Chapter 752: The Moth Rushing to the Fire

There was only one enemy on the second floor, while there were three corpse dogs on the third floor. They were not evil spirits without substance, but undead creatures similar to ghouls. The whole body had a pale white color like rotten meat, and there were wrinkles and traces of rot all over the body. The appearance was almost exactly the same, and the action was very fast, even with intelligence, knowing how to cooperate to attack.

Xia De encountered them just as he went upstairs, and a hasty counterattack almost made him suffer a big loss. Fortunately, he retreated to the stairs in time, and only then could he deal with the enemies one by one on the narrow stairs.

Honestly, the combination of three dogs was much more terrifying than a single humanoid evil spirit with powerful strength.

The ground on the third floor was still covered with a layer of unknown dust like the outside, like bone ash. And those dusts, besides having the footprints of the three corpse dogs just now, also had other messy footprints.

These footprints had been processed, but the traces had not been completely wiped away. Xia De observed for a while and believed that at least three different people had appeared here recently:

"I hope it's a trace within the last 36 hours."

Thinking in his heart, he used the sorcery 【Echo of the Past】.

This sorcery could listen to the sounds of the past and was more inclined to the sounds made by humans. And in the boundary where sound could not spread very far and there were almost no living people, Xia De succeeded in his first attempt:

"Professor, did you guys really escape?"

This was Joy Barton's voice; his lung-damaged tone was very recognizable.

"Escaped, but the manpower sent by the Truth Society to the Schluch Lake area was also almost completely wiped out... This time, the Church's move was both accurate and ruthless."

Xia De raised his eyebrows. The Witches and Yin Yi Yi Lu Na had both mentioned that on the night of the Ice Lake Battle, most of the people of the 【Truth Society】 in the local area were killed or arrested, and only a few fish slipped through the net. Unexpectedly, they didn't leave Schluch Lake but found Joy Barton in the boundary... it was also possible that Joy Barton found them.

"But fortunately, we learned the lesson of the 【Blood Spirit School】. This time, although we sent many people, only one thirteen-ring sorcerer of the society came, so this is not a painful lesson. I heard that the Blood-Weeping Person Helmons of the 【Blood Spirit School】 almost didn't escape."

People always seemed to like to mock those who were more unlucky when they encountered difficulties.

"Mr. Barton, although I don't know how you found us in the boundary, the society has already given us notice. We will not participate in the matter of Schluch Lake anymore. Staying here now is to recover some materials placed in the boundary. With such a big loss this time, at least we have to take back those alchemical items worth tens of thousands of pounds."

This person who had been speaking had been using Carson Lake language, while Mr. Barton was using Dra Rion language with a heavy Schluch Lake accent.

"Do you know that I am the Chosen One?"

Mr. Barton asked very calmly. After a pause of a few seconds, the Carson Lake language gave an answer:

"We dare not show up in the city, but we have also heard some news. It's really surprising; it turns out that the target we have been looking for is our own people. Mr. Barton, I have heard about your affairs in the society, but now..."

Xia De raised his eyebrows, looking at the empty room in front of him. He believed that not long ago, the other person participating in the conversation also had this expression.

"Death Chosen One, you can only work hard yourself. The society has made up its mind not to participate in this matter anymore. The current loss is too great. Although helping you might get greater benefits, we must stop losses in time and cannot be too greedy."

If the sorcerers of the 【Truth Society】 could give up their crazy ideas, most of them could actually be called wise men.

"I don't need your material help, I want some knowledge."

Mr. Barton said.

"What knowledge?"

"Knowledge of fusing relics. I know the society hasn't completely succeeded, but at least there is a preliminary experimental plan."

Xia De frowned, looking at the empty room. He believed that not long ago, the other person participating in the conversation also had this expression.

"Fusing relics, you want to... Joy Barton, you want to fight the Orthodox Church alone?"

"I know I am alone, so I have to think of other ways. Being in the boundary, I can feel the boundary's own goodwill toward me. It doesn't want to be sealed, and I want to break the boundary between life and death. So, the boundary is willing to let me use part of its power. Professor, do you think a level 0 relic that controls countless evil spirits or a thirteen-ring sorcerer is more powerful?"

"What a lunatic."

