't doubt your incomparable wisdom and judgment. But regarding this matter, I think we should all discuss it slowly. The newcomer you recommended just disrupted a massive operation planned by all our members at Whispering Woods. I think this newcomer needs careful consideration. Out of respect for you, we intend to invite you to rest in a place for a while."

  "What do you intend to do?" Vedenina's voice grew harsher, the black mist around her churning. "Do you intend to use force? Fighting has never been allowed in Diya Valley."

  "Since the great Archibald founded the Necromancer Guild, there has never been internal strife among Necromancers. Those who can join this noble organization, even if they don't share the same goals and philosophies, all possess extraordinary wisdom and cultivation. How could they be like those lowly, foolish people who use violence to resolve disputes?" Master Aiden took out a jade stone emitting white light from his robe. "I said, we're just inviting you to rest for a while."

  The other two Necromancers also took out identical jade stones. The three jade stones emitted soft and pure white light, pure white magic. Under the manipulation of the three Necromancers, the jade stones produced milky-white magical fluctuations that resonated with each other, surrounding Vedenina.

  "You certainly don't hold back. Using three Magical Jades to activate the sealing technique of white magic." The black mist around Vedenina had become as thick as ink, rolling and jumping around her body like small snakes, madly devouring the surrounding white light. Her voice sounded like a curse uttered directly. "But do you think the three of you can manage it? Don't forget that you yourselves are not proficient in white magic. I may not be a match for the three of you, but imprisoning me is by no means such an easy task."

  A sigh sounded not far behind her, and another wave of white magic mixed with these three, producing a subtle resonance. The black ripples around her were instantly suppressed like flames beneath the tide.

  "So it's you." Vedenina turned and saw the person behind her, her voice dropping completely to a low rasp. "I never thought it would be you. Do you think the same as they do?"

  This person held no Magical Jade in his hand, but the white magic he cast empty-handed was the most powerful and purest, because it was what he had learned under the most formal instruction of light mages at the Magic Academy.

  His handsome and elegant face now wore a strange expression. He shook his head, looking at the Lich's face, somewhere between a zombie and a skeleton, his eyes filled with tenderness, saying in a voice that held a hint of heartache: "You're still the same as before, too persistent, too impulsive, too naive."

  Not long after, the meeting in Diya Valley was convened.

  The meeting room was not large, without any trace of luxury or decoration, looking just like an ordinary hall. The furnishings inside were simple and plain, with every item having a practical purpose. Deliberate decoration and luxury were meaningless here.

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  It was already late at night, but the meeting room was still as bright as day. A large magic crystal embedded in the ceiling evenly distributed soft, bright radiance to every corner. The light was completely like sunlight but not glaring at all. Even a small piece of such material would be enough for many mages to spare no effort or cost to obtain, to craft a very advanced magic wand, but here it was used purely for illumination.

  In the center of the hall was a large, exquisite round table. Its design was very elegant, with every line on it refined and harmonious to the point of being artistic. This was carved by a member long ago who spent three years working on a piece of ten-thousand-year-old sandalwood wood unique to the continent.

  Around the round table were thirteen chairs, and now nine of them were occupied. This was the largest meeting of the Necromancer Guild in the past decade. All who could come had come.

  Elsewhere, some were nobles wealthy enough to rival nations, some were sages revered by tens of thousands, and some were hermits with nothing to their name. But here, all worldly fame and fortune were unworthy of mention. They were all members of the greatest and most noble Necromancer Guild.

  In the center of the round table was a huge crystal ball. The image conjured within it was of the flame-engulfed Whispering Woods.

  In the sky, the circle of gargoyles was using the blood mist magic circle to guide sunlight, pouring the focus of death onto the Sunwell. Suddenly, a huge fireball rose from the ground, its diameter reaching nearly half that of the blood mist magic circle. The seemingly slow fireball made contact with the magic circle, and then the image in the crystal ball was left with nothing but a frenzied, chaotic fire-red. Although there was no sound, everyone present seemed to feel a faint, enormous tremor.

