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

Chapter 135 The Nightmare Lord's Methods of Developing Followers

Flora sat on a low stool, head down, carefully threading a sewing needle through Abyss's tattered clothes, guiding a thin thread through to complete a small flower pattern.

After the battle with Corel, the Abyss's clothes were practically nothing more than a pile of rags. Flora couldn't completely restore them, nor could she repair them with divine magic—it involved manipulating matter, and therefore the Nine Gods hadn't provided such magic for mortals. However, this didn't stump Flora, who had diligently studied several books on sewing and consulted some of the women in town. She skillfully embroidered patterns onto the torn pieces. The Abyss's clothes were originally black, and with these patterns added, they looked perfectly natural, almost like a brand-new garment.

Leona sat on an alchemy table to the side, swaying slightly as she leisurely hummed an Imperial hymn, munching on a fresh, juicy carrot, watching Abyss and Rebecca at work.

Unlike Flora and Leona, who were enjoying a peaceful life, what the necromancer Abyss and the alchemist Rebecca were doing would likely shock anyone who didn't know better—the three Nightmare Lord's followers, captured by the girls from the guerrilla group, were being firmly strapped to an Abyss dissection table made of three bones, while Rebecca was holding a jar emitting green smoke, fanning the smoke towards their noses with one hand. The three unfortunate souls, with runny noses, dazed expressions, and slurred answers to Abyss's questions.

No matter how you look at it, the villains right now are Abyss and Rebecca. What they're doing already looks incredibly evil, and the wicked expressions on their faces make them look even more sinister.

Interrogating enemies was no challenge for Abyss and his group. Flora could use divine magic to relax the enemy's mind, leaving their will wide open; Rebecca could concoct potions that would make them tell the truth, so they would speak freely; Abyss was an expert in human anatomy and a necromancer, so he could use torture to break the enemy's will; Leona was simpler and more brutal, relying entirely on strength to terrify the enemy.

These three unlucky souls who worshipped the Lord of Nightmares were first frightened by the Abyss, then Flora used divine magic on them, and finally Rebecca used a potion to make them unable to lie. Their psychological defenses have now completely collapsed, and they are spilling everything they know.

The three of them were not wronged; they were all followers of the Lord of Nightmares. However, they did not join the Restoration Army later. On the contrary, they were originally soldiers of the Restoration Army and only later became followers of the Lord of Nightmares.

Before Gylvia completed her blood redemption and proved her resolve to the nation in an ancient way, the people of the Kingdom of Osi lived in a state of panic. Some worried about the future of the country, while many more were confused about their own future. They didn't know which leader to follow to survive—Gylvia, though ambitious, was weak and lacked resources, and had no experience as a leader; while Prince Kevin, though possessing a strong army, was cruel and indifferent to the interests of the nation.

On the one hand, people feared that following Kevin would lead them to their doom; on the other hand, they worried that if they followed Gylvia, they would fail in their attempt to restore their country and Kevin would kill their entire families. Some soldiers who had impulsively followed Gylvia were also deeply worried about their future, which led to some soldiers feeling extremely regretful and fearful. As a result, like the people back home, they often had nightmares.

Nightmares are the domain of the Lord of Nightmares. He is indeed a proud being, but he wouldn't be foolish enough to leave himself no trump cards. Followers are another type of henchman under the Nightmare Spirit. He takes advantage of people's nightmares, intimidating them with their deepest fears, tormenting them repeatedly until they suffer a mental breakdown in their dreams. Then, the Lord of Nightmares appears, demanding their faith in him. Most will agree, while those who refuse will, of course, not have an easy time; they will continue to endure the torment of nightmares until they succumb or die.

The Lord of Nightmares possesses an extremely strong influence on mortals with weak wills. Those who have been tormented by the Lord of Nightmares in their nightmares for decades (because the Lord of Nightmares can control the flow of time within dreams) not only do not hate the Lord of Nightmares, but instead regard Him as their sole faith, even willing to abandon their faith in the Nine Gods and instead worship the Lord of Nightmares as their sole god. These believers do not have the elaborate organization of the followers of the Lord of Fallen, but their loyalty to the Lord of Nightmares is still quite unwavering.

Sometimes people develop feelings of dependence or even respect for their perpetrators. The Lord of Nightmares takes this aspect of humanity to the extreme, even making people willing to die for Him at any time.

This is the principle behind the formation of followers of the Lord of Nightmares. These followers do not need to offer anything to the Lord of Nightmares, but they must obey His commands at all times.

