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

“Although I don’t know what your reasons are for doing this, I’ll trust you for now.” Lanis nodded. “You wouldn’t want to let down a bomb-crazy person who has high expectations of you, would you?”

“Of course, I will not let anyone down,” Titus said with a smile.

Having seen the last place she cherished, Lanis was finally ready to leave. She took the horse that had been a gift from Gylvia, returned to her dilapidated dwelling, hung a large backpack on the horse's back, and mounted another pony. Now, she finally resembled the halflings commonly perceived, a wanderer, always on the move.

After another heartfelt farewell, Lanis rode her horse out of the city gates and headed towards the Western Empire. Rebecca watched her old companion leave, gently wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye.

“If it weren’t for Lannis’s insistence on preserving my invention, I might still be soaking in a potion pool in another world right now,” Rebecca said to Abyss with a sigh. “The potion I use to sustain my life has a shelf life of about several decades. If I keep soaking in it, I might get swollen up, and that would look awful.”

“We’re both lucky.” Abyss nodded slightly. “Things didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped, but we still ended up meeting each other. Rebecca, how have you been feeling with my team these past few days?”

“I feel great.” Rebecca turned to look at Leona, who was standing hand in hand with Flora. “You are truly a very capable person, able to gather the continent’s top geniuses together. I feel like a fish in water with these geniuses, and if I could, I would like to stay with you all forever.”

“I hope Lannice can enjoy her new life, spending her days with her beloved alchemy and not having to worry about the mafia. She should be able to enjoy herself more easily.” Abyss stretched and turned back. “We should probably head back soon too. We’ll rest with Gylvia a bit more before we set off together. I originally planned to go directly to the Elven Kingdoms, but now it seems that a trip to the Kingdom of Ossi to cause trouble for the Lord of Nightmares is still quite necessary.”

“Great! You don’t need to go out to eat this time. I’ll treat you to some of the specialties of Lavoisier.” Titus, who was waiting on the side, said with a smile. “Givia accepted my invitation before. Today is the first time I’m dining at the same table as a princess. To be honest, I’m a little nervous.”

“Titus, I remember you told me you wanted to tell me your story. Would you consider telling it to us over dinner?” Abyss asked with a smile.

“Hmm, I think that’s fine.” Titus thought for a moment and nodded. “My story still needs to be kept secret, but I don’t need to hide anything from you. After all, you are all big shots and won’t just blurt things out and cause me to be punished by the Black Hat Gang’s boss.”

The fact that most gangs in the Eastern Empire have nobles as their backers is something that no one talks about openly, but it is a fact that everyone acknowledges. When Titus said this, Abyss became a little curious about who his boss was.

……

"Our boss is Emperor Campbell."

At a banquet that was not large in scale but featured a great variety of dishes, Titus said this to everyone.

Besides him, only Abyss and his three companions, along with Gylvia, were seated at the table. Santos had intended to follow, but Gylvia knew that the story Titus was about to tell her was not suitable for anyone other than herself to hear, so she told him to have guards placed outside.

However, Givia hadn't expected Titus to say such explosive things after just two drinks and getting into the zone. Holding a glass of wine, she asked curiously, "Emperor Campbell? Why did you suddenly want to rule the mafia?"

“That’s not hard to understand. Emperor Campbell needs money, and we gangsters can make money for him efficiently. Emperor Campbell needs money more than any emperor of the Eastern Empire, and he wants money,” Titus said with a smile to the people at the table. “The Eastern Empire may seem strong and wealthy, but it is actually riddled with diseases. It has been severely eroded by many ills accumulated over the ages, and most of these ills are deep-rooted and intractable ailments. Emperor Campbell is someone who wants to cure it.”

Abis was very interested in this. He put down his wine glass, took a bite of the fragrant roast meat, and chewed slowly.

Abyss had never met Emperor Kampel, only knowing that he was the most ruthless and authoritative of the Eastern Empire's emperors. His motto, "Those who obey me prosper, those who defy me perish," perfectly encapsulated his character.

