"Damn!" Professor cursed inwardly. Surprisingly, the weight of the bones was heavier than expected, and the professor had actually started to sweat after a few minutes of dragging it.

"Hmm...There's definitely something unusual about this corpse. Maybe it's the bones of Qi Master?" a realization struck the professor as he immediately proceeded to drag the corpse, "If this really is the corpse of a powerful person, then I've hit the jackpot," he added with a wicked grin.

He had understood the abnormality of this corpse from the moment he saw its structure. Professor tried to pretend that the bones were worthless so Katherine wouldn't take an interest in them as well.

Even if they cooperated with each other, he wouldn't be so shallow as to leave all good things to the Romulus Kingdom.

-

After a few minutes, Professor finally reached the familiar, moody road, where Katherine was waiting for him. She held Fenrir in one of her hands as she gently slid her finger through his fur.

"I thought you were joking, Professor," she said, "You realize that we have plenty of good quality bones in our kingdom. There is no need to bring this one back"

"Personal purposes," the professor dragged the corpse to the golden carriage and tossed it in the back seat next to the three different animals, "We can depart back to the kingdom"

"Mhh..." Katherine didn't ask any more questions but still glanced at the corpse. She knew that the professor was not a stupid person and every move he made had its own reason. However, she simply couldn't fathom the purpose of bringing this corpse.

The professor smiled faintly before jumping into the driver's seat and picking up the whip, "Shall we get going, Princess?"

After Katherine settled into the passenger seat, the carriage began to move, with professor constantly whipping the struggling horses. Beneath Katherine's feet, Fenrir could be seen howling weakly as he tried to crawl away.

However, with each stride Fenrir took, Katherine would mercilessly step on him, applying more force each time.

'Why did she even need a pet if this was how she was going to treat him?' Professor thought, occasionally glancing at the deplorable scene. He wasn't the nicest person either, but all of his actions had a purpose. Katherine, on the other hand, just seemed to enjoy being cruel.

"So, Professor Kelton, what's the personal reason for bringing this body here?" Katherine asked with coldness filling her eyes.

'Damn, she's not going to let it go unnoticed, is she?' Professor sighed as he answered, "It's personal for a reason."

"Professor Kelton, since we're cooperating with each other, I think any secrets between us should perish." Katherine kicked Fenrir again, who howled in pain, "My oldest brother wouldn't want any puzzles between us either," she added, paying special attention to the 'brother' part.

'Bitch!' Kelton cursed inwardly. Maybe he wasn't that afraid of Katherine, but her brother was a different case altogether.

"I...I see," Professor Kelton said, "This corpse has bones that are sturdier than any I've ever seen, and there's a slight hint of Qi gathering around it."

"Does that mean..." a sudden realization struck Katherine.

"Yes, this person might have been a powerful Qi cultivator before his death" he added as he tilted his glasses slightly, "I was going to use these bones to create a weapon and maybe do some research with it."

"Mhh... I see," Katherine nodded as her face resumed its usual playfulness, "Even though this kind of material is rare, you can keep it for yourself. I hope this gift will encourage you to reach the current goal faster."

'Gift? I found it first!' Kelton wanted to shout but managed to keep it to himself. He then nodded and whipped the horses from behind while Katherine continued to 'play' with Fenrir.

-

Romulus Kingdom was one of the poorest and most desolate kingdoms on the whole continent. Barren land and a gloomy atmosphere caused most people to not even approach this kingdom.

However, that wasn't the biggest problem. Since the death of Romulus King, many other kingdoms have tried to attack and conquer this land, resulting in failure every time.

Although the state of the Kingdom of Romulus was slowly decaying, it did not change the fact that the royal family was incredibly powerful, especially the king's two sons who were growing stronger with each passing day.

Wanting to increase the kingdom's prestige and improve the current state, three siblings secretly met with the famous Professor Kelton and made an unthinkable plan that would shake the entire world if succeeded.

They wanted to go against nature itself and extract the divine powers from the beasts. This way, many warriors and even the kingdoms would try to establish good relations with Romulus Kingdom, improving their ecosystem until they would eventually rise above others.

However, the extraction was not feasible for a certain reason. Since divine powers are bound to the soul, it is practically impossible to forcibly remove them from the body.

Therefore, the state of the kingdom was deteriorating even faster than before, and resources were slowly running out. Princess Katherine herself needed to hunt down these beasts so that the professor's experiments wouldn't stop.

-

After a few hours, the carriage finally reached its destination. Huge walls surrounded the kingdom on all sides, keeping it concealed from the passerby's. Kelton whipped the horses quicker at the sight of the kingdom, his eyes filled with concupiscence.

"Open the gate!" shouted the guard when he saw the golden carriage come into view.

Screech! Screech!

The gate instantly plunged, creating an unpleasant noise. Horses in front of the carriage didn't even stop for a second and continued marching towards the interior of the kingdom, not bothering to stop and greet the hardworking guards.

The inside of the kingdom seemed even more desolate than the forest outside. Not even a soul could be seen, only darkness spreading in every corner.

A huge castle in the center of the kingdom was the only place that looked more or less lively since Katherine had hired many warriors and other servants just to fill the place.

-"The royal family?"

-"What are they doing out here?"

-"I heard they were hunting beasts in the nearby forest."

Various murmurs spread through the area after Princess Katherine's arrival. All the people chatting were dressed in torn clothes, and some were even completely naked.

Since the fall of Romulus Kingdom, many commoners, who couldn't pay taxes in other kingdoms, moved here. This also caused crime in the kingdom to rise by an inexplicable degree.

"Scum," Katherine grunted in disgust. In her eyes, commoners were nothing more than parasites who should be killed immediately. However, she had to control herself, at least before Kelton successfully extracted the first divine power.

After passing through another gate, Katherine and Kelton reached the castle as they were greeted by the guards dressed in dark armor.

"Take these three beasts to the professor's room...this corpse as well," Katherine said somewhat unwillingly.

"Yes, Princess Katherine" the guards replied in sync and moved to the back of the carriage. They were surprised at the unusual weight of the corpse but didn't bother to ask any questions since it was none of their business.

"Since there are no further questions, I will begin my research right away," Professor Kelton said, jumping off the carriage.

"Excellent. I will come after a few hours to check on your progress, and I hope to see some results" Katherine threw Fenrir to the ground as he landed with a soft thud.

'Impatient woman.' Kelton said inwardly as he marched towards the castle, not bothering to say anything more to Katherine.

"I'll start your training, doggie" Katherine kicked Fenrir in the stomach, sending him flying a few feet away, "If I like your performance, I might even give you a name."

-

After a few minutes of walking, Kelton had reached the spacious room as the familiar smell of sweat and blood nudged his nose. Looking around, everything seemed to be the same as it was before he left, many different beasts were plastered on the walls, their bodies covered in blood.

In the center of the room was a strange stone that was continuously glowing with a different color, seemingly pulsating.

"Professor, where should we put these beasts...and the corpse?" three guards asked.

"Just throw them in the corner somewhere," Kelton muttered as he moved to the center of the room, his eyes fixed on the shimmering gem. A little saliva dripped down from his mouth, landing on the floor with a soft plop.

Guards promptly cornered the beasts, placing the skeleton beneath the monsters.

"Good luck, Sir!" guards said before leaving the room. Seeing this mad professor have a climax while looking at the glowing gem didn't give the guards too much pleasure.

"Hehe...then let's begin!" Kelton laughed out loud as his gaze fell on the corner where the beasts lay. He promptly picked up one of the beasts and hung it on the wall.

While Kelton began his research...

Twitch!

....the skull that was buried underneath the thick bodies of the beasts suddenly moved.