History was a fascinating thing. Even in a world filled with long-lived races, there were still countless shadows in history that could not be uncovered.

Perhaps longevity had little to do with it. Ask a group of people what major events happened just a few months ago, and you'll likely get dozens of completely different answers, some even outright contradictory. Given enough time, they might even start fighting over it.

In the end, it all came down to differences in perspective, values, and information.

Studying history was, in many ways, studying the human heart.

But Ambrose didn't think that deeply about it. He assumed that the heroic spirit of Arthur Lyon wouldn't be able to provide Heki Stone with much useful information. After all, this spirit knew nothing about what happened after the death of the Dragon Tyrant.

Heki, however, disagreed. "Being able to speak directly with Arthur Lyon himself—even his younger self—is more than enough to unravel many mysteries."

Ambrose bowed out. Let professionals handle professional matters. He brought the dwarven vampire into his dungeon, took out the divine hourglass, and placed it before Heki.

At Ambrose's summon, Arthur Lyon's spirit appeared once more—still weak, translucent, and barely composed.

Heroic spirits were peculiar. Once their power was expended, that power was extremely difficult to replenish.

Ambrose did have methods to help, but they were all necromantic in nature. He had no intention of tainting Arthur Lyon's spirit. If the people of Lyon refused to acknowledge it afterward and withheld payment, that would be a serious problem.

So although Arthur Lyon remained a pure being of holy light, he still looked frail and insubstantial.

The moment Heki saw him, he nearly dropped to his knees, overwhelmed with emotion. "Your Majesty, Arthur Lyon! To witness you with my own eyes is the greatest honor of my life."

Arthur Lyon flushed with embarrassment. "Please don't say that. Strictly speaking, I am not the same person who founded the empire."

Over time, he had come to accept reality.

Even with fragments of Arthur Lyon's memory, a heroic spirit was still a separate soul, one completely independent from the original.

This Arthur Lyon, inheriting the sage-king's character, refused to claim honors that weren't truly his.

Heki still wanted to insist on paying his respects, but Ambrose cut in, "Hey, know your place. An undead kneeling to a heroic spirit? If the others in the Elegiac Society hear about this, you'll get kicked out."

Heki snapped back, "And who's the one always bragging about paladins kneeling before him?!"

Ambrose grinned. "That's different. They knelt to me, but you're kneeling to him. If people knew of this, you'd be out of the Society."

Heki ground his teeth but couldn't refute Ambrose's claim.

Arthur Lyon, however, looked surprised. "You're a vampire?"

Heki straightened immediately. "Yes, Your Majesty. I am a vampire, but also a historian."

Arthur Lyon sighed. "Times really have changed. I'd never heard of a dwarven vampire in my era."

Heki Stone: "..."

Ambrose nearly burst out laughing and added, "To be fair, Your Majesty, even in this era, dwarven vampires are rare."

Heki shot him a glare. "Say one more word and I'll turn on you! Get out! Someone who doesn't understand history shouldn't interfere!"

It sounded as if he were talking about a lovers' quarrel. Ambrose didn't linger.

He was an honest businessman. He had promised Heki time to ask questions, and he wouldn't interfere.

Leaving the lab to the two of them, Ambrose made his way to the city's central fountain.

The flowing wind and water, shaped by Terraform, persisted in perpetuity. This spell could permanently alter terrain and climate alike.

Endless streams of undead bustled about, digging trenches, laying tunnels, redirecting water, excavating sand and gold from half-uncovered structures, and transporting them to designated storage areas.

The skeletons weren't particularly precise. Some spun in place; others collided and spilled their cargo.

But it didn't matter. They never tired, and any mistakes were corrected over time.

At a glance, they might seem less efficient than human workers, but over the long run, undead labor was far more efficient and cost-effective.

Ambrose extended his perception across most of the city and found the project progressing smoothly.

It seemed Harvey had understood the blueprints well. The site was logically divided, from raw material processing to refinement, to large-scale bottling areas. Everything was neatly planned and awaiting Ambrose's direction.

