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

"And then what happened?" Flora's voice sounded somewhat disappointed.

The shop owner curled his lip: "Then the saint was too weak and died soon after contracting a sudden illness. Hendrick III raised her from childhood and treated her like his own daughter. After the saint died, he had an accident due to mental confusion and died."

“What a tragedy,” Abis said from the side.

"Who says otherwise? After the next pope came to power, he immediately canceled the construction of schools nationwide, and all the schools that had already been built started charging exorbitant tuition fees, which ordinary families simply couldn't afford," the shopkeeper said angrily. "The money that was given to people back then couldn't be recovered, so they levied a tax on all the merchants in their jurisdiction, called some kind of religious tax. They said that the previous pope was disrespectful to the gods, and the money was to be used to build new idols to make up for the mistakes made by the previous pope. Merchants who didn't pay the tax were tied to the stake and burned at the stake, and then no one dared to disobey their orders. I don't know if this money was ultimately used for the gods, but the equipment of the Holy Knights of the Papacy suddenly became magnificent, and their numbers quickly increased."

"I understand... thank you." Flora's voice was even lower as she bit her lower lip and put the money on the table into her pocket.

"You'd better get out of the city quickly. These paladins are acting crazy again. I don't know what they're after for kidnapping a girl," the shopkeeper said. "Ever since that pope took office, the selection of paladins has become arbitrary. Some paladins are just thugs who have turned into their own, and they act like tyrants all day long, relying on the will of God, especially in cities like ours where the Papacy's influence is relatively strong. If you don't leave soon, they might kidnap you to make up the numbers."

“Let’s go, Flora.” Abyss stood up. “I’ll say it again: you can tell me your wish anytime.”

"Hmm..." Flora wanted to say something, but she kept her mouth tightly shut.

"Let's go buy some clothes. Her Highness the Princess is still lying there waiting for us." Abis took Flora's hand.

Chapter Thirteen: A Giant Leap for the Abyss

Flora, dressed in a moon-white healing mage robe, twisted her body, observing carefully. Mage robes are generally quite loose, lacking the shoulder pads and waist corset Flora had worn her whole life, and the material is extremely soft and smooth, even more comfortable than the commoner's dress she had worn before, a fact that Flora loved.

When she was a saint, both her everyday clothes and formal attire for public occasions were ordered directly from a specialized tailor by the Vatican. No one cared what Flora herself thought. The saint was an important representative of the Vatican to the general public, therefore the Vatican was fully responsible for her clothing, ensuring it was appropriate for every occasion and free from any personal feelings.

So this time, Abyss took Flora to a newly opened high-end clothing store in the city, letting her choose the clothes she wanted, which slightly improved Flora's mood, which had been somewhat downcast because of those barbaric paladins.

"It seems you really like white clothes?" Abis crossed his arms and looked Flora up and down with satisfaction. "The first time I saw you, you were wearing black clothes with gold trim. I thought that was your true taste."

"Of course I didn't choose that outfit myself," Flora said unhappily.

Abyss pondered for a moment, sucking on his finger, realizing that there were indeed not many people who had the opportunity to choose their own funeral attire.

"This mage robe suits your wife's temperament perfectly," the shopkeeper said with a smile as he approached. "This robe is made of the finest materials, specially designed for female mages. Not only is the texture beneficial to the skin, but it also has three built-in magic arrays. With just a little magic, it can protect against dust, shocks, and keep you warm. It's very practical, and I'm sure you two won't regret buying it." His throat seemed to be full of phlegm, and his voice was hoarse.

"Not my wife! Not my wife!" Flora blushed and quickly waved her hands.

"Oh, so this is your fiancée. My apologies for my rudeness." The shop owner gave an impeccable bow.

Flora stammered and tried to explain, but Abyss said directly from the side, "How much? I want this dress."

"This dress costs 10,000 Imperial Coins, but you two are the first customers to arrive today, and this beautiful lady is a mage, so I can give you a discount: 8,500 Imperial Coins." The shopkeeper's smile remained unchanged, clearly the result of years of practice. "What do you two think?"

