Chapter 922 Special Physique <TOC> Chapter 924 Essence Blood Information
Translator: SumTLMan
When Angel espied the blood-stained figure of Vonman approaching, a mélange of emotions reflected across his countenance.
It wasn’t just Vonman who was bathed in gore; the pristine face of Guina, who was nestled in his arms, was now spotted with blotches of crimson, reminiscent of splatters of ink on a blank canvas.
Simultaneously, the steady drip, drip, drip of blood could be discerned emanating from Vonman’s knapsack.
“You two…” Angel’s words of reproach reached the tip of his tongue but dissolved on seeing the utter lack of remorse in their eyes. With a sigh, he pivoted his reproach into a command, “Take some time to cleanse yourselves.”
“Especially—” Angel’s gaze alighted on Vonman’s backpack, “—those items inside.”
After exchanging a glance, Vonman and Guina nodded, heading towards the riverside.
Vonman unhesitatingly stripped his clothes and plunged into the river for a refreshing rinse, before gently wiping Guina’s face clean. Once all traces of the ghastly red had been removed from their bodies, Vonman cautiously opened the backpack. Two human skins, stacked one atop the other, revealed themselves with an ominous presence.
These skins, chilling as they were, belonged to Aniga and Chira.
Vonman meticulously cleaned the human skins while Angel stood at a distance, silently observing, an inward sigh resting in his chest.
Previously, Vonman and Guina mourning their departed companions had seemed natural. But when Guina spoke up, the scene took a macabre turn. Guina decided to take Aniga and Chira with them, but they didn’t possess any spatial storage; carrying two corpses was an impossibility. Hence, Guina’s eventual resolution was to skin them and take their hides.
Angel vividly recalled Guina’s words at the time: “I wish to use their skins to craft a human skin doll, so they can accompany me forever.”
When Guina said this, her eyes sparkled with unwavering determination, not showing the slightest repulsion towards the idea of carrying a human-skin doll, a gruesome notion to most.
“Who would have thought Vonman was not the only thorny issue; Guina is even more problematic…” Angel muttered with a furrowed brow, unsure of how to assess Guina. Could this perhaps be a common eccentricity among wizards who are fond of puppets?
Angel remembered that Bogula seemed to have a penchant for using humans as puppets as well, with a particular liking for living ones.
Could it be a fixation shared amongst puppet masters?
By the time they reappeared before Angel, he remarked nonchalantly, “It’s time to depart, but before we do, there’s one more matter to be addressed.”
Angel turned his gaze towards Guina, “Where is this Kusha you spoke of?”
…
In a forest on the outskirts of Winter Tide City stood a castle concealed within the shadows of the towering trees.
The castle wasn’t grand in scale, yet an aura of gloom permeated its entirety. Ashen ivy clung to its walls, a ubiquitous symbol of thorns.
Hovering outside the castle, Angel queried, “Is this Kusha’s dwelling?”
Seated on the gondola, Vonman nodded in confirmation, “Indeed.”
In Vonman’s narrative, Kusha was a vile old witch. Guina’s limbs and Aniga’s tongue were all severed by Kusha’s sinister hand.
While Angel was clueless about Kusha’s origins, according to Vonman, Kusha and the Ghost Caller undoubtedly knew each other. After all, it was the Ghost Caller who took Vonman away and later recommended Guina to Kusha. Clearly, there must be some connection between the two.
Angel feared that Kusha was part of the Rat Ant Underground Society, hence his intention to investigate further.
The castle wasn’t large. Angel hardly needed to exert his senses to confirm the absence of any inhabitants. Upon entering, he noticed a layer of dust covering the furniture, indicating that the castle’s occupant had likely vacated recently.
However, on the carpet, Angel discerned several erratic footprints, seemingly belonging to a child.
While Angel was studying these, Vonman suddenly remarked, “These footprints seem to be the ones I left the last time I came here.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Upon my escape from Sea Moon City last time, I immediately intended to find Lady Kusha and deliver the news of Ghost Caller’s demise…” Vonman lowered his head with a slight sob, “Since Guina was in Kusha’s hands, I had to return.”
“Only to find, upon my return, Kusha was nowhere to be found in the castle. Instead, in the underground laboratory, I found Guina submerged in some odd liquid, already in this state. After I woke her up, I was ready to take her and escape… At that time, Guina informed me that Aniga was nearby, and I discovered Aniga, his tongue severed, also lying within a liquid-filled container.”
“Then we left.”
Angel extended his senses into the basement and indeed discovered numerous cultivation vessels and experimental cabins, along with several specimens of human limbs.
Seems like it was a laboratory for bloodline research or transplants?
Angel headed into the basement and took a careful look, confirming his prior suspicion. Everything in there – surgical tables, exchange tables, cultivation vessels – were all tools for transplantation experiments.
Yet many were obsolete relics, and all specimens of limbs soaked in the liquid were of mere mortals.
From this, it could be roughly deduced that Kusha’s experimental skill was not high, and her strength presumably no more than Ghost Caller’s.
At that moment, a rustling sound echoed from behind. Turning around, he saw Vonman and Guina whispering in front of a skull specimen. It seemed the identity of this skull belonged to an official from some institution in Winter Tide City.