Titus recounted with awe the deeds of Emperor Campbell: in the first three years of his reign, he had ruthlessly executed dozens of foolish nobles who dared to defy imperial authority, sometimes even carrying out the executions himself. He was also generous in providing assistance to nobles who were willing to support his rule and manage their territories well. He often spent lavishly, yet never wasted money.

During his reign, the Eastern Empire's economy developed significantly. As the empire's economy progressed, he also began to develop his own industries. His status as emperor deterred other nobles from engaging in cutthroat competition with him, which naturally allowed him to amass a fortune.

However, he was a man who never indulged in pleasure. The continuous wealth generated by his businesses was continuously reinvested into his country. His money grew larger and larger in this constant cycle, and the businesses he invested in all flourished.

“Lavoisier is a key step in the Emperor’s plan to expand the potion industry. It’s far from the capital, a border city with complex power dynamics and the interests of many nobles, so it’s inconvenient for him to get involved.” Titus took a sip of his fine wine and patted his chest. “So he came here incognito and met me—a young man who was once blinded by hatred and obsessed with revenge.”

Chapter Fifty-Two: Titus's Past

“I was just an ordinary hoodlum in Lavoisier. My mother was a dancer in a tavern, and my father disappeared after I was born. As you know, the social atmosphere in Lavoisier is not very good. My mother worked from dawn till dusk every day, and I was left unattended, so I grew up playing with the bad boys in the city until I became sensible.”

Titus put down his wine; the combined effects of the alcohol and the potion made him appear very calm.

Gylvia listened quietly to Titus's story. She was a high-ranking princess, and even after fleeing the palace, she was still the leader of the restoration army. Titus's story of rising from a hoodlum to become the head of the Lavoisier gang was very novel to her.

“My mother rarely disciplined me. She wouldn’t scold me as long as I didn’t do those dangerous games that could kill me. As a dancer, her regular job paid very little. Occasionally, she would get the favor of a wealthy customer and bring back some extra money after staying out all night.”

"Thanks to my mother, I was able to eat my fill every day and eventually grow into a strong young man. I naturally joined the city's gang—the Sheep's Eye Gang—where I became an unknown henchman. At that time, the boss of the Sheep's Eye Gang was already Eugene."

"My job is simple: I help the Sheep's Eye gang protect their potion factory from being harassed or attacked by the other two gangs, go out and fight when someone calls for help, or follow the little boss to show off. Every week, I get a sum of money as wages, which I use to buy food and drinks and go out and have fun with my brothers. My mother no longer needs to squeeze out money from her meager income to cover my meal expenses."

"I used to think this was the perfect life. Although I had no savings, I lived a comfortable life. I had my buddies by my side and got along well with the waitresses in the tavern. I could drink when I wanted to, eat meat when I wanted to, and mooch off my brothers when I was broke. Carefree, this kind of life couldn't be better!"

Titus paused here, gulped down the drink in his glass, covered his mouth and let out a long, quiet burp, shaking his head slightly.

"But just when I was living a peaceful life and enjoying myself to the fullest, something unexpected happened. One day, I was having barbecue and drinking with my friends, and we were having a great time when suddenly one of my neighbor's kids came to me and asked me to go home. I was very unhappy that he had interrupted my drinking session, but thinking that my mother might need to see me, I went home with him."

"On the way, he kept stammering and didn't dare to tell me what had happened. When we got home, I saw my mother lying on the bed with blood-soaked gauze wrapped around her head, on her deathbed."

"I asked the neighbors and found out that my mother had caught the eye of Eugene, who was wandering around the tavern, because of her graceful figure while dancing. Eugene asked my mother to spend the night with him. My mother was used to this line of work and knew that Eugene was my boss, so she naturally did not refuse. But just as she returned home with Eugene and took off her clothes to sit on the bed, someone came to report that Eugene's dog had gotten into a fight with another dog and died."

"Eugene doesn't like animals, but that dog was a rare breed that Eugene bought from the Western Empire at great expense. When this miser heard the news, he was furious. With nowhere to vent his anger, he grabbed his cane—that solid alloy cane—and hit my mother on the head, telling her to get out."

