Chapter 2: The Lost Civilization
“Lomei, we still need to observe further the progress of Big Bear’s abilities. Although he seems to have no major issues with defense and reaction speed, these are merely the most basic requirements for a successful necromancer. As practitioners of dark magic, we not only need to restore his innate reflexes but also gradually uncover the conditioned reflexes he developed over time. For example, when faced with an enemy attack, we only need to give him a hint, and he will be able to use all the tactics he used in life to attack the enemy in combat. Of course, not every zombie warrior can achieve this ability—it requires the zombie to be born under quite favorable conditions. As a Silver Zombie, Big Bear is already basically qualified, but Silver Zombies serve as the foundation for cultivating Gold Zombies. To turn Big Bear into an excellent Gold Zombie, we need to strengthen his foundation as a Silver Zombie further.”
Like a caring and patient mentor, Komer spoke with kindness. The curious student before him was as inexperienced as a newborn in many aspects. When Komer erased all her memories, it inevitably altered her habits related to the Light Church, forcing Komer to constantly guide her in daily life to help her build a new one. This student was outstanding in every regard, especially in absorbing magical knowledge, showing an extraordinary talent that made Komer feel increasingly drawn to her, as if she were a magnet.
Giving this nameless zombie a name akin to that of a pet was a compromise reached after some debate between Komer and Lomei. After seeing the bear-headed emblem of the Caucasus Lord, Lomei, against her usual stubbornness, insisted on giving the zombie such a silly yet heartwarming name. In the end, Komer had to abandon her own ideas and agree to her suggestion, though the name sounded a bit awkward and had an indescribably absurd feel when spoken aloud.
“Oh, Lomei understands. The Great Sage hopes that Big Bear can make a good start at the Silver Corpse stage, which will be more beneficial for his future development. Is that what the Great Sage meant?” Tilting her head playfully, the girl wore a knowing smile on her face. Her delicate and charming cheeks resembled flower buds that had just absorbed ample nutrients from the rain and dew, looking exceptionally beautiful. She seemed both proud and slightly expectant, as if waiting for Komer’s praise.
“Mm, Lomei is right. The stronger the foundation, the better the results later on. Suffering first, then sweetness—this is an inevitable path in cultivating one’s abilities.” Although it was just a trivial question, seeing her eager expression, Komer couldn’t help but praise her.
A blush appeared on the girl’s face at Komer’s compliment, and the sparkle in her eyes gave Komer a familiar feeling, as if he had seen it in the eyes of another girl before. But at that moment, he seemed happy to enjoy this admiring and respectful gaze, mixed with other emotions.
The zombie known as Big Bear continued to jump and move tirelessly around the room. The dark glow emanating from the tip of his spear was still unstable, but it had reached about an inch in length, indicating that the combat energy he was channeling had begun to take shape. Driven by this energy, iron balls and other projectiles flew past, but none could penetrate the shield created by his spear. Even those that struck head-on could only spark briefly before being deflected, clearly showing that the zombie’s strength had improved dramatically compared to before.
Watching the figures moving around the room, Komer couldn’t suppress his pride. Even while training Lomei, he never stopped working on improving the zombie’s abilities. After all, this was the true helper who could rely on in critical moments—he could even sacrifice himself to protect his master. His strength directly determined the power of his companion.
After giving a mental command, the zombie stopped instantly. Komer activated the Cosmic Bag in his hand, which gradually swelled, its opening seeming to absorb everything around it. The space around it twisted, and the zombie quickly slipped inside. After reciting a few spells, the Cosmic Bag slowly shrank back to the size of a palm.
The girl, who had never seen such a thing before, could hide her surprise and excitement not at all. It was like something out of a fantasy myth—a zombie that was nearly two meters tall and still moving around moments ago was suddenly contained within this strange cloth bag, then shrank to the size of a palm. Could this also be magic? It seemed to go beyond what she knew from her knowledge system.
