Amberxiu was focused on assembling his new skeletal creation. The man, who was watching this scene from the side, could only stare in horror as human bones were reassembled into a chillingly eerie form by the lich. Dizziness and nausea overtook him, but he gritted his teeth, fearing he might become the next material in Amberxiu's hands.
Amberxiu's hands moved steadily, piecing together each bone with precision, all while speaking in a calm and assured tone.
"The core of the skeleton's power and control is the soul. Over two hundred bones, hundreds of joints—it's a tremendous burden for the soul core. But we are accustomed to it. No necromancer has ever accurately measured the strength of a soul; we only have vague distinctions: low, medium, and high-tier souls.
"In alchemy, the ratios for potion mixtures are precise down to the milligram, yet in necromancy, we have not even precisely measured the soul's strength. I find this laziness difficult to accept.
"Granted, soul strength fluctuates, making measurement a complex task. However, that is not a reason to abandon the effort. Fortunately, I possess the technique of artificial soul creation, capable of producing blank souls with no emotional residue. After a series of experiments, I established my own standard, naming the unit of soul strength 'Po'—the specific measurement method will be detailed in my paper.
"Should the editor of 'Legendary Spells' stop rejecting my submissions, of course."
"Back to the matter at hand, today's experiment uses only a basic soul, so I'll use it as an example. The strength of a basic soul that can sustain a complete skeleton typically ranges from 80 to 130 Po, with a peak that doesn't exceed 150 Po. If this energy is distributed across 206 bones, we get a clumsy, sluggish, fragile undead creature.
"Just as intelligent beings invented tools like pincers and differential gears to optimize structure, enhancing strength or speed, we can increase efficiency."
"If we reduce the number of bones to 20, we'll create a smaller, but far more powerful, agile, and durable skeletal form. According to my calculations, its strength would be at least five times greater."
As Amberxiu placed the final skull onto the assembly, a grotesque skeleton took shape on the table.
The base consisted of three insect-like jointed legs, with only a third of the spine as the torso. The jawless skull was fitted onto it, with two thick femurs attached as arms.
Next, Amberxiu affixed two metal blades to the arms of this aberrant skeleton.
A mantis-like small skeletal creation was complete.
Amberxiu set the odd skeleton on the floor, and it immediately began to move with astonishing speed—faster than a cat.
"I'll call this the Kazik Type 1 skeleton. Now, it's time for some field testing."
Amberxiu waved at the trembling, pale-faced man and asked, "What's your name?"
The man, nearly terrified out of his wits, stammered, "L-Laur."
"Alright, Laur. Take the Kazik Type 1 and bring me back those fleeing freemen. If you manage to bring back ten refugees, I will spare your sister."
"Huh?"
Laur never expected such a task from Amberxiu.
Why would this lich want refugees?
Looking at the bones scattered across the lab, Laur's heart filled with dread. He already knew the answer.
"I… I will complete your command, Lord Lich."
Amberxiu nodded with satisfaction and handed Laur a bone embedded with gemstones. "You just need to use voice commands. The Kazik Type 1 has simple functions: red for attack, green for follow, black for stop. The rest, you'll have to figure out on your own."
Laur stared at the three gemstones in the bone, and a sudden thought crossed his mind—what if he pressed the attack gem... would it...?
That thought quickly vanished as Laur realized the lich was no fool. There was no way Amberxiu would hand him a weapon capable of killing him.
Though Laur didn't fully understand everything the lich had said, the tone made it clear that the skeletal monstrosity before him was likely just a toy for Amberxiu.
Looking at his unconscious sister, Laur gritted his teeth and pressed the green gemstone. Immediately, the skeletal creature, which had been scrambling around aimlessly, obediently followed his steps.
The moment Laur left the ancient castle, his sister, who had been in a deep slumber, opened her eyes.
Seeing Amberxiu's ghastly skeletal face, she wanted to scream but quickly silenced herself with her hands.
Amberxiu glanced at her and casually said, "Your brother, Laur, went off to do something for me. I told him to bring me ten people, and then I'll let you go. By the way, since you're freemen, what's your profession?"
Freemen usually possessed a special skill. Most of the land in the territory belonged to the lord, and only slaves or tenant farmers could work the lord's fields. As such, freemen often had to engage in other professions to support themselves.
The girl took some time to compose herself before replying cautiously, "I'm an alchemy apprentice."
"An alchemy apprentice?" Amberxiu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. Such a profession was rare.
Even though this ancient castle lay within the alchemy city's jurisdiction, alchemists were a rare breed—requiring not only magical aptitude but also an exceptionally sharp mind to memorize and comprehend the intricate potion formulas.
Different materials contained varying magical elements, and even the same material could differ in magical content depending on its origin. To become an alchemist, one had to learn to distinguish these nuances.
Amberxiu was not a professional alchemist and had to purchase high-level potions, as his own attempts usually yielded wasteful failures. Despite knowing the formulas, his success rate in making potions was abysmally low.
To his surprise, the girl was an alchemy apprentice. This was an unexpected windfall.
"Wait, you're an alchemy apprentice, but how could a lord sell you into slavery? Who's your teacher?" Amberxiu inquired further.
Alchemists had high status even as apprentices. With a teacher's backing, resolving minor issues like tax hikes from a lord should be a piece of cake.
The girl hesitated before answering, "My teacher went to the Silvermoon High Court two months ago to procure potion materials, but she hasn't returned. Those who came back from Silvermoon say she may have met with an accident."
Without her teacher's protection, a mere alchemy apprentice stood no chance against a lord. Amberxiu suspected that the lord had probably set his sights on this girl, eager to claim her as his own. A slave with alchemical talent was valuable indeed.
Amberxiu, upon hearing this, couldn't help but curse, "Those bean sprouts again, how are they everywhere?"
He was growing increasingly irritated with those high elves.
Turning his attention back to the anxious girl, Amberxiu asked, "Can you make a Calming Potion?"
A Calming Potion was a low-level elixir, usable both as a drink or as a spray fragrance, with a simple effect—it calmed the mind and helped neutralize rage. Many professions required emotional stability, so the demand for such potions was high.
The girl didn't understand why Amberxiu was asking this, but she nodded and answered, "I've learned it."
Amberxiu pointed to the cabinet on the wall to her right and said, "Then go ahead and make it. All the ingredients are inside. I'll need at least twelve bottles."
End of Chapter