Category: This Necromancer Wants to Capture the Hearts of Deceased Beautiful Girls

Chapter 130: The Gateway to a New World

Lannis recounted the story of Rebecca and the machine.

Rebecca had always been fascinated by spatial magic, her research beginning at a young age.

Although her magic level was only fifth-tier, considered mid-level, her understanding of spatial magic surpassed that of any mage on the continent. To compensate for her limited magical power, she utilized potions, machines, and magic arrays.

Spatial magic was considered a useless field, too niche to even be considered a proper school of magic. A mage of average skill, after a month of studying spatial magic, could maybe teleport a cat stuck in a tree to the ground, risking leaving its tail behind. Abyss, considered one of the most skilled spatial mages on the continent, had accidentally shaved off a dwarf’s beard while performing a short-range teleportation earlier.

No sane mage would dare teleport themselves or their companions using spatial magic. The existing techniques were unstable, each spellcasting carrying significant risks and uncertainties. And spatial magic required close proximity, preferably direct contact, with poor accuracy. Even Abyss could only guarantee that the dwarf had been teleported within the graveyard’s boundaries. These limitations made it impractical for combat or escape. It was easily disrupted, and attempting to use it under such circumstances could result in spell failure at best, or a messy self-bisection at worst.

This was why spatial magic was considered useless. It had no practical applications. Mages valued efficiency. No one wanted to waste their precious magical power on something so unreliable.

But Rebecca had never given up on spatial magic. Lannis had questioned her reasons, but Rebecca remained tight-lipped, focusing on her research. At the age of seventeen, she proudly announced to Lannis that she had achieved a breakthrough. She had discovered a way to travel to another world and had even conducted preliminary explorations. She then drew two blueprints, one for the “World Conduit” that Abyss had just dismantled, and another for the archway before them, called the “Gateway to the New World,” and began construction immediately.

Lannis hadn’t anticipated that her mistress intended to use spatial magic not for transportation, but for interdimensional travel. She had tried to dissuade Rebecca from experimenting with such an unstable device, but Rebecca was determined. She completed both machines. Then, she created five special magic crystals.

She embedded two crystals into the World Conduit and the Gateway to the New World. The World Conduit remained inactive, but the Gateway activated with a flash of light, a shimmering portal appearing within the archway.

This was a technology that existed only in legends, never before realized in Hai-Teweru. Rebecca tossed a pile of equipment through the portal, then turned to Lannis with a final instruction.

“I’ve discovered that this other world might contain a natural source of high-quality alchemical solvents. Once I’m there, I’ll activate the other end of the World Conduit. If all goes well, simply pouring a bit of magic into this end will produce an endless flow of solvents. It will be invaluable for my research,” she said. “I’ll explore this world further, but I know very little about it. I might even die there. If I don’t return within a week, announce my death. I’ve written my will. You must follow my instructions. Lannis, don’t try to stop me. This is something I have to do, something I must accomplish.”

With those words, Rebecca, carrying the remaining three magic crystals and equipped with various tools, stepped into the portal, vanishing in a flash of unstable magical energy. The crystal embedded in the Gateway shattered. That night, when Lannis poured magic into the World Conduit, it successfully produced high-quality alchemical solvents. But Rebecca never returned.

Lannis, following Rebecca’s instructions, announced her death and burned all her notes and most of her inventions, as per her will. However, hoping to see her mistress again, she secretly kept the Gateway to the New World and the World Conduit. She disguised the Gateway as a statue of herself, but before she could conceal the World Conduit, a group of gangsters, learning of Rebecca’s death, stormed her laboratory, looting everything of value, seeking revenge for her constant interference in their affairs. Lannis lost an eye during the attack. When she woke up, cared for by a few people Rebecca had helped in the past, the World Conduit was gone.

For the next thirty years, the World Conduit changed hands numerous times, its previous owners meeting unfortunate ends due to their rivals’ envy. It eventually ended up in the possession of the Goat Eyes Gang—their leader was cunning, ruthless, and well-connected. He guarded his treasure jealously, using it to amass a fortune. Recently, rumors of the Goat Eyes Gang’s possession of this miraculous machine spread, attracting the attention of various factions and rekindling Lannis’s hope. It contained the last remaining magic crystal that might be useful.

She wanted to rescue Miss Rebecca, or at least find her remains, even just her bones. Lannis had nothing left to lose. She was willing to risk her life for this one chance.

“Let me see the portal,” Abyss said, looking at Lannis. “Simply embedding the crystal won’t affect its lifespan, right?”

“That’s right. Go ahead. I’m placing my last hope on you. And you should thank that Gray Elf who vouched for you,” Lannis said, nodding, her voice resigned.

Abyss retrieved the magic crystal from his catfish’s mouth and, following Lannis’s instructions, carefully embedded it into a slot within the Gateway to the New World, then channeled his magic into another designated spot.

Hummm

Despite being inactive for over forty years, the portal remained functional. A shimmering, multicolored curtain of light appeared within the archway, a faint magical hum filling the air.

As Abyss marveled at the ingenuity of this invention, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. Several scenes flashed through his mind.

A desolate wasteland, abandoned factories, crumbling city ruins…

A vast graveyard stretching for miles, dominated by a towering altar…

Finally, the images settled on a clear pool of water.

A young woman, her face obscured, lay at the bottom of the pool, her bare feet pale and delicate, her white dress swaying gently in the current, her hands clasped on her chest. The surface of the water, rippling with light, hid her features.

In her slender hands, adorned with jade-white nail polish, she clutched a piece of paper, a short phrase written in ancient language.

“Kiss me.”

Chapter 129: Lannis’s Explosive Abode

Titus was now fully committed to a confrontation with the Goat Eyes Gang. Their previous conflicts had been mostly covert, each side occasionally hiring Lannis or sending thugs to disrupt the other’s operations, vying for market share. This had been going on for years. The Pike Gang had once been a contender in this three-way struggle, but they had eventually been pushed out of the combat potion market, forced to focus on luxury goods.

This time, the Goat Eyes Gang’s losses were significant. Their main factory had been infiltrated, their foreman was missing, their child laborers had vanished without a trace, and most importantly, their prized possession, the Spatiotemporal Solvent Machine, had been dismantled. It was as if someone had drugged and surgically removed both of the Goat Eyes Gang’s kidneys.

There was no way to downplay this attack. The rivalry between the Goat Eyes Gang and the Black Hats was fierce. Titus, who had been planning this for a long time, was ready for their retaliation.

He could already imagine Eugene’s reaction in the morning, discovering his biggest factory ransacked, his money-making machine destroyed. It would be a sight to behold.

