LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 275: Chapter 275: The Hunting Castle
Once all the villagers had returned to their homes, the village chief took the initiative to guide Jeremy and Ritchie to a secluded location.
This place was situated at the farthest end of the village, beyond which lay a vast river.
"This is the safest area within the village." the chief stated calmly to Jeremy.
"You can conduct your séance here without the fear of being disturbed."
Jeremy nodded in acknowledgment and then began to arrange the séance ritual.
As Jeremy was setting up the elements for the séance, Ritchie found himself staring blankly in the direction of the great river.
Ritchie noticed that there seemed to be a series of shadows lurking beneath the surface of the river. Furthermore, those shadows appeared to be aware of their presence.
"Chief, I would like to inquire if there is anything peculiar about that river."
Ritchie asked with a hint of uncertainty in his tone.
Upon hearing this question, the village chief's expression grew slightly odd. He did not answer Ritchie's inquiry directly but instead posed a counter-question.
"Why do you ask such a thing? Do you believe there is something strange about the river?"
Ritchie nodded in response.
"I can see some shadows lurking at the bottom of the river. Moreover, those shadows seem to possess a consciousness of their own, as they continuously glance toward the direction of the village. Are we truly safe conducting the séance here without encountering any danger?"
Ritchie did not wish to extract more information from the chief in this manner.
He merely hoped to ascertain that their séance would proceed without any complications.
At that moment, the chief let out a sigh of relief.
"I thought you were particularly concerned about that river. Indeed, there are many shadows within its depths. Those shadows are the souls of the villagers who once inhabited our settlement.
The Goddess of Life has bestowed blessings upon our village, and she has also granted our souls a means to return to her. After a villager passes away, their ashes must be cast into the river.
In doing so, their souls can return to the embrace of the Goddess of Life, allowing them to achieve eternal rest.
Therefore, conducting a séance here poses no issue. The Goddess of Life will never be our adversary, she will always bestow blessings upon us."
After hearing the chief's explanation, Ritchie remained outwardly silent.
However, internally, he was even more troubled.
Ritchie understood that a séance must not be disrupted by other souls.
Even though the villagers' souls had returned to the embrace of the Goddess of Life.
However, the current state of the Goddess of Life is also quite suspicious. It is highly likely that the Goddess of Life has been completely consumed by the White Tower.
This would imply that the souls within the river may very well be entirely under the control of the White Tower.
Upon realizing this, Ritchie approached Jeremy's side and whispered.
"Do you genuinely believe that now is the right time to conduct the séance?"
Jeremy nodded affirmatively.
"I heard your conversation with the chief quite clearly. Although the villagers' souls could potentially interfere with the séance, our time is running short.
Have you not sensed that the High-Dimensional Data surrounding us is increasing exponentially? The White Tower is about to pinpoint our exact moment in time.
If the White Tower penetrates the layers of history and mist to reach our current timeline, it could fully integrate with its past self.
In such a scenario, defeating it would be utterly impossible."
After delivering this statement, Jeremy began to hasten the arrangement of the séance ritual.
Ritchie understood Jeremy's perspective, thus refraining from posing any further questions.
With Ritchie's assistance, Jeremy swiftly completed the setup for the séance ritual.
"Honorable Chief, it would be best for you to keep your distance. Once the séance commences, there is a high likelihood that it may also affect you." Jeremy cautioned before the initiation of the séance.
The chief responded in a gentle tone,
"Though I do not personally practice séance rituals, I have witnessed others conducting them during my youth. Please proceed with your séance, I will not be adversely affected."
Jeremy smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
Although he did not verbally express his thoughts, he had begun to harbor doubts about the village chief.
However, no matter what transpired, Jeremy would not abandon his plan.
Only by acquiring more information regarding the hunting knights through the séance ritual could Jeremy swiftly uncover intelligence related to the Tower of Exile at this particular moment in time.
After making the necessary preparations, Jeremy promptly initiated the séance ritual.
He first activated his spiritual essence to seek the soul of the captain of the hunting knights. Upon locating the soul, he immediately commenced the séance.
