CHAPTER 181: CHAPTER181-VOID TOWER

Kalthor’s skin?

Daniel paused, thinking for a moment, then suddenly recalled something.

Wait a second—when he was creating [New Life], one of its arms had been made from Kalthor’s flesh!

With that realization, he vanished in a flash and reappeared in the northern territories of the human realm. There, he quickly sliced off a small section of skin from [New Life]’s arm.

This material was surprisingly easy to obtain.

Next on the list was a much more intimidating requirement: ten million souls.

But for Daniel, this wasn’t even a challenge.

He had already entrusted Emperor of the Abyss, Malkar, with setting up several soul collectors deep within the abyss. In fact, after the last explosion caused by the Primordial Core Weapon in the abyss’s lower regions, those collectors had gathered an overwhelming number of souls.

So many, in fact, that fulfilling the ten-million quota would barely scratch the surface of what had already been stored—less than a tenth, even.

As for the final ingredient—undead materials—Daniel considered it a non-issue.

With the City of the Undead now under his control, all he had to do was casually cast a few area spells, and the required materials would pile up in no time.

Following Daniel’s orders, several of his clones split off in multiple directions to begin gathering the remaining materials.

Meanwhile, Daniel’s true body made its way to the Star Upgrade Hall.

"Begin the next phase of the Star Upgrade Quest."

...

In the territory of the demon clan—

Charles was lounging comfortably, sipping red wine, when Daniel suddenly materialized in front of him.

The sight startled Charles so much that he nearly dropped his glass.

"Daniel! Could you not keep doing that? You’re going to give me a heart attack!"

To be fair, it wasn’t just Daniel’s sudden appearance that had shaken him. It was also the lingering fear from witnessing the terrifying power of the Primordial Core Weapon just moments ago.

Thankfully, with his T20 strength, Charles managed to keep himself composed—at least outwardly.

"I just like to be efficient," Daniel replied flatly.

Charles tightened his grip on the stem of his glass, then forced a smile.

"Well, that’s certainly a noble trait. But surely you didn’t come all this way just to show up unannounced again?"

"You’re not here to inform me the Primordial Core Weapon has been activated, are you? Because believe me—I saw it. We all saw it."

Daniel raised an eyebrow at Charles’ dramatic interpretation but said nothing to correct him. Instead, he calmly said,

"I’m here for information. Do you know anything about the Undead Lands?"

"Also, if you have any intel on the Book of Souls, that would be helpful too."

As a merchant and a god devotee, Charles had access to plenty of intelligence sources. Asking him wasn’t just a shot in the dark—Daniel genuinely expected some answers.

Charles’ face twisted into a well-practiced smile—the kind merchants used when business was about to begin.

"My honored guest," he said cheerfully, "information is a product like any other. Since you’re seeking knowledge, I assume you’re prepared to make a deal?"

"After all, business is business."

...

In the northern human territories—

When the Human Emperor heard Daniel’s inquiry, he wore a thoughtful expression.

"So, Daniel... what is it this time?"

"The Undead Lands are not a trivial place. I don’t know much myself, but I urge you to act cautiously."

"That said, I’m not trying to restrict you. I’ll ask around for you. But you know how it is—even the old scholars in the Royal Society might need some time to dig up the answers."

...

In the elven realm—

Upon learning of Daniel’s purpose, the Elven Queen frowned lightly.

"To be honest, I don’t know much about the Undead Lands either. But I’ll do everything in my power to find information for you."

"Oh, and Daniel—there’s something else I wanted to discuss with you, but I’m not quite ready to bring it up yet."

"Go handle your affairs. I’ll contact you as soon as I learn anything new."

...

Among the orcs—

Ally nestled against Daniel like a lazy cat, rubbing against his chest.

"Mew~ Daniel, you’re amazing. I already saw the chaos you stirred up!"

"But why are you asking about the Undead Lands? From what I’ve heard, that place is nothing short of a nightmare."

"I only know a little—gods have mentioned it once or twice in passing. It’s said to be a... special realm."

"Something about it being a different dimension altogether!"

"If you really need info on the Undead Lands, I’ll do my best to look into it for you."

"Wait, WHAT?! You want me to ask Her Grace Luna directly?! Are you insane?! Why would a god answer someone like me?!"

...

Back in the abyss—

Malkar was now incredibly deferential toward Daniel.

"Don’t worry, my friend. If you need something, I will give it my utmost attention."

"The moment you mentioned it, I already ordered abyssal agents to search for clues about the Undead Lands."

"If any information surfaces, I’ll inform you immediately."

...

Daniel was no longer the young upstart he once was.

Though it had only been a little over a day, his connections now spanned the entire world.

Among the myriad races and even in the abyss, there were those who admired him—and, of course, those who resented him.

But for now, the latter could only hide in the shadows, trembling in fear.

Because they all knew just how influential Daniel had become.

To be honest, if it were only about raw strength, Daniel would not have earned such universal respect.

No matter how powerful he was, his individual strength had limited impact on the everyday lives of others.

What truly brought him this unmatched prestige was the Infinite Divine Temple.

The masses of ordinary people who became its followers received substantial benefits—and they remembered where those benefits came from.

Pragmatic and clever, humans only cared about one thing: personal gain.

Daniel brought them tangible benefits. So naturally, they supported him.

But if the day came when Daniel could no longer offer anything of value, they wouldn’t hesitate to kick him to the curb.

That was reality—cruel, but undeniable.

...

Almost at the same time, a towering new structure appeared beside Winterhold Castle.

A massive Void Tower had materialized, standing right next to the Infinite Divine Temple.

Its sudden emergence startled many nearby awakeners.

"What the hell is that?! Where did it come from?!"

"It’s right next to the Infinite Divine Temple. There’s no doubt—it must’ve been built under Daniel’s orders."

"Yeah, only he has the authority to do something like this."

"Void Tower... what a strange name."

"Anyone know what it does?"

"Should we go check it out?"

"Let’s go! I have a feeling this thing is going to be amazing!"