Chapter 225: White Bone Altar

Early the next morning, Madam Xia Lanwei came to visit.

"Good morning, Sir."

Lei En walked into the reception hall; Xia Lanwei rose to bow. She was dressed in a clean, sleek casual outfit, with a light touch of makeup, looking like a businesswoman, which reminded Lei En of elite white‑collar women from his past life.

"Madam Xia Lanwei, you came early."

Lei En gestured for her to sit, and it was clear she hadn't rested all night.

Xia Lanwei was radiant, showing no sign of fatigue, and eagerly handed over a thick stack of papers, saying, "Sir, this is my proposal; please review it."

"Very well."

Lei En took the proposal and began to leaf through it.

He was unfamiliar with business planning and had never undertaken a similar project before, but Xia Lanwei's proposal was so detailed that even a layperson could understand it.

The proposal spanned nearly a hundred pages, each handwritten with elegant script, clearly the result of years of meticulous preparation—not something that could be produced in a single night.

Lei En skimmed it for half an hour and found no major issues.

The contents matched what Madam Xia Lanwei had said yesterday, with only minor differences, and it included a detailed budget of the initial investment.

When he saw the figures, his heart ached.

According to Xia Lanwei's plan, Stone Platinum Village would be turned into a small urban district, with over a hundred high‑rise residences and accompanying facilities and shops, taking five years and a total investment of one million Gold Shields.

The initial capital alone required two hundred thousand Gold Shields.

Based on the allocation agreed upon yesterday, he had to immediately provide ninety‑eight thousand Gold Shields to Xia Lanwei for execution.

He counted his liquid assets last night and had a surplus of two hundred thousand Gold Shields.

That meant a one‑third reduction.

Seeing Lei En's brows knit, Xia Lanwei grew a bit nervous and asked, "Sir, is something amiss?"

"No," Lei En shook his head and smiled, "Madam Xia Lanwei's business talent is truly rare; no wonder she became one of Mo Du's top magnates."

Xia Lanwei breathed a sigh of relief and, upon hearing the praise, modestly replied, "Sir, you flatter me."

Though she said she was flattered, inside she felt delighted; being recognized and trusted in business made her happier than achieving a legendary promotion upon coming of age.

Lei En set the proposal aside, reached into his ring, and produced a large box of Gold Shields and gold notes, counted out ninety‑eight thousand, and handed them on the spot to the steel dragon.

He gave the money so readily that he wasn't at all afraid the steel dragon would abscond with it.

A monk may run, but the temple cannot; Xia Lanwei's assets in Mo Du far exceed this sum.

The glow of the Gold Shield made Xia Lanwei a little excited.

"In a few days, I will hold an investiture ceremony to officially announce you as my knight," Lei En said.

"Yes, my lord," Xia Lanwei immediately changed how she addressed Lei En.

According to the agreement, she and Lei En were partners, not truly loyal knights, but the procedure still had to be followed; after the investiture, she could formally become the lord of Stone Platinum Village.

Lei En chuckled twice, wondering if there had ever been a precedent for a steel dragon serving as a vassal knight.

Xia Lanwei put away the funds and took her leave.

"Wait a moment," Lei En said abruptly, "You've been operating in Mo Du for years and have a wider network than I do; I need you to procure a batch of items. Here is the list."

Xia Lanwei took the list, glanced at it, and her face turned surprised.

The list contained a great many items: a complete set of machinery, various types of machine tools, steam engines, furnaces, forging tools, and hundreds of tons of metal materials—steel, copper, aluminum, more than a dozen rare metals, mithril, refined gold, and so on.

In addition, there were large quantities of alchemical ingredients, diverse in type and astonishing in volume.

If all the items on the list were purchased, one could open a full‑scale mechanical workshop plus an alchemy shop.

Xia Lanwei did not ask why Lei En needed so many items; after a brief thought, she replied, "My lord, these devices and materials are not rare—I can supply most from my shop, and the remainder can be delivered to the castle within two days."

"Then I'll trouble you," Lei En nodded, "When the time comes, I'll settle with you at market price."

He meant that Xia Lanwei could act as a middleman and earn a margin.

