Anbaixiu was absorbed in assembling his new model of skeleton. Watching nearby, the refugee man saw human bones being pieced together by the lich into a grotesque shape that made his hair stand on end. Nausea and dizziness washed over him, but he forced himself to hold it in, terrified that he might end up as the next batch of materials in Anbaixiu's hands.
Anbaixiu's hands steadily slotted each bone into place, his tone calm and assured as he narrated his work.
"The driving core and control center of a skeleton is its soul. More than two hundred bones and over a hundred joints place an enormous burden on that soul core. Yet we have all taken this for granted. Not a single necromancer has ever bothered to measure soul strength with any precision, settling instead for vague distinctions of low, mid, and high grade.
"In alchemy, potion recipes are measured down to the milligram, yet our necromancy hasn't even measured soul strength—the single most important factor. To me, that is an unacceptable sort of laziness.
"Admittedly, soul strength fluctuates, making measurement exceptionally difficult. But that is no excuse to give up entirely. As it happens, I have mastered the technique of crafting artificial souls, allowing me to create blank souls devoid of emotional residue. After a period of experimentation, I established a standard of my own and named the unit of soul strength 'po.' The specific measurement methodology will be detailed in my paper...
"Assuming the editor-in-chief of *Legendary Spells* stops rejecting my submissions, that is.
"Back to the point. Today's experiment only uses a basic soul, so I'll take that as an example. A basic soul capable of supporting a complete skeleton generally ranges from eighty to one hundred and thirty po, peaking at no more than one hundred and fifty po. When that energy is dispersed across two hundred and six bones, what you get is a clumsy, slow-witted, brittle piece of undead trash.
"Just as sapient beings invented tools like pliers and differential gears, structural optimization can drastically enhance strength or speed.
"If we reduce the number of bones to twenty, we get an aberrant skeleton: smaller in stature, but with strength, agility, and durability amplified many times over. According to my calculations, the enhancement is at least fivefold."
As Anbaixiu mounted the final skull, a bizarrely shaped skeleton emerged on the laboratory table.
The base of the skeleton consisted of three insectoid jointed legs. Its torso was merely a third of a spinal column fitted with a jawless skull, and two thick femurs were attached as arms.
Next, Anbaixiu affixed two sharp metal blades onto the aberrant skeleton's arms.
A miniature, praying-mantis-like skeleton stood complete.
When Anbaixiu placed the aberrant skeleton on the floor, the little thing darted across the ground at astonishing speed—faster even than a cat.
"I designate this skeletal form as the Kha'Zix Type I. Next comes the field test."
Anbaixiu waved toward the pale, trembling man. "What is your name?"
Nearly scared out of his wits, the man stammered, "Ra... Raul."
"Very well, Raul. Take the Kha'Zix Type I and bring back those fleeing freemen for me. As long as you can bring back ten refugees, I will let your sister live."
"Huh?"
Raul had not expected Anbaixiu to give him such a task.
What did this lich want with refugees?
Looking at the bones strewn throughout the laboratory, Raul already had his answer.
"I... I will carry out your command, Lord Lich."
Anbaixiu nodded in satisfaction and handed Raul a bone inlaid with gemstones. "Just use voice commands. The Kha'Zix Type I's functions are quite simple: red is to attack, green is to follow, and black is to halt. You'll have to figure out the rest yourself."
Staring at the three gemstones embedded in the bone, Raul felt a sudden surge of impulse. If he aimed it at the lich and pressed the attack command, would it...?
The thought flickered through his mind before quickly evaporating. The lich was no fool; there was no way he would place a weapon capable of killing him into someone else's hands.
Though Raul hadn't understood most of the lich's rambling, he could tell from his relaxed tone that the aberrant skeleton was probably nothing more than a toy to him. Looking at his unconscious sister, Raul gritted his teeth and pressed the green gemstone. The aberrant skeleton that had been scurrying about immediately fell in behind his footsteps with obedient precision.
Shortly after Raul left the ancient castle, the sleeping girl opened her eyes.
The moment she saw Anbaixiu's pale skeletal face, a scream rose in her throat, but she clamped a hand over her mouth before making much sound.
Anbaixiu glanced at her and said offhandedly, "Your brother Raul has gone to run an errand for me. I told him that once he brings back ten people, I'll let you go. By the way, since you're freemen, what is your trade?"
Freemen generally possessed specialized skills. Most farmland belonged to the local lords, worked exclusively by slaves or tenant farmers. Most other freemen had to take up different trades to make a living.
It took the girl quite a while to calm down. She found it hard to believe her brother would willingly work for a lich; the undead monster had surely coerced him somehow. She even suspected that her brother had already been murdered and turned into raw materials for this laboratory.
Yet resistance was impossible right now. Her best option was to avoid angering him and look for an opportunity to escape.
"I'm an alchemist's apprentice," she answered cautiously.
"An alchemist's apprentice?" Anbaixiu was somewhat surprised. That was hardly a common profession.
Even though this ancient castle lay within the domain of the City of Alchemy, alchemists were exceedingly rare. The trade required not only a talent for spellcasting, but also a sharp mind capable of memorizing and understanding complex potion formulas.
Different ingredients contained different elemental magic. Even ingredients of the same type varied in magical content depending on their growing conditions. To become an alchemist, one had to learn how to discern these nuances.
Anbaixiu was no professional alchemist. He had to purchase many of his higher-grade magical potions because he couldn't brew them himself. Even when he possessed the formulas, his success rate when attempting them was abysmally low, resulting in tremendous waste.
He had not expected the girl to be an alchemist's apprentice. That was quite a lucky find.
"Wait, if you're an alchemist's apprentice, how could the lord sell you into slavery? Who is your mentor?" Anbaixiu asked.
Within the City of Alchemy, alchemists naturally enjoyed noble status. Even an apprentice should have been able to resolve a minor issue like a lord raising taxes simply by having their mentor intervene.
The girl fell silent for a moment before speaking. "My teacher... she went to the Silvermoon High Court two months ago to purchase potion ingredients, but we haven't heard from her since. People returning from the High Court said she might have met with an accident."
Without a mentor's protection, a mere apprentice truly had no way to stand against a lord. In all likelihood, that lord had set his sights on the girl long ago, intending to claim her for himself. A slave with a talent for alchemy was worth an absolute fortune.
Upon hearing this, Anbaixiu couldn't help but curse, "Those damn bean sprouts again! Why are they everywhere?"
He was growing more irritated with those high elves by the day.
Glancing at the anxious girl, Anbaixiu asked, "Do you know how to brew Tranquility Potions?"
A Tranquility Potion was a low-grade concoction that could be ingested or sprayed like a perfume. Its effect was simple: calming the mind and neutralizing rage effects. Because many tasks required emotional stability, the daily demand for Tranquility Potions was considerable.
The girl didn't understand why Anbaixiu was suddenly asking, but she nodded nonetheless. "I've learned how."
Anbaixiu pointed to a cabinet on the right wall and said, "Then get to work brewing them. The ingredients are all inside. I need at least twelve bottles."
Chapter 4