  A Necromancer laughed, but only produced a cough-like sound, pointing at the dimming crystal ball and saying: "A fireball spell, with destructive power comparable to a Forbidden Spell. I think we should all start learning basic magical theory again from apprenticeship."

  "Those were our carefully crafted gargoyles..." A well-maintained middle-aged man rested his chin in his hand, closed his eyes, and sighed. "The magical materials consumed, everyone's efforts—if converted to gold coins, would be enough to buy a small country."

  Master Aiden opened his eyes, scanned the others, and said in his characteristic tone: "These are images reproduced based on the memories of Inham and myself. Everyone can deduce what happened from this."

  "That person can resonate with the divine power of the Sunwell. He should be someone among the elves who has received the sunlight baptism." A Necromancer drew a conclusion. The others nodded in agreement. "But according to what you said, he's just a human. How could a human receive the sunlight baptism from those rigid, ignorant elves? That's a bit hard to believe."

  Master Aiden continued: "Let me share some other information. After this incident, I immediately investigated and discovered that this person wanted by the elven race was actually a priest under old man Ronis. And some time ago, in the great drama originally designed by our respected Inham to shock the entire Eastern Continent, this young man, along with a woman who wasted a Leaves of the World Tree, used their own blood to spray to death a vampire. That is to say, he also possesses the life force of the Leaves of the World Tree within him."

  "How come we never heard Inham mention such an important matter?" The Necromancers looked at Marquis.

  Marquis smiled wryly and replied: "Ronis was vague about it afterward, saying it was the effect of some Blessing Spell. I was busy with other matters at the time, so I didn't pay attention at all, thinking it was just the woman's blood at work."

  The ferocious-looking Necromancer said: "Let's set that aside for now. According to Inham, this young man lived at the Magic Academy with our respected former acting chairman, Mr. Sandro. From the fact that he could actually absorb the sunlight baptism, we have reason to believe he studied the Meditations on Truth from Sandro's collection. Given the character of our respected and noble acting chairman, this is indeed quite possible."

  The hall fell silent. The Necromancers stopped discussing and marveling. Each thing about this person surprised them, but when these were added together, it was far beyond surprise—it was shock.

  "Lord Archibald once said that one day, the person who gathers power will pull out The Black Star and completely change the world from the Central Lands. Throughout history, there have been those who practiced Meditations on Truth, the elven rituals have continued from generation to generation, and it's said that the Leaves of the World Tree has also manifested its power in the mortal world... These are actually not strange." His voice, which had been so flat and desolate, finally grew heavy. "But what's important now is that the Sunwell, the Leaves of the World Tree, and the Meditations on Truth—these three things are all in one person."

  The hall remained silent. The Necromancers exchanged glances with strange expressions.

  Master Aiden's tone carried a strange quality, as if a bitter smile, yet also a disdainful mockery. "Theoretically speaking, this person is indeed capable of opening The Black Star. And if he really does open it, according to the rules established for us by Lord Archibald, we should submit to this Lich King and follow him to conquer the world." Master Aiden's cold and hazy eyes wandered over the expressions of each member. "I wonder what everyone thinks about this?"

  Silence still dominated the hall. After a long while, a Necromancer's cough broke the silence. He coughed and said slowly: "Conquer the world? I think such a boring and vulgar matter is truly unsuitable for us noble and elegant people to do."

  The well-maintained Necromancer lowered his head, playing with the ring in his hand with fingers more delicate and tender than a maiden's, murmuring in a soft voice: "And I think this world is fine as it is, there's no need to change anything. The key is..." He looked at his colleagues around him, revealing a kind, friendly, and confident smile. "This world no longer needs us to conquer it."

  The ferocious-looking Necromancer nodded in agreement. "There's no need for anyone to touch The Black Star. Even if it could be pulled out, what might be born could only be a monster that knows only destruction and ruin. It would be of no benefit to us."

  "I think so too..."

  "Right."

  The Necromancers, slowly but clearly, expressed their unanimous views one after another.

  After the last member had stated his position, Master Aiden finally smiled. He knew that a rule that had existed in name only had now been completely and thoroughly broken.

