Chapter 2372 ‘Hammering’ <TOC> Chapter 2374 Soul Burning Black Fire
Translator: SumTLMan
Nisi casually drew a symbol in the air.
An almost imperceptible barrier enveloped the entire pharmacy lab.
The miserable and suppressed cries of Renko were immediately isolated from the outside.
“Discussing serious matters is better done without a soundtrack, especially one as melodious as this,” Nisi shrugged. “Screams, or rather, the hysterical venting, are more to my liking, especially the wailing of ghosts. This kind of scream, trying to restrain yet endure, lacks a certain flavor. Moreover, it’s the roar of a man.”
Angel: …Only you would consider screams as a soundtrack.
With the distraction of external noises gone, everyone finally began to discuss the matter at hand.
“Back in the Wilderness of Dreams, many things were not thoroughly clarified. Now, let’s talk about it. What did you do, and what caused the current outcome?” Angel turned to Nausica.
Nausica nodded, starting from the moment she made her decision under Sky Mechanical City.
Reynolds also chimed in from time to time to add some content.
Time slowly passed as she narrated.
In her account, she filled in all the details that Reynolds had mentioned before.
Nausica indeed followed Reynolds to this laboratory, which had imprisoned him from a young age, for the hand of Night Butterfly Witch.
The reason Nausica was interested in Night Butterfly Witch’s hand was because Reynolds had detailed the “special material” contained within this arm.
Such special materials are obtained through sacrificial rituals to certain powers in the Qwest World, exchanging for unnamed and special things. These special materials can be infused into organs, and through certain special methods, the extraordinary organs can undergo transformation.
According to Reynolds, Night Butterfly Witch’s arm was the organ with the most special materials and the highest spiritual value from the large-scale sacrificial ceremony more than a decade ago. Over the years, there have been many large and small sacrificial ceremonies, but in terms of limbs, almost none surpassed Night Butterfly Witch’s.
Although the “special material” in the organ was not the most accommodating or the most effective, generally speaking, the larger the spiritual value and accommodation, the stronger the power.
It was also because of the existence of the special material that Nausica paid more attention to Night Butterfly Witch’s arm.
Nausica was not attracted to Night Butterfly Witch’s arm solely for its power. As she herself said, “If it were just for the power, I could have waited for Lord Pat to refine a new prosthetic.”
Angel had previously promised that with better materials and a superior structural design, he would refine a more powerful prosthetic limb for Nausica. With Angel’s alchemy abilities, crafting a powerful prosthetic limb was not impossible.
What truly attracted Nausica, and even made her decisively choose to follow Reynolds to steal Night Butterfly Witch’s arm, was the other special nature of this “special material.”
“Through the transplantation of organs, the special material within establishes a certain degree of connection… or resonance with the soul.”
“It’s as if it’s equipment tailor-made for the soul.”
“Its specific name is quite unique, and I can’t remember it. However, given its uniqueness, I’ve named it.”
“Soul Armor!”
Nausica, as a transcendent with bloodline powers, boasts almost unrivaled combat prowess among her peers. Yet, this is only ‘almost,’ for bloodline transcendent wizards also have their vulnerabilities, the most typical being their souls’ lack of defense. When an enemy is prepared and targets the soul, even a formal wizard with bloodline powers could be severely injured.
Before attaining true knowledge, those with bloodline powers rarely had the ability to directly protect their souls.
The existence of Soul Armor, however, fills this significant gap. Nausica values this precisely because it not only allows for the restoration of limbs but also enables the formation of Soul Armor through the special material in these limbs to protect the soul, an advantage unattainable through prosthetics or the transplantation of other biological organs.
Upon hearing Nausica’s explanation, Angel wasn’t particularly moved, as his soul is quite unique. Even the wailing of a banshee doesn’t bother him, and he has never felt as vulnerable as Nausica describes.
However, for Nisi, Nausica’s description was astonishing enough to nearly pop his eyes out.
Soul Armor? Soul Armor!
This was a realm he had never ventured into. Perhaps alchemists could craft similar soul equipment, but achieving a connection and resonance with the soul, tailor-made as Nausica described, is nearly impossible.
