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

“Of course, but my nightmares might be boring to others… I don’t even think there’s anything worth telling others about them…” Gylvia nodded immediately and agreed. It wasn’t a secret that couldn’t be told to others.

……

“Your Highness, we all know you’re plagued by nightmares. I just want to know some details about the dreams,” Abys asked Gylvia, eating a piece of bread soaked in water. Of course, he didn’t mention that the details he wanted to know were the parts he hadn’t seen last night from a third-person perspective.

"Details? There aren't really any details. My nightmares come every night without fail, always with a giant, writhing monster chasing me. But what's strange is that this monster doesn't roar; instead, it makes a woman's scream. I get terrified when I hear that sound, but I don't know why."

Abyss immediately thought of the sound he had heard in his dream yesterday. It was indeed a woman's scream. If you closed your eyes and didn't look at the monster's appearance, you would think it was a young woman crying out in extreme pain.

“That’s certainly scary,” Leona said from the side. “Since there’s a conspiracy behind that monster, it must be using this sense of incongruity to create fear.”

Abyss stroked his chin thoughtfully. Leona was right. It wouldn't be surprising if a huge monster let out a low growl, but if it let out a woman's scream, a painful scream, it could evoke a person's instinctive fear and empathy towards incongruity, sending chills down their spine.

"Perhaps the Lord of Nightmares feeds on fear?" Abyss muttered to himself.

"You mean that extraterrestrial evil god?" Jivia suddenly realized. "You're researching extraterrestrial evil gods, aren't you!"

"Yes, that's why I asked you about nightmares. I hope to get more information about the Lord of Nightmares."

"Well... indeed, I only have information about my own nightmares to tell you, because I myself don't know anything about extraterrestrial evil gods. I only heard about this term recently. The reason I went to the Eastern Empire this time was to seek help and see if I could get rid of the nightmares so that I would have enough energy to command the battle."

Abis had heard about this from Leona and Flora, but now, as if suddenly remembering something, he clapped his hands lightly and asked, "Oh right, I almost forgot something important. Your Highness, whose help do you intend to seek when you go to the Eastern Empire?"

After a moment's hesitation, Gylvia said, "Lannis Consden, she's a notorious alchemist from the Eastern Empire, and a notorious criminal who was frequently arrested and then regained her freedom by paying fines."

Chapter 104 Lanis, the Explosives Genius

Upon hearing the name, Abyss couldn't help but smile: "I know the person you're talking about too."

Lanis was indeed a very famous alchemist, known as "the most dangerous halfling in the Eastern Empire." Not because she was particularly evil, but because she was mentally unstable and had an excessively developed mind.

Halflings are a subspecies of human. They are similar in height to dwarves, with adult halflings standing between 1.2 and 1.3 meters tall, but their weight is significantly different, weighing only about one-third of that of a dwarf of similar height. They appear like human children, but are remarkably intelligent.

Halflings love to travel, and most of them are involved in business. They are meticulous, eloquent, and possess exceptional business acumen. Even if they don't go into business, halflings tend to prefer professions that involve traveling. Very few halflings would choose to become alchemists, spending their days holed up in a laboratory staring at a bunch of reagent bottles.

This Lanis happens to be a halfling alchemist, and a very skilled one at that. Now seventy years old, she is practically the best alchemist on the continent. However, despite her extraordinary talent, she doesn't research how to make big money with best-selling potions. Instead, she spends all her time fighting against gangs.

Although the Eastern Empire was powerful and militarily strong, its peripheral cities, far from the capital, suffered from poor security. These cities were rife with gangs, some with histories spanning over a century. These gangs engaged in constant infighting for power and wealth, operating their own set of rules outside the law.

There are three main reasons why the Eastern Empire has not eliminated these gangs: First, although these gangs are not law-abiding citizens, they generally do not harm civilians who have no connection with them, and they usually give face to the city lord when doing things; second, these gangs do not make money solely through robbery or theft, they also operate a large number of industries and contribute a lot of tax revenue (or bribes) to the Eastern Empire; third, some large gangs even have investment from nobles in the Eastern Empire, which provides them with a strong backing.

However, gangs are never people's friends. Their development and activities are mostly based on violence, and are full of barbarity and cruelty. Therefore, most law-abiding ordinary people in the Eastern Empire are unwilling to get involved with gangs. As a result, the relationship between the people and nobles in the peripheral cities of the Eastern Empire is generally not harmonious.

This Ms. Lanis is usually employed by various gangs, working for them to manufacture explosives with various special purposes, blowing their opponents up to smithereens.

