Soul Trigger

Chapter 659 On the right track
"As for the gravedigger, Sika has already made a preliminary attempt to interrogate him at the police station, but it hasn't been very effective."

Besides being tight-lipped, he possesses some special loyalty spells that cannot be broken.

The special support consists of two requisites; one can be used to break the loyalty spell on him, and the other is intended to fight either the Deadwater Knight or one of the Ravens.

"So, the investigation has actually stalled?" Aquile said.

"Not necessarily. If, as we suspect, the Deadwater Knight and the Gravekeeper are connected, then he will certainly try to do something before reinforcements arrive. This is a good opportunity to test him."

During this time, you two should familiarize yourselves with each other's abilities.

Angelica stated that everyone on the Cavaliers team is happy to mentor the two, but there simply isn't enough manpower available right now.

So, in addition to the two figuring things out on their own, Angelica would set aside an hour each day to teach them.

With this decision made, the "amnesty" ceremony came to an end. Angelica did not intend to have the two participate in the subsequent surveillance mission and told them to go back and rest first.

However, before leaving, he hesitated for a moment, then called out to Ji Li:

"Pulitzer, wait a moment."

"Is there anything else, Ms. Laurent?"

“Aquil, can I speak with Pulitzer alone? Don’t worry, it won’t do him any harm.”

Aquil's gaze was suspicious, but on the surface he seemed unconcerned. After pondering for a few moments, he nodded.
"Then I'll wait for him outside."

Watching Aquile leave the room, Angelica looked directly at Ji Li and said:
"You should know some of my personal characteristics from Sika, right?"

Ji Li glanced at Jessica, who was pretending to admire the scenery, and gave an affirmative answer.

Angelica hesitated slightly, but still spoke:
"Could you give me some of your blood? Not too much."

She picked up the red drink she had been drinking earlier:
"If you absolutely need a reason... all I can say is that there are probably some special qualities about you that even I can't see through, so I need your blood to relieve my bloodsucking urge."

If you can see through it, then there's a big problem... But what kind of expression should a normal person make when faced with such a strange request?

Ji Li pondered for a moment, then, flattered, revealed her neck:

"Would you like to drink it directly or pour it into a glass?"

Angelica: "..."

Angelica swallowed hard at the sight of the somewhat fair and delicate neck.

"...Just one tube is enough."

After experiencing a bend and a break, Ji Li finally "learned" to let go of the unity of body and soul, allowing the sweating Xika to insert the needle into his skin.

As the blood filled the blood collection tube, a somewhat awkward silence fell over the room.

Ji Li's voice broke the silence:
"Speaking of which, I'm curious about something. You just said that the largest museum in Saint-Germain-de-Provence, the Museum of the Repose, is controlled by the Duke of Ludwig's mansion."

So, is the Duke Ludwig's mansion affiliated with the official Awakened faction, and the Royal Containment Agency, respectively, two separate factions?

"You could think so."

Angelica laughed:

"If we consider the Royal Asylum as the superstructure of our nation's awakened, then the Duke of Ludwig's Mansion is one of the ruling clusters of that superstructure."

However, the direct jurisdiction of the Royal Asylum was controlled by the royal family, and the Duke of Ludwig's mansion had no command over us.

Ji Lidao:
"But the largest museum in Sørensen County, which you are visiting, is controlled by the Duke Ludwig's mansion..."

Angelica's smile gradually faded, and after exchanging a glance with Sika, she said seriously:

“You are very perceptive. The Ludwig family does indeed have a strong degree of autonomy in Saint-Germain County. It is no exaggeration to say that they are the most autonomous of all the noble families in the county.”

Her words carried a hint of impoliteness; clearly, those who received government stipends did not particularly like the local nobles.

This also provided an answer to Ji Li's probing:
Angelica and the Duke of Ludwig's mansion did not get along, and were not even under the same jurisdiction.

"What about the Dead Water Knight? Did he also come from the Royal Assumption?"

"No, he comes from the Dark Side Surveillance Group, which is an Awakened organization directly responsible for the spiritual security within its jurisdiction."

……

After leaving the school, in a good mood, Aigui asked Ji Li why Angelica had kept him there, and Ji Li didn't try to hide anything.

He told Aquil about Angelica's vampiric urges and what had just happened.

