The streets of Heidler were not as messy and dirty as Donnie imagined. On the contrary, they were clean and spacious, with a lot of pedestrians.
However, the prosperous streets that should've been noisy were very quiet. Nobody was talking loudly. Even the communication between them was as feeble as mosquitoes and flies, as if a special power was forbidding noise.
On a closer look, Donnie discovered that most of the 'pedestrians' were undead creatures. Some were Dead Dogs whose eyes were emitting weird red light, some were 'skinless people' whose skin had been peeled off, and some were the common ghosts, zombies, and skeletons.
Of course, necromancers in black magic robes passed by among the undead creatures too. Most of them were not as gloomy and rigid as Donnie imagined. They were as cheerful as their companions next to them, except that they kept their voices low.
"It's a pity that there are no liches …" Donnie remarked with mixed feelings in a low voice.
Sammy seemed to be particularly energetic in Heidler. Although he still looked sleepy, he did not yawn frequently anymore. Rubbing his hair that was as messy as a bird's nest, he said with a smile, "Most liches don't like shopping …"
Or rather, they basically had no desire in that regard … Donnie turned sideways to let a three-headed hellhound pass by. It was tall and strong, and flames were burning at the corners of its mouth. However, there was a collar around its neck, and it was being pulled by a petite female mage, who was running slowly in front of her.
"This hellhound is about the size of a bull …" After the female sorcerer left, Donnie couldn't help but remark. The difference in size was too huge.
Sammy chuckled. "I saw a lich walking a bone dragon in midair yesterday. It was about the size of a hundred hellhounds."
He had arrived in Heidler yesterday. He lived in 152 Ghoul Street for now, waiting for the students who would come today to go to the college together.
"Awesome." Donnie looked at the sky enviously. At this moment, they had reached the Ghoul Street. The magic tower that rose into the sky was impossible to ignore.
Suddenly, an ivory colored skull floated out. In its eye sockets were two needle-like red lights. It was demonic and unique. Its two rows of teeth moved up and down, emitting a monotonous, ear-piercing voice. "All new students, gather and head to the academy. Those who arrive later will wait for the day after tomorrow."
The sound was so unpleasant that it sounded like someone was scraping bones with rusty iron. Donnie shuddered slightly and walked into the hall with Sammy.
"Show me your acceptance letter and the identification mark inside." Before Donnie could steady himself, an expressionless man walked over. His face was sallow, and his veins were clearly visible. His eyes were the same needle-like red light as the Lich's.
Donnie hurriedly took out his acceptance letter and a black beetle. "Yes, sir."
"Call me Mr. Robert." The man's voice was strangely warm and mellow. When he looked at the black beetle, it seemed to reflect a faint red light. "Okay, Donnie. You don't need to apply for accommodation. Just follow us to the academy."
After that, he gave the acceptance letter and the beetle back to Donnie. Pausing for a moment, he said, "As it happens, I'm one of the mentors in the field of body structure and genetics. I hope that you can live up to your achievements and foundation."
A moment later, Sammy looked at Robert who had walked to the other side of the hall and said in a low voice, "It's said that Mr. Robert is very close to the senior rank. Well, his body has been modified many times by himself. Nobody knows what special abilities his body has."
"Well, Mr. Robert gives me a lot of pressure …" In the cold environment of Heidler, Donnie was sweating too. Then, he followed Sammy's eyes and looked at Robert, only to discover that he had stopped before the stream screen in the hall and stared at the funny entertainment program on it with a smile on his face.
"… I didn't know that a dead face like Mr. Robert likes to watch TV …" Donnie said in shock.
Sammy looked at him in confusion. "Can't a dead face watch TV?"
"Well …" Donnie was defeated by Sammy and hurried to change the topic. "We're about to go to the academy. I'm told that the academy is not in the city but in a mysterious place?"
Sammy nodded solemnly. "I'm told that it's a very suitable place for the school of necromancy."
The two of them were both intrigued when they talked about it. They guessed where it was. Was it the giant tomb?
A moment later, the ivory lich flew back and said in the awful voice, "Follow me closely and don't get lost. If you get lost, I'll assume that you're dead by default and won't look for you anymore."
His words made Donnie's heart palpitate. Even Sammy, a man as slow as him, widened his eyes. The whole team fell silent.
Following the lich, Donnie and his teammates passed the Street of Ghouls, the Avenue of Souls, and the Square of Brains, before they reached a building that looked no different from any other magic tower.
"Is this the academy?" Donnie looked at the magic tower before him in disappointment.
The lich stopped and floated before the gate of the magic tower, chanting a hoarse, unpleasant, and obscure spell.
A shadow emerged from the patterned rocks on the ground and spread out, covering the gate very soon, making it dark and deep, and shaking on the surface.
"Follow me." The lich instructed coldly. Without opening the gate, he crawled into the shadow and disappeared.
