Chapter 754, Seven-Fifty-Three, Three Times a Day
The butler respectfully handed over the newspaper and letter.
Lilith only took the letter, casually opened it, and began reading.
As her eyes moved down, her brows furrowed slightly.
A look of surprise appeared on her face.
"Miss, is something wrong with the letter?" the butler asked softly, noticing her reaction.
Lilith tossed the letter aside and asked coolly, "Gold-Silver Island is holding a second potion auction?"
The butler nodded. "It was indeed mentioned in the paper. Five potions will be sold again."
"Give me the paper."
The butler handed it over. The first thing Lilith saw was the bold headline.
[Second Potion Auction: About to Ignite the Market!]
[Miracle Potions—Redefining Alchemy, Surpassing Physical Limits. Miss it once, lag behind a thousand years!]
Lag behind a thousand years…
Lilith's eyelids twitched slightly.
Who came up with this slogan? And why is it so pointed?
Not many races could live a thousand years.
No, necromancers could definitely reach that lifespan.
Actually, it aligned with her long-term plans.
"Wu Heng invited me to the auction," Lilith leaned against the side of the coffin.
The butler, tidying the room, spoke softly, "Since becoming a captain, Lord Wu Heng has kept in contact with you by letter and handled tasks you couldn't appear for. Accepting the invitation would be an encouragement to him."
Then he added, "Of course, it's entirely up to you."
Lilith raised an eyebrow.
She sat in the coffin for a while in thought, then yawned and stood. "Prepare for a trip to Gold-Silver Island."
"Yes, Miss."
The butler responded and exited the room.
Lilith picked up the paper again and looked at the new detective story.
...…
Scholar Tower.
"Chief, Lord Wu Heng from Gold-Silver Island sent a letter." The door opened as the assistant stepped in with the envelope.
The Hongwen Society leader, Claudio, was deciphering an ancient stone tablet and replied without looking up, "Read it to me."
The assistant tore it open, skimmed quickly, and said, "Gold-Silver Island is holding its second potion auction. You're invited."
An auction?
Claudio looked up and removed his gloves. "Let me see."
After reading the letter—
He pondered for a moment, then said, "Attend the auction in my place."
"Yes, Chief." The assistant nodded and left.
...…
Training grounds.
Justice Sword Hadarai raised an eyebrow after reading the letter.
He hadn't expected the renowned Lord of Gold-Silver Island to write him personally.
Interesting!
This kid had some wits about him.
Using his past status as an external envoy to write this letter.
Hadarai took out pen and paper from his space ring and penned a reply.
Then left the training ground.
A guild staff member bowed. "Leader Hadarai."
"Take this letter to the front desk and have it mailed."
"Yes, sir."
...…
Wu Heng stepped off the train into the wilds of Gold-Silver Island.
He glanced around and released the three specters.
"We're home!" Xiaoxiao cheered.
The other two specters also smiled. Glenda said, "Gold-Silver Island really is the best."
"Yeah, it's lively here," Beni added.
"Let's go. Save the sentiments for when we're back," Wu Heng said, heading toward the city.
Gold-Silver Island was still bustling.
Merchants shouting, crowds moving, nobles vacationing.
Even livelier than before.
It was probably the busiest place along the coast.
He hailed a carriage and headed toward the central district.
After a while, the carriage slowed.
The driver knocked and called out, "Bit of a jam up ahead, sir."
"No rush," Wu Heng replied, pulling the curtain to glance outside.
They had reached the theater area.
A long line had formed outside the cinema.
Vendors with wares and chatting crowds filled the street.
The carriage crawled forward.
Snippets of conversation drifted in.
"I wrote to my clan—they said there's no such thing as a Demon King's forging ring. Said I've gone mad."
"There's a poster at the door saying it's all fiction. Why even bother writing that letter?"
"It felt so real. I thought it was true."
"It's called a movie. A Gold-Silver Island invention. No other place has them."
"The elves in the movie were just as elegant as we are."
People gathered, chatting about the film.