After leaving the factory, passing by the Goat Eyes gang members, now more docile than sheep thanks to Abyss’s illusion magic, Titus met up with his men, who had successfully completed their tasks. The children were safe, hidden away from any potential gang war. He briefly announced his intention to confront the Goat Eyes Gang, and his men, instead of showing any fear, were excited. It seemed they had been itching for a fight.

Titus didn’t accompany Abyss and Lannis to her house. He had more preparations to make. Thanks to Abyss’s magic, none of the nearby Goat Eyes gang members had raised the alarm. It was still late at night. The enemy wouldn’t discover the attack until morning. Titus had several hours to minimize casualties and bribe the city guards to turn a blind eye, ensuring a favorable outcome for his gang.

Abyss, meanwhile, followed Lannis to her home.

Despite her simple clothes, her rough speech, and her seemingly meager lifestyle, Lannis had amassed a considerable fortune through her explosives expertise. Her house was large and heavily fortified, resembling a fortress.

She activated a magic crystal switch, deactivating the magic arrays surrounding her property. Even from outside the walls, Abyss could smell the potent explosives within. Anyone trespassing without permission would likely be vaporized within minutes.

“Come in, boy. I’ve deactivated the explosives—as long as you don’t touch anything!” Lannis said, unlocking the iron gate with a key, leading Abyss inside.

The house reeked of explosives. Despite its tidy exterior, the interior was scarred by numerous explosions, walls scorched and furniture shattered, resembling a potion factory after a catastrophic accident.

Abyss had sensed a deep basement beneath the house, and as expected, Lannis led him directly to a trapdoor, descending a ladder into the darkness. They climbed down for about ten meters before reaching the bottom, where a thick metal door led to a well-equipped laboratory.

“This is my laboratory. Half of my inventions were created here,” Lannis said, chuckling. “The other half were concocted while I was eating.”

“You have everything here,” Abyss said, looking around with curiosity. “I know a bit about alchemy. You could create any potion in this lab—as long as you have the ingredients.”

“Of course. Some of this equipment is incredibly rare. They’re Miss Rebecca’s legacy,” Lannis said, walking further into the lab. “Don’t touch anything. If you damage any of her belongings, I’ll skin you alive.”

“You were very close to Miss Rebecca,” Abyss said.

“Before I met her, I was just a lowly alchemist, hired to get rid of rats for wealthy families. One day, I was caught in a gang war while working. Miss Rebecca appeared out of nowhere, single-handedly defeating all the thugs and saving me. She was very young at the time, but she already possessed extraordinary talent,” Lannis said, retrieving a glass vial filled with a yellow oily substance from her person and approaching a statue in the lab.

It was a statue of Lannis, but three times her size. It seemed odd to have a statue of herself in her own laboratory.

But Abyss didn’t question her. He understood what was about to happen—Lannis smashed the vial against the statue.

The vial shattered, the potion coating the statue’s surface. The surrounding air shimmered from the intense heat as the potion bubbled and exploded, corroding the statue. Thick steam rose from the melting figure, sucked away by the lab’s ventilation system.

Within minutes, the statue was reduced to a pile of rubble, revealing what lay hidden within.

“Miss Rebecca wasn’t just a brilliant alchemist. She was also a master of spatial magic,” Lannis said, turning to face Abyss, a smile playing on her lips. “Can you imagine? This device, crafted by Miss Rebecca, is a spatial magic artifact, built using alchemical techniques. This is how she transported herself to another world and activated the ‘Spatiotemporal Solvent Machine.’ Spatial magic is considered a useless field, even most mages ignore it. But a genius like Miss Rebecca mastered it at the age of seventeen.”

Abyss stared at the metal archway hidden within the statue, realizing once again that he had underestimated Rebecca Viper.

Chapter 128: Abyss, the Master Dismantler

Titus sat on the floor near the basement entrance. He had found some water used to cool the factory’s machinery, and although it wasn’t exactly clean, he had used it to wash his face. Now, bored, he had retrieved his beloved spoon and was chewing on it, the metal clinking against his teeth.

He had expected Abyss’s conversation with Lannis to be lengthy, perhaps even punctuated by explosions. But Abyss returned from the basement sooner than expected.

“Hey, Mr. Abyss! Did you reach an agreement with Lannis?” Titus asked, jumping to his feet, his voice enthusiastic.

Abyss seemed hesitant. He coughed, then said, “We’ve reached an agreement. She’s willing to cooperate with my plan. But there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Tell me anything. I’ll do my best to help,” Titus said, smiling. He had witnessed Abyss’s power firsthand. Having such a powerful mage on his side wasn’t a burden, but a rare opportunity. He was eager to please.

“That machine, the solvent machine you wanted, we’ve decided to dismantle it here,” Abyss said, gesturing towards the basement entrance with his thumb. “We can’t let it operate anymore. The Goat Eyes Gang has been running it non-stop since they acquired it. If we don’t intervene, it might break down soon. The magic crystal at its core is irreplaceable. If it breaks, the machine is beyond repair.”

Titus’s eyes widened.

“So, I won’t be able to give you the machine. I need to secure that crystal. It’s incredibly important to both Lannis and me,” Abyss continued. “This machine is actually the work of a genius alchemist from forty years ago, Miss Rebecca. No one alive today can replicate it.”

Titus chewed on his spoon thoughtfully.

Abyss knew Titus wasn’t a saint. The allure of a machine that produced free alchemical solvents was irresistible to a gang whose primary income came from selling potions. Titus had finally secured a rare opportunity to infiltrate the Goat Eyes Gang’s main factory, and now he had to abandon his prize. His hesitation was understandable.

But Titus’s hesitation was shorter than Abyss expected. He quickly smiled at Abyss. “Then dismantle it.”

“You don’t mind?”

“It’s a unique and valuable artifact. I understand its worth to the world. And I know you’re a skilled mage, and Lannis, despite her eccentricities, is a brilliant alchemist. It’s far more meaningful for you to study it than for it to be used as a cost-cutting tool by some greedy gang,” Titus said, nodding slowly. “Besides, the Goat Eyes Gang is weakened after my little stunt. And without the solvent machine, they won’t recover easily. All I need is time. Even if you take the machine, the potion market in Lavoisier City will be mine eventually.”

“You have grand ambitions. The Goat Eyes Gang might retaliate. Have you prepared for that?” Abyss asked, nodding in approval.

“I’ve been preparing for a long time,” Titus said, a sly smile spreading across his face. “It would be difficult for us to initiate a conflict with the Goat Eyes Gang. But if they attack us, things will get interesting.”

With Titus’s approval, Abyss felt reassured. He returned to the basement, leaving Titus behind, who claimed he couldn’t bear to witness the machine’s dismantling.

