Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Role of the Skeleton Warriors

“Fallen undead warrior, heed the summons of the emissary of darkness and reveal your presence!” As Han Shuo rushed down the corridor, he suddenly began reciting a magical incantation.

A rather ordinary skeletal warrior appeared in the passage below at the end of Han Shuo’s chant. The moment he saw the skeleton materialize, Han Shuo focused his mental energy and issued a single command—seize the goods.

This skeleton was not the same as the little skeleton Han Shuo had refined with his magical arts; compared to the little one, this summoned warrior was clearly inferior in both speed and strength, and its bones creaked and rattled as it moved.

Back at the Babylon Academy of Magic and Force, the little skeleton with seven dark bone spikes had already caused quite a commotion. Should anyone discover that it was Han Shuo who had summoned that particular skeleton, it would undoubtedly bring him a string of troubles—thus, he dared not summon it now.

“Hurry up, everyone, or else someone else will snatch everything away!” Among those who had stayed behind was Eileen of the Light Department. Noticing Han Shuo and his group charging down, she quickly called out and hurried over.

Vannie, Lisa, and the other Necromancy students were momentarily stunned to see Han Shuo summon a skeleton, but quickly recovered, their faces lighting up with delight as they began to summon skeleton warriors of their own.

Suddenly, more than a dozen skeletal warriors materialized at Vannie and Lisa’s command. Driven by their mental strength, these skeletons reached out their bony hands and picked up the enormous sacks lying scattered on the ground.

The supplies in the orc wolf riders’ sacks had all been looted before. Now that the wolf riders were dead, the spoils naturally belonged to whoever could claim them first. Han Shuo’s generally weak skeletons finally served their purpose—though they moved slowly, each managed to grasp a sack in its hands by the end.

Han Shuo, Vannie, Lisa, and the others were not idle either, each grabbing a sack for themselves. Han Shuo even snatched four, his face alight with satisfaction.

In the end, Han Shuo’s group secured eighty percent of the loot left by the wolf riders in the passage, while the remaining twenty percent went to others. The weapons, armor, and medicinal supplies from Doro Town were all of great value—selling them in the Empire would surely bring a handsome profit.

Once his skeleton warriors stood in a neat row, Han Shuo smiled at Vannie. “Miss Vannie, with all these goods—plus what we collected in the Dark Forest—I believe that, when we return to the Babylon Academy, our Necromancy Department will finally impress the faculty.”

Vannie was in excellent spirits, long forgetting Han Shuo’s earlier rudeness. Her face radiated joy, and casting him a sidelong glance, she softly replied, “Not necessarily. These things all come from the shops of Doro Town. Although most of the shop owners there have either fled or died, if the Empire finds out where this loot came from, they’ll confiscate it all.”

Vannie’s concern was not unfounded. Han Shuo thought for a moment and suddenly remembered the wealthy merchant he’d met in the Dark Forest, Fubin. When they parted, Fubin had left Han Shuo a card, inviting him to do business. As Fubin was connected to the Empire’s Best Trading Company, Han Shuo believed he would know how to handle the goods properly.

With this thought, Han Shuo smiled confidently at Vannie. “Miss Vannie, you don’t need to worry. As long as we get back to the Empire safely, I have a way to deal with these things. There shouldn’t be a trace left.”

Vannie looked at Han Shuo in surprise, then shook her head and said with a sigh, “Bryan, you’re becoming more and more of an enigma. Just how many secrets are you hiding? How could you possibly know what to do with all these goods?”

Chuckling, Han Shuo replied, “Let’s talk about that later. What we really need to consider now is how to get out of here and return to the Empire as quickly as possible.”

While Han Shuo and Vannie were speaking, Bitchel’s group—including the other Necromancy students, Jean and Buck—returned from afar. Judging by the relief on their faces, Han Shuo guessed the remaining orcs had been eliminated.

Sure enough, as soon as Bitchel’s party arrived, he announced proudly, “Rest easy, everyone. Not a single one of those orcs escaped. We can finally relax for a while.”

