Sword Technique and Winged Sword

Not buried? Cremated directly?

Wasn't that a bit too targeted?

"Cremate them along with the other corpses from the Divine Punishment Cult." Seeing his serious expression, Ortluk continued, "Not converting them will save you a lot of trouble. Wait a few years, earn enough merit to become a captain, and you'll have plenty of opportunities afterward."

Everyone could see Blackstone Town's attitude toward Necromancers.

If he really went and converted a Level 12 corpse, people would be even more suspicious that something unusual was going on.

Besides, Wu Heng had only been an adventurer for such a short time, yet he already had Level 3 merit. Once he was transferred somewhere less strict and became a captain, there would be plenty of chances to acquire skeletons.

There was no need to get hung up on this.

There were some things one person could not change much. More often than not, one had to adapt and accept them.

"Alright, then forget it." Wu Heng sat down nearby and continued asking, "Where will the corpses be cremated?"

"That is tonight's mission. Cavina will continue recovering from her injuries. You, Yuri, and I will work with the Guard Squad to burn one of the corpses."

"One of them? They're being cremated separately?"

"The First Squad and Second Squad are handling that elder's corpse. We're responsible for the one among the two key members who controlled the crows, as well as the corpses of two ordinary members."

"Oh, got it." Wu Heng nodded.

"The cremation will be at dusk. I'll have someone notify you at your residence then. Don't forget," Ortluk reminded him.

"Alright, I understand, Captain."

After leaving the guild, Wu Heng headed straight home.

He kept thinking about the corpses.

Neither Blackstone Town nor the guild had agreed to let him convert them.

He now had two options. The first was to leave things as they were, just as the captain had said. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Besides, high-level skeletons would not be difficult to obtain later on.

That giant Mutated Zombie had displayed combat power that was probably on par with that Level 12 elder.

The second option was to find a way before the cremation. As long as he transported the corpse to the Zombie World, they would not find any evidence.

But he had to be careful. He could not let anyone discover anything.

Still considering countermeasures, he returned to his residence.

After sorting through his things, he took Bartholomew and left the house again.

Once outside the city, he entered a carriage bearing a blank placard and rode into the distance.

The carriage entered the manor from yesterday.

After paying the entrance fee at the gate, he went straight into the hall.

There were not many people in the Black Market at this hour, and there were very few stalls.

Wu Heng casually browsed the stalls. He did not find anything he particularly needed, but he spotted the vendor who had sold burial shrouds last night.

The man was still in the same pose as yesterday, as though he had stiffened up.

Wu Heng gave him a casual glance, then headed directly upstairs.

The second floor's layout was somewhat similar to the Adventurer's Guild.

A bar stood at the front, with a middle-aged man behind it. There was a resting area to one side, as well as a Notice Board.

Several bounty commissions were posted there. Aside from bounties for prohibited goods, there were also bounties for information.

This place was practically an Adventurer's Guild for the underground world. Even the format was nearly identical.

It also had far fewer restrictions than the guild, making it a more open platform.

After giving it a rough look, Wu Heng walked straight to the counter.

The middle-aged man adjusted his collar, rose to his feet, and greeted him respectfully. "Hello, sir."

Wu Heng gave a slight nod, took the receipt from his clothes, and placed it on the counter. "Withdraw everything."

"Oh, certainly. Please wait in the lounge." The middle-aged man led him into a room and asked him to wait briefly.

Before long, the door opened again, and two tall women entered, each carrying a Wooden Box.

One was narrow and flat, roughly the size of a cosmetics gift box. The other was long and slender, perhaps containing a scroll, staff, or longsword.

"Sir, these are the goods you had stored here."

The women placed the Wooden Boxes on the table, bowed again, and left the room.

Once they were gone, Wu Heng opened the narrow, flat Wooden Box first.

On top was a book.

Gray Hawk Sword Technique

(Description: A book recording an inherited sword technique.)

A sword technique manual?

