Chapter 218 Inquiry about the Soul Box, the Dwarf Shop, and a Lame Joke
The note mentioned a transaction, so it's obvious who left it.
Laiyi had no idea that Xiudun had also come to the royal city from the small mountain village.
Shudon is a skeleton with an owner. His presence here means that his master, the necromancer Seral, must also be here.
Ray hadn't forgotten the necromancer's threat to him.
The skeleton hopes to escape from the master who holds its "lifeline" with the help of others.
Ray couldn't understand why Hughton thought he could help him break free from control.
"Ray, are you alright?"
Anderson noticed that Ray's expression was somewhat serious and couldn't help but ask.
"It's nothing, it's not a big deal."
"That's good."
Lai changed the subject abruptly.
"Commander Anderson, how long have you been in the royal city? Do you know where we can get information?"
"It's been almost two years. You can buy information from the Mage Association, and if you don't get what you want, you can also choose to post a bounty there."
Of course, if you trust me, I can also help you gather the information you need.
Anderson smiled kindly, and he didn't mind offering some help to this young man from a small mountain village within his capabilities.
Having more friends means having more options. It's remarkable that Lai could travel such a long distance to the royal city, and that he could easily produce wine from the Elf Kingdom.
He wasn't foolish enough to think that Lai was just an ordinary village vendor.
"Thank you for your help, Commander Anderson."
"No need to thank me right away, Ray. I might not be able to help you much anyway."
The two looked at each other; the unspoken understanding between adults needed no further explanation.
Ray did not reveal the information about Hughton to Anderson. For the safety of both parties, he only asked him to help inquire about the Egrich family.
This surname is uncommon, and it has been associated with a major event in the past, making its implications quite clear.
Anderson didn't ask any more questions, and the two agreed that regardless of the outcome, Rye would come to the bar to meet him in five days.
Edmund was busy with Neil's affairs, and Ray didn't want to cause him any unnecessary trouble.
It's best to handle these things yourself.
Rye did not place all his hopes on Anderson.
Although Anderson's strength as a veteran bounty hunter is beyond doubt, it's always better to have as much information as possible.
Only by referencing and verifying information from different sources can we obtain the most accurate and reliable information.
Lai left the tavern, but he didn't go straight back to the manor.
Besides finding out what happened to the Shulton family back then, finding a way to break the necromancy is also a major headache.
There was clearly some kind of magical connection between Shuton and Seral; otherwise, this particular skeleton with so many thoughts would probably have left his master without hesitation long ago.
Lai wanted to try his luck at the dwarf shop, and besides, he hadn't yet withdrawn the gold coins that Temuji had given him.
He currently only has ambiguous information at hand.
Shutton had vaguely mentioned the "soul box".
In some games and novels, the Soul Box is a very important item.
An ambitious magician seeking eternal life and endless magical power.
He abandoned his human side, made a deal with darkness, and became a lich.
Under normal circumstances, they are virtually impossible to kill.
However, as mentioned above, this is just a normal situation.
The Soul Box is their fatal weakness.
Once the Soul Box is destroyed, the lich who is its master will be eliminated.
Therefore, they are usually hidden in a place that no one knows about.
But what kind of existence does the Soul Box have in the magical world of Casa?
Ray plans to use this as a starting point to explore information about necromancy.
The dwarf shop is easy to find because it sells all sorts of strange, ingenious, and practical gadgets, and almost every resident knows where it is located.
He soon arrived at the door of the exceptionally luxuriously decorated shop.
It's no wonder it's a shop located in the royal city.
Lei couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
The decor of this house contrasted sharply with the simple and unpretentious impression he had of the dwarfs.
Lai pushed open the door and entered. The bearded boss, who was doing accounts at the counter, didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard the bell on the door.
The other three dwarfs who looked like laborers in the shop were busy in the shelving area, placing various newly arrived items in the empty spaces.
"Please see for yourself what you need!"
One of the people helping to move things took a break to greet Lai.
He seems really busy.
"good."
Lai wandered around the shelves and saw many strange little tools, but he couldn't guess what they were used for.
You can take and observe freely, and no one comes over to introduce or promote anything.
It wasn't until he walked to the counter and took out the voucher that Temuji had given him that the bearded boss raised his eyelids and glanced at Lai.
"Deposit money, withdraw money?"
"Pick."
"What is your relationship with this guy named Temuqi?"
"friend."
He glanced at the receipt, then at the human standing in front of the counter, who was clearly several heads taller than him.
"Ugh, these tall humans are such a hassle."
Ray heard the dwarf mumble something, but he didn't understand what he was saying.
How many gold coins do you want?
How many are inside?
"one thousand."
Upon hearing the amount inside, Lei was clearly taken aback.
He knew that Temujin should have some money, but he didn't expect him to give him so much money so readily.
"One hundred will do, thank you."
"I will charge you one gold coin as interest."
"good."
The bearded dwarf went through a black door behind the counter and came out after a while carrying a wooden box.
The wooden box clattered against the counter, the coins inside making a crisp, clinking sound.
"A cloth bag with ten copper coins, do you need it?"
"I need a bag."
Ray watched as the dwarf pulled a burlap sack from under the counter and meticulously stacked ten gold coins in a row on the counter.
Do you have any tools here to water the garden?
The dwarf glanced at Ray.
"Buy the spray bottle at the market."
"No, I mean this kind."
He took out the water-spraying gadget that Temuji had given him.
