The Righteous Player(s)

The Living Dead…

If translated literally, it could be interpreted as the “living bones.”

Annan paid special attention to this term because of its association with “bones”.

Speaking of which, this nightmare of the Otherworldly Level was also born after the Venerated Skeleton abandoned the realm of “skeletons”.

Then, “Elle” proceeded to ask without hesitation, “What’s the [Living Dead]?”

“As the name suggests, the Living Dead.” Euphemia whispered and touched her hair.

More than four-fifths of her hair had turned a heavy, mercury-like silver-gray, with only the tips appearing somewhat having vigor.

“This is evidence that the ‘Curse of the Living Dead’ is nearing completion. If the curse fully takes effect, I’ll become a faceless corpse.”

She endured the fear in her heart and described it in detail.

The so-called Living Dead manifested itself as a skull.

Just like a mannequin, it would be like a plaster statue with no eyes, no mouth, no hair. It was just a blank face with only the outline of the head.

It was like the ‘head’ of those plaster mannequin models. The spine, mouth, flesh, and brain all had to be removed… What was left in the end was a silvery-gray, hollow skull that became translucent when held up to strong light.

That was the Living Dead… also known as the “living corpse”.

“In the Melvin family’s research, the ‘living corpse’ is still deemed a person. It can serve as the ‘secret keeper’ of the curse. Through rituals, the consequences of failed nightmare purification can be transferred onto the living corpse.”

“From this point of view, they send me off as a gift for a marital alliance… because those sent for such alliances would have the Curse of the Living Dead lifted. Of course, they would still need to commit to a secrecy pact.”

Euphemia said slowly, “But I don’t want to follow their will.”

“They make me sick.”

What kind of expression was shown on her face?

It was not just fear… but anger, hatred, disgust, and overwhelming sadness.

“Many have wondered why the Melvin family has so many newborns in every generation… Yet, there aren’t that many ‘elders’ who can develop abilities for the fetuses, nor are there many young boys and girls who are ‘sold off’ for marriage alliances. And only one inherits the title of the Divine of the World. So, where did all the others go?”

Euphemia sneered, “The children usually only have two uses. Either to make ‘living corpses’ or to make ‘death chrysalis’.”

The so-called “death chrysalis” was a “solidified soul” that had not entered the “Dyed” rank.

If the Silver Rank Transcender fails to advance to Gold Rank due to the depletion of their obsession, they turn into a mindless shell. That was what they called the “death chrysalis” — an immortal body and soul with Gold Rank, yet no longer having the ability to perceive the world or control their body.

Like a butterfly that had not broken out of its cocoon.

“Those living corpses needed to be set aside for a decade, even several decades, before they could be used. During those decades, they were kept in the ‘human world’. They were hidden in the bedrooms, studies, wall crevices, and just about any corner of the Divine Child’s home.”

Euphemia’s words sent chills down Celecia’s spine. 𝚋ｅｄｎ𝚘𝚟ｅｌ.ｃｏ𝚖

How could a young child, who knew nothing and wasn’t allowed to leave their home, have had so many ‘skulls’ in their living space?

“If [Melvin] needs it, he can ritually combine the ‘living corpse’ and the ‘death chrysalis’ to get a ‘Gold Rank transcender that can only be used once’.”

“In this ritual of producing the temporary Gold Rank, it is necessary to kill a person in a precise manner — to remove his brain while he is still alive and transplant it into another ‘skull’ of the living corpse. Use his pain and fear of death to awaken the living corpse.”

“At that moment, the mind of the ‘living corpse’, stagnant for decades, is jolted awake. Memories frozen for those years surge back to life. The intense and pure will to live, simmering on the brink of death over those decades, serves as the key, propelling the desire-devoid ‘death chrysalis’ to instantly ascend to “deity” status. This powerful ‘vessel’ is then driven by the very person who had their skull removed.”

“And at that point… by using the Soul Snatch Magic or the Idol Magic to control the thoughts of the person who has had their skull removed, one can indirectly harness this immense power. Until the ‘starter’ dies completely, and before the death chrysalis’s soul burns out, it can be manipulated at will.”

“This plan is coined the ‘gold refining plan’. ‘Only death and pain can gold be forged’. That’s what they said. But what they aim to create isn’t gold, but to make Gold Rank Transcender.”

After a moment of silence, Euphemia continued, “And in the Melvin family’s residence…”

“More than a dozen ‘death chrysalis’ have been stored. The number of living corpses is in three figures… Even Austere-Winter’s Grand Duke doesn’t know their plan.”

“There is no doubt that this is an act of rebellion.”

“I see.” Annan couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

One person provided the body and the most important “fuel”, one person provided the “permission” to use, and one person provided the “key” to start.

The Melvin family had divided the unattainable “Gold Rank” into three steps. The goal could be realized with the life of a transcender who failed to advance to the Gold Rank and two transcenders who didn’t even need to be in the Silver Rank.

Although cruel and terrifying, this idea was indeed quite genius.

If Austere-Winter’s Grand Duke were a cruel tyrant who could consume human lives as numbers, he would probably applaud him and plan to leverage this technology at all costs.

But for Annan, this was utterly useless.

Even a Gold Rank transcender couldn’t leave the Great Barrier without obtaining the Book of Truth.

There was no way the Melvin family didn’t know about this.

Due to the presence of the Frost Beast units, there was no possibility of a large-scale rebellion in the Austere-Winter Dukedom. The Frost Beast was lethal and suppressive to all sentient creatures because they were hatched from the Old Grandmother’s aura.

Resisting the Frost Beast required elemental power.

In other words, the so-called ‘gold forged from pain and death’ was essentially a sharpened blade meant to combat the Frost Beast forces.

The Melvin family had always been amassing power. That was why they never allowed family members to leave on their own or spill their secrets.

It seemed that Frederick was trained as a “family elder” — a high-ranking member of the Melvin family. In other words, he was trained to be the “Operator of the Gold Body”, or a candidate for “the Divine of the World”.

That was why he wasn’t afflicted with the “Curse of the Living Dead”.

He went to Professor Gray to learn rituals because the Melvin family planned to train him to be the operator of the “Gold Refining Ritual”.

—Other than that, the rest of the clan were all consumables.

The true supreme being, “the Divine of the World”, perpetuated his “existence” through successive generations of successors… and the remaining people could not come into contact with the Divine of the World, or even see the whole picture. Anyone with a deeper understanding was torn apart by sheer terror.

“Wait?”

Annan was startled.

Isn’t this essentially another ‘possibility’ for the Eternal Dukedom – or perhaps this otherworldly nightmare?”

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