Chapter 189 - Rectifying the Undead, A Duty We Must Uphold (Part 2)

Lu Ran couldn’t make sense of Sudden Death King’s peculiar soul. Compared to the other familiars tested, Sudden Death King’s soul was nearly tangible, incredibly vivid, and of high quality.

However, it only took a minute of being outside its body for the soul to show signs of weakness. Alarmed, the lizard-like soul quickly retreated back into its body.

“

Waka!

” Sudden Death King flopped onto the ground, panting heavily and visibly shaken.

“

Woof!

”

Nearby, Captain Doofus let out a mocking bark, clearly amused by Sudden Death King’s inability to resist having its soul extracted by a mere rock.

“

Rawr!

”

Sudden Death King gritted its teeth indignantly, glaring at Lu Ran with a pitiful expression, as though to accuse him of engaging in underhanded sneak attacks.

Yet, despite its sorry state, Sudden Death King noticed that Lu Ran was laughing.

“This is interesting.”

Lu Ran’s initial surprise gave way to a grin.

“The power of the soul seems to conceal many secrets.”

Holding the Soul Calming Stone, Lu Ran couldn’t help but feel elated.

“Choosing the Undead Faction was definitely the right move.”

Lu Ran consoled, “Don’t feel bad, Sudden Death King. Your soul strength isn’t weak. It just seems unsuited for transitioning into an Undead-attribute familiar. Your adaptability talent is lacking, but that’s fine. I never planned to push you or Captain Doofus down the undead path.

“What I’ve uncovered, however, is something much more intriguing. Not transitioning into an undead attribute doesn’t mean we can’t strengthen your soul.

“Soul power appears to correlate with comprehension ability. If Captain Doofus is to acquire the Absolute Comprehension Trait in the future, it’s obvious that a stronger soul will enhance the fusion process and unlock even greater evolutionary potential.

“As for you, Sudden Death King, most creatures’ souls mirror their physical forms, but yours is different. Do you know what that makes me think of?”

Both familiars tilted their heads in confusion.

“Your training path has always been directed toward dragon subspecies evolution. Your body and spirit have undergone significant transformation due to the repeated consumption of dragon cuisine, and your spiritual aura has transitioned into a dragon’s aura.

“But we’ve never considered nurturing your soul to align with this transformation. A complete dragon isn’t just a dragon in body and spirit. Its soul should also reflect its draconic nature.

“Perhaps during one of your evolution stages, your soul would gradually dragonify. But what if, before that stage, we actively shaped your soul into a draconic form? Wouldn’t the resulting evolution be even more perfect?

“Maybe the reason the Blue Planet’s beastmasters have struggled to cultivate true dragons is that they’ve neglected soul cultivation, focusing solely on bloodlines and spirit.

“Of course, it’s also due to the lack of stable methods for strengthening and nurturing souls on the Blue Planet. If we had a Dragon Soul Trait Crystal, we could validate this theory, but unfortunately, we don’t.”

Hearing Lu Ran’s reasoning, Sudden Death King’s eyes lit up with understanding. Beside it, Captain Doofus patted its companion reassuringly.

“

Woof!

”

The meaning was clear.

Don’t stress over things you don’t understand. Leave the thinking to Captain Lu, our external brain.

They just needed to wait for the results.

“

Rawr!

”

Sudden Death King nodded in agreement.

That made sense.

Lu Ran, on the other hand, was brimming with excitement. He felt as though he had stumbled upon a groundbreaking revelation.

The soul is linked to comprehension!

Creatures artificially transformed into dragon subspecies may undergo changes in bloodlines and spirit, but without changes to their soul, their transformations could be incomplete.

At that moment, Lu Ran was grateful for uncovering these insights so early. Without them, Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King might have evolved into powerful yet imperfect forms. Strengthening their souls before their next evolution stage could potentially lead to unparalleled results.

“But currently, the only known method of strengthening the soul is through soul consumption. Different life forms’ souls serve as distinct types of Undead-attribute resources...”

Lu Ran frowned.

I can’t just have Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King consume souls. That’s beyond villainous.

Necromancer familiars consumed souls because it was their natural way of growth and survival as Undead-attribute beings. However, his familiars weren’t even undead yet.

Forcing them to consume souls would make them seem more malicious than the Cult of Death or The Other Shore. Compared to him, necromancers might as well be saints.

“People eat pork, people eat chicken. That’s already cruel enough. Nature works that way. Eating souls and eating meat are fundamentally no different.

“The real problem lies in the fact that souls have high toxicity. If the impurities in a soul can’t be removed, whether it’s a living being or an undead consuming it, there will always be side effects.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“If I want to use soul consumption to strengthen their soul power, I’ll need to overcome this hurdle by purifying and neutralizing the soul’s impurities. With that, the direction for my growth in this ascension realm has become clear.

