Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The crimson moon overhead appeared to have dimmed slightly. Time flowed differently here than outside: they had clearly entered in the afternoon, yet it now resembled the dead of night.

Magic practice was drawing to a close. Lou Guanyue could now cast the Fireball Spell effortlessly—drawing magic runes as naturally as breathing, no longer requiring lengthy incantations.

Moreover, he could even control the fireball’s size, expanding or shrinking it at will. Just moments earlier, an enormous fireball had nearly singed Arnold’s scalp.

Watching calmly as Lou Guanyue tossed the fireball about like a toy, Pelan spoke with the detached tone one might use to remark on a trivial matter:

“You’re exceptionally talented.”

A delighted smile flickered across Lou Guanyue’s lips. “Among all the mages you’ve taught, am I your most talented student?”

Pelan regarded him silently for a moment before replying, “Yes. Yet, at most, you remain merely a magic apprentice—for you are the first and only student I have ever taught.”

Lou Guanyue showed no disappointment. Instead, his eyes gleamed with eager anticipation as he looked at Pelan. “Then, Master, may I learn a new spell? I wish to become a mage as quickly as possible.”

Pelan shook his head. “Let’s hold off on new spells for now. Instead, I’ll teach you how to strengthen your mental power through meditation.”

Mental power was paramount for any mage. Without sufficient mental strength, one could neither absorb elemental energies nor convert them into usable mana—and thus could never become a qualified mage.

Pelan did not merely explain the theory behind enhancing mental power; he also shared his personal insights on meditation and practical techniques for wielding mental energy—freely and without reservation.

He taught earnestly; Lou Guanyue listened intently. Later, even Arnold shamelessly edged closer to eavesdrop.

Pelan made no move to shoo him away, continuing his lecture with unwavering seriousness. Once he confirmed Lou Guanyue had grasped the essentials, he ceased elaborating further—and instead began imparting general knowledge about the Yakalanst continent.

This portion held Arnold’s attention—not boring him to sleep, as he realized much of what Pelan described was knowledge he’d never bothered to acquire, and some concepts were entirely new to him.

For instance, dwarves’ longstanding animosity toward elves stemmed not only from elven arrogance but also from fundamentally divergent conceptions of “life.”

Most elves were born from the Elven Mother Tree. They believed plants possessed vibrant vitality—unlike soulless stones. Dwarves, however, held that ores and mountains likewise harbored life. Neither side could persuade the other, and this dispute had raged since long before the Great Cataclysm.

Arnold curled his lip inwardly. “A stone is just a stone. Even if you smelt it in a forge for ten thousand years, it won’t develop a soul!”

After he finished speaking, silence fell between them for a moment. Lou Guanyue smiled. “What you said makes perfect sense, Master.”

Indeed, the elves bore deep grudges over precisely this question—even half-elves were no exception.

Despite being his first time teaching, Pelan’s instruction proved remarkably effective. After class, Arnold awkwardly expressed his gratitude and asked several clarifying questions about points he hadn’t fully understood. Satisfied, he rose to his feet, intending to seize this opportunity to explore other parts of the castle.

He had barely stood when Pelan asked, “Aside from being unable to leave the castle’s vicinity, does the Wraith possess any other weaknesses?”

This was the reward Pelan had promised for helping him locate that elf. Arnold understood—they were now preparing to discuss how to deal with the Wraith.

He paused thoughtfully before answering, “Whenever I enter this space, the Wraith almost never appears before me directly. Instead, it uses the slave mark and the magic circle to drag me outside the castle. It rarely leaves the castle itself—spending most of its time in the chapel atop the tower. Each time, it only releases a fraction of its spectral forms to hunt for… food.”

Lou Guanyue raised an eyebrow slightly. “If you’re always dragged outside the castle, how do you know it resides in the chapel?”

“I climbed the stone staircase to the upper floors upon my first arrival at the castle,” Arnold replied solemnly.

“At that time, I arrived alongside an adventurer party. After entering the castle, we barely managed to defeat its spectral manifestations. Believing the Wraith vanquished, we lowered our guard and prepared to loot the castle for valuables.”

“Upon reaching the second floor, we discovered the Wraith had not been fully destroyed. Tragically, the party’s sole light-attribute mage was the first to be ambushed by it.” Arnold’s face twitched faintly, as if reliving a horrifying memory.

