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

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Emperor's Property

"This used to be my home."

As darkness fell, Rebecca led Abyss and the other two to an inconspicuous building in the city center. Pointing to the two-story building, she spoke to Abyss.

Rebecca had changed her clothes. Her old shoes were still missing in another world, and she hadn't retrieved them yet. She'd worn the same dress for forty years; she couldn't keep wearing it. Before coming here, they'd made a special trip to a clothing store to buy Rebecca a new outfit and boots, along with some necessary accessories. Now, dressed in her new clothes, Rebecca looked even more radiant, holding her own even next to the stunning beauty Flora.

Abis was somewhat surprised: "I thought that since you're so rich, your house would be more luxurious."

“This house was passed down from my ancestor—Baron Botel. He made enormous contributions to the development of alchemy, and I have the utmost respect for such a great figure,” Rebecca said, looking at the house still lit up. “So I’ve always lived in his former residence and never thought of moving—the house has a large basement that serves as a laboratory, which is actually quite sufficient. After my death, this house became my former residence. In my will, I requested that Lannis donate this house to the Empire, making it the Emperor’s property. It seems that the Emperor has preserved it very well; it hasn’t changed much since I died, and it’s very well maintained.”

People occasionally came and went from the house, young and old alike, all dressed as alchemists. Under the bright streetlights, a sign could be seen beside the gate outside the house's wall, reading "Former Residence of Baron Botel Vepera, Second Research Institute of the Mendeleev Alchemy Institute, Royal Property, Inviolable." It seemed the Emperor hadn't used this historically significant building for any random purpose, but rather as a research institute of the Mendeleev Alchemy Institute—a fitting end for it.

Rebecca's expression revealed her satisfaction with the Emperor's actions. This place was not only preserved, continuing to contribute to the world's alchemy in a different form, but also well-protected as royal property.

No matter how powerful one's backing, it could never surpass that of the Emperor, Kamper the Great. If any fool dared to provoke him, they would only face certain death. No gang dared to touch the Emperor's property, nor even daring to cause trouble in the vicinity.

This is why a large area centered around Rebecca's house is a prime commercial location, deterring gangs from running rampant and ensuring excellent security. At night, most shops are open, and besides the alchemists visiting the research institute, the Abyss also sees many young people enjoying entertainment, dining, or even entering the research institute itself.

“Those must be the students from the Mendeleev Alchemy Academy,” Rebecca said to Abyss, noticing him watching the young people coming and going. “The academy isn’t far from here. These students from all over the world attend classes during the day and come out to play or eat in the evenings, which is quite a unique feature of Lavoisier. They didn’t used to come to this area very often, but now that this place has been turned into the academy’s research institute, their range of activities has probably expanded as a result.”

"How many students are there in the academy?" Leona was a little curious. She had always received one-on-one education from specially invited teachers in the palace and had never attended an academy like this before, so she didn't know.

“There were probably over a thousand people when I was alive. I don’t know how much the academy has expanded now,” Rebecca replied. “Tonight, I plan to take you to the Alchemy Club in Lavoisier. It’s arguably the most fun place in Lavoisier. After you’ve had your fun, we’ll grab something to eat. Then we’ll find a nice hotel to rest for the night, and we can meet up with Lanis tomorrow morning to continue our business.”

Rebecca had specifically asked them if they could eat normally, and only after receiving a positive reply from Abyss did Rebecca formulate her plans for tonight.

Leona immediately perked up; she's always had a weakness for novelty. Even the composed Flora was eager to try it out. The Alchemy Club—that kind of place sounded intriguing.

"What can you do inside the Alchemy Club?" Leona asked, pulling on Rebecca's arm.

“You’ll see when you come with me. There are so many things you can do. The Alchemy Club is a really, really fun place. The world’s top alchemical achievements are basically exhibited and exchanged here, and even ordinary people who know nothing about alchemy can enjoy what’s there.” Rebecca said to Leona with a touch of mystery as she led the three of them in one direction. “It’s over here. Just follow me.”

After walking through several streets, the four of them arrived in front of a building.

When Leona saw that Rebecca had stopped, she was about to excitedly go inside, but Flora stopped her.

"What's wrong?" Leona turned to look at Flora, thinking that her clothes were not formal enough, and checked them carefully.

"Oh... the Alchemy Club seems to be gone," Rebecca said, somewhat distressed. "Leona, look at the sign by the door, what does it say?"