With Lanis's abilities, she could have easily attached herself to a large gang, becoming its star player and reaping huge sums of money and status. The bigger the gang, the better the rewards it would offer her. However, one reason people said she was mentally unstable was that she never pledged allegiance to anyone. Today you pay her to bomb someone else, but tomorrow, if someone else pays her, you might be the one getting bombed.

This bombing maniac has two principles for taking jobs: First, he only bombs gang members, not civilians or small animals; second, he will not work for the same faction twice in a row, and after bombing things for one gang, he will immediately switch to another employer, no matter how much money the original employer offers.

This made the gangs of the Eastern Empire both love and hate her, while the sheriffs of major cities hated this crazy woman who went around bombing everywhere and arrested her many times. However, she was always able to pay a large ransom to pay off her crimes, so she rarely spent more than a week in jail.

This made her a household name. To the gang, she was a powerful mercenary. To the common people, she was an interesting madwoman—after all, she never offended ordinary people and never even accidentally injured anyone.

The reason Abyss got to know her was not because of her legendary status, but because of her identity forty years ago.

The Queen of Adult Products in the Eastern Empire, Rebecca's assistant.

She was the one who announced Rebecca's death, and she was also the one who burned all of Rebecca's blueprints and formulas. Therefore, she is also the most likely person to know where Rebecca's body is buried.

“What a coincidence! Actually, we were going to the Eastern Empire to visit this Lady Lannis. We have some questions about alchemists to ask her.” Abyss said to Gylvia with a smile. “As for what Your Highness said about her being able to help you get rid of the troubles caused by the extraterrestrial evil god, what’s that all about? Could you tell us?”

The Abyss wasn't lying; he did indeed need to consult some alchemists, but the question was where a particular alchemist was buried and how well the embalming was done. If Rebecca hadn't undergone embalming, the Abyss might have to figure out how to recreate flesh and skin for her now-skeletonized body.

"You also have questions for her?" Gylvia asked, somewhat surprised. "This is really... such a coincidence. Perhaps we can continue our journey together after we arrive in the Eastern Empire."

“I would be more than happy to do so, and we will do our best to provide some assistance in return for the comfortable carriage provided by Her Highness the Princess.” Abis, of course, did not intend to tell Gylvia that he had another purpose in following Gylvia, which was to try to capture alive a strange enemy that Leona had once killed, and to dissect it to study its structure.

Before that monster turns into sludge, quickly open its flesh and examine its internal organs, bones, nerves, blood vessels, and muscles as fast as you can.

How exciting!

"To be honest, I heard about Lanis's ability to help us from a fortune teller..." Gylvia continued, "I was really desperate, so I came up with this last-ditch effort. After being plagued by nightmares for a while, I disguised myself and went to a nearby city to buy some supplies. On the street, a mysterious fortune teller stopped me. He guessed almost effortlessly that I had nightmares every night. After I paid him some money, he told me that as long as I met Lanis Constance, I could get rid of the nightmares. I didn't pay much attention to his words at first, but now that I need to go to the Eastern Empire to buy a batch of potions for the soldiers, I thought I'd go and see her..."

"I see... the mysterious diviner?" Abyss asked with some curiosity, "Could he make such detailed predictions?"

While fortune tellers do exist in Hay-Twert, most fortune tellers only predict the future for a short period. They are half con artists and half psychologists. They don't foresee the future; instead, they deduce a client's personality based on their speech and behavior, then extrapolate and arrive at a probability.

"It was indeed a bit suspicious... but at the time I was wearing a veil and had drunk a potion to boost my energy, and he still noticed that I was having nightmares, so I started to believe him to some extent... It's ridiculous, isn't it, that I, as the leader of the Restoration Army, would believe in this kind of thing..."

“It’s not funny, Your Highness.” Abyss shook his head seriously. “I must visit this diviner when I have the time. He is as intriguing as the heart of an ancient giant.”

Chapter 105 Bomb, Super Double

Unfortunately, Princess Gylvia never saw the mysterious fortune teller again after that, and she didn't get any useful information about him. When Princess Gylvia met the fortune teller, he covered his entire face with a large cloak, so she didn't know what he looked like, couldn't judge his build, and even his voice sounded like that of any middle-aged man she could find.

Abyss decided to observe first. If Princess Gylvia could indeed obtain a method from Lanis to counter the extraterrestrial evil god whom Gylvia called the Lord of Nightmares, then he would investigate the fortune teller. If the fortune teller was just a fraudster who happened to see that Princess Gylvia had a nightmare, then he would ignore him.

