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

"Oh, sure." Abyss casually summoned a magical catfish and pulled a roast goose from its belly, which was wrapped in a paper bag. Thanks to the catfish's ability to freeze time, the goose still smelled freshly roasted. Abyss tossed the goose to Leona, who beamed at the aroma, and then looked up to see Flora following behind her.

"Flora, do you want something to eat too?" Abyss asked. "What's Rebecca doing? Didn't she come with you?"

“Rebecca said she wants to try some new ideas and is experimenting in her room right now. I’ll bring her some food in a bit.” Flora walked in and stood next to Abyss. “I wanted to ask about what happened earlier. When that girl came in, she seemed really scared when she saw me. Do you know what happened?”

“Oh, you mean Hena?” Abyss couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course I know. I pulled you out of the coffin right in front of her and Alva. That poor girl must be full of questions right now.”

Chapter 80 I have special techniques for resurrecting the dead.

"Huh?" Flora's face immediately turned red. "At that time... I don't think I had regained consciousness yet. I didn't do anything strange in front of them, did I? Like biting you or something?"

“No, I only slightly awakened some of your superficial consciousness at that time, so that you could obey my commands,” Abyss explained. “My necromancy is different from the spells used by ordinary necromancers. It has been modified by myself. Awakening you as a high-ranking undead—a status far superior to that of a high-ranking undead in the usual sense—requires two steps. The first step is to awaken your bodies and restore their various functions. The second step is to formally recall your souls so that you can think normally as soon as you regain consciousness and fully retain your personalities from your previous life.”

"That sounds pretty impressive." Leona sat on the Abyss's bed, her mouth stuffed with tender goose meat, looking at the Abyss with curiosity. "Wouldn't it be better if you didn't retain our original personalities and made us more obedient?"

“That would be fine, but I don’t like it. What’s the point of having followers who have no free will?” Abyss shrugged. “If your loyalty is obtained through such means, then I don’t want it.”

Flora understood perfectly well, but she didn't say it aloud. The Abyss did indeed need more than just their loyalty. He appeared carefree, but in reality, he craved companionship. If Flora and the others truly lacked free will and were merely puppets by the Abyss's side, he might not find genuine happiness.

The reason Abyss decided to preserve the girls' free will even though he needed their strength was largely due to his confidence. He believed he could move the girls with his sincerity.

And he did indeed succeed; he has gained the approval of Flora and Leona. Perhaps Rebecca needs some more time to continue observing him, but Flora believes that Rebecca will eventually feel at ease giving herself to the Abyss—of course, she doesn't want the Abyss to actually marry Rebecca.

"Hmph, that's quite chivalrous. I'll be merciful and praise you." Leona took another bite of roast goose, expressing her opinion while her face was still smeared with oil.

"As for what strange things you did when I woke you up..." Abyss thought for a moment, "It seems there wasn't anything. You were quite well-behaved when you woke up, but your physical strength wasn't very good. I was originally planning to pull you out of the grave, but your knees were too stiff, so you couldn't maintain your balance, and I carried you out instead."

Abyss had no idea that it was his actions that made Hena so afraid of him—what normal girl wouldn't be nervous when she was with a pervert who was lustful for corpses?

"You actually hugged Flora!" Leona stared at Abyss in shock, but quickly recalled that what Abyss had done when she first woke up was even more outrageous—he had been lying on top of her. She fell silent.

Flora blushed slightly, but still smiled gently at Abyss: "I understand. They should be coming tonight, right? Are you going to put their minds at ease?"

“Yes, that’s right. Now that we’ve met again, it’s time to clear up this misunderstanding.” Abyss nodded, casually pulling a paper bag filled with various snacks from the mouth of the magical catfish. He stood up and handed it to Flora. “Hina and Captain Alva are very loyal and kind-hearted. I admire people like that. You can have these snacks with Rebecca later. We should meet them together tonight.”

Flora sniffed the sweet aroma emanating from the paper bag and realized it was a bag of desserts. She thought she was the only one who had noticed Rebecca's fondness for sweets, but it turned out Abyss had noticed too.

She couldn't help but smile wryly. Abyss was truly a paradox. If he was meticulous, he was often quite oblivious to emotions, to the point of being frustrating; yet if he was careless, he was remarkably attentive to detail, showing genuine concern for others.

If the Abyss could make up for his carelessness, coupled with his unique calm and composed charm, wouldn't he make all the girls fall head over heels for him? It seems that Leona's ancestor, Starr, was just such a person. He seduced countless women during his lifetime and even became an idol for the playboys of the Western Empire.

……

"Rebecca, have some dessert. I got it for you from the Abyss!"