"Hmm?" Leona then noticed a sign hanging above the entrance of the building, with a bottle of perfume engraved on it and the words "Harper Perfume Shop" written on it.

"Hmm... has the Alchemy Club been turned into a perfume shop now?" Abyss wasn't disappointed at all. "Why don't we go inside and buy some perfume? I was just thinking of investigating how to make corpses emit a relaxing fragrance..."

"You wish!" Leona immediately ran back and kicked him in the shin.

Rebecca seemed somewhat disappointed. Forty years had changed a lot, and Lavoisier was a city that developed and changed rapidly. If the Alchemy Club was gone, there would be much less fun tonight.

"Hello, are you out-of-towners heading to the Alchemy Club?"

Just as Rebecca was about to go into the store to ask when the Alchemy Club was closed, someone walked up to them and asked.

“Ah…yes.” Rebecca looked at the person who spoke, a girl who looked to be in her teens with a childlike face, holding a book with a leather cover in her arms and a small bag for carrying alchemical materials slung across her shoulder.

They looked like students from the college. This area is a bustling commercial district, so it's not surprising to run into students.

"If you're looking for the Alchemy Club, I can take you there," the girl said with a smile to the Abyss and his group. "The Alchemy Club moved last year, with the Emperor personally investing in the relocation. I'm on my way there now!"

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Alchemy Club

Although none of Abyss's group were dressed like alchemists, the female student they had just met at the perfume shop enthusiastically led them to a building more than twice the size of the perfume shop. Even before she spoke, Abyss immediately knew this was the new address of the Alchemy Club.

Because the entrance to this building is marked by an extremely bright potion lamp sign, with colorful light tubes forming beautiful cursive lettering that reads "Lavoisier Alchemy Club".

"Ah! This is it!" Rebecca clapped her hands in surprise. "Wow, is the Emperor really that generous? This time the Alchemy Club's space has more than doubled!"

The girl smiled and said, "Because the Alchemy Club has only been in its new location for less than a year, many people from out of town come to the wrong place when they're looking for it. I've seen many people like you. Since Emperor Kamper took office, he has been very concerned about the Mendeleev Academy, allocating a lot of funds to the academy and establishing several specialized research groups. You should have seen Baron Botel's former residence before; that place is now also an academy research institute. This Alchemy Club is a place that all the alchemists in the city love to visit. When the emperor allocated funds to the academy last year, he also made an investment in the club, helping it move to a larger building to facilitate various exchange activities for the alchemists."

"Does the emperor value education?" Flora was very interested in this.

"Emperor Campbell is a very capable emperor. He's good at making money, and he's not a miser. He spends the money he earns. Over the years, he has invested in many fields, and the alchemists in Lavoisier are just part of his plan." The girl seemed to have a good impression of the emperor of the Eastern Empire. "I came to Lavoisier from another city to study three years ago. In these three years, the emperor has managed Lavoisier very well. Although the problem of gangs has not been resolved, the emperor has given a strict order that no gang is allowed to provoke the students of the academy, so our studies will not be disturbed by them."

Flora nodded earnestly. During her lifetime, she had followed the Pope in trying to promote education in the Western Empire, but it had almost completely failed. Now, seeing that the emperor of another country was willing to use his power to protect students and researchers made her very gratified.

"Are you all alchemy enthusiasts? Or are you just here for fun?" the girl asked, sizing up the four of them. Rebecca's clothes were typical of girls from wealthy families; Abyss, in his cloth armor and cloak, looked like a novice mage apprentice; Leona wore practical, well-fitting clothes, making her seem like an amateur aura fighter; and Flora appeared to be the most elegant, but her aura was so pure and holy that it had nothing to do with alchemists.

“She and I are here to have fun,” Leona said, immediately taking Flora’s hand. “Any recommendations for fun things to see?”

The girl thought for a moment and said, "Oh... I see. If you're just here to have fun, I recommend you check out the daily mini-auction on the second floor. They sell some strange and wonderful potions invented by alchemists. The prices are generally not high, just at cost, and they've all been tested for toxicity. They usually won't harm your health after drinking them, and they'll have some strange effects. It's quite suitable for beginners."

“I suppose I know a little bit about alchemy, and I’m quite interested in it,” Rebecca said at this moment.