"Oh, so that's what it is. The craftsmanship here isn't as exquisite, but we can customize it for you."
"No need, the regular kind is fine."
A look of disappointment flashed in the bearded man's eyes.
"Two gold coins each, repairs guaranteed if damaged, cash payment."
"Three of the five gold coins."
"make a deal."
"......"
Oops... What a loss.
"Bring three sprinklers."
"good!"
The name is quite straightforward.
Ray watched as the bearded boss stuffed ninety-four gold coins into a burlap sack, along with the three water sprayers that had been delivered.
"There's also a bag of ten copper coins."
"Oh, okay."
Ray took out ten copper coins from his pocket, and the bearded man counted them one by one before putting them away.
"Boss, I need to ask you something."
"What's up?"
With the principle of "what's done is done," Lai didn't mince words when it came to gathering information.
"How do I break free from the necromancer's control?"
The bearded boss raised his eyelids and looked at Lai more carefully.
Two gold coins.
Lai took two gold coins from the burlap sack that hadn't been put away yet and placed them in front of the boss.
“There is a type of necromancy called ‘body control’, which can briefly control an opponent’s body for a period of time. However, this spell is easy to dispel, and some of the Church’s light magic happens to be its nemesis.”
"It's not a body control technique."
"this......"
The bearded man looked at Ray with an expression that seemed to say, "Are you kidding me?"
"What exactly is it that you want to ask?"
Ray turned around and glanced at the three people still busy in the shelving area.
"I've already used soundproofing stones to block them out."
The boss tapped an inconspicuous stone on the table with his right hand.
"How can the relationship between a necromancer and the skeletons he controls be completely severed?"
"Your question involves more than just the price of two gold coins."
Lei chuckled.
“It’s not just this price; you didn’t hesitate at all when you quoted it.”
The two faced off in silence.
"Forget it, what good would it do to tell you? I've never heard of a necromancer voluntarily releasing his servant."
It was rare for the dwarf, who was known for his eccentric temper, to agree, but Lai felt that the boss definitely had an element of wanting to see a good show.
"All you need to do is find the 'Soul Box'."
"The Soul Box..."
These are familiar words again.
The human, being an outsider, clearly looked troubled for a long time. The boss, in a merciful tone, finally answered Lai's question.
“Controlling ordinary skeletons isn’t that difficult. But for the more ‘advanced’ ones, even the top necromancers need to use some methods.”
The bearded boss ate a grape at a leisurely pace.
"Skeletons are just dispensable tools; they won't be used for long and are consumables. You can have as many as you want."
The most efficient method is to imprison the soul forever within the body.
The necromancer will use forbidden magic to extract a part of the target's soul, and then use a part of the target's body as a medium to trap it, creating a soul box.
Finally, he hid it in a place only he knew about.
Soul and □□.
The more Lai learned about it, the more he felt that some of the settings of the Casa Continent were strange, yet there was also a strange sense of self-consistency.
"So the way to sever the relationship is to find the Soul Box?"
"Wrong, that's only part of it. Besides that, there's also a master-servant contract between them that needs to be dissolved."
Ray was speechless. Finding the Soul Box was all that was needed; that's what the bearded man had said earlier.
Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine if you were the necromancer Seral, having gone to great lengths to obtain a high-ranking servant who was invincible, hardworking, and entertaining.
No one would easily give up in this situation.
That skeleton, Shumpton, was practically pushing him into a fire pit.
However, this was something he agreed to in the life-or-death contract, so he can't blame anyone else.
"Okay, thank you."
Lai openly put the gold coins and sprinkler back into the pendant space, which the bearded boss found unsurprising.
Big cities are great; you don't have to pretend too much.
Lei left the grocery store with a heavy heart, and then returned to the manor with the same heavy heart.
Dinner time had passed, and old butler Cher asked Karma to cook a bowl of hot noodle soup with lots of meat for Ray.
"Where did you go?"
Ryan watched as Lai sat motionless in the study for a long time.
"Taverns and grocery stores."
What are you going there for?
"To gather information about the undead."
"Heh." Lian scoffed lightly. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
"Regarding the Soul Box..."
"Evil magic".
Ryan scoffed.
Ray asked again how to break free from the skeleton's control, and received the same, but more detailed, answer as the bearded boss.
"If you want to save that skeleton, the most important thing is to help him find the Soul Box. But necromancers don't usually carry these things with them."
"Lord Ryan knows necromancy?"
"......"
I know a little bit about it.
Lai thought to himself that it was a pity; if he had known he had such a living encyclopedia by his side, he wouldn't have had to spend those two gold coins.
Ryan was speechless as he sensed the activity in Ray's mind.
"Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
"Can I learn necromancy?"
"You have talent, but your foundation is weak. You've already missed your prime."
Ryan stated the facts ruthlessly.
"Therefore, I cannot become a great hero who saves the continent from disaster."
Ryan looked at Ray suspiciously and secretly cast a small spell on him that could purify the soul, but found nothing.
"Don't be so serious, I was just making a little joke."
"Hmm, this joke isn't very funny."
An eerie silence fell over the room.
Lai was a little regretful. He had just let his inner chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) kick in, and he didn't know what had gotten into him, but he suddenly made such a joke.
"Ahem, I'd like to practice the wood-type magic circle I recently learned."
"I will guide you."
The green glow of wood-based magic in the study continued until the early hours of the morning.
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