The lich stepped into the familiar yet alien Soulweep Castle, and a human researcher wearing a white lab coat and a face mask immediately came up to greet him.
"Greetings. I am Magxi Chulin, a researcher with the Imperial Ministry of Magic."
"You must be Director Orestes, as mentioned by the higher-ups. Please follow me; I'll show you around your new work environment."
Magxi bowed slightly and respectfully extended a hand.
He was already well accustomed to this sort of thing. In a racial melting pot like the Cinder Empire, having any kind of creature as your superior was hardly surprising—even if that creature was a lich.
"Uh... hello."
Orestes froze for a moment before realizing he was supposed to shake the human's hand. Ever since his transformation into a lich, it had been a very long time since any human had dared stand before him without a trace of fear—roughly three hundred years, by his estimate.
Hearing the human's words, the lich felt an odd sense of absurdity.
This had been Orestes's unchanged dwelling for three centuries; he knew every single corner like the back of his hand.
Yet right now, he needed a strange human to show him the way—inside the very Soulweep Castle that used to be his.
Still, this was clearly the arrangement of that "master" of his, and he had no way of refusing.
"Where is my soul chandelier?"
"Ah... Director Orestes, that was contrary to Imperial decorum. We have already disposed of those souls and replaced it with the newest electric lighting for you."
"Is... is this the Howling Gallery?"
"Leaving undead exposed out in the open like that was far too risky. We have reinforced this area."
"Then... what about the Death Slaughterhouse?"
"The Empire's experts said that biological experiments of that nature must be conducted in a clean, sterile environment. We have installed state-of-the-art equipment for dissecting human bodies to help us understand the mysteries of undead."
"..."
Noticing the lich's silence, Magxi asked with concern, "Director Orestes, are you... all right?"
"I'm fine. Continue."
"Ahead lies your office. Converted from the former main hall of Soulweep Castle, it is currently the premier office in the entire Undead Research Institute.
"The higher-ups specifically instructed us that although you are an undead creature, you spared no effort and made immense contributions to the Empire's development. You are a role model for our entire institute."
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
Over a dozen researchers in white lab coats stepped out from various rooms, their enthusiastic applause echoing through the institute.
"So this is Director Orestes."
"I've heard so much about you."
"Word has it he's already converted over a hundred thousand undead for the Empire. A true paragon for our generation."
"Indeed. To dedicate everything to the Empire even in a centuries-old decrepit frame—he truly is a subject handpicked by His Majesty himself."
"I heard His Majesty established this institute specifically on account of Director Orestes. All of us owe him our thanks."
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
"..."
Surrounded by the crowd, Orestes felt increasingly baffled, gaining a profound appreciation for just how bizarre the Cinder Empire was.
Not only were these humans not afraid of him, they actually looked upon him with admiration?
Magxi pushed open the large double doors for him. The blood-splattered hall of old, littered with bones and carcasses, was gone.
In its place, a clean, spacious, and neatly laid-out office hall appeared before the lich.
"..."
Orestes lapsed once more into deep silence, the soulfire in his eye sockets flickering erratically.
Suddenly, a metallic thudding—*thump! thump!*—came from a metal cabinet not far away, as though something inside were thrashing about.
As if guessing what it was, the lich walked over slowly and opened the polished metal cabinet.
Inside, the bone pen was locked within a glass display case, wrapped tightly in chains, yet it still hopped and struggled incessantly.
The journal was locked inside another display case, its human-face cover concealed beneath a brand-new jacket stamped with the Imperial insignia.
"This... this..."
Magxi offered an apologetic look. "The lords from the Engineering Department said items like these undermined the Empire's dignity, so we made a few adjustments for you. We hope you don't mind."
"Sigh—"
"Do not touch them again."
The lich let out a long sigh and released both the bone pen and the human-skin journal.
In the past, faced with humans who dared offend a lich like this, he would likely have turned their entire families and entire towns into undead.
Now, however, a lich under someone else's roof had no choice but to bow his head.
"Understood, Director Orestes."
"Ah, by the way, I also brought His Majesty's latest orders for you. This will likely be your primary duty going forward. Please review it yourself..."
Magxi pulled an Imperial decree from his robes and spoke cautiously.
Orestes leaned in and skimmed the golden scroll. The ghostfire in his eye sockets trembled violently, and his back hunched even further.
"Director Orestes?"
"Are you all right?"
"You can rest for a few days first. His Majesty said this task hasn't started yet."
On the desk, the newly liberated bone pen was already scratching away:
"October 3, 1786: Only now do I realize that this Soulweep Castle—or rather, this Undead Research Institute—no longer belongs to me in the slightest."
...
Isdalia, Cinder Emperor Square.
The square bustled with noise and movement, crowds coming and going in endless streams.
The Empire's new steam locomotives ran along tracks, spewing billowing plumes of dense smoke, and the populace had already grown accustomed to these "iron carriages."
As the central city currently prioritized for imperial development, Isdalia brought together inhabitants from across Anzeta.
With quests cascading down like snowflakes, nearly forty thousand players had gathered here. Thanks to the abundance of quests and plentiful opportunities for advancement, the guide masters on the forums had dubbed it the "sacred land for rapid newbie growth."
At the Starfallen notice board, tiefling guards tore down the previous posters regarding the Experience Shop and replaced them with brand-new ones.
"A new Imperial announcement!"
"Hey, come check this out! This event looks interesting!"
Players called over their friends, and another wave of players surged like a tide, crowding the notice board so densely not a drop of water could trickle through.
"What kind of cash-grab event is it this time? Did the Dragon Gary Stu Trove make a comeback? If I buy it again, I'm a dog!"
"You mean the loot boxes? Cassius's Secret Trove? That was actually pretty generous, honestly! I spent five gold coins and pulled green gear; buying that outright would've cost at least fifty gold!"
"Die, you filthy seal!"
"Look closer! It's not loot boxes this time—it's newly released undead retainers!"
"Undead retainers?"
"What kind of thing is that? Sounds like something special!"
Every change to the notice board signaled fresh opportunities. The veteran players who noticed quickly swarmed over en masse, and the news spread across the forums like wildfire.
In just a few minutes, nearly ten thousand players had converged on Cinder Emperor Square.
Chapter 407