  For every mage, Archibald, known as the mage closest to god, carried even more weight than a god himself—he had, after all, been a living existence. Especially for the Necromancers who studied many of the necromantic spells he created, they could more deeply feel the greatness of this mage from the profound and extensive magic.

  But even greatness has its limits. Although his purpose in founding the Necromancer Guild might have been for that dark divine artifact, five hundred years later, the people gathered in Diya Valley were certainly not there because of faith. Everyone here was a top figure in human society, and no one wanted a leader to inexplicably emerge from some prophetic divine revelation.

  Master Aiden nodded and said: "Although Archibald was great, his insights must have had their reasons, and the power of The Black Star is unparalleled." His voice dropped, easily and confidently hitting the key point. "But most importantly, this world is ours now. We don't need any leader."

  "Well said. This should be recorded in the guild's code." A member applauded. Several other Necromancers also nodded.

  "And now this person will not only not be our leader but is our enemy. Everyone should know that Ronis has recently become active in his actions against us."

  "Yes. It seems this old man is challenging the limits of our patience..."

  "This person is the most important part of his actions. Carrying the sunlight baptism and the life force of the Leaves of the World Tree, it seems he plans to use this person to destroy The Black Star. Although we have no intention of having anyone open it, we will never allow others to destroy it. That is the spiritual symbol of our noble organization for hundreds of years." Master Aiden cleared his throat forcefully and said solemnly: "Today I have asked everyone here to discuss how to deal with these two enemies. One is Ronis, and the other is the young man carrying these three powers."

  "Just kill them all. We can no longer remain silent and scattered. Since an enemy has appeared against the organization, we should join hands and act together."

  "Old man Ronis is probably our only enemy in this world. After killing him, we might feel a bit lonely."

  "But our respected former acting chairman, Sandro, is also with him. If the two of them join forces, we'll be in a difficult position."

  Master Aiden interrupted the others' discussion, saying: "Before discussing how to deal with external enemies, I want to mention other related issues. Haven't you all considered this? The last Leaves of the World Tree was in Whispering Woods—I could feel it when I was there. And that duke's daughter definitely ate one of them. Our friend Inham can confirm this, and many people in the capital of the Ainfast Empire know it as well. So where did the Leaves of the World Tree that person ate come from? The only explanation is... from Lady Vedenina."

  "The time that human young man received the sunlight baptism coincides with when Vedenina went to Whispering Woods. The Leaves of the World Tree that Vedenina originally obtained mysteriously ended up in that young man's hands. Also, some time ago, Lady Vedenina made a bet with several of us over the war in Oufu. Lady Vedenina won, and her wager was to request the admission of a new member. And as a result, we found our teleportation scroll on that human young man..."

  "You mean... Lady Vedenina colluded with Ronis to have that person act as a spy?" The well-maintained Necromancer frowned his very meticulously trimmed eyebrows, shaking his head along with several other Necromancers. "That can't be possible, can it?"

  Master Aiden replied lightly: "I didn't say that. I'm merely stating facts. Whether it's the speculation you mentioned or Vedenina truly wanting that person to open The Black Star, neither would benefit any of us."

  "Isn't Lady Lich attending such an important meeting? We need her to explain."

  "Inham and I have already invited her to rest in the meditation chamber for a while."

  "That seems a bit excessive." The coughing Necromancer struggled to squeeze out words between coughs.

  Master Aiden replied lightly: "Rest assured. This is merely a temporary measure I've made for everyone's benefit, to prevent the impulsive her from disrupting our actions. After we've dealt with Ronis and that young man, we will naturally invite Lady Lich out. The current priority is to intercept that young man fleeing with the Leaves of the World Tree, and simultaneously deal with Ronis. I suggest that I and the respected Asri go investigate the young man's whereabouts, kill him, and retrieve the Leaves of the World Tree. As for the rest of you, plan how to deal with Ronis."

  As he walked out of the meeting room with Asri, a smile appeared on Master Aiden's normally calm and indifferent face. He was very satisfied with his performance and methods.

  After these events, the guild would probably need to recommend a new acting chairman, he thought. He pondered this, and smiled again.