“My mother was bleeding from a head wound, and she wrapped her clothes around the wound as she walked home. At first, she could walk slowly on her own, but she soon fell to the ground. It was a regular customer who recognized her lying on the street... and took her home…”

At this point, Titus's voice choked up, but he glanced at Princess Givia sitting opposite him, trying his best to control his emotions in front of his distinguished guest, and took another swig of wine.

"Then my mother passed away. She could no longer speak before she breathed her last. She just looked at me with bloodshot eyes and died quietly. I called out to her, but she could no longer respond to me."

"Finally, while I was dealing with my funeral arrangements, I found a small cloth bag containing several hundred Imperial coins, including brand-new high-denomination Imperial coins and dirty low-denomination Imperial coins. There was also a note inside the bag that read 'For Titus's wedding.' My mother was thinking of me before she died, and even though her income was very low, she still saved money to give to me, but I only cared about my own pleasure and couldn't save a single coin in my pocket."

“I was furious. I swore I would kill that bastard Eugene with my own hands. On the day I buried my mother, I left the Sheep's Eye Gang and joined the Black Hat Gang. The brothers who used to party with me came to take revenge after I defected from the gang. They acted as guides and burned down my house, but by then I had already moved all my property and the things my mother left me.”

"Within a few days, I lost my only relative, the brother I once thought was my closest friend, and even cut off contact with the girl I loved so as not to implicate her. I almost lost everything."

"But I didn't fall. Driven by hatred, I desperately climbed up the ranks in the Black Hat gang. If I didn't know how to be a leader, I secretly learned; if I didn't know how to cultivate relationships, I diligently explored; if I didn't know how to make money, I racked my brains to figure it out. I only wanted power, I wanted strength, I wanted to stand at the same level as Eugene, and then kill him with my own hands."

"I firmly believe that the whole reason for this pain is that I am too weak, too weak to protect the people I love, and that is why I was deprived of my right to a happy life by a scoundrel like Eugene."

Titus recounted his experiences after joining the Black Hat Gang: brawls, assassinations, bribery, threats… He calmly recounted everything he had done and the struggles he had endured. Although his tone was as relaxed as a bard's boast, everyone knew just how many dangers one had to overcome to climb from the bottom to the top of a gang.

"I later became a high-ranking member of the Black Hat Gang, and was considered a big boss. But at that time, the leader of the Black Hat Gang was a meticulous and ruthless person. If I wanted to sit in his position, it would be almost impossible."

"I tried many methods, testing the waters within safe limits, but the results all showed that I couldn't replace the boss. As long as I couldn't seize supreme power in the gang, I couldn't gather enough strength to take revenge on Eugene and the Sheep's Eye Gang."

“I was really anxious at that time, and even considered taking a desperate gamble, but at that moment, I met someone who changed my life.”

"That night, he sat beside me, shared a glass of strong liquor with me, and told me in a deep and authoritative voice that the root of all my suffering was not that I was not strong enough, but that I had chosen the wrong opponent from the very beginning."

Chapter Fifty-Three: The Emperor's Mission

"That was Emperor Campbell, the supreme ruler of the entire empire. He secretly came to Lavoisier and met me. He has a very sharp eye; after talking with me for a while, he guessed that I had ambitions to become the leader of the Black Hat Gang."

"He didn't immediately reveal his purpose, but instead asked me why I wanted to become the leader of the Black Hat Gang. I was struck by his natural charisma, and after a brief conversation with him, I even felt the urge to pledge allegiance to him. So I told him the truth about my revenge plan."

"He told me that the reason for my suffering and that of others like me was not because of a lack of power, but because the power in this world was too unbalanced and not properly restrained. Eugene's power was too great, and no one restrained him, so he could act lawlessly and disregard human life."

"After talking all night, I learned that he was the emperor of the Eastern Empire, Emperor Campbell. He promised to lend me a large sum of money to help me ascend to the throne, and at the same time gave me a task."

Titus's expression brightened at this moment, and he stood up from his seat and opened his arms.

"Unify the gangs in Lavoisier, become the sole boss of Lavoisier, and use my power to restrain the gangs here, stopping the fighting between them at its root. I can still exploit some legal loopholes and do some less-than-honorable things to make money, but on the condition that I swear eternal loyalty to him, pay the necessary taxes, accept his direct orders, and during my time as boss, I will gradually formalize the gangs."

