The Necromancer is amassing troops like crazy in the apocalypse
Chapter 1262 - 936: No Mage, Only Ghosts_2

Chapter 1262: Chapter 936: No Mage, Only Ghosts_2

The bedroom was still well-kept and orderly. By the door stood a simple dark wooden coat rack, with a priest robe, hood, and a hanging bag draped over it.

Inside, there was a wardrobe, its doors closed tight. Directly across was a bed, followed by a study desk. Upon the desk, parchment, a steel pen, and a pile of religious books and scrolls were neatly arranged.

The veteran mage used a scroll outside the door to check for necromantic energy residue and then asked, "Wu Heng, how do you plan to investigate?"

Wu Heng pulled out the Tracing Locket, saying, "I’ll keep using this item; let’s see if it reveals any clues."

As he spoke, he let a drop of blood fall onto the locket, bringing one of the robes by the door closer to the skull on the locket.

The skull seemed to come alive, biting at the edges.

...

Meanwhile, at the City Lord’s Mansion.

The Fifth Princess hurried back inside, accompanied by skeleton attendants.

She had stepped out even before the city gates were fully opened, reassigning tasks to the gate guards.

Anyone leaving the city was to be subjected to strict inspections and questioning.

The higher one’s level, the more thorough the inquiry.

Once she’d given her orders, she returned from outside.

Turning on the air conditioning, she let it dry her sweat before exhaling deeply.

Even now, she was unable to make sense of it all.

How had the well-planned banquet erupted into such chaos?

Why was a down-on-her-luck princess still learning governance dragged into a plot to smear a hero’s name?

Frustrated, she slammed her fist on the coffee table with a loud *bang*, causing the nearby skeleton guards to approach and investigate.

Seeing the princess throwing a tantrum, they turned and left.

"Princess, Mr. Carlos is here; he’s waiting outside." At that moment, a young maid hurried in.

The Fifth Princess nodded, straightened her clothes to project dignity and authority, and said, "Let him in."

The maid left, returning moments later with a limping man wearing a hooded cloak, hobbling his way in.

"Your Highness," the man greeted.

"I have a mission for you," the Fifth Princess said gravely.

"Please, speak!" he replied, bowing slightly again.

After taking control of the city, the Fifth Princess had organized a network of informants. Although initially useful, once Wu Heng became a hero, the intelligence they gathered devolved into trivial public safety issues.

The Fifth Princess said, "I need you to find someone—or perhaps a group. The only clue we have is that the adversary can manipulate ghosts to kill. They may be a necromancer, or they may use some sort of special item. I don’t have specific leads, but anything related to this field should be collected and reported."

"Understood, Your Highness. I’ll provide you with updates within three days," the man replied immediately.

The Fifth Princess narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "I need the information by tonight, or we’ll all find ourselves in trouble. I trust you understand my meaning?"

The limping man froze briefly before saying, "Your Highness, gathering intelligence takes time."

"But I don’t have time, and neither do you. Do your best, and for prepared information, I’ll reward you handsomely," the Fifth Princess said earnestly.

The man, realizing the gravity of the situation, responded, "I’ll bring the updates by this evening."

"Go now, and if there’s progress—"

"Understood!" He bowed again and promptly left.

...

Was it really me who killed them?

At this point in the investigation, Wu Heng was beginning to doubt if he was the perpetrator after all.

The Tracing Locket functions by locating the general position of its user.

If the female priest had been possessed beforehand, the ghost could’ve lived in her body for a stretch of time.

Wu Heng was testing whether the Tracing Locket could identify the ghost possessing her as the tracked target.

But in the end—

The scroll Gianvito used to detect necromantic residues yielded no reaction, nor did Wu Heng’s Tracing Locket.

Using special items had instead drained Wu Heng of a significant amount of blood.

It wasn’t me who killed them. Even items designed to point in specific directions couldn’t uncover the target’s location.

"Your special item isn’t working?" Gianvito walked over.

"It didn’t produce any effects," Wu Heng shook his head.

The priest Nasir glanced at the two but remained silent, continuing to stand near the door.

Gianvito stared at the locket for a few seconds before speaking faintly, "If the item isn’t effective, there are only two possibilities: either the person is already dead, or they’re using another special item or environment that falls outside your item’s detection range."