"My lord is the most generous lord I have ever met," Xia Lanwei exclaimed sincerely.

Lei En smiled and escorted her out of the castle.

Xia Lanwei's efficiency was exceptional; in less than two days she procured everything on Lei En's list and sent people to deliver them to the castle.

Lei En had long ago cleared a spacious hall inside the castle, moving all the equipment and materials in to serve as his private mechanical alchemy chamber.

At the same time, he asked Ao Xiliya to set up a protective formation for the chamber and designated the area as forbidden; no one could enter without his permission.

Outside the chamber's doors, two Extreme Warriors stood guard at all times.

Since that day, Lei En spent his free time in the chamber, aside from studying at Fu Kong Cheng at noon and the Grand Map Hall in the afternoon.

Occasionally, an explosion would echo from the chamber, arousing the curiosity of the castle's mercenaries and servants.

Everyone speculated about what the lord was doing inside.

Even Ai Mi Li Si became intrigued; after several indirect inquiries, Lei En gave no direct answer and warned her not to enter without permission.

Half a month later.

Top floor of the Weizelan Tower.

Lei En raised his hand, focusing his spell; a bright electric orb formed on his fingertip, quickly expanding to the size of a head before he hurled it outward. It burst instantly, unleashing dozens of lightning bolts that ravaged the space, yet an invisible force field blocked them, causing no damage.

"Not bad!"

Anxiwodasi clapped his hands, a satisfied smile on his face, and said, "Your learning pace exceeds my expectations; in less than twenty days you've mastered the Electric Blast Orb and have begun to grasp rapid casting techniques."

"That's thanks to good teaching," Lei En replied modestly.

"Don't give me that."

Anxiwodasi stroked his snow‑white beard, glared at him, and said, "No matter how well I teach, it can't compare to your own talent and insight. Stop flattering me; I've heard such praise for a thousand years and am weary of it."

Lei En helplessly scratched his head.

Through these days of interaction, he realized his teacher was an easy‑going person, informal yet sincere, with his own boundaries and principles, truly a trustworthy leader who inspired admiration.

The teacher's instruction left no reservation whatsoever.

Lei En's magical knowledge advanced by leaps, far beyond just the Electric Blast Orb spell, encompassing a massive rune knowledge system.

Originally casting Electric Blast Orb took over two seconds; now it has been sped up to one and a half seconds!

Of course, his rapid mastery of fast casting for the Electric Blast Orb comes from the teacher's careful guidance and also benefits from the effect of Willpower.

This legendary Element can be called the caster's excellent aid.

It can help one master every thought in the mind, every soul force, achieving fine control with minimal error; after sufficient practice, the desired effect can be achieved in the shortest time.

Moreover, this is only the initial fast casting.

Lei En predicts that as he becomes more proficient with the Electric Blast Orb, within less than half a year he can compress the casting time to under one second, and in the future perhaps achieve instant release!

Next, he will continue researching the Electric Blast Orb, but shift to another technique: Extreme Casting.

This technique can unleash the spell's maximum potency.

Mo Du's casting philosophy specializes in a few spells, starting with the first spell and mastering three techniques before moving to the second spell.

"Alright, that's enough for today," Anxiwodasi said. "Tomorrow I'll teach you Extreme Casting."

"Yes, teacher."

Lei En stood up to take his leave, remembered something, stopped and asked, "Teacher, has there been any news from Chairman Korstted?"

"Not yet."

Anxiwodasi glanced at him, "I contacted him yesterday; he's already surveyed almost half of the Shield Island region, found no anomalies. Might need another half month for results."

Lei En nodded slightly, said nothing.

Yet he thought, if his speculation is correct, Korstted may never find any clue; not even half a month, even half a year would be useless.

He has also secretly investigated Fa Lin Na several times recently.

Fa Lin Na's maritime trade company and alchemy shop operate normally; they should be the enterprises she founded outside Fu Kong Cheng, her source of income and a resource for the Wizard's cultivation.

She only comes to the company once every two or three days, stays one or two hours, then returns to Fu Kong Cheng.