“Great Sage, what kind of spell is this? How is this possible? What about Big Bear? Was he also shrunk? Oh, God of the Underworld, Hades, what are you doing?” A stream of questions burst out of her. Perhaps because she found this miraculous phenomenon too incredible, the girl quickly grabbed Comer’s arm and asked anxiously with a trembling voice.
“Lomei, stay calm. Calmness is a fundamental quality that every magician must possess. Have you forgotten what I told you? A competent magician must keep their mind in a state of absolute peace under any circumstances.” Although he really liked her sincere expression, Comer, being a teacher at heart, instinctively used a solemn expression hidden beneath his mask to remind her. However, his kind tone revealed his true feelings.
The girl stuck out her tongue shyly, a faint blush appearing on her beautiful cheeks. Perhaps she felt she had acted improperly, but in front of her mentor, she didn’t think it was a problem. “Great Sage, this is all so amazing. What is this bag in your hand? How can it even hold Big Bear and make him so small? Lomei can’t believe her own eyes.”
“Hehe, Lomei, this is just a slightly more valuable magic artifact. Or rather, it could even be called a divine artifact. It was left to me by my master. It has a rather interesting name—Qiankun Bag.” The girl’s eyes, like morning stars, always gave Comer a sense of guilt. Though he kept reminding himself inwardly, this sense of guilt didn’t diminish over time. Life itself is full of sin, isn’t it? Even the teachings of the Light Church say so. The Book of Sins states that people are born with original sin, and only by continuously atoning from birth onward can they ascend to the heavenly temple and achieve eternal life. Since humans are vessels filled with sin, why carry any more sin? Reaching such a conclusion brought much peace to Comer’s mind.
“A Cosmos Bag? What a strange name. Cosmos? What does that mean, Great Sage?” The girl’s curiosity was clearly much stronger than that of ordinary people. While most might be interested only in the artifact itself, she seemed more intrigued by its origins.
“This artifact is said to be related to a lost civilization. The meaning of ‘cosmos’ cannot be explained within any of our known civilizations, but it is said that in the records of that lost civilization, it carried a very broad meaning. Well, if I were to explain it, I can only say I know nothing about it.” Faced with the girl’s persistent questioning, Komer felt awkward and at a loss for the first time.
“A lost civilization? Hmm, I seem to recall hearing this term somewhere before; it gives me a sense of familiarity.” The girl frowned slightly, her face showing signs of deep thought. To Komer, however, it appeared solemn—her sensitivity and strong impression of this term were such that even his mental cleansing spell hadn’t fully erased the mark in her mind. He wondered what secrets the Light Church held that could leave such a profound impression on her.
“Ah, Lomei, you needn’t rack your brain over it. Before your magic training went wrong, I did talk to you about the lost civilization. You were very interested in the various arts and civilizations hidden within it, always hoping to find remnants of that lost civilization. It’s a pity what happened later due to your magic training issues. It’s all my fault—my mistake that led to your current situation.” Komer’s face was filled with remorse and self-blame, and the pain deep in his heart was clearly visible in his eyes. This only made the girl feel even more guilty and uneasy. “Great Sage, it’s not your fault. Although Lomei doesn’t remember much about the past, she knows it was her own eagerness that caused this disaster. If it weren’t for your efforts to save her, she might have gone mad. It’s good this way. Lomei really likes the peace and tranquility now. Perhaps simplicity is an unexpected blessing for her—she no longer has to worry about many things from the past. Truly, Great Sage, Lomei loves her current life very much. Being able to follow you in exploring the ultimate truths of magic is the greatest blessing and happiness in her life.”
Words spoken from the heart are so straightforward and sincere that Komer’s tear glands feel as though they might start functioning again. Not even Vero’s arrival had ever moved Komer in this way. This was clearly everything he had created himself, a blank page for him to fill in—so why did he feel such deep emotion and excitement? Could his heart, already scarred by so much pain, become even more fragile, to the point where even something he created himself could move him? Komer kept asking himself what was wrong with him.