Anbaixiu had no desire to fight James Watson at a time like this.
Against an entire paladin legion, even with the Rose of Decay's help, the clash would shake the earth and splinter the skies. It would take at least three to five days to produce a clear victor.
Being outmatched was one thing, but the complete pointlessness was another. Fighting these paladins was an act of pure, unmitigated loss.
"The Ryan Empire has sent an entire paladin legion," Anbaixiu said. "Facing them head-on does us no good. Let's hide in the sewers first."
Anbaixiu's suggestion was sensible, logical, and the choice that maximized their interests.
Yet the Rose of Decay replied, "Since they've come seeking death, how could I possibly shun the battle?"
Anbaixiu's soul fire flickered. The words of persuasion rose to the tip of his tongue, only to be swallowed back down.
The religious zealots of the Ryan Empire howled like beasts and charged the moment they spotted undead, but the Rose of Decay was merely a different breed of lunatic. Faced with the Ryan Empire, this Undead Queen lost all reason as well.
Anbaixiu turned abruptly to Gary Watts. "President, how many golem puppets are left in the City of Alchemy? Can you control them all?"
"Originally, for security reasons, no unified controller was designed during their manufacturing," Gary Watts replied. "However, if necessary, I can make a master controller right now."
"Make it now?" Anbaixiu asked in surprise.
Gary Watts replied with supreme confidence, "Yes. Making one now won't take much time at all."
Anbaixiu urged him at once, "Then get to it! Transfer control of all the golem puppets to Lady Rose, and I'll help you fulfill your dream."
"Deal."
Gary Watts hardly hesitated before instantly agreeing.
The Rose of Decay looked at Anbaixiu in surprise and asked, "You're giving me all the golem puppets in the City of Alchemy?"
Anbaixiu nodded. "Consider it my hiring fee for your assistance this time. We still have major business to negotiate in the future, so I can't let you suffer any harm."
The Rose of Decay looked at Anbaixiu and smiled faintly. "You forget, I am a lich, and... never mind. I understand what you mean."
Anbaixiu: ???
*Understand what?*
Anbaixiu genuinely just didn't want anything to happen to his top client. A lich wouldn't die as long as their phylactery remained intact, but if this body was destroyed, would it compromise the Rose of Decay's dominion over the Underdark? If this wealthy patroness's power took a hit, their cooperation might fall through completely.
Yet judging by her expression, that didn't seem to be what she had understood at all.
Still, there was no time to delve into details now. In the brief time they had spent talking, Gary Watts had already fashioned the controller.
The device was exceedingly simple to operate. All one had to do was hold it and issue vocal commands, which would be synchronized instantly across every golem puppet in the City of Alchemy.
That wily old man—who knew how many backdoors he had left inside those golem puppets?
The Rose of Decay gave Anbaixiu a meaningful look, then led her bodyguards down the tower.
Only then did Anbaixiu turn to Gary Watts. "Let's go. We're heading into the sewers right now to fulfill your wish."
Gary Watts was about to pick up the unconscious Naomi when Anbaixiu stopped him. "Leave her. You won't need this girl, and bringing her along is only a waste of time."
"She is the most crucial part of the experiment. My soul is not yet sufficient to ascend to the realm of godhood," Gary Watts said in a grave tone.
"I said I would help you. Don't forget that when it comes to understanding souls, I am the true expert."
Anbaixiu's words gave Gary Watts pause.
Logic told him that sticking to his original plan was the safest bet. Yet for some reason, looking back at the unconscious Naomi, Gary Watts suddenly felt a pang of reluctance.
Humanity had not yet entirely drained from his soul, leaving him capable of pitying this child.
Yet it was precisely because of this lingering humanity that he had needed to sacrifice Naomi to achieve the transformation of his soul.
Before, Gary Watts had possessed no other option, so he had convinced himself that Naomi had to die. But now, Anbaixiu was offering a second possibility. The humanity Gary Watts had suppressed for so long seemed to find an anchor, beginning to sway a soul that was meant to be purely rational.
Gary Watts felt as though he were tearing into two separate personalities.
His translucent form flickered erratically, only steadying after a long moment.
"You nearly destroyed my resolve." Gary Watts finally displayed fury, his face contorting as he snarled at Anbaixiu, "What you say had better be true."
"Of course. I wouldn't pass up an artifact just for the sake of some druid girl. Let's move; we don't have much time."
Gary Watts reopened the sealed window. Anbaixiu cast Fly on himself, and the two drifted out the window, speeding toward the sewers as fast as they could.
Just as they departed the tower, the Rose of Decay's forces had already engaged James Watson's paladin legion.
From a glance at the battlefield, the Rose of Decay's undead forces were clearly at a disadvantage.