“If you know alchemy, you can actually go to the club’s little bar and chat with the alchemists. Not only students from the academy, but alchemists from Lavoisier City also go there to have drinks or wine and exchange ideas.” The girl said, then suddenly leaned closer to Rebecca with a mysterious air and said to her, “Moreover, the Alchemy Club now has a room that is reserved for core members. The city’s senior alchemists discuss crazy ideas that are beyond the understanding of people today every day. Very few people know about this place. If you want to go, I can tell you how to get there.”

"Hmm? You're a core member too?" Rebecca was naturally very excited. "It would be great if you could tell me, but won't doing this cause you trouble? I remember that the top figures in the alchemist circle are all eccentric."

"Well... I worked as a errand boy there." The girl smiled gently. "Just don't reveal that I was the one who told you about this."

“We don’t even know your name.” Rebecca shrugged.

"That would be even better. My name doesn't matter, as long as you're happy." The girl winked at Rebecca. "I don't know why, but when I saw you today, I felt like we were destined to be together."

Abyss stood aside, thought for a moment, and then took out a few Imperial coins from his pocket: "If we want to join the Alchemy Club, we need to pay, right?"

"Yes, everyone has to pay to enter the club, but it's not particularly expensive. I can manage if I come three or four times a month," the girl nodded.

“Then I’ll pay for your entry to the Alchemy Club today.” Abyss nodded to the girl. He didn’t really like accepting favors from others for nothing, especially since he had just exchanged the gold he had pried off from the Black Hat Gang for a lot of money and was now quite well-off.

“Then I’ll gladly accept.” The girl smiled, revealing her teeth. “Remember, the alchemists’ gathering usually starts at 10 p.m. When you go down to the second basement level, walk to the end of the corridor and turn right. There will be an iron door there. Just go into that room and you can join their gathering. I won’t play with you guys. I came to the club to browse through the books in the club’s collection. I’m going to stay up all night studying and researching my graduation potion project.”

"Then I wish you a successful graduation and that you become an excellent alchemist," Flora said politely to her.

The girl returned the greeting and then led the four of them toward the entrance: "Come in quickly, the club will definitely not disappoint you, believe me, it will always surprise you."

Abis paid for everyone's admission, and the five of them stepped into the club.

As soon as I entered the club, I saw two alchemists walking out, chatting and laughing.

"Let me tell you, the items sold at today's auction will probably fetch a good price."

"Did you peek at the items they were auctioning?"

"Hehe, I'm one of the sellers. The potion I sell can test the compatibility of two people after marriage. Although there's a gimmick involved, it's sure to be very popular!"

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Rebecca immediately became excited.

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Rich Woman's Money-Spending Adventure

After saying goodbye to the girl, Rebecca practically led Abyss up to the second floor. Leona, who was very curious about the potions being auctioned, also pulled Flora along closely behind.

Upon reaching the second floor, a commotion reached the four of them. After going up the stairs, they found themselves in a small auction hall next door, where a new auction was being prepared and many guests were already seated.

Unlike luxury auctions specifically for the wealthy, the guests here are a diverse bunch, sitting wherever they like: alchemists, academy students, commoners, and even out-of-towners dressed in a way that contrasts sharply with the city dwellers. The items auctioned here aren't expensive either; most are potions with strange effects, accidentally concocted by alchemists during their experiments. Under the influence of magic, many potions have particularly interesting effects. After passing the club's toxicity tests, they are sold at very low prices, usually starting at cost, with the price gradually increasing from there.

The fun of these potions lies in their unique effects and limited quantities. Even Rebecca was curious about these strange things with random effects. It's true that she's an alchemical genius, but she's not arrogant because of it. On the contrary, looking at the results of other alchemists inspires her thinking.

"Sit down! Let's sit in a row!" After urging the staff at the door to complete the simple registration, Leona found an empty seat, sat down in one of the chairs, and then waved vigorously at Abyss and the others without any regard for her image.

“Leona really has a childlike heart,” Rebecca couldn’t help but chuckle.

Flora smiled, her eyes filled with affection, like a mother taking her daughter out for a stroll.

As Abyss was led forward by Rebecca, he pondered for a moment. If he remembered correctly, Leona had died at the age of eighteen, and as a princess of the empire, she should have been the most mature of the four...

