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

The most striking part of her was the numerous bottles and jars hanging all over her body. Some of these bottles and jars were transparent, while others were made of brown, light-blocking glass. What was frightening was that the bottles and jars on her body were clearly not very stable; some of the medicine bottles were even trembling on their own. Titus didn't even want to get close to this crazy woman—if she fell, it would definitely be a disaster.

I hope she's not really that frail.

Lanis's eye doesn't seem to be original; unlike the blue eyes common among halflings, it's black and looks somewhat dull. It might be a prosthetic eye made of magic crystal. This kind of eye can't see, but it can see things outside the normal world, such as heat and large flows of magic.

"Ah! You cunning little thing! How did you escape unscathed from my explosion! I was planning to roast you into a lump of coal!" Lanis paused for a moment before immediately starting to chatter. Although her voice was hoarse, it was surprisingly loud.

“Oh, I’m a mage, and I happen to have some spells that can withstand your explosion,” Abyss said with a smile. “You won’t mind, will you? Oh, by the way, I just heard you call that machine that keeps flowing with alchemical solvents the Time-Space Solvent Machine. You seem to know a lot about that machine. Could you tell me about it?”

"Ah! Damn it! That's my treasure! It's the only way I've found the most precious treasure in the world! I won't give it to you!" Lanis suddenly became angry. "You gangsters are all alone in the city, but don't even think about getting anything from me!"

"My God, Auntie, you're on Sheep's Eye Gang's territory right now, this stuff belongs to them, why are you so angry?" Titus said, somewhat displeased.

“You rotten-toothed brat! I’m going to blow your ass to the sky!” Lanis threatened Titus menacingly, then suddenly burst into laughter. “You’re telling the second funniest joke in the world! When did this thing belong to the Sheep’s Eye Gang? They stole it from my mistress!”

Titus didn't know anything about Lanis's past, but Abyss knew who the mistress Lanis was talking about was. Wasn't that the reason he came to the Eastern Empire? That genius alchemist, Rebecca, who once monopolized the adult products business across the entire continent?

So perhaps all of this can be explained reasonably... This machine is the work of that super genius, but has alchemy really developed to the point where it can create matter out of thin air? What kind of spacetime is the spacetime solvent machine referring to?

“Ms. Lannis, how can you let us take this amazing machine away?” Abyss suddenly asked. “I am very interested in this machine. I would be very happy if I could study it.”

"Take this machine away? Ha!" Lanis laughed disdainfully. "Dream on! If you want this machine, then have my mistress come and order me! Can you do that?"

Most people would have given up hope upon hearing this, but Abyss's eyes lit up. He knew why Lannice said such a thing: her mistress, Miss Rebecca, had died more than forty years ago, and by saying this, she was actually implying that it was absolutely impossible.

But who says that dead people can't talk?

“Titus, I have something I'd like to discuss with this Ms. Lannis privately. Could you please excuse me for a moment?” Abyss immediately turned to Titus and said.

Titus shrugged indifferently. Anyway, Abyss didn't seem afraid of the crazy dwarf's explosives behind the door. He wasn't worried at all that Abyss would cause trouble while he was away: "Of course, no problem. I'll go up now. Just call me when you two have settled things."

"There's no way we can reach an agreement! Forget about it, you brat!" Lanis shouted.

Titus ignored the crazy halfling aunt, shook his head, and went straight up the stairs, leaving the basement shortly afterward.

“Well, now it’s just the two of us. I asked him to leave because I didn’t want to scare him. You’re different; you shouldn’t be easily frightened.” Abyss smiled gently at Lanis. “Actually, I’m a necromancer. I came to the Eastern Empire specifically to resurrect your mistress. I’d like to ask you, where is her grave?”

Abyss had expected Lannis to regret her words, but Lannis was only surprised for a moment before chuckling softly, "Hehehehe... So you're a necromancer, huh? So what if you're a necromancer? You want to resurrect my mistress? I won't stop you, but do you really have the ability? Her grave... isn't even in this world! No one but herself can reach it!"