On one side was a well-trained legion of paladins, whose power of Holy Light naturally countered the undead. On the other side, the bulk of the army had been left outside the city, leaving only a handful of Death Knights and a fresh batch of minor zombies. They were truly no match.
However, the Rose of Decay's forces held the advantage in sheer numbers, allowing them to hold the line for the time being.
Anbaixiu cast a worried glance back, but dared not linger. The faster he finished things on his end, the safer the Rose of Decay would be.
The two flew swiftly, descending straight into the sewers.
By this point, the Wish ritual was fully activated, turning the sewer environment profoundly bizarre.
Seeing Anbaixiu halt in his tracks, Gary Watts urged anxiously, "Keep moving! The core of the ritual magic circle is just ahead. Don't waste time here!"
Having regained a sliver of humanity, he had grown exceedingly emotional, his tone turning irritable and abrasive.
Anbaixiu retorted, "What's the point of heading to the core right now? To complete the ritual, the metamorphosis of your soul is the key. I'm going to resolve that for you right here."
Gary Watts sneered, "Now? Right here? It took me countless years of agonizing effort to research this ritual magic circle and eliminate the humanity within my soul through sacrifice. You only deduced my plan a few days ago, and you're still in a weakened state right after resurrection! What solution could you possibly have?"
"Like I said, when it comes to souls, I am the expert. Shut your mouth, open your soul, and let me go to work."
Anbaixiu reached out, grabbing toward Gary Watts's body.
Gary Watts instinctively moved to dodge, but swiftly suppressed the urge. The ritual magic circle had reached its most critical juncture; there was no more time to stall. Having chosen to trust Anbaixiu, he had no choice but to see it through to the end.
Gary Watts shut his eyes, allowing Anbaixiu to thrust his hand into his ethereal form.
The moment Anbaixiu's hand brushed the translucent soul body, countless black threads thinner than strands of hair sprouted from his palm, swiftly spreading through every inch of Gary Watts.
Anbaixiu's palm seemed to become Gary Watts's heart, while the threads served as new nerves and blood vessels, taking complete dominion over Gary Watts's soul.
"This... this feeling... You're altering my memories?! No, that's not it—you're modifying my soul!" Gary Watts cried out in shock.
Anbaixiu explained, "Correct. I can reshape a soul at its fundamental level. Not only can I alter memories, but I can transform the intrinsic traits of the soul itself. This is my legendary ability: Simulated Soul. Originally, I could only fabricate blank souls with pitiful intellect out of nothing. But after all these years of research, I have grasped the general nature of souls. How to modify them to yield the specialized soul I desire is a minor procedure I've practiced millions of times.
"Excising humanity to evolve into a god—while I haven't tried this specific trick before, the principles are identical."
As Anbaixiu spoke, the black threads sprouting from his palm wove and squirmed like living creatures, beginning to remodel Gary Watts's soul body into an entirely different form.
His head and limbs began to melt like wax, splitting into several tentacle-like appendages. His illusory skeletal frame dissolved, leaving behind not a trace of human form. Gary Watts's soul shifted completely from a humanoid figure into a jellyfish.
"This feeling... It's real... I'm evolving... and it's even better than my calculations..."
Gary Watts's voice echoed from within the soul once more, but it had grown calm, shedding its former irritability.
Anbaixiu's entire frame was trembling. Unable to sustain the effects of Polymorph any longer, he reverted to his skeletal form.
Though Simulated Soul was an immensely powerful ability, Gary Watts's soul was exceptionally resilient. Creating a soul in the past had been as simple as playing with clay; now, he was carving into diamond—and doing micro-engraving at that. The difficulty had multiplied a hundredfold.
Coupled with Anbaixiu's currently weakened state, completing this soul surgery demanded every shred of his concentration.
Yet no matter how focused he remained, the surgery's success rate seemed no higher than five percent in his estimation.
The black threads suddenly began to thrash violently, tangling into a chaotic mess like frayed yarn.
Gary Watts let out a bloodcurdling shriek. The agony born of a twisting soul was far more terrifying than any physical torment; in that instant, he felt as though he had been sliced into ribbons hundreds of times over.
"Endure it!" Anbaixiu roared.
One by one, Dice of Fate materialized around Anbaixiu. These dice were formed neither of mana nor any physical matter, but woven from the intangible threads of destiny itself. Under Anbaixiu's command, the Dice of Fate began to spin frantically, plunging endlessly into Gary Watts's jellyfish-shaped body.
Anbaixiu would rewrite the future of surgical failure, replacing every single misstep with success.
And he believed he could do it.
The prophetic fragments had shown Anbaixiu presiding over the Wish ritual in the sewers. Therefore, this soul surgery was bound to succeed. Had it been destined to fail, Anbaixiu would have fled long ago rather than lingering in these depths.
All Anbaixiu needed to do now was place his faith in destiny—and in the power he had once cast aside.
Chapter 83