Chapter 286, Is He Really a Mage?
Wu Heng continued walking forward for a while.
Glenda, in stealth mode, caught up from behind.
She hovered beside him, whispering, "I didn't find anyone suspicious, and there were no tamed beasts following either."
Wu Heng frowned slightly, "Maybe I was mistaken."
Glenda had high perception, and with her past experience, she was skilled in scouting and detecting traps.
Since even Glenda didn't spot a target.
Either he was mistaken, or the other party was a professional skilled in stealth and tracking.
If it was the latter, turning back to search aimlessly could alert the enemy.
Better to observe the situation first.
Glenda nodded, continuing, "If someone is indeed following you, they're probably wary of your status as a Guild member. As long as you're cautious, it shouldn't be a big problem."
"Yes, I understand."
...…
Wu Heng walked back to his residence.
He pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard, where Gardener No. 1 was wandering around the flowerbeds.
Minnie hopped out of the building to greet him, "Master, you're back so early today."
Wu Heng put his arm around her shoulder as they walked inside, "Nothing much at the Guild."
"Would you like something to eat? How about I prepare some pastries for you?"
"No need, it's almost time for dinner."
Wu Heng sat on the sofa, snapped his fingers, and the overturned teacup righted itself while the teapot tilted, pouring tea.
Minnie, who had been chattering nonstop, instantly fell silent.
She stared wide-eyed, incredulous at what she saw, "The teapot moved."
The teapot returned to its original position, and Wu Heng dispelled the magic, "A new spell I learned. It's kind of fun."
"Wow, a spell! That's amazing!" Minnie exclaimed.
"It's not really that useful, just controlling small objects."
Wu Heng felt a bit disappointed with the skill.
It wasn't as powerful as he had imagined, and the objects he controlled could only perform simple, specific actions.
But hearing Minnie's excited exclamations.
Suddenly, the skill didn't seem so bad; after all, as a necromancer, his undead attendants handled the fighting. His own magic just needed to look 'cool.'
A spell that could animate lifeless objects.
Learning it didn't consume much effort.
"It's still amazing! Being a mage is great. If I'd known it was this fun, I would have chosen to be a mage," Minnie said enviously.
Wu Heng hugged her shoulder and said, "Being a mage requires reading books and conducting experiments. It's pretty boring."
"Oh! That doesn't sound right for me," Minnie admitted, knowing herself well.
She already got cramps just practicing writing, so reading every day would be even more tedious.
Minnie's eyes darted around, and she asked, "Can I just learn this skill? I think it's perfect for a maid."
If the developer of this spell heard someone say that their painstakingly developed skill was suitable for maids.
They would probably cough up blood in anger.
Wu Heng thought for a moment and said, "It's not necessarily impossible. I have the skill book; you can study it."
That was if Minnie could understand it.
He handed the skill book to the bunny girl, who happily accepted it, whispering, "You're the best, Master."
"Minnie is great too."
"Hehe!"
After chatting with Minnie in the living room and confirming the dinner menu.
He headed directly to the fourth floor.
He opened the realm gate and went to the zombie world.
...…
Exiting the gate, he was in a hotel room.
The room was spacious and tidy, fully furnished.
He opened the curtains and looked outside.
A large number of skeletons were standing on the open ground outside the hotel.
Wu Heng opened the room door and walked out of the hotel entrance, summoning a corpse from his spatial ring onto the open ground.
The skeletons approached and cut the ropes binding the mat.
Revealing the body inside.
Wu Heng glanced at it and cast [Raise Skeleton].
Flesh fell away, and a broad, skeletal warrior slowly stood up.
[Skeleton Warrior (Level 15)]
[Attributes: Constitution 30, Strength 28, Agility 24, Intelligence 16, Perception 15, Charisma 4.]
[Traits: Hollow Skeleton, Intermediate Soul, Dual-Hand Dexterity.]
[Specialties: Heavy Armor Proficiency (Advanced), Dual Blade Proficiency (Advanced), Simple Weapon Proficiency (Basic), Crossbow Proficiency (Advanced), Sailing (Advanced), Ship Repair (Intermediate).]