Chapter 126 This Madman Isn't So Cold

Now it was Abyss's turn to be surprised.

He stared wide-eyed at Lanis: "Her grave isn't in this world? This... is truly unexpected."

"Hehe, didn't expect that, did you?" Lanis looked quite pleased with herself when she saw Abyss's surprised face. "That's right, my mistress, Miss Rebecca, died more than forty years ago, and her burial place is not even in our Hay-Twer world! No matter how many abilities you have, you can't resurrect someone from another world!"

Abyss realized he had underestimated the alchemical genius's abilities. He had initially thought Rebecca was merely an alchemist and mechanic skilled in creating all sorts of medicines and possessing superhuman intelligence, but he never imagined her "skills" could be this powerful.

Since she died in another world, she must have had a way to travel to other worlds! This makes the principle behind the time-space solvent machine quite clear…

“Please tell me!” Abyss showed no sign of discouragement; instead, he became even more excited. “Please tell me how your mistress got to other worlds! Also, did the solvent flowing from the time-space solvent machine she created also come from other worlds?”

Lanis had expected the Abyss to leave disappointed. She disliked necromancers, partly because they usually dealt with the dead all day and seemed lifeless, which annoyed the always passionate Lanis. Another reason was that the reputation of necromancers in Hay Tver was truly terrible.

Nobody likes to release a bunch of undead before doing anything, scaring or killing those who stand in their way. They are treacherous, cunning, and enjoy insulting the dead.

Lanis was already surprised to encounter such a polite necromancer, but she never expected him to have such a strong thirst for knowledge. If the Abyss were a typical scoundrel necromancer, he would probably already be plotting how to kill Lanis and torture her soul.

"Ha! You strange boy! How come you're not disappointed at all?" Lanis paced back and forth behind the door nervously. "You'll never take this machine away, and you'll never be able to bring my mistress back to life! Get out! I don't want to tell you anything about my mistress!"

As she spoke, she took a small bottle from her person. A tiny, air-filled nozzle was inserted into the bottle's opening. She pointed the nozzle at her foot, squeezed the nozzle, and a few drops of potion sprayed out. These potions immediately exploded upon contact with her boots. Popping sounds and the pungent smell of potions emanated from the explosions. She hopped around rapidly, staring at the Abyss with a crazed look in her eyes.

"Explode! Explode! Get out of here and stop demanding! Otherwise, I'll raze this whole place to the ground!" Lanis yelled. "But you have to take all the brats working here with you! I don't want to blow them up! But I'll blow up this machine so you'll never figure out how to build a second time-space solvent machine!"

"But don't you miss your mistress?" Abyss suddenly asked, his voice calm, a stark contrast to the hysterical, exploding maniac opposite him. "Don't you want to see your mistress again? According to the records, when you were with your mistress, you were her most loyal companion and her most trusted assistant... Her death must have had a great impact on you, but I can make up for it."

Lannis stopped jumping and stared intently at the Abyss.

Abyss continued, "You may be disappointed, but my abilities are far superior to those of ordinary necromancers. I have the ability to travel between worlds, and although it's not fully developed yet, I succeed every time."

Lanis tilted her head ninety degrees, looking sideways at Abyss's face.

“If you provide the help to go to the world where Miss Rebecca died, I can bring her back as a complete, pure, and free-willed high-ranking undead.” Abyss smiled and opened his arms. “She must have unfulfilled wishes, and I will help her fulfill them. You must also have things you didn’t have time to say to her, things you wanted to do with her. This way, you will also have a chance.”

Abyss's words were like a devil's temptation, causing Lannice's resolve, which was originally firm in not wanting Abyss to obtain the time-space solvent machine, to waver again and again.

She was speechless, her mouth agape, standing there dumbfounded.