"She's interested in your blood..."

"Who knows? As they say, different benzoin have different properties, don't they?"

"That is indeed the case."

Why do you look so preoccupied?

"It's nothing, just don't get drained... I'm going to buy flowers for Aunt Duke in a bit, do you want to come with me?"

Aquil seemed somewhat distracted.

"No, I need to go back to the hospital to complete the discharge procedures."

Actually, Ji Li went there to erase the traces.

He had previously set up some temporary spiritual circuits in the hospital, but because Angelica came to him in a hurry, he still needed to go back and deal with them just in case, so as not to give himself away.

"Oh, do you need me to lend a hand?"

"It's just filling out a form. Do you think I can't write?"

"Hmph, that's hard to say... Before we partnered up, I thought you could only write Arabic numerals."

Aquil waved his hand and stepped onto his bicycle:

"Come up, I'll take you."

Feeling the gentle touch on his waist from behind, Aquile stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then returned to normal:

"Hold on tight, or you'll get thrown off..."

After today, he will officially join the Royal Internment Center, but Aquile is far from being as calm as he appears.

Odin, the Knight of the Dead, the Awakened World—the town will only become more and more turbulent.

She didn't know if Pulitzer's spiritual "excellence" was related to "Odin," so she decided to ask Odin later and remind him not to forget his promise to "teach."

She could no longer fumble for the burial place on her own like before; she had to protect Pulitzer and Aunt Duke.

Ji Li was also deep in thought.

The plan was on track, and he not only gained the trust of the Knights Squad, but also became a semi-official member of the team.

Angelica possesses the ability to transform blood into bats, similar to Ji Li's raven, and has been keeping a close eye on the police station and the cemetery.

Sika will be raiding the house later, and it's only a matter of time before the gravedigger's purpose for the spiritual land and the "scarecrow" society behind it are discovered.

If the other party has deeper secrets, they will be revealed once the object of remembrance arrives.

As far as we know, there is an altar at the place where the spiritual land is opened, according to information given to Jason by old Green.

There are three slots on the altar. Once all three slots are filled with World Tree Imprints, the Holy Land will open. One imprint is hanging around Jansen's neck, and the other is held by the Gravekeeper, but it should later fall into the hands of the Knight Squad.

What Ji Li needs to find is the exact location of the last mark and the spiritual land.

The former should be in the hands of the mantis hidden behind the sea fog, namely "Sir Ludwig," which also aligns with what old Green said about the Ludwig family possessing a mark, but hiding it in the town.

Whether this person is the Dead Water Knight is still unknown, but since he has already entered the arena, it's only a matter of time before he is fully exposed.

However, apart from Vic High School, the exact location of the last spiritual place is unknown.

In short, after the dense fog at sea, the Knights were completely in the game.

Although the commotion seemed to be insufficient in advancing the ultimate goal of finding the spiritual land, it did bring out the Dead Water Knight, which can be considered part of the achievement.

Even if he wasn't the one stalking the cicada, such an overly coincidental event must have some other purpose behind it.

After saying goodbye to Aquil, Ji Li returned to her ward and encountered the werewolf knight Andrew.

Andrew looked to be under thirty, rather young. He said he had come to see Pulitzer and happened to run into him on his way back.

The other person has regained consciousness and is able to move normally.

"Find me?"

"I heard from the nurse that the team leader came to your ward earlier. I was wondering if they were still here, but I just received a message that you are welcome to join us."

Andrew smiled at Ji Li in a friendly manner and was about to leave.

A nurse suddenly walked in and chatted with Andrew quite familiarly. After greeting him, she left the ward with Andrew.

His condition recovered remarkably well. Was it because of the nurse who took care of him, or because of the properties of the sedative?
Ji Li was somewhat sarcastic; it seemed this guy had caught the eye of the nurse who was taking care of him.

After watching the other person leave completely, he quickly erased the spiritual circuits in the ward and went to find the nurse to complete the discharge procedures.

Interestingly, when I was leaving, I ran into Jason, who was also going through the discharge procedures.

Unlike Ji Li, this guy seemed to be fine, reportedly suffering from a mild concussion.

Moreover, Ji Li was discharged from the hospital alone, while he was discharged with a group of people.