As expected, movies were a big hit.
The scene proved how popular they were.
Once past the theater, the carriage moved more freely.
It continued toward the city's interior.
As they passed the central area, Wu Heng glanced at the church under construction.
Not much had changed. Priests at the entrance were already preaching.
Wu Heng gave a signal out the window. The three specters passed through the carriage and flew toward the church.
They returned shortly.
Xiaoxiao said, "Uncle, just some people cleaning up. Nothing else."
Beni added, "I checked the rooms—turned into bedrooms. Nothing special."
Glenda came back last. "Found seven clergy. Highest level is 18."
Damn, they stationed an 18-level cleric on this tiny island.
Last time, the priest sent to Netalei City was only level 15.
But here? Level 18?
Seriously~!
"They're probably still renovating. Keep a close watch," Wu Heng instructed.
"Got it," all three specters nodded.
Soon, the carriage stopped at the alley near the island lord's estate.
Wu Heng paid the fare. The carriage left.
...…
Entering the island lord's residence—
Minnie and Robé ran out from inside.
When they saw Wu Heng remove his mask, their faces lit up. "Master!"
They cried out and pounced.
Wu Heng caught one on each side. "Careful not to fall."
"Master, we missed you so much," Minnie said sweetly.
Robé hugged his waist, rubbing her head against him. "Me too. I missed you."
"I missed you both too. Be good now." He patted their heads and walked inside.
"Master, do you want to eat?" Minnie asked.
"Just something light. We'll eat properly tonight," Wu Heng replied casually.
"Okay." Minnie headed for the kitchen.
Robé helped him off with his coat and brought slippers, diligently serving, tail wagging cheerfully.
Wu Heng found her adorable and patted her little head. Robé squinted with happiness.
Soon, the skeletons brought the food to the table. Wu Heng freshened up briefly and began eating.
On the train, his senses were dulled, so he didn't feel hunger—but he still had to eat regularly to avoid starving during travel.
Otherwise, he could literally starve on the train.
The food had no taste—just to maintain sustenance.
That's why post-travel meals always felt particularly appetizing.
As he ate, the two maids sat beside him on either side.
Minnie looked at him and asked softly, "How are Sister Wen Mansa and the baby?"
"Doing well. The baby's getting chubby."
Minnie said with envy, "Sister Wen Mansa is so lucky. If I were human, I could bear Master's child too."
Robé echoed, "Yeah, Sister Wen Mansa is really lucky."
"You two are my babies too. Be good." Wu Heng pinched both of their cheeks.
"Master is the best," Minnie said, hugging his arm and softly cooing.
"Master is so gentle," Robé added.
Wu Heng continued eating and asked, "Anything happen on the island recently?"
Minnie shook her head. "Nothing much. Steward Sheila Grey said that as long as the Church doesn't cause trouble, no one else dares to."
After all, the Hero had just left.
Though the Church targeted Gold-Silver Island, it also brought a bit of temporary stability.
"That's good," Wu Heng nodded.
He ate a few more bites.
Then stood and said, "Minnie, I'm going to rest. We'll eat dinner together tonight."
"Okay, Master."
Minnie and Robé cleared the table while Wu Heng went upstairs.
...…
Back in the study, he had the three specters re-enter his body.
He opened the portal and returned to the zombie world.
It was still the temporary storefront he had selected earlier.
Exiting the room, he checked on the skeleton troops.
They were still densely packed, filling the area so far that the end wasn't even visible.
After confirming nothing had gone wrong while he was gone—
He entered the room where the Corpse King was imprisoned.
"Clear a path," Wu Heng ordered.
The skeletons parted to create a passage.
The moment they moved, the chained Corpse King shuddered violently.
Only after confirming they weren't attacking did it breathe a sigh of relief.
Then it saw Wu Heng enter and its expression twisted into rage again.
"Has its level changed?"
Glenda shook her head. "No change. If you want it to keep evolving, it'll need more corpse cores."