"Eight thousand five hundred Imperial Coins?" Flora quickly did the math after hearing the price. The large sum of money she and Abyss received from the guild yesterday was less than twenty thousand. This outfit was going to cost almost half of that. Although she didn't have much of a concept of money, she could vaguely sense that this was what people called extravagant spending. "This is too expensive!"

“It’s really too expensive, not worth it.” Abis shook his head as well.

The shopkeeper maintained his smile, but seemed less enthusiastic. He cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, then I can take you two to see some mage robes without built-in magic arrays. They'll be much cheaper, only a few hundred Imperial Coins each."

"No, no," Abis waved his hand dismissively.

"This..." The shop owner looked troubled. "What does the customer intend to do?"

“If she likes it, how could I not buy it for her? As long as you give her a complete set of underwear to match this outfit, as well as the shirt and pants to wear underneath.”

The shop owner suddenly understood: "Ah, I misunderstood. So that's how it is. Since you two really want this, then I'll grit my teeth and lose money to make friends!" He walked towards the lingerie section, and as he passed Abyss, he winked at her: "Do you prefer lingerie that's a bit wild or a bit sweet?"

“Something wilder, please.” Abyss nodded with his eyes closed.

"Just the regular kind!" Flora cried out in a panic.

The shopkeeper went to find the clothes that came with the mage's robe, while Flora was admiring herself in the mirror, wearing the first new dress she had chosen herself. Abyss, seeing that neither of them was paying attention, secretly held up a finger to the shopkeeper and whispered a prayer.

A golden light flashed across Abyss's fingertips. The shopkeeper, who was rummaging through clothes, suddenly paused for a moment, then continued, bringing over a set of inner garments and undergarments that perfectly matched the mage's robe, his expression somewhat unnatural.

"What's wrong, boss?" Abis asked, feigning concern, with a barely perceptible smile.

"This... my pharyngitis, which flares up every winter, has suddenly gotten much better..." The shopkeeper's voice suddenly became clearer, "It's a bit strange..."

“Chronic diseases are like chronic diseases; they will get better without you even realizing it.” Abis rubbed his fingertips with his palm with pride, like a gentleman playing billiards.

The shop owner thought it made sense at first, but upon closer inspection, he realized that this guy was just talking nonsense!

The Abyss hadn't done anything wrong; he'd simply tested divine magic with his own body. During his conversation with the undead divine sorcerer, the Abyss had learned a great deal, memorizing all the prayers for various divine spells. However, the Abyss hadn't been baptized by the Church and didn't believe in any god, so no miracles would occur even if he recited the prayers. From the beginning, the Abyss hadn't felt the need to worship any deity, even if these beings did indeed perform miracles. Besides, the Abyss had later personally visited the realm of the gods and discovered that these deities were nothing more than a bunch of miserable laborers.

He just used a mid-level divine spell, a healing spell, which can directly cure a relatively mild illness. The price is that the disease will be transferred to the user. However, Abyss is a necromancer. Although he still has life, his body is not much different from that of a dead person, so he doesn't have to worry about getting sick.

This spell was actually unnecessary, but Abyss's purpose wasn't to cure the shopkeeper's illness. He just wanted to test whether Flora, as his familiar, would really transfer her power to him. And the fact was obvious. As Flora developed her first affection for Abyss, Abyss did indeed possess Flora's power. Although this power was not very noticeable and seemed useless, it was of great significance to Abyss.

A replica of the Creator God's power, it once guided Flora's ancestor to become the greatest paladin in the history of the Church under the name of the "Super Paladin System." Later, it awakened in Flora in the form of extraordinary divine magical talent. Now, after two transfers, a portion of it has finally fallen into the hands of the Abyss.

Acquiring the power of a familiar cannot be considered stealing... familiars! ...Can the actions of a necromancer be considered stealing?

Chapter Fourteen: The Strange Village

The sun had just risen, and a ray of dawn was spreading across the ground, gradually making a cluster of low-rise buildings on the distant horizon clear.

In the distance came the sounds of children playing and adults shouting. Abyss and Flora dismounted from their undead warhorse, and with a snap of Abyss's fingers, they were once again separated from the Underworld. This time, however, the undead warhorse was not taken into Abyss's ring. Instead, in a twisting motion, it transformed from a semi-transparent ghostly form into an ordinary black warhorse, indistinguishable from a living horse except for its slightly reddish eyes.