“Ha! You’re back! So, did that charcoal briquette agree?” Lannis asked, laughing as Abyss entered the basement. “You’re a strange one. A powerful necromancer like you, seeking a gang leader’s approval.”

“I have my pride,” Abyss said, smiling, effortlessly slicing through the thick metal bars of the cage with his bone blade, the metal clanging as it fell to the ground. “If I dismantled the machine secretly and then told him I wasn’t giving it to him, wouldn’t that make me seem afraid?”

“Hehe, that makes sense. A mage of your caliber wouldn’t stoop to such underhanded tactics.”

“Not necessarily. But if I were to act secretly, I would ensure absolute secrecy,” Abyss said, chuckling, as he began dismantling the machine.

Lannis, having helped Rebecca assemble the machine, still possessed some knowledge of its inner workings, despite the passage of forty years. Her memories might have faded, but no one on the continent understood this machine better than her.

With Lannis’s guidance and recollections, Abyss carefully dissected the machine with his razor-sharp bone blade, revealing its intricate components, some in pristine condition, others showing signs of wear and tear. They finally reached a heavy box made of mana-conducting metal. Inside, a magic crystal, covered in cracks but still emitting a faint glow, lay nestled within.

At first glance, it resembled an ordinary magic crystal, but closer inspection revealed intricate details. The crystal’s surface was etched with numerous patterns using an unknown potion, and some areas bore faint discolorations, suggesting it had been soaked in a potion to imbue it with specific properties. It might look like a simple crystal, but its complexity rivaled that of a machine.

“This is the core… Miss Rebecca poured her heart and soul into it,” Lannis said, her voice tinged with nostalgia, as she looked at the crystal. “She spent days and nights working on it, perfecting every detail. The craftsmanship is exquisite, the process incredibly complex. No one in the world can replicate it, except for Miss Rebecca herself.”

“I’ll keep it safe for now. I have a secure storage space,” Abyss said, summoning his magical catfish and placing the crystal inside its mouth. “Let’s leave this place. We can’t stay in the Goat Eyes Gang’s territory forever.”

“Good. I’ll show you something Miss Rebecca left behind—an artifact she used in her experiments. She wanted me to destroy it along with her notes, but I kept it hidden,” Lannis said, turning and walking ahead, her hands clasped behind her back. “Come to my house. It’s my domain. No one can enter without my permission.”

Chapter 127: “World Conduit”

Abyss saw a shift in Lannis’s demeanor.

Her eyes, initially wild and filled with the thrill of explosions, mirroring her reputation as a crazed explosives expert, now held a flicker of nostalgia, a hint of joy, even a touch of nervousness. Hope had rekindled the spark in her once-clouded gaze.

Lannis wasn’t truly mad. She had simply been masking her pain, her loneliness, with a facade of madness. Losing Rebecca must have been devastating for her.

“May I enter now?” Abyss asked, smiling gently.

“Yes… No! Wait!” Lannis exclaimed, about to agree, then abruptly changed her mind. She frantically rummaged through her collection of bottles and vials, spraying and splashing potions, triggering reactions with unseen objects within the basement. Small explosions and crackling sounds filled the air as smoke billowed around her small frame, her movements agile as she navigated the cluttered space.

After a few minutes of frantic activity, she stood before Abyss, panting. “Alright, you damned necromancer, I’ve disabled all the traps. Get in here!”

Abyss calmly pushed open the stone door, now loosened by the explosions, and entered the basement. He casually chanted a spell, a gust of wind dispelling the smoke.

Bright magical lamps illuminated the basement walls, revealing a large cage in the center of the room. Inside the cage sat a machine, over two meters tall, resembling a rectangular loaf of bread, its surface smooth gray metal, devoid of any markings or seams. A single hole in the center, with a spout for liquid to flow out, and a circular plate beside it, embedded with magic crystals, hinted at its function. It seemed simple enough: pour magic into the plate, and free alchemical solvent would flow from the hole.

“Behold! Miss Rebecca’s masterpiece! I call it the Spatiotemporal Solvent Machine, but Miss Rebecca called it the ‘World Conduit’,” Lannis said proudly, gesturing towards the seemingly ordinary machine. “The concept was initially mentioned in Baron Bottel Viper’s notes. He described a machine that could produce alchemical solvents automatically, but he also stated that such a machine didn’t exist in this world. It came from a place called ‘xitong(System).’ No one understood what that meant, but Miss Rebecca, with her genius intellect and Baron Bottel’s descriptions, created this unparalleled machine! I assisted in its construction, but the core components were all her work.”

“May I activate it?” Abyss asked, his eyes gleaming with curiosity, as he observed the machine.

“You can, but I’d rather you didn’t,” Lannis said, shaking her head. “Because its lifespan is nearing its end.”

“Lifespan? Doesn’t it simply transport matter from another world?” Abyss asked, looking at her, puzzled. “Or is there… an irreplaceable component?”

“Hehe, you guessed it. There is an irreplaceable core component—a special magic crystal,” Lannis said, walking towards the cage and gently tapping the machine’s outer shell. “I recently discovered a fragment of Miss Rebecca’s notes. I was about to burn it, but it mentioned this machine, forcing me to act. According to her calculations, if this machine continues to operate, the magic crystal at its core will shatter, within a few days at best, next year at worst.”

“Let me guess, ever since the Goat Eyes Gang acquired this machine, they’ve been using it non-stop to produce solvents, haven’t they?”

“Ha! Those money-grubbing fools! And the idiotic alchemists who serve them!” Lannis cackled, her laughter grating. “I couldn’t allow that crystal to shatter. After numerous experiments, I discovered there’s no substitute for it! It utilizes a unique mechanism to connect this world to another. It’s the only way to find Miss Rebecca! So, I took on a little job—oh, the one who hired me is now a charcoal briquette—and infiltrated the Goat Eyes Gang’s territory, giving them a taste of their own medicine. I blew up all their potion warehouses, not leaving a single bottle intact.”

Lannis then recounted the events that followed, much to Abyss’s amusement. Eugene, the notoriously stingy leader of the Goat Eyes Gang, was predictably furious. He led his men to capture Lannis, who was waiting patiently outside her house, and imprisoned her in his factory, demanding she produce ten times the amount of potions she had destroyed, or face death. He was unaware that the magical machine he had acquired from an auction was Lannis’s mistress’s creation, and that Lannis had orchestrated this entire scenario to infiltrate his factory and retrieve the crystal.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how to break open the machine’s casing and retrieve the crystal, so I can escape and study it at my leisure, hoping to find a way to recover Miss Rebecca’s body. I had it all planned out. I even bought a small manor in the Western Empire. Those Westerners hate gangs. Eugene’s reach doesn’t extend that far. He’ll never find me,” Lannis said, chuckling. “I can imagine his frustration. Boom! Hahahaha!”