“Hmm, you probably still don’t believe me. Let me find a friend to give you a firsthand account.” Abyss showed no embarrassment at Lannis’s speechless silence. He rubbed his fingers against a ring he was wearing.

Wisps of smoke slowly flowed from the Ring of the Abyss, settling on the ground and gradually forming the shape of a person. Then the smoke began to solidify, and soon a tall and graceful female elf stood before Lanis.

She had long, snow-white hair, violet eyes, and a beauty so striking it could take countless men's breath away. She wore a magnificent, form-fitting long dress that perfectly accentuated her figure. Her bare, snow-white feet were held an inch off the ground, exuding unparalleled elegance.

Grey Elves! This is the noblest branch of the elves! Even Lanis, in her madness, knew of this beautiful and noble reclusive race, rarely seen by the world! They lived in seclusion in the mountains of the elven kingdoms, building magnificent snow-white palaces. Only when the world was in turmoil would they emerge from their palaces to help those ravaged by war and to lobby between the leaders of various nations, hoping to resolve conflicts through means other than war. They were natural diplomats, artists, and mages. Their extraordinary talent for magic meant that every adult Grey Elf possessed strength of at least the seventh rank, but they never abused their power. This race lived five times longer than humans, but their birth rate was extremely low, with the entire population numbering only a little over a hundred.

“Kefried, you grey elves despise lying the most. Can you tell her about life after becoming my familiar?” Abyss looked up at the grey elf who had been summoned.

“Of course, my beloved master, the Abyss.” The grey elf smiled warmly, performing a complex and exquisite grey elf salute to the Abyss, then turned to Lanis. “Becoming Master Abyss’s familiar is not much different from my life. I enjoy freedom and the right to be beautiful. The only difference is that I have a partner I can always rely on, a leader worthy of respect and love. And all I need to do is appear by his side when he needs me.”

Lanis's eyes were wide open to their limit.

Grey elves do not lie. Proud as they are, they consider lying and selfishness utterly shameful. Getting a grey elf to lie even once is no less difficult than getting a mature dark elf to abstain from sex for ten years. Lanis was certain that the being summoned by the Abyss was indeed an undead. Her prosthetic eye could perceive temperature, and while this grey elf possessed body heat, it was far lower than that of a living person.

"You...can you really do it?" Lanis asked in a trembling voice, her previous arrogance, stubbornness, and madness completely gone.

“Give me the clues, and I’ll take care of the rest,” Abyss nodded confidently.

Chapter 127 "World Conduit"

Abyss saw that Lannice, standing behind the door, had many other emotions in her eyes.

Her eyes, which had been wild and filled with the cheap thrill of the explosion—just like the rumored mad demolition genius—saw a flicker of nostalgia, joy, and even a hint of nervousness in them when Abyss told Lannes she might see her mistress. Hope had rekindled the light in her eyes, which had been clouded by madness.

Lanis wasn't actually insane; she was just using madness to mask her pain and loneliness. Losing Rebecca must have been a huge blow to her.

Abis smiled at her and asked, "Now, may I go in?"

"Yes...no! No! Wait!" Lanis was about to agree to Abyss's request, but suddenly screamed and deftly pulled out several bottles and jars from the ones hanging on her body. She sprayed or sprinkled the potions inside, causing them to react with the various unseen things in the basement room. Occasionally, crackling sounds came from the basement, and smoke filled the air. All that could be seen was Lanis's small body jumping around in the room, nimbly climbing up and down various places.

Lanis busied herself inside for four or five minutes before returning to the Abyss, panting, and said, "Alright, you damned necromancer, I've disarmed all the traps inside. Get in here now!"

Abyss then leisurely pushed open the stone door, which had been damaged by the blast, and entered the basement. He casually uttered a spell, and a gust of wind dispelled the fog in the room.

