Chapter 1: Necromancer Has No Future
Blackstone Town, City Hall.
"Wu Heng?"
Behind the desk piled with documents, a stern-faced middle-aged woman glanced at the file and then at the young man across from her.
Wu Heng nodded, "Yes!"
"Occupation: Necromancer?" The woman slightly furrowed her brows, her eyes full of confusion. Without waiting for a response, she continued, "The Kingdom may allow the existence of Necromancers, but no city welcomes a Necromancer within its walls."
As soon as she said this, the previously noisy hall instantly fell silent.
Everyone looked over, their eyes full of curiosity and strangeness.
It seemed they couldn't understand why someone would choose the profession of Necromancer at this time.
Wu Heng still said, "Thank you for the reminder, 'Ms. Moira.' I will abide by the laws and order of the Kingdom and Blackstone Town."
The middle-aged woman carefully examined his expression.
But she didn't say anything more. She took out several documents from a drawer, handed them over, and said, "Read these carefully and sign your name."
"Undead Restriction Act"
"Undead Minion Registration Process"
"Corpse and Skeleton Protection Act"
"Black Magic Experiment Application Notice"
"Human Experimentation…"
"…"
Taking the documents and seeing the titles and contents, Wu Heng's eyes widened slightly.
Although the Eko Kingdom allowed the existence of Necromancers, they added more and more restrictions and laws against them each year.
These included prohibitions against privately converting skeletons, zombies, and other undead creatures, conducting corpse experiments, or performing necromancy experiments.
Stealing or experimenting on corpses were serious crimes here.
A Necromancer who couldn't convert undead units or conduct magical research had an obvious future.
Not to mention, whether or not they had a future in academia, they were essentially useless in combat.
This was why everyone present showed such surprise upon hearing the word "Necromancer."
Wu Heng had some understanding beforehand, but he hadn't expected it to be stricter than he imagined.
After carefully reading through, he signed his name one by one and handed them back.
The middle-aged woman carefully checked them and then advised, "Alright, the process is complete. Remember everything in these laws. I don't want the next time I see you to be on the gallows."
"I'll remember your advice!" Wu Heng stood up, saluted, and then walked out.
As he left the hall, he could still hear people discussing him behind his back.
For a young man with black hair and black eyes who chose the profession of Necromancer, everyone was puzzled.
…
Leaving the hall, he didn't pay attention to the voices behind him.
He couldn't understand what exactly a 'Necromancer' had done to deserve such treatment.
They had created so many restrictive laws just for a single profession.
They had basically cut off any future for this profession.
Just like 'Ms. Moira' said, choosing Necromancer was like putting a shackle on yourself.
Unable to summon undead creatures, unable to experiment with magic, there was basically no future.
But Wu Heng still chose this profession.
Not only because it was the only magic-based class he could access, but more importantly, he believed that the Necromancer profession could develop better in his hands.
Leaving City Hall, he focused his thoughts, and a transparent panel that only he could see appeared before him.
[Name: Wu Heng]
[Class: Necromancer]
[Level: 1 (10/300)]
[Attributes: Strength 9, Agility 11, Constitution 12, Intelligence 14, Perception 10, Charisma 12.]
[Skills: Raise Skeleton]
After changing class, this panel appeared for Wu Heng.
It displayed his class, attributes, and skills, just like an interface in an online game.
It allowed him to see his physical condition more intuitively.
He left the central area and entered a blacksmith shop on the commercial street.
As soon as he stepped through the door, the smell of linseed oil hit his nose.
"Boss, I'm here to pick up the weapons I ordered this morning," Wu Heng said to the counter.
The middle-aged shopkeeper put down the iron sword he was wiping and looked up, "Oh, it's you. They're over there, seven silver coins in total."
Wu Heng confirmed the weapons he had bought.
An iron sword and a short spear.
They were all chosen in the morning.
He counted out seven silver coins and placed them on the counter in front of the shopkeeper.
"What happened this morning?" The shopkeeper collected the silver coins and casually asked.
When Wu Heng came to buy weapons in the morning, he was taken away by the city guards right after making his selection.
The shopkeeper thought he had committed a crime, but he was back before noon with no apparent changes.
"I just arrived in Blackstone Town, and they had me register at City Hall. I didn't understand the process since I'm new here."
"Register? You need to register for this?" The shopkeeper frowned. He had never heard of such a thing.
Blackstone Town had plenty of newcomers; if everyone needed to register, City Hall would be busier than the market.
"They asked my name and told me to follow the rules. It made me pretty nervous." Wu Heng smiled and scratched his head.
"Haha! Those guys are just idle, sticking their noses into everything. Good that it's nothing serious," the shopkeeper laughed, offering some comfort.
Wu Heng smiled and nodded.
After wrapping up the weapons, he bid the shopkeeper goodbye and left the store.
He didn't continue to stroll around and instead headed to the residential area in the North District, away from the commercial street and crowds.
…
Passing through a dark alley, he reached the place he had rented.
The room wasn't large, just a living room and a bedroom.
Besides the table, chairs, and wooden bed, there wasn't much else.
The setup was quite simple.
He placed his backpack and weapons aside, picked up the bread on the table, and filled his stomach.
He pondered the attitude of Blackstone Town toward Necromancers.
It felt as if he was a criminal out on bail, with his every move under close scrutiny.
"In the city, it's best to keep a low profile and gradually improve myself."
He rolled up the remaining bread and stuffed it into his mouth.
Standing up again, he grabbed the iron sword and spear with one hand, and with the other, he took the bronze key hanging around his neck and approached the bedroom door, gently turning it.
As the door opened, a curtain of light appeared within the doorway.
On the other side was not the familiar bedroom, but a scene like a reflection in a mirror.
Wu Heng took a deep breath and stepped directly into the scene, emerging on the other side.
The moment his senses returned, a strong, rotten stench filled the air.
The familiar desk, wooden bed, monitor, and speakers were there.
A beast-like roar echoed from outside the window.
He was back in the familiar yet strange modern world.
He walked to the window and looked outside.
Downstairs, a group of zombies was gathered, with torn clothes revealing protruding bones and exposed internal organs. They jostled and bumped into each other, wandering aimlessly.
Among them, he could even see some familiar faces.
"It's still the same."
A new book has started; this one is about dual-portal worlds. I hope you all like it.