“By the way… Why did you burn all of Rebecca’s notes?” Abyss asked, curious.

“Oh, you inquisitive little brat!” Lannis said, wagging her finger at him. “If you’re truly capable of resurrecting Miss Rebecca, why don’t you ask her yourself?”

“Ah, that’s true,” Abyss said, scratching his head.

“So? Are you going to help me move this machine?” Lannis asked, patting the cage. “I can easily open it, but I’ll need your undead servants to carry it—and you’ll have to figure out a way to avoid detection.”

“No, that’s too troublesome,” Abyss said, shaking his head. “We’ll dismantle it right here. I have a more efficient and less destructive method than explosions. Look.”

He extended his hand, and a bony gauntlet materialized, covering his entire hand. Sharp bone spikes protruded from each fingertip.

“Ha, you necromancers always have your tricks,” Lannis said, chuckling after a moment of surprise, revealing her tobacco-stained teeth.

Chapter 126: The Not-So-Cold Mad Scientist

Abyss was stunned.

He stared at Lannis, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Her grave isn’t in this world? This… This is truly unexpected.”

“Hehe, surprised, aren’t you?” Lannis said, her wrinkled face beaming with pride, as she noticed Abyss’s astonishment. “That’s right, my mistress, Miss Rebecca, died over forty years ago, and her final resting place isn’t even in our world, Hai-Teweru! Even with all your skills, you can’t resurrect someone from another world!”

Abyss realized he had underestimated the genius alchemist’s abilities. He had assumed Rebecca was simply a brilliant alchemist and mechanic, skilled in creating various potions and devices. He hadn’t anticipated this level of mastery.

If she had died in another world, she must have possessed a way to travel between worlds! This explained the principle behind the Spatiotemporal Solvent Machine…

“Please tell me!” Abyss exclaimed, his excitement growing instead of diminishing. “Tell me how your mistress traveled to another world! And tell me, are the solvents produced by that machine from another world as well?”

Lannis had expected Abyss to give up. She disliked necromancers, partly because they were always surrounded by death, their gloomy presence clashing with her vibrant personality. And partly because necromancers had a terrible reputation in Hai-Teweru.

No one liked those who summoned hordes of undead, terrifying or even killing those who stood in their way, those who were cunning, deceitful, and disrespectful towards the deceased.

Encountering such a polite and respectful necromancer was already a surprise. She hadn’t anticipated his insatiable curiosity. If Abyss were a typical necromancer, he would probably be plotting to kill her and interrogate her soul.

“Ha! You strange boy! Aren’t you disappointed at all?” Lannis paced back and forth behind the door, her movements erratic. “You’ll never get this machine, and you’ll never resurrect my mistress! Leave! I won’t tell you anything about her!”

She grabbed a small bottle with a nozzle and a rubber bulb attached to it. She aimed the nozzle at her feet and squeezed the bulb, spraying a few drops of potion. The potion exploded upon contact with her boots, releasing a pungent odor and a series of small pops. She hopped around, her eyes wild, glaring at Abyss.

“Explosion! Explosion! Leave this place! Stop asking! Or I’ll blow this entire factory to smithereens!” she shouted. “But you must take those children with you! I don’t want to harm them! But I will destroy this machine, ensuring you’ll never unlock its secrets and create another Spatiotemporal Solvent Machine!”

“But don’t you miss your mistress?” Abyss asked suddenly, his voice calm and gentle, a stark contrast to the raving mad scientist before him. “Don’t you want to see her again? According to the records, you were her most loyal companion, her most trusted assistant… Her death must have devastated you. But I can mend that.”

Lannis stopped hopping, her eyes fixed on Abyss.

He continued, “This might disappoint you, but my abilities far surpass those of ordinary necromancers. I can travel between worlds. It’s not a perfect skill yet, but I’ve never failed.”

Lannis tilted her head, her black eye staring at him sideways.

“If you help me, if you tell me how to reach the world where Miss Rebecca died, I can bring her back. And not as a mindless puppet, but as a complete, sentient, and free-willed high-ranking undead,” Abyss said, smiling, spreading his arms wide. “She must have unfulfilled wishes. I’ll help her achieve them. And you must have things you wanted to tell her, things you wanted to do with her. This is your chance.”

Abyss’s words were like a siren’s call, tempting Lannis, shaking her resolve to protect the Spatiotemporal Solvent Machine.

She stood there, speechless, her mouth agape.

“Well, you probably don’t believe me yet. Let me introduce you to a friend who can vouch for my abilities,” Abyss said, unfazed by her silence. He rubbed one of his rings.

Wisps of smoke flowed from the ring, swirling and coalescing on the ground, gradually forming a human shape. The smoke solidified, and a tall, slender female elf stood before Lannis.

She had long, flowing white hair, violet eyes, and a beauty that could take anyone’s breath away. She wore a magnificent, form-fitting gown that accentuated her perfect figure. Her bare feet hovered an inch above the ground, her every movement graceful and elegant.

A Gray Elf! One of the most noble elven sub-races! Even Lannis, in her madness, recognized this reclusive race, rarely seen by outsiders, known for their beauty and their unwavering commitment to peace. They resided in hidden mountaintop palaces within the Elven Kingdoms, emerging only during times of great turmoil, offering aid to those affected by war and mediating between nations, seeking peaceful resolutions. They were natural diplomats, artists, and mages, their innate magical talent granting every adult Gray Elf power exceeding the seventh tier. But they never abused their power. Their lifespans were five times longer than humans’, but their birth rate was incredibly low, their entire population numbering only a little over a hundred.

“Kevrielfield, you Gray Elves despise lies above all else. Could you tell her about your life as my follower?” Abyss asked, looking at the summoned elf.

“Of course, my dear Master Abyss,” the Gray Elf said, smiling warmly, performing a complex and elegant Gray Elven courtesy before turning to Lannis. “Life as Master Abyss’s follower is not much different from my previous life. I enjoy freedom, I revel in beauty. The only difference is, I now have a reliable companion, a leader worthy of respect and admiration. And all I need to do is be by his side when he needs me.”

Lannis’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Gray Elves never lied. They considered lying and selfishness to be the ultimate shame. Making a Gray Elf lie was as difficult as convincing an adult Dark Elf to abstain from sex for ten years. Lannis was certain that this Gray Elf summoned by Abyss was indeed undead. Her prosthetic eye could detect heat, and although the elf radiated warmth, it was significantly lower than a living being’s.

