CH133
Helag sensed that Lady Moran was hinting at whether he wanted to buy more necromancy spells.
He asked, "Do you have any necromancy spells you'd recommend, Lady Moran?"
Instead of answering immediately, Moran asked, "Have you encountered malevolent spirits before?"
Helag paused and then replied, "Yes, but that was quite some time ago. Can you still sense it?"
It had been over a year since his encounter in Creek Valley Town.
"The scent of malevolent spirits doesn't wash off easily. To me, it's as fresh as if you just stepped in dog poop," Moran chuckled.
Helag scratched his head. "Is this scent harmful? Is there a way to remove it?"
He hadn't realized he still carried the scent of malevolent spirits, as he hadn't sensed it himself.
"For ordinary people, it's a deadly aura, but for you, it just makes you more attractive to malevolent spirits. To remove it, you could buy some spells from me, and I'll help you get rid of it," Moran offered.
She continued, "For you, I'd recommend learning Necromantic Perception, Crown of Malevolence, and Necromantic Sword."
"Necromantic Perception lets you sense and even see spirits."
"Crown of Malevolence is a defensive spell that offers some protection against malevolent energies."
"Necromantic Sword is an offensive spell that conjures a necromantic blade capable of harming spirits. Since you're specialized in dark energy, you can infuse the blade with dark energy particles to enhance its power."
Helag was pleased with these spells. "How much for all three?"
"Five magic stones each, so fifteen in total," Moran replied.
Helag handed over fifteen magic stones and received the spell model books for the three spells.
These spells would give him basic tools to deal with malevolent spirits, rather than being helpless.
"Now, let me remove the malevolent spirit aura from you," Moran said softly.
"Thank you, Lady Moran," Helag said respectfully.
Moran extended her left hand from under her robe. It was pale and childlike.
She opened her palm, revealing a small crack that quickly expanded into a mouth, complete with a tongue.
The mouth spat out a black beetle with large pincers.
"Go on, eat it, my dear," Moran cooed.
The beetle spread its wings and flew around Helag before hovering above his head.
Click! Click!
Helag heard familiar footsteps and suddenly remembered, "These are the same footsteps I heard in Creek Valley Town…"
Back then, the footsteps had followed him until he entered the ancient stone tablet's cave, where they stopped.
He had thought the footsteps vanished with the other malevolent spirits at dawn, but now they were back.
This meant the footsteps had been with him all along, unnoticed.
Helag broke into a cold sweat, realizing he had been carrying a hidden danger.
Though it hadn't caused trouble yet, it was like a ticking time bomb.
"You've encountered something extraordinary. I'm surprised you're standing here alive," Moran said lightly.
The beetle emitted a faint howl, and the footsteps quickened as if running.
A large shadow emerged from the beetle, revealing a massive beetle phantom.
The phantom's pincers reached behind Helag, pulling out a gray mist and devouring it.
Helag clearly heard the footsteps coming from the mist.
Once the mist was consumed, the footsteps faded and eventually stopped.
"What was that? A malevolent spirit?" Helag asked.
Moran's tone grew serious. "It was a mix of a malevolent spirit and some curse, well-hidden. I only sensed the malevolent aura but didn't expect this. Even Moonlight Forest's defensive wards missed it."
"What would have happened if it stayed inside me?" Helag asked, feeling a chill at the thought.
Moran explained, "It treated you as a host, parasitizing deep within you. Luckily, you're still weak, so it hasn't grown. Otherwise, I can't say what it might have become."
"There was a similar case once, leading to a kingdom's downfall."
Helag hadn't realized the severity of the situation. Even a necromancy expert like Moran found it tricky.
"Am I safe now?" Helag asked, still worried about any remnants.
Moran handed him a necklace with a diamond-shaped crystal. "This is a magical item called the Soul-Eating Crystal."
She continued, "It's enchanted with a ward I designed. It senses malevolent spirits, defends against them, and repels them. Wear it, and any remnants will be expelled. When the crystal turns red, a malevolent spirit is nearby. The stronger the spirit, the redder the crystal."
"If it heats up and burns, you might want to find a good grave," Moran added with a laugh, seemingly teasing Helag.
"How much?" Helag asked directly.
"Five hundred magic stones."
Helag hesitated but eventually handed over the stones.
Such items were rare, and Moran was likely the only source in Moonlight Forest.
Magic stones needed to be converted into resources to be useful, and this crystal was valuable to him.
Moran handed over the Soul-Eating Crystal, smiling at the pile of stones. "Potion masters are rich. I just named a random price."
"What? A random price?" Helag was shocked.
Moran laughed, "Just kidding. Five hundred stones is fair. Ask Larry if you don't believe me."
CH134
Listening to Moran's pleasant voice, Helag realized that necromancers might not be as scary as the rumors suggested.