For a soul wizard, he is all too aware of the value of Soul Armor.
Imagine, when someone invades your soul realm, thinking they can easily deal with you, and then your soul pulls out a gleaming magic wand and with a gentle wave, silence ensues.
Such invasions of the soul realm are not uncommon. Angel himself was nearly possessed by Parasite Mother in Sky Tower.
If at that time, Angel could have used Soul Armor against Parasite Mother, it would have been much easier.
But this is just one application of Soul Armor.
For a soul wizard, the most important thing is to cast spells through the power of the soul. However, the soul itself, when astral projecting, isn’t necessarily that robust. If one had a defensive Soul Armor, then one could fight without any worries.
That’s why Nisi was so shocked.
This laboratory has actually developed Soul Armor!
Nisi now somewhat understands why Totoro suggested he come to the Mist Zone. The biggest reason wasn’t to help Angel or because of the lucky Reynolds, but because of Soul Armor!
Even Nisi’s brow twitched upon learning of the existence of Soul Armor, harboring a speculation… perhaps, the path to true knowledge he sought would begin here.
“Where is that laboratory? I want to see it,” Nisi asked, struggling to contain his inner longing.
Nausica and Reynolds did not pick up on Nisi’s urgent emotions, but Angel did.
After a moment of contemplation, Angel understood what Nisi was thinking.
Angel said, “You previously criticized Firo’s folly, and now you’ve fallen into the pit yourself? Wait a bit, rushing to the laboratory isn’t urgent right now. Let Nausica continue her story first; I have a feeling that what she’s about to say will interest you. Like… that weapon.”
Nisi took a deep breath, realizing he was too excited internally. Even if he really wanted to visit the laboratory, he indeed needed to understand more about the situation there.
Moreover, Nisi also understood Angel’s hint.
The “weapon” Angel referred to was the one Reynolds and Nausica used to block the magical creature offspring when they escaped from the laboratory. Later, according to Nausica, Reynolds handed her the weapon in the final moments.
At the time, Reynolds did not specify what this weapon was, but from his context, it was clear that the weapon was incredibly powerful and secretive; otherwise, why would Reynolds resort to it at the last moment?
Based on Nausica’s previous account, Nisi speculated that the weapon Reynolds never explicitly mentioned might indeed be the Soul Armor!
Nisi suppressed the eager thoughts in his heart and continued to listen to Nausica’s narration.
The subsequent content was more or less the same; the situation in the laboratory didn’t differ much from what Reynolds described. However, one thing worth mentioning was something Reynolds hid at the time: why he insisted on taking Nausica to the laboratory?
Reynolds’s expression at the time was that he wasn’t taking Nausica to the laboratory for nothing; he was looking for a document, and after finding this document, he needed Nausica’s help.
But what exactly he needed help with, Reynolds did not say at the time.
Now, however, Nausica disclosed the secret.
The document Reynolds was seeking was about removing soul imprints. He wanted to erase the “x” and “1” numbers on his face, which to him, were like the marks of a slave, a stark reminder of his painful past.
During the initial Novastar Competition, Reynolds could have achieved a better ranking if he had used his soul power, but he refrained from using his best ability precisely because he didn’t want to reveal the mark on his soul.
Moreover, as long as this mark existed, he could never escape the laboratory’s pursuit.
Therefore, he had to remove this mark. And for the removal process, he needed someone’s help; he ultimately chose Nausica.
Reynolds’ mindset was something both Angel and Nisi could comprehend, hence they harbored no objections towards keeping this matter concealed from him, merely gesturing for Nausica to continue her narration.
What followed was their encounter with a trap left by Number 17, leading to a chase by a magical creature, forcing them to flee the laboratory.
Despite being a juvenile, the creature’s lineage was immensely powerful, belonging to a true knowledge level magical creature within the mist, possessing near-wizard capabilities despite its young age.
In the midst of chaos, Reynolds pushed Nausica out of the laboratory, choosing to confront the creature with a weapon in hand.