The fragments of the hunting knights captain's soul coalesced, forming a spectral figure that materialized at the very center of the séance ritual.
"Disclose all that you know. Which deity are you hunting? Whom do you serve? Where is your headquarters located?"
Jeremy unleashed a flurry of questions in one breath.
Under the influence of the séance ritual, the soul of the hunting knights captain rapidly divulged everything he knew.
"We serve the great Fool. Our mission is to hunt all other malevolent deities, including the Goddess of Life and the class change goddess, both of whom are our targets.
Our headquarters is situated in Hunting Castle, where an angel of the Fool guides our actions. That angel is incredibly wise and possesses the ability to foresee all that will transpire."
Upon hearing the words of the hunting knights captain's soul, the expressions of both Jeremy and Ritchie soured considerably.
They both keenly noted the mention of the class change goddess.
Both men were aware of who the class change goddess was, and they also knew that she was still alive.
This likely indicates that the class change goddess they encountered in the apocalypse game is very possibly an incarnation disguised by the game's orchestrators.
Your journey continues with m v|l-e'm,p y r
If Jeremy's conjecture is correct, then all of his previous actions would have been under the control of the apocalyptic schemers, wouldn't they?
Jeremy could no longer maintain his composure.
His state of mind was exceedingly frantic, and under such circumstances, the séance ritual could not be sustained any longer.
Observing this scene, Ritchie immediately interjected.
"This is not a moment for panic. At the very least, we should ascertain the location of Hunting Castle. If necessary, we can directly journey to Hunting Castle to seek clues."
With Ritchie's reminder, Jeremy managed to partially stabilize his thoughts.
"Where exactly is the Hunting Castle you mentioned? What means must we employ to gain entry into Hunting Castle?"
"Hunting Castle is situated twenty miles outside the village, you merely need to don the armor of the hunting knights to enter."
"Are there any precautions we should be aware of? What activities do you hunting knights engage in while at Hunting Castle?"
"Do not converse with anyone. The sole purpose of Hunting Castle is to store the spoils acquired by hunting knights during their missions.
The angel of the Fool will provide rewards to the hunting knights based on the quantity and rarity of the spoils they have gathered."
Only by acquiring a sufficient amount of spoils can the hunting knights upgrade to the rank of hunting knights captain. After that, the hunting knights captain also has the opportunity to ascend to a higher echelon of hunting knights.
Once the hunting knights captain's soul had answered these questions, it dissipated completely.
The séance ritual could not be sustained for an extended period, and the soul of the hunting knights captain was not particularly strong, thus, it could only endure for so long.
After the séance ritual concluded, Jeremy's forehead was slick with cold sweat.
"How are you? Is your body holding up well?" Ritchie approached Jeremy, expressing his concern.
At that moment, the village chief also came to Jeremy's side.
As he observed Jeremy's condition, he retrieved a handful of herbs from his pocket.
"I can see that you are quite agitated, fortunately, I happen to have some calming herbs. After you consume these, you should be able to regain your composure."
Jeremy glanced at the herbs in the village chief's hand and, without any hesitation, took them.
Once he ingested the herbs, Jeremy gradually began to calm down.
"I believe we have gathered sufficient intelligence, there is no need for us to linger in the village any longer. Let us set off for Hunting Castle tomorrow morning.
I am eager to see what the angel of the Fool at Hunting Castle is truly like. Although I understand that my power does not match that of the Fool.
I believe I at least have a chance to overcome the angel of the Fool."
Jeremy declared this with unwavering conviction.
Ritchie refrained from saying much, for he knew that Jeremy had made up his mind.
The village chief hesitated, appearing as though he wished to dissuade Jeremy, but ultimately, he did not voice his concerns.
"Since you have come to a decision, you should get some rest. I will ensure that this place is tidied up! Tomorrow morning, I will provide you with the necessary supplies.
These provisions will guarantee that you will not have to worry about food before you reach Hunting Castle."
The village chief seemed to be aware of something significant, yet he hesitated over whether to reveal it. In the end, he resolved to keep this information to himself.