The Carson Lake language expressed very dirty swear words. Xia De tentatively considered it to be the meaning of "lunatic."

"Being called a lunatic by the professors of the 【Truth Society】, I am honored. All I want to do is enter true death through one of the three channels, and then bring her back. Then, are you willing to trade? I know knowledge has a price, so if I really become the Chosen One in Schluch Lake, I am willing to defect to you."

The following things happened without any accident. That "fish that slipped through the net" of the Truth Society gave Joy Barton the information he wanted, and even gave him the research materials of the 【Truth Society】 on "Life-and-Death Boundary," "Gate of Death," etc.

According to that professor's words:

"These materials have backups; giving them to you is not a loss. It's a one-book-ten-thousand-profit investment. But if you are caught by the Church, don't say this was given by us; this was picked up by yourself."

And at the end of this conversation, the "professor" who used Carson Lake language gave Joy Barton something. Xia De could only hear the sound, so he didn't know what it was:

"Professor, what is this?"

Mr. Barton also had the same confusion.

"We originally planned to try to guide the power of death in the boundary, wanting to repeat the necromancy in the Witch alchemy of the Fifth Era, making some interesting things, so we prepared quite a lot of ritual items. This one in your hand is an ancient object dug up from the New Continent. From the research, it seems to be a sacrificial item of the ancient Death Church. Giving it to you, maybe it will be useful."

Thus, Joy Barton obtained the item related to the power of the ancient god.

The conversation ended, and both sides left. Xia De followed the footsteps to the window. At this time, the red butterfly on his shoulder finally detached from the skin and appeared in the boundary. It flew slowly toward the wall in front of the window across the alley and stopped in front of the wall outside the window, preventing people inside the window from seeing it.

Behind the tobacco shop on Oak Street was an alley covered with filth. On the other side of the alley was an apartment building used for rent. Because of the thick fog and the boundary's suppression of the field of vision, Xia De could only see the red butterfly shaking in the shadows, and couldn't see what was inside the window at all. But judging from the red butterfly's performance, the clown was highly likely inside:

"Hiding so close?"

The window in front had long had no glass. Xia De supported the windowsill that was a bit prickly and looked down, finding that there were quite a few spirits wandering in the alley.

"If I take a detour, even if I have the Witch's blessing to avoid enemies, I'm afraid I still have to defeat a stack of evil spirits, too much waste of time."

Carefully climbed onto the windowsill, used the sorcery 【Frog's Leap】 without materials, jumped hard, and the body crossed the alley and rushed toward the red butterfly pointing the way. But Xia De didn't choose to let himself crash through the window into the room, but after approaching the opposite window in the air, he concentrated his spirit and continued to use the sorcery:

"Lagley's Leap!"

Xia De in the air disappeared, and then appeared steadily in the window.

Stood firm, turned around, stretched out his right hand, and the dancing red butterfly landed on his fingertip, then flew toward his shoulder very affectionately.

Glanced at the room, couldn't see any figure. Xia De snapped his fingers, silver fog surged out, and the illusion surrounded him.

Pushed the door and continued to walk out. The dilapidated and gloomy corridor looked like a haunted house in a story. The red butterfly guided Xia De to the room at the very end of the corridor. According to the house type, this should be a guest room.

No sound came from inside, but the target was undoubtedly here. Xia De hesitated for a moment, dispersed the illusion, and then knocked on the door with his fingers.

Knock knock knock~

Standing at the door and waiting patiently, 2 minutes and 37 seconds after the last knock, the door was opened. Behind the door was the middle-aged man who looked like a deformed child.

At the end of the ice surface battle last week, he was pierced from behind by Yin Yi Yi Lu Na's "Sunlight Gun," but at this time, he couldn't see any traces of injury. He just looked much more vicissitudinous, and looked even younger than last week.

Joy Barton looked up at the person at the door and hesitated for a moment:

"Mr. Watson?"

"It's me."

Mr. Barton sighed:

"Why come to find me? Do you really think you can persuade me?"

Xia De looked at the room behind him, but Mr. Barton immediately took a step back and then slammed the door shut.

【Ran away.】

"What?"

【Key of the Gate】 opened the door that had been locked from the inside. There was no trace of Joy Barton and the clown in the empty room.