The convoy continued its journey, and this time, the road was calm. Jivia ordered the convoy to take a different route, which was a bit longer, but this way they avoided enemy ambushes.

Abyss was happy to have some free time and chatted with Gylvia a lot along the way. Although Abyss wasn't a particularly talkative person, his calm and unassuming manner pleased Gylvia. Of course, to be honest, Gylvia also liked Abyss's face—soft features, never showing any intense expression, and his emerald green eyes, which could calm people down and temporarily make them forget the nightmares of each night.

The caravan successfully entered the borders of the Kingdom of Tami, and after traveling for two days, as night was about to fall, they finally came into view of a border city of the Eastern Empire.

"The Eastern Empire is just across the river ahead. Today we can finally rest in the city. I'll treat the three of you to a good meal and a good night's rest," said Jivia happily, lifting the curtain of the carriage and pointing to a distant light.

Abyss nodded. He himself didn't mind. He was used to sleeping in graveyards, tombs, and ruins and could sleep soundly anywhere. It would be even better if Leona and Flora were with him. However, judging from Leona and Flora's expressions, they were looking forward to a proper stay.

He couldn't help but think, is this what people often mean by "it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality"?

If Leona knew what he was thinking, she would definitely tell him angrily that before they camped and slept in the wild with him, they were a princess and a saint, and had never suffered such grievances.

"That's great!" Leona looked expectantly in the direction Gvia was pointing. "The enemy can't possibly chase us into the city, right? Maybe we won't have to guard tonight?"

“Guards are still necessary.” Jivia smiled and shook her head, “but perhaps we can let them relax a little, so they don’t have to be as tense as we have been these past few days when we were camping in the wilderness to avoid revealing our itinerary.”

Flora became somewhat worried after hearing what the two people said. She had a feeling that their wishful thinking would be proven wrong in the end.

She looked at the Abyss, who smiled helplessly and winked at her, indicating that she also felt uneasy.

But who cares? It's good that the enemy isn't coming. Leona and Flora have been traveling by carriage all day these past two days. Although their undead bodies don't feel tired, as high-ranking undead who have retained their full emotions, they're still feeling a bit stifled. If the enemy does come, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Abyss was thinking of capturing a few of those monsters that turn into black mud to see what they're like.

As long as the Abyss doesn't want anything to happen to Gylvia, she won't be harmed by the outside world—unless she's caught up with the monster in her dream.

The caravan traveled to the border between the Eastern Empire and the Kingdom of Tami, where a large river flowed. A stone bridge about thirty meters long spanned the river, with a pavilion on each side. In one of the pavilions, several soldiers were yawning and packing up their belongings by the light of a brazier by the door.

"Please wait a moment, we are heading to the Eastern Empire!" Santos rode up to meet them, then dismounted and said with a smile, "Could you officers please inspect us before allowing us to enter? We are a caravan from the Western Empire."

"Huh?" A soldier who looked like a captain glanced at Santos impatiently. "From the Western Empire? What are you doing in the Eastern Empire?"

“Sir, we’ve come to the Eastern Empire to purchase some legal potions for import into the Western Empire,” Santos replied immediately.

"Buy potions? So you're not in a hurry? You guys can sleep here in the wilderness for the night, and we'll be back tomorrow morning. It's not possible now, it's already time for us to get off work."

"Ah, this..." Santos was immediately in a dilemma. As a general, how could he let the princess suffer the injustice of camping in the wilderness for another night because of a few soldiers? So he pleaded, "Sirs, please make an exception. We have nothing on us except money. The inspection will be quick. You see, we have standard-sized Imperial coins with us. Please allow the officers to inspect these few."

As he spoke, he pulled out a few shiny Imperial coins from his pocket and handed them to the captain with a fawning smile.

The captain immediately knew that the money was a bribe for him. He glanced around furtively to make sure no one had a grudge against him before taking the money from Santos's hand. He roughly counted it; it was about several dozen Imperial Coins, not a small amount. Satisfied, he pocketed half of it and gave some to the soldiers next to him.

"Alright, we'll make an exception and check for you. But I'm telling you in advance, if you want to buy potions, whether legal or illegal, you can't make any money right now. Consider this a wasted trip for you."