The followers of the Lord of Nightmares live with nightmares and have terrible dreams every night. However, these nightmares, which are unbearable for ordinary people, are as addictive as tobacco for them, and they even feel pleasure in the experience.

Those three unlucky guys had been in the guerrilla legion for a long time and did not participate in this surprise attack. The Lord of Nightmares seemed to want to keep some backup plans for himself, but he probably did not expect Rebecca to have such ability that she could capture all the believers he had hidden in the legion. Now, many of the Lord of Nightmares' other plans may not be able to be implemented.

Abyss couldn't get any more information from them. These three had been very open with their knowledge, but they were still clueless about some questions. It seemed that the Lord of Nightmares didn't really trust his followers and only issued tasks without letting them know his overall plans.

“It seems there’s nothing more to ask.” Abyss clapped his hands and looked at Rebecca.

Rebecca made a throat-slitting motion by slicing her own neck with her hand, and looked at Abyss questioningly.

“Oh no, there’s no need to silence them. Although they are traitors to Hay Tver, they were also driven to the brink of collapse by the Lord of Nightmares before this happened. If that guy wants to, most people really can’t withstand it.” Abyss quickly waved his hand.

"Hehe, I was just teasing you." Rebecca smiled mischievously. "I'll use a potion and hypnosis to erase all their memories of the Nightmare Lord and these past few days, and send them back to the legion. As long as they have enough courage, the Nightmare Lord shouldn't be able to take advantage of the situation again. The Restoration Army needs every usable fighter right now, and they'll certainly be useful."

Chapter 136 The Abyss Detective Team is Deployed

When did you buy this hat?

After interrogating the cultists, the four left the guesthouse, handing over the unconscious group, whose memories had been partially erased, to the Restoration Army. They would be able to rejoin the main force when they met up with the guerrillas at the front. Now, apart from Flora, who was in Rebecca's lab preparing to sew clothes for the Abyss, the other three were ready to begin investigating Koller in search of clues to lure him back.

Having already mastered how to use the Abyss Magic Catfish, Leona had the Abyss summon the magic catfish and then took out a hat from it and put it on her head. This hat was designed by Leona's ancestor Starr, and it had visors at the front and back, ear flaps on both sides. When not in use, it was stored on top and was called the "Detective Hat." It appeared extensively in the stories that Starr orally told about a fictional character named "Sherlock Holmes."

The Hai-Tverians don't usually wear these hats; Leona somehow got hold of one and put it inside the belly of the magical catfish.

“I bought this in Lavoisier,” Leona said proudly, clutching the brim of the hat. “What do you think? Isn’t it pretty?”

Leona looks really adorable now. She has a full head of silver hair and is wearing a round hat, which makes her look very cute.

Abis stroked Leona's head: "Hmm, it's quite pretty. It reminds me of a unique type of burial in the Borghan Khanate, the mounds on the graves and the hat you're wearing..."

Before Abyss could finish speaking, Leona, puffing out her cheeks, shoved a carrot into her mouth—a carrot she'd somehow managed to slip into somewhere.

Rebecca almost burst out laughing. Like Leona, she also enjoyed reading novels and naturally knew that this kind of hat had frequently appeared in novels with detective elements since it was invented by Starr. Leona wore this hat to get that feeling of being a detective.

Leona always has a childlike innocence and playfulness when it comes to these things.

"Where are we going to investigate next?" Leona asked Rebecca, adjusting her hat. "I can't wait!"

“Let’s ask Alva first,” Rebecca replied. “Alva is a very meticulous person; she might know some details about Koller. We need to figure out where he came from first.”

Abyss chewed on the carrot Leona had given him and said, “Kollar speaks Common well and has no accent. I can’t tell where he comes from, but as an Ossi, Alva might know where Kollar comes from.”

Even in a small kingdom like the Kingdom of Ossi, different regions had different accents. This was because Ossi was originally composed of several different tribes that later united to form a kingdom. The languages ​​of these different tribes differed to some extent, which resulted in dialects.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Leona, who had long wanted to experience being a detective, immediately made arrangements to set off.

The three of them wasted no more time and went to the command post. After learning that Alva was currently in the military camp, they headed straight there.

The people in the military camp already knew Abyss and his companions. They had the princess's permission to enter any area at will, so Abyss, Leona, and Rebecca entered the military camp outside the town without any checks.