The four finally took their seats, and after waiting for a while, the auction began. Inside the auction hall, there was a small platform with a stone table in the middle. An elderly host walked up, yawning, carrying a bell in his hand.

"Ahem... The sixth auction of the day is about to begin. We've just acquired a new batch of potions, so without further ado, let's begin the auction." The host gave a wink to the backstage staff, and immediately a waiter came over with a beaker and placed it on the stone table.

The guests in the audience began a lively discussion, eagerly awaiting the host's announcement of the potion's effects.

"Hmm... the first potion's effect is to make people dream of... hmm... two-headed ogres while they sleep?" The host was clearly speechless at the potion's effect, but having grown accustomed to auctioning off bizarre potions every day, he remained remarkably calm. "Starting bid: twenty Imperial Coins. Anyone interested?"

Some guests couldn't help but burst out laughing.

“Yes, yes! Thirty Imperial Coins!” Rebecca immediately raised her hand.

Leona, who was often compared to a two-headed ogre by the Abyss using his characteristic metaphors, immediately sensed something was amiss when she heard Rebecca want this thing. Her first instinct was to tell Rebecca to put her hand down. However, after thinking about it carefully, she realized that stopping Rebecca at this moment would be even more inappropriate, so she blushed and obediently stopped.

Abyss smiled slightly. This stuff is quite interesting, but he wondered if it would have any effect in the dreams created by the Lord of Nightmares after he drank it.

"Anyone else offering a higher price?" The host paused. "Thirty Imperial Coins once, thirty Imperial Coins twice, thirty Imperial Coins three times, sold!"

The host rang the bell in his hand, indicating that Rebecca was now the owner of the potion. After the auction, Rebecca could take the potion from the beaker for thirty Imperial Coins. Of course, the beaker was not provided; she had to bring her own container. If she didn't have a container, she could buy one at the club. If she wanted to drink it on the spot, no one would stop her.

“If you see any potions you want, just bid! We have enough money!” Rebecca said to Leona, who was swinging her legs in a chair because her feet couldn’t reach the ground. “We’re family now, so this money is our shared property. If we run out, I’ll earn more!”

"Can I really bid whatever I want?" Leona's eyes sparkled.

"Hmph, I'm not bragging, but there's no one richer than us in the entire city of Lavoisier right now," Rebecca said with a hint of pride. "But it's pointless for so much money to just sit in our hands; we might as well spend it and let it circulate. Money is only money when it's spent!"

Leona excitedly grasped Rebecca's hand: "You are a true sage!"

The auction continued, with all sorts of strange and wonderful potions being brought out by the vendors. Some potions could temporarily grow beautifully shaped breasts for people (regardless of gender), which Leona desperately wanted but was too shy to ask for. Rebecca, however, won the potion by bidding three times the starting price. Other potions could turn one's vision green; still others could produce chocolate-scented smoke from one's ears… These bizarre potions truly broadened Leona's horizons, making her regret that she hadn't asked to come here when she was a princess.

Flora, unusually, also took the initiative to buy a bottle of magic potion. This potion could temporarily make a person's skin pink and tender. She had always felt sorry for Abyss's pale skin, so she bought this thing. She wasn't worried about any side effects. In front of her divine magic, all poisons were just child's play.

"Next..." The host waited for the waiter to bring out the next potion and place it on the stone table, then began reading from the list in his hand, "This potion can test the compatibility of couples after marriage... Both people drink this potion at the same time, then touch each other's bodies. The places where they touch will emit light; the brighter the light, the more compatible they are. However, the seller says the effect is only for reference. I think the young guests here will want to try this potion. The starting price is one hundred Imperial Coins. Please place your bids."

"One hundred and twenty Imperial Coins." Someone immediately made a bid.

"One hundred and fifty Imperial Coins!"

"Three hundred Imperial Coins!" Rebecca raised her hand and shouted, "Please stop bidding, everyone! I really, really want this potion. If I succeed in getting it, everyone here will receive three hundred Imperial Coins as a gift!"

The host nearly dropped the bell he was holding. The guests exchanged bewildered glances; none of them had ever seen such a tycoon. This potion was, frankly, just a game, yet he was taking it so seriously. Those who had initially intended to bid withdrew their hands upon hearing that it cost three hundred Imperial Coins.

Leona's gaze towards Rebecca had completely transformed into one of adoration. So this was the business queen! Generous! Powerful!

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Who's the Best Match?