“Anyway, the reason the Wraith hasn’t killed me is simple: I am a descendant of the Adams family.” Arnold spread his hands, no longer concealing the truth.

“My mother, Julia Adams, was the last surviving heir of the Adams line. When the Wraith caught my scent and recognized my bloodline, it chose not to kill me. Instead, it commands me—forcing me to deliver ‘sacrifices’ to it regularly.”

Meaning *you*.

Arnold cleared his throat and steered the conversation back on course. “In any case, I suspect there’s likely an artifact sealing it within the chapel—since the Wraith never strays from that location, probably to prevent the artifact from being lost.”

“What kind of artifact?” Pelan pressed.

Frowning, Arnold carefully reconstructed the scene from that distant time. After pausing for over ten seconds, he said, “I didn’t see it clearly enough. It seemed to be… a statue?”

*A statue?*

Pelan’s eyes flickered, and a sudden hypothesis crystallized amid his scattered thoughts.

Given the Wraith’s identity—could that statue possibly be an idol of the God of Light?

The speculation sounded far-fetched. After all, Adams had been slain by Ixuhuels—the necromancer who killed him. Even if Ixuhuels couldn’t command Adams’s soul, would he really choose a statue of the God of Light to suppress it?

Hmm… using a divine idol to suppress the soul of a devout believer—how bitterly ironic.

Arnold didn’t dwell on the matter. His expression turned grave as he warned them, “Initially, I assumed this Wraith had merely inherited ancestral legacies, gradually ascending toward the rank of Magic Saint before ultimately falling in battle. Later, I learned it was likely a figure from the Adams family’s golden age—possibly even one of the Seven Divine Messengers!”

*The Seven Divine Messengers?*

Figures active during the Millennium Holy War. So this Wraith was indeed an ancient relic.

Lou Guanyue narrowed his eyes slightly. Due to divine protection, Dark Magic could not command the souls of Divine Messengers. He wondered whether his puppet strings would be subject to the same limitation.

An ancient monster surviving from a prior epoch… disregarding the puppet’s own strength, even the knowledge it left behind would be more valuable than the treasure Austin had bequeathed.

Pelan spoke calmly, as though commenting on pleasant weather: “That Wraith stated its name is Archibald Adams.”

Arnold’s nod froze mid-motion. He repeated, incredulous, “Archibald Adams?!”

“Mhm.” Pelan tilted his head slightly. “Is that the name of your ancestor?”

“…Yes.” Arnold’s facial muscles twitched almost imperceptibly. “During his lifetime, his rank reached Magic Saint—an existence whose power rivaled that of a Demi-god.”

“Demi-god?” Lou Guanyue heard the term for the first time.

This freak actually didn’t know?! Arnold felt an uncommon surge of superiority on this topic. He cleared his throat and explained, “Above Magic Saint lies Magic God—also known as Demi-god! All Divine Messengers were formidable beings at the Magic Saint level. With divine protection augmenting their strength, they already approached the power of a Magic God.”

“Legend holds that this Divine Messenger perished in the Church’s internal factional wars following the Holy War. After his death, the Adams family rapidly declined, and their authority within the Church was gradually eroded by rival families. His descendants were likewise suppressed—forced into exile far from the Holy Seat.” Arnold sighed, heavy with emotion.

Lou Guanyue stroked his chin. “Adams has been dead for so long—his strength must have dwindled significantly.”

Just as Arnold was about to mock him, Lou Guanyue asked, relaxed and casual, “After becoming undead, can it still wield light magic or Divine Magic?”

“No.” Pelan shook his head, explaining, “Dark creatures cannot utilize light magic or Divine Magic.”

“In that case, things are simpler.” Lou Guanyue blinked at Pelan. “I’ll handle containing and distracting the Wraith outside the castle. You two seize the opportunity to slip upstairs and locate that sealing artifact capable of suppressing it.”

Pelan considered briefly and replied, “No problem. Only part of the Wraith’s spectral forms reside in the chapel. Arnold and I possess sufficient capability to handle them.”

Arnold: “…”

No—he absolutely did *not*. His strength was nowhere near enough to involve himself in this! That was a *Divine Messenger*! Even after centuries of undeath and significant decline in power, it remained an entity utterly beyond their capacity to oppose!

