Chapter 664, Hello, Can You Hear Me?
Selling wyvern remains?
That caught Wu Heng by surprise.
In the guild and among certain nations and races, there are legal protections for corpses and remains.
But they don't apply to magical beasts or wild animals.
Some of the intricately carved decorations brought by merchants were made of animal bones.
Whether wyvern remains are included in that protection is still unclear.
If they are included, it would likely fall under the necromancer restriction laws, not corpse protection laws.
The Wyvern Traders were quite interesting.
Recently, Gold-Silver Island had been attracting attention in the region, and they even sought out a necromancer for business.
With thinking like that, no wonder they could make money.
Wu Heng was intrigued and asked, "How many wyvern corpses do you have?"
"A lot. If you need large quantities, we can even dig up previously buried ones," the man said excitedly.
Since the pirates vanished from the Emerald Sea, the Wyvern Traders' business had taken a hit.
If they could link up with Gold-Silver Island, it would be a great trade route.
Selling wyverns alive, and then selling the corpses—definitely extra income.
Wu Heng nodded and looked at him, "Can you make that decision?"
"Our leader authorized me to handle this. You can trust me, Island Lord," the man replied seriously.
"Alright. Let's talk price."
"Adult wyverns can reach level 13. They can fly and are quite robust—intimidating too," the man described the wyverns, then offered, "700 silver each. Corpses below level 10, 500 silver."
Hearing that, Wu Heng frowned.
He remembered buying a batch of corpses from Letilie of the Snake Emblem Consortium.
It wasn't a formal transaction—just a confiscation of goods from a failed robbery attempt on the consortium's convoy.
The priciest corpse back then, a level 15 one, was 600 silver.
Granted, Letilie had sold them privately at a friendly price.
But even so, this price from the Wyvern Traders was a bit steep.
Wu Heng took a sip of tea and said flatly, "Too expensive."
"How could it be expensive, my lord? Once you turn them into skeletons, you'll dominate the skies! Imagine it—wyverns flying everywhere, a huge boost to the island's security," the man quickly argued.
Wu Heng replied calmly, "A level 10 wanted criminal gets you a 500 silver bounty from the guild. You want 700 for a corpse, with no risk involved. Isn't that overpriced?"
"My lord, it's not the same! Wyverns can fly—they're far more valuable in your hands."
Wu Heng glanced at him and stated, "300 silver for corpses above level 10. 100 silver for those below. That's my price."
The man looked troubled, "That's too low."
"That's the best I can do. If you can't decide, go ask your leader," Wu Heng said.
The man fell silent. He didn't speak, nor did he leave.
He just sat on the sofa, deep in thought.
After a long pause, he suddenly looked up, "We have one more condition."
Wu Heng smiled, "Let's hear it."
"You must buy all our remains—every single one. And in the future too, if we have more."
Wu Heng nodded, "Fine. At this price, I can agree."
"I also need a deposit."
"No can do. I'll pay upon delivery. Gold-Silver Island is here—I can't run. I don't know where you are, though," Wu Heng replied.
"Alright then. I want a contract," the man said.
Wu Heng looked to the side, "Minnie, draft a contract. Ensure it specifies the wyvern bones must be from adults, corpses must be intact and suitable for necromancer conversion."
The man quickly added, "We want full payment upon delivery. No substitutes. Coins only—gold or silver."
Minnie looked to Wu Heng, who nodded, "Include that too."
"Yes, Master." Minnie went upstairs to prepare the contract.
The city hall contracts were ready-to-use—just fill in the item, quantity, price.
Some supplementary clauses might be added. No need to rewrite from scratch.
In the hall, the man took a sip of tea, smacking his lips.
Then he leaned forward, "Island Lord, about two months ago, did anything happen to our fleet in the Emerald Sea? One of our fleets vanished."
"Oh? A trade fleet?" Wu Heng asked curiously.
"Uh... yes, trade fleet."
Wu Heng frowned in thought, "I haven't heard of any fleet like that. If it hasn't returned, it may have run into trouble."
"No messages ever came back," the man said.
Wu Heng looked at him, "Tell me the features of your ships. I'll look into it. Maybe I'll find something."
"Thank you, Island Lord."
Wu Heng continued, "Annette, note down the ship's features."
The floppy-eared rabbit girl, Annette, took out a sheet of paper. The man described the ship type, flags, and other details.
