Chapter 74: The King of Figurines—Will the Lord of the Undead Accept This Deal?

"You are all excellent warriors. I am Abdullah, lord of the Menak Dynasty." The undead lord looked at the travelers brandishing their power swords, his tone cool and utterly unafraid.

"What are you up to?" Wang Ming asked, curiosity in his gaze.

From the beginning, this undead lord had done nothing threatening, merely conversed with the travelers, and had even offered a polite introduction.

"I admire strong warriors. I wish to spar with the most formidable among you. If he can defeat me, I will lead my people away from this planet," the undead lord declared, calm even as the travelers began to surround him.

"Boss, smash him!" Hu Jin burst out from the group, addressing Wang Ming.

Wang Ming shot him a speechless glance—if he could simply kill the lord, why bother with a duel?

"Alright." Though he had no intention of dueling the undead lord, Wang Ming decided to indulge this courteous alien.

He hefted the golden greatsword and strode toward the undead lord, who in turn drew his weapon—a Star God phase sword engraved with necromantic runes.

"Please," Abdullah said to Wang Ming, retaining the manners and habits of his pre-undead era despite his transformation into a space necromancer.

Wang Ming nodded in acknowledgment, then wasted no words. He stepped forward and swung the golden sword straight at the undead lord's head.

"Impressive strength." The undead lord raised his Star God phase sword, attempting to block the blow with effortless grace. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to activate the blade; there wasn't even a switch turned on.

Wang Ming's strike sent the undead lord flying, crashing into a black stone obelisk at the center of the plaza. Half his body was embedded in the monument, and his Star God phase sword clattered to the ground in front of Wang Ming.

"Is that all?"

Wang Ming picked up the fallen phase sword, looked at Abdullah—now motionless, half-buried in the obelisk—and was at a loss for words. He had expected a fierce battle given Abdullah's composed demeanor, but reality proved otherwise.

He tossed the phase sword to Hu Jin and took out a translucent green cube, beginning to operate it.

"Hey! Talaxin, are you there?"

Wang Ming spoke into the green cube.

"Did you catch Roja?" came a cheerful voice after half a minute.

"Not yet, but I've captured a Menak Dynasty undead lord. Interested?" Wang Ming replied, eyeing Abdullah, still stuck in the obelisk.

After a brief silence, a green teleportation beam appeared beside Wang Ming. The Endless One, Talaxin, emerged from it.

Talaxin didn't immediately look at the undead lord; instead, his eyes sparkled as he gazed at the travelers, pulling out his own green cube, eager to try it out.

"Da-da-da..." Wang Ming tapped Talaxin's arm with the golden greatsword.

"Don't even think about it," he said, knocking Talaxin's arm while speaking.

Talaxin turned, saw Wang Ming, and reluctantly put away the green cube. Following Wang Ming's guidance, he walked to the black stone obelisk where Abdullah was embedded.

"Isn't this Abdullah?" Talaxin remarked, reaching out to pull him free.

Chunks of black stone fell to the ground as Abdullah was extracted and tossed onto the plaza. Slowly, Abdullah began to move again.

"Endless One, Talaxin? Give back my things!" The moment he saw Talaxin, Abdullah lunged at him, but Talaxin pinned him to the ground with one hand.

Wang Ming observed their actions and words, sensing a history between the two.

"Talaxin! Return my collection!" Abdullah shouted, pinned like a child whose toy had been stolen.

"I merely rescued those invaluable relics from a philistine like you," Talaxin replied helplessly, his tone not at all that of a thief, but rather righteously indignant.

"So, Talaxin," Wang Ming approached Talaxin and asked.

"You are a formidable warrior," Abdullah praised Wang Ming before Talaxin could speak.

Talaxin, hearing Abdullah’s compliment, shook his head.

"It’s just you—your combat ability is abysmal, and you don’t even realize it," Talaxin said as he released Abdullah.

"He was converted as a child. Afterward, his parents ordered him into hibernation. He worships powerful warriors, and before his conversion, he studied combat techniques and the ancient noble fighting rituals of the undead. But as you’ve seen, his combat prowess leaves much to be desired," Talaxin explained to Wang Ming, giving context for Abdullah’s lackluster fighting skills.

"Oh," Wang Ming nodded in understanding.

"By the way, I’ve scanned a starship in orbit I’ve never seen before. Judging by its insignia, it must be yours?" Talaxin abruptly changed the topic to the "Imperial Truth," an "Age of Gold" human federation warship he hoped to add to his collection.

"Yes, what about it?" Wang Ming replied, fully aware of Talaxin’s intentions—the calculation was written all over his face.

"I hope you’ll let me have one for my collection. Such historically significant artifacts deserve to be properly preserved," Talaxin said earnestly, hoping Wang Ming would appreciate his dedication to "preserving relics."

The calculation was now unmistakably clear.

"Alright, but you’ll have to trade for it," Wang Ming said helplessly, watching the perennial collector.

"What do you want?" Talaxin asked, probing for a deal.

"The phase sword," Wang Ming stated his terms.