...

Lynch exclaimed "Good!" several times in a row.

The intensity of this Hellhound’s Soul Fire, while still a notch below the Bone Jade, was far beyond what the Fish Priest’s mung-bean-sized Soul Fire could compare to.

It stood on all fours, its head slightly bowed, exuding a deathly aura far more ferocious than that of the Skeleton Wolf Cavalry.

Majestic and imposing!

Judging by the quality of its Soul Fire and its appearance, this was clearly an elite unit with immense potential, enough to become a core part of his fighting force.

Overjoyed, Lynch immediately issued a command through their spiritual link: "Lie down."

The Soul Fire in the skeletal Hellhound’s eyes flickered slightly. It then bent its forelegs, obediently lowering its body to the ground with its head bowed in a submissive posture.

"Good, good dog." Lynch was even more pleased. ’Its comprehension is quite good.’

Then, suppressing his excitement, he signaled for the spectating Skeleton Guards to move back a little. He walked over to the skeletal Hellhound and, with a hint of awkwardness, swung himself onto its back.

The skeletal Hellhound’s spine was wider and sturdier than he had expected. Although it was uncomfortable without any flesh for padding—a bit hard on the rear—it wasn’t a major issue. He just needed to have a saddle made for it.

"Stand up. Walk two laps, slowly," Lynch continued to command mentally.

The skeletal Hellhound pushed up with all four legs, rising steadily to its feet.

Lynch leaned forward slightly, grabbing two protruding vertebrae on its neck to keep his balance.

Then, under his command, the skeletal Hellhound began to stride forward, walking slowly around the camp.

Its steps were steady and powerful. Its dark red bones gleamed under the reflected light of the camp’s remaining fires, making it look majestic and imposing.

The Bear Goblin Skeletons, elite goblin Skeletons, and other guards followed closely behind, surrounding Lynch on his Hellhound. As they moved, a grim and mighty aura spontaneously arose.

’Now this is more like an Undead General heading out to battle.’ Lynch felt the stability and power of the mount beneath him, and a heroic feeling surged through his heart. Even the fatigue from the great battle seemed to dissipate significantly.

When the three young women saw this, they each had different expressions in their eyes.

Ophelia’s eyes glinted with deep envy.

As a Warrior, she had a natural affinity for powerful mounts. The skeletal Hellhound’s fierce appearance and the formidable aura it radiated both fascinated her.

She couldn’t help but start imagining how magnificent it would be if she also had a Hellhound mount to charge into battle with.

As for the Magical Maiden Lilith, her feelings were more of adoration and excitement.

’Not only is Senior powerful and a decisive commander, but now even his mount is so cool! He’s even more amazing than the protagonists in the adventure novels I’ve read.’

As she thought about it, her cheeks couldn’t help but flush red, and her eyes sparkled as if she was recalling certain scenes from those novels.

The Priest maiden, Avril, felt more conflicted and torn.

Looking at the skeletal Hellhound, which radiated a dense aura of death, and the black-robed Senior who rode it as if he were one with death itself, she couldn’t help but marvel at his imposing power.

But having been taught the ways of the Holy Light since childhood, she was reluctant to admit that Necromancers could also be such a formidable profession.

Under the watchful eyes of the three women and surrounded by a throng of Skeleton guards, Lynch rode the skeletal Hellhound for two short laps around the center of the camp to get a feel for controlling it. Only then did he dismount, completely satisfied.

He patted the Hellhound’s skull and said approvingly, "Good dog. From now on, you’re my exclusive mount and personal bodyguard. Do a good job, stick with me, and you’ll eat well and live well."

Avril, who was standing nearby, almost burst out laughing. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes and retort, "It’s a skeleton. How is it supposed to ’eat well and live well’..."

Lynch ignored her and immediately began directing his Skeletons to sweep the camp and search for loot.

Unfortunately, this was just a temporary camp set up by the goblins, not a long-established lair.