“You… You can really do it?” Lannis asked, her voice trembling, her arrogance, stubbornness, and madness replaced by a flicker of hope.

“Give me the clues, and I’ll handle the rest,” Abyss said, nodding confidently.

Chapter 125: Who Says the Dead Can’t Speak?

The stone door was coated with a potion!

Boom!

That was the last thought that crossed Abyss’s mind before he was engulfed in a fiery explosion.

The moment his hand touched the surface of the stone door, the applied magical coating reacted violently, unleashing a wave of intense heat and concussive force. The blinding flash momentarily blinded Titus.

“Damn it!” Titus exclaimed, realizing he had forgotten to warn Abyss about Lannis’s heightened vigilance. Now, even Mr. Abyss had fallen victim to her trap!

He wouldn’t be angry about this, would he?

The flames quickly died down, leaving a thick cloud of black smoke billowing from where Abyss had stood. A small figure emerged from behind the partially shattered stone door, laughing maniacally at the figure still hidden within the smoke.

“Ahahahaha! Explosion! Explosion! You ill-mannered brat, trying to steal my Spatiotemporal Solvent Machine! One intrusion wasn’t enough, so you brought backup?” the figure cackled, her wrinkled face contorted in a gleeful grin. “Now you know my power! I warn you, take another step, and my other explosives will teach you a more memorable lesson!”

“Impressive concentrated potion. Did you create it? It seems to contain several unstable substances, quite difficult to concentrate,” a calm voice suddenly emerged from the black smoke, interrupting Lannis’s laughter.

“Hmm?” Lannis was taken aback. The concentration process for her potion was indeed complex, but the intruder should be coughing and choking on the smoke, unable to speak, let alone ask such a composed question.

“Oh, my apologies. I forgot that conversing without making eye contact is considered rude,” the voice said. A gentle breeze swept through the basement, dispelling the smoke, revealing Abyss, completely unharmed.

His clothes weren’t even singed, and his hand, the one that had touched the explosive potion, was pristine. His face showed no anger, only boundless curiosity as he looked at Lannis.

Lannis had a typical halfling appearance, with short blonde hair, a round face, short, slender legs, and wide, bare feet. Halflings lived about one and a half times longer than humans. At over seventy years old, Lannis’s face only bore a few wrinkles, suggesting her age. She was about 1.2 meters tall, her frame thin and seemingly frail.

The most striking aspect of her appearance was the multitude of bottles and vials hanging from her body. Some were transparent, others made of brown, light-blocking glass. Alarmingly, many of them seemed unstable, some even trembling slightly. Even Titus, accustomed to dealing with eccentrics, was hesitant to approach her—if she fell, it would be disastrous.

He hoped she wasn’t as fragile as she appeared.

One of her eyes wasn’t her original. Unlike the typical blue eyes of halflings, it was black and lifeless, likely a prosthetic made of magic crystal. It couldn’t see, but it could detect things beyond the perception of ordinary humans, such as heat and strong magical fluctuations.

“Aah! You cunning brat! How did you escape my explosion unharmed? I intended to roast you into a charcoal briquette!” Lannis exclaimed, her voice raspy but surprisingly loud.

“Oh, I’m a mage. I happen to know a few spells that can withstand your explosions,” Abyss said with a smile. “You don’t mind, do you? Oh, and I heard you call that machine that produces alchemical solvents the ‘Spatiotemporal Solvent Machine.’ You seem to know a lot about it. Would you mind telling me more?”

“Aah! Damn it! That’s my treasure! It’s the only way to find the most precious treasure in the world! I won’t let you steal it!” Lannis suddenly became agitated. “You gangsters might rule this city, but you won’t take advantage of me!”

“My god, lady, you’re currently in the Goat Eyes Gang’s territory. This thing belongs to them. Why are you so worked up?” Titus said, annoyed.

“You rotten-toothed brat! I’ll blow your backside to kingdom come!” Lannis threatened, then burst into laughter. “You’re telling the second funniest joke in the world! Since when did this belong to the Goat Eyes Gang? They stole it from my mistress!”

Titus knew nothing about Lannis’s past, but Abyss instantly recognized the “mistress” she was referring to: Rebecca Viper, the genius alchemist who had once monopolized the continent’s adult entertainment industry, the very person he had come to the Eastern Empire to resurrect.

It all made sense now… This machine was the creation of that extraordinary genius. But had alchemy truly advanced to the point of creating matter out of thin air? And what kind of “spatiotemporal” manipulation was involved?

“Miss Lannis, what would it take for us to take this marvelous machine?” Abyss asked suddenly. “I’m very interested in it. I would be delighted to study it.”

“Take this machine? Ha!” Lannis scoffed. “Don’t even dream of it. If you want this machine, have my mistress order me to hand it over! Can you do that?!”

To an ordinary person, this would sound like a hopeless situation. But Abyss’s eyes lit up. He knew why Lannis had said that. Her mistress, Miss Rebecca, had died over forty years ago. It was her way of saying “absolutely not.”

But who said the dead couldn’t speak?

“Titus, I need to speak with Miss Lannis privately. Would you mind excusing us for a moment?” Abyss said, turning to Titus.

Titus shrugged. Abyss clearly wasn’t afraid of the crazy halfling’s explosives. He had no concerns about leaving them alone. “Of course, I’ll head upstairs. Call me when you two reach an agreement.”

“You’ll never reach an agreement! Give up, brat!” Lannis shouted.

Titus ignored her, shaking his head, and climbed the stairs, leaving the basement.

“Well, it’s just the two of us now. I asked him to leave because I didn’t want to frighten him. You, on the other hand, are not easily frightened, are you?” Abyss said, smiling gently at Lannis. “I’m a necromancer. I came to the Eastern Empire specifically to resurrect your mistress. I’d like to ask you, where is her grave?”

Abyss expected Lannis to regret her previous statement, but she only seemed surprised for a moment before chuckling softly. “Hehehehehe… So you’re a necromancer. What of it? You want to resurrect my mistress? I won’t stop you, but do you truly have the ability? Her grave… It’s not in this world! No one can reach it, except for her!”

Chapter 124: The Solvent Machine Found

“What happened to you?” Abyss asked, surprised by Titus’s sooty and somewhat comical appearance.

Titus held up his singed scarf, his blackened face contorted in a wry smile. “Don’t ask. You wanted to find Lannis, right? Well, she’s here, with that solvent-producing machine. I found the machine, and when I tried to touch it, she attacked me. Fortunately, she didn’t intend to kill me, just gave me a little warning.”

“Lannis, is that the eccentric but kind halfling lady?” a child asked timidly.

“Hmm? You know her too?” Abyss turned to the child.