Annette wrote it all down.
Soon, Minnie returned with the contract. The man reviewed it, saw nothing wrong, and signed.
Wu Heng asked, "When can the shipment arrive?"
"I'll arrange it once I return. The fleet should arrive in about two weeks."
"Alright, get ready then," Wu Heng said.
The man finished his tea, stood up, and said, "I won't disturb you further. I'll go make the arrangements now."
"Good."
Wu Heng walked him to the door.
Outside the courtyard gate, a few people waited for the man.
As he came out, they whispered and left together.
...…
After seeing them off, Wu Heng sat in the living room, sipping tea again.
The Wyvern Traders coming to sell bones—he hadn't expected that.
But it was a good thing for him.
Especially in the zombie world—
The official bases of various countries likely had planes.
As his own side expanded, it was inevitable they'd clash.
Air superiority was crucial in modern warfare.
Compared to planes, skeletal wyverns had their own advantages.
More agile, capable of any maneuver in the air—Wu Heng felt they were just as good.
Buying and converting them in large quantities would be very useful.
"Some magical beast remains aren't regulated—so I can just buy them."
"Besides wyverns, there's not much else I urgently need."
Wu Heng mused to himself.
"Master, would you like some snacks?" Minnie asked.
"No. I'm heading upstairs. You go to the radio room and let Wen Mansa know I returned safely," Wu Heng said as he rose.
"Yes, Master."
Minnie agreed cheerfully and went to the radio room with two others to chat with Wen Mansa.
...…
Back in his study, Wu Heng opened the realm gate to the zombie world.
After stepping through, he had the skeletons clean the room and took out a walkie-talkie to call Qi Hancai to the meeting room.
He waited. Soon, Qi Hancai entered, owl perched on her head.
Once she sat—
Wu Heng asked, "Everything alright at the base?"
"Yes, all normal," Qi Hancai replied.
"What about those two technicians? Any progress?" Wu Heng asked directly.
The military factory side was advancing fast, but the classroom ones seemed slower.
Qi Hancai said, "We've trained a batch of skeletons for communications. They can start laying lines now."
Wu Heng raised a brow, "According to the female technician, how many people are needed to control and connect devices?"
"In one area, about five people is enough."
"Then keep five skeletons. Send the rest to Gao Rong and Li Yanhong."
Qi Hancai nodded, "Okay. I'll arrange a boat to send them over."
"Did you replenish the skeletons?"
"Yes. Classes have already begun."
Wu Heng asked, "What about the male technician?"
"He's testing devices on ships. He said they'll be ready in a few days."
"Tell him to hurry up."
"Okay," Qi Hancai replied, petting the owl on the table.
Wu Heng glanced at the owl too.
"Have you been training lately?"
"With the skeletons you assigned me!"
Wu Heng flipped his hand and took out a level-checking crystal, handing it over. "Hold this. Try sensing it. Let's see if you've been slacking."
Qi Hancai gave him a puzzled look but held it and tried sensing.
The crystal gradually glowed.
It barely lit up before fading.
Level 3.
A bit low, but she hadn't been a Professional for long.
Still, he said sternly, "You call this not slacking? That's only level three after all this time."
Qi Hancai frowned at the crystal, "Is this thing even accurate?"
"Morning and night—train every day. Notify Li Yanhong too," Wu Heng said seriously.
"Alright, don't be mad. I'll work harder," Qi Hancai leaned close, pouting playfully.
Wu Heng chatted with her for a while.
Once Xiaoxiao returned from her mother's—
Wu Heng brought the newly graduated skeletons through the realm gate.
Back to Gold-Silver Island.
...…
Dinner time.
Wu Heng sat at the table while Andviel reported between bites.
"Master, after you left, we released a new issue of the newspaper. It got great feedback—top discussion topic for days.
The guild classes began. Today's the second day, and a huge crowd signed up. Patrols were increased to maintain order.
Also, the new housing lots sold out before construction even began. High demand."
She reported everything, and Wu Heng nodded.
Nothing unusual had happened. Everything was proceeding as planned.
The only surprise was how quickly the guild classes got set up.
He was a bit caught off guard at first.
Only overheard conversations clued him in.
"Are the communication lines all set?"
Andviel replied, "Yes, all installed."
"I'll send skeletons tomorrow to calibrate the phones. Be ready."