“This is a rather difficult task,” said Gylvia. “The gangs in Lavoisier have become part of the local culture, and it will be a long process to formalize them.”

"It is indeed difficult, but the Emperor did not limit the time for me to achieve my goal. I accepted the task and am working on it step by step. You should be able to see that the Black Hat Gang is quite different from the gangs that everyone generally imagines, right?"

“Indeed, the aura of your gang… always gives people the feeling of soldiers. Although your men are poorly trained, they are very spirited,” Jivia nodded and said. “And I can also tell that they have been doing well since they started following you; they are all very loyal to you.”

“That’s because my gang focuses more on creating more wealth, unlike other gangs that always focus on plunder,” Titus said with a smile. “The Emperor’s orders to me are usually very simple: make money, make money now, make more money later, and make sure the people of Lavoisier are willing to live in harmony with us and never cause chaos.”

Abyss nodded slightly. He was truly intrigued by Emperor Kampel; if he were to die someday, Abyss would definitely wake him and have a good talk with him. Perhaps, through the methods of this emperor, the Eastern Empire could indeed become stronger than ever before.

It's just unknown whether he or Princess Helen, who is about to become empress, is stronger. The Abyss doesn't want to see war break out between the Eastern and Western Empires. If the two strongest empires on the continent were to clash, it would surely result in rivers of blood and corpses strewn across the battlefield. The Abyss likes the dead, but it absolutely does not want any deaths to occur in this situation.

"I still have a long way to go, and tonight's banquet is not to celebrate my victory, but to send you off on your journey home." Titus raised his glass to Givia, "May your restoration army achieve victory soon and restore the pride of the Kingdom of Ossi!"

"Thank you." Gylvia also stood up, downed her drink in one gulp, and placed the empty glass upside down on the table. This was a customary gesture among the Ossi people to show respect to those drinking together.

"Please enjoy yourselves, everyone. The potions have been fully loaded onto the truck and are now being guarded by my men." Titus followed Gylvia's example, downing a large glass of wine he had just poured in one gulp, and then turning the glass upside down on the table.

“Abyss, I’ve already entrusted the matter of the children leaving Lavoisier to my men. It should be done by tomorrow, at which point you can personally supervise their departure. If you have any additional instructions, please feel free to let me know.” Titus then turned to Abyss and said to him, “You are a highly skilled mage; you should have a way of knowing whether the children are safe on the road. I don’t think I need to make too many guarantees. I have already arranged trustworthy men and hired reliable mercenaries.”

“I will pay you back in the form of some jewelry later. And I do have ways to ensure these children have a safe journey, thank you for making the arrangements.” Abis nodded.

Just as the banquet was about to continue, Abyss suddenly felt a slight fluctuation in his necromancy bond, and a request for shared consciousness was sent to Abyss from another part of the city.

The Abyss found this strange. The request, sent via the magical link, came from one of the two undead minions he had previously released as a precaution. If the Abyss granted the request, the other's thoughts would be heard, and the Abyss could also transmit his commands through the link. It was a quick method of communication; if the other side used this method, it meant they had something to report to the Abyss.

"Elton, have you discovered anything? Why did you suddenly contact me using the bond?" Abyss agreed to receive the message from the other side, recited a short incantation, and the two communicated regardless of the distance.

“Master Abyss, I am currently disguised as a member of the Black Hats and with the children they rescued from the Sheep's Eyes factory.” Elton’s voice transmitted to Abyss’s mind through shared thought. “The Black Hats’ messengers are on their way to you, but I think you need to know this in advance—several of the children have suddenly collapsed as if they have contracted some kind of illness, and they are constantly spitting out black mud from their mouths.”

"Hmm? This situation is quite unexpected. I'll head there as soon as possible." Abis frowned. He had never heard of any disease that would cause someone to vomit black mud from their mouth. It seemed that the matter was not as simple as just being sick.

Just as Abyss was about to tell Titus that he was going ahead, another request for shared consciousness came from another undead he had sent out.

"Fallon, what's the matter?"