The child nodded. “Mr. Eugene brought her here. He said she had to stay and produce ten times the amount of potions he lost in the explosions before she could leave. She’s locked in the basement. She comes up for meals, and Mr. Weeks watches her eat before sending her back down. Sometimes, she shares her food with those of us who haven’t eaten enough… And Mr. Weeks only watches her, he doesn’t dare bother her, so he leaves us alone.”

“I see, so Eugene captured her,” Titus said, wiping his face with his singed scarf, leaving streaks of soot. “I had a feeling something was off when I met her. She was overly enthusiastic when I asked her to bomb the Goat Eyes Gang’s warehouses.”

“Well, I’m eager to meet her now. She seems interested in that machine, and I have some important questions for her,” Abyss said, nodding with a smile. “Now, let’s get these children out of here. Mr. Eugene, their employer, is probably still asleep or enjoying himself. I’ve made sure none of his men here can report back to him.”

“Your magic is truly impressive, Mr. Abyss. You must be much older than you appear,” Titus said, looking at Abyss with admiration. In his eyes, Abyss was now an all-powerful sorcerer.

He had seen Abyss manipulate objects from afar, likely an advanced application of wind magic. Ordinary Elemental mages couldn’t control wind with such precision. They were usually limited to creating gusts of wind, manipulating air pressure, or, at best, forming wind blades to inflict cutting damage. But Abyss had used wind magic to dissect a mech! Those machines were made of high-grade alloys, not easily cut by ordinary wind blades!

And with a single word, he had commanded the enemy’s thugs, making them obey his every command. This must be some kind of mind control magic, altering their thoughts, making them subconsciously recognize Abyss as their master.

And catching the mech’s punch, which carried the force of several tons, barehanded… Titus couldn’t fathom how he achieved it. Perhaps it was some kind of hardening spell used by Transformation mages, temporarily making his body incredibly dense, transferring the impact force directly to the ground.

Mastering so many schools of magic at such a high level, this young man was a rare talent indeed. The more Titus thought about it, the more he felt like he had stumbled upon a treasure, the kind most people wouldn’t encounter in a lifetime.

Damn it, why didn’t he have a sister? He could have arranged a marriage between her and this powerful mage, securing a valuable ally for life!

Fortunately, Abyss was unaware of his thoughts. Otherwise, he would have been disappointed. The telekinesis and the mech dissection were actually the work of his invisible ghost servants. His gestures weren’t spellcasting but commands to his undead. And the “mind control” Titus had witnessed was just ordinary illusion magic. But Abyss, being a necromancer, had a habit of combining multiple spells. He had layered several illusions, making the thugs exceptionally obedient. As for catching the mech’s punch, he hadn’t even used magic. It was Leona’s rapidly increasing affection for him that had granted him superhuman strength.

And as for a sister, even if Titus had one, Abyss wasn’t interested. He preferred the company of peaceful and quiet corpses.

The children, although apprehensive, followed Abyss out of the factory, encouraged by his reassuring words. Titus, at Abyss’s signal, summoned his men from the surrounding area.

Seeing the children’s lingering anxiety, Abyss commanded the mind-controlled Goat Eyes gang members at the gate to perform a juggling act for them. Although their skills were amateurish, the children, witnessing these once-menacing thugs transformed into docile puppies, gradually relaxed.

The Black Hats gang members were surprised to see their boss return with a group of children, but they didn’t question him. They didn’t care about his plans, as long as they followed his orders.

The children were safely evacuated under the cover of darkness. No one in the vicinity noticed anything unusual. The Goat Eyes Gang remained oblivious. Having accomplished his task cleanly and efficiently, Abyss followed Titus back into the factory.

…

It was clear that Eugene cherished his machine. The basement beneath the factory was deep and heavily fortified, designed to withstand earthquakes and explosions. Abyss and Titus descended a clean, dry staircase, reaching a thick stone door, half-open, revealing two unconscious Goat Eyes gang members with greenish faces.

“The machine is in there. They probably have more guards and tighter security during the day, but at night, it’s just these two sleepy idiots. I gave them each a tranquilizer dart. It was beautiful,” Titus said with a mischievous grin, showing Abyss the miniature crossbow strapped to his wrist. “Once we meet Lannis, perhaps you can convince that explosives-loving maniac to cooperate. She seems to think that machine belongs to her.”

Abyss nodded. Explosions didn’t faze him.

The stone door was only slightly ajar. Abyss calculated the gap. It was too narrow to enter comfortably. He would have to squeeze through sideways.

That didn’t appeal to him. He reached out, attempting to pull the door open.

“Ahahaha! You gray-haired fool, you’ve fallen for my trap! I touched that door already!”

A voice boomed from behind them, and the spot where Abyss’s hand touched the door exploded!

Chapter 123: Rescuing a Group of Children

Bang!

A powerful punch landed squarely on the dwarf’s face. Even his thick skin couldn’t protect his tobacco-stained teeth. Several molars, accompanied by a spray of blood, flew from his mouth.

Abyss had held back. Otherwise, that punch, infused with Leona’s strength, would have shattered the dwarf’s skull, further reducing his already diminutive stature.

“Spare me… Spare me…” Weeks begged, his words slurred, his face swollen like a pig’s head, a mixture of snot, tears, saliva, and blood staining his beard.

Abyss’s expression remained impassive as he observed the dwarf, wiping his hand on his clothes.

“Actually, you’re not entirely to blame. Your boss… Mr. Eugene, is it?” Abyss mused. “You shouldn’t bear the full responsibility for the children’s suffering.”

“I’m just a lowly servant… It’s all Eugene’s fault… He wanted to cut costs, so he hired all these children…”

The dwarf knelt on the ground, sobbing pathetically, shifting all the blame onto his master.

Abyss, disgusted by the sight of his filthy face, looked away.

He understood the reasons behind child labor. The machines in these potion factories weren’t complex. With minimal training, anyone could operate them. Children, with their smaller frames and nimble fingers, could navigate the cramped spaces between the alchemical equipment more easily than adults. And they were significantly cheaper, requiring less food and lower wages. This made them attractive to the Goat Eyes Gang’s leader, who saw them as a source of cheap labor.

By employing children, the Goat Eyes Gang could reduce their labor costs by half compared to other gangs, while producing more potions. This explained their rapid rise to power, despite their late entry into the market.

They saved money on everything: workers, factories, and even potion solvents. They could sell their potions at lower prices while maintaining higher profit margins. And their willingness to sell to anyone, regardless of their background, as long as they could pay, filled Mr. Eugene’s coffers.

“Employing child labor might not be your fault, but you must pay for your own crimes,” Abyss said, raising his foot and stepping on the dwarf’s face, pinning him to the ground.