The weirdness made Donnie and Sammy hold their breath again. They moved slowly behind the apprentices before them nervously, not knowing where the shadow led to.
It was a pity that however slow they moved, they still reached the gate of shadows. Gritting his teeth, Donnie stepped in.
His body seemed to have been submerged in the depths of a lake. It was suffocating, just like the feeling when he was almost drowned when he was little. Then, Donnie felt that his body was lighter, and he was out of the "water". In front of him was nothing but black, white, and gray.
It was a messy and decayed city. There was no color except for the monotonous black, white, and gray. Even the wind was frozen in the air, like a quiet and weird sketch.
Donnie looked at the sky in shock, only to discover that it was as gray and dim as Heidler City, but he could not see the sun anymore!
The fundamental knowledge about alternate dimensions flooded out of Donnie's head. He shouted to Sammy who was stunned, "The World of Souls!"
However, after he blurted it out, Donnie did not hear any sound at all. Everything was so quiet, as if it were the eternal darkness and sleep.
It was indeed the World of Souls. Donnie took a deep breath. His body was decaying, and he had the illusion that this was the best place for the school of necromancy. However, it was said that this place was very dangerous, and even senior-rank sorcerers could be killed. After all, the unintelligent spectres did not care about one's background, power, or wealth. They only craved fresh meat.
"Follow me. I repeat. Don't get lost." There was no telling what spell the lich used, but his voice echoed in everybody's heart.
Donnie patted Sammy who was stunned next to him and followed the lich warily and attentively, fearing that he would be separated from the team and face the tides of spectres in the World of Souls alone.
After passing through the silent 'city', the team stepped into a desolate wilderness. There were ghouls wandering everywhere. Their faces were rotten, and their expressions were hideous. It was as if they could 'smell' the indescribable stench.
Further away, there were many half-blurry ghosts. They floated in the air, their bodies transforming into long black robes.
Such an environment and such a scene made the ghost behind Sammy excited. He raised his head and shrieked soundlessly, waving his hands back and forth.
Hehe. Donnie looked at it in amusement, and Sammy shook his head helplessly.
Suddenly, the gray sky became dark, as if it had been dyed black. No, it was not black, but ghosts that were gathering from all directions!
They also let out soundless shrieks and flew at Sammy overwhelmingly. The terrifying pressure, the intense air of death, and the magnificent view made the legs of a lot of apprentices tremble. Had they run into a scourge?
Donnie's body shivered. He pulled Sammy and hinted him to stop the ghost behind him.
At this moment, the lich in the front sniffed, and a black curtain appeared out of nowhere and covered everybody.
It was not until the black curtain was gone that Donnie discovered that they had gone deep into the wilderness and were far away from the army of ghosts.
"Take care of your specter," the Lich said coldly.
"Yes, sir." Sammy replied, his voice shivering. The ghost behind him, on the other hand, crouched and hugged itself like a child who had been scared. It seemed to be sobbing silently too.
Donnie looked at the ghost, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry. Were you scared by the 'army of ghosts', too? You almost turned us all into ghouls just now.
Pulling Sammy whose legs were weak, Donnie moved forward for a while, when his eyes suddenly glittered. A splendid city appeared in the frozen world of black, white, and gray. Inside the city, there were magic towers that were black, silver, or pure white, giving them extra colors. Among the magic towers were rare bridges that connected the city in all directions. It was complicated and delicate.
Around the city, on the other hand, was a quiet graveyard. Dense tombs were everywhere, and black tombstones were inserted diagonally.
"Tombstones that are inserted diagonally …" Donnie was slightly stunned.
After passing through the graveyard, Donnie and his teammates reached the edge of the city under the lead of the lich. After they passed through the city gate that was dozens of meters tall, the frozen and suffocating feeling was immediately gone. Friendly voices echoed in their ears again, as if they had returned to the country of the living from the territory of the undead.
"Everybody, as you can see, you cannot leave this place without the guidance of senior-rank mentors. Therefore, you can only study and research diligently. Those who fall behind will not be able to go home every year. Alright, welcome to the Heidler Magic College. Please claim the robe and badge with your identity mark and your admission letter. Then, go to your dormitory according to the mark inside the badge." After that, the lich disappeared.
Donnie took Sammy and the ghost, who were still in shock, and claimed the black robe and the badge of "pale fire" from the magic tower nearby. While asking for directions, they walked to their dormitory.
When they were about to reach their dormitory, Sammy finally took a deep breath and rubbed his hair. "The World of Souls is truly horrifying. I was so scared just now …"
While talking, he opened the door of his dormitory, only to be stunned where he was, blocking Donnie's sight behind him.
"I … I'm sorry. We … We went to the wrong place! Sammy stammered and bowed to apologize.
Donnie subconsciously raised his head and looked at the door number. "No. 202, Life Tower of the Origin Zone. That's right."
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