Chapter 142: Mother Tree |
"Evil spirits can reform again?" The young man bearing the Sun Sacred Emblem on his chest inquired, astonished.
From his mysticism knowledge and experience gained through case files, he knew that unless an evil spirit possessed unique abilities, purification equated to total annihilation.
Such soul-type entities were either the offspring of powerful Beyonders' deaths or vengeful spirits that managed to break through various constraints. The mightiest could even wield a degree of godhood, but resurrection and rebirth were not among their traits.
The blond man, clad in a double-breasted brown coat, straightened up and eyed the dissipating, writhing vines. After some thought, he said, "Evil spirits can have unique distinctions. Under specific conditions, they rely on an object to be born. This object often lies at the heart of their territory.
"As long as this object remains intact, the evil spirit, even if not entirely purified, will gradually reform within the corresponding area."
Evil spirits would assimilate their birthplaces, merging with the spirit world and the Underworld to obtain the power necessary to maintain their existence. Otherwise, they would slowly weaken until they vanished completely.
In essence, evil spirits had a fixed range of activity and couldn't wander far from their birthplaces. This was their "territory."
The young man donned in the Sun Sacred Emblem and a white robe adorned with golden threads roughly grasped the reasoning. He furrowed his brow and said, "We've been searching for days, yet we haven't found the birthplace of the evil spirit, Susanna Matisse."
Logically, Susanna Matisse couldn't stray far from her territory. If official Beyonders carefully searched Rue Anarchie and its vicinity, they would surely locate the evil spirit's birthplace and destroy the object it depended on.
More crucially, deeper underground, lay Trier from the Fourth Epoch. Even for official Beyonders, it was a perilous place they scarcely comprehended.
As a deacon of Le Marché du Quartier du Gentleman's Inquisition, Angoulême de François had never understood why Trier had been rebuilt atop the original site, right above the sunken Trier of the Fourth Epoch, in the late era.
Although geographically ideal, this decision had spawned countless troubles over the ensuing thousand years.
The Purifiers weren't incapable of resolving the Beyonder incidents; they just couldn't get to the root of the problem, hidden within the underground ruins of the Fourth Epoch's Trier.
Rumor had it that not even Demigods dared or were willing to venture into those depths.
Angoulême sheathed his golden longsword, which seemed to be condensed light, into a grayish-white, steam-powered humanoid head contraption, allowing it to sink into the corresponding "vertebrae."
Dark liquid seemed to fill the device.
A man in a white suit, yellow vest, and light-colored shirt, adorned with the Sun Sacred Emblem, emerged from Auberge du Coq Doré.
His light-yellow hair was neatly combed, skin-colored tape covered the bridge of his nose, and his lips were thick. A hint of a Southern Continent ancestry showed through his slightly brown skin.
dαnel "Deacon, I've spoken to Charlie Collent," he reported to Angoulême de François.
Angoulême touched the golden button on his brown coat, asking, "Is he alright?"
The brown-skinned man shook his head, replying, "We arrived just in time. He wasn't physically harmed.
"According to him, after he dreamed of Susanna Matisse again, although she warned him, he still chose to seek help. He was intercepted by Susanna Matisse on the second floor of the motel and almost became one with her forever. At least, that's what she said.
"After that, Charlie collapsed at the staircase and almost fainted. At that moment, he saw a light like the sun rising."
This development seemed normal and reasonable, aligning with the details provided by the Purifier elite team led by Angoulême. Neither Angoulême nor the other two Purifiers had any doubts.
In their understanding, Charlie's request for help was in accordance with their instructions to head to the nearest Eternal Blazing Sun cathedral.
Angoulême surveyed the unusually quiet Rue Anarchie and nodded slightly.
"For now, let's put Charlie Collent aside. But if we don't find Susanna Mattise's birthplace in two weeks, consider arranging a civilian job for him and telling him the truth."
This was the standard procedure used by official Beyonders to protect ordinary people who had yet to fully escape the influence of Beyonder events.
Of course, it often appeared they had resolved the problem and informed the victim to live peacefully, only for the person to die mysteriously weeks, months, or years later.
Angoulême continued, "We have two priorities. First, investigate this area, including the underground, to find Susanna Mattise's birthplace. Second, locate the person who warned us with the letter. He seems to have deep knowledge of Susanna Mattise."
Before releasing Charlie, Angoulême and his team had secretly investigated Auberge du Coq Doré but found no suspicious areas that could be the birthplace of the evil spirit.
Additionally, they had used Beyonder methods to verify Charlie's encounter and confession. They confirmed that the victim had interacted with ordinary people from the moment he prayed to Susanna Matisse until he was arrested by the police.
