Academic gathering with a lich

The intimate interaction with the Giant Dragon lasted for nearly an hour, and realizing that time was up, the fervent Giant Dragon shifted into teacher mode, that is, the original mode of the gentle elder.

He walked with Lyle through the corridors of the castle, constantly introducing matters related to the upcoming lesson.

"Our classroom is on the underground level of the castle. The public recruitment teaching of Andrey is different from the ordinary master-apprentice relationship. We will strictly follow the schedule set by Andrey for the courses, and the timetable will be distributed to those independent members. As for those who have joined clubs, a senior will inform you. The public lessons will cover some relatively simple knowledge, of course, that doesn't mean they aren't important, they are the foundation, the cornerstone of your future."

The underground level of Andrey's castle seemed a bit eerie, there were no glow bats for illumination but primitive fire torches instead, and heaven knows what they used as fuel, as the flames emitted a sinister blue light.

Lyle felt a little apprehensive inside.

The Giant Dragon opened the classroom door.

The room was already full of people standing rigidly at their respective places, orderly and lifelessly like puppets, which startled Lyle with their silence.

Especially when the creaking sound of the door opening shattered the quiet inside, the faces behind the masks of those students all turned towards Lyle, following his movement.

The Giant Dragon didn't show any excessive reaction to this scene, he led Lyle to the podium while pushing him into a seat near the podium, the student who originally stood there didn't say anything, silently making room for Lyle.

Lyle meant to express his thanks, but he almost bit his tongue when he saw what was placed on his desk—a skeletal frame, seeming like that of a small dog less than half a meter tall.

Why would there be bones on the seat?

Lyle looked at the student next to him for an explanation, only to see, at the front end of his desk, another set of bones, those of a mouse.

Lyle looked behind him, skeletons of a rabbit, a snake, a chicken—every student had one in front of them.

This was definitely not some prank by the students, so Lyle looked at the Giant Dragon, who was walking on the podium.

These then, were the teaching materials.

"Spirit Summoning Studies, a course on attaching spirits to physical objects. I am the Giant Dragon, your lecturer. Today, we will start the first lesson of Spirit Summoning Studies, that is, awakening the spirits lingering on physical substances..."

Spiritism.

Awakening the souls of the dead and binding them to skeletons, if one were to rank the methods desecrating the dead, this would undoubtedly be among the first few.

So just like that, in a daze, was he about to change his profession to a Necromancer?

"The animal skeletons laid out on your desks have been collected by me, and that is our main topic for tonight. I will explain the process in detail, and you will carry out the practical operation. Don't worry, it's not difficult."

"Oh, and since these animals died naturally, the likelihood of them being awakened will be reduced by a notch. Only the skeletons filled with resentment are the easiest to awaken."

"Let me emphasize here, even though it is scholarly research, I do not allow you to torture animals to death for experiments in private. Defy my rules," the Giant Dragon's voice lowered, as if there was a fierce wolf grinding its teeth in his throat, "and the consequences will be severe."

Lyle shuddered, and the other students hastily nodded, worthy of being the animal lover Giant Dragon.

"The formation of a spell requires a medium, and for you beginners, that would be a magic wand."

"This is also the reason I explain the resurrection of corpses first in my first lesson, because the making of a magic wand is very similar to this spell. As a member of Andrey, making your own magic wand, that's what truly means to initiate."

"This is my advice, as the magic wand requires good conductivity..."

"So, the best materials for your staves should be human remains. Current data proves that magic wands made from human bones are of superior quality..."

"Giant Dragon Professor," a student raised their hand, "I've read in related books that the body parts of magical creatures, like sea monsters and dryads, have much superior magic conductivity than human parts..."

Mr. Lyle could be certain that Professor Giant Dragon was pushing his own agenda.

"Indeed, those magical creatures are superior, but they also hold the greatest risk of losing control. Only human remains are most suitable for beginners like you."

"Among them, wands made from finger bones are more suited for casting delicate spells, spinal bones for energy conduction, leg bones for solidifying spells, and hand bones for destructive spells."

"But Giant Dragon Professor, I haven't seen many seniors with magic wands at Andrey."

"That's because they have adapted to casting spells without wands. Your affinity for magic power decides whether you need a wand as an assistive medium. A magic wand is like an orthotic and an amplifier. To abandon it, you will have to at least reach the level of a Great Wizard... only then."

"Mr. Giant Dragon," Lyle raised his own hand, "Can the wand be made from wood? I have no means to obtain human bones." Who in their right mind would use human bones for a wand?

"Ah, Plague Doctor, a wand can be made from wood, walnut or oak are both fine, but the effect will actually be somewhat inferior, and you don't need to worry about the source of the material," the Giant Dragon Professor seemed to laugh, "You can use my spine or femur."

…

A sidelong glance was given to the leg portions of Professor Giant Dragon's doll-like attire; he must have been speaking of the femurs he collected, but it felt strange.

"Please allow me to decline."

"However, Giant Dragon Professor, you haven't explained the connection between crafting a magic wand and reviving corpses."

"A magic wand is an extension of your limbs. In order to create a wand that is uniquely yours, we impress our own mark upon it, and that is a part of your soul."

"This involves a part of Spirituality. The definition of a soul is actually rather vague, but we only need the part that we are sure of, that is, the constituents of the soul, including memory and self-awareness."

"Memories can be forgotten, but they don't degrade. The self, on the other hand, can change, can vanish."

"The bones of the dead will contain the soul of the living, which includes memories and self."

"Resurrecting a body involves a contentious view within Spirit Summoning Studies."

"When a person dies, memories are etched upon the bones, that is a lock; and self is the key. If after death, enough self is preserved, then this key will open your lock, you will remember who you are, what you want to do, and then manipulate the corpse to stand up again. This is what Liches are."

"The resurrection of a corpse is similar. You use your own self to create a key to unlock another's lock."

"At that point, the corpse is under your control, even if it has its own memories, it will obey you."

"Currently, Spirit Summoning Studies has two schools of thought regarding this spell. One believes that the invading self stimulates the original person's self, leading to the revival of the corpse, making this skeleton merely another person we enslave. This is also why you've heard of instances where the deceased betray their masters."

"Another believes that our self is the true master of that body. It is our self that uses its memories to control the body, akin to an avatar of our own, hence it obeys our commands. As for betrayal, it is because that version of yourself has been influenced by the memories; your self has been tainted into another person."

"Despite the difference in opinions, one thing is clear: Resurrecting a corpse requires the investment of a soul, which is remarkably similar to creating a magic wand."

"It's just that one involves imparting something with an owner, and the other involves something without."