58: The footsteps of the fog

“Last night, someone died in the Soul Summoning Forest…”

Li Ke listened as Patton and Hatties reported on the recent happenings at the Manor.

He learned that someone had infiltrated the castle last night.

He waved for the two of them to leave.

Then he walked out of the study and headed straight for the Soul Summoning Forest behind the castle.

A faint, grayish-white Mist permeated the forest, and a chilling aura assailed him.

From a distance,

Li Ke saw Silas’s rigid body,

or rather, the Three Aunts Six Grannies Nine Ghosts that was lodged within Silas’s body.

She was pacing aimlessly in the forest.

Li Ke slowly walked into the forest.

The Three Aunts Six Grannies Nine Ghosts sensed his arrival and abruptly turned Silas’s body around.

“Hoo… hoo…”

Silas’s body twisted stiffly,

a hoarse growl emanating from deep within his throat.

Inside the husk, nine twisted female faces were squeezed together, monstrous and terrifying.

An intensely resentful aura surged out from Silas’s seven orifices, Li Ke wisps of grayish-black smoke, lingering and refusing to dissipate.

She instinctively feared the existence that had created her,

but her resentful nature made her want to pounce and tear apart the living being before her.

“It’s time to refine a suitable Soul Dao Magical Artifact.”

“Otherwise, this vengeful ghost’s combat power cannot be effectively utilized, and over time, there’s a risk of it backfiring.”

Li Ke thought silently.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, he already possessed the ability to refine Magical Artifacts.

He could even begin to forge a prototype for his Lifebound Treasure, which he would use during the Core Formation stage.

Regarding his future Lifebound Treasure, Li Ke already had a clear idea in his mind.

This Soul Summoning Forest was precisely in preparation for it…

Li Ke gently raised a hand.

Phantom Building Fist.

As his Realm improved, his Divine Soul power recovered somewhat.

Within his Divine Soul, the hazy red pavilion had clearly revealed the outline of its second floor.

The two layers of Fist Intent quietly spread out,

and the terrifying hallucinogenic ability took effect, instantly engulfing Silas’s body.

Silas immediately froze in place, maintaining an odd posture, unmoving.

The nine faces of the Three Aunts Six Grannies Nine Ghosts inside him instantly became blank, their ferocity forcibly suppressed.

Li Ke walked up to Silas’s body.

He carefully examined the other party’s appearance.

Since the other party’s Divine Soul had been almost completely devoured by the Three Aunts Six Grannies Nine Ghosts,

Li Ke roughly searched through the fragmented memories obtained through soul-searching but found no useful information.

He reached into Silas’s upper jacket pocket and fumbled for a moment.

Soon, he felt a hard envelope sealed with special wax.

The wax seal was dark red, carrying a faint scent of blood.

Li Ke broke the wax seal.

Inside was a secret document about the Radiant Light Holy Court, with a crimson Holy Grail imprint at the end.

“This is the contact mark of the Shadow Council.”

Seeing the crimson Holy Grail imprint,

Li Ke immediately searched his mind for relevant information.

The Shadow Council was also a well-known evil force, primarily composed of dark creatures such as blood kin.

Their doctrines were diametrically opposed to the Radiant Light Holy Court, and the two sides had always been irreconcilable.

Li Ke the Holy Meal Society, they were also the highest-level targets for extermination by the Radiant Light Holy Court.

Li Ke understood.

This infiltrator, carrying such a secret letter into Charles Manor, had an easily guessable motive.

He clearly intended to frame him, using the Holy See’s power against him.

“Who would have this motive?”

Li Ke thought for a moment.

It was either the young Clairvoyance who had escaped from the Ironwood Family,

or aristocratic forces from outside Xilin Town.

After all, his own Foundation was shallow,

yet he had unexpectedly annexed the entire territory of Xilin Town,

which would certainly cause many nobles to become envious and want to test him out.

Li Ke’s eyes flickered slightly.

He took out the dark Mist Emblem from his In arms.

“Help me keep an eye on things related to the Holy See.”

When he finished his seclusion, he had noticed this cryptic message in the Mist.

At the time, he hadn’t understood Morgana’s meaning.

Now it seemed Morgana had a hidden meaning,

as if she was deliberately reminding him to pay attention to matters related to the Radiant Light Holy Court.

“It seems that woman already knew the inside story…”

“But how did she know I was connected to the Charles Family, and why would she remind me?”

A thoughtful look appeared in Li Ke’s eyes.

…

Thump, thump, thump…

A dense sound of horse hooves,

rang out on the streets of Xilin Town.

A procession slowly entered this bustling commercial hub.

Hatties rode a tall, dark brown horse, his back straight.

Behind him followed a squad of guards wearing spiral masks, each exuding a calm aura.

They escorted a simple black carriage, slowly driving into the central area of Xilin Town.

Li Ke sat inside the carriage, resting with his eyes closed.

Xilin Town’s original lordship belonged to Oak Earl.

However, Oak Earl’s territory was vast, and he was out of reach, rarely interfering with the daily operations of Xilin Town.

This relatively loose management, on the contrary, made the commercial atmosphere here exceptionally active and prosperous.

Now, this area was entirely under the Charles Family’s name.

Li Ke’s management approach for Xilin Town was temporarily similar to Oak Earl’s; he did not intend to personally participate in every detail.

Firstly, he currently lacked sufficient personnel and his energy was limited.

Secondly, forcibly changing the original operational model might not necessarily be beneficial.

As long as it could bring him income and maintain basic order, that was enough.

The carriage stopped in front of the Town Hall.

The mayor of Xilin Town, a short, stout man with a perpetual smile, was already waiting at the door.

“Welcome, Lord Charles, to Xilin Town.”

He respectfully bowed to Li Ke.

Li Ke officially declared the Charles Family’s lordship over Xilin Town.

The mayor was very sensible and immediately handed over a large sum of taxes.

After collecting the taxes, Li Ke did not linger.

The carriage then left the Town Hall.

He had another purpose for this visit.

Under Li Ke’s command, Hatties and the squad of spiral guards silently turned into a secluded alley.

They twisted and turned through the alley,

finally stopping in front of an inconspicuous small tavern.

The spiral guard squad silently fanned out, tightly surrounding the small tavern.

The Spirit boy and girl, Li Ke two white spiders, silently climbed from nearby rooftops, occupying advantageous positions.

In the shadows on one side of the alley, some colossal creature seemed to be slowly wriggling, emitting a heart-pounding sense of oppression.

Li Ke’s carriage was parked in front of the small tavern’s door.

He gently lifted the carriage curtain,

his gaze calmly directed towards the tavern’s tightly closed back door.

Li Ke had long developed a strong interest in the Mist, this mysterious underground trading organization.

However, his previous several transactions had only been superficial.

The Mist seemed to merely provide a secretive underground trading venue,

while its organizers remained shrouded in a thick Mist, making it impossible to see the full picture.

Now, as the nominal lord of Xilin Town,

according to noble rules, he should conduct a thorough review of all major and minor forces within his territory.

Just right, taking this opportunity,

to probe the origins of this Mist.

Li Ke’s lips curved into a smile, and he gently activated the Mist Emblem in his hand.

At the tightly closed back door of the tavern,

a thin layer of gray Mist abruptly appeared, silently spreading out.