"Why is that?" Santos asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Hehe, you've come from afar without knowing the news, so I'll kindly tell you. In the past two days, several cities on the border of the Eastern Empire have been bombed. Several warehouses of the 'Sheep's Eye Gang,' a gang that made its fortune by reselling potions, have all been blown to bits. It's said that their rival hired a mad alchemist to do it. This explosion has doubled the price of potions within a radius of several hundred kilometers, and your costs have doubled as well."

"Sigh, maybe we can only buy a little less, our funds are tight..." Sitting in the car, Jivia sighed. It was clear that although she was a princess, she had become strapped for cash now that she was the leader of the guerrillas.

“Abyss, make them return the money.” Leona suddenly whispered to Abyss, “I remember there’s still an hour before they’re supposed to leave work. These people are neglecting their duties and still dare to take money.”

Abyss raised an eyebrow, smiled slightly, and recited a prayer in a voice that Gylvia couldn't hear. Then, a faint light flashed at his fingertips as he secretly cast a repentance spell on the soldiers.

The soldiers were all stunned for a moment, then pulled out the money they had been carrying with them, their faces full of guilt.

"Sorry, we're not actually off duty yet. We just wanted to take a break." The captain took the money back from the other soldiers and handed it to a bewildered Santos. "We'll check it for you now—we won't charge you."

"Uh... thank you so much..."

The soldiers quickly began their inspection. During the inspection, Abyss overheard one soldier whispering to another, "Sorry, Ricky, I've been secretly sleeping with your wife for a month now."

"Um!?"

"I'm sorry, I suddenly feel really sorry for you, so I had to say it."

"Fine, I forgive you. I've been sleeping with your mom behind your back for two weeks now, and I feel really bad about it, Larry."

"Um!?"

Chapter 106 A Border Town of the Eastern Empire

The convoy passed smoothly through the checkpoint of the Kingdom of Tami, crossed the bridge, and entered the territory of the Eastern Empire.

The checkpoint soldiers on the Eastern Empire's side were clearly of much higher quality than those on the Tamir Kingdom's side. They didn't waste any words, thoroughly inspected the extra items carried by the convoy, as well as the specifications of the weapons of the accompanying "mercenaries," and quickly let them pass.

Although the nobles of the Eastern Empire were corrupt and decadent, even entangled with gangs, the army's discipline remained excellent, thanks to the current emperor, Emperor Campbell. While he turned a blind eye to most of the nobles' corruption, he never loosened his control over the army. Even the most audacious general dared not allow his soldiers to slack off for a single day of training or deduct even a single imperial coin from their pay.

Therefore, the Eastern Empire's troops are disciplined and extremely powerful. In addition, the Eastern Empire has its own unique magic warrior force. No country, including the Western Empire, dares to challenge the authority of the Eastern Empire.

Leaving the checkpoint, following a road worn smooth by countless caravans heading east, you reach the city closest to the bridge you came from. This is a small border town of the Eastern Empire called Farion, which means "sending off the setting sun" in an ancient language. It can be said to be the westernmost city of the Eastern Empire.

Upon entering the city gate, a cultural atmosphere distinct from that of the Western Empire immediately comes into view.

Even though night had fallen, the border town was not asleep. On the contrary, many shops along the street had just opened, offering everything from restaurants and entertainment to red-light districts. Many signs decorated with glowing potions flashed eye-catching lights. People came and went on the street, some were civilians, some were organized thieves, and some were gang members in groups of three or five. People dressed as mages could often be seen strolling on the street, some passing by in a hurry, and some mingling with gang members.

The Western Empire revered chivalry, extensively raising horses and cultivating a large number of highly skilled martial artists, earning it the title of the "Knight's Kingdom." The Eastern Empire, however, took a different path: alchemy and magic flourished among its people, with even many commoners possessing a few fancy spells. Professional mages were abundant; it could be said that 60% of the continent's ninth-tier mages resided in the Eastern Empire. Thus, the Eastern Empire was also known as the "Mage's Kingdom."

It is said that Rebecca, whom Abyss is planning to excavate, graduated from the alchemy major of the "Eastern Empire Royal Magic Academy," the highest institution of learning in the Eastern Empire. The school was originally a six-year program, but she completed all the courses in two years and graduated with a level that surpassed all the alchemy teachers in the school.

It's clear that the city's security isn't very good. You can tell from the number of gang members on the streets, not to mention that the guards patrolling the city have to put on a smiling face when they see certain gang leaders.

After passing through the bustling streets and giving some spare change to the beggars on the street, the convoy successfully found out about a relatively high-end hotel in the city. They heard that the hotel's owner was the leader of a local gang, so no one dared to cause trouble at the hotel.