“Master Abyss, I am currently disguised as a member of the Sheep's Eye Gang and am with their remaining forces. They seem to be preparing some kind of powerful machine to go to a specific location—this machine uses a kind of black mud as its energy source, and I have a strong feeling about it!”

Chapter 54 Machines Using Strange Fuel

Abyss continued to learn the details from the two undead who were disguised and scouting outside, then downed the wine in his glass in a few gulps and stood up from his seat.

Titus was immersed in the grand ambition of following Emperor Campbell to change the world when he saw Abyss suddenly stand up. He asked, "What's wrong, Mr. Abyss? Is there something you need? If it's not necessary to do it personally, I can send one of my men to do it."

Abyss, with a hint of helplessness in his expression, said, "It's not like that. It seems the Sheep's Eye Gang doesn't intend to let your Black Hat Gang drive them out of Lavoisier so easily. Some of the remaining forces are planning to rescue their leader. They're using a very strange machine powered by some unknown black mud as their fighting force. I have to go check it out. Are you sure the place where you're holding Eugene is well-hidden?"

Titus's slightly tipsy mind was instantly sobered up by Abyss's question.

“If that’s the case, then the place wasn’t actually that well-hidden. I just didn’t tell anyone, but I didn’t make any special effort to keep it a secret.” He frowned. “If there were a few disloyal people among those who followed me at the time, then it’s very possible that this location would have been discovered. Mr. Abis, do you have a way of seeing the Sheep’s Eye Gang’s movements?”

“Indeed, their actions are now under my control. Leave this to me; I will make sure Eugene is not rescued by their henchmen.” Abyss patted Rebecca on the back as she sat beside him and calmly said to Titus, “You have a more important task. You need to take her to the hiding place of the children you rescued. They have suddenly developed a strange symptom, and several children have already collapsed. I need you to take her to save their lives.”

Rebecca was somewhat surprised: "What illness did you say?"

"According to the information I just received, several of these children suddenly collapsed. Their main symptoms are bluish skin all over their bodies and a black, viscous substance constantly vomiting from their mouths, much like the substance found on shadow demons in the Shadowfall. These children are now completely unconscious, but their internal organs seem to be failing. I don't think they can hold on for much longer. Rei, do you have a way to solve this problem?"

"Rebecca" is how the Abyss refers to her in front of outsiders. Neither Titus nor Princess Givia know that the Abyss is a necromancer, nor do they know Rebecca's true identity; they simply assume Rebecca is someone waiting in the city for the Abyss to come and fetch her. After all, Rebecca's name is far too famous in this city, and calling her that out directly would cause unnecessary trouble.

“I don’t know the specifics, but I can think of a solution. Leave it to me.” Rebecca nodded solemnly, her eyes filled with a sense of responsibility and confidence.

Rebecca knew that the Black Hat Gang had rescued many child laborers from the Sheep's Eye Gang's factory, who toiled daily for meager wages. Rebecca, who deeply hated those unscrupulous gangsters, naturally felt immense sympathy for the children's plight. Now, hearing that these children were in danger, a strong sense of justice surged within her. In her life, she had fought against the gangsters for the city's vulnerable, and this willingness to help those in need remained unchanged even in death. Even though she was a complete stranger to these children, she was still willing to do whatever it took to help them.

“Leona, Flora, you two stay here to protect Princess Gylvia,” Abyss instructed. “This will be the Sheep Eye Gang’s last desperate counterattack. Although this stronghold is well-hidden, I still cannot rule out the possibility that there might be a mole among Titus’s men. If they attack here, Princess Gylvia’s safety is in your hands.”

Titus remained silent, aware that while his men possessed a level of discipline uncommon in typical gangs, they were still, at their core, small-time thugs in the city. Aside from a few men he could completely trust, it wasn't impossible for the others to cause trouble.

Having just finished her drink, Leona proudly patted her chest, making a loud thud. "Since you've entrusted this task to me, rest assured. Not a single Sheep's Eye Gang scum will get within a hundred meters of Princess Gylvia. I'm putting that in perspective. You can have complete confidence in Flora and my abilities." As she spoke, she patted Flora's chest, causing the latter's breasts to ripple like water, making the latter blush deeply.