This world had things like that too?

He had thought the swordsmen and warriors of this world just slashed around based on combat experience. So there really were sword techniques and the like.

He wondered whether sword techniques counted as skills.

Beneath the book were neatly stacked Silver Coins.

A rough count suggested there were three or four hundred of them.

That was quite a substantial sum.

Next, he opened the other long, slender Wooden Box. Inside was a thin metal longsword.

The blade bore rippling patterns like water, while the guard was shaped like feathers, making it look exceptionally ornate.

Silver Wing Water Pattern Sword

(Description: Grants the user the 'Agility' effect, making the body light and the senses sharp.)

No wonder those Wanted Criminals had been determined to take this thing back.

Magic Items were already expensive, and this was a longsword, the most broadly desired kind of weapon. It could probably sell for a Sky-High Price.

He put away both items.

Wu Heng pulled the cord beside him again, and a Copper Coin bell rang outside the door.

A female staff member entered again, bowed, and asked, "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I'd like to exchange some Silver Coins."

"Sir, would you like to exchange items, or make an equivalent currency exchange?"

"Gold."

The woman was clearly taken aback. She raised her head in surprise to glance at him, then quickly lowered it again. "Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment."

The door closed, then soon opened again.

The middle-aged man from before entered with several tools. "Sir, are you exchanging for Silver Coins? Our exchange rate is one Gold Coin for one thousand Silver Coins."

The currency exchange rate in this world was one hundred Copper Coins to one Silver Coin, and one thousand Silver Coins to one Gold Coin.

In everyday life, Silver Coins could cover nearly all monetary expenses. Ordinary people might never even see a Gold Coin in their entire lives.

Yet Gold Coins still existed, and shops and merchant groups were willing to offer convenient exchanges.

"That works." Wu Heng took out a thirty-gram gold bar and pushed it across the table.

He had only learned what gold bars looked like after visiting a gold shop.

A thirty-gram gold bar was much smaller than he had imagined.

Normally, a Gold Coin issued by the kingdom weighed thirty-three grams.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

The middle-aged man began inspecting and weighing the gold bar.

After confirming it was genuine, he continued, "There is no issue with the gold. We will make up the difference and give you one thousand Silver Coins."

The other party apparently meant that the gold weighed slightly less, but they would still exchange it according to thirty-three grams.

It seemed merchant groups preferred gold.

The Silver Coins were quickly prepared.

A small Wooden Crate was filled to the brim. At the same time, the middle-aged man handed over a badge and said softly, "Sir, these are your exchanged Silver Coins. You may also use this badge to enjoy certain special privileges."

"What privileges?"

"For example, if you have matters that are inconvenient to handle personally, you can post a commission and leave it to us. Or if you need certain tools or materials, we can procure them for you from elsewhere."

Wu Heng thought it was quite good. It was not as rigid as the guild.

He put away the badge, and Bartholomew took the Wooden Crate from the man's hands.

Under the respectful gazes of the staff, they went down from the second floor.

Arriving before the man selling a pile of excavated goods, Wu Heng asked, "What is this?"

"A burial shroud. Its effect is to conceal one's form."

"What is the price?" Wu Heng asked despite already knowing.

"Living beings will feel some discomfort while using it, but nothing serious."

"How much?"

"One thousand five hundred Silver Coins."

"Fine, I'll take it." He had Bartholomew put down the money and hand it over.

The black-robed vendor counted the Silver Coins, then nodded. "Take it."

"Take it!"

Bartholomew bent down and picked up the burial shroud.

After browsing the Black Market once more, Wu Heng turned and left.

At dusk, the Adventurer's Guild.

The underground morgue.

After each squad confirmed the identities of the corpses, they tightened the Linen Cloth wrapped around them once more.

Then they roughly lifted the corpses and carried them outside.

Wu Heng glanced in the direction the First Squad had left.

The ghost Xiaoxiao detached herself from his body and chased after them in that direction.