Chapter 296: Spirit Communication

Above the gray mist, within that grand ancient palace.

Ke Lai En sat on the high‑backed chair belonging to the fool, a writhing hunger in his hand.

After devouring the flesh and soul of Steel Maiweit, he did not choose to pasture the spirit, but brought it above the gray mist and released Maiweit's spirit.

In this space above the gray mist, he needed no extra preparation; he used the mist's power to conduct spirit communication directly.

Ke Lai En stared at the soul before him, whose death had not been long ago and was not yet too muddled, and directly asked his question:

"Who is the great figure you speak of?"

Steel Maiweit's eyes showed a bewildered expression, then he shook his head slightly, muttering as if in a dream:

"I don't know."

"I only know he is a great figure from the Rose School, the captain once mentioned him, saying he is a descendant of a pharaoh and one of the highland rebels' leaders."

"What does he look like?"

Ke Lai En continued to ask.

Steel Maiweit's expression suddenly turned somewhat feral, as if Ke Lai En's question was something he could not recall or did not wish to recall.

Something like a psychological suggestion? Ke Lai En murmured, and as his thought flashed, strands of gray mist rose and entwined Maiweit's spirit.

The Maiweit, whose expression had been slightly feral, suddenly calmed; his demeanor returned to tranquility, resuming the dreamlike state:

"He wears a white robe embroidered with golden threads, his hair a light yellow and slightly curled, his eye sockets sunken; his lips are sealed with rows of gold nails covered in delicate patterns, closing his mouth completely."

Based on Maiweit's description, Ke Lai En reconstructed in his mind the approximate image of the great figure from the Rose School: a man with a mixed heritage of the northern and southern continents, bearing a hint of malice.

After a brief pause, Ke Lai En asked further:

"What happened on the Flesh-and-Blood Tree?"

"Everyone vanished, including the captain; only a ship full of broken limbs and debris, indistinguishable flesh and blood, as if it had undergone extreme loss of control and collapse."

"That lord told me there were no signs of fighting or struggle on the ship; they seemed frozen there, quietly losing control and collapsing, finally turning into a wreck."

"The leader of the Rose School, the great 'Son of God', Lord Si E A, also could not divine the exact cause; they suspect it may involve the Abyss or some evil deity."

As Maiweit answered, his expression showed obvious fear, mixed with a hint of relief that he was not on the Flesh-and-Blood Tree at the time.

Hiss~ This version sounds far more terrifying than the Hanging Man's tale; it seems Mr. Hanging Man lacks a talent for storytelling.

However, the Abyss, the evil deity, and the fact that the Golden Dream and the Death Notice were battling in that sea at the time—everything about the Abyss and the evil deity aligns; the Death Notice seems to have been wiped out with its entire crew, only to be blamed later!

Thoughts flickered through Ke Lai En's mind, then he quickly suppressed them, and continued to stare at Maiweit's spirit, asking:

"What does the great figure you speak of intend to do?"

Steel Maiweit's spirit struggled slightly, then quickly regained calm, speaking in that dreamlike tone:

"Capture the crew of the Golden Dream, obtain information about the demigod who fought the Undying King, and investigate whether the events on the Flesh-and-Blood Tree are linked to them or to the Death Notice."

As expected, Ke Lai En gave a slight nod and asked:

"Where is that great figure?"

"I don't know."

"I only know he lingers in Bai Ya Mu; when he wishes to see me, or when I need to find him, he will appear."

"Steel Maiweit seemed trapped in a nightmare; his voice trembled, as if he might awaken from the dreamlike state at any moment."

Ke Lai En frowned slightly, then summoned more of the gray mist's power to maintain Maiweit's condition.

That great figure is likely a saint, perhaps even an angel—though the former seems more probable. He left certain measures on Maiweit to prevent spirit communication, possibly even enabling reverse tracking.

If not for A Er's concealment, when he had just killed or was about to kill Maiweit, that great figure would have sensed it and arrived. This also suggests the prophet had foreseen everything. Suddenly, this plot feels rather buggy toward the end!

After a brief contemplation, he continued:

"In Bai Ya Mu, are there others acting with you? Who are they?"

