Chapter 37: The Passerby Weeps Alone

Death Knight Clement dragged his heavy iron boots, leading the group deeper into the corridor. Along the way, the Lord continuously inspected the ancient tin can’s equipment from behind.

Clement wore a set of extremely exquisite and sturdy Steel Armor. Though its style was slightly outdated, its protective capabilities were absolutely unparalleled. Xiahou Yan even felt that not even a zombie’s fangs could leave a scratch on this heavy armor. As for Clement’s weapon, it was a Rune Giant Sword strapped to his back with a rope. Given the weight and size of this giant sword, its proper application was clearly not "slashing," but "smashing."

What surprised Xiahou Yan the most was that, having been steeped in dense Netherworld Magic Power for so long, Clement’s entire set of equipment exhibited certain traits of Magic Metal. Every scale of the Armor and every rune on the giant sword radiated a faint Netherworld Magic Power. The magic infused in the metal not only ensured it remained rust-free after eight hundred years, but also provided a tangible deterrent effect!

After all, Netherworld Magic Power itself was an energy that instilled fear and discomfort in the living! Even Victor Laurie, a Fifth-Tier Junior Mage, couldn’t help but shiver when suddenly entering a space dense with Netherworld Magic Power. Only Mr. Xiahou, protected by Lord Yama, and the few living-dead Guards he had resurrected could remain unaffected by it. With every piece of his armor continuously radiating Netherworld Magic Power, Death Knight Clement only needed to stand on the battlefield to scare mentally fragile ordinary soldiers into pissing their pants, without even lifting a finger!

Because of this, the Lord had readily taken Clement under his wing. After all, even if the Death Knight’s own combat prowess was ignored entirely, simply stripping off this set of armor and selling it would be more than worth it! Mr. Xiahou had lived two lives, but he had never once made a losing deal!

Clement, who had endured eight hundred years of hardship yet still seemed somewhat foolish, naturally had no idea what his new Lord was plotting. The poor old bastard had been imprisoned underground for a full eight hundred years, and his heart was currently brimming with the joy of escaping alive. What’s more, in life, he had been a model Knight, fiercely loyal to the empire and his Lord. Now, he felt nothing but gratitude toward this young Lord of the Igor Family.

Clement led the Igor Family group to the deepest part of the corridor and bowed with somewhat excessive eagerness.

"Lord Eliot, this is Master Adrian’s testing site."

By now, he had incredibly swiftly swapped the outdated title of "Your Majesty" for the friendly "Lord Eliot," leaving the Guards watching in sheer amazement. When it came to acting overly familiar and being a total suck-up, absolutely no one could compare to this ancient tin can...

Under the light of the Lighting Crystal, Xiahou Yan immediately spotted the massive and complex circular Magic Array on the ground. Even after more than eight hundred years, this large array, easily four or five meters in diameter, still had faint purple light flowing through its profound magic pathways. It made everyone wonder just how magnificent it must have looked in its prime when fully charged with Magic Power.

In the very center of the Magic Array lay two human skeletons. They were two skeletons tightly embracing each other. Xiahou Yan looked toward Clement with some confusion.

"Lord Eliot, the one on the left is Master Adrian’s corpse." Clement bowed and pointed a finger. "As for the one on the right, it belongs to a young lady. Eight hundred years ago, when I first entered the corridor, these two bodies were still intact. Now, however, they’ve completely rotted away, leaving only bones..."

Adrian actually died hugging a girl? Countless gossipy theories flooded the Lord’s mind, but in the end, he simply slipped the Illusory Bracelet off his wrist and tossed it through the air to Master Laurie.

Master Laurie caught the bracelet with knowing understanding and scurried over to Adrian’s skeleton to replicate the Magic Rhythm. Based on past experience, replicating the Magic Rhythm would take quite some time.

Bored out of his mind, the Lord looked around and noticed a desk sitting beside the Array. Xiahou Yan walked over to it. After confirming there was nothing on top, he bent down and discovered a shallow drawer underneath the desktop.

"Lord Eliot, inside the drawer is a notebook left behind by Master Adrian. Unfortunately, I can’t read, so I couldn’t understand it..." Clement hastily said.

Xiahou Yan rolled his eyes. He reached out and gently pulled open the drawer, sure enough, finding a somewhat worn, leather-bound notebook lying inside.

He picked up the notebook, held it up to the light of the Lighting Crystal, and found the words "Simon Adrian’s Dear Diary" written in flamboyant, ornate script on the cover. Suppressing the urge to gag, Xiahou Yan opened Adrian’s diary. But before he started reading, he tilted his head in thought, fished a Copper Coin from his waist, and placed it inside Adrian’s desk drawer—treating it as a tip for Mr. Adrian’s masterpiece.

The Lord spread the diary on the desk and used quantum speed-reading to quickly skip past the boring, self-aggrandizing drivel that filled the first half. Then, near the middle of the notebook, he found that this senior Necromancer’s writing style had taken a sudden turn, growing increasingly bleak:

"Imperial Calendar, Year 191, February 1st. Sunny. I sold the medal from the Mage Academy’s magic tournament and made thirty Silver Coins. It should be enough to cover this month’s expenses. I went to borrow money from Lord Igor but failed.

"Imperial Calendar, Year 191, February 18th. Sunny. I went to borrow money from Lord Henry Igor again. Not only did Henry refuse to give me any, but he also urged me to pay back my previous debts... If I had the money to pay back my debts, why would I need to borrow from you nobles?

"Imperial Calendar, Year 191, February 21st. Rainy. I sold the bed upstairs. From now on, I might as well sleep in the laboratory. Henry Igor is still trying to persuade me to sell my lab equipment. Hmph, what do those pig-brained nobles know? As a dignified Grand Mage, how could I possibly sell the tools of my livelihood?

"Imperial Calendar, Year 191, March 4th. Sunny. That old bastard Count Henry still won’t lend me any money.

"Imperial Calendar, Year 191, March 8th. Rainy. News came from the Imperial Capital saying that Olivia has fallen ill. My Olivia... I hope she is alright.

"Imperial Calendar, Year 191, March 9th. Sunny. I was thrown out of the castle by Henry Igor’s lackeys.

"Imperial Calendar, Year 191, March 15th. No, this can’t be real. How could Olivia die? No, it can’t be...

"Imperial Calendar, Year 191, April 9th. Sunny. I returned from the Imperial Capital. Olivia’s bastard husband actually refused to let me buy her corpse! Does that fool not understand that Olivia will only be happy with me? Luckily, I have experience. With a little trick, I managed to steal Olivia back. Oh, Olivia, now we can finally be together...

"Imperial Calendar, Year 191, April 10th. Sunny. I recovered the manuscript of the Essentials of Necromancy from Academy City. Olivia, wait for me. Your Simon will figure out a way to wake you up right now..."

Xiahou Yan couldn’t help but look up from Simon Adrian’s diary, turning his gaze toward the center of the Magic Array. There, the two eight-hundred-year-old skeletons were still entwined, utterly inseparable from one another.