This necromancer is going to seduce the beautiful girls who are already dead.

Chapter 138 Searching for People in a Small Town

“So that guy came to the palace when he was a kid.” Leona took the copy of the palace archives that Abyss had obtained from the palace, read it carefully, and then put a pipe without tobacco, which she had somehow acquired, into her mouth and took a serious puff. “Hmm, this makes things easier to solve. We just need to go to his house and find him based on the records here.”

"Excuse me for speaking frankly, Leona, but I don't think he'll stay in his childhood home any longer..." Abyss patted Rinu, who was engrossed in a detective role-playing game. "We definitely won't find him at his house, and it's even uncertain whether his house still exists."

"Hmm?" Leona frowned and thought for a moment after being reminded by Abyss, then nodded. "Very good. I was just testing you. It seems you are indeed a meticulous thinker. My reliable assistant!"

Rebecca smiled at Leona's words and said, "Detective Leona, I have an idea."

“Please speak, Assistant Rebecca.” Leona held out a hand to Rebecca with an air of importance, gesturing for her to continue.

“Let’s read this entire record first.” Rebecca didn’t take the paper from Leona’s hand, because she had already memorized it all after just one reading. “Apos Corel, ten years old, from Silverwind Harbor in the western part of the kingdom, came to the palace to apply for the position of eunuch, but failed the loyalty test and was not hired.”

"Is there anything special here?" Leona was a little confused.

"Of course, Detective Leona, as you probably know, Mr. Koller was only ten years old when he first came to the palace to apply for the position of eunuch. He probably couldn't have come to the palace alone at that time. I speculate that he was probably brought by his parents. Perhaps he lost some vital organs in some accident and was brought by his parents to try their luck."

Rebecca analyzed.

After listening, Leona nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's right, Miss Rebecca. You really are my most reliable assistant. That's what I thought too."

Rebecca was happy to play along with Leona's role-playing game: "So, I suggest we head to Silverwind Harbor in western Osiris now and go find Koller's parents..."

“...or his deceased parents,” Abis continued, picking up where Rebecca left off.

Having a necromancer in the team is so convenient. If someone who knows something has passed away, they can simply be resurrected without going through all the trouble. The concept of "taking secrets to the grave" doesn't exist for necromancers, especially for a high-level one like the Abyss.

"Okay, let's go then!" Leona put the paper in her pocket, then clapped her hands. "Now let's go find his parents and ask them about him. We should be able to get more information!"

A huge head then poked its head out from the side, its massive dragon face full of intelligence: "Need me?"

“That’s right, Charmander, this time we’ll fly west and find the town where Koller was born, then find his family and find out his background!” Abyss replied.

They had been in the Underworld since the beginning and were ready to leave at any time.

……

The little dragon had been providing the Abyss and his party with much-needed transportation these past few days. Whenever the Abyss gave him some jewelry from his treasury after the mission was accomplished, the dragon would be overjoyed. Of course, this wasn't because the dragon was easily fooled, but because the jewels the Abyss casually gave him were priceless treasures, which was why this discerning dragon was so happy.

His back was a little cold, but comfortable and stable. The dragon did indeed have scales, but it was still an animal, and thanks to the Abyss's necromancy, its back had just the right amount of elasticity. The three of them rode the dragon with ease and pleasure, flying all the way to the western coast of the Kingdom of Ossi.

As soon as the little dragon landed, the three of them felt the moist, cool air and smelled an extremely strong seafood odor. The town in front of them was rich in all kinds of seafood, and the surrounding villages were all fishing villages.

According to information Abyss obtained when he planted spies in the Kingdom of Ossi, this is the inconspicuous town of Silverwind Harbor in western Ossi, which is also the hometown of Apos Koller.

Let Charmander leave for the time being, and then Abyss takes Rebecca and Leona's hands and leaves the Underworld (snapping your fingers is not necessary to enter or leave the Underworld; Abyss just thinks it's more ceremonial).

“Next, we just need to wait a moment.” Abyss said, gently rubbing his ring a few times, summoning a large group of soldiers dressed in ancient armor.

These people were once an ancient reconnaissance unit that died in battle. The Abyss master found their remains lying carelessly in the wilderness and built them a simple grave. After learning what the Abyss master had done for them, they decided to follow him. Later, when the master died, these people, like the old man's other spirit followers, turned to follow the Abyss.