The details of the battle are omitted, but the outcome was Reynolds exhausting all his efforts to hinder the creature’s advance, which, after a brief respite, charged at them again. Nausica, not one to abandon her comrades, did not flee and even attempted to re-enter the laboratory to assist Reynolds.
Reynolds, wishing for Nausica’s survival and believing himself to be beyond salvation, entrusted his weapon to Nausica in his final moments before pushing her into the deep sea. This time, Nausica did not return, as she was swept away by a current…
Subsequently, the tale transitions to Nausica’s drift at sea, eventually arriving at the Ghost Shipyard Island.
The situation on the Ghost Shipyard Island had been briefly mentioned by Nausica during their time in the Wilderness of Dreams. The retelling focused more on the details.
Of particular interest to Angel and Nisi was the battle that ensued after Nausica’s awakening.
With her magical reserves nearly depleted, Nausica, in an effort to conserve magic power and swiftly conclude the battle, utilized the weapon Reynolds had given her.
“Is this weapon a Soul Armor?” Nisi inquired.
Both Reynolds and Nausica nodded in affirmation.
Nisi turned to Reynolds: “So, it’s possible to transfer Soul Armor to another without needing an organ transplant?”
Reynolds confirmed, “It is possible, but there are inconveniences involved.”
Nausica elaborated on these inconveniences: “When I used Reynolds’ weapon, I distinctly felt a sluggishness, as if there was a veil separating me from it, preventing me from using it as intuitively as I would have liked. Moreover, the energy consumption was significantly higher than what Reynolds had described for Soul Armor.”
Reynolds explained, “Because it’s not the most suitable… The most suitable carriers for Soul Armor are still the corresponding organs and a resonating soul.”
Since Nausica was using Reynolds’ Soul Armor, she couldn’t wield it as naturally as her own, managing only a barely adequate usage.
Nisi, thoughtfully, asked, “May I see what the Soul Armor looks like?”
Nausica looked towards Reynolds, as the chain was his.
Reynolds nodded in agreement.
Although Reynolds agreed, Nausica still couldn’t bring it out immediately. It wasn’t that she was unwilling, but her soul power had been depleted to a critical point, making it impossible for her to manifest the Soul Armor, nor could she perform soul projection.
Nisi noticed Nausica’s embarrassment and reached out to her, “Don’t refuse, I’ll transfer some pure soul power to you.”
However, before his hand could touch Nausica, it was blocked by Angel.
“Just the forehead will do,” Angel said indifferently.
Nisi’s mouth twitched stiffly, and he muttered a few curses under his breath, but eventually, he slowly raised his hand from aiming at Nausica’s chest to her forehead.
“The soul power I’ve purified can greatly replenish her kind of soul, and might even enhance her soul strength,” Nisi murmured. “By consuming my own to strengthen her soul, what’s wrong with taking a little advantage… It’s not like I was really going to do anything.”
Angel knew Nisi’s nature well. When Sanders took him to the Soul Valley for a check-up on his unique soul, even with Sanders present, he took the opportunity to slip away and play with some women during a break in the experiment.
Usually, Angel couldn’t be bothered to intervene, as it was all consensual. But Nausica was his friend, and he couldn’t let Nisi harm her, not even allow him to take a small advantage. Because Nisi was the type to take a mile if given an inch, and no opportunity should be given to him.
Ignoring Nisi’s complaints, Nisi’s soliloquy had to be performed by himself.
After he transferred the soul power to Nausica, he reluctantly ended his monologue.
“It should be enough now,” Nisi signaled that Nausica could now summon her Soul Armor.
Nausica nodded, closed her eyes to sense the soul power, and felt an unprecedented comfort from the brimming, almost overflowing soul power.
With a harmony of body, mind, and spirit, Nausica began to try to move the chain in her soul.
To the others, it seemed as if Nausica had an additional shadow.
When the shadow and Nausica merged again, a black hole, like an abyss, appeared in front of Nausica’s chest.
A dark chain, like a venomous snake capturing its prey, burst out from the deep black hole.
Chapter 2372 ‘Hammering’ <TOC> Chapter 2374 Soul Burning Black Fire