Lei En crouched and waited for days, gaining nothing.

The only suspicious lead he currently knows is Marquis Pirino*Aideng of Atlanq, whom Yisu has been watching, sent people to inquire twice, both replies said no changes.

This half month has been calm, as if the threat of Fu Kong Cheng collapsing no longer exists.

After bidding farewell to the teacher, Lei En entered a Random Door and arrived at the Weizelan Grand Library.

On the fifth floor of the Grand Library, he found Ao Xi Li Ya.

"Ao Xi Li Ya."

"Hmm." Ao Xi Li Ya heard the voice, looked up, gave a slight nod, and continued immersed in the world of books.

Every day after class, Lei En would go to the Grand Library for a few hours, copy books with his phone, expanding his database.

At the same time, he could also see Ao Xi Li Ya.

This Iridescent Dragon is very reclusive; aside from meditation and spell research, all remaining time is spent in the Grand Library, reading day and night, absorbing knowledge.

Because they meet often, the two have formed a tacit understanding and often sit together.

Occasionally Lei En exchanges a few words with her, but most of the time they say nothing, each reading, quietly sitting through the whole afternoon.

Lei En enjoys this tranquil atmosphere.

It reminds him of his past life as a librarian, where a single book could fill an entire day, sailing the sea of knowledge, never feeling empty, but rather fulfilled.

Having crossed into Ai Lun E Si, he can continue reading and also have a stunning beauty companion.

This is truly wonderful!

At dusk, Lei En closed the book, stood, nodded to Ao Xi Li Ya, activated the badge's portal, and stepped through.

The other side of the portal is the castle's study.

Lei En had just sat down when the study's door was pushed open; the wind spirit Fa Bian rushed in, shouting, "Master, something's happened."

"What happened?" Lei En read his expression, realizing the matter might be serious.

"This afternoon someone reported to the patrol that a manor in the domain contains a large amount of skeletons, likely a White Bone Altar," Fa Bian summarized. "Lady Ai Mi Li Si has already sent people to inspect, they haven't returned."

"White Bone Altar!"

Lei En could no longer sit still.

A White Bone Altar is used to sacrifice to the Lord of the Dead; its appearance means undead creatures are active nearby, an ominous sign for his domain.

"Tell me the location; I will go personally."

Lei En set off immediately, mounted his dragon‑scale warhorse, and galloped out of the castle.

Moments later, he arrived at the manor with several Extreme Warriors at top speed; the manor lies by the sea, already guarded by Centaurs and mercenaries, preventing approach.

Seeing Lei En arrive, they quickly saluted and shouted, "Lord."

"Hmm."

Lei En leapt from the warhorse, scanned the manor with his eyes.

The manor is extremely luxurious, built in less than ten years, fairly grand, layout very impressive, well maintained, showing the owner is wealthy; it can house hundreds.

Yet his Voice of All Things only heard a few heartbeats within the manor.

He entered the main hall of the manor's main building.

Lei En's face slightly changed; the once richly decorated hall now exuded a chilling, ominous atmosphere.

In the center of the hall, an altar over two meters tall rose, entirely built of white bones.

Around the altar lay corpses; their flesh vanished, leaving only snow‑white bones, a foul stench filled the air, lingering.

Rough count shows at least two hundred skeletons here!

Beside the altar stand a few figures: Ai Mi Li Si and senior members of her mercenary troupe, carefully probing the hall for clues.

The ground is covered with bones, leaving almost no footing; Lei En can only walk atop the bones.

Each step cracks the bones beneath his feet.

"Lord," Ai Mi Li Si called out.

Lei En glanced at the altar and asked, "Any findings?" As he spoke, he opened his Soul Eye to examine the altar.

A few strands of pale soul flame lingered on the altar, indicating the sacrifice had long ended.

Beyond that, there was nothing else.

Ai Mi Li Si shook their head and said, "We arrived too late; the entire manor has no living soul, and we found no useful clues—nothing at all."

Lei En was about to ask again when a short figure spoke:

"Captain, Lord, this bone altar was built by an undead Wizard; it shouldn't be far, still within the territory."

(End of Chapter)