[Abilities: Dual Blade Ambush, Sweep, Continuous Blade Flow.]
Judging from the attributes.
It wasn't bad at all.
A level 15 skeleton could be a leader in most factions.
However, for Professionals with pirate or bandit backgrounds, even high levels had attributes that seemed scattered.
More like a survivor of intense competition.
"From now on, your name is Blood Hand. Step forward." Wu Heng named him.
The skeleton stepped out of the pile of rotten flesh and stood to the side.
Wu Heng then took out a set of silver plate armor and a pair of unique dual blades, handing them to him, "Use these for now."
[Bloodthirsty Twin Blades] provided a 'Berserk' state and prevented wounds from healing after hitting a target.
The downside was that the user gradually lost their sanity.
Skeletons, of course, didn't have sanity to lose, given that they were false souls bestowed by necromancy, not independent beings.
Similarly, whether it could enter a 'Berserk' state was uncertain.
Most states affected living beings and didn't work on the undead.
For now, it would do. If it didn't exhibit the 'special properties,' he could always replace it.
Blood Hand quickly geared up.
Clad in silver plate armor with dual blades at his waist.
Wearing a bandit hood over his head, topped with a round helmet.
After dealing with Blood Hand.
Wu Heng continued walking through the skeleton ranks.
He selected fifty skeletons, each above level ten, to stand before him.
He gave each of them a bandit hood and said, "You'll come with me."
Returning to the hotel.
Wu Heng led the selected skeletons back to Gold-Silver Island.
...…
Descending the stairs.
"A few of you guard the second-floor balcony; the rest, guard the courtyard."
Wu Heng began assigning the skeletons to guard positions.
A residence like this signified wealth on Gold-Silver Island.
Each household had to have some guards or attendants.
Initially, Wu Heng assigned Skull-Crusher and Blood Hand to follow him, Bagdong to protect Minnie and teach her martial arts, and Fireblade to guard Andviel. Warriors paired with rangers could also provide tactical support.
But today, feeling as if he was being followed.
Wu Heng added more skeletons to ensure the security of his home.
The skeletons dispersed according to their orders.
Minnie, holding a small trowel, walked in and asked, "What's going on?"
"Nothing, just setting up some skeletons to boost defense," Wu Heng replied.
"Sister Andviel should be back soon. I've asked the kitchen to prepare dinner."
"Alright."
Wu Heng sat in the living room for a while until Andviel returned.
Smiling as she took off her shoes, she said, "Master!"
"Dinner is almost ready. Just wait a bit longer!"
"Okay!"
Andviel leaned into his arms and briefed him on some documents delivered that afternoon.
...…
At the port, beneath a cargo ship.
The dimly lit cargo hold was dark and damp.
Clack, clack, clack!
Footsteps descended from the stairs above.
A man dressed in loose robes, with slightly dark skin and dreadlocks, walked down, scanning the dark corner with his gaze. He said, "I saw that Deputy Steward. Are you sure he's a mage?"
From the shadows, a figure slowly emerged.
He was well-built and handsome, but he walked with a limp.
Every time his right leg hit the ground, there was a 'thud, thud' sound of something hard striking the wooden planks.
"A necromancer. I saw it with my own eyes. Is there a problem?" the limping man asked.
The dreadlocked man said, "His alertness is high."
"Were you spotted?" The man's tone suddenly grew tense.
"I only said he's highly alert, not that he spotted me," the dreadlocked man continued.
The limping man paused and then said, "Kill him, and this money is yours."
With a thud, a bag of coins was thrown to the ground.
The bag lay open, and two gold coins rolled out, coming to rest under the dreadlocked man's foot. "I heard the Third Squad handled this. I'll kill them and only charge you half."
"I want this necromancer dead."
"Killing a Guild Deputy Steward—one slip, and we won't leave this island alive," the dreadlocked man warned.
"Isn't this what you do? Just be careful and do it cleanly," the man pressed.
The dreadlocked man stood there for a moment, slightly raising his head, "Add more money!"
Bang!
Another bag of coins was tossed over.
The dreadlocked man picked it up and said, "Wait for the news."
He turned and headed back up the stairs.