Forget this freakish “magic apprentice”—but could this seemingly… uh, dull and wooden necromancer actually be a Grand Mage-level powerhouse?

Arnold opened his mouth—but ultimately said nothing. Among the three of them, he was the one most desperate to eliminate the Wraith.

He no longer wished to be enslaved by the wraith and forced to feed it with the flesh and blood of the living.

After quickly finalizing the plan to deal with the wraith, Lou Guanyue changed the subject, smiling as he looked at Arnold. “Earlier in the guild hall, that child who stole something—was that arranged by you on purpose?”

Arnold wasn’t surprised they knew about it. First, he apologized sincerely. “Yes, he’s a child I’ve helped before. He occasionally does small tasks for me, and I give him payment and food in return.”

“Don’t be angry, folks. It was wrong of me to bring you here without warning—but at the time, I truly believed you were an evil necromancer. Well, from what I understand, necromancers are the natural enemies of wraiths. If you had a way to purify that bastard from the Adams Family, it would suit me just fine.”

If not, the death of one necromancer wouldn’t be a bad thing for me either—and it’d even help keep the peace in Goro City.

Arnold didn’t dare voice the latter part, merely offering a friendly smile instead.

Having suffered no real harm and coincidentally obtained Austin’s treasure, Pelan wasn’t as angry about it as he’d been initially.

“How did you discover I was a necromancer?” Pelan asked, somewhat puzzled. He hadn’t used any necromancy since arriving in Goro City. Logically, a half-elf like you shouldn’t have been able to detect my identity.

Even the bishops of the Church of Light had never noticed anything unusual about him.

“I have a special magical item,” Arnold said openly, producing a monocle. “It’s called the Eye of Truth—an alchemical tool. Usually it’s not much use. It just lets me see the color of a person’s magical energy.”

“Your magical energy is black, which sticks out like a sore thumb in a crowd. Once I put on the glasses, I could see it.” Arnold shrugged and put the monocle away again.

Pelan stared at the monocle for a moment before slowly nodding.

Such an item was indeed the bane of dark wizards. Because they’re attuned to dark elements, their magical energy is a different color than most mages’.

“Was it a keepsake left by your mother?”

Even as he asked, Pelan already had his conclusion in mind.

Its effect was quite unique—most likely an item from within the Adams Family. As a once-prosperous ancient family and a Divine Envoy Family with a heritage spanning over a thousand years, even if its powerful members had fallen and no promising descendants had emerged to restore the family’s glory, its accumulated legacy was absolutely beyond imagination. It was no surprise they’d have one or two miraculous magical items.

He just hadn’t expected that the once Divine Envoy Family had declined to such a state—its descendant not only being an ordinary person but also forced to huddle in the West District as a laundrywoman, ultimately dying from poverty and illness.

The factional struggles within the Church were truly a shame.

Worried they might underestimate the wraith’s strength, Arnold fell silent for two seconds before speaking up to remind them. “I don’t doubt your abilities. The ancestor of the Adams Family was one of the Church’s Seven Divine Envoys. He once served the Lord, fighting alongside the Lord’s avatar in many battles.”

“He was so powerful in life. Even though death and the long passage of time have eroded his will, he should still be at least as strong as a Grand Mage.”

“Just a wraith from a remnant soul,” Lou Guanyue said with a relaxed smile, his gaze toward Pelan filled with admiration. “My teacher is a powerful Undead Grand Mage. Dealing with a wraith that can’t use Divine Magic is simpler than cooking.”

Pelan: ?

“You’re actually a Grand Mage?” Arnold looked at him in surprise, then shook his head.

“This place is very strange. Not only does it prohibit the use of Teleportation Magic, but it also severs communication with the spirit realm. I believe you’ve already noticed that the undead from the spirit realm cannot be summoned here. A necromancer without an undead army is a much smaller threat. Even if they can summon high-tier undead creatures at any time, it cannot make up for the gap in strength.”

Pelan gave a slight nod.

Hearing him mention high-tier undead creatures, Pelan instinctively glanced at Lou Guanyue, then looked away.

His own powerful undead creature was only half-finished.

He hadn’t had time to modify the magic patterns, nor could the newly subdued flesh puppet be used. Otherwise, with a Black Knight present, dealing with the wraith would’ve been much easier.