Flora, clutching the paper bag containing the desserts in both hands, walked into Rebecca's room.

Rebecca didn't close the door. She was sitting at a table under the window, studying a manuscript intently. When she saw Flora come in, her eyes lit up and she stood up.

"Thank you!" Rebecca happily tossed the manuscript she was holding onto the table, walked over, grabbed a small cake covered in frosting, and eagerly took a small bite. "How did you know I like sweets?"

“You showed it when you were eating with us in Lavoisier.” Flora smiled and took a few steps forward, placing the paper bag on the table. “Your expression was noticeably different when you ate something sweet, as if you felt happy from the sweetness. I remembered that—but Abyss noticed that these desserts were given to you by him too.”

"Really?! I'm so excited!" Rebecca held the small cake in both hands, a look of enjoyment on her face. "I wish Abyss could always be this exquisite!"

“If he were always this meticulous, he wouldn’t be him.” Flora glanced helplessly in the direction of the Abyss’s room. “He’s just particularly strange in this respect.”

“Hehe, that’s right!” Rebecca nodded with an “I understand, I understand” look, then unfolded the manuscript that had been lying on the table and began reading it while eating her snacks.

"What are you busy with right now?" Flora asked, a little curious about the great inventor's work.

“I’m studying that ancient potion recipe I got from the alchemy club. I’ve already removed a few unnecessary ingredients, and I plan to improve it. I have a very, very bold idea for this potion.” Rebecca looked up at Flora, but talking to Flora didn’t affect her thinking.

"A potion that can store divine magic?" Flora glanced at the manuscript, but she didn't understand anything about it. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Research and development... wait, I think I actually need your help."

"Huh? What is it?"

Give me your underwear.

"Uh-huh?"

Chapter 81 Open and Frank

As Abyss led a satisfied Leona out to wash her hands after a delicious roast goose meal, they saw Flora emerging from Rebecca's room. Flora seemed to be deliberately crossing her legs, as if she was uncomfortable. Even when Leona approached her to ask, Flora blushed and resolutely refused to answer, as if she were hiding some secret.

Could it be that Rebecca gave Flora some strange potion? Abyss didn't really know what kind of potion could make Flora's walking posture so strange.

Unlike the predictable routines of alchemy, the battle between the Abyss and the evil gods was a challenge against the unknown, a fight for survival, where inspiration was paramount. Before sunset, the Abyss led the restless Leona on a few walks around town, allowing them to observe the people carefully. They returned just before dusk. They didn't disturb Gylvia's work; during the time their hardworking leader was gone, the battle reports from the Restoration Army guerrillas were piling up, and she needed some time to review them personally to fully understand the current situation.

When they returned, Flora had somehow acquired a needle and thread set and was practicing needlework with an old curtain. Although she had never done this kind of work before, the clever girl picked it up quickly. By the time Abyss brought Leona back to the inn, even without a teacher, Flora was doing a pretty good job.

Rebecca, meanwhile, remained in her room, deep in thought and conducting experiments. A strange alchemical substance, contained in an opaque steel cylinder, had appeared on her table. Occasionally, she would use tweezers to pluck a thin strip from it and burn it to ashes in a crucible. Abyss was curious about what it was, but Rebecca kept it a secret, as if she and Flora were plotting some kind of prank.

As the sun gradually set, the residents of Xiaoduo Town began to go home to rest. The sounds of military drills ceased at sunset to avoid disturbing the residents, and the town appeared quiet and peaceful.

Leona, who had been sitting on Abyss's bed, reading a novel she'd borrowed from the town library, suddenly twitched her ears. She looked up and said to Abyss, who was reading Starr's diary and taking notes, "ABC, someone's here. Is it the two you asked to come over during the day?"

“Oh, they’re here?” Abis immediately closed his notebook and stood up. “I’ll have to turn on some lamps to make it brighter here, or they’ll be scared.”

“Reflect on what you’ve done all day. ‘Come to my room tonight.’” Leona made an exaggerated expression, mimicking Abyss’s characteristic leisurely tone. “Any girl would be scared off by that kind of invitation!”

“You’re right.” Abyss nodded seriously, then casually used magic to turn on a few lamps in the room. “I’ll be careful. Go and call Flora and Rebecca over.”

The guards at the door soon came to inform the Abyss that someone wanted to see him. The Abyss had already lit up his room brightly with lights and even added a pearl light spell to the ceiling. The Abyss nodded in agreement.

Soon, Alva appeared at the door of the room.

Upon seeing the Abyss, the brave female warrior was not alarmed. Instead, she performed a universal greeting, placing her right hand on her left collarbone and bowing deeply to him, saying, "Mr. Abyss, please accept my sincerest gratitude."

