Chapter 39: Western Fantasy World (2)

Lin Yuetian first tidied up his belongings according to the original body’s memories—at the very least, he needed to clean up the scene of the incident to make some space for himself. His so-called “making space” was just testing out a few spells, ranging from elemental foundation magic to offensive spells. After casting a few, he withdrew his hand, somewhat disappointed.

“The original body was really completely untalented in offensive magic… A pure researcher, huh?”

“More or less,” the system replied. “After all, there aren’t many violent individuals like you.”

“Three mission targets—I’ll deal with them one by one, as usual.” Ignoring the system’s evaluation of him, Lin Yuetian briefly analyzed the situation. “In terms of combat power, Apprentice Jay is now the Chief Wizard of the Wizard Tower, so he’s likely stronger than this body’s original capabilities. Knight Kason was able to dig out the original body’s bones back then and carried out chivalrous deeds for so long without mishap, so his combat strength should be decent too. That leaves Prince Vina—he only managed to wipe out everything because he had the original body unlock his magical talent, but he never acted personally, sending soldiers instead. Seems like his combat ability isn’t great—so I’ll go for Vina first.”

“Don’t you think your analysis is a bit too simplistic and crude, bro?” the system asked.

“Whether it’s simple and crude or meticulous and intricate,” Lin Yuetian said calmly, “as long as it works, that’s all that matters.”

Having made up his mind, Lin Yuetian wasted no time. Time was money, and efficiency was everything. He couldn’t be bothered to follow normal procedures, such as reporting to the Chief Wizard before leaving the tower. Since Jay wasn’t his immediate target, there was no need to engage with him at all—it would just be a waste of acting effort. Lin Yuetian set off overnight for the Kingdom of Qiongn, frequently using magic to travel at top speed. In just three days, he reached the kingdom’s border.

Using a disguise spell, he altered his appearance and enhanced it with magic, entering the city as an ordinary civilian. After resting for a day to restore his magical energy and getting a good night’s sleep to shake off any fatigue, he set out for his mission target, feeling refreshed and full of vigor.

However, an unexpected and massive obstacle emerged—

Vina had been dead for a long time.

On second thought, it wasn’t all that surprising. Wizards typically had long lifespans, and since the original body had left the Kingdom of Qiongn, he had drifted around endlessly, even managing to experience two long and tragic romances along the way. Several centuries had already passed. Vina, despite possessing magical talent, was still just a mortal and couldn’t have lived that long. This was something Lin Yuetian had failed to consider due to habitual thinking. He spent an hour deeply reflecting on himself, then regrouped and left the inn to gather information in crowded places, trying to reconstruct Vina’s final days so he could devise the best approach.

It turned out that after exiling the original body, Vina ascended the throne and became emperor. He was a wise ruler who developed the kingdom remarkably well and lived a relatively long life for an ordinary person. However, just as the original body had assessed, his magical talent was mediocre at best, far from allowing him to live for centuries. He died of old age at just over a hundred years old, passing away peacefully and being buried in the royal mausoleum.

“……”

Lin Yuetian remained silent—even after finishing his dinner back at the inn, he still hadn’t spoken.

The system alternated between wondering if he was discouraged and thinking, Nah, that’s impossible. More likely, he’s mourning the fact that this world serves bean soup with black bread for dinner.

Just as it was lost in thought, Lin Yuetian finally spoke.

“I want to ask you something.”

“I have no idea how this happened!” The system panicked, immediately spilling its explanation like a rattling bean pod. “Normally, every world’s mission is definitely possible to complete! I really chose this world specifically because the original body’s abilities seemed decent, and the task seemed simple—I just wanted to use this world as a rest stop! I swear I didn’t expect this! Oh! I know! How about you buy a necromancy spell from the system shop?”

“It’s not about that. I’m not that easily discouraged, nor do I get worked up that easily,” Lin Yuetian said calmly and sincerely. “I just want to ask—I’ve memorized the Ghost Refinement Technique from the previous world. Can it be used in this world?”