The military camp is now much busier than before. New recruits are intensifying their training in battlefield survival skills, while veterans are maintaining their weapons and equipment and practicing formations to keep their hands sharp. Quartermasters and logistics units are busy preparing various supplies needed for combat. Several temporary ovens have been set up in the camp, and several bakers from the town are making hard, salty, but very filling rations for the soldiers.

When the three met Alva, she was with Hena and Cassandra. Hena looked very energetic and was practicing magic with her staff.

"Good evening, what brings you here?" Alva greeted Abyss and the other two as they approached. "Hena has just learned a very useful spell, and I'm practicing with her."

“We’re here to ask about Apos Koller,” Rebecca said bluntly. “Miss Alva, you should remember some details about him, right? Could you tell us? We need to find out his origins and get more information about him, which will help us fight against the Lord of Nightmares.”

“Apos?” Alva immediately became serious. “I do remember a little bit. Let’s sit down and talk about it.”

Alva led the three to sit on some nearby benches, and the conversation officially began.

“Alva, can you tell the Apos accent?” Abis asked first.

"Does he speak with an Ossi accent?" Alva thought for a moment. "He does speak Ossi when he's in the palace. His accent... it's probably from the western part of the kingdom. The western part of the kingdom is by the sea, and fishing is very developed, but because of its location, commerce isn't very developed. They can only communicate with the Western Empire by sea. The people there aren't very civilized. Most of the western Ossi people are quite rude. People like Apos who are well-educated are very rare."

“Yes, indeed. He speaks Common very well, which alone puts him ahead of many Ossi people.” Abis nodded.

Alva does not deny this; the ability to speak a common language well is indeed one of the criteria for measuring a person's level of education.

“I have another question. If Apos Corel wasn’t originally from the palace, why was he a eunuch?” Rebecca asked. “Generally speaking, no man would willingly cut off his private parts for no reason, right?”

“The royal palace of the Kingdom of Osi recruits eunuchs every year to serve as attendants,” Alva said. “This leads some people to castrate themselves and try their luck in the palace. Of course, not everyone is rewarded. Some can enter the palace and receive a compensation fee and a stable job after passing the test, but others cannot pass the test and are ultimately rejected.”

“I know, I know. Every year, the Western Empire’s palace recruits a batch of eunuchs to prevent them from having illicit affairs with palace maids and causing chaos in the palace,” Leona quickly added. “However, the Western Empire prohibits people from castrating themselves. Anyone who does so will be disqualified and fined.”

“In name, castration is also forbidden in our Kingdom of Ossi, but we usually turn a blind eye to it because the people of Ossi regard castration as a great disgrace, so not many people in the common people would do it.”

“Hmm… I might know why that guy is helping Kevin wreak havoc on the country.” Abyss pondered as he heard this.

“Then let’s go to western Ossi and look for his trail,” Rebecca suggested.

Abis did not immediately agree. He pondered for a moment and said, "That is indeed the way, but I think there might be a more direct method..."

Rebecca immediately understood: "You mean..."

Chapter 137 The Royal Palace's Records of Apos

Since Her Highness the Princess's act of blood redemption a few days ago was widely accepted in the palace, Prince Kevin has hardly made any public appearances. Furthermore, several representatives of the surrendered nobles who had previously been staunch supporters of him were attacked by Princess Givia's powerful allies, losing their territories in a single day. This has made the other surrendered nobles tremble with fear, no longer daring to support Kevin. Kevin is now truly all alone.

Everything in the palace remained the same, but no one tolerated Kevin's bad temper anymore. Apart from a few soldiers who would dutifully bring him food and drink every day while he sat sullen in his bedroom, no one else in the vast palace was willing or dared to care about him.

However, what puzzled everyone was that Kevin didn't seem to eat anything at all; he didn't touch any of the food that was delivered to him every day.

The entire Kingdom of Ossi awaited Gylvia's return, and everyone was eager to sever ties with Kevin. The long-accumulated disappointment and anger among the people meant that no one was willing to serve this usurper. Those still working in the palace were only doing so out of fear of Kevin's power; after all, Kevin remained the legal king, still wielding supreme authority—that much remained unchanged.

The old king, who had been imprisoned in the palace dungeon, has now been secretly released. After years of torment, the old king is emaciated, plagued by illness, and spends most of his day in a daze, receiving secret treatment from alchemists.