These scouts were all ghosts, invisible to ordinary people, but this was no problem for the three Abyss, who were necromancers and undead.

“Friends, I have a favor to ask of you.” Abyss used magic to write the word “Korel” in the air, and then said, “I need you to search the city for families with this surname, find the dead with this surname in the nearby cemetery, awaken their souls, and bring them back—the emphasis is on the cemetery, because I suspect that the person I am looking for is probably already dead.”

The soldiers responded in unison in the ancient language, then left without uttering a single unnecessary word. In their lifetimes, they had been a regular army, impeccable in both loyalty and efficiency.

Abyss and his two companions simply found a clean spot to sit down. Before long, the disciplined scouts returned, accompanied by several bewildered ghosts who seemed oblivious to what had happened.

"Lord Abyss, there are no families with this surname in the city, but we found deceased people with this surname on their tombstones in the cemetery, and we brought them all back with us," the scout captain reported to Abyss.

“Good, you’ve done a great job. I have some questions for them. You can go back now.” Abyss nodded and looked at the group of ghosts brought back by the scouts.

The ghosts who were brought over stared blankly at the Abyss. Although they did not know what was going on, they sensed a special aura emanating from the Abyss. This aura made them want to worship him even though they did not know him.

Chapter 139 Apos's Parents

Abis cleared his throat and began, "Ahem... Hello everyone..."

However, before Abyss could reveal his purpose, one of the ghosts who had been brought back and were unaware of the truth suddenly knelt down before Abyss, after some unknown internal struggle.

Seeing this guy kneel down, the other ghosts followed suit without thinking. Before the Abyss could greet them, all the ghosts present were already trembling on the ground, as if they were meeting their lord who held the power of life and death.

"...What's going on?" Abyss asked, somewhat embarrassed.

“They have a natural respect for you, not to mention them, I do too,” Rebecca whispered to Abyss. “These people are just ordinary townspeople, they probably think of you as some kind of lord of the dead or something.”

“My lords, rise. There’s no need for such formalities.” Abyss then turned to the wraiths who were kneeling respectfully on the ground and said, “I am not your lord. I am just a necromancer passing by.”

The ghosts hesitated for a moment before someone stood up. Once someone took the lead, the others followed suit, but they still dared not look directly into the eyes of the Abyss.

Abyss counted thirteen people standing there, some old and some young. Some of them looked quite like Apos, so they must be related to him.

"Listen up, everyone. I've come to Silverwind Harbor to investigate a man named Apos Corel. Does anyone know him? Raise your hand."

Half of the ghosts raised their hands.

"Those who don't know Mr. Apos can go back to their rest now. I'm sorry to bother you. Those who do know Mr. Apos, are you all from the Corel family?" Abis casually sent those who didn't know Apos back to their graves to rest, and then asked those who raised their hands.

One of the ghosts hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "Alright, kind sir, that woman and I are Apos's parents... and the others are relatives too. What did Apos do? Did he cause trouble? We're dead now, so we probably can't discipline him..."

“I have something to ask you about him, so please, both of you, speak with me.” Abos then had his parents step forward first.

It was all done without any effort; Abyss has finally found the parents who sent Aboss to the palace to apply for a job years ago.

“My lord, please speak. We will tell you everything we know, and we will do whatever we can.” Abos’s father seemed to be a very mercenary man. He nodded and bowed repeatedly, trying to please Abos, his eyes darting around slyly. He didn’t look very old; he was probably in his forties when he died.

Standing beside him, head bowed and not daring to speak, was his wife. This woman appeared much older than her husband, her face covered in wrinkles, though her hair was not yet white. She resembled Abbas in appearance, but her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were tattered and dirty. The image of a ghost is related to how a person died, so it was clear that this woman's death was not dignified.

"Hmm...would you mind telling me how you died?" Abyss became somewhat interested in this couple who didn't seem very likeable.

“I died first,” Abos’s father said first. “I lost a lot of money gambling and couldn’t pay it back, so I committed suicide by poisoning myself.”

“I…I died later. I don’t know how I died. I was drinking and drinking and drinking some more one day. Then I felt very sleepy, closed my eyes, and that’s how it happened.” Abos’s mother seemed very afraid of Abis, and she stuttered as she spoke.