Lou Guanyue acted as if he didn’t notice Pelan’s burning gaze, asking with a normal expression, “Apart from the castle, is there any other way to leave this place?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t explored anywhere outside the castle,” Arnold replied helplessly. If he had known that the treasure Austin left behind was buried here, he would have come much earlier!

Those lumps of iron and their energy cores could fetch a pretty penny!

The surrounding mist thickened once more; the crimson moonlight gradually grew faint and indistinct, barely able to outline the shapes of the buildings.

“Let’s leave here quickly.”

Arnold was momentarily stunned, but snapping out of it, he didn’t hesitate. He instinctively followed Pelan.

The crimson moonlight had already hidden behind the shadows of the clouds. They reached the edge of the dark forest—and, almost simultaneously, the three of them looked back toward the ruins.

In their vision, the broken walls and rubble where they had just been sitting together were rapidly dissipating. As the last trace of moonlight vanished, Austin’s ruins disappeared as well.

It was as if the ruins had never existed. The area where they had been was now filled with mist.

“This…” Arnold stared dumbfounded at the scene. If he hadn’t left decisively just now, he might have disappeared along with the ruins!

The prophecy said that Austin’s ruins would appear during the third blood moon… So, during other time periods, were these ruins always hidden?

The work of that Grand Alchemist was truly awe-inspiring.

Arnold silently let out a sigh of relief. He put on the monocle, but even this magical item couldn’t pierce through the mist to see the scene on the other side.

Lou Guanyue tried walking a few steps back the way they had come but kept ending up back where he started. He stopped and said, “It seems we can’t go forward anymore. We can only go back now.”

And going back naturally meant heading toward the wraith’s location. The three of them walked in silence toward the castle.

Without the moonlight’s illumination, the castle didn’t vanish like Austin’s ruins.

It lay quietly crouched in the darkness, like a slumbering, terrifying behemoth. An oppressive, almost suffocating sense of pressure washed over them.

While still some distance from the castle, Arnold held his breath and whispered, “Shouldn’t we discuss our strategy a bit more?”

He always felt that the hasty plan Lou Guanyue had devised was too risky.

Lou Guanyue glanced back at him and said in a casual tone, “Then how about you take charge of attracting the wraith’s attention, and my teacher and I will go to the chapel upstairs?”

Arnold’s expression instantly stiffened. He hurriedly chuckled and said, “I think the original plan is perfect. You’ll definitely be able to eliminate the wraith downstairs and come join us.”

Having him delay the wraith would be suicidal.

If it noticed something wrong with the seal, he’d be the first one killed!

After walking a bit further, Pelan cast concealment magic on both himself and Arnold, following slowly behind Lou Guanyue as they approached the castle.

They didn’t get too close, keeping a considerable distance to avoid being detected by the wraith.

Lou Guanyue walked into the castle unhurriedly, his expression calm, without a trace of nervousness or fear.

To lure the wraith out, Pelan had lent him his magic staff. With the dark fog showing no unusual activity, Lou Guanyue stood before the castle’s main gate and, unhurriedly using the staff, summoned a massive fireball.

“Boom—”

The burning flame tore through the night, smashing violently into the ivy-covered wall of the castle’s main tower. Shattered stone and burning debris scattered in all directions, instantly illuminating the grotesque fissures and peeling reliefs on the tower.

The dense black fog deep within the castle began to boil. A colossal entity formed from condensed shadows suddenly materialized.

“Arrogant brat!”

The wraith didn’t maintain a human form. Within the black fog, countless wailing faces churned and rolled.

Just as it was about to tear one of the “sacrifices” before it into pieces, the blood-gold soul flame solidified.

“Boy, where did you get that saint’s finger bone in your hand?”

Lou Guanyue gave his wand a shake, his eyebrow arched. “Why should I tell you?”

This taunt infuriated the Wraith. It stared fixedly at the magic wand in Lou Guanyue’s hand and released an angry shriek. The churning black shadows instantly split into countless twisted ghostly hands, shooting toward Lou Guanyue in an overwhelming, sky-darkening manner to claw at him.

“Hmph, it doesn’t matter if you don’t tell me. After I devour you, your soul will tell me everything!”