Several bright magic lamps illuminated the basement walls, making the space brightly lit. A large cage was fixed in the center of the room. Inside the cage was a machine over two meters tall, resembling a square loaf of bread. Its surface was smooth, gray metal, without any patterns or seams, except for a single hole in the center from which a channel for liquid to flow out extended. Next to the hole was a disc on which one could place their hand, inlaid with several magic crystals. It was simple and easy to understand; one should inject magic into this disc to activate it, and then free alchemical solvent would flow out from the central hole.

“See that? This is Miss Rebecca’s masterpiece. I call it the Time-Space Solvent Machine, while Miss Rebecca calls it the ‘World Conduit.’” Lanis proudly pointed to the seemingly ordinary machine. “This invention was actually first recorded in the notes of Baron Botel Vepera. In his notes, Mr. Botel mentioned a machine that could automatically generate alchemical solvents, but also mentioned that such a machine did not exist in the world; it came from a place called ‘xitong.’ No one could figure out what it was all about, but Miss Rebecca, based on Mr. Botel’s description and her own genius, created this super machine that no one in the world could match! I also participated in its construction, but the core work was done by Miss Rebecca herself.”

"Can I start it up and take a look?" Abis asked, his hands behind his back, looking at the machine with great interest.

“It’s possible, but I don’t want you to start it.” Lanis shook her head. “Because this machine is nearing the end of its lifespan.”

"Lifespan? Doesn't it work by transporting matter from another world?" Abyss looked at Lanis in confusion. "Or... is there some irreplaceable component inside?"

“Hehe, you guessed right. There is an irreplaceable core component inside—a special magic crystal.” Lanis walked up and gently patted the machine’s outer shell through the iron cage. “I recently stumbled upon a fragment of Miss Rebecca’s notebook. I was planning to burn it, but it mentioned this machine, which forced me to take action. According to the records inside, I calculated that if this machine continues to work, the core magic crystal inside will shatter by next year at the latest, or at the earliest in the next few days.”

"Let me guess, ever since the Sheep's Eye Gang got their hands on this machine, they've been using it to make alchemical solvents, and it's hardly ever been put to a rest, has it?"

"Ha! Those money-grubbing idiots! And those moron alchemists who serve them!" Lanis let out a scornful, ear-piercing laugh. "I can't let this magic crystal shatter. After conducting numerous experiments, I discovered that this crystal has no substitute! It can connect this place to another world through some mechanism, and it's my only way to find Miss Rebecca! So, I took on a commission—oh, it was from that idiot I just blew into a lump of coal—and came to the Sheep's Eye Gang's territory. I gave them a good beating, blowing up all their potion warehouses, and I made sure I didn't leave them a single bottle."

Then, the Abyss listened with delight as Lanis finished recounting the story. Mr. Eugene, the leader of the Sheep's Eye Gang, a notorious miser, was naturally enraged by Lanis. He led his men to seize Lanis, who was sitting at his doorstep waiting to be arrested, and imprisoned her in his factory, demanding she produce ten times the amount of potion for him, or he would kill her. He was unaware that the magical machine he had acquired by chance at the auction house belonged to Lanis's mistress, nor did he know that Lanis intended to use it to enter his factory and steal the crystals inside.

“I’ve been thinking these past few days about how to blow open the machine’s outer shell, take that irreplaceable crystal inside, and escape with it. Later, I’ll figure out how to find Miss Rebecca’s body. I’ve planned everything out, and I’ve even bought a small estate in the Western Empire. The people of the Western Empire don’t like gangsters, Eugene’s reach won’t extend that far, and he’ll never find me.” Lanis chuckled. “I’m sure that would make him furious, boom! Hahahaha!”

"Speaking of which... why did you burn all of Rebecca's manuscripts?" Abyss asked curiously.

"Oh, you overly curious little brat!" Lanis held up her index finger and shook it from side to side at the Abyss. "If you really have the ability to wake Miss Rebecca up, wouldn't it be better to ask her yourself?"

“Ah, that works too.” Abis scratched his head.

