Another World: When a Necromancer Possesses the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls

Li Xingyao checked the time; it was already 12:11 AM.

"So late? And it's a video call?" Li Xingyao's mind was filled with doubt. His interaction with Lin Wei was limited to their previous sparring sessions; they hadn't kept in touch privately since. This late video call surprised him. Considering her family background and her usual style of doing things—she wouldn't come without a reason—a warning bell rang in Li Xingyao's mind.

After a moment's hesitation, Li Xingyao decided to answer the call.

The screen lit up, revealing Lin Wei's bright and beautiful face. She appeared to be in a study-like environment, with bookshelves filled with heavy classics in the background. Soft, natural light shone down from above, illuminating her face without revealing anything unusual. Instead, her eyes were clear and bright like cold stars, carrying a hint of urgency, despite the polite smile still on her face.

"Good evening, Li Xingyao. I hope I haven't disturbed your rest." Lin Wei's voice came through the speaker, still clear and pleasant, but less polite and more direct than usual, with a hint of barely perceptible urgency.

"Good evening, Lin Wei." Li Xingyao replied calmly, sitting up slightly to show his focused posture. "I just finished my cultivation and haven't rested yet." He quickly tried to figure out her purpose; her behavior today was not in line with her usual style.

"That's good." Lin Wei nodded slightly, cutting straight to the point without any further pleasantries, her speech a little faster than usual: "I remember you mentioned before that you planned to do some wilderness training during the holidays to gain practical experience. Perfect timing! I have an opportunity now, an exploration mission targeting the ruins of 'Chen Tang Town,' scheduled for two weeks from now, a week before school starts. I'd like to invite you to join my team."

Chen Tang Town? Li Xingyao quickly searched his memory for relevant information. He had seen news about it a few years ago; it was a town abandoned in the early stages of the cataclysm, located in a buffer zone about 500 kilometers northwest of Tianjing City. Later, it became one of the main habitats of a mid-level star beast called the "Starlight Leopard."

A few years ago, it seems a federally funded research team encountered a major accident there…

"I remember that area is mainly the habitat of the Starlight Leopard, and the threat level is assessed as medium, which isn't too high for a well-prepared team." Li Xingyao didn't immediately agree, cautiously asking, looking at Lin Wei on the screen with a puzzled expression, "But according to news reports from a few years ago, it seems that three years ago, a research team suffered heavy losses there, almost being wiped out?"

Lin Wei seemed to have anticipated his question and was not surprised at all. She explained, "Yes. Part of the investigation report on that incident was later declassified. At that time, a small group of wandering high-level star beasts, the 'Shadowmoon Demon Wolves,' numbering about fifteen to seventeen, happened to be migrating through that area to hunt."

The expedition team was extremely unfortunate; they arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time and ran headlong into a pack of wolves.

"Subsequent joint investigations by the government and the Pioneer Legion confirmed that the wolf pack was merely passing through and did not establish a den or stay there for an extended period. Continuous monitoring over the past few years has shown no further traces of Shadowmoon Wolves in that area, and the risk level has been significantly reduced." Her explanation was clear and organized, demonstrating that she had clearly done her homework.

She paused, lowered her voice, revealing a hint of seriousness and… a subtle, almost imperceptible eagerness? “The impetus for this exploration was not from an official organization, but rather stemmed from a batch of items lost by that expedition team years ago.”

This includes unuploaded field survey data, storage containers for samples from special environments, and possibly even an unregistered piece of experimental equipment.

"Recently, through certain...special channels, I confirmed the approximate area where those items were lost, and I can confirm that they were not completely damaged or taken away. Therefore, several powerful organizations jointly organized this targeted search operation."

Through family connections, I secured a spot to form my own team. She emphasized the preciousness of "forming my own team" and "the available spot."

Li Xingyao listened silently, his mind racing, weighing the pros and cons. Risk and opportunity coexisted. The Starlight Leopard itself posed little threat to him, but wilderness exploration was inherently fraught with unknowns, especially in a place where tragedy had occurred. The expedition team's relics… the fact that the Lin Wei family had taken a liking to them and secured a spot for them suggested their value was probably extraordinary.

Seeing his pensive expression, Lin Wei's refined lips curved into a confident smile as she threw out her prepared trump card: "Of course, you won't have come all this way for nothing. All the spoils of this expedition will be distributed according to the standards of the Federation Explorers Guild, based on a comprehensive evaluation of contributions in combat, reconnaissance, and logistics."

In addition, she paused deliberately, emphasizing her words, "I will personally pay you an extra reward—"

She gracefully manipulated the screen with her fingertips, and a 3D holographic projection of an object instantly appeared next to the communication screen, slowly rotating and displaying every detail.