As she bent down, she revealed Hena, who was hiding behind her. Hena glanced at Abyss and Flora beside him, looking bewildered, and then bowed along with Alva: "Thank you, Mr. Abyss."

"Hmm? Why are you thanking me?" Abyss raised an eyebrow.

“Without you, the two of us would surely have been crushed to death on the spot by the Supreme Golem of the Papacy, and naturally we would not have been able to retrieve the Spring of Sweet Dew—that is, the saint's burial item,” Alva looked earnestly into the eyes of the Abyss. “We are very sorry for stealing the saint's relics, but only this item can save the princess from the brink of collapse. The people of Ossi cannot be without the princess, and the Restoration Army also needs the princess's leadership to continue the struggle.”

"You saved our lives, and you saved Her Highness the Princess's life." Hena seemed to have made some preparations before coming. Although she was so nervous that she bit her tongue, she still said to Abyss.

"Don't be shy, please sit down." Flora then pushed two chairs behind them.

"Your Highness... Your Highness?" Haina shrank back in fright, not daring to sit on the chair.

This chair was offered by the most powerful saint in the history of the Holy See. Of course, that's not the main reason. The important thing is that this saint has been dead for over forty years! And now she's standing right in front of them, talking to them! She's even personally taking care of them!

“It’s me, but don’t worry, we’re all friends of Gvia.” Flora smiled gently, her smile possessing an inexplicable magic that reassured Heina, who then sat down in a chair.

"The reason I invited you here today is actually to clear up the misunderstanding. You don't need to be so serious," Abyss said, sitting in his chair to the two still somewhat bewildered guests. "You must be full of questions. Why am I with Princess Gylvia? Why am I leading the Holy Maiden of the Papacy around? What am I planning to do? You all want to know, don't you?"

“That’s right.” Alva nodded, and it was clear that although she was calm and polite, she was still full of questions.

“Let me answer the first question first. It’s not a secret. We accompanied Gylvia on her journey to and from the Eastern Empire and helped her with some things. At first, it was just something we did along the way, but then we found that our return trip was also smooth. Naturally, we became friends.” Abis didn’t beat around the bush and directly gave the answer to the question.

Their expressions calmed down a little, and hearing that Abyss meant no harm to Princess Gylvia reassured them considerably.

Necromancers have a terrible reputation on the continent. Finding a necromancer who doesn't take lives is as difficult as finding a dark elf who isn't lustful. Their concerns are not unfounded.

"Secondly, given that you have kept my appearance a secret so well and haven't betrayed me, I've decided to tell you as well. I'm currently gathering several of the continent's former super geniuses as companions. Note that they are companions; I'm not enslaving them. As you can see, sitting beside you is Flora, the former strongest saintess of the Holy See, and this is Princess Leona, the princess of the Western Empire and the world's most outstanding knight. And this is Rebecca, the youngest business queen in the continent's history." Abyss introduced his retinue members one by one.

He saw the two people opposite him swallow hard, clearly shocked. He wasn't worried that they would leak this information; neither of them were gossips, and it wouldn't do them any good to spread it. Even if they did let it slip, it wouldn't be a big problem; Abyss, working with Flora, could erase the entire continent's memory of this event within minutes.

"Thirdly, what I need to do. My current short-term goal is to uncover the truth about Prince Kevin and find a way to defeat the Lord of Nightmares. But my ultimate goal is to wage war against the gods! I want to challenge the divine!"

Chapter 82 Clearing Up the Misunderstanding

"Is the Lord of Nightmares the monster the princess dreamed of?" Heina asked hesitantly, raising her hand.

But Alva seemed to know more about the matter. Before she became the guide in the Abyss, she said, "I know about the extraterrestrial evil gods. Princess Gylvia's nightmares were caused by the Lord of Nightmares. The monsters in the dreams are not the Lord of Nightmares himself, but something he created through some kind of power. He is currently cooperating with Prince Kevin."

As the captain of the princess's personal guard, Alva did indeed have access to information that ordinary people couldn't. Not many people knew that the princess was being corrupted by an evil god, and Alva was one of those few.

“It seems you know about this, which makes things much easier.” Abyss smiled with satisfaction. “That’s right, my ultimate goal is to challenge the gods. Perhaps you think I’m strong—I am indeed strong, I have almost no rivals among mortals. But I’m not strong enough. I want to defeat the gods and then seize their power! The extraterrestrial evil gods are part of my plan. I will challenge them and make them ultimately help me on my path.”

Abyss seemed very excited as he spoke, spreading his arms wide and his blue eyes filled with passion, as if burning with flames.

Hena couldn't quite understand why the Abyss was so passionate, but Alva, who was beside her, shared some of the Abyss's thoughts.

