Chapter 26: Exploring the Ancient Mansion

The address of that Legendary Necromancer from eight hundred years ago was actually written on a pesky street flyer plastered by the roadside...

This fact left the Lord, a fellow practitioner of Necromancy, feeling deeply frustrated: "Damn it, how did our Necromancy fall to such a state!"

"It’s said that this Legendary Necromancer, Simon Adrian, lived in destitution and poverty before his death. Now it seems the rumors were true," Master Laurie sighed and shook his head beside him.

As a Legendary Mage worthy of going down in history, Simon Adrian actually had to rely on teaching to make a living, and the tuition fee was a measly fifty silver coins. Master Laurie couldn’t help but feel sympathetic. If it were today, a Grand Mage of Adrian’s caliber would command a starting fee of at least sixty to seventy gold coins for a single lecture, with no upper limit!

One could only say that eight hundred years ago—in that chaotic era when the Magic Association had yet to mature and the empire was still in its infancy—the lives of Mages were much harder than they are now...

Now that they knew the Necromancer Adrian’s address, the rest was simple. Under the cover of Xiahou Yan’s Anti-Zombie Force Field, the group of five followed the faded street signs and soon found Adrian’s old residence in the northwest of the town.

Because it was close to the nearby Raven Castle, the vast majority of the houses on Lusijie Street were shrouded in the towering castle’s shadow. Even so, 56 Lusijie Street, where Adrian had lived, was one of the most conspicuous buildings among them.

Unlike the uniform single-story houses on Lusijie Street, the Necromancer’s former residence was a two-story building with a touch of the Imperial Capital’s elegant style. Even though the house was now completely overrun by weeds and vines, Xiahou Yan could imagine that it must have been one of the most beautiful houses in Black Water Town back in its prime.

However, peering through the filthy, heavily damaged windowpanes, the group could clearly see that there were no curtains or luxurious furnishings inside. To describe the interior as having "four bare walls" would be no exaggeration, forming a stark contrast with the building’s magnificent exterior.

The Lord guessed that Adrian might have been wealthy for a time, even buying himself such a mansion, only to grow poorer as the days went by, eventually being reduced to running Magic tutoring classes.

"The Magic Laboratory should be located underground," Master Laurie, speaking with the experience of a seasoned veteran, stroked his beard and mused. "This prevents the sounds and smells caused by experiments from leaking out, and also makes it easier to extract energy from the underground Spirit Vein."

The entrance to the basement was definitely inside the house, so the group was destined to step into the somewhat eerie old Adrian residence to investigate.

Lawrence and Chris, the two hired hands, fought back their inner trepidation as they stepped forward. They used their sabers to slice through the vines locking the door, cleared away the dirt blocking the entrance, exchanged a glance, and gritted their teeth to pull the door open.

CREAAAK. The main door swung open, but aside from the swirling dust and scattered cobwebs, nothing unusual appeared.

Xiahou Yan followed behind Alice, slowly walking into the former residence of the Necromancer Adrian. His calfskin boots CREAKED as he stepped on the wooden floorboards, but to his surprise, he didn’t feel any rot or fragility underfoot. The only other sounds were the faint rustlings of startled cockroaches and rats reaching his ears.

"Hah." Master Laurie stomped on the wooden floor with great interest. "Eight hundred years without rotting! Master Adrian actually used Elf Wood for his floors!"

Standing in the foyer of the old residence, Xiahou Yan looked around and quickly deciphered the mansion’s layout. The first-floor foyer led to three rooms, which were likely the kitchen, study, and living room. A wooden staircase to the left of the entrance led up to the second floor, which Xiahou Yan guessed was Adrian’s bedroom.

There were still a few pieces of Elf Wood Furniture left in the house. He wondered if the rest of the furniture had been sold off by Adrian or if it had simply rotted to dust over the past eight hundred years.