Halfway through his sentence, Bitchel suddenly looked around in surprise and exclaimed, “Hey, what’s going on here?”

All around the passage, apart from the corpses of orc wolf riders and their dire wolves, the sacks had all been divided among those who had stayed behind. Most conspicuously, Han Shuo, Vannie, and their skeleton warriors each held a massive sack.

Vannie felt a little embarrassed and opened her mouth, unsure what to say. In her anxiety, she shot Han Shuo a glance, signaling him to respond.

Han Shuo, unperturbed, strode forward a few steps and casually set down two of his sacks. Greeting the mercenaries and mages who had just returned, he smiled and said, “These are the spoils of battle. Brave warriors, come and pick some for yourselves. Soon we’ll be parting ways, but since we just fought the orcs together, let these be keepsakes of our battle.”

“Great! Wonderful!” The dozen or so returning adventurers cheered and rushed over, eagerly sorting through the sacks to select what they needed.

Bitchel and a few Light Department students intended to join in as well, but when they saw Eileen and her party holding sacks of their own, they paused and instead walked over to her.

“You’re a good friend, lad. If you ever need the Warwolf Mercenaries, just say the word.”

“I’m glad to know you. If you ever need any potions, come find me.”

And so on. As they chose their loot, they laughed and chatted, and one after another placed cards with their contact information into Han Shuo’s hand.

“Miss Vannie, why give those things away to them? What’s Bryan thinking?” Athena, a Necromancy student, looked pained as she stared at Han Shuo’s open sacks, fuming.

“He’s absolutely right,” Vannie replied. “If we took all the goods for ourselves and left them nothing, they’d report us to the Empire for sure—and in their anger, might even try to take them by force. That would spell real trouble.

Right now, Bryan’s sharing a small portion and letting them choose freely. He’s implicating them, making sure everyone keeps quiet. Since they don’t have spatial rings or skeletons to serve as porters, they can’t carry away much anyway. In the end, the biggest beneficiaries are still us—and Bryan’s earned their friendship as well. He’s becoming more and more impressive!” Vannie’s beautiful eyes lingered on Han Shuo, who was laughing and joking with the adventurers, as she explained to the perplexed Athena.

“He’s growing more mysterious by the day. Who knows where he learned all that strange yet useful knowledge?” Lisa said softly, thinking of the breast enhancement tips Han Shuo had given her.

“All right, since everyone’s made their picks, let’s part ways here. If I ever need your help, I won’t hesitate to ask—ha!” On the other side, Han Shuo bid farewell with hearty laughter, his four enormous sacks now nearly empty.

The mercenaries and adventurers left with whatever they could carry, casting friendly glances at Han Shuo. After exchanging a few parting words, they set off. Bitchel and his group thanked Vannie, then left with their share as well.

Once only Han Shuo’s group remained, Jean grumbled, “If I’d known, I would have stayed. If we hadn’t left, those Light Department sacks would be ours now.”

Vannie paid Jean’s complaint no mind; in that moment, she realized that, for all his size, he couldn’t match Han Shuo’s cleverness, and she couldn’t help but feel a touch of contempt.

“So, what should we do now?” Vannie turned to Han Shuo, asking naturally.

Gazing out at the broad Niloran River, Han Shuo thought for a moment and said solemnly, “There are some tall trees at the bottom of the gorge. We have sharp tools and sturdy ropes in our sacks. If we fell a few trees, we could quickly build a raft and cross the Niloran River straight to Balthazar City.”

“I see. But why didn’t you tell the others just now?” Jean asked suddenly.

“Their leaving has nothing to do with me. Besides, as they make their way out, they’ll draw the orcs’ attention away from us, which means less danger for us. Isn’t that a good thing?” Han Shuo replied with a calm smile.

At his words, Vannie, Jean, and the others froze, silently marveling at how much Han Shuo had changed. Even as he laughed and joked, he was calculating in secret.

Jean, Buck, and Bella exchanged looks, recalling their previous attitude toward Han Shuo, and felt a chill run down their spines.