That was why Angoulême suggested not to worry about Charlie's situation for the time being.
As for the sender, he had impressive methods and extensive anti-divination and anti-tracking experience. He had chosen to use a spirit world creature to write and send the letter.
It was worth noting that even when using the same descriptive incantation to summon a spirit world creature, a different one would likely appear each time.
The challenge with using just a three-line description was that it could potentially match hundreds of thousands of spirit world creatures, if not more. What they could summon each time relied solely on chance.
Without a corresponding medium and a description that highlighted the subject's unique traits, it was nearly impossible to zero in on the target spirit using the incantation alone. Most spirit world creatures simply weren't distinctive enough.
Angoulême had previously sought the help of colleagues adept in such matters. Employing the letter as a medium, he tried summoning the associated spirit world creature, hoping to glean any clues from it. Alas, whether it was the letter's transcriber, author, or sender, they came up empty-handed.
The issue could have been a flaw in the descriptive statement, or perhaps the corresponding spirit world creature sensed their ill intentions and refused the summoning.
Even with a flawless summoning ritual, it could still fail if the spirit world creatures fitting the description declined to respond. Only those Sequences skilled in summoning could significantly boost the odds or even force the issue. Naturally, Beyonders rarely faced such obstacles. Their three-line descriptions cast a wide net, ensnaring numerous spirit world creatures, with a handful always eager to enter the real world and absorb some spirituality.
…
Lumian feigned sleep, poised to flee at a moment's notice.
It wasn't until the nearby cathedral clock struck six that he allowed himself a sigh of relief.
Seems like the battle between the official Beyonders and Susanna Mattise has ended. They didn't even realize I briefly confronted her… Lumian rolled out of bed and rubbed his face.
He couldn't be certain if the official Beyonders had completely neutralized Susanna Mattise or if this ordeal was truly over.
Recalling Susanna's intense hatred for him, Lumian knew he couldn't rely on hope alone.
He decided to write a letter to Madam Magician, reporting his encounter with Mr. K and inquiring about Susanna Mattise's nature and weaknesses.
For good measure, he also planned to ask Hela, the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society's vice president—after all, Madam Magician wasn't all-knowing.
After penning the two letters and tidying the room, Lumian summoned two messengers at ten-minute intervals, ensuring each took the correct letter.
By the time he finished washing up and returned to Room 207, there were already two replies waiting silently on the wooden table.
Wow, Madam Magician is quick too. Did the messengers run into each other? If so, what would they talk about? Lumian muttered, picking up one of the replies.
The letter was from Hela.
"Similar cases have occurred in the Northern and Southern Continents. Men and women often dreamed of the opposite sex and engaged in intimate acts, ultimately dying from exhaustion.
"If the victims have partners or lovers, these innocents are killed one by one by creatures like Susanna Mattise. These creatures seem to believe they're the dreamer's spouse.
"Such creatures are said to possess powerful abilities on par with Mid-Sequence Beyonders.
"Some details suggest Susanna may have already died, becoming a vengeful or evil spirit…"
It is indeed quite powerful… Lumian recalled his encounter the previous night, realizing that without Fallen Mercury's deterrence, Charlie as a "hostage," and Susanna's conviction that she was Charlie's wife, he might have been defeated within a minute.
After burning Hela's reply with a flame conjured from his spirituality, Lumian unfolded Madam Magician's letter.
"I'm unsure whether to congratulate or commiserate with you. Your chances of encountering an evil god's Blessed seem higher than those of ordinary Beyonders. This may be due to the corruption sealed within you.
"It's difficult to explain this phenomenon using the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics. It's more like repulsive forces rejected by this world, attracting each other.
"That's my theory. I can't guarantee its accuracy. If I'm wrong, don't forget to inform me and provide the correct answer.
"Based on your account, I suspect Susanna was once a believer of an evil god, who bestowed her with strength equivalent to a Sequence 5.
"That evil god goes by the pseudonym Mother Tree of Desire in this world. Don't attempt to understand Her, let alone guess Her true and complete title.
"Susanna is likely a Fallen Tree Spirit or Spirit of Lust, also known as Baby Cupid in some regions. They can appear as men or women, engaging in intimate acts within dreams and absorbing the victim's energy. Over time, their possessiveness leads them to believe they're the victim's spouse, driving them to kill the victim's partner or lover in a fit of jealousy.
"However, Susanna also exhibited traits of a soul-type entity. It's highly plausible she met her demise in an accident or failed to endure the boon, morphing into an evil spirit. She grew increasingly paranoid, clinging to her instincts."
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