Chapter 933: Evil Spirits' Common Trait

After a while, Leonard cleared his throat and wore a smile without

realizing it. He said with a suppressed voice, "Old Man, Klein's... This

suggestion seems pretty good. It's very... very viable. The effects

should be quite substantial. Why don't you consider it?

"Didn't you mention that you would do your best to help me exact

revenge?

"Haha, I thought Worms of Time could only be used for avatars and act as

support..."

He subconsciously droned on while Pallez Zoroast remained silent the

entire time. Only after a while did he sigh lightly and say, "I can only

give you a maximum of two Worms of Time."

Without waiting for Leonard to say a word, he added, "To exact revenge

on a demigod who wields a Grade o Sealed Artifact, the most important

thing is still your own level and strength. Otherwise, you won't have a

chance of using it even if you have a high-level charm."

Leonard wiped away his smile and nodded seriously.

"I'll do my best digesting my potion.

"If you finish digesting it and fail to accumulate enough contribution

points, I'll help you seek out the Beyonder ingredients needed for

Spirit Warlock."

As for only having two Worms of Time, he wasn't disappointed at all. It

was already a bonus. Just getting one was a great boon. Having two meant

that he and Klein could split it, each of them having one Fate Siphon

charm.

After expressing his attitude, he asked in puzzlement, "Old Man, do you

think Klein has already used the previous Worm of Time as a charm?"

He remembered very clearly that, back when they were figuring out who

Emlyn White was supporting, Old Man had parasitized Tinder with a Worm

of Time. Later, it lost contact and failed to be of any use. Now, on

retrospection, just Emlyn White's and Sherlock Moriarty's close

relationship made it easy for him to figure out the truth. The Worm of

Time had been eliminated by the upper echelons of the secret

organization or even The Fool "Himself." Furthermore, there was a high

chance that it had been bestowed to Klein. Otherwise, his former

colleague wouldn't have known of the existence of the Worm of Time.

Pallez Zoroast immediately scoffed.

"If he hasn't already used it and seen its effects, why would he raise

the issue and ask for more?

"Alright. I need to separate the Worms of Time. This will make me fall

asleep for at least two weeks. If you have any questions, find someone

to answer them by yourself."

With that said, not giving Leonard a chance to raise further questions,

"He" scattered his spirituality and created a blob of light that hung

"high" inside Leonard's mind as though "He" didn't wish to speak.

Leonard's instinctive response was to chuckle dryly. He focused his

attention back onto the letter from Klein Moretti as he carefully read

it again.

Possessed by an evil spirit... The origins and primary goals of the evil

spirit...

I don't know much about evil spirits. Nothing comes to mind...

After a few minutes of thought, Leonard took out a matchbox and burned

the letter. Then, he left the room which the local Nighthawks had

assigned him at the last minute. He came to a room diagonally opposite

his and knocked on the door.

Before long, Daly, who hadn't removed her blue eyeshadow and blush,

opened the door and pricked up her eyebrows.

"When did a Sleepless have the courage to knock on a lady's door at a

time highly associated with a bed?"

"Ahem. I have some questions I'd like to consult you about." Leonard

obviously didn't dare respond to Daly's comment as he immediately

expressed the reason why he was here.

Daly sized him up and chuckled.

"I'm not responsible for counseling minors."

As she spoke, she made way and allowed Leonard to enter her room.

Without daring to let his eyes wander, he casually pulled a round stool

to sit on. He then went straight to the point:

"Ma'am, I'd like to know more about evil spirits.

"You're a Sequence 5 of the Death pathway. You have higher clearance

than me. You should know quite a lot."

"Why are you asking me this?" Daly propped herself with her hands on the

edge of the table behind her.

Without waiting for him to reply, she continued, "Most evil spirits are

the result of dead High-Sequence Beyonders. A small number of them are

wraiths who break through various restrictions via using various

opportunities.

"The first situation is more common. After High-Sequence Beyonders

consume a potion to obtain godhood, their Soul Body would have

experienced a mutation. It would be a mutation at their core. This

allows their Soul Body to remain even in death or when their powers are

dispersed. There will be a certain level of divinity to it, making them

rather terrifying. The second situation isn't different on a fundamental

level.

"Normally speaking, evil spirits will weaken with the passage of time

until they completely dissipate. However, they can also assimilate into

the region where they were born, making the spirit world and even the

Underworld fuse with it. They then extract power from this to maintain

their existence.

"Therefore, many evil spirits have their own territory and active range.

It's not that they do not wish to leave, but they can't. The only

exception is when they accumulate sufficient power, allowing their

existence to experience a fundamental change."

Leonard habitually crossed his right leg over his left and pressed in

thought, "Can evil spirits leave their territory by possessing a

person?"