This concerns how long Steel Maiweit's death can be concealed; without companions, it would take three to five days before the great figure he mentioned notices, but with allies, his death might be discovered today and reported to that great figure.

Even a saint, though Steel Maiweit's death is hidden, could easily trace the Daniz outpost near the dock. This would inevitably involve me.

I hope this matter develops favorably!

While Ke Lai En's thoughts turned, Steel Maiweit began answering in a dreamlike manner:

"Also my deputy, Xue Se Jing Ji Heng Te Li, the intelligence officer of the Blood Pirate Crew, Lao Kuiyin, the calm Si Kao Er, and my crew members La Di Ya and Si Man."

"Where are they?"

Ke Lai En continued to ask, while already contemplating whether to eliminate all of them, thereby delaying the time before the great figure of the Rose School discovers the issue.

Never mind, more action brings more mistakes; unless A Er continues to provide cover, he might encounter the great figure on the spot.

"In the Luen people's settlement of Bai Ya Mu, the third garden villa from the northwest corner."

"Steel Maiweit dreamily mentioned one of their bases in Bai Ya Mu."

Ke Lai En leaned back against the chair, pondering briefly; he turned the earlier spirit‑communication question and Maiweit's answer into a point of light, casting it into the deep red star that symbolizes the White Tower.

Then he glanced at Maiweit's spirit, now somewhat ethereal and transparent, allowing it to dissipate naturally.

Moments later, where Maiweit's spirit had been, specks of phosphorescence gathered into a mass, forming a pale ice crystal shaped like a twisted human face, with thin black vapors swirling around its edges.

Ke Lai En immediately enveloped it with a clump of gray mist and tossed it into a pile of junk in the corner.

Having finished, he manifested his usual yellow crystal pendant, gently closed his eyes, and softly whispered a divination incantation:

"I will encounter danger from that great figure!"

Repeating it seven times, he opened his eyes again and saw the yellow crystal pendant in his hand rotating clockwise, with a small arc but rapid speed.

Ke Lai En furrowed his brow; this was his first time encountering such a situation. It almost certainly means I will face danger from that great figure of the Rose School, though it may be indirect, with the severity affected by some unknown factor, uncertain.

Bei Ke Lan De, Xi Er Si Dun.

Ai Mu Lin, as usual, left the Harvest Church at dusk and went to Baron Wei Man Di's residence to study blood clan history with the vampire baron.

The blood clan, being an immortal race, even though Wei Man Di is over two hundred years old, appears not aged at all, resembling a mature man in his early thirties.

Dressed impeccably, like a gentleman at home, he held a brown pipe, enjoying the fireplace's warmth while recounting blood clan history to Ai Mu Lin.

After listening to the explanation, Ai Mulin pretended to be casual, ran his hand through his hair, and asked offhandedly:

"Baron, I once saw in a certain book some history that seemed to belong to the Second Era; it mentioned a very famous city‑state that I have no recollection of, apparently called 'Silver City'?"

Wei Mandi showed a thoughtful expression, then said:

"No, at least in my memory, there was no Silver City before the Great Cataclysm."

Before Ai Mulin could be pleased, he continued muttering to himself:

"But there is a Silver Nation, originally ruled by the Giant King, later belonging to that one."

Silver Nation? That one? Ai Mulin thought for a moment, then asked in confusion:

"Baron, do you have more specific information? Who is that one?"

Wei Mandi looked up at him, smiled, and recalled:

"The Silver Nation is rather special; they do not directly worship the Giant King Ao Er Mi Er, but instead revere his queen, Ou Mibeila."

"As for that one, hehe, He is the Ancient Sun God, who ended the ancient Sun God era of the ancient gods!"

Ai Mulin did not hide the surprise in his eyes; he focused more on controlling his expression, not letting his face show too obvious emotion.

He seemed to fall into contemplation; after a while he continued to ask:

"Baron, I have recently considered compiling some basic alchemical knowledge into books; if these books sell well, I could have a relatively stable income. Do you have any suggestions?"

Wei Mandi looked at Ai Mulin with some surprise, as if surprised that he would ask such a question, then weighed his words and said:

"You must understand one thing: in places without worship of the Knowledge God, such books are far less popular than novels and magazines."

(End of chapter)