“I understand Mr. Abyss’s thoughts. Mr. Abyss wants to break free from the manipulation of the gods and let mortals truly control their own destiny, right? In fact, I’ve had this thought ever since I learned that Her Highness’s nightmares were caused by the influence of an evil god.” Alva looked into the Abyss’s eyes and said very seriously. She didn’t become sleepy just because she saw the Abyss’s eyes. “The extraterrestrial evil gods that are disturbing our world must be restrained. The gods who allow mortals to be devoured by higher powers must also be punished or replaced. Only in this way can our world be saved from destruction.”

Alva's words were truly treasonous. The entire continent worshipped gods, and the Holy See had indeed confirmed the objective existence of gods in Ha Teville. For Alva, a mere mortal, to utter such words was even bolder and more rebellious than subjects demanding the overthrow of their monarch. If a Holy See paladin were present, he would surely draw his sword and fight her to the death.

Hena glanced uneasily at Flora, then suddenly realized that this former saint of the Church seemed to be a partner of the Abyss now, so she should also agree with the Abyss's ideas.

“You’ve hit the nail on the head regarding part of my plan, and I’m quite pleased.” Abyss nodded slightly. “That’s right. The fate of mortals shouldn’t be left to the gods to decide. Since they don’t want to leave, someone should force them to leave.”

“This is truly… audacious.” Alva was shocked by the sheer scale of Abyss’s ambition.

Generally speaking, the ambition of someone with immense power is at most to become an emperor and rule the world. Even the most confident person's pursuits remain within the realm of mortals. Alva never imagined that someone would dare to make overthrowing the rule of the gods their goal, and what's even more outrageous is that this person actually did it. Although he didn't know what he relied on, judging from his confident demeanor, it wasn't hard to imagine just how extraordinary his power was.

The gods are the foundation of this world; all things in the world belong to the gods, and mortals are merely intelligent beings dwelling upon them. In the eyes of the gods, the current glorious human civilization is nothing but fleeting smoke, utterly insignificant. Even if this generation of mortals were to perish, as long as there is still life on earth with the hope of evolving intelligence, the gods can still rest easy. This is the theory proposed by the Church. Hundreds of years ago, people believed that gods could only exist by relying on existing intelligent races, but three hundred years ago, an elven scholar proposed and proved the theory of biological evolution, completely overturning people's views.

Therefore, mortals today treat deities with even greater reverence than before the theory of evolution was proposed. This is because they have come to understand that while deities govern them, they do not depend on them. The relationship between mortals and gods has never been that of subjects and ruler, but rather that of grass and sunlight.

And now, an arrogant challenger has emerged.

"Why tell us these things?" Alva did not choose to doubt the Abyss's determination. From the moment he casually summoned the undead to kill the Holy See's invincible Supreme Golem, Alva knew clearly that the Abyss's power was beyond the imagination of ordinary people like them. But she was still curious about the Abyss's motive for telling them these things.

“Because the gods can’t control me right now,” Abyss chuckled and shrugged. “And when they can, my secret will no longer be a secret. After all, I’m already taking action and have achieved some success. It doesn’t matter if I tell you. What good would it do if you told others? I’m telling you this just to clear up any misunderstandings and let you know that I’m friends with your Princess Gylvia. I have no intention of plotting against her.”

The Abyss was right. The nine gods who now rule Hay-Tver have no intention of controlling him, and the Creator God is far from home, probably off enjoying himself somewhere. The extraterrestrial evil gods might worry about whether the Abyss could threaten their safety, but clearly, these arrogant deities don't take him seriously at all.

If Abyss can actually defeat the Lord of Nightmares alive this time, perhaps the other extraterrestrial evil gods will feel a sense of urgency, but that's a matter for the future, and Abyss doesn't want to worry about those things for the time being.

Alva had indeed suspected the Abyss of harboring evil intentions towards the princess, or even the Kingdom of Ossi, because he was a necromancer. Although she hadn't directly expressed her concern when she saw them with the unsuspecting Gylvia during the day, she was actually quite frightened. Now, after the Abyss's seemingly absurd explanation, she was less tense, even somewhat relaxed.

He glanced at Hena. Hena seemed to have adapted to the atmosphere here. Flora was sitting next to her, and the beautiful saint's approachable demeanor had gradually calmed her down. It seemed that she now believed Abyss's words.

“If Mr. Abyss’s plan includes fighting the Lord of Nightmares, I might be able to provide some clues. If my thinking is correct, Mr. Abyss’s battle with the gods must be outsmarted rather than forced, right?” Alva said at this moment. “As the captain of the princess’s guard, I know everything about the palace, and I may even know many things that the princess doesn’t know.”