Luna snorted at my thoughts, her amusent rippling through our ntal connection like cold water.
'Of course, with you, how can anything ever be normal?' she said, her voice carrying that particular blend of exasperation and fondness that had beco her trademark. 'A simple academic paper exchange becos a life-changing revelation. Typical Arthur.'
I chose to ignore her comntary, as I often did. Despite being an ancient qilin with millennia of experience, her input was more often than not simply unnecessary—and occasionally detrintal to my ntal well-being. Right now, I needed to focus on the Deputy Tower Master of the Ebony Tower who was currently kneeling before like I was so sort of divine figure.
"Please, Sir Paul, get up," I said, trying to inject so normalcy into what had beco a decidedly abnormal situation.
Paul Lucrian remained on his knees for a mont longer, his hands pressed flat against the polished stone floor of his office. When he finally looked up, his eyes held a light I'd seen before—the fevered gleam of soone who had just witnessed the impossible made manifest.
"You don't understand," he breathed, slowly rising to his feet but keeping his gaze fixed on with unsettling intensity. "This paper... what you've accomplished... it's not just a thod for bypassing the Gift requirent. It's a complete reconceptualization of how necromantic energy can be manipulated at the fundantal level."
He moved toward one of his bookshelves, pulling out a thick to bound in what looked suspiciously like human skin. "For thirty years, I've been trying to understand why certain theoretical fraworks fail when put into practice. The mathematics were sound, the energy calculations perfect, but sothing was always missing."
Paul opened the book, revealing pages covered in dense equations and necromantic diagrams. "Your approach doesn't just solve the Gift problem—it explains why our traditional thods have inherent limitations. The way you've structured the ritual circles, the energy flow patterns, the temporal sequencing..." He paused, shaking his head in wonder. "It's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant."
I felt a familiar warmth creeping up my neck. The praise was deeply uncomfortable, primarily because I knew the truth—my initial creation of Erebus as an Ancient Undead had been largely accidental. I'd stumbled onto the thod through a combination of desperation, intuition, and what Luna liked to call my "supernatural ability to survive impossible situations through sheer bloody-mindedness."
'Are you going to tell him the truth?' Luna asked with obvious amusent. 'That his new ssiah of necromantic theory basically threw magical spaghetti at a wall until sothing stuck?'
Absolutely not.
"I'm glad the theoretical frawork resonates with your research," I said instead, accepting the praise with what I hoped looked like modest confidence rather than shaless fraud.
Paul continued his enthusiastic analysis. "The implications are staggering. If this thod can be replicated consistently, we're looking at a fundantal shift in how necromantic education is structured."
"The democratization of elite necromancy," Jin observed quietly. He'd been remarkably silent during Paul's revelation, but I could see him processing the political implications with characteristic thoroughness.
"Precisely!" Paul exclaid, turning to include Jin in the conversation. "Though 'democratization' might be too strong a term. The thod Arthur has developed is still incredibly demanding. It requires theoretical knowledge that most practitioners never acquire, precision that cos only with years of experience, and resources that remain quite expensive."
I nodded, seeing an opportunity. "Speaking of resources, that brings us to our agreent. You ntioned assistance with my second necromantic summon project."
Paul's enthusiasm imdiately shifted toward the practical. "Of course, of course. What did you have in mind? With this theoretical breakthrough, I imagine you're planning sothing quite ambitious."
"This will be my final necromantic summon," I said, deciding that complete honesty about this particular aspect couldn't hurt. "I want to create sothing that represents the absolute pinnacle of what my thods can achieve."
Paul's eyebrows rose. "Final summon? Are you planning to focus entirely on other magical disciplines?"
"Sothing like that," I replied evasively. The truth was more complex—my integrated approach to magical and martial developnt ant that specializing too heavily in any single school would create imbalances. But explaining that would require revealing more about my capabilities than I was comfortable sharing.
'Smart,' Luna comnted. 'Let him think you're making a strategic choice rather than revealing the limitations of your unusual developnt path.'
"In that case," Paul said, his voice taking on a more serious tone, "we should discuss this thoroughly. Creating a final masterwork summon is not sothing to approach casually."
He gestured toward a seating area near the transparent wall that offered the spectacular view of the Western Continent. As we settled into chairs that were probably worth more than most people's annual salaries, Paul steepled his fingers and regarded with academic intensity.