However, instead of guessing the identities of these skulls, what Angel wanted to point out was that these two children seemed to have absolutely no fear.
“Do they have your limb specimen here?” Angel approached and looked at Guina.
Guina shook her head, “After my limbs were severed by Kusha, she threw them to feed the wolves.”
“Did you see that with your own eyes?”
Guina nodded, “Yes, the wolf was her pet.”
Angel’s eyes held a complex look. Witnessing one’s own hands and feet fed to a pet would leave a scar on anyone, let alone a child of Guina’s age, regardless of how mature her mentality was.
For Guina’s now somewhat morbid line of thinking, Angel seemed to gain some comprehension.
After another tour within the castle, Angel took his leave. Given Kusha’s absence, he didn’t feel compelled to squander any more time. Moreover, he had discovered some leads in the underground laboratory and Kusha’s study, which pointed towards Kusha’s identity.
Kusha appeared to be unaffiliated with the Rat Ant Underground Society, seemingly a member of a minor wizard clan.
Seeing as she wasn’t a part of the Rat Ant Underground Society, Angel had no grounds to make trouble for her.
However, as they departed on the gondola, Guina broke into a smile, “Her leaving is for the best. One day, I’ll find her myself.”
…
After bringing Vonman and Guina back to the Pat Manor, Angel settled them in a slightly secluded villa.
This was primarily to circumvent any trouble.
Guina’s appearance was rather startling, and considering Vonman was about to start skinning in the next few days, the sight of Aniga and Chira’s skins drying out in the sun would likely cause panic. Hence, Angel decided to house them separately.
For now, their daily food and water would be overseen by the head maid, Mana. However, Angel warned them to hide the human skins whenever a servant passed by their place.
Regarding Vonman and Guina, Angel also informed Drew, as they would be fellow apprentices in the future, it would be beneficial if they could foster harmonious relations.
After settling them in, Angel went to meet with Suis.
“Are you certain you wish to depart?” Suis stood tall, his eyes reflective with thought.
Angel nodded. Suis had previously told him to inform him before deciding to leave.
“Seeing Jon’s health deteriorating, I’m out of options to save him, I have to go back and ask others for help.”
Suis had already anticipated Angel’s choice, so he wasn’t surprised: “Have you thought it through, who do you plan to have treat Jon?”
“I intend to venture back to the Savage Grottoes first, bringing these talented individuals with me. Afterwards, I’ll ponder over this predicament,” stated Angel, his words echoing in the chamber.
Upon hearing Angel’s intent to revisit the Savage Grottoes, Eureka, who sat across him, experienced a spark of insight. An idea seemingly sprung into her mind as she turned her gaze towards Angel, ready to interject. However, Suis subtly shook his head, urging her silence.
Slightly taken aback, Eureka opted to hold her tongue, her words hanging in the air, unsaid.
Suis acknowledged Angel with a nod, his voice heavy with concern. “I truly hope you can ensure Jon’s survival. After all, he is an invaluable specimen,” he commented.
Without pause, Suis continued, “I won’t hinder your departure this time, but there is something you need to bear in mind.”
Angel met Suis’s gaze, indicating he was ready to receive whatever wisdom was to be imparted.
“Firstly, it would be prudent if you refrain from revealing any information regarding Eureka and myself to others. After all, such disclosure will not serve your interests.”
Angel nodded in agreement. Even if Leon had already become Suis’s disciple, Angel, by his nature, was not one for idle gossip.
“Secondly, I would be grateful if you could assist me in procuring some elixirs for mental rejuvenation.”
Angel responded, “I will make an attempt to find them, though I can’t guarantee success. After all, you’re well aware of the current state of the Feran Continent.”
“And finally, you mentioned earlier that you needed time to contemplate. Have you arrived at a conclusion?”
Angel faltered slightly, Suis’s piercing gaze reminding him of the question at hand.
Earlier, Suis had pulled Angel into the Exile Space to inquire about the issue of Bloodline Tracing. They hoped to completely evade the pursuit of the Guman King by erasing the function of Bloodline Tracing.
However, eliminating Bloodline Tracing might also likely damage the Scarlet Sovereignty.
Hence, they revised their scheme. The intent was to trace back the origin through the vital essence blood, thereby locating the bearer of this precious essence blood.
However, the premise hinged upon this question: “Could we locate the bearer of the essence blood by tracing back the magic formation imprinted on the Scarlet Sovereignty’s essence blood?”
Upon this query’s inception, Angel confessed his ignorance, requiring a contemplative pause for reflection.
While only a few days had passed since then, Suis was growing evidently impatient.
“There is no record in the books, but there is a method to extract information from the essence blood traced back from its origin.”
Suis’ eyes sparkled with anticipation, “Can we extract the essence blood itself?” If we could procure the essence blood, our potential for action would increase substantially. Whether it’s cursing or locating, either could be executed effortlessly.
“We cannot extract the essence blood directly, but only some of its information.”
“So, can we find the bearer of the essence blood by extracting this information?”
Chapter 922 Special Physique <TOC> Chapter 924 Essence Blood Information