"Understood, Master."
After dinner, they chatted in the living room. The maids went to train. Wu Heng began assembling a railgun.
As night fell, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.
...…
Guild, Steward's Office.
Morning. Sheila Grey stepped into the office—and stopped.
A skeleton in a yellow vest was working at the desk.
"Communications Maintenance" was written on its back.
It looked like a technical skeleton handling some kind of repair.
Sheila Grey looked confused and asked Shiyali, who had arrived earlier, "What's this? Why is a skeleton here first thing in the morning?"
Shiyali shrugged, "Wu Heng sent it. Said it's installing something. It's been busy all morning. I don't even recognize half the stuff it brought. Must be something new again."
Sheila Grey glanced at the skeleton, walked to the desk, and said, "Go work over there."
She sat down and pulled a stack of files from her ring.
The skeleton shuffled aside and continued its work on the floor.
Shiyali fetched a chair for it, "If Wu Heng sees you bullying his skeleton, he'll be annoyed."
"Who's bullying it? I'm working too," Sheila Grey said casually.
Soon, the phone was fully assembled.
The skeleton placed it on Sheila Grey's desk and walked off.
Sheila Grey frowned, "And? What's this even for? It's just leaving?"
She grumbled aloud—
Riiiing~!
The device rang.
Both women jumped, startled and intrigued.
Sheila Grey picked up the receiver, mimicking what she'd seen Philipa do on a ship.
A familiar voice came through, "Hey~! Can you hear me?"
"Wu Heng?!" Sheila Grey exclaimed.
Shiyali quickly leaned in. The two women pressed cheek to cheek to listen.
"It's the phone I set up for you. Just call me when needed. Super convenient," Wu Heng explained.
Sheila Grey checked the base, "You mean just picking this up connects us?"
"You have to dial. See the numbers? It's also linked to city hall and the patrol team. Memorize the numbers and call whoever you need."
Wu Heng explained while Shiyali jotted down the numbers.
After hanging up, they tried calling city hall and the patrol team.
Sure enough, both calls went through—smoothly.
It was a little magical.
They set the phone aside and sat in silence.
After a long pause—
Shiyali said, "Do you think Wu Heng might actually be some ancient monster reborn in a new body?"
Sheila Grey glanced at the pen and phone on her desk, "I get what you're saying. But his personality doesn't match. When he first came here, he asked me about everything—like a guy from a small town."
"Still, he's amazing," Shiyali said.
"Maybe it's just stuff from his hometown. He knows it well, so he uses it," Sheila Grey guessed.
"Sis."
"What?"
"Now we really can't let him go. We have to get him."
Sheila Grey rolled her eyes, "There you go again. And what was that kiss last time, huh?"
"I told you, it wasn't on purpose! Why are you always jealous?"
"Who's jealous?!"
...…
Port. A cargo ship was docked.
The hold was dimly lit. A hanging lightstone gave off faint illumination.
A pale man with shoulder-length hair sat at a table, swirling a wine glass filled with red liquid.
Knock knock~!
A knock at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened. A shadowy figure entered quickly and shut it tight.
After a respectful bow, the figure said in a low voice, "My lord, news from Gold-Silver Island has arrived. Many nobles and merchants have gathered there."
The man's eyes narrowed. Red glints flickered in them.
He kept swirling his glass, deep in thought.
With so many people there, an attack would have serious consequences.
"Any high-level Professionals on the island?"
The subordinate sniffed the faint blood scent in the air and swallowed hard, "No notable powerhouses found. The steward is Sheila Grey, around level 15. The Hongwen Society started lessons, but no data on other high-levels yet."
The man paused, then drained his bloodwine.
"Keep digging. The guild's courses are always accompanied by high-level escorts. Find out how many. And get me intel on Wu Heng."
"Yes, my lord." The subordinate bowed and left.
The man sat in silence for a while.
Then walked to a larger storage bay next door.
As the hatch opened, countless blood-red eyes stared straight at him.
...…
Zombie world.
After finishing the phone setup in the morning, Wu Heng returned.
As he left the dorm, he saw the male technician walking by.
"Leader" The male technician froze for a moment, then immediately saluted.
Wu Heng nodded and asked, "How's the student doing with the training?"
The male technician had a serious expression, "The training is almost complete. They're capable of standard equipment installation and adjustment."