“Is that so?” Abis nodded, indicating that he understood. It seemed that the couple had some bad habits; one was a gambler, and the other an alcoholic. It was hard to imagine that Abos, raised by them, would receive a good education instead of becoming a street thug.

Rebecca spoke bluntly to Apos's parents: "Your son, Apos, has indeed done something bad... He worshipped an evil god from another world and helped this evil god's minions usurp the throne of the kingdom."

The two ghosts were immediately stunned.

"This... Madam, you're saying our son believed in an evil god and usurped the throne?" Abos's father said incredulously. "Our good-for-nothing son couldn't even get into the palace as a courtier back then, how could he do such a thing?"

“That’s right!” Abos’s mother chimed in at this moment. “Madam, are you sure you haven’t mistaken me for someone else?”

"Since you've brought up sending your son to the palace, I'll get straight to the point. I have two questions. First, where did Abos receive his education? I've noticed his literacy level is quite good. Second, why did you send him to the palace in the first place, and what happened during that time?"

Abyss asked directly. He already had a premonition that Abos's current state, and even his worship of the Lord of Nightmares, was definitely related to this couple.

“We never sent him to school. All the useless things he learned were from borrowed books. We don’t have much money, but our neighbor is quite wealthy. I heard he’s a scholar, and he has a daughter. My son used to study with that girl a lot. He learned all that knowledge on his own,” Abos’s father said nonchalantly. “What’s the point of studying? But we were too lazy to care, so we just let him be.”

“I heard he also wants to be a scholar, but I’m against it,” Apos’s mother said. “Scholars don’t make any money. They’d be better off working at the town’s tavern than doing research and studying.”

These two people said that reading can't make money. Rebecca almost burst out laughing when she heard this. She became the continent's number one alchemist and made a fortune by reading a vast number of books that ordinary people couldn't even dream of. If she hadn't intentionally controlled the scale of her business back then, she might have surpassed the emperors of the Eastern and Western Empires at that time and become the richest person on the continent.

"And what about the matter of going to the palace?" Abyss asked.

“Ask her, she did it.” Abos’s father pointed to his wife. “I wasn’t involved. I just accompanied them to the capital later, thinking we could try our luck.”

Abos's mother, pointed at by her husband, glared at him but still had no choice. She said to Abis, "I had no money for wine, and Abos spent all his time with the neighbor's girl instead of going out to earn money. So I put some medicine in his water and took him to our local doctor... to have him castrated... because the king gives the parents of every eunuch who enters the palace a sum of money, enough for me to drink for a long time..."

Chapter 140 Excellent Parents

Abyss's expression suddenly became very strange.

"You castrated your own son for that money and then sent him straight to the palace?"

Apos's mother clearly knew she had gone too far, so she lowered her head and stammered, "Because at that time... I couldn't live without alcohol. Apos's father had gambled away all the family's savings, and no one in the family was working to earn money... so..."

"Didn't you ever think about going to work and earning money to buy yourself alcohol?" Leona looked at her disdainfully. The Abyss's mind-sharing ability allowed her to easily understand the Ossi language spoken by the two ghosts.

“Abos would occasionally go out to do odd jobs, and I’d give him the money to buy alcohol, but I get really irritable if I don’t drink, so I can’t work…”

“Okay, I understand, I understand.” Rebecca didn’t want to listen to this alcoholic’s excuses anymore. Fortunately, Abbots’ mother was now dead and no longer affected by alcohol addiction, so she could at least speak with some coherence. But she still seemed to think that her actions were justifiable, constantly making excuses and reasons for herself.

“So I roughly understand what happened. I'll tell you now, and you two can see if it's correct,” Abis sighed. “When Apos was little, he was very close to the girl next door. They often spent time together, studying and learning, which inspired young Apos to dream of becoming a scholar. But unfortunately, his family was not only poor but also heavily in debt, so he could only occasionally take odd jobs. And you, wanting to have alcohol to drink, and driven by alcohol addiction, actually came up with the idea of ​​castrating him and throwing him into the palace as a eunuch to get the reward money and his future salary, and you actually did it… If I'm not mistaken, the little girl next door stopped playing with Apos after that, right?”