Even if no one is willing to serve Prince Kevin, this does not mean Kevin's rule is over. A few days ago, Givia wrote letters to some nobles in the country who were willing to support her, warning them against rash actions, as Kevin still wields considerable power within the kingdom, and his influence remains widespread throughout the country and the kingdom's army. All support for the Restoration Army should be carried out secretly, avoiding direct provocation of Kevin to prevent his retaliation and a bloody massacre.

Abyss speculated that the Lord of Nightmares had already taken root in the Kingdom of Ossi, so some generals and nobles in the kingdom's army were likely not only Kevin's supporters but also followers of the Lord of Nightmares, making this war of restoration unlikely to be easy.

This opportunistic evil god was quite farsighted; even though He looked down on mortals, He still cultivated a group of mortals as His subordinates. If this guy had remained arrogant and only used Nightmare Spirits, His rule in the Kingdom of Ossi might have ended by now, and the Abyss would have already obtained the Dream Cutter and led his followers to settle accounts with Him.

The palace remains shrouded in silence, but a quiet conversation is taking place outside the palace archives.

"What? You want to go in and look through the palace's logs from all these years?" The archives administrator frowned. "Have you gotten permission? I can't make that decision."

“Friend, I have received permission from a special person.” The person speaking to the administrator was a palace guard. It was supposed to be his shift, but for some reason, he wasn’t properly at his post and had instead slipped away to the door of the archives.

"Whose approval was it?" the administrator asked curiously. "Isn't the Chief Intelligence Officer sick at home right now?"

"Your Highness," the guard said in a low voice, speaking close to the administrator.

"Your Highness?" The administrator was startled, but dared not speak loudly. He could only wink at the guard. "How could you possibly have connections with Her Highness? Besides, Her Highness is now a traitor under the law. I'm afraid I can't..."

"Take a look at this." The guard took a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and showed it to the administrator.

The paper turned out to be a handwritten letter, with a request in elegant handwriting for permission to enter the archives and view the royal files. At the bottom of the letter, there was not only the princess's signature, but also her personal seal.

While seals can be forged, it's virtually impossible for someone to perfectly replicate one. This is because seals are made of stone, and when crafting very important seals, artisans intentionally create cracks on the side with the inscription. These cracks are formed by hammering, resulting in highly random shapes. Consequently, the image on the seal becomes incomplete, and these cracks are visible upon close inspection, making it as unique as a fingerprint.

The administrator had been working here for over a decade, so how could he not have seen the princess's mark? After examining the cracks in the mark, he immediately knew that this was indeed a letter written in the princess's own handwriting!

"First of all, this matter is highly secretive. Whether it succeeds or fails, no one will find out. You don't need to worry about Kevin doing anything to you. You know Kevin has been lazy these past few days, staying in his room like a clay figure." The guard said in a tempting tone, "Moreover, the princess needs this intelligence to carry out her work. If you can assist her, she will surely remember your contribution. When Her Highness replaces Kevin on the throne, you will definitely be rewarded... This is a job with no cost. Are you sure you don't want to give it a try?"

The administrator swallowed hard; he was inevitably tempted. Although he didn't have any particular political stance, the princess was at least better and more generous than that cruel Prince Kevin, and he subconsciously wanted to support her.

"What do you want?" He finally made up his mind, looked around but didn't see anyone, and whispered to the guard, "I'll help you find them."

"Then I'll have to trouble you. The archives are vast, and I don't know how long it would take me to search through them all by myself..."

……

Soon after, the guard left the archives with a transcribed sheet of paper. He mysteriously made several turns and circled around the palace before finally stopping behind a wall.

A young boy appeared before him at some point; it was none other than Abyss, who was all smiles.

“We’ve got it. This is Apos Koller’s record in the palace,” the guard told Abis.

Abyss reached out to the guard, took the transcribed notes from his hand, and said, "Thank you for your help, this has been a great help."

“I have an irreconcilable feud with Kevin and his men. These are things I should do, Mr. Abyss.”

"I'm still very sorry that our rash actions led to Kevin hanging you and your comrades. It's great that you're willing to help me now." Abyss put the paper into the mouth of the magical catfish and said to the guard with some apology.

The guard shook his head: "Mr. Abyss is willing to distort everyone's memories, to prevent others from knowing that we are dead, and to resurrect us, so that we have the opportunity to continue living as the living and accompany our families through life. We already have no resentment towards you. As long as we can help, my comrades and I will do our best."

After exchanging pleasantries, Abyss snapped his fingers and entered the Underworld, while simultaneously unfolding the records in his hands.

"Hmm... So that's how it is... No wonder, no wonder..."