Wu Heng nodded.

Gianvito continued, "The female priest had a high level. Manipulating her body while evading your perception—disposing of her afterward seems unlikely. If she truly is dead, then the trail is completely cold. We need to consider the second possibility: the adversary possesses a method to avoid detection by your item."

Wu Heng asked, "Is there any way to address this second possibility?"

Gianvito replied, "At the very least, neither I nor Tapani have such items. You could submit a request to headquarters; they undoubtedly have specialized tools to assist you."

Sending a letter to headquarters!

By the time it gets there and back, the corpse might have decayed, and the killer will have long vanished.

Gianvito’s gaze shifted back to the priest nearby. He asked, "Wu Heng, apart from requesting an item, do you intend to write a report to headquarters explaining this situation personally?

The killer’s goal is clearly to frame you, escalating tensions between you and The Holy Court. If you report the truth now, headquarters will have time to mediate the situation."

This essentially meant admitting the real murderer couldn’t be identified anytime soon.

It was imperative to notify headquarters in advance to prevent further deterioration of the situation.

Wu Heng said, "I’ll write to headquarters."

"Good," Gianvito nodded.

With no leads discovered in the female priest’s residence, the group exited the dormitory area.

They made their way back to the church entrance, where many clergy members were still gathered.

As the three approached, the crowd’s gazes were filled with anger yet tinged with avoidance.

Wu Heng and Gianvito exchanged farewells before Wu Heng returned to the City Lord’s Mansion.

...

Back at the City Lord’s Mansion.

The Fifth Princess and Shanaela were still discussing the case in the room.

As Wu Heng entered, he was asked, "How is it going?"

Wu Heng recounted the entire day’s investigation.

Shanaela commented, "It seems the adversary is deeply calculating."

"Indeed!"

The Fifth Princess frowned and said, "But the Leader’s decision to attend was made last minute; the timeline doesn’t align!"

Shanaela countered, "The smuggling matter might not necessarily be connected to this case. If the female priest was indeed possessed beforehand, it’s plausible she overheard details of the banquet and seized the opportunity. Besides, the ghost’s level must be extremely high."

Wu Heng agreed and added, "Brittany, do you have any updates on your end?"

The Fifth Princess replied, "I’ve given my directives; the intelligence will be delivered later. However, given the tight timeline, I can’t guarantee it will include what we’re looking for."

"Understood. I’ll head upstairs for now; notify me when anything comes in," Wu Heng said, before turning and heading upstairs.

The Fifth Princess gave him a slight bow.

Upstairs in the study.

The Three Ghosts appeared nearby.

Xiao Xiao remarked, "Uncle, the Bishop is slacking; he’s kneeling in a separate study instead of the hall."

Glenda and Bella exchanged glances.

Glenda said, "Letting him kneel in the study is fine; it’ll teach him a lesson. Having him kneel in the association hall for three days would negatively impact both the association and The Holy Court."

"For Glenda’s sake, let him stay in the study," Wu Heng said.

Xiao Xiao nodded, "We’ll let it slide, then."

Glenda remarked irritably, "Xiao Xiao is picking up your bad habits..."

Wu Heng seated himself and said, "Write a letter to headquarters for me, Glenda; narrate the events and include today’s investigation results."

"Sure," Glenda replied.

When Wu Heng took out the doll, Glenda immediately possessed it and began drafting the letter.

Once finished, she handed it over for Wu Heng to review.

The contents remained factual, simply recounting the events.

After double-checking to ensure there were no issues, he sealed it in an envelope, preparing to send it out directly.

Knock knock knock!

Before Wu Heng could leave, there was a knock at the door.

Then came the young maid’s voice, "Lord Island Master, there’s news; the Princess requests your presence downstairs."

Wu Heng opened the door immediately, saying, "Let’s go!"

He went downstairs together with her, finding the Fifth Princess and Shanaela still in the living room.

"What’s the news?" Wu Heng asked as he sat across from them.

The Fifth Princess responded seriously, "We’ve uncovered something. A few days ago, someone was purchasing items and tools that nourish ghosts."

Wu Heng’s brow furrowed instantly.

Nourish ghosts!

No necromancer—only ghosts!