The Dark Mantle had strongholds in every city in the Lancelot Empire. Valen City was no exception, of course.
Han Shuo sat cross-legged in a secret room carved out of dense rock, slowly digesting the memories of the necromancers' souls.
Han Shuo didn't set foot out of the secret room for four days, going through decades of the necromancer's memories. This necromancer named Clarendon had been 52 years old, and his experiences of all those years were all analysed by Han Shuo.
Dozens of battles and a lifetime of studying necromancy, as well as a few secrets of his identity, were completely absorbed and memorised by Han Shuo in those four days. Of course, there were many minor details, but Han Shuo was too lazy to remember them.
After assimilating all of the necromancer's experiences, Han Shuo realised that Clarendon had been in the service of an organisation called the Church of Natural Disaster. As such, all of his actions, including the operation against Clarendon, had been ordered by the Church's leaders. He had no idea why he had to kill Clark.
Aside from a few things concerning Clarendon's identity, Han Shuo's greatest gain was the necromancer's understanding of his path from apprentice to archmage, including the experiences of every single battle and the reflections that followed.
If there was a way to reach heaven in one bound in this world, then Han Shuo was doing it right now. With the theoretical knowledge and battle experience of this necromancer, Han Shuo's path to becoming an archmage was crystal clear. He would be able to quickly learn many advanced magics as long as he had enough mental strength.
Clarendon's experience from dozens of battles greatly broadened Han Shuo's worldview and would prove to be an invaluable asset in his future battles. The untested Han Shuo took note of some things to avoid. In this way, the gains in practical experience were probably on a par with those of necromancy knowledge.
After four days, Han Shuo had gained all the valuable aspects from Clarendon's memories, but he didn't leave this secluded secret room right away. He spent another two days to fully grasp the other necromancy magics that a journeyman mage should know.
When Han Shuo emerged from the secret room, he felt refreshed and in high spirits. He was very comfortable and felt very confident about their mission this time.
"You're finally out. Mistress Emily has left orders that I must bring you to her as soon as you emerge." Chester stood guard at the door and spoke respectfully to Han Shuo as he emerged.
"Chester! Why are you so serious now? I remember you weren't like this when I first met you!" Chester had spoken in a very casual tone and had been quite at ease when he'd interacted with Han Shuo before. Now Chester was noticeably more reserved with Han Shuo and spoke as if he were talking to his superior. This made Han Shuo quite confused.
"Bryan, you're going to be a great person in the future, I'm just getting used to things now." Chester relaxed for a moment and smiled.
Han Shuo shook his head and said leisurely, "Even if I become a great person, our relationship shouldn't be so estranged." He patted Chester on the shoulder and laughed lightly, "True partners should relax. I feel rather uncomfortable seeing you so solemn."
"All right, all right, I know what to do. Bryan, hurry and go to Mistress Emily. She said I was to bring you to her as soon as you appeared." Chester chuckled slightly, relaxed after Han Shuo patted him on the shoulder, and quickly led Han Shuo down a brightly lit corridor.
After a few minutes, they emerged from the secret room and finally arrived at the room where Emily was. Chester winked at Han Shuo, stepped back with a chuckle, and only resumed his guard once he had put some distance between them.
Although Han Shuo and Emily had deliberately concealed their relationship, a hint of their true status still seeped out from the tone of their conversation and their gestures. As a bandit, Chester was naturally very observant. Of course, he had picked up a few clues after a few days together. However, Chester was a smart man who knew that his only chance to rise above his current station in life lay in friendly relations with Han Shuo. So even though he knew some of what was going on, he pretended that he didn't.
Han Shuo understood this and therefore wasn't the least bit worried that Chester would tattle. He kept the easy smile on his face as Chester winked and pushed open the door to Emily's room without a care in the world, without the slightest reservation.
"Who is it?!" Emily cried out in shock from the bathroom. Han Shuo's sharp ears even picked up a few hints of dripping water.
As his eyes flickered, Han Shuo realised that Emily was actually taking a shower. After six days of cultivation behind closed doors, he hadn't slept for quite a while. He chuckled mischievously and closed the room door, heading straight for Emily's bathroom.
Emily was a little panicked at first, but she immediately knew who had come when she heard Han Shuo's evil chuckle. She blushed and fell back into the bath.
"The beauty thief is here!" With a cocky grin on his face, Han Shuo circulated his Magical Yuan, ripping his shirt off his torso to reveal his sturdy, domineering figure. He jumped into the bathtub, causing the water to splash everywhere.
"You evil villain! Such a scoundrel!" Emily pouted teasingly and splashed around, seemingly protesting against Han Shuo's invasions, but her curses had turned to soul-crushing gasps in the space of a few breaths.
Emily's thrashing and twitching body relaxed into a long moan after a long time, and the ripples in the water finally calmed down.
"That was beautiful!" Emily sighed softly, draped over Han Shuo's broad and firm chest. She said contentedly, "You wicked little thing, I hate and love you!"
Han Shuo stretched out lazily by the side of the tub and said leisurely, "It is one of the happiest things in life to be able to take such a warm bath on this cold winter day. Oh, right, what were you in a hurry to find me for?"
"To ask you what you've gained in the last few days, of course!" Emily's slender hands unconsciously kneaded Han Shuo's back as she asked him.
Han Shuo took a deep breath and described the gains of the past few days to Emily in detail. Emily was incredibly shocked and looked at Han Shuo with great joy, "You have gained his understanding of necromancy magic and his real-life battle experience? Doesn't that mean that as long as you have enough mental strength, you'll be able to quickly grasp all the Archmage-level magic that he already knows?"
"I think that's the logic. I've already tried to practice another journeyman-level magic and found that I could master it quickly with the necromancer's prior understanding. I didn't have to go through too much trial and error in the middle." Han Shuo nodded.
"My God, incredible, this is too incredible!" Emily's incredulous joy doubled when she heard Han Shuo's words. She repeated the sentences over and over again, seeming even more excited than Han Shuo.
"The Necromancer obtained these documents from a secret room in the slave trading house. They chronicle Bob Ascher's business dealings and can prove that he was involved in their operations." Han Shuo handed Emily the documents the necromancer had taken from the secret room after describing the situation.
Although the necromancer named Clarendon had placed a magical boundary within his space ring, Han Shuo had broken through it very easily. He had obtained several books on necromancy, some medicines to replenish mental strength, and some magic robes that had the effect of increasing magic power.
Of course, what Han Shuo was most satisfied with was still Clarendon's White Bone Staff. This white bone staff was specially refined for necromancers, and using it to cast necromancy spells would increase Han Shuo's power.
Originally, Han Shuo could only summon one bone spear when he cast the Bone Spear spell, but with the White Bone Staff, he could summon two at once. The number of summoned dark creatures would also increase.
The delighted Emily was about to say something while holding the documents Han Shuo had given her, when she suddenly thought of something. She stared at Han Shuo and said urgently, "What organisation did you say this necromancer was from?"
"The Church of Natural Disaster!" Han Shuo began and replied.
Her expression changed drastically, all the colour drained from Emily's face as she spoke to Han Shuo, "Don't tell anyone that you killed Clarendon. I must report this to my brother immediately, especially when it comes to the Church of Natural Disasters. Oh, Lawrence was looking for you and wanted you to come by when you had time. If you're careful, you can find your way to him. "
Emily hastily gave Han Shuo a few more reminders and told him not to tell anyone about his involvement with the Church of Natural Disasters. Then she hurried off to the secret room with the magic mirror that would allow her to speak to the leaders of the Dark Mantle.