Wu Heng nodded and took a plastic bag from his space ring. He handed it to a nearby skeleton. "Feed it three cores a day—spread out the meals."
"You're treating it like it's having proper meals now?" Glenda muttered, a bit speechless.
"They're all level-one cores. Once we build a lab, we'll increase the quantity," Wu Heng explained.
"Alright," Glenda nodded.
Wu Heng instructed Kashu to reinforce the Corpse King's chains again, then directed the skeletons to continue clearing the path ahead.
As dusk approached, he returned to Gold-Silver Island.
...…
Wu Heng came downstairs. Dinner was already ready.
At the table, Andviel reported on the island's recent income.
Pens, bicycles, watches, the newly opened cinema, and real estate development.
Every day, a flood of gold and silver coins was delivered to the island lord's mansion—enough to be ridiculous.
The maids had gone from shocked to numb.
Money~!
Was really easy to make.
After dinner, they all headed to the basement vault of the island lord's mansion.
On the second underground level, past multiple skeleton-guarded rooms, in the deepest chamber—
Were crates neatly stacked.
Andviel opened one casually—filled to the brim with gold coins.
"Master, the neighboring rooms hold silver coins. We just packed them into barrels," Minnie said calmly.
As the estate's steward, Minnie double-checked all incoming goods.
Wu Heng looked at the treasure-filled room and nodded.
Apparently, relocating all those factories had paid off.
The returns were definitely solid.
"Assign more skeleton guards. I'll consider building a dedicated treasure vault," Wu Heng said.
"Okay."
They lingered in the vault for a while before leaving the basement.
...…
Night fell.
Wu Heng lay on the bed, mentally reviewing his finalized plans.
He glanced at the time—it was past 10 p.m.
From outside came the sound of maids laughing and playing.
"Master, are you asleep? We came to chat with you," Minnie called.
"Come in," Wu Heng replied.
The door opened. Four maids entered one after another.
Andviel wore a white gauze dress. Minnie a floral camisole. Annette was in black lingerie. Robé, the smallest, wore a little black skirt.
They had just been giggling outside, but now stood bashfully by the door.
Wu Heng smiled and opened his arms. "Come on in, don't catch a cold."
The maids smiled and cheered, all rushing into his arms.
The five of them lay down on the bed together.
"Let Sister Viel take the first taste."
"Okay."
"No problem."
Wu Heng gently tapped the others. "Didn't you say you came to chat? Don't let your mouths stay idle."
...…
The next morning.
City Hall, conference room.
Wu Heng waited in the meeting room for a while. Then Andviel knocked and entered.
She handed over a folder. "Master, these are the merchant guilds I've selected."
Wu Heng took it and looked over the list.
He marked the chosen ones with checkmarks.
Four Directions Guild, Human Guild—100 Giantfang Boars.
Er'er'nan Guild, Gnome Guild—2,000 White-Furred Rabbits and Color-Tailed Chickens each.
Moonstream Guild, Elf Guild—500 Star-Spotted Deer.
Nightingale Shop, Beast-Taming Store—500 each of Hyenas, Giant Bats, and Iron-Jawed Crocs.
After filling it out, he handed it back. "Start with these. Sign agreements. Have them delivered. All must be breeding-capable."
"Understood, Master. I'll have them arranged immediately," Andviel nodded.
The pigs, rabbits, chickens, and deer were for breeding in the zombie world.
The hyenas, bats, and crocs were for corpse core experiments.
This had been delayed long enough—he would finalize it during this trip.
Andviel stored the documents.
A knock came at the door.
A City Hall staffer said softly, "Miss Viel, the owner of the Shining Arrows magic item shop is here. You had an appointment."
Andviel explained to Wu Heng, "He's the one who deals in magic arrows."
Wu Heng recalled—he'd asked her to notify local merchants about engraving projectiles.
"Let him in."
Andviel repeated the instruction.
The door opened, and a bearded dwarf entered.
He glanced around, slightly stunned, then bowed, "Lord of the Island. Miss Andviel."