“I’ll experiment to see if it’s possible to remove a soul’s impurities through culinary techniques, transforming it into edible dishes. If it works, then Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King will have a safe and effective way to strengthen their souls.

“Additionally, I might be able to help Dr. Gu establish a stable Undead-attribute organization. I’d hold considerable authority in such a setup. Who knows, I might even become a pioneer in normalizing the undead attribute on the Blue Planet, earning the title of the Father of Necromancy.”

At first, this was just an idle thought, but now Lu Ran was eager to begin testing the idea. All of the above were still just plans, and Lu Ran had no concrete assurance they would work. Success seemed unlikely, but he had to try.

He decided to venture into the wilderness near Ming An City to test his theory. He’d hunt some wild chickens and rabbits, extract their souls, and attempt to cook them.

Of course, until he had reliable results, Lu Ran wouldn’t dare let Captain Doofus or Sudden Death King try any soul-based dishes. He needed a test subject first!

“Oh, right. I should find Black Feather and have her familiar act as the taste tester. She must have an undead familiar, right?”

With that thought, Lu Ran headed off to visit Black Feather, the subordinate of Gao Li.

“What’s up?”

Black Feather, who had been waiting in the adjacent room, quickly appeared when she noticed Lu Ran approaching. She assumed he had encountered difficulties with necromancy.

“Miss Black Feather, what’s your opinion on the undead attribute? Or rather, why did you choose to become a necromancer?”

Upon hearing Lu Ran’s sudden and philosophical question, Black Feather was stunned.

“That’s all you wanted to ask?” she replied after a pause.

“Yes.”

“I was escaping from a war zone when my familiar died protecting me. I was on the verge of death myself, but Master Gao Li saved me. He taught me necromancy and helped me revive my familiar. That’s how I became a necromancer.

“For most necromancers, it’s as simple as wanting to revive their familiars,” she explained, looking directly at Lu Ran.

“Reviving their familiars and allowing them to continue living as undead seems perfectly natural to me. Is that answer satisfactory?”

“Not bad.” Lu Ran grinned.

“That’s exactly how I see it. The undead is just another attribute, no different from the others. Power itself isn’t good or evil. It all depends on how you use it. However, compared to traditional training systems, the undead attribute does have significant drawbacks.”

Black Feather replied, “That’s unavoidable. Gains always come with losses. We can only do our best to prevent the consumed souls from influencing our minds.”

She glanced at Lu Ran. Having been praised by Gao Li for his talent, Lu Ran was undoubtedly destined for future cultivation at headquarters.

After some thought, she added, “Maybe...”

“Maybe it will take someone to resolve this dilemma!” Lu Ran spread his arms wide, his eyes glowing with determination as he launched into an impassioned speech.

“I believe that the undead attribute will be a critical force in reforming this empire. It will revolutionize the beastmaster field. If someone could find a way to overcome the flaws of the undead attribute, it could grow openly and without discrimination.

“I want to be that person. But I don’t know much about the undead attribute yet. Miss Black Feather, will you help me?”

“Uh...”

Black Feather was taken aback. She hadn’t expected this from someone who hadn’t even officially joined the Cult of Death. His ambition and clarity stunned her.

For a moment, Black Feather’s mind was in turmoil. The way she looked at Lu Ran subtly changed. Having been part of the grim Cult of Death for so long, apart from her deep admiration and respect for Gao Li, Lu Ran was the second person she had encountered who truly stood out.

“How can I help?” she asked.

“It’s just as I said earlier... Actually, I’m a chef. I want to see if I can turn souls into cuisine to remove their impurities.” Lu Ran smiled warmly.

“I was hoping to have your undead familiar as a taste tester. My own familiars aren’t undead, so having them taste soul cuisine wouldn’t yield the most comprehensive feedback.”

“Excuse me???” Black Feather was flabbergasted.

So, after all that, it’s still about cooking souls!? And you even considered feeding them to your normal familiars!? Are you a demon!?

Black Feather’s face turned pale, and she instinctively stepped back.

“Did you really just take a step back?” Lu Ran’s smile twitched.

“That’s deeply hurtful. Sure, maybe no necromancer has tried this before, or maybe they tried and failed. But progress in any new field requires repeated attempts. Let go of your prejudice, Miss Black Feather. I need your help! Rectifying the undead is a duty we must fulfill.”

“Wait... Are you serious?”

Black Feather fell silent. She felt that it was a pity Lu Ran hadn’t been made the Holy Son of the Cult of Death. This man was born to be a necromancer.