Chapter 2731: The Hunter's Inheritance

"What did you encounter?"

Only then did the nun ask. Xia De, who had been somewhat tense, looked back at the soul on the boat, which was gradually shifting from complete transparency to having color, and quickly explained how he had been tracking clues today and then encountered a Sage-level relic and a demon in the deserted village:

"That Ghost of Resentment now possesses the powers of both a demon and the Sage-level relic 【Lingering Resentment】, and it seems the Fire Demon—Disaster has also placed the portion of the First Flame it devoured into this clone."

Xia De summarized at the end:

"In short, this is a very difficult opponent to deal with... Nun, we need to wait until we have confirmed all the demon's current clones before we can make a move.

My Witcher friend believes it can split itself into at most four parts, and I have already confirmed two. So, now is not a good time to act."

He fully believed that if he hadn't said these things, Sister Daifulin would have returned to the real world right now to eliminate that thing. Although Xia De had been at a disadvantage when fighting the Ghost of Resentment, Sister Daifulin was a 12th-ring Chosen of Death, and her fire resistance was far higher than Xia De's; she was practically a perfect counter to all of the opponent's powers.

The nun, wearing a mithril blindfold, nodded slightly. Afterward, Xia De spoke to her about recent events concerning the Chosen, especially the "War of Time."

But the nun had no reaction, merely nodding to indicate she understood; this was her usual demeanor.

Finally, Xia De asked why the nun had appeared here. Sister Daifulin did not hide her purpose:

"To perceive death. I cannot help with the matters in the Vesta Woodland; the Paradox Worms are unaffected by death. I need to refine my power."

She did not open her mouth when she spoke, and her voice had an echoing effect.

The witch on the boat showed an expression of awe, while Xia De asked with concern:

"Then, have you been here ever since we parted in the woodland last time? Are you alright staying here?"

Although she was the Chosen of Death, she was also a living person.

"It is fine by the fire."

The nun, with her head slightly bowed, said:

"Since there is no need to deal with that demon immediately, I will continue to stay here. Please call for me whenever you need."

"No problem, Nun, but you had better not stay here all the time... That is just a suggestion, not an order. Then, I will go handle this matter; I hope there will be clues."

As he said this, Xia De turned to look at Jia Lin Na. The latter was somewhat confused, not knowing what Xia De meant, but upon seeing Xia De point to the soul on the boat, she understood that Xia De wanted her to ask the soul questions.

In fact, since Sister Daifulin was here, it might have been faster to let her do it. But since Xia De had entrusted Jia Lin Na from the beginning, he naturally would not change people halfway through.

The witch naturally understood this logic herself, and she was also very clear that the nun standing on the shore understood it too. Thus, she felt a little happy in her heart, and upon confirming that the silent nun had no intention of suddenly acting, she cast a spell on the old woman who was gradually being filled with milky white light:

"Thaumaturgy—Guide to Death."

Xia De also possessed this thaumaturgy, and after Jia Lin Na cast the spell, the soul regained some consciousness and then tremblingly took the initiative to step off the small boat herself.

She stepped off from the end of the boat closest to the water surface. When she stood on the water just like those other souls who were gradually departing, a long sigh of relief came:

"Finally, it is over."

The black flames burning within the soul disappeared silently, and the elements of whispers gradually dissolved into the light of the Underworld Moon.

The soul of the old woman, lost in the disaster of a hundred years ago, regained her sanity, and a look of exhaustion appeared on her previously expressionless face. After a moment of daze, she looked at the three people on and off the boat:

"Thank you, young people. Which of you has the 【Witcher Seal】?"

This question truly surprised the three, or at least Xia De and Jia Lin Na. The soul of this village elder showed that she had definitely been an ordinary person during her lifetime, but thinking that she was the only soul who truly existed and had asked Xia De for help, Xia De quickly rummaged out the black iron ring:

"I have it. Do you need this?"

The ring was handed to the old woman standing on the water at the bow of the boat; this was also part of the probing, but fortunately, the other party had no abnormal reaction after touching the ring.

She held the ring in her hands, and after a moment, she returned it to Xia De, followed by another sigh:

"I have seen such a ring before."

This meant she was going to tell a story, so Xia De asked cooperatively:

"When?"

"In the autumn of 1689 of the Common Era, that was the first day of rest after the Moon Dance Festival of that year. The young people working in the woods had all returned to the village, preparing to go to town together to prepare supplies for the winter.