A person-tall golden flame flared to life in front of Lou Guanyue. The firelight streaked forward, leaping out of the castle’s range and landing at the edge of the dense forest.

Seeing its attack miss, the Wraith gave chase relentlessly, laughing sinisterly. “You don’t think you’re safe just because you left the castle, do you?”

Lou Guanyue smirked. The Wraith had indeed followed. He stopped at the forest’s edge and, with a light wave of his wand, crimson fireballs morphed into spears and shot over, densely landing all around the Wraith.

The Wraith didn’t bother to dodge, allowing those fiery spears to pass through the gray mist, leaving scorched pits on the ground.

“Such a low-level Fireball Spell cannot harm my spiritual form!” the humanoid figure within the black mist sneered. “Hand over the wand nicely, and I might still let you die a little easier!”

Knowing that Pelan and Arnold had likely already infiltrated the castle, Lou Guanyue lowered his wand and, under the Wraith’s eager gaze, threw it to the ground by his feet.

“The Fireball Spell can’t harm spiritual forms?” Lou Guanyue muttered, feigning doubt. “But it’s the only magic I’ve learned…”

The Wraith opposite seemed to have heard a joke. It wasn’t in a hurry to kill Lou Guanyue; instead, it looked down on him with a lofty air.

Hah—youth always pays the price for hubris and recklessness…

It waited for a moment but didn’t see the man show any despair or remorse. Instead, several long, slender black threads had somehow wound around his fingers. The threads were very long, and their other ends seemed to be connected to… its spiritual form.

When did that…

A glint flashed in the Wraith’s crimson eyes. By this time, its thoughts had grown sluggish, and its spiritual form seemed tightly bound by invisible threads, becoming extremely sluggish.

Countless strange magical symbols emerged from within the black mist. With their help, the Wraith managed to gather its wits. It sensed danger and was struck by a rare pang of fear.

How is this possible? What kind of Dark Magic is this?

I must return—return to the main body!

In the dim, lightless room, the blood-gold soul flame flickered. After receiving the message transmitted by its projection, the thick shadows churned, scrambling to hide inside the adjacent altar.

Master, I beg for your protection—

In its panic, the Wraith failed to notice that, along with the projection, numerous illusory black threads had also returned.

Lou Guanyue quirked an eyebrow slightly, a slow smile spreading at the corner of his mouth.

Found you.

After hiding inside the altar, under the illumination of the holy light, the Wraith finally saw the threads still tightly wound around its spiritual form. It immediately tried to trace complex symbols and sigils to free itself from the control of the black threads.

But its sluggish thoughts prevented the runes from being drawn smoothly. Instead, the process was halting and uneven, shakily connected stroke by stroke like a beginner.

On its spiritual form, the strange sun symbols still flickered, but under the manipulation of the threads, they were erased one by one.

How is this possible… He is actually… Its thoughts turned slowly; even the feeling of despair spread at a glacial pace. The blood-gold soul flame dimmed, and all thoughts completely faded into oblivion.

*

With the help of concealment magic, Pelan and Arnold briefly obscured the Wraith’s perception. After the Wraith followed Lou Guanyue away, the two quickly entered the castle.

The layout of the first floor was no different from the last time they entered. This time, without the Wraith’s interference, Pelan and Arnold easily passed the stone steps and reached the castle’s second floor.

Arnold, relatively familiar with the place, walked ahead. By the faint light of the lantern, they saw that the once splendid murals on the walls had peeled off, leaving only some blurred outlines and faded colors. On one side of the corridor was the shut chapel.

“This is the place,” Arnold said, glancing around and lowering his voice.

The massive wooden door was tightly shut. The religious patterns carved on it had been worn down by time until they were nearly unrecognizable, with only vague glimpses of angels’ twisted wings and saints’ compassionate profiles remaining. A huge iron bolt lay across the door, covered in rust.

Pelan placed his palm against the bolt. A seal was inscribed on the door; ordinary magic and strength couldn’t open it.

Since Arnold had been inside before, it proved this seal wasn’t left by Ixuhuels, who had killed the Wraith.

The Wraith must have been cautious. It seemed whatever was inside was extremely important to it.

“Can you break this magic?” Arnold leaned over to look for a moment, then shrugged, indicating he had no solution.

Pelan pursed his lips. Dark mana surged wildly in his palm, and a pillar of light carrying an aura of destruction instantly blasted a hole as tall as a person in the doorway.