It was a skull, no bigger than an adult's fist, seemingly carved from some kind of dark gray bone. The bone was warm and smooth like jade, yet it exuded a deathly chill. The eye sockets were not empty, but rather inlaid with two extremely tiny, yet shimmering, deep purple, unknown crystals, like two demonic eyes gazing into the abyss.

The skull's jawbone was not fixed; it seemed to be able to open and close. Its surface was engraved with countless fine and complex dark gold runes that flowed slowly like living things. These runes flickered as the projection rotated, emitting a cold, deathly yet powerful energy fluctuation. Even through the screen, Li Xingyao could feel the pure aura of the dead.

"【The Skull of Gris (Replica)】," Lin Wei's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible arrogance, "an exclusive weapon for a super-powered one-star necromancer. The prototype is said to originate from the Central Continent, the weapon of an ancient undead lord."

This is a replica of an Apocalypse-class weapon, but its power is considerable. It slightly increases the base strength of your summoned undead creatures by about 5%, adds about 10% to undead attribute effects, and can store one undead spell, up to the highest level.

"It can be released instantly when needed, without chanting or channeling. Most importantly," she emphasized, "it can slightly purify and accelerate your mental energy recovery by about 15%. You know very well how valuable that is to a necromancer like yourself. The market value is usually over seven million credits, and it's practically unavailable."

Seven million! Li Xingyao's heart skipped a beat, and his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly! That's enough to buy thirty-five low-level star cores! Moreover, this kind of weapon that can amplify undead summons is practically tailor-made for a necromancer like him, whose main combat power is summons. Its value far exceeds that of other weapons and equipment of the same level!

Lin Wei keenly caught the fleeting fervor in his eyes, understood, and continued to press her advantage, her tone steady: "Furthermore, for this operation, I will apply for the highest-level 'agreement' registration with the Federal Explorers' Guild in the name of the family. This will be protected by both federal law and the Explorers' Convention, ensuring our rights regarding the distribution of spoils and our personal safety."

At the same time, she played her final trump card: "I will equip each core member of the team with a military-grade 'Sky Eye-IV' tactical command network individual terminal. Our team members can share partial field of vision, basic vital signs data, and stellar energy fluctuation readings in real time in the field, and can conduct short-range encrypted communication."

"Most importantly, it can trigger a distress signal on the highest priority military frequency band with a single click, and federal troops or registered mercenary groups within a 100-kilometer radius are obligated to respond immediately. Security… you can rest assured."

A military command network! And the latest model at that! This isn't something money can buy; it represents an extremely high level of security! Lin Wei's capabilities and connections are evident from this!

Li Xingyao took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. The conditions offered by Lin Wei were so generous that they were impossible to refuse. Contribution rewards, tailor-made weapons and equipment, the highest level of official registration, military-grade security guarantees... all of this pointed to one answer—this exploration was extremely important to her, she was determined to succeed, and she was willing to pay a huge price.

So what she valued was clearly his ability to mass produce troops as a necromancer and his ability to stall in complex environments.

Li Xingyao needed resources, and this exploration was undoubtedly a golden opportunity to quickly acquire them. Moreover, with his current strength (soon to advance), his evolved undead army, and the skills of the Myriad Soul Banner, as long as he didn't encounter any super-level star beasts or professionals, protecting himself and even ensuring Lin Wei's safe retreat shouldn't be a problem. Fortune favors the bold!

"Okay." Li Xingyao no longer hesitated, his eyes hardening as he nodded in agreement, "I'll join."

Lin Wei on the other end of the screen visibly breathed a sigh of relief, a bright and genuine smile spreading across her face, as if she had finally let go of her worries: "Great! I'll send you the specific meeting time, location coordinates, and detailed requirements list later."

I will arrange for the [Whispering Skull of Gris] to be delivered to your apartment by 10:00 AM tomorrow, as a deposit and a token of my sincerity.

"Understood. I will prepare carefully," Li Xingyao said in a deep voice, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity.

"Looking forward to fighting alongside you. Goodnight, Li Xingyao." Lin Wei ended the call crisply and decisively.

The screen went dark, and the training room fell silent once more.

Li Xingyao sat alone on the floor, surrounded by silence. In just a few minutes, his planned vacation had been completely disrupted; he was about to leave the city and head into the wilderness again, and this time he would need to work with a team.

Lin Wei's lavish spending and unwavering determination made him vaguely feel that this exploration might be more than just finding the expedition team's relics. There might be something more important hidden in those so-called "scientific data and sample containers."

But whatever other motives she might have, the compensation I've received has already exceeded the standard. I'll do my best in this collaboration.