For the next day or two, Zheng Zha trained himself to use the Necronomicon continuously. At first, he would pass out immediately upon using it, but the duration of the unconsciousness gradually decreased until he could finally exert some control over his vampire energy. By the time he achieved this, the group had already reached the Oasis Marketplace. After quickly resupplying themselves with food and water there, they headed toward a port located further down the river.

“From there, we’ll take a passenger boat back to Cairo. It’ll take about... about two days in total. Then, in Cairo, we’ll board an oil tanker to head out to sea... No one worry, I highly doubt that monster will cross the ocean just to kill us,” O’Connell chuckled, telling the others.

During these two days, O’Connell and his two companions had been utterly shocked. To them, the Necronomicon was merely an ancient, valuable text. While it might be priceless from an archaeological standpoint, they could never have imagined the sheer power it contained—such as summoning terrifying sandstorms in the desert, creating quicksand, or causing all the vegetation in a specific patch of ground to instantly wither and die. In short, with the Necronomicon in Zheng Zha’s hands, he appeared like a sorcerer or mage from ancient legends, wielding limitless might.

Evelyn also tried picking up the Necronomicon and reciting the incantations, but unlike when Zheng Zha read them, nothing happened around her. The magical transformations did not manifest. This stubborn woman, refusing to give up, insisted on reading aloud from the book for over an hour before she finally had to admit she lacked the talent to become a wizard or mage.

Zheng Zha stared blankly at the brand on his palm, which looked as if it had been etched by corrosion. Every time he used an incantation from the Necronomicon, this mark would emit a chill that eased the burning sensation when he channeled his vampire energy into the book. Other than that, it seemed to serve no other purpose, appearing on his palm like a birthmark, looking exceptionally bizarre.

“Zheng Zha? Zheng Zha!” A voice jolted Zheng Zha out of his contemplation. He realized Zhang Jie, Zero Point, and several others were gathered around him. It was Zhang Jie who had woken him. Everyone else looked at him curiously. He quickly coughed and said, “Apologies, I was spacing out. Where were we?” Xiao Honglu, idly playing with the ends of his hair, said flatly, “...Most of the magic in the Necronomicon is environmental magic suited for desert conditions, very effective against large groups of common enemies. In a city setting, using them to kill a few people isn't as efficient. We’ve tested several of the single-target spells, like Corrosion of the Vengeful Spirit; the power is certainly immense, but firstly, it consumes too much vampire energy, and secondly, the incantation takes about twenty seconds to chant—plenty of time for the target to flee or attack. Furthermore, the effective range is only about five hundred to a thousand meters. Honestly, without the ability to use these spells fluidly and casually, their long-range effectiveness is far inferior to a Gauss sniper rifle.”

“Therefore, the truly important power of the Necronomicon isn't its destructive capability, but the auxiliary spells. For example, one spell can summon the undead, allowing one to become invisible for half a minute—that spell is incredibly useful. Or summoning several Tomb Guardians from a mixture of sand and bone ash. This kind of non-team combat strength is crucial; it might even change the outcome of an entire battle at a critical moment…” Zhang Heng suddenly interjected, asking, “Bone ash? Where do we get bone ash?” The others paused, then they all looked blankly toward Evelyn, the story’s heroine. This young woman hadn't entirely given up on the Necronomicon and had been listening intently to their conversation. Even though they were speaking in Chinese, for someone as learned as she, Chinese was perfectly understandable. When the topic shifted to bone ash and everyone looked her way, the young woman’s face instantly drained of color. She immediately became defensive and said, “What, what are you planning? Are you going to turn me into bone ash?” O’Connell and Jonathan, standing nearby, both had subtle shifts in expression. Zheng Zha quickly waved his hands and laughed, “Don’t worry, how could we ever do something like that? Regarding the bone ash, do you remember what that American man said back in the City of the Dead?” Evelyn paused, then she and the two beside her said in unison, “Dry out the mummies and use them as firewood... You plan to turn the mummies into bone ash, right?” Zheng Zha found it amusing that the three spoke in perfect unison and quickly replied, “Yes, yes. Evelyn, you work at a museum, right? Stealing a mummy or two from there shouldn't be a problem, should it? If all else fails, could you perhaps ask the curator to sell us a mummy or two?” Evelyn immediately exclaimed loudly, “How is that possible? Those are artifacts! Do you know the value of those mummies? Each one represents a story, in short…” Jonathan, the money-grubber, quickly clamped a hand over his sister’s mouth. He smiled almost ingratiatingly, “How much are you planning to pay for the mummies? If you’re buying directly with solid gold bars, I can take responsibility for ‘borrowing’ a few mummies for you. How about we discuss the price?”

Zheng Zha and O’Connell shook their heads with wry smiles. O’Connell coughed, “I—ahem—we can be responsible for getting you the mummies, but we have conditions as well... Forget about the gold, but you must help us eliminate that relentless, undead mummy. I’m sure, with the power of the Necronomicon, getting rid of that mummy shouldn’t be too difficult for you, right?” Zheng Zha stated seriously, “Believe it or not, we already intended to take him down, but we need your help. For instance... to defeat him, we’ll need to use the Resurrection Sutra, that golden ancient book... I need you to help us find that book.”

O’Connell glanced at Evelyn and Jonathan. The two were constantly signaling him—one hoping he would refuse to steal the mummies, the other hoping he would ask for gold. The man finally forced a wry smile, rode his camel over to Zheng Zha, and extended his hand, saying, “Fine! I agree to your terms. We will be responsible for getting you the Resurrection Sutra, and you will be responsible for burying that undead mummy!” “Understood! We will certainly do it... if we don’t die in the attempt...” (Recommendation: Siren Ghost, Book ID: 11510) Click to view image link: cmfu/smenhu.cn?Bl_id=11510 Siren Ghost Jump to