He chanted a spell, activating a short-range teleportation. Before the dwarf could cry out in pain, his body vanished. The spell wasn’t precise. A few strands of his beard remained, scattered on the ground.

Abyss had transported the dwarf to Lavoisier City’s graveyard. The spell not only teleported him but also temporarily awakened two children buried there, the ones he had murdered. Now, as undead, they possessed the power to seek revenge. It was their right as victims to choose how to deal with their tormentor. They would return to their graves before sunrise, but until then, the battered dwarf was at their mercy.

Abyss clapped his hands, smiling at the children in the factory. “Alright, no one will harm you now. Where are you from?”

The children hesitated for a moment, then, trusting their savior, approached him, surrounding the young man who didn’t seem much older than themselves. They explained their origins, their voices a chorus of pain and despair. The two children who had piloted the mechs also emerged from their cockpits. Abyss’s attack had disabled the machines but left them unharmed.

They came from all over the Eastern Empire, most of them orphans. Eugene had bribed the orphanage staff, “adopting” them and bringing them here to work as cheap labor. He paid them meager wages, barely enough to survive. The Goat Eyes Gang employed children in three factories in Lavoisier City and several more in other cities.

Each factory had a foreman who oversaw the children, whipping them if they slacked off. Each foreman also controlled two magical switches connected to collars worn by the weakest children, forcing them to pilot Eugene’s potion-powered mechs. With such power at their disposal, the foremen were cruel and abusive, lording over the helpless children.

“Do you want to continue working for Eugene? I have a place for you, where you can study, play, and only work a little each day. You’ll be free, no longer exploited or threatened. Does anyone want to stay here?” Abyss asked, unwilling to decide their fate without their input.

All the children shook their heads. None of them had come to this harsh factory willingly. Some had been tricked, others forced. But they had no choice but to rely on Eugene’s meager wages to survive. They were innocent, but they knew staying here offered no future. They would either end up disabled and homeless or die in this toxic environment.

“Mr. Abyss, I’m back! I found the solvent machine! It’s in the basement! I gave the two guards down there a little something. They’ll be asleep for three days!”

Titus’s voice echoed from behind him. It seemed he had successfully located the coveted machine.

“You’re just in time. Can your gang temporarily look after these children? Let them stay at your place for a few days, give them a decent meal. I’ll send them to a friend of mine after I’m done here,” Abyss said, looking at the emaciated children with pity. They worked for over twelve hours a day, yet they were malnourished.

“Hah… Of course, of course. It’s not a big deal. I’m happy to help. As long as they behave, my men will be patient with them,” Titus said, panting, as he approached Abyss.

Abyss looked at him, startled.

Titus’s face was covered in soot, his clothes reeking of smoke. He looked like a miner who had just emerged from a coal mine, only his eyes and his crooked teeth visible.

Chapter 122: The Goat Eyes Gang’s Cost-Saving Secret

Ariel, the young girl in the mech’s cockpit, was stunned. She had never imagined someone could withstand her attack with such ease. Hesitation flickered in her eyes as she glanced at the gaping dwarf foreman, fear washing over her. She quickly retracted her fist and delivered another blow, this time infusing it with intense heat. The mech’s fist glowed red hot as the potions within reacted violently, channeling the searing heat outwards.

Abyss, however, remained unmoved. With a flick of his right hand, the hand that had stopped Ariel’s first punch, he effortlessly sliced the massive mech in half. The upper body, following its momentum, toppled backward, while the lower half remained standing, its power source severed, spewing boiling potions and thick smoke from ruptured pipes.

Another flick of his hand, and Gordon’s mech met the same fate, splitting in two. Gordon, still hesitant, was thrown off balance as his cockpit crashed to the ground along with the severed upper half of the mech.

Abyss then gestured towards the dwarf foreman.

“Aah!” Weeks screamed in terror as an invisible force yanked him towards Abyss by his beard.

Abyss wasn’t in the mood for subtle mind control. He was angry.

The force dragging the dwarf was immense. No matter how hard Weeks struggled, his thick beard couldn’t escape Abyss’s grasp. In an instant, he was pulled before Abyss, who grabbed his neck in a vice-like grip.

“Now will you answer my question?” Abyss asked, his gaze cold and piercing.

“You! Who are you?!” the dwarf shrieked, his voice cracking. “Do you know what Mr. Eugene will do to you? He’ll kill you! He’ll hang your entire family!”

Thump!

Abyss frowned, kicking the dwarf in the stomach. Leona’s immense strength, channeled through the necromantic link, sent the dwarf’s stocky body flying through the air, landing with a thud.

Abyss then chanted a short spell, waving his hand gently. A powerful gust of wind swept through the factory, dispelling the smoke and revealing the entire scene.

The factory was vast, spanning two floors, filled with various machines. Baskets of herbs lay scattered on the floor. And behind each machine stood a child, their faces etched with shock and fear.

They ranged in age from toddlers to teenagers, none of them adults, boys and girls, but mostly boys. They were emaciated, dressed in filthy work clothes, some still clutching herbs, too terrified to drop them.

“Child labor?” Titus exclaimed, his jaw dropping. “Eugene is using children as workers? That bastard… Has he lost all sense of humanity?”

Abyss, his expression grim, gestured towards the groaning dwarf on the ground, pulling him back and grabbing his neck once more.

“No need to answer. I understand. You’re not unwilling to hire adults to operate these machines. It’s just that your workforce is entirely composed of children. They’re more obedient than adults, easier to acquire, aren’t they?”

The dwarf stared at Abyss’s eyes, terror gripping his heart.

Those weren’t the eyes of a mortal! They were the eyes of a being from the realm of the dead! The coldness and arrogance in those eyes, it was as if the God of Death and Slaughter himself stood before him!

“Aah! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! I’m just a poor worker for the Goat Eyes Gang! Please spare me! Don’t kill me!”

The pain in his abdomen and the overwhelming fear of the unknown shattered his resolve. He sobbed, begging for mercy.

“Don’t kill you? I won’t kill you. I never kill,” Abyss said, his voice laced with disgust, looking at the dwarf’s snot-covered beard. “Answer me this: Have you mistreated these children? Have you… caused any of them to die?”

“No! I haven’t! I swear!” the dwarf blurted out, his voice desperate.

“I see,” Abyss said, releasing his grip. The dwarf slumped to the ground.

“Yes! I’ve never mistreated them, never let them die! We treat them well, don’t we, little ones?” Weeks turned to the children, seeking their confirmation.

Some remained silent, others hesitantly mumbled, “Yes.”

“See, I’ve never…”

“He’s lying!” a young girl suddenly shouted. “A week ago, my brother, Spike, was scalded by boiling potion because he kept pushing us and whipping us! He died!”