The stories always depicted necromancers as dealing with corpses all day, painting a terrifying picture.
But Lady Moran seemed quite normal and spoke kindly.
"Deep Blue, scan the Soul-Eating Crystal," Helag instructed, wanting to ensure he hadn't been tricked.
The deal was done even if he had been, but he still wanted to understand.
[Scanning…]
[Scan complete. Detected highly intricate mana flow structure, currently lacking related knowledge.]
Satisfied with Deep Blue's response, Helag felt reassured.
The crystal contained a magical array, a subject Deep Blue didn't yet have knowledge of.
"Have you never had nightmares? That thing should have appeared in your sleep, affecting you," Moran asked.
"Sleep? I don't sleep. I meditate instead," Helag replied, scratching his head.
"…"
"Alright, time's almost up. You should leave," Moran said lightly.
"Time's almost up?" Helag felt uneasy but decided to leave obediently.
He bowed to Moran and said, "Thank you, Lady Moran. I'll take my leave."
"Mmm~" Moran's voice trembled slightly.
Helag's scalp tingled, and he quickened his pace, feeling an instinctive urge to leave.
***
Back home, Helag lit the fireplace, warmed the room, and brewed a cup of coffee. He began to digest the basic necromancy knowledge he had received.
The knowledge had been transmitted directly into his mind, but he needed to understand and absorb it.
Helag also had Deep Blue record the knowledge for future reference.
Soon, it was late at night. Helag rubbed his head, feeling tired after a day of study.
Still recovering from his illness, his body wasn't as strong as before, and he got tired easily.
"Too bad I can't learn first-level spells…"
Lying in bed, Helag pondered his next steps.
In Moonlight Forest, apprentices could only buy or exchange zero-level spells. First-level spells were off-limits until they were about to advance to formal wizards.
Apprentices approved for advancement could buy one first-level spell as their innate spell.
Normally, these apprentices planned to stay in Moonlight Forest and received one first-level spell for free.
Helag, aiming to advance but not stay, was a rare case.
Though he planned to follow the path of Great Dark Heaven, he didn't neglect spells. Dual cultivation of body and spells was the way to maximize his strength.
He would have to buy first-level spells through Larry's family channels later, as Moonlight Forest had no way to provide them now.
Entering meditation, Helag also had Deep Blue analyze the three new spells to construct their models.
***
The next day, Bessie brought some fruit to visit Helag.
After putting the fruit away, Helag asked, "Can you tell me more about how you got injured?"
He felt he owed Bessie for her care and wanted to help her if possible.
Though he couldn't join her in building a pure-blood wizard family, he might be able to solve her mental power issue with Deep Blue's help.
However, even if Deep Blue had a solution, Helag wouldn't help immediately. Solving it too quickly would be suspicious.
He planned to address Bessie's issue after becoming a formal wizard and settling in Larry's family potion garden.
That way, it would seem more reasonable and less conspicuous.
Even Larry would think Helag had spent a lot of time researching the problem.
Bessie shook her head. "Don't bother. Mr. Larry couldn't help, and I've accepted it."
"Let's at least try," Helag insisted.
He didn't want to give false hope but felt it was worth a shot.
Bessie relented. "I was hit by a psychic scream at close range while already severely injured, with no defense. It caused irreversible damage to my mental power."
Helag pondered. "Deep Blue, scan Bessie and analyze her mental power issue."
[Task registered and executing.]
A minute later.
[Scan complete. Task analysis and solution simulation will take approximately 7 hours.]
Helag noted the time needed for the simulation.
The result wasn't guaranteed, but there was hope.
"I'll think of something," Helag said.
Bessie smiled sadly. "Don't waste your time. Focus on advancing to a formal wizard."
"It's no trouble. I'll think about it when I have time," Helag reassured her.
After a simple meal together, Bessie left.
With Helag fully recovered, she didn't want to impose and had stopped mentioning building a pure-blood wizard family, treating him as a friend instead.
***
That night.
[Task complete.
Bessie's mental power issue can be resolved with the following formula:
10 grams of mermaid scales,
12 grams of lightning flower…]
Helag was surprised that Deep Blue had found a solution. The ingredients were common, not rare.
The effectiveness would need to be tested, but Deep Blue's formula suggested Bessie's problem wasn't unsolvable.
Even if adjustments were needed, experimentation could refine the formula.
Larry's inability to solve it didn't reflect his skill. Deep Blue's data processing and analysis capabilities far exceeded human brains.
Given enough time, Larry could likely find a solution, but it could take years.
Larry couldn't afford to spend that much time on one problem.
Though Helag had the formula, he decided to wait before helping Bessie. It wasn't the right time.
Over the next two months, Helag focused on learning and training, living a peaceful life.
He completed the meditation for the thirteenth star, but trouble soon followed.
Moonlight Forest assigned him a new task.