"Yes, but ordinary humans and most Beyonders are unable to withstand the

extraction effect the evil spirits have on their bodies. They will

quickly lose their spirituality and body temperature and be unable to

last long." As Daly spoke, she raised her hand to point at herself. "The

best method is to rely on Beyonders of the Death pathway. Of course, it

has to be at least a Sequence 5, because from Gatekeeper, we will have

our own dead spirit prison in our bodies. It can be called a miniature

Underworld. It can provide an evil spirit with an adequate environment

for their existence. Once you become a Spirit Warlock, you will also

have similar powers. However, it will be more about sealing and sleeping

than an internal Underworld. Heh heh, those natural spirits and wraiths

are truly troublesome when they come in and out."

Ince Zangwill's Sequence 5 is Gatekeeper... It's no wonder that the evil

spirit can possess him for long periods of time. Or could it be that he

failed at an attempt to enslave an evil spirit? Leonard's thoughts

opened up as he immediately made connections.

He deliberated for a few seconds before asking, "What sort of needs does

an evil spirit have?"

"Needs? Singing? Dancing? Poetry? Men? Women? The Sea of Stars?" Daly

returned with a question, amused.

Leonard realized that his usage of words was problematic as he awkwardly

ruffled his hair.

"I mean, what desires will an evil spirit have?"

"That depends on what it desired while it was alive. Typically speaking,

the remnant spirit will inherit the original obsessions, without being

able to balance it rationally. If it were you, that evil spirit might

attempt to write poems, imprison a group of spectators, and seek

acknowledgment. Or it will do things in an ostentatious manner like the

protagonist of a play," Daly joked. "However, regardless of what it was

while it was alive, as long as one becomes an evil spirit, they commonly

desire two things."

"What are they?" Leonard turned attentive.

Daly shot a glance at him and said, "First, it's to feed on the souls of

living creatures. This can pleasure them, an innate pleasure that stems

from the need to maintain their existence. In addition, a large number

of souls will allow them to escape the restrictions of their territory

and active range. It will replace the power provided by the spirit world

and Underworld.

"Second, it's to seek out Beyonder ingredients from their pathway while

they were alive. Through this, they could create another foundation. At

a certain stage, the evil spirit would no longer need to draw on the

powers of the spirit world and Underworld. They would no longer be

restricted by their territories or active range. In a sense, they would

have transformed into a special spirit world creature."

Leonard seemed to realize something as he thought.

"This also means that evil spirits can consume Sequence potions?"

"No, Sequence potions are created for human consumption. They reduce the

risk of losing control. To many supernatural creatures, there's no need

to do so. They can directly consume the ingredient raw. It's especially

so for evil spirits. Their obsession, cruelty, ferociousness, and

penchant for souls make them half-crazy to begin with. There's no need

to regulate it from other sources. Furthermore, they are Spirit Bodies,

so the method of consumption is direct accommodation and slow

digestion." Daly corrected Leonard's point.

This... To the evil spirit that possesses Ince Zangwill, whenever it has

the upper hand, it will control the body to seek out Beyonder

ingredients of its pathway while it was alive! Leonard was first

surprised before he had an idea. He said in a pleasant surprise, "I

understand. Thank you for answering my questions."

With that said, he hesitated for a few seconds and asked after some

deliberation, "Ma'am, I believe we shouldn't just figure out the motives

behind Ince Zangwill's meeting with the Numinous Episcopate demigod, but

we also need to track his trajectory since Backlund to East Balam. We

need to know what he did midway, what items he found. This might lead us

to effective clues."

Daly suddenly fell silent before she pricked up her brows and said,

"Well said.

"But what does this have to do with evil spirits?"

"...Nothing. I raised the question so as to make preparations because I

believe that since we are investigating the Numinous Episcopate, we

might encounter evil spirits. The latter half was a suggestion I wished

to make after the break. I just wished to talk to you about it

beforehand." Leonard's mind raced as he slowed down his speech and

fabricated an excuse on the spot.

Daly listened in silence and chuckled.

"If you actually work so hard to fabricate stories in front of other

girls, you'll no longer be single with those looks of yours.

"Unfortunately, I'm not a clueless girl. Alright, there's no need to

explain further. Leave."

Leonard stood up lamely without trying to emphasize his point. He then

walked towards the door.

Just as he gripped the handle, Daly's slightly ethereal voice sounded

behind him:

"I don't know what secret you're hiding, nor do I know what you know.

None of that matters.

"But when it comes to Ince Zangwill, if you need any help or aid, you

can find me."

Leonard paused for two seconds as his mouth quivered. He then pulled

open the door and walked out.

City of Silver.

Derrick Berg had received the order to join an expedition team. Leading

it was Chief Colin Iliad. Their target was Nois City. It was in a

northern city's ruins where the Shapeshifter and other terrifying

creatures lived!