"That's not fair," Gladys protested on behalf of Luo Wei. "Why do you have to guess both to win? It should be counted separately."

Theodore disagreed, "We originally agreed that both had to be guessed. Gladys, you're just trying to cheat."

"I am not! You're the one cheating."

"No, you're cheating."

"It's you who's cheating!" Gladys was so angry that her ears almost popped out. She frowned and argued with Theodore, "The ten copper coins were between you and Hol. The bet with Luo Wei was for a single request."

Theodore rolled his eyes. "No, it was a joint bet between Hol and me against Luo Wei. She has to guess both to win the stakes; otherwise, it doesn't count!"

Gladys argued with reason, "You didn't say that earlier. You're being a sore loser!"

"How about this: we'll give Luo Wei three chances. If she can't guess in three tries, then she loses," Theodore suggested after consulting with Hol.

"No need," Luo Wei smiled faintly. "I've already guessed it."

"Are you sure?" Theodore didn't believe her. "Then tell us, what is it?"

"A Lich."

Luo Wei turned to Hol. "You're a Lich, aren't you?"

Hol smiled and nodded.

"What? How did you figure that out?" Theodore was frustrated.

His ten copper coins! That was his food money for two days!

Gladys was curious too. "Luo Wei, how did you know he's a Lich?"

Luo Wei generously explained, "I once heard that humans have an innate genetic reaction: when they see a corpse of their kind, they have a 'phantom smell' of decay. This is a neural response that no fragrance can cover, and only the smell of human excrement can mask it."

"I've never experienced it myself, but I remembered this fact and took a lucky guess."

"One guess and you got it right? That's amazing," Theodore marveled.

Hol, on the other hand, said slowly, "Miss Luo Wei is truly knowledgeable."

"Luo Wei, you're so clever!" Gladys praised.

Luo Wei remained modest. "Just lucky. I happened to have read about it."

Previously, while researching information about the Blessed Ones and the Dark Gods, Luo Wei had come across a mention of a Lich God in the Dark God's faction. This immediately reminded her of the "Lich" concept from *World of Warcraft*.

In common online literature, a Lich is often depicted as a mystical undead formed from the corpses of powerful monks or wizards. From a physical standpoint, they are dead, but their souls remain trapped in their bodies, rendering them immortal.

Liches typically reside in dark, deep dungeons or haunt damp, cold forests or swamps. They possess immense magical power and are covered in corpse poison.

However, the Liches of this world were somewhat different. They were the descendants of a cursed witch and a swamp dryad.

The curse placed by the gods ensured that the witch's child would be born mutated, slowly decaying into a corpse.

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Later, the cursed witch coupled with a swamp dryad, giving birth to half-witch, half-dryad children. These hybrids were born as corpses but did not rot and inherited the dryads' ability for asexual reproduction, thus forming the Lich race.

Liches worship the Lich God, who is also a Dark God. This deity ranks among the "Top Five Evil Gods," even above the Wolf God.

As for Luo Wei's patron deity, the Soul God, they topped the "Evil God Rankings," a name that struck fear into people's hearts, akin to a rat crossing the street, with everyone clamoring to kill it.

Below the Soul God were the Plague God in second place, the Lust God in third, and the Slaughter God in fourth.

The higher a god's rank, the fewer their followers and the greater the fear they instilled in humanity.

Luo Wei sighed inwardly. Among their group of four, three were followers of Dark Gods. Except for the sea demon Theodore, the other three worshipped gods ranked in the top ten of the Evil God list.

Gladys and Hol, in particular, were maxed out on "buffs" (maximum damage potential): not only were they non-human, but they also worshipped Dark Gods. If caught, they'd be executed without question.

With the bet concluded, Hol turned to Theodore to claim his winnings.

"Senior, where are my ten copper coins?" He extended his hand expectantly.

Theodore, with a darkened face, searched himself thoroughly and reluctantly handed over ten copper coins.

Hol smiled apologetically and took the coins without hesitation.

Luo Wei's lips twitched. No wonder they bet ten copper coins—it turned out that was all Theodore had on him.

Now Theodore was penniless. He was already contemplating where to dig for wild vegetables tomorrow.

Unfortunately, it was winter, and wild vegetables were scarce. He might have to dig up tree roots instead.

"And your wager too," Gladys reminded them.

Theodore snorted. "I never said I wouldn't honor it!"

He turned to Luo Wei. "Luo Wei, what do you want? Just say it. As long as it's something I can do, I'll fulfill it!"

"I haven't thought of anything yet. Can I let you know when I do?" Luo Wei asked.

"Sure!" Theodore agreed readily.

Hol also looked at Luo Wei. "Miss Luo Wei, for the next seven days, I am your servant."

"You may command me to do anything."

Luo Wei raised an eyebrow. "Anything?"

"Yes." Hol smiled innocently.

"Alright, then go home tonight, take a bath, and change your clothes. I'll tell you what to do tomorrow."

Luo Wei had already decided how to use him. Since Liches were proficient in black magic, she could have him awaken Rosie's magic. That shouldn't be too much to ask, right?

This was also her way of offering a bargaining chip. After learning the identities of these three, she felt it necessary to gain their trust by revealing some of her own vulnerabilities.

As for Axina, her identity as a "Princess of the Fog Empire" might keep Axina wary for a while, but there was always the slight possibility that she might suddenly decide to eliminate her.

Though that possibility was slim.

If Axina wanted to kill her, she'd have to consider whether she could also take out Gladys. Unless she could bring Gladys over to her side.

After Theodore and Hol introduced their backgrounds, Gladys and Luo Wei briefly shared theirs as well.

Not that they needed to; Theodore and Hol already knew. One was the daughter of the strongest northern tribe's leader, and the other a mysterious princess of the Fog Empire. Who in the academy didn't know their names?

After their conversation ended, the sky was almost dark. The four of them paired up and headed back to their respective dormitories.

A few hundred meters down the road, Theodore turned his head and asked, "Didn't you say last time not to reveal our identities to others? Why did you encourage me to tell Luo Wei today?"

Hol's ever-constant smile remained. "Last time, you impulsively drove her away, leaving just the three of us in the attic. Today, she learned Gladys's secret. It wouldn't take much for her to suspect us. Better to tell her proactively and build a good relationship with her."

"My instincts tell me she has secrets of her own. I'll use these seven days to probe her background."

"As expected of a Lich," Theodore remarked, "your heart is truly dark!"

Hol graciously accepted the compliment.

The next day, after finishing her Magic Glyphs class, Luo Wei saw a clean and fresh-looking boy with light golden hair waiting outside the classroom.

Hol had changed into his best coarse linen clothes and swapped his shoes for wooden clogs. The foul smell was gone, replaced by a refreshing herbal fragrance.

"Miss Luo Wei, is there anything you'd like me to do for you today?" he asked.