"So? Are you going to help me move this machine?" Lanis patted the iron cage. "I can easily open this cage, but the job of moving it will be left to your undead—you'll have to figure out how to keep Eugene from finding out."

“No, that’s too much trouble.” Abis shook his head. “Let’s just take its outer shell off right here. I have a safer method than an explosion. Look.”

As he spoke, he stretched out one hand in front of him, and a glove made of bone quickly appeared on his hand, covering his entire hand. Each of his fingers had a sharp bone spike at its tip.

"Ha, you necromancers always have a way." Lanis laughed after a brief moment of surprise, revealing her teeth stained yellow from tobacco.

Chapter 128 Abyss, the Demolition Master

Titus sat on the floor at the entrance to the basement. He had just found some water for cooling the machines in the factory. Although it wasn't very clean, he still used it to wash his face before coming back. Sitting there bored, he took out his precious spoon, put it in his mouth, and made it rattle against his teeth.

He had thought the Abyss would talk to Lannis for a long time, and that there might be several explosions inside, but the Abyss came out of the basement in no time.

"Hi, Mr. Abyss! Have you reached an agreement with Lannis?" Titus immediately stood up and greeted Abyss warmly.

Abyss looked somewhat embarrassed. He coughed before saying to Titus, "I've reached an agreement with Lannis; she's willing to cooperate with my operation. However, there's something I need to inform you of."

"Please tell me what it is, and I will do my best to help as long as it is within my power." Titus smiled. He had witnessed the strength of the Abyss firsthand. For such a powerful mage to ask for his help was not a troublesome matter, but a rare opportunity. Naturally, he was more than willing to help.

“That machine, the solvent machine you wanted, we’ve decided to dismantle it here.” Abyss pointed his thumb to the basement entrance. “Because we can’t let that machine run anymore. The Sheep’s Eye Gang has been running it at high intensity ever since they got it, and if we don’t salvage it soon, it might break down. There’s a magic crystal inside that’s the core of its operation, and there’s no replacement for it yet. That means if it breaks down, there’s really no way to repair it.”

Titus's eyes widened.

“So, I can’t give you this machine. I have to protect the crystal inside. It’s very important to both Lannis and me,” Abyss continued. “This machine is actually the masterpiece of Rebecca, an alchemical genius from over forty years ago. There probably isn’t anyone capable of replicating it now.”

Titus chewed the spoon in his mouth gently, seemingly deep in thought.

Abyss knew he wasn't there to be a knight-errant. The allure of the Sheep's Eye Gang's machine, capable of continuously producing free alchemical solvents, was incredibly strong for a gang whose main source of income was selling potions. Titus had finally managed to seize this opportunity—an opportunity most people might never encounter in their entire lives—to enter the Sheep's Eye Gang's largest factory, and now he was about to abandon the machine he had been eyeing. His hesitation was entirely understandable.

But Titus hesitated for much less time than Abyss had expected, and he quickly smiled at Abyss: "Then let's tear it down."

"You have no objections?"

“This is a unique treasure, one of a kind in the world. I understand its value to this world. I also know that you are a highly skilled mage, and Lanis, though mad, is also an exceptionally skilled alchemist. Giving this to you to study is a million times more meaningful than letting anyone else use it as a money-saving tool.” Titus nodded slightly as he spoke. “Anyway, the Sheep's Eye Gang has been severely weakened by my actions over the past few days, and without the solvent machine, they won't recover so easily. All I need is time. What difference does it make if I give you this machine? The potion market in Lavoisier will be mine sooner or later.”

“You have great ambitions. The Sheep's Eye Gang might clash with you in the next few days. Have you thought of a countermeasure?” Abyss nodded in satisfaction and then asked.

“I’ve been preparing for this for a long time.” Titus revealed a sly smile. “It might be difficult for us to send our people to cause trouble for the Sheep Eye Gang, but if they take the initiative to attack, something very interesting will happen.”