"Tell about Erebus first," Paul said, settling back in his chair. "When I examined him two and a half years ago, he was already remarkable—an Ancient Undead created without a Gift, though at the ti I couldn't fathom how you'd accomplished it. Now that I understand your thods, I'm curious about his current capabilities."
"Erebus has evolved significantly since our last eting," I replied. "He's specialized in magical support, battlefield control, and necromantic amplification. He can provide defensive enhancents, coordinate undead minions, and supplent my own magical capabilities during combat."
"And the limiters I detected during my initial examination?"
"Removed when I advanced to Ascendant-rank. He now operates at his full potential as an Ancient Undead."
Paul nodded with obvious satisfaction. "Excellent. A fully realized Lich with those capabilities provides an excellent foundation." He paused thoughtfully. "Given Erebus's specialization in magical support and battlefield control, your second summon should complent rather than duplicate those roles."
"My thinking exactly. I need sothing that can handle roles Erebus isn't optimized for."
Paul leaned forward, clearly in his elent now. "What's your preferred combat style? That will heavily influence the optimal summon design."
"Close-range combat primarily. I fight with a sword, prefer direct engagent over ranged tactics."
"Interesting. Most necromancers favor distance fighting, using their summons as shields while they cast from the back lines." Paul's eyes lit up with professional interest. "You're thinking more like a Death Knight or a Necromantic Paladin. Combat necromancer rather than pure spellcaster."
Jin spoke up. "Arthur's advancent path has been... unconventional. He's developed capabilities that don't fit traditional classifications."
I shot him a grateful look. That was accurate without being revealing.
Paul absorbed this information with obvious fascination. "In that case, we have several potential directions. A direct combat summon to fight alongside you, a specialized support unit to enhance your close-combat effectiveness, or perhaps sothing focused on battlefield mobility and tactical flexibility."
"What would you recomnd for materials?" I asked, deciding to push my luck. "Given the significance of this project, I'm willing to invest heavily in superior components."
Paul leaned forward, his academic excitent evident. "Given the extraordinary quality of materials I can provide and your unique combat style, I see several viable paths for your final summon."
He pulled out a fresh sheet of parchnt and began sketching while he spoke. "With crystallized void essence, ancient dragon bone fragnts, and concentrated soul gems from legendary-class entities, we can create sothing truly exceptional."
The first sketch showed a sleek, deadly figure. "A Phantom Reaper—designed for your close-combat preferences. It would phase between physical and ethereal states during battle, striking with devastating precision before becoming untouchable. Perfect synergy with your sword work, essentially giving you a supernatural dueling partner."
Paul moved to a second design. "Alternatively, a Bone Colossus variant. Pure physical dominance optimized for your tactical needs. Nearly indestructible, capable of both protecting you and devastating enemy formations while you engage primary targets."
The third sketch was more elaborate. "A Spectral Warden—balanced combat and tactical capabilities. It could adapt its role mid-battle, functioning as both warrior and coordinator depending on what the situation demands."
I studied the options, each clearly designed around complenting both my fighting style and Erebus's support capabilities.
"But," Paul continued, his eyes lighting up with inspiration, "given the theoretical breakthroughs in your paper and the quality of materials available, I believe we could attempt sothing more ambitious." His sketching beca more complex. "A modular construct—one entity capable of shifting between multiple configurations based on tactical requirents."
I studied the three sketches carefully—the Phantom Reaper, Bone Colossus variant, and Spectral Warden. Each design was sophisticated, clearly the product of decades of expertise and deep understanding of necromantic principles.
"These are all impressive concepts," I said finally. "But this is my final necromantic summon. I want to give this decision the consideration it deserves."
Paul nodded approvingly. "Wise. This kind of decision shouldn't be rushed, especially given the significance you've placed on it."
'Look at you being all responsible and thoughtful,' Luna comnted with amusent. 'Almost like you've learned sothing about not diving headfirst into major magical projects.'
"I'll need so ti to think through the tactical implications of each option," I continued. "How they would complent Erebus, how they fit with my combat style, what situations I'm most likely to encounter."
"Of course," Paul replied, clearly pleased by my careful approach. "A decision of this magnitude deserves proper consideration. Take all the ti you need."
He leaned back in his chair, then seed to rember sothing. "Actually, that gives an idea. Would you be interested in seeing the Tower's restricted material archives? It might help inform your decision to understand exactly what components would be available for each design approach."
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