The red butterfly on his shoulder flew toward the window immediately. Xia De walked quickly to the window and happened to see the figure of the deformed "child" carrying a suitcase disappearing at the street corner in the field of vision.

The spirits wandering on the street didn't mean to attack him at all. He walked freely on the street without dodging any attacks.

"Illusion of the Moon Shadow."

Silver fog surged again. Xia De jumped from the third-floor window to the ground. After landing, he followed the red butterfly and chased in the direction of Joy Barton.

"How is the situation?"

Miss Aurora's distant voice sounded in his ear again.

"Found the target, he ran when he saw me. Oh, I encountered some trouble. Although there is the help of illusion, evil spirits are blocking me from chasing, and the enemies are too dense."

"Wait a moment, Grandmother and I will help you... must catch up..."

The voice was intermittent until it disappeared completely, and the spirits wandering on the street in the boundary finally noticed Xia De because of his excessive proximity. But the next moment, an extremely cold chill appeared from the top of his head and quickly penetrated his whole body. A circular ritual base array emitting ambiguous gray light appeared under Xia De's feet.

The appearance of this ritual base array made the evil spirits that were already prepared to attack ignore Xia De again. Xia De tried to approach it for a few steps, and the other party didn't have any reaction either.

"The Witches really have means."

He continued to chase.

Xia De didn't know what Joy Barton had done in the boundary. He was clearly still only at the first ring, but he ran faster than Xia De. Even though Xia De used 【Lagley's Leap】 for spatial movement every ten seconds, the two chased and fled, actually running around most of the city center in the boundary, and only then did Xia De finally catch up with Joy Barton on the Green Shade Square one block away from Oak Street.

The Green Shade Square in the real world was a semi-park-style square in the center of Schluch Lake, while in the boundary, it was as desolate as a graveyard with floating fog.

Xia De and Mr. Barton confronted each other in the fog, and the surrounding evil spirits appeared and disappeared in the fog.

"Where is that clown?"

Xia De still didn't see the second nail, but the red butterfly pointed restlessly in the direction of this man in front of him.

"Swallowed by me."

Mr. Barton pointed to himself:

"I was seriously injured and need to recover myself. Don't worry, after I completely digest its power, this nail can be considered removed."

His voice was still so hoarse.

"Since you know about the boundary and the nail, you should also know that at this moment when the life-and-death balance is so fragile, if you bring back a dead person from death, the broken balance will directly lead to the collapse of the boundary."

"Yes, but if I don't do this as soon as possible, once the Church reseals the boundary, I won't have a chance to find her again."

Mr. Barton looked at Xia De, with no expression on his face:

"Mr. Watson, why bother to find me? Do you really think you can persuade me?"

"For the sake of the dead returning to life, you are willing to let a city of people die?"

Xia De asked back, and Mr. Barton nodded:

"I know it's wrong to do this, but I still want to say, yes. The most important thing in this world to me is her. Even if I commit a big mistake, I absolutely cannot give up this only opportunity. I am the moth rushing to the fire; I am willing to do this."

Although he had thought that the other party might say this, but really hearing Joy Barton say such words, Xia De still wanted to sigh:

"Don't think of yourself too highly. You have to think clearly, if you do this, you will be the enemy of the Orthodox Church, the three major sorcery academies, and even most Ringed Ringed Shushi groups. Even if you are the Chosen One, even if you really successfully held the ritual, the material world will absolutely not have a place for you to survive."

"I have already thought it through."

Mr. Barton pointed to his feet; he had already thought through everything:

"After I bring Marilyn back, we will live here, live in Schluch Lake, which has completely merged with the boundary and turned into a ghost forbidden land. With the Chosen One talent, the undead will not hurt me; they are my best partners. The Orthodox Church wants to catch me among thousands of undead, it's impossible."

"Mr. Barton, I will ask you one last time. Are you sure that even if you sacrifice the lives of millions of people, you must bring your beloved back from the peaceful sleep of death."

Xia De asked seriously:

"This is really the last time I ask."

Joy Barton looked at John Watson in the thick fog, vaguely understanding that this question would determine many things in the future.

PS: Thanks to reader @Rain Tomb for becoming the 18th alliance leader of this book.

Tipped at 4:00 AM, just found out. Added 4K, thanks for the support. ===== CHAPTER 753 =====