They were a bunch of school buddies and a bunch of strangers who were at least forty years old.

Only after asking did I find out that this guy hadn't done anything in the thick fog; he'd been rescuing people the whole time.

Throughout the entire match, only a few unlucky guys, including Gregory, died tragically; many others were actually saved by Jason.

At that time, things happened one after another at sea, and Ji Li didn't have time to pay much attention to Jason's perspective. Apart from seeing him speeding across the sea in a speedboat, he didn't have any other information.

I never imagined he'd go to become a hero.

A group of people were shouting and yelling around Jensen, forcing the dean to come out and organize the order.

Because of the large number of people, he hadn't noticed Ji Li yet, but his follower Grayson spotted the two blonde figures entering first and started punching Jason.

The latter looked into the distance and indeed saw Anya and Sally Foster.

He immediately straightened his back and began urging everyone not to cause a disturbance, while glancing at Anya's eyes from time to time.

Seeing the latter's eyes light up as she squeezed towards him, he was overjoyed and his heart raced as he rushed forward to meet her.

"Anya, what brings you here..."

Pulitzer!

Anya brushed past him and hugged Ji Li tightly from behind.

Seeing his awkwardly raised arms, Jason froze instantly, his neck twisting backward as if it were rusty, and saw Ji Li being held in the arms of the Foster sisters, one on each side, fussing over her:
"..."

Ji Li's hand emerged from between the two women's bodies. She waved apologetically at Jameson's despondent gaze and was helped away from the hospital by the two sisters.

As Jason felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, he felt a force on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Grayson with a pitying expression.
"Becoming a hero always comes at a price..."

Jason fell silent, unsure how to respond.

Why can't the Father protect my love?

"Grayson, have you driven yet?"

"It's open... Isn't the party tonight?"

"I want to go home and get a good night's sleep. Will you take me home?"

"No, bro. This is nothing! Pulitzer and Anya were just temporary; you're the real hero of this whole thing!"

Jason sighed:

"You don't understand. At first I just thought she was throwing a tantrum at me, but now I know she's serious."

You didn't see the look in her eyes just now. I'm completely insignificant to her..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Besides a sister, what does Pulitzer have that you don't have? What could Anya possibly see in him?"

These words were like a wake-up call; Jason's eyes lit up.
It really is.

I am an Awakened One, a collaborator with the Knights Squad, and I was also invited to join the mysterious Royal Containment Center.

Compared to all this, the praise around him was nothing but vanity, and Pulitzer's existence was insignificant.

Once the whole truth is fully revealed to Anya, she will definitely change her mind!
Then his phone rang, and seeing it was Angelica calling, he quickly answered:

"Captain! I'm in the hospital right now, what do you need my help with..."

"Oh, it's nothing. We're still discussing the next steps, so let's wait for orders. Also, we have two new members joining us."

"new member?"

"They're not exactly new members, they're all from the same school as you, the Pulitzer siblings. I heard you two weren't on good terms at school, but that's all in the past."

I hope you two will get along well in the future; this is mainly to inform you about this matter.

Jensen: "..."

Ji Li was already sitting in Anya's sports car, sensing a fluctuation of spiritual energy within the dragon ring—it was Devouring Moon.

"Jealousy" seems to be the most prominent emotion.

Jason, you seem to be a little too infatuated.

At that moment, Sally offered him a soft embrace, and amidst Anya's protests from the front seat, she showered Ji Li with a passionate kiss, suggesting they go to the lakeside cabin later to celebrate his recovery, and that she would cook for him herself.

He learned it specifically to compete with Anya's status at home.

Although Ji Li didn't need to celebrate her recovery, she thought it wouldn't be bad if she could be full of "desire" tonight as soon as possible.

The only thing he needs to be wary of right now is the Command Seal on the back of the Deadwater Knight's hand. Obviously, he can still use it one or two more times, so restoring the Moon Devourer's charge as soon as possible is crucial for his future actions.

Speaking of which, is excessive indulgence considered "apathy" or "binge eating"?

Late at night, Ji Li opened his eyes, flanked by Anya and Sally:
"Odin, I want to be trained."

It's Equiel.
-
P.S.: Sorry, I haven't been able to get into the flow today. I'll try to write again tonight.

(End of this chapter)