In the morning, at the inn in Black Robe Town, Ash, having just returned from the Void Realm, reached into his trousers to make sure everything was back in place before he sighed in relief.
"Do I need to step out for a moment?"
At this time, Harvey had returned to normal, no longer assuming the vulnerable young girl persona from the previous night. He was looking down, studying a rabbit corpse, while Alice fed him a thin pancake. "It’s not very convenient for you to come out when others are around, is it?"
"If it were someone else, I might think they were telling a dirty joke, but with you, I’d worry you were talking to another corpse we just picked up," Ash said irritably, hearing the sound of hot water running in the bathroom and realizing he couldn’t wash up yet.
The inn’s restroom was tiny; having a bathtub was a surprise, let alone expecting it to have separate areas for wet and dry.
"Why are you fiddling with a rabbit?"
Harvey looked up at him. "I’d rather be experimenting with a human corpse, but it’s not time yet."
"Not time yet?" Ash didn’t understand.
"Rabbits, cats, large dogs, big cats—I want you all to gradually get used to watching me study these creatures. By the time I move on to human corpses, you’ll definitely be able to accept it."
Ash remarked, "That sounds reasonable, but have you considered one issue? There’s more to the difference between human and animal corpses than just size."
Harvey looked puzzled. "Are you talking about their appearances? Should I use a monkey as a transitional material?"
"It’s about significance, value!" Ash said earnestly. "A person’s corpse bears the marks of time, recording the paths they walked, the pain they endured, and the happiness they enjoyed—it’s a condensation of their life!"
Harvey didn’t skimp on his applause. "Well said, Ash. I didn’t expect you to have such a profound thought!"
"Mmm," Ash felt pleased with his speech, "thank you—"
"It perfectly aligns with the central philosophy of our Necromancy Faction!" Harvey declared. "Since corpses are filled with meaning and value, we necromancers have an obligation to bring out all their potential, rather than letting them be covered by dirt, burned by flames, becoming the kingdom of corpse-eaters, or turned into worthless ashes—Ash, come and be a disciple under Hagen Dazs with me!"
Ash almost forgot that each Magic Faction had its own coherent system of logic and responded noncommittally, turning away: "I’ll think about it."
Harvey asked, "When you die, do you want to follow me or Igula?"
Ash looked puzzled: "Since when did I become a child of you and Igula? It’s like you’re divorcing and asking me whom I want to follow..."
"If you die, as long as I’m alive, I certainly won’t bury you but turn you into a necromancy disciple," the Necromancer stated. "If you want to follow Igula, I’ll tell Igula how to control you; if you want to follow me or go back to Liss, I’ll take you back."
"Although I haven’t asked Igula, Igula would definitely not go with me. As for myself, neither of you are necromancers, so you can’t turn me into a necromancer disciple; you can dispose of my corpse however you want when the time comes."
Ash sat up and looked at Harvey with a peculiar expression.
"Why are you suddenly sentimental today?"
"Is this sentimental?" Harvey retorted. "Ya Sha Jin told me, if he died and lost his Void Realm’s special constitution that repelled disgust, to make him into a powerful necromancer disciple, as long as he was assured that he would only kill evil people, he was willing to obey my commands."
Incidentally, the three of them shared one room while Tamasi stayed in another. Initially, they wanted to all stay together for mutual protection in case of an attack, but Tamasi mentioned because of religious reasons, he couldn’t sleep in the same room as heretics.
"We will return to the Gospel alive."
"Last night on the street, you encountered the Silver Lamp," Harvey shook his head. "If she had suddenly been possessed by a Host God, could you two really have come back? Perhaps you could have made it, but the Swindler might not have."
"Besides the Silver Lamp, the Senluo Wasteland has too many things that can take our lives, not necessarily mages, perhaps a relic from the past like the Blood Seed we carry. This isn’t the Blood Moon or the Gospel; there’s no government to suppress the chaos, living from day to day is the norm here."
"Pity you’re not learning from the Necromancy Faction," he lowered his head, continuing his study of the rabbit. "Otherwise, I could entrust you with my care after my death."
Ash blinked, a warm smile spreading across his face: "Harvey, I didn’t expect you to actually care about us."
"You’re not creating necromancer disciples for your own desires, but to cater to the feelings of the living by creating a phantom of death," Ash chuckled. "When a friend leaves us, you hope to preserve their place, as if they are still with us sharing the feast of Fate."
"I’ve always said, the dead should serve the living."
"I remember when we first came to the Gospel, you asked Hanna to help get a corpse without considering our feelings," Ash glanced at the rabbit corpse. "Now you suddenly care about our feelings?"
"Because now we don’t have separate rooms," Harvey replied. "To avoid getting beaten up by you guys."
"Let’s assume that’s the reason," Ash shrugged. "But your concern makes sense; facing the Silver Lamp in the future, just try your best, I’ll do all I can."
"Instead of discussing arrangements after death, let’s think about the living. Igula has Anfeier waiting for him; Harvey, where do you want to settle down? Gospel or Blood Moon?"