“After a man is castrated, he will lose control of urination, resulting in a persistent unpleasant odor of urine on his body. Generally speaking, people are not very willing to come into contact with them.” Rebecca shook her head. “Moreover, Apos’s personality must have been greatly affected.”

"Who can argue with that? It's all that woman's fault! My son, though lazy and always studying, was still a healthy child. He could always make money in the future. But she went crazy and had him castrated! From then on, Abos grew less and less like a man, his body became weak, and his personality became increasingly gloomy. He cut off all contact with the little girl next door. The little girl's family moved away a few months later, and Abos just read the books she left behind every day. He didn't go out and didn't like to talk!"

Abos's father pointed a reproachful finger at his wife's nose and complained.

"How dare you talk to me like that? Isn't that just how Apos is? As for you, you go out gambling every day, betting whatever you have, and you're drowning in debt. After you committed suicide, my son and I were kicked out of the house and had to live in a shack under the city wall!"

"Pah! If you hadn't been drinking every day and not working, would I have owed so much money? Gambling a little is harmless, when have I ever gambled big? Wasn't it all just to make money so we could get rich overnight? In the end, it was you who drove me to suicide."

“Yiqing, I’ll curse your grandma’s stinky socks!” Abos’s mother shouted. “When have you ever not hung out with your gambling buddies, handing over our money to them? Do you know how your best friend Bobby treated us after you died?”

The three men in Abyss all instinctively rubbed their foreheads; this couple was truly appalling. Both of them shifted their blame and responsibility onto others, neglecting their own son's upbringing and even unilaterally ruining his future for a meager reward. If Abbas had passed the palace's examination, things would have been different. With his self-taught knowledge, he might have risen to a higher position than other eunuchs and achieved great things. But he failed, and all his efforts were in vain.

In just a few days, he lost everything. As a eunuch reeking of urine, he dared not face the girl he once loved. His parents' attitude also made him realize that he had no chance of being sent to academies in the Eastern or Western Empires, and he couldn't even find a normal job to earn money to go to school.

Seeing no future led to despair, which explains why Abos became the way he is today. Judging from Abyss's previous interactions with him, Abos harbored unwarranted malice towards most people. This may have stemmed from his envy of others' happy lives, but at its root, it was his tragic past.

"Will Apos stay with you until you die?" Leona asked Apos's mother at this moment.

The mother shook her head: "I treated him so badly, there was no way I could get along with him anymore. He didn't go out to find a job and just stayed at home eating for free. So I let him go. Later, he drank himself to death. Fortunately, someone in town was willing to help bury me in the cemetery. But they buried me with this useless man. They deserve to die. I don't want to be next to this bastard."

“You, a woman with wrinkles all over your face from drinking, bulging yellow eyes, and hair as messy as a chicken coop, how dare you say such a thing?” Abos’s father immediately retorted.

“Let me ask you one last time,” Abis interrupted the pointless argument between the two dead men, saying, “Did Apos show any signs of having nightmares afterward? In other words, before you died, did he have a series of nightmares?”

"I don't know, I get drunk every night," Abos's mother shook her head.

"I don't think so. Sometimes when I come home at night, I can still see Abos sleeping soundly, not like he's having a nightmare," Abos's father said.

Abyss then asked the other ghosts with the surname Koller, and none of them knew about Apos's nightmares. This might suggest that the Lord of Nightmares did not convert Apos to a follower years ago, but rather that he was used by the Lord of Nightmares later.

"Do you have an idea?" Leona patted Abyss's hand.

“Apos’s character is formed, and he has done too much evil. He can’t go back to the way he was before, and he has a responsibility to atone for his sins. But I think we might be able to use his character flaws to do something… I need to start preparing to plan a new operation.” After Abis finished speaking to Leona, he turned to the Koller couple and said, “You two take the others back with you. Although you are dead, I still want to tell you that having selfish parents like you was Apos’s tragedy. I think you shouldn’t rush to rest in peace. Before you rest in peace, reflect on yourselves. I gave you several years’ worth of spiritual energy; go and reflect first.”

As spirits of the dead, how could the ghosts dare disobey the Abyss's orders? The couple knelt on the ground trembling and kowtowed to the Abyss several times before leaving with their other relatives.