Abyss looked at the low buildings in the distance and scratched his head: "Tsk, this is clearly a village... and it looks like there are quite a few people here."

Flora was also puzzled by the scene before her: "Were we tricked by that necromancer named Reiner? We've traveled for two days only to end up in a village like this..."

"That shouldn't be the case. When a person lies, their soul fluctuates, and it won't escape my eyes. I'm certain that Reiner didn't lie to me, unless he himself obtained a fake address..."

Yes, it was indeed a village. As the two drew closer, the village's houses and settlements, large and small, came into full view of Abyss and Flora. It was winter, and the fields were bare, so most of the villagers were idle. The villagers wore clothes made of animal hides; some men were carrying bows and arrows, preparing to hunt nearby, while the women were busy clearing the snow that had fallen overnight in front of their homes. Smoke rose from the chimneys, and children chased each other happily in the village square—it seemed like a village where life was quite comfortable. Abyss estimated that, including the children, there were over a hundred people in the village.

"Travelers, where are you going?" When they reached the village entrance, Abys and his companion were finally spotted by the busy villagers. An old man sitting in front of his house chopping wood asked.

“This…” Abyss pulled a thin booklet from his pocket and waved it at the villager who had asked the question. “I am a bard, and I have come here with my assistant to gather inspiration. We would like to see the local customs and traditions of your village.”

"Ah, so that's how it is!" The old man stroked his bushy white beard. "The villagers will welcome you two. Bards don't often come to our remote little village."

The village children gathered around curiously, staring at Abyss and Flora. Their clothes were both quite nice, and Flora's neat and elegant mage robes particularly captivated the children. A number of women also began to approach, one of whom said, "If you are a bard, sir, please come to my house. We are making breakfast now and haven't started eating yet, so you two can rest for a while."

“Huh? Don’t you find us annoying?” Abyss’s eyes widened in surprise. “I remember that farmers don’t really like bards.”

“Sir, you are overthinking it. Our village has a tradition that as long as guests are polite, we will treat them warmly.” The old man put down his axe and said to Abis with a smile, “Although our village is not wealthy, we make a living. We can afford to treat you two to breakfast.”

"Brother Poet, can you sing?" a little child asked, jumping up and down while raising his hand.

“I can sing, I can sing, but I have to pay an appearance fee, and it’s very expensive.” Abis coughed twice. “But my assistant can sing for you for free.”

Flora was betrayed by Abyss again, and she hurriedly waved her hands, saying, "I can't sing well..."

"My sister's voice is as beautiful as a nightingale's. If she sings, all the boys in the village will fall in love with her!" a little girl exclaimed.

"No way! Girls are noisy and troublesome! We all hate girls the most!" a little boy immediately argued.

“Betty, Avel, you two shouldn’t be fooling around in front of our guests. Let them come inside and warm themselves by the fire first. Our village is so remote, you two must have been traveling for a long time.” The woman who had just invited Abyss and Flora into the house for dinner scolded the two children while smiling politely at Abyss. “Poet, please come with me. If you don’t mind our humble house.”

Abyss and Flora exchanged a glance, then followed the woman. Although they had many doubts about the village and the villagers' enthusiasm made them uneasy, Abyss wasn't worried that the villagers were capable of harming him and Flora. He had seen villagers do bad things before, but they only used laxatives and pitchforks, which were completely useless against Abyss.

The woman led Abyss into a house. As soon as he entered, the smell of stewing meat made Abyss's nose twitch. The cooking utensils must have been placed on the fire before Abyss and Flora arrived. A cast iron pot was steaming on the stove, and several halved roasted potatoes were placed beside it. The warmth of the fire made Abyss's face feel very comfortable.

There were two beds in the room. On one of the beds sat an old man who was blind in one eye and missing half a leg. Upon seeing Abyss and Flora, he said to the woman, "Mary, have guests?"

“Yes, Father, they are bards who have come from afar, and I invited them to have a meal at my home,” the woman replied. “And there’s enough stew for everyone today.”