However, even these few remaining pieces showed signs of severe decay. A baroque-style dining table was missing a leg, causing the entire tabletop to slant onto the floor like a slide. The sofa in the living room, whether it was originally made of fabric or leather, had completely lost its upholstery, leaving only an empty wooden frame. As for the long bookshelves in the study, they might have once held countless tomes, but they were now completely bare.

This discovery left Master Laurie, who had set his heart on salvaging a few ancient Magic Books, looking rather disappointed.

Seeing that everyone was inside, Xiahou Yan instructed, "Chris, close the door." He didn’t want to finish exploring the basement only to come back up and find a zombie that had wandered in from outside standing in the foyer.

The design of such Western-style detached houses was generally quite similar. The Lord looked around and pulled open a rust-covered small door next to the stairs, instantly revealing a narrow flight of stone steps hidden behind the wall that led straight underground.

Without a doubt, the Necromancer Adrian’s Magic Laboratory lay just below.

Xiahou Yan and Master Laurie chanted a Spell in unison, and flames WHOOSHED into existence in their left hands.

Having Mages around was indeed convenient; the expedition team didn’t even need to prepare torches for illumination.

However, it was at this moment that Master Laurie’s rich adventuring experience shone through.

After summoning the flames, the master deliberately flicked his fingers, sending a small spark cascading down the stairs to confirm there were no flammable or explosive toxic gases below. Then, he cast a simple Magic Detection Skill to probe for malicious Magic Traps. Only after that did he give the Lord a solemn nod, indicating that the stairs were safe to descend.

Thus, with a flame burning in his left hand and a crowbar held horizontally in his right, the Lord was the first to walk down the stairs. Alice and Master Laurie followed closely behind him, while Lawrence and Chris continued to bring up the rear.

The downward staircase was long and narrow, and the air was thick with the scent of dampness and decay. Whenever their hands occasionally brushed against the adjacent walls, the touch was cold and slippery.

Fortunately, before this uncomfortable journey could drag on for too long, the stone steps came to an end. Xiahou Yan heard Chris mutter, "One hundred and two," from behind—likely the total number of steps they had descended.

Illuminated by the magical firelight, a dead end blocked by a wall lay straight ahead. To the group’s left was a tightly shut iron door, about two people wide. The iron door remained structurally intact and smooth on the surface. One after another, Magic Runes were deeply engraved into the metal, emitting a faint purple glow.

Without a doubt, Grand Mage Adrian’s Magic Laboratory must be hidden behind this door.

"This door has been reinforced with Magic Runes." Master Laurie curled his fingers and curiously knocked against the runes on the door. Every time he struck a rune, its brightness would surge. "Ordinary metals repel Magic Power. It seems this door is made of a special Magic Metal capable of receiving Enchantments. Even today, this wouldn’t come cheap."

"How much is it worth?" The Lord’s spirits instantly lifted.

Master Laurie held up five fingers. "A piece of Magic Metal this large would go for at least five hundred gold coins!"

Xiahou Yan was already starting to calculate how he could dismantle the door and carry it back.

"Lord Eliot..." Alice tugged at the Lord’s sleeve and leaned in close to his ear. "There doesn’t seem to be a lock on this door..."

Xiahou Yan hurriedly took two steps back, raised his burning left hand, and carefully inspected the door.

He realized the female Swordsman was right. This door had neither a lock nor a handle; it was simply a giant, smooth metal plate embedded in the stone wall.

"This door must conceal some sort of Magic Mechanism. There has to be a special way to open it." Master Laurie stared at the Secret Gate in deep thought for a moment. He reached out his withered right hand, pressed it against the door, and muttered a few Spells under his breath. The spot where his fingers touched the metal immediately burst into a brilliant flash of light.

However, judging by the completely motionless door and the master’s tightly knit brow, the Magic he had just used clearly had no effect.

"Master, save your Magic! Do you know what a crowbar was originally made for?" The Lord drew the crowbar from his waist and spun it deftly in his hand.

Master Laurie shrugged, took two steps back, and crossed his arms with a look of utter disdain. His meaning was clear: The stage is yours, my Lord!