Chapter 140: He Has Someone Backing Him |
Byron stepped forward and explained, "The principle of this magic circle is simple. We will connect the inductive device to you, recording your soul fluctuations while searching for soul fragments in the soul storm that share the same frequency. These fragments will be transmitted into the circle, and you just need to stand at the center, waiting for the soul fragments to be delivered to you."
Byron also brought a book with him, which contained the blueprint of the magic circle he had prepared.
Morden took one glance at it before turning away. "This circle has a function to trap soul entities."
"Yes, but it absolutely cannot trap you, can it?"
The wraith smirked. "Then let's begin."
With the wraith's approval, Nick immediately began assembling the equipment under its watchful eyes.
Meanwhile, Byron called on Wright to help him draw the magic circle.
However, Wright's spiritual body was severely damaged, so he could only assist Byron with minor tasks.
Fortunately, they had come to Hanging Hands Valley well-prepared for on-site research, bringing all the necessary materials with them.
Wright handed Byron a bottle of red powder and asked in a muffled voice, "Li you… sss… do da ba wo?"
His mouth had been stepped on and deformed. Byron had given him a basic healing treatment, but he hadn't fully recovered.
Byron remained focused on drawing the circle. "As long as there are no issues with the experimental process, the results will be accurate."
This answer left Wright conflicted, but he dared not ask further.
Just then, a sudden noise came from Nick's direction.
Everyone—human and ghost alike—turned to look, only to see that the device Nick had just assembled had collapsed.
"Nick!" Byron's face darkened. "Stay focused! Don't let your emotions affect your hands. Have you forgotten how Sid died?"
Nick quickly apologized. "Sorry, senior. I ran into some trouble. Can you take a look?"
Byron temporarily handed his materials to Wright, got up, and walked over while continuing his reprimand.
"You need to learn to work independently. I can't always be there to help you."
Byron gave Nick a few pointers and, once the assembly was complete, immediately returned to his magic circle.
The wraith stood with arms crossed, squinting at their interaction but saying nothing.
In truth, he hadn't noticed anything suspicious.
Regardless of whether Byron was deceiving him, none of their equipment could harm him.
But if Byron was truly sent by his great-granddaughter, this might be his only chance to return to the living.
While the wraith didn't notice anything unusual, Saul did.
Upon hearing Byron's words, Saul's eyes widened as he sat up straight.
"Senior Byron is sending me a message?" Saul was both surprised and unsurprised.
He began analyzing Byron's intentions.
"How did Sid die? When I counter-killed Sid, I sought help from Senior Kongsha and Senior Byron, but in the end, I was the one who personally killed him!"
"And what he said to Nick—'You need to learn to work independently'—was that a message telling me to fight on my own?"
What puzzled Saul, however, was—how could Byron be certain he was still alive?
From the moment they were separated to when the wraith used his body to slaughter its enemies, Byron had never appeared.
Had he used some remote observation method? Or was it just a guess?
How did Byron know the wraith would possess Saul instead of tearing out his soul and devouring it like he did with others?
Saul looked down at his own hands, and suddenly, a realization struck him.
"Of course! Senior Byron is the only one who knows my body modification formula. Could he have also discovered the secret of the soul resin? Is that why he's certain the wraith would choose possession? Or did he suspect that I would willingly let the wraith enter the soul resin?"
Willingly absorbing the wraith had been a risky experiment based on theoretical speculation.
But Byron had worked in the morgue for over a decade. He had seen and experienced far more than Saul.
It wasn't too far-fetched for Byron to guess that Saul would use the soul resin.
Saul believed that Byron's decision to take this risk was primarily based on trust in him.
"He risked everything just because he trusted me?"
"Damn it, now I owe Senior Byron 100 academic credits."
Saul lowered his head and whispered to his diary, "If I initiate a consciousness battle now, what are my chances of survival?"
Text slowly surfaced on the diary's pages.
April 20th, Year 316 of the Lunar Calendar
How strange. Someone is already preparing a grand feast for you,
Yet you insist on starving yourself and rushing into battle ahead of time.
Fine, fine.
Since your opponent is a mixed bag of trash,
You have a 70% chance of dying outright,
A 20% chance of becoming an idiot,
A 0.5% chance of laughing till the end.
"What about the remaining 0.5%?"
Well,
How about becoming the new wraith?
Saul chuckled, pressing a hand to his forehead. "I never said I was really going to fight early. But… if I have a 0.5% chance of surviving, then I will survive!"
He placed his hands on his knees and stood up, slowly rolling his neck to loosen up for the impending battle.
"Senior Byron just said it himself—people shouldn't always rely on others. Since I already have a chance of success, and with Senior Byron’s assistance, I won’t just survive…"
"Heh, I might even beat the crap out of this bastard!"
Byron had no way of knowing Saul’s exact condition or whether he could understand the hidden message.
All he could do now was take a gamble.
If Saul failed to defeat the wraith’s consciousness, Byron would have no choice but to abandon him.
He would escape while the wraith was busy merging with the soul fragments.
Byron had finished drawing the magic circle. He stood up and looked at Morden.
"Lord Morden, everything is ready. Please enter the circle."
The wraith swept a cold gaze over the three people present, then stepped toward the circle.
But just as he was about to enter, Byron suddenly spoke up.
"Lord Morden, you need to leave Saul’s body first so the soul fragments can merge properly."
Saul, who had just been preparing for battle, froze. "Wait, is this Senior Byron's plan?"
If the wraith willingly left Saul’s body, they could all escape while it was busy merging.
Saul wouldn’t have to fight such a dangerous consciousness battle.
However, Morden had no intention of complying. "This body suits me well. I can still merge the fragments while in here."
Nick stepped forward. "Lord Morden, we recommend that you exit Saul’s body. Your presence inside another's form could affect the accuracy of the transmission."
Morden shot Nick a sharp glare. "With your shoddy equipment, one less body won’t make much of a difference. If not for the fact that this soul storm is truly about to dissipate, I wouldn’t have even given you this chance."
Nick looked at Byron, growing anxious.
"Wait… are you trying to save him?" Morden suddenly asked, pointing at Saul’s body.
Byron hesitated, putting on a conflicted expression before pleading again.
"We wouldn’t dare defy your will. It’s just that this apprentice’s identity is… rather special. Could you let him go for the sake of Lady Yura?"
Morden let out a cold hum. "Yura? She sent you to find me, yet she can’t even bear to sacrifice a mere low-level apprentice?"
Byron looked even more troubled. "This isn’t about Lady Yura… Saul… is actually the student of our Tower Master."
(End of Chapter)
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