Beneath the ominous clouds and over the black waters, an enormous skeleton resembling the ancient Titans stands in the lake, each of its translucent and lustrous thick bones enshrouded in fine chains of lightning. Two massive eye sockets atop its skull house two emerald green flames burning fiercely, with malevolent spectral power contained within that leaves Naurus Deman, an expert in such things, in tears of excitement and trembling with every cell of his body.
In ancient times, due to an unknown reason, the magical environment on Earth underwent a drastic change within a short period. The once formidable beings who could rival wizards in dominating the land perished one after another, and with them, their entire history of existence was wiped out.
The most important factor for the nearly extinction of the once prestigious undead mages within the secretive witchcraft school is the lack of sufficient powerful undead beings.
Imagine this, now there are not many undead mages left, but they have fallen to the extent of being unable to obtain the fresh bones of even the 'weak' Fire Dragon, let alone more powerful ones. In the long run, the extinction of secret witches is almost a foregone conclusion.
Naurus Deman could never have dreamt in his wildest dreams that, in his lifetime, he would come across such a powerful skeleton of a titan that had been refined by malevolent magic.
"Looks like --"
As Naurus crawled on the ground, offering endless gratitude for the divine favor, a hoarse, gravelly voice, tinged with a hint of amusement, suddenly erupted from above his head.
"You seem to have a fondness for my little pet, Thanatos."
Naurus was so scared by the sudden voice that he trembled violently, but after recovering his composure, he immediately jumped up, looking around in confusion, and finally found the source of the voice on top of the huge skeleton.
"A gold viper?"
When the familiar magical vortex and the highly recognizable mark on the collar came into view, Thanatos was completely taken aback.
"You haven't. Oh, you haven't been seen for a while, everyone thought you were coughing. I mean, it's been a while since I last saw you, Gold Viper!"
"There are many who want me dead, but no one has been able to pull it off."
Gold Viper snickered coldly, slowly descending from the top of the skeleton, landing in front of Thanatos.
The two had collaborated more than once, and they knew each other well. Seeing it was Gold Viper, Thanatos completely put aside his concerns about being set up in a trap. The guy was brutal, but generally, he was pretty law-abiding unless you provoked him first.
"Obviously, not many people in the underworld dare to mess with you--"
Thanatos casually agreed, his attention fully absorbed by the enormous skeleton before him. He stared longingly at the giant bones brought to him by Amortha from the island of Avalon, drooling at the corners of his mouth.
"Where on earth did you get this behemoth?"
"From a secret place --"
"Gold Viper said, noticing the glint in Thanatos' eyes, adding,"
"Don't even think about it, Thanatos. The secret realm has now collapsed. That skeleton gave me some trouble at the time, but since it might be worth some money, I brought it out of the realm."
Glancing at the salivating Thanatos, Gold Viper twisted his head and cackled with a smile.
"I learned from Kakus that you're looking for a new Master of the Undead. How does it meet your requirements?"
"Of course, I'm willing to spend every last bit of my fortune to purchase it!"
Thanatos blurted out, but soon realized it wasn't the attitude for haggling. After coughing prettily twice, he looked at Gold Viper warily and said in a timid voice, "A-anyway, I just wanted to say that this giant skeleton is truly an incredible find. It's not often that one comes across such a monumental treasure. I believe it could serve as an invaluable asset for your endeavors in magic and power."
"What I mean is, I would be willing to offer all my fortune for it in its pristine condition, but look --"
Thanatos pointed to the horror-filled crack on the right leg bone of the skeleton, saying,
"That must have been from when you fought with it. You managed to subdue such a powerful undead creature, Gold Viper, no wonder you don't mind doing this under the watchful eye of Dumbledore. Ahem, I mean, it has some flaws, so the price should be adjusted downwards."
"You don't have the right to haggle with me, Thanatos --"
"Gold Viper spoke imperiously."
This was destined to be an unequal transaction. The undead giant in Amortha's possession was unparalleled, probably the only one in the world, and for a secret mage like Thanatos, who had invested most of his strength in commanding undead beings, this skeleton possessed irresistible appeal.
"I, I understand."
Thanatos' mouth tasted sour, as he silently rummaged through his storage bag, pulling out various items.
"I just... I hope, at least, we're friends, right? Gold Viper, friendship is more precious than gold."
If he were not currently in the identity of Gold Viper, Amortha would have almost been amused by Thanatos' pitiful expression. This guy did not act like this in the Ministry of Magic; it seemed that he always kept himself masked.
Thanatos transferred some items from his storage bag, including things related to the legacy of undead witches, and now what was left in the bag was all the gold he had saved over the years and some valuable alchemical tools.
"Is that all?"
Taking the bag, Gold Viper glanced inside, weighed it in his hand, and demanded dissatisfiedly.
To be honest, Thanatos was quite wealthy, but in comparison to the invaluable Titan skeleton, it fell short. It was clear that Thanatos himself knew this as well, and he feared that Gold Viper might change his mind and refuse to sell him the skeleton. So, he dared not make any excuses or challenge the price. He gritted his teeth and said with difficulty.
"I'm willing to do anything for you, Gold Viper, as long as you're willing to hand over this skeleton to me."
Gold Viper's eyes flashed with disdain, mocking him lightly.
"You should be well aware of the gap in strength between us, Thanatos. You can't offer me any help."
Upon hearing Gold Viper's words, Thanatos' tall frame wilted like a deflated ballon. Gold Viper was right; having witnessed Gold Viper's power, Thanatos was acutely aware of the gap in their strength. Anything he could do, Gold Viper could do as well, albeit with more trouble.
"How much do you want, Gold Viper? Just say a number. I have some friends who can provide some support!"
Even in the world above, business and personal favors can't be equated. In an underground world that only looks at benefits, Gold Viper's attitude was exactly what Thanatos had anticipated.
"It seems you truly desire the skeleton of the Titan."
Thanatos, who was ready to accept Gold Viper's steep asking price, suddenly heard a strange question.
He needed to ask if Gold Viper wanted to possess this unparalleled undead being?
"Hmm -- You just said you were willing to do things for me?"
Gold Viper rubbed his chin, eyeing the stunned Thanatos with a faint smile.
"It's your luck, Thanatos. I have been dealing with a few issues recently, hmm. I can do it myself, but it's quite troublesome --"
"I'm willing to help you with your troubles, Gold Viper!"
Thanatos jumped up, exclaiming with great enthusiasm,
"It would be my honor to help you solve your troubles!"
"There are three things in total, Thanatos. If you agree, then this skeleton is yours, and you won't have to borrow money from your friends anymore --"
Looking at the pale, focused Thanatos, Gold Viper pondered for a moment, his eyes becoming deeply enigmatic.
"The first task is relatively simple: a time-turner. You surely know about this fascinating little gadget that helps wizards go back to the past, but most time-turners can only travel a brief period in time. I need some way of using technology to greatly extend its travel time. A mere few months won't satisfy my requirements; it has to be able to send people back at least several years into the past. Can you find me a way to obtain such technology, Thanatos?"
(Chapter ends)