“Oh, is that so?” Abyss said, raising an eyebrow, his expression knowing.

“Shit!” the dwarf exclaimed, his face pale with terror. He glared at the girl. “I’ll kill you! You little bitch… Aah!”

Before he could finish his sentence, a fist slammed into his head, sending him crashing back to the ground. The blow disoriented him, his vision blurring.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself, Mr. Abyss. Don’t mind me,” Titus said, his face contorted in a grim smile, rubbing his knuckles. “I have a bit of a temper.”

Abyss glanced at him, chuckling, then delivered a swift kick to the dwarf’s side.

“Gah!” the dwarf screamed, his body flying across the room, landing with a thud. He coughed up blood.

“What else has he done? Tell me everything. You’re safe now. The Goat Eyes Gang won’t touch you ever again,” Abyss said, looking at the children. “It’s time for your revenge.”

“He… He…”

“He also killed Bonnie! He withheld her wages, so she couldn’t afford treatment, and she died!”

“He fed our food to the dogs to force us to work harder!”

“Kerrigan lost his hand because of him! He can’t work anymore!”

“He stepped on my puppy!”

“He…”

Emboldened by Abyss’s power and the first child’s courage, accusations poured out, their voices rising in a chorus of anger and pain.

Abyss nodded, slowly approaching the dwarf, who was struggling to get up. “Ugh, I despise people like you… Bullies who prey on the weak, who treat children’s lives as worthless… Titus, start searching for the machine. I need to have a little chat with our dwarf friend.”

Titus grinned. “With pleasure!”

Chapter 121: The Boy Piloting a Mech

As they entered the factory, a pungent smell of alchemical herbs made Titus wrinkle his nose.

While the fumes weren’t exactly toxic waste, the combination of various potions undergoing processes like distillation and combustion created a potent and unpleasant odor. After a few breaths, Titus felt nauseous.

“Gods, this place smells way stronger than our factory,” Titus grimaced, waving a hand in front of his face. “Our factory isn’t this big, and their ventilation and waste disposal systems seem inadequate.”

“Perhaps their secret to cost-cutting isn’t just that machine,” Abyss said, unfazed by the pungent smell. He was accustomed to the stench of decay, so this strong herbal aroma was nothing to him. “No wonder the Goat Eyes Gang rose to power so quickly. If their main factory is like this, imagine the conditions in their other facilities. They must be saving a fortune.”

“Hah, the Goat Eyes Gang’s leader is a shrewd bastard,” Titus said, sneering. Although the Black Hats operated in a legal gray area, they treated their workers well. His combination of authority and generosity had fostered strong loyalty among his men, a change he implemented after becoming the leader. Titus believed in investing in his people to maximize profits, so he despised the Goat Eyes Gang leader’s stinginess.

They continued deeper into the factory, navigating a maze of carts, and entered the main production area through a large door. Distillation apparatuses, furnaces, and other alchemical equipment filled the space. A faint mist hung in the air, limiting visibility to about twenty meters. A dwarf foreman, sitting near the entrance, whip in hand, spotted the intruders. He stood up, his smoke-reddened eyes glaring at them, blocking their path.

“Halt! What are you two doing here? Why are your faces covered?”

The dwarf was stocky, his bulging eyes intimidating. An ordinary person might have been frightened, but the two men before him were a gang leader and a seasoned necromancer. Fear was a foreign concept to them.

“Oh, we’re just here for a tour and to pick up a few things. We’re covering our faces so you won’t recognize us,” Abyss replied casually.

“Are you taking me for a fool?” the dwarf roared, his simple mind failing to grasp how they had entered the factory unchallenged. He stuck two thick fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle.

Two grinding metallic sounds echoed from the mist in the distance.

“Gordon! Ariel! Get over here and deal with these intruders!” the dwarf shouted.

Titus was surprised. He hadn’t expected enforcers to be stationed within the factory… And judging by the sound, these enforcers weren’t ordinary thugs.

Abyss remained calm, waiting for the approaching figures. Although the mist obscured their forms, he could sense what they were.

“Yes, Mr. Weeks,” two timid, youthful voices replied from the mist. The grinding of metal intensified, and two figures, towering over three meters tall, emerged from the mist, slowly approaching.

As they came into view, Abyss’s brow furrowed.

They were two mechanical suits, controlled by magic arrays and powered by burning potions. The suits were heavily armed, their arms bristling with various weapons. They lumbered towards them, white smoke billowing from their exhaust pipes. In the center of each suit was a capsule-shaped cockpit, each containing a child.

Yes, these massive machines were piloted by children, a boy and a girl, both human, barely ten years old. They wore metal collars around their necks, their bodies covered in magic runes—they were the power source for these mechanical suits!

“You fools, daring to trespass on Goat Eyes Gang territory! My men will rip your heads off!” the dwarf, Weeks, said, puffing out his chest, emboldened by the presence of the mechanical suits. “I don’t care who you are, but you’ve entered our domain, and you’ll die here! These mechs can even hold their own against a seventh-tier Dou Warrior. Killing you two is like swatting flies!”

“Why are you using children to pilot these machines? Wouldn’t adults be more suitable?” Abyss asked, tilting his head, observing the approaching mechs, his body unmoving.

Weeks ignored him, waving his hand impatiently, urging the children to attack.

“I’m sorry…” the girl in the mech said, her voice filled with guilt and fear, as she activated the attack array. The massive mech’s legs propelled it forward, its heavy body lurching as smoke billowed from its exhaust pipes. A giant fist shot towards Abyss and Titus. Titus instinctively wanted to dodge, but seeing Abyss standing still, he hesitated.

Why wasn’t he moving? Was he paralyzed with fear, or did he consider this massive mech’s attack insignificant?

He made a decision: He wouldn’t dodge. What was there to fear?

The mech’s fist, the size of a washbasin, was upon them.

Boom!

A deafening sound echoed through the factory, reverberating off the walls. The stone floor beneath Abyss’s feet cracked under the immense force, a cloud of dust and debris obscuring his form.

“Haha!” the dwarf laughed triumphantly. “Gordon, you idiot! Finish off the other one!”

“Hold on, I was asking you a question. Did you hear me?”

A calm, slightly annoyed voice emerged from the dissipating dust cloud.

As the dust settled, Abyss reappeared, his form visible once more, making the dwarf’s eyes widen in disbelief.

Abyss, his right arm behind his back, his left hand outstretched, had caught the mech’s punch, which carried the force of several tons!

His expression remained calm, his emerald eyes fixed on the dwarf. “I asked you, why are you using children to pilot these machines? Wouldn’t adults be more suitable?” he repeated.