Arnold: !

Did he just casually unleash a super-tier spell? Weren’t they supposed to sneak in and search for the sealing item?

For a moment, Arnold didn’t know whether to first marvel at how truly teacher and student they were, or to be shocked that Pelan really was a Grand Mage.

In the end, he said nothing, silently following Pelan into the chapel.

A cold air rushed out, mixed with the smell of rotting wood and dust.

Arnold warily scanned his surroundings, ever vigilant against a surprise attack by the Wraith.

He raised the lantern in his hand. The stained-glass rose window was almost completely shattered. The murals originally depicting holy miracles had peeled off in large patches, leaving ugly dark stains. On the remaining parts, the faces of the figures were too blurred to make out; only empty eye sockets and twisted outlines of limbs remained.

“Be careful.” Pelan suddenly stopped Arnold. Looking down, he could see by the faint light that a skeleton lay not far from their feet.

No—more than one.

He lowered the lantern slightly. The dark floor seemed to still retain traces of fresh blood. Piles of skeletons covered in rotting clothing lay together.

Arnold swallowed hard, feeling as if those empty eye sockets were all coldly staring at him, and the Wraith, hiding in one of those skeletons, was watching its prey with predatory intent.

“Thud, thud.”

Footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the corridor.

Arnold’s hair stood on end, and he blurted out instinctively, “Who’s there?!”

He heard a voice containing a light laugh. “Teacher, it’s me.”

“Don’t come closer! Who knows if you’re possessed by the Wraith!”

The vigilance in Arnold’s heart shot up. That monster had just lured the Wraith away not long ago—how could he be back so quickly?!

Lou Guanyue paid no mind to Arnold’s threat. He glanced curiously at the blasted hole and walked straight through the door.

“Teacher, that Wraith’s spiritual form was too useless. I’ve already eliminated it.”

Pelan’s furrowed brow slowly relaxed. In his spiritual sight, Lou Guanyue was normal, not possessed by the Wraith.

“Are you injured?”

"Did you really get rid of the Wraith?"

Arnold's voice spoke up at the same time. Pelan stared unblinkingly at Lou Guanyue, equally curious about how he had managed to eliminate the wraith in such a short time.

"I'm fine," Lou Guanyue explained in good spirits. "I cast many, many Fireball Spells. Hmm, they might have been mixed with my blood. The wraith initially underestimated my attacks, but it didn't expect its spiritual form to dissolve upon contact with the flames."

Arnold's expression said, "If you're going to joke, at least make it believable," and he couldn't help but sneer.

Pelan recalled the anomalies about Lou Guanyue's body and began to vaguely understand.

He nodded slightly. "I see. Good. Be careful when you enter. We still don't know where the wraith's true form is hiding."

With that, paying no mind to Arnold's odd look, he walked straight to the altar at the end.

Unlike its surroundings, the altar was free of dust or cracks. It was covered with an intricately embroidered altar cloth, and the gold and silver sacred vessels gleamed with a soft, pure light under the lamp's glow.

Pelan's gaze swept over the altar, falling upon a similarly pristine statue on the right side.

The statue was carved from a type of pure white ore, its texture warm and smooth, seeming to emit a faint glow. Its face was solemn, with lowered brows and eyes, its lips curved in a smile—so perfect it seemed as if it had been placed there just yesterday.

It was indeed a statue of the God of Light.

Suddenly, a chilling sense of dissonance crawled up Pelan's spine along his line of sight.

The lowered, compassionate gaze was not focused on the empty pews, nor on the dome or the distance. Instead, it was precisely, undeniably, fixed upon Pelan himself.

An invisible pressure weighed heavily on Pelan's head. The next moment, Lou Guanyue hooked an arm around his waist and pulled him backward.

"Teacher, be careful!"

Pelan stumbled into a warm embrace. Almost simultaneously, an icy, malevolent black shadow shot out from the compassionate eyes of the statue, streaking toward the spot where Pelan had just been standing.

The ground was seared with corrosive burns. The wraith conjured countless agonized human faces, howling as they surged toward the three.

Pelan quickly snapped out of his daze. Chanting a spell under his breath, he enveloped the wraith's attack with black magical energy. Seizing the opportunity, Arnold swiftly approached the statue, hoping to find a way to suppress the wraith from it.

