Chapter 19: Rare Footage of Early Humans Taming Zombies

Xiahou Yan pulled the *Essentials of Necromancy* from his chest pocket. With utmost solemnity, he flipped past the *Resurrection Technique* to the Chapter a few pages later titled *Corpse Control Technique*. Since the entire book was written in Ancient Iolaian Demon Language, the word for "Control" in the Chapter’s title could just as easily be translated as "Screw," but the Lord decisively chose the less misleading interpretation.

Holding the Necromancy Magic Book, Xiahou Yan slowly walked over to the cage holding Zombie Dave.

Dave showed obvious fear toward the Lord. It whimpered and twisted its body inside the cage, shrinking into the corner furthest from Xiahou Yan.

Master Laurie had already heard from Lawrence that the Lord possessed a special ability to terrify zombies and scatter them for miles. However, witnessing this magical moment of a "zombie fearing a human" with his own eyes still made the Elder Mage widen his eyes in astonishment.

Nearby, Alice wore a rather complicated expression. If she had known earlier that the Lord had a zombie-repelling constitution, why would she have risked her life to protect him yesterday by recklessly charging into the zombie horde, only to throw her life away in vain? However, on second thought, she remembered the scene of being resurrected by the Lord last night. She recalled his warm palm checking her body temperature, and that sonorous, powerful declaration: "You are equally my subject..." For a moment, the female Swordsman couldn’t figure out whether her death had been worth it or not.

While the onlookers each had their own thoughts, Xiahou Yan was completely focused on his Magic experiment. Following the detailed instructions in the *Corpse Control Technique* Chapter, he chanted loudly in the Iolian Ancient Language:

"Netherworld valleys, the departed shall return; life and death are far apart, yet the arcane connects them; shadows breed, guided by gods and men; your body and your soul, heed only my command..."

The string of obscure, profound ancient syllables made the surrounding crowd dizzy. Only Master Laurie, who was equally well-versed in the ancient language, paid close attention to the Magic Fluctuation in the air. The result was exactly like last time: the intensity of the Magic Power tide wasn’t exaggerated at all; it was entirely at the normal level of a Tier-2 Junior Mage.

Master Laurie was completely baffled.

As the Spell fragment recorded in the *Essentials of Necromancy* neared its end, the Magic Fluctuation in the air gradually reached its climax. Indeed, no phantom of a Divine Spirit appeared this time, because the *Corpse Control Technique* was nothing more than Apprentice-level Magic. It wasn’t as grandiose as the Grandmaster-level Magic, the *Resurrection Technique*.

The most bizarre part of this whole situation was that the prerequisite for a Mage to use the *Corpse Control Technique* was that they had already used the Grandmaster-level *Resurrection Technique* to create a domestic zombie available for manipulation. From this perspective, the *Corpse Control Technique* could probably be considered the low-tier Magic with the highest usage threshold in history. Master Laurie pondered such trivial matters, speechlessly watching the Lord finish chanting his Spell and raise his right hand high, pointing straight at the sky.

In an instant, the surging Magic Elements in the air swarmed toward the Lord’s right hand like iron filings drawn to a magnet. The condensed Magic Elements ultimately seeped out from the void, coating the Lord’s originally pale palm in a dismal gray. Master Laurie knew that this layer of gray energy enveloping the Lord’s palm was the manifestation of Netherworld Magic Power.

The principle behind the *Corpse Control Technique* was to achieve precise control over a zombie’s every move by relying on a Magic Fluctuation that shared the same rhythm and origin as the Netherworld Magic Power inside the zombie’s body!

Xiahou Yan didn’t have as profound an understanding of Magic principles as the Master did. He only felt that after the gray hue appeared, his right hand felt pleasantly cool—not the kind of chilling cold that would make one’s hair stand on end or freeze their nether regions, but rather like a sudden breeze blowing off a pond under the scorching noon summer sun, or the first gulp of ice-cold cola after running a kilometer. It was refreshing and incredibly invigorating! The Lord, who had miserably failed his Magic History course, naturally didn’t realize that he was likely the first Mage in imperial history to describe Netherworld Magic Power this way.

According to the memoirs of other Necromancers, having one’s body enveloped in Netherworld Magic Power felt "absolutely atrocious." It was as if a part of your body had been plunged into freezing ice water, all while thousands of tiny knives sliced at your skin. This also made "manipulating zombies" universally recognized within Necromancer social circles as a dreaded chore to be avoided at all costs.

Oblivious to how lucky he was, the Lord aimed at Dave in the cage, stretched out his right hand covered in its "gray glove," and mimicked the dramatic flair of an edgy anime protagonist, forcefully swiping his hand from left to right.

"Crawl for me!"

Zombie Dave stayed curled up in the corner of the cage, looking at the Lord outside with slight terror, showing absolutely no intention of budging.

Xiahou Yan froze for a moment. He took a deep breath, switched to the deep, resonant voice of a national television announcer, and waved his hand to try again.

"Jump for me!"

Zombie Dave remained completely indifferent.

The onlookers stared at the Lord as if looking at a fool.

Furious, Xiahou Yan simply brought both hands into the fray. In the most exaggerated manner humanly conceivable, he mimicked forming a Rasengan at Dave and shouted sternly:

"Stand up!"

Zombie Dave remained as unmoving as a mountain.

An awkward silence fell over the surroundings.

"Lord, stop trying..." Master Laurie couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Tucking his hands into his sleeves, he advised, "You weren’t the one who resurrected this zombie. Although there is Netherworld Magic Power inside its body, it is out of sync with your Magic Rhythm. According to the mechanism of this Magic, this zombie will absolutely not obey your commands."

"So it’ll only work on a zombie I resurrected myself?" Xiahou Yan thought for a moment. He extended his right hand and tentatively crooked a finger at Alice Comstock, who stood not far away. "Come... here?"

Then, the female Swordsman stiffly took a step and began walking toward the Lord. Judging by the immensely surprised and slightly embarrassed expression on Alice’s face, her bodily movements were clearly not of her own volition.

"Stop!" Xiahou Yan held up a palm toward the approaching Alice.

The female Swordsman immediately stopped in her tracks, as obedient as the most loyal slave.

Some ruffian in the crowd let out a suggestive whistle.

Xiahou Yan looked at the female Swordsman’s flushed, pretty face and felt a surge of irritation in his heart.

He wondered, "The *Corpse Control Technique* was originally meant to enslave zombies. How did it turn into Mind Control and a Soul Capturing Technique in my hands?"

"So Captain Comstock does indeed count as ’your’ zombie now..." Master Laurie said thoughtfully. "Since her body is filled with your Netherworld Magic Power, you can easily use the method of the *Corpse Control Technique* to make her completely obey your commands..."

Alice’s face turned even redder.

"Fuck..." Xiahou Yan was extremely frustrated. "Why the hell would I control Alice for no reason? Isn’t the key problem right now figuring out how to control wild zombies like Dave?"

"That is absolutely impossible!" Master Laurie said decisively. "Every person’s Magic Power has its own unique rhythmic signature. Since you aren’t the creator of these wild zombies, there is no way you can make them obey your Magic commands! In fact, the very reason the wild zombies in the infected zone attacked the Lawrence you resurrected is precisely because the Netherworld Magic Power inside them is out of sync! I’ll put it this way: if you can command these zombies in this lifetime, I will eat this cage right here and—"

Master Laurie suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

"What’s wrong?" Xiahou Yan asked.

"...Sometimes," Master Laurie pinched his chin, his eyes narrowing as if he had realized something, "a person really shouldn’t go around making reckless vows..."