“Alright, alright.” The old man nodded and said to Abis, “Welcome, guests from afar. Please forgive this old cripple for not being able to stand up to greet you.”

“We should be the ones saying thank you. Although we don’t have any money to give you, my assistant will sing for your children,” Abis added.

Flora blushed, but she didn't want to embarrass Abyss any further, so she stood aside silently, feeling wronged.

"Winter life is boring, but the children will be very happy." The old man nodded with a smile.

The woman quickly and enthusiastically brought out the stewed meat, casually tossed a few potatoes into the extinguished fire, and then brought out the roasted potatoes as well.

Abis did not refuse; after a simple thank you, he began to eat the food the woman offered.

Abyss chewed his food carefully. The meat was fresh, probably venison hunted just yesterday. Because it was lightly salted, the flavor was slightly bland, but still delicious—most importantly, nothing else had been added to the pot. If the villagers had added any harmful herbs, Abyss would have tasted it instantly. Necromancers were special mages who frequently dealt with herbs, often resembling alchemists, and Abyss's nose and tongue were naturally very sensitive to medicine. He could say with absolute certainty that it was just a simple stew, nothing wrong with it, but Abyss still felt strange. The villagers were all quite friendly, and he didn't sense they were lying, but something still felt off.

It seems they... are trying to avoid any conflict with outsiders?

Chapter Fifteen: The True Face of the Strange Village

After receiving confirmation from the Abyss, Flora politely ate a couple of bites of food. As a high-ranking undead, she didn't need to eat, but even if she did, it wouldn't do her any harm.

After the two finished their meal, Abis took Flora's hand, stood up, and said to the woman and the one-eyed old man, "Thank you for your hospitality. I need to discuss with my assistant what song to sing for the children later."

"Please feel free!" the woman said to Abis with a smile. "If you're looking for inspiration, sir, please feel free to wander around our village. If there's anything you'd like to know, you can ask anyone in the village."

Abis nodded, led Flora out of the house, and found a quiet corner where the two began to talk.

“Abyss, I feel something’s off. The villagers are looking at us strangely.” Flora whispered to Abyss. “Maybe we should hurry up and leave. Although they are all very welcoming and the children are cute, I still feel uneasy.”

Abis wasn't very good at dealing with living people. After listening to Flora's words, he asked, "You said the villagers' eyes looked unnatural? What was unnatural about them?"

“I can’t quite put my finger on it. Although they really wanted to host us, I could tell from their eyes that they actually wanted us to leave,” Flora said. “There was a hint of fear in their expressions.”

“This is really weird.” Abis frowned and looked at the nearest house. “This place is as strange as a vampire’s kidney.”

"Also, I can't sing bard songs..." Flora said shyly.

“It’s alright, you should know at least one or two nursery rhymes, so just… wait a minute.” Abyss suddenly paused, then walked toward the house he had been staring at earlier, and lightly ran his finger across the wall. The wall was of decent quality, and Abyss’s stroke didn’t leave a mark, even though the stone bricks on the wall looked somewhat weathered and seemed to be quite old.

"What's wrong? Did you notice something amiss?" Flora walked up to her with concern and asked softly.

“Is that really so…” Abyss stared at the stone bricks on the wall and nodded. “Flora, look, although the stone bricks on this wall are weathered and look quite old, the concrete used to build the wall is different from their age. It looks like it’s no more than fifty years old.”

"That doesn't prove anything, does it?" Flora asked curiously. "What if the house has been renovated?"

“Let’s go take a look at other houses,” Abis said to Flora, and then led her to the house next door.

With Abyss's explanation, Flora was somewhat surprised to find that although the style of her neighbor's house was different from the previous one, the condition of the walls was the same—old stone bricks and concrete that had been used for no more than fifty years.

I looked at two or three more, and they were the same.

“Then the result is obvious…” Abis put his hands behind his back, “Moreover, the elderly people in this village are quite strong. Judging from the way the men walk, they seem to have better balance than ordinary farmers. They must have all had qi training. Although farmers can also train in qi, if all the men in the village have this condition…”

"Princess Leona died forty-two years ago..."