Chapter 238: Section 26: I am an Undead Mage
Justice sliced through the sea surface, and the Dragon-man youth could see, through the glass window of the captain’s cabin, the twin wakes of the ship’s hull reconverging behind the stern.
The sky was vast, the sea was wide, and the sunlight was brilliantly shining.
“Thump thump thump.”
After a series of knocks, Zong Ge’s voice came through: “Captain Long Fu, may I speak with you alone?”
It had been agreed among everyone: on the ship, they would refer to each other only by aliases.
“Please come in, my First Officer,” the knight youth smiled.
As such, Zong Ge entered the captain’s cabin and casually closed the door behind him.
The knight youth sat behind the desk; he still bore his human form. After all, maintaining the Dragon-man shape required the constant expenditure of demon energy. Thus, since setting sail, the youth tried to stay in the captain’s cabin as much as possible, not venturing out to inspect the ship without good reason.
Zong Ge had a grave expression as he took out an alchemy tool from his chest and placed it on the desk.
It was a sound collection box, capable of containing the sounds within a certain range, preventing their spread.
Considering the need to keep Mysterious Monster Island a secret and facilitate their disguise, the youth had included a large number of sound collection boxes in the first batch of materials they had exchanged. Each member from Mysterious Monster Island had one.
“I want to talk to you about Cang Xu,” Zong Ge said. “Don’t you think we’ve given him too much?”
The materials related to the Undead Mage, which they had found in the underwater secret chamber, had largely not been sold to the Empire. These included the Silver Level Magic Robe, the Magic Wand, and most critically, the Undead Magic Book.
The knight youth raised his eyebrows slightly: “Hmm, the lead was found by Cang Xu. Without him, how could we possibly have found the underwater chamber? Also, it was with his help that we managed to enter it. His contributions are undeniable!”
“Furthermore, these treasures are not easy to sell due to their great risks. They happen to suit Cang Xu’s needs. At least for now, he’s the only Mage in our team; enhancing his strength as much as possible benefits us all, doesn’t it?”
Zi Di still lay in a deep, unwaking slumber, and the knight youth did not count the Sea Snake Lady among his calculations.
The Sea Snake Lady was not one of their own.
Zong Ge stared intently at the knight youth, slightly shaking his head: “What you say makes sense, but remember, the Unsealing Scrolls that opened the chamber were exchanged by us. And the materials used for the exchange can be considered our joint property. Without those scrolls, Cang Xu could never have entered the chamber by himself. The scrolls were the main reason for breaking the defense magic array!”
The knight youth’s face showed a tinge of confusion.
“Could it be that Zong Ge feels the distribution was uneven? That he should have received more?” This was unexpected to the youth.
But he immediately dismissed the thought: “No, the man before me does not have such a character.”
The youth understood the Half-Beast well. In fact, they had been through life and death together and fought side by side, their mutual understanding deepening over time.
“So, you think he’s become too powerful?” the youth suggested.
Zong Ge’s expression softened; speaking with someone clever saved effort.
He said candidly: “Yes, even though Cang Xu is just at the Black Iron Level, he’s a Mage. Mages have many more methods at their disposal than we do.”
“The most important point is that he is an Undead Mage!”
“Bai Ya has told me before; he must have told you earlier, right?”
The knight youth nodded. Bai Ya had detailed the entirety of his and Cang Xu’s foray into the small boat dock that night quite early on.
Zong Ge let out a deep breath: “The Thief once slashed Cang Xu’s face, but he merely caressed the wound and it healed. Not a single drop of blood flowed.”
“I suspect he’s no longer among the living. When we were breaking the defense magic array underwater, we all needed to breathe, but he did not. His breathing is a fabricated illusion!”
“I know he’s one of us; he has gone through life and death with us. But we can’t trust him too much. After all, he’s very different from us. We’ve always regarded him with the perspective of the living. We must admit he’s special.”
“He’s too calm, no, he’s indifferent, without any emotion. You’ve seen how he dissects those Magic Beast corpses.”
The knight youth shook his head: “No, I disagree with that, Zong Ge. He’s a Scholar, which is why he’s usually so rational. During dissections, he’s curious, with a desire to explore the unknown. He has emotions; he has a son, I remember, I’ve told you.”
Zong Ge nodded: “I know. But his tale comes from his mouth only; perhaps it too is a lie.”
The knight youth pondered for a moment before answering: “Back when we were trapped in the cave and surrounded by the gun scorpions, with only a sliver of hope for escape, there was no need for him to deceive me in that regard. In fact, thinking back, he didn’t lie. He told me clearly that he was wanted by the law. The reason for being wanted was that his son thought he was an Undead Mage.”
“Furthermore, think back to the final moments on the top floor of the Central Tower. If he wanted to conceal his identity, there was no need to expose himself, right? He could have continued the pretense, claiming to be a mere Mage, without needing to treat Zi Di.”
Zong Ge remained steadfast: “Perhaps that’s exactly where his cleverness lies. After all, we were pressed for time then.”