But Lou Guanyue was faster. A great sword, whistling through the air, smashed viciously into the pure white statue.

CRACK—

A jarring crash rang out. Before Arnold's thoughts could even catch up, the entire statue collapsed with a dull thud.

And just as the statue shattered completely, an even more shrill, more despairing shriek burst from the crumbling jade core, only to be abruptly cut off. Black mist churned and twisted madly before rapidly dissolving like ice under the sun.

Arnold stared wide-eyed, stunned by the series of sudden events. He hadn't expected the threat posed by the wraith to vanish in the span of a single breath.

*So the wraith cared so much about this statue because its soul core was inside!*

After a moment, he murmured, "Is it over?"

As the sense of unreality faded, Arnold's face lit up with delight.

Pelan frowned slightly. Taking the staff Lou Guanyue handed him, a sense of strangeness arose within him.

Before he could delve into the source of this anomaly, Lou Guanyue's voice drew his attention away again.

"Teacher, there's a magic circle under the statue!"

Shards of the statue scattered everywhere. On the ground, previously concealed by the pedestal, a massive, faintly glowing pattern was suddenly revealed.

"A teleportation circle, probably leading to the outskirts of the West District," Pelan observed carefully.

Arnold noticed more details and stated with certainty, "This is a teleportation circle specifically used by the Adams Family for evacuating their members. Its grade is very high; it can be used even when the spatial domain is sealed."

This also explained how people outside the space could be teleported in by the wraith.

"It was probably established by the Adams Family to prevent their members from being hunted down when their space was sealed by hostile forces. So the other exit of the teleportation circle is in the West District outskirts."

A thousand years ago, the location of the West District magic circle was likely outside the city of Carteras.

The method to activate the magic circle was simple: besides a specific incantation, it only required the blood of an Adams Family member.

Arnold glanced around the chapel, then without hesitation cut his palm and let his blood drip onto the magic circle.

The circle instantly flared to life with a dazzling light. A steady, powerful spatial ripple emanated continuously from its center. The next moment, they were out of that bizarre space.

They were still in the West District outskirts. Due to the differing flow of time, it was still night outside, the dark sky adorned with a crimson blood moon.

It was finally over...

Arnold let out a sigh. If Pelan and the others weren't present, he would have just slumped to the ground without a care, simply admiring the crimson moon and the starry sky.

"We're finally out."

Stepping once more onto the soft earth, Pelan's gaze swept over the patch of Night Fragrance Herb not far away. "May I pick some?"

"Of course."

Upon receiving the answer, Pelan walked over quickly. Lou Guanyue followed behind, carefully storing each Night Fragrance Herb he gathered.

Looking at the full basket of herbs, Pelan felt quite pleased.

He heard Arnold's voice from nearby. "About those three elves you mentioned... I haven't seen them myself, but I know people in the Merchant Guild! I'll go ask at the guild first thing tomorrow if any elves have used the teleportation circle."

Arnold rubbed his nose, his words flowing more smoothly now. "Don't worry too much. Elf mages rarely appear in Goro City, let alone three at once. Given their proud nature, they generally disdain disguising themselves. If they showed up, someone would definitely recognize them."

"Thank you for your trouble." Pelan nodded to him, then asked, "Do you know where the Elven Forest is?"

"I don't. If I knew, I would have already..." Arnold pressed his lips together, the last few words spoken too softly for Pelan to catch.

Pelan didn't doubt the truth of Arnold's words. He lowered his head to organize the Night Fragrance Herb in his hands. Just as he finished stuffing them into his dimensional pocket, he heard Arnold add, somewhat haltingly, "Uh, it's getting late. Would you like to rest at my place for the night?"

An hour later, the three of them stood together in front of a bedroom door.

Arnold almost failed to maintain his composure as the host. He rubbed his forehead, explaining somewhat awkwardly, "I forgot the other room is already being used as a storage room. So there's only one guest room left."

His gaze shifted past Lou Guanyue, landing on Pelan. He said, a bit guiltily, "Pelan, would you like to squeeze in with me for the night?"

-----------------------

Author's Note: ??? ヽ(°▽°)ノ?

Next chapter, sharing a bed already? [Dog head holding a rose][Dog head holding a rose]