Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 616 - 569: Dragon Transformation (Date Cake’s Task 3/6)

Chapter 616: Chapter 569: Dragon Transformation (Date Cake’s Task 3/6)

Despite the urgency, Mr. Dragon still gave Lyle an hour to get used to the new powers brought by the Lich Crown. The knowledge, wisdom, inspiration, and power augmentation provided by the Lich Crown were among the few fulfilling sensations liches could feel, for humans, it represented absolute authority that could ignite any desire. That sense of satisfaction was not just an illusion of instant power; ominous had become a massive entity that blotted out the sky in Lyle’s soul space, a corrupting desire whisperingly enticing Lyle to devour the Lich Crown. But Lyle snuffed it out, the earnest look of anticipation from the headmaster surfacing in his mind, taking over the Lich Crown meant taking over Andrey, that unspeakable great fear constantly pricked Lyle’s nerves.

Spellcasters need to maintain a clear mind at all times, especially during experiments.

Lyle spread his hands, the glow from the Lich Crown flickered and the magical threads vanished into his black gloves, capable of controlling every subtle movement of bone and muscle, capable of judiciously allocating each thread of magic. These palms, it seemed, could achieve anything.

"That looks really good," Mr. Zhiyan said with an envious look, standing beside him. He had prepared dozens of stone slabs, filled with micro-runes that only the writer could understand.

"If you just want to experience the feeling of wearing the crown, I could probably conjure that kind of joyous and fulfilling mental impulse within a flesh disguise, but only the impulse," Lyle explained.

Zhiyan’s interest waned, "Then never mind, a fleeting satisfaction would only lead me astray, and I couldn’t do any fine work besides holding a pen. I’m ready on my end, lead surgeon!"

Zhiyan turned to assemble the stone slabs together, placing them on a bone scaffold specially provided by Mr. Dragon, composed of countless arms, capable of bringing the corresponding slab to his vision as quickly as Zhiyan required. Lyle didn’t think that Zhiyan, who could tolerate the loneliness of the tomb, would get lost in the satisfaction, he just didn’t want to waste time unnecessarily.

Above the constructed altar, Mr. Dragon had taken off his doll suit; his pallid skeletal body lay atop it in an ungraceful pose, meant to preserve as much of the dragon’s stance as possible to facilitate Lyle’s transformation.

"Teacher."

The dragon nodded, "Begin, my student." The white bone altar started to operate, from the complex heap of bones, the whitest bones were pushed to the top, a disassembled sea of skeletons, black marrow oozed from the bone crevices, flowing like rivers, surrounding Lyle and Mr. Dragon’s experiment table like an island.

Lyle extended his palm, Nia’s body unfolded completely behind him, black tendrils probed into the heap of bones, grabbing materials to become Lyle’s auxiliary hand. The shadow of ominous interfered with reality, a tall shadow dyed the sky black, extending branch-like fingers, stirring in the bone marrow fluid, lifting clumps of marrow fluid as raw material to weaken the dragon’s skeleton.

The experiment wasn’t to create a skeletal being, but to thoroughly transform Mr. Dragon into another race. Thus, ominous would be another leader of the transformation, he would warp the dragon’s soul, stretching and filling it to suit the optimal shape for dragon bones.

Nia began giving her commands.

"Skeleton reconstruction, Lyle!"

"Preparation complete."

"Spiritual Body reconstruction, ominous!"

"Kikikiki."

"Dragon Bone analysis, Zhiyan!"

"No problems."

"Experimental subject, the dragon!"

"I’m psychologically ready."

"Then there’s Nia! Full firepower! Together! Go!"

Zhiyan, directing the experiment, immediately opened the first stone slab.

"We’ll start with the crossbones, which are the first of the dragon’s sternum, connecting the spine and the torso, with both wings and forelimbs positioned there, this area needs to be of five-level hardness, requires mutated skeleton, roughly in this shape, preserve the inner bone chamber and marrow fluid. For the marrow fluid part, I need a four-element proportional solution added with a strand of spirit."

Three locks, heretical growth.

Lyle grasped the skeleton given by Nia, and under the manipulation of his own abilities, the bones drenched in marrow fluid began to twist and deform. They grew like blossoming flowers, sprouting even more tender new bones. Under Lyle’s control, they fused into one unique skeleton. The Lich Crown passed on the necessary knowledge to Lyle, who directly extracted elements from the air, balancing them with the equilibrium of the most seasoned alchemist.

"But the spirit..."

[Place the skeleton onto the Dragon’s body. I will peel off a part of his soul and embed it into this piece of dragon bone.]

Lyle nodded, he walked up to the Dragon, pouring the death bone marrow fluid over the Dragon’s body.

"Teacher, then I shall begin," said Lyle. The completed crossbone was two meters in length, its weight almost half that of the giant dragon’s. Lyle did not know what that felt like, but just the thought of incorporating such a massive object into himself was painful.

[It will certainly be painful. I will tear and stretch his soul, a pain even liches must endure.]

"Nia!" Signifying destruction, the tendrils stabbed into the back of the Dragon’s neck, instantly crushing his spine. Devoid of support, the Dragon’s scattered bones were magically held in mid-air. The Ominous shadow crept up the Dragon’s body, his hand seemed to pull something along the Dragon’s spine, followed by the Dragon’s roaring, replacing his agony with fury. The shadow climbed up the crossbones, merging it with the Dragon, like a monster.

"First procedure, complete."

"I feel, not bad," the Dragon replied with a hint of fatigue, having fitted the first dragon bone. There was a slight change in his voice because the voice of a Lich comes from the soul, signifying the soul’s transformation. A golden soul flickered on that dragon bone, fully integrating it with the Dragon. The Dragon’s soul, accepted its new body, accepted that dragon bone.

The first successful procedure lifted everyone’s spirits, and their operations became more proficient.

"The twenty-third piece, the twelfth rib, with a bone density rating of four, the defense core that protects the heart. Since it’s near the reverse scale, the pointed part needs the best magic conductivity, we can sacrifice hardness to enhance magic. The Firstborn of the Dragon had replaced this part with a crystalline body, I’m not sure if it’s a natural trait or a characteristic of the Giant Gemstone Dragon, how should we decide?"

"Ensure, enhance the hardness. Our Dragon teacher is a warrior, I believe Hell Roll suits him better than Dragon Breath. By the way, can’t we remove the reverse scale? Such an obvious weakness."

"Sure, if you don’t mind heart muscle infarction leading to necrosis throughout the body, the Dragon can be without a reverse scale."

"Not even for an Undead Dragon?"

"Our plan is not just to create a Bone Dragon."

"Then let’s continue..." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The dragon’s transformation proceeded methodically and seemed likely to be completed successfully soon.

Although there were many issues during the process, they were quickly solved with the knowledge of the Lich Crown.

"Strengthen the wing bones or the trunk bones?"

"The trunk. As long as he can fly, it’s fine. If he flies slowly, we can have our Dragon teacher perform ’Death from Above’, meteor strike."

"Ah, what about your opinion, Dragon?"

The Dragon, unable to speak due to the experimental procedure, raised his thumb with his still unmodified hand, as if to say.

"It’s my disciple who understands me!!!"