“Zong Ge,” the knight youth stood up, walked around the desk to the Half-Beast, and patted his shoulder, “I admit, he has kept things back on these matters, but think about it, if you were in his shoes, wouldn’t you do the same? Thus, all of it is forgivable.”
“Everyone has secrets; he’s no different, and don’t you have any?”
The knight youth smiled slightly: “I have secrets too. On Mysterious Monster Island, I also hid many things from you all, didn’t I?”
“You’re different,” Zong Ge sighed, unconvinced by the knight youth, resigned to his own inability.
But this outcome was not unexpected to him.
“Anyway, as the First Officer, I needed to remind you of this. Afterwards, I’ll also keep an eye on Cang Xu,” the Half-Beast affirmed with determination.
“Alright then,” the knight youth responded with a reluctant smile.
Zong Ge immediately left.
The youth half-sat at the edge of the desk, looking at the closed door, his thoughts drifting back to Mysterious Monster Island.
Zi Di lay on the ground, covered in wounds, motionless.
“Damn it!” The knight youth clenched his teeth, feeling the desperation growing inside.
He tried to activate the Blood Core in his heart, infusing Zi Di with demon energy, in an attempt to cause her flesh to mutate into that of a Strong Life White Rhinoceros and save her life.
But he failed.
“Wait, I still have one more method!”
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck the knight youth, and he thought of another healing approach he possessed.
The next moment, he mutated into the head of a bat monkey, covered one nostril with his hand, and emitted an ultrasound wave.
The ultrasound enveloped Zi Di, quickly taking effect, and the numerous wounds on her body stopped bleeding.
However, Zi Di’s eyes remained tightly shut, and she could not be awakened.
Cang Xu climbed to the top level, gasping for breath.
He was one of the last few to arrive, along with Fat Tongue.
“No, no! Chairman, Chairman!” Fat Tongue threw himself beside Zi Di.
Zhenjin surrendered, and Jia Sha was subdued.
However, the Teleportation Array could not be activated as the Mana Pool was nearly depleted.
Zi Di was the key person for their escape, yet she remained unconscious.
Cang Xu came over to the knight youth and, after a moment of contemplation, said, “I think I might have a way.”
“What way? Tell us quickly!” Fat Tongue’s cheeks were streaked with tears, and he immediately looked up and roared.
Cang Xu sighed, “To save her, we have to kill her first.”
“What do you mean?” the youth furrowed his brows.
“Although the knight has stabilized her physical injuries, she remains unconscious because her spirit has suffered massive damage. Chairman Zi Di and Jia Sha must have dueled for authority on the spiritual level, exhausting her to the extent that her own soul has begun to dissipate. My method involves condensing her soul and transforming it into a ghost. But if we do that, she’ll be dead.”
“Transform into a ghost? Can you really do that?” the youth pressed.
“I can,” Cang Xu gritted his teeth, “because I am not only a Scholar but also an Undead Mage.”
Everyone around was stunned.
“What?” someone asked, not hearing clearly.
So, Cang Xu repeated, “I am an Undead Mage.”
People’s eyes widened, many instinctively stepping back to distance themselves from Cang Xu.
“You’re an Undead Mage?!” Almost everyone found it hard to believe and showed looks of terror.
Cang Xu stood tall and slowly emitted a Black Iron Level Life Breath, “I’m sorry, but this is the only way I know.”
“Heretic! Heretic!!” Jia Sha scolded, “You all are heretics!”
The Knight youth scanned Jia Sha with a glance, knowing that there were only two people present who could heal Zi Di: Cang Xu, and Jia Sha himself. But could they expect Jia Sha to lend a hand?
“Then start,” the youth told Cang Xu.
“Wait, wait! The Chairman is still alive, she still has a faint breath!!” Fat Tongue hesitated, subconsciously trying to stop him.
But Cang Xu shook his head, “Her soul is dissipating. If we delay any further, we’ll even lose the chance to transform her into a ghost.”
“Fat older brother, calm down. Cang Xu, please proceed immediately!” the youth made up his mind.
Consequently, after preparing, Cang Xu successfully cast the Undead Magic spell.
The old Scholar’s expression changed slightly, “She also learned some Undead Magic… This is bad.”
“What happened?” Fat Tongue immediately asked with concern.
But by this time, Zi Di had slowly opened her eyes.
She was extremely weak and still disoriented after her vision cleared.
The knight youth was kneeling on the ground, holding her upper body.
The girl’s gaze fell upon the knight youth and she managed a feeble smile, “Sir, you have a nosebleed…”
The knight youth was startled for a moment; he had many things to say and many questions to ask her.
But at this moment, those words dissipated in his mind, and he offered a smile back to her, “I’m not very skilled at healing.”
“Chairman, you’re awake!!” Fat Tongue was ecstatic.
Zi Di saw Fat Tongue, as well as the rest of the people, and also noticed Jia Sha being subdued and Zhenjin surrendering.
All of her memories came back to her.
The next moment, her expression became incredibly complex, filled with surprise, guilt, anxiety, and anticipation.
She turned her gaze again to the youth holding her.
She had many things to say and countless questions to ask.
But as she opened her mouth, no words came out.