Aside from some loose change they scraped together, the biggest haul was just some grain and crude daily necessities. The total value came out to around a few dozen Gold Coins, which for the current Lynch was barely better than nothing.

However, when he and his Skeleton Guards kicked open a large shack in the corner of the camp, the scene inside made his expression instantly darken.

A strong, foul stench filled the shack.

By the light of a torch, he could see more than a dozen human women crammed inside, either sitting or lying down. They were dressed in rags, their eyes vacant.

They seemed to range in age from their teens to their thirties or forties. Their expressions were numb, as if they had lost all hope.

In a corner deeper inside the shack, several female corpses, already beginning to decompose, were carelessly piled up. The horrific sight... Lynch took one glance, couldn’t bear to look any longer, and quickly backed out.

He took a deep breath of fresh air, but the rage in his heart burned uncontrollably.

Although he had always known about the depraved nature of creatures like goblins, witnessing such a scene firsthand brought his disgust for this filthy race to a peak.

At that thought, he couldn’t stop himself from turning and kicking the goblin warrior skeleton. But after it fell, it simply scrambled back to its feet and continued to stand guard by his side, as loyal as ever.

Lynch was speechless.

’Forget it. All the goblins in this camp have been wiped out, so they’ve paid the price. There’s no point in getting worked up over them now.’

’I’ll just have to kill more goblins when I get the chance.’

"Ophelia, Lilith, Avril," Lynch said in a heavy voice. "You three, come over here. Take care of the... people inside. Comfort them, give them some food and water. As for the bodies... Avril, I’ll leave them to you..."

Hearing Lynch’s summons, the three young women walked over and glanced inside the shack. Their faces immediately turned deathly pale.

Ophelia clenched her fists, Lilith covered her mouth, and Avril’s eyes reddened as she softly recited a Holy Light Prayer.

They then set about settling the rescued women.

Avril proved to be the most useful. With her holy Priest robes, approachable appearance, and the occasional use of Holy Light to soothe the women, it wasn’t long before they were sleeping soundly in a cleaned-out shack.

Next was the cremation of the bodies.

Before the cremation, Avril purified each of them with the Holy Light, kneeling the entire time to pray for them.

Hmm...

’This is probably the first time I’ve ever felt that the Holy Light was actually useful for something.’

By the time all the arrangements were handled, the sky was already beginning to lighten with the dawn.

Hank and a dozen or so militiamen arrived at the outskirts of the camp at the agreed-upon time, pulling a few crude flatbed carts.

Lynch entrusted the entire cleanup to them. He stipulated that ninety percent of the ordinary loot from the camp and the supplies left by the goblins were to be used to care for the victims. The remaining ten percent was for their trouble.

Lynch wasn’t worried about them skimming off the top. To be honest, there weren’t many commoners who would dare to get any funny ideas in front of a Necromancer.

After giving his instructions, he gathered the three young women—who were exhausted, but whose eyes now held a new maturity and resolve—and found a clean, sheltered spot nearby to set up a simple, temporary camp.

They lit a campfire, boiled some hot soup, and shared their rations. Then, under the protection of the skeleton army, they rested.

Lynch, for his part, directly entered a state of Meditation.

「Half a day passed.」

When Lynch opened his eyes again, his spiritual energy was mostly recovered, and his Mana was basically full.

He looked at the three young women. Their complexions had improved significantly.

"How are you feeling?" Lynch asked.

"No problem, Senior!" Ophelia pumped her fist, full of energy.

"Ready to go anytime." Lilith also stood up, Magic Staff in hand, brimming with vitality.

Avril also gave a soft nod. She gripped the Holy Emblem on her chest, her gaze calmer and more resolute than before.

"Good." Lynch stood up, patted the spine of the skeletal Hellhound beside him, and swung himself onto its back. "Then let’s go pay a visit to this ancient noble’s resting place."

At that moment. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Lynch felt a sense of anticipation.

Could the wealth of "Ashbringer" Lester truly be in this ancient tomb!?

...