This was the first time Lu Ran had ever seen necromancers on such a massive scale.
Back in Blackfire City, he’d only spotted them here and there, scattered and few.
But here—
Everywhere he looked, all he could see were necromancers!
In the main hall, some were browsing the mission boards, picking out tasks.
Others were gathered in small groups, chatting and discussing.
Even the staff members—aside from a handful of those in non-combat support roles—were almost all necromancers.
Cong Yu led Lu Ran over to a registration counter.
There weren’t many people in line.
This window handled new necromancer registrations, and based on the contribution points earned from completed missions, it also managed promotions within the guild’s ranking system.
The higher your rank, the better the missions you could take on—and the better the rewards.
So Cong Yu hadn’t been wrong.
This really was a kind of professional welfare organization.
It functioned a lot like a for-profit mercenary guild or adventurer’s guild.
There was a dedicated mission board here, and the clients who posted tasks weren’t limited to necromancers—anyone could put up a request.
The base rewards themselves weren’t particularly high.
But the Necromancer Alliance Guild would chip in official subsidies on top.
Add it all up, and the total payout was far more generous than what you’d get from a regular mercenary guild or adventurer’s guild.
Behind the counter,
some staff members sat around, looking bored.
Cong Yu tugged Lu Ran over to the window and said directly, “This is my friend. He’s a necromancer, from out of town. He’s here to register.”
The staff member immediately handed over the paperwork for Lu Ran to fill out.
The forms were pretty straightforward—nothing too complicated.
Just then,
a necromancer who’d been chatting with a colleague behind the counter suddenly noticed Cong Yu.
He let out an amused chuckle and said, “Cong Yu, girl, you’re back at it again with the missions? Why bother? Old Cong isn’t stingy—you want for nothing, don’t you?”
Cong Yu looked up,
grinned, and waved. “Uncle Wang! Fancy seeing you here, hehe…”
But she didn’t explain what she was doing there.
Wang Mu understood well enough.
Cong Yu’s talent and class meant she’d never be given any real weight in the Cong family.
Not that she was being pushed aside—in fact, both Cong Yu and her sister Cong Shuang received top-tier treatment in the family.
Old man Cong Jixian didn’t show any major favoritism when it came to caring for the two sisters.
He just happened to place more expectations on the elder sister, Cong Shuang.
The man Cong Yu called “Uncle Wang” was Wang Mu—a member of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the number one necromancer in all of Longxia!
The Necromancer Alliance Guild was founded under Wang Mu’s leadership.
“Small world, huh.” Wang Mu replied casually, then turned his gaze to Lu Ran.
The face was unfamiliar—he’d never seen this kid before.
Wang Mu didn’t think much of it.
Necromancers were the one thing this place never ran short of.
After that,
the registration was done, and Cong Yu dragged Lu Ran out of the building.
“Those two sisters from the Cong family… their lives couldn’t be more different, could they?” another necromancer across from Wang Mu remarked with a sigh.
“After all, she’s a necromancer. Even though that mysterious big-shot necromancer raised our standing quite a bit, it still doesn’t change the bigger picture. That girl Cong Shuang, though—as a Star Mage, her class is just overwhelmingly strong. The Cong family hit the jackpot with her.” Wang Mu nodded.
“This year’s Hundred Cities Tournament—Cong Shuang is representing the Imperial Capital under the Tianfu Sect. That’s going to be a real challenge for the other participants,” the other necromancer said.
“Challenge? I don’t see it that way. Cong Shuang’s definitely taking the championship. Anyone who runs into her has only one possible outcome—defeat. All they can do is hope they don’t get unlucky enough to face her,” Wang Mu said, shaking his head.
“There are quite a few hidden classes from other major cities in this year’s tournament too, you know. Surely Cong Shuang’s under some pressure?” The other man clearly wasn’t convinced why Wang Mu was so certain of Cong Shuang’s abilities.
“You only know of Cong Shuang—you’ve never actually seen her in action. But I have, with my own eyes. She’s insanely strong. That level of power is way beyond what these rookie professional players in the Hundred Cities Tournament should even have,” Wang Mu insisted.
Out on the main street.
“Registration was simple enough, but isn’t this insignia a little… tacky?” Lu Ran fiddled with the button-like badge in his hand, examining it.
“It’s free, so count your blessings. Besides, this is a civilian organization—it’s not system-generated, so the badge doesn’t come with any data support. It’s different from guild badges or class badges,” Cong Yu said casually.
Guild badges and class badges could be toggled to show or hide at will.
Not only were they more refined, but their position also couldn’t be changed—they were part of the system’s data-driven rules.
This badge in his hand, though?
It was something the civilian guild crafted themselves.
You could pin it anywhere you liked—nobody would care.
And besides,
even if you ranked up, this thing couldn’t level up with you. You’d have to go back to the hall and swap it for a new, higher-tier badge.
“Also, don’t underestimate it just because it looks simple. If nobody brought you here, wouldn’t registration have been a hassle? Information still matters in this day and age. You’re helping me out—that’s not too much to ask, is it?” Cong Yu flashed a sly grin.
“I never said I wasn’t helping. Did you accept the mission?” Lu Ran asked offhandedly.
“Yep, it’s accepted. Just follow me,” Cong Yu said with a relieved chuckle.
With that,
she led Lu Ran out of the city.
“By the way, since your sister’s so impressive, and judging by what that necromancer uncle said earlier, your family’s pretty well-off? Surely you’re not short on helpers?” Lu Ran asked out of curiosity.
Even Qin Wuyao, thanks to her family connections, had things go smoothly for her.
Forget helpers—she didn’t even have to lift a finger to grind levels, kill mobs, or run dungeons.
“That’s not the same thing at all. I’m different from my sister. Come on, come on—enough chatter. We’ve got monsters to fight soon,” Cong Yu said, clearly not keen on dwelling on the subject.
“Fine. So what’s the mission? That you can at least tell me, right?” Lu Ran didn’t press further—it was just idle curiosity, after all.
“The client needs an item dropped by an elite field monster. Kill it, harvest the material, and bring it back to turn in. Simple as that,” Cong Yu said without looking back.
Once they were out in the wild,
the crowds thinned out—a lot.
It was similar to other major cities.
The dungeon halls covered most players’ leveling paths.
Aside from adventurers, those who needed specific materials from the outdoors, and a few who just genuinely enjoyed grinding mobs in the open world,
most professional players preferred not to leave the city.
Looking back, you’d see small clusters here and there.
Some were newbies gathering around the Imperial Capital to farm low-level mobs; others were just out for fun.
Lu Ran and Cong Yu kept walking, heading southeast toward a mountain range.
“That’s Zixiang Mountain Range. The elite we need to kill is up there,” Cong Yu said as she walked.
She pulled out two small pills that looked like medicine and handed one to Lu Ran.
“What’s this?” Lu Ran stared at it.
“Repellent incense. Just crush it,” Cong Yu said.
She made a funny motion, pinching her nose with one hand.
Lu Ran’s interface also displayed the item description for the little pill.
It was indeed repellent incense—a buff-type consumable. Once crushed, it would produce a repelling effect for three hours.