That night, a strange traveler hurried from the woods, wanting to borrow a place to stay for the night. In the end, I made the decision to lend him the stable where the village kept horses collectively. He claimed to be a hunter from afar, searching for and chasing a terrifying prey, and he wore such a ring on his hand. He did not stay long; the next morning, after helping to clean up the stable and thanking us, he left the village and went to Ximu Town."

It sounded like someone had also come for a demon a century and a half ago.

"On the night three days after that hunter left, the young people returning from town brought back that terrifying thing, and then a fire broke out in the village.

The flames were going to devour everything in the village: houses, buildings, livestock, souls... That hunter arrived at the last moment. He was very professional; he tried to defeat that evil ghost, that burning monster, that god-damned beast..."

The old woman's soul said these things expressionlessly, while Jia Lin Na helped her finish the second half of the sentence:

"That hunter failed, right? He couldn't defeat that demon? I didn't know that even in the Sixth Era, there were people who chased demons like this. I originally thought everyone only thought of ways to resist when they encountered a demon."

"No, I don't think he failed completely."

Xia De also said:

"Was that relic, 【Lingering Resentment】, summoned by him?"

The old woman, telling the story in a hoarse voice, nodded. Xia De guessed she should be someone like the village chief's wife:

"He couldn't defeat that evil ghost, but he protected me in the end. I don't understand the powers of you powerful people; I only remember him saying that he wanted to use his own soul as a sacrifice to summon a 'relic' to seal that thing.

He told me that he would ensure my soul would not be lost in those flames. But I had to do him a favor: a long time later, someone would definitely break into the fire that burned down the village again, and someone would definitely want to deal with that demon. If someone was willing to save me then, and that person also had the 【Witcher Seal】, let me give this to him."

"What?"

The old woman's hand reached behind her, and then she took out a piece of parchment with burnt edges—Xia De didn't know where she had taken it from. She handed the page to Xia De, then bowed slightly to the three, turned around, and stepped on the pitch-black water, bathing in the light of the Underworld Moon as she walked toward the depths of the water area.

Gradually, her soul stood together with those other departing souls, and could no longer be distinguished.

Jia Lin Na did not call her back, but watched her back on the small boat:

"Stories about death always resonate so much with people's souls... Just now I was wondering why the demon would use such a relic that limits its own power; it turns out someone sealed it... Although it wasn't completely successful, just like the 'Forest Patrol Hunter' from three hundred years ago, their achievements are enough to be sung into the next era."

"But we don't even know his name."

Xia De said, looking at the parchment in his hand. With a Chosen and a witch standing by his side in death, he was not worried about leaking information, so he read the content on it directly:

【Later comer, I passed through the Vesta Woodland and accidentally detected the traces of the Fire Demon—Disaster, which should have been sealed. It has now been verified that it broke free from the seal by unknown means and detected my identity during our chase.

I will use my final means to try to defeat it. If you see this scroll of parchment, then at least the worst situation has not happened yet. I will inform you of the legends and abilities of the Fire Demon—Disaster, and tell you how to defeat it, hoping the later comer can succeed.

Note: The demon's collaborator in Ximu Town is related to a local herbal merchant.】

Behind this passage was the seal pattern of the 【Witcher Seal】. When Xia De's finger touched the pattern, a complete piece of information automatically surfaced in his heart.

That complete information contained detailed intelligence on the "Fire Demon—Disaster" as well as past legends, and some of the details were even more detailed than what the doctor had told him.

And the part of the information that followed was—

【Outsider, "Witcher" inheritance detected...】

【Possessing "Witcher Seal", qualified; mastering at least one hunter technique, "Demon Sight", qualified; having been cursed by at least one ancient evil spirit, qualified; obtained recognition from other hunters, the Night Watcher has recognized you, qualified.】

Xia De's destiny ring thus surfaced silently before the Underworld Moon, and the cold, holy moonlight illuminated every spirit rune on the brass ring.

Sister Daifulin and Jia Lin Na both looked up, and the huge destiny ring now seemed to echo the half-sunk Underworld Moon at the end of the water area. This scene was silent but full of divinity and power, and what Xia De was concerned about was not the destiny ring, but the prompt voice given by "Her":

【Outsider, you have obtained the thaumaturgy "Lingering Advice". When you encounter an evil spirit or demon that has fought a Witcher, you can obtain some hints given by past hunters. Corresponding to the "Echo" spirit rune, casting the thaumaturgy requires wearing the "Witcher Seal".】

Then "She" rarely spoke again:

【This is one of the few ways to pass on experience and wisdom in that era that made intelligent beings fearful and afraid.】 ===== CHAPTER 2732 =====