The system wasn’t sure if it should be impressed by his ability to memorize the steps for refining ghosts even while being skinned alive. But it chose to focus on another crucial point.

“You can try. Sure, you can try,” the system said speechlessly. “But bro, the system shop sells necromancy spells for just 1000 points—convenient, fast, and reliable. Why go the long way when you can take the shortcut?”

“I’m very frugal and good at managing resources. Why spend points when it’s unnecessary?” Lin Yuetian replied.

“Come on, bro, you frugal?? Do you think I’ve forgotten your reckless spending and complete disregard for money?” The system was outraged, unable to tolerate Lin Yuetian blatantly ignoring its memory.

“As the saying goes, ‘Increase income and reduce expenses,'” Lin Yuetian said confidently. “Since I’ve already increased income, I don’t need to cut expenses. But since I haven’t increased income yet, I naturally have to cut expenses.”

The system had no comeback and could only encourage him, “Fine, fine. Go ahead, try it.”

And Lin Yuetian really did try it.

The system quickly regretted its suggestion. The Ghost Refinement Technique required a body as a medium, but Vina had been dead for centuries. So, under the cover of night, in the moonless darkness, Lin Yuetian used the original body’s expertise in invisibility spells to sneak into the royal mausoleum behind the Grand Cathedral of the Light God in the Kingdom of Qiongn.

Moonlight illuminated the emblem of the Light God atop the cathedral, casting shadows over the rows of tombstones. In the center of the mausoleum stood a pure white angel statue with a sorrowful yet gentle expression, as if it might shed tears at any moment.

Yet, standing in this solemn and sacred place, Lin Yuetian felt not a single shred of reverence. Without hesitation, he cast an earth-digging spell and unearthed Vina’s remains, which had long since turned to bones.

“Help!” the system cried out in his mind, deliberately exaggerating to lighten the mood and lessen the sense of desecration. “S.O.S!”

“Stop yelling, it’s a bit unconvincing,” Lin Yuetian critiqued the system’s performance. “Actually, you should take inspiration from the way you screamed during the ghost refinement in the last world—those cries were quite genuinely terrified. Even I started doubting myself a little.”

System: “Would it be rude if I told you to get lost?”

Lin Yuetian casually chatted with the system while swiftly drawing a formation. He scattered the raw rice and pine branches he had painstakingly gathered, then began picking up different bones, tossing them around as he chanted spells. The scene was an absolute spectacle of skeletal intensity.

Admittedly, the ridiculousness of the whole process did help alleviate some of the system’s lingering unease, slightly diminishing its psychological trauma. If this was Lin Yuetian’s actual intention, the system almost wanted to praise him with a heartfelt, “Big bro, you’re so thoughtful.”

But the system never expected that such a chaotic ritual… would actually work!

It seemed that ghost refinement techniques in this world had been assimilated into necromancy, functioning as a legitimate branch of death magic. A misty gray fog began rising from the bones, gradually condensing into a humanoid figure—first the legs, then the torso, and finally, a half-transparent face with a dazed expression.

And just like that, the spectral form of Emperor Vina materialized before Lin Yuetian, maintaining the appearance he had at the time of his death—temples graying, face lined with wrinkles, looking completely different from the suave and handsome young man in the original body’s memories.

As Vina’s consciousness slowly returned, he opened his eyes and saw Lin Yuetian—his former lover, the one he had betrayed and hunted down—standing right in front of him. The sheer shock of it hit him like a bolt of lightning. His expression was one of utter disbelief, no less panicked than the system whenever it recited scriptures. His lips moved for a long time, but no words came out.

“Your Highness,” Lin Yuetian finally lost patience. Maintaining the composed demeanor of his original body, he delivered a polite and theatrical greeting. “Welcome back to the mortal world.”

“Coming back to this world only to meet you again… was it really worth it?” the system murmured gloomily.