Arriving at the center of the future alchemy factory, Ambrose saw Harvey holding a torch and directing the skeletons.

Seeing Ambrose arrive, Harvey hurried over. "Master, I've roughly planned the layout according to your instructions. Roughly half the intended space has been cleared out. The rest should be finished in half a month."

Ambrose nodded. "Well done. I knew you could work with the blueprint. I've brought back the mana extraction furnace. When it's time to install it, you'll supervise."

Harvey grimaced. "Master, please don't assign me something so important. I really can't understand alchemical blueprints."

Ambrose frowned. "But your zoning looks good."

Harvey smiled wryly. "I took my best guess with divination."

After Ambrose left, Harvey realized he couldn't understand the details of the blueprints at all, let alone make adjustments. He could only grasp the general idea of dividing the factory into sections.

Ambrose had tasked him with modifying the layout of the plans according to the structure of the underground city. Harvey had rolled dice.

At each building site, he rolled a die. Whatever section it landed on, he assigned that building and nearby areas accordingly.

After several exhausting days, he finally finished dividing everything up.

But supervising the installation of a mana extraction furnace? He didn't even know what it was. There was no way to "roll dice" for that.

After hearing this, Ambrose gaped. "I can't tell if you're a genius or an idiot. Is that really how divination should be used? Aren't you afraid the Goddess of Fate will smite you?"

What surprised him even more was Harvey's rapid growth. Had he managed to produce so many dice of fate that he could use it throughout the city and not run out?

Harvey sighed helplessly. "Master, please don't push me. I learn other spells quickly, but alchemy... I just don't get it."

He had once thought himself clever. After all, he had successfully entered the highly demanding field of divination and mastered it quickly.

But alchemy was different. It tested memory, not spellcasting ability.

Anyone could practice alchemy, even a commoner. But one had to memorize the properties, uses, processing methods, and precise data for every material.

That kind of rote memorization made Harvey dizzy. After two days, he gave up completely. He had no talent for it.

Ambrose tsked. "A waste of all the points you put into intelligence."

Harvey sighed. "Master, polymaths like you are rare."

That was a sincere compliment. After seeing Ambrose's study, Harvey understood that, though his master might not be the absolute best in any single field, his breadth of knowledge surpassed almost everyone's.

The gap between them was enormous. It would take Harvey centuries to even narrow the gap.

But Ambrose replied coldly, "Flattery doesn't work on me."

"Master, I mean it."

"Sincere flattery doesn't work, either."

......

Ambrose had lived long enough and met enough people to be immune to empty praise. If Harvey really wanted to impress him, a few thousand gold coins would be far more effective.

Still, seeing his student's struggle, Ambrose didn't push further. Some people simply lacked talent for alchemy.

"Fine. I'll give you another task. Go to the surface and investigate which alchemical potions are most commonly used among the desert folk. I want a detailed report on sales volume, prices, and user groups."

He pulled out a stack of parchment filled with densely written questions: a market research survey he had designed. To reopen the alchemy market, one had to adapt to local habits.

These tedious tasks were precisely what students were for.

Harvey accepted immediately. Fieldwork was easy, and returning to the surface was good for him. As a human, staying underground among undead for too long would harm his body.

"Understood, Master. I'll handle it."

"Good. Go." After dismissing him, Ambrose entered a massive building.

It resembled a religious structure from a lost civilization, its ceiling far higher than surrounding homes, its hall vast enough to house the entire mana extraction furnace. But there were no statues, and Ambrose lacked the archaeological knowledge to identify its purpose beyond that.

Once, the hall had been filled with golden benches and ornaments, but everything had since been removed.

Ambrose began drawing a teleportation array. The mana extraction furnace was enormous, and its components, taken together, were the size of a small mountain. Transporting and assembling it would be nearly impossible without teleportation.

Before he could finish, however, Heki suddenly appeared, brimming with excitement. "I've made a breakthrough! I think I've figured out why Arthur Lyon disappeared back then!"