Soul Trigger

Chapter 668 Discovery
The blood poured into her throat relieved Angelica's bloodlust considerably, but the bloody thirst quickly returned.

Only after crushing several blood packs did the crimson color in front of my eyes fade a little:

Why is this happening...? Pulitzer's blood not only failed to quell my abnormal vampire urges, but actually exacerbated them?!
No, that's not right... there's no such saying.

A fluctuation of spiritual energy emanated from the woods ahead, emanating from the team members. Angelica slightly bent down, sensing her own trinity state:
It's not a case of drinking poison to quench thirst, but rather... the phytoreceptacle is yearning for advancement.

This brings us to the biggest difference between the mourners and the spiritual aristocracy system.

Although both involve absorbing the relics of a person, the awakened aura of the mourner belongs to the relics of the person. This means that the human spirit must acquire spiritual qualities and desires according to the will of the relics of the person, as is the case with the zither.

However, the awakening aura of the "apprentice" is not directly possessed and driven by the relic of personality, but rather, like ordinary awakeners, it is spontaneously awakened and possessed.

However, its purpose is to restrain the influence of the pacification object while gradually changing the pacification object with its own awakened spiritual light.

Finally, after the Spirit Knight enters the fourth tier, through the "Oath" ceremony, the awakened aura is transformed into an "Oath," reaching a complete consensus with the Resting Object, thus turning it into a partner in battle.

Reaching an agreement with the Restraint is the key to becoming a Spirit Knight. Aquile is currently in this state.

But Angelica and Anxiwu had reached an agreement years ago, and such a situation had never occurred before. Now, Pulitzer's blood was actually triggering a vampiric urge in her, urging her to act on it.

Go hunt him! I want more!!!

"Shut up!"

With the explosion of blood mist, Angelica barely managed to break free from the effects of her own sustenance.

Is it because he absorbed the malevolent energy from Pulitzer's body...?

She shook her head, her inner trigger slightly engaged, and her eyes flashed as she turned to the side.

A figure was standing there, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Bordeaux...how long did you watch?"

The Dead Water Knight leaned against a large tree, holding something in his hand, and grinned:
“Just arrived… Blood Silver Knight, you don’t look too good.”

"Thanks for caring."

“You shouldn’t have saved that child. Your subordinates might not have noticed, but I saw it clearly. You’re in very bad shape. The spiritual blood you absorbed contained something that neither you nor your companions could digest…”

Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourself.

Angelica said coldly:
"Once the support arrives, they will listen to our debriefing and briefing analysis of the entire incident. Have you thought about how you plan to explain yourself?"

"Me? Shouldn't you be the one explaining? Putting the entire town and the spirits of the team in danger just to save a newly signed Awakened One?"
If the "sheepdog" thinks you're cultivating your own faction to eventually challenge the lord...

"The support I'm referring to is my teacher."

The Dead Water Knight was speechless for a moment, then smiled:

"Then... please give my regards to your teacher?"

He bowed, but as he stood up, he suddenly spread his five fingers, and a white cross suddenly appeared in Angelica's field of vision.

This caused her pupils to shrink sharply, and she abruptly took several steps back.

But the Dead Water Knight gave an apologetic smile:

"Sorry, my hand slipped... But the Bloodsilver Knight captain probably doesn't know that the White Cross is the best tool for dealing with this kind of large-scale corruption, right?"

Angelica glared at Bordeaux, the Dead Water Knight, as he walked into the depths of the jungle.

After confirming that he had completely disappeared, the anger on her face gradually subsided, replaced by a deep sense of doubt:
For some reason, the white cross didn't seem to have as much of an impact on her anymore.

She looked at the blood pack in her hand, and it seemed as if she could taste Pulitzer's blood again.

"What's going on with this kid's blood...?"

She took out her phone, switched to the intranet channel, and saw the message her teacher had sent:
[My trip was delayed. There was unrest at the Birmingham Cemetery, with rabbit graffiti and swirling shadows everywhere. I've already warned the Red Hunters not to go any further.]

Will the "sheepdog" arrive first...? At least the teacher's assurance is good news.

"Let's verify the conjecture about the cross first."

The fear of the cross was the rule of her resting place, and she didn't quite believe that Pulitzer's blood could have any effect on it.

……

Uecker Middle School.

Watching Aquil maneuver his wheelchair with incredible agility, Ji Li couldn't help but laugh:

"If this were the Paralympic Games, you would definitely win a gold medal."

"I have both hands and feet, I'm not really lame!"

Aquile was furious.

She looked a little dizzy today because she had received treatment with ciclazole ethanol.

"I mean, the wheelchair competition."

"Screw you."

Without arguing with his younger sister any further, Ji Li pushed Aigui'er's wheelchair towards the old campus.

"Speaking of which... what's the story between you and Ms. Laurent?"

"What's going on?"

Aquil looked suspicious:
"You two were talking in the room that day and even locked the door. It felt really weird..."

"She told me a little secret."

"What is it?"

"This cannot be disclosed to outsiders for the time being."

"Can't I send it either?" Aiquier pouted. Ji Li smiled and said:
"How's your leg? Can you stand up now?"

Trying to change the subject, huh?

Aiquier looked at Ji Li, his displeasure clearly visible on his face, then paused and said:

"I don't feel anything, I'm still a cripple."

Is it?

Ji Li glanced at Aiquier, scanned his soul trigger, and found that the guy was already almost fully recovered.

Aiquier also sensed the impact of Ji Li's perception, and his expression became even more displeased—

I already said it's not ready, why are you still using your senses to scan me?
He immediately fell silent.

Ji Li didn't bother to explain, and while pushing him past a few students, he quietly wiped away the spiritual circuits on the back of the wheelchair with his hand.

This was the spiritual circuit he secretly inscribed on Aiquier's wheelchair that night, which would help the guy recover faster. Now it was a good time to erase the traces.

After all, changes are coming one after another. If the mastermind comes after us, my sister might get into trouble if she's still in the wheelchair competition.

Pushing Aquile along, the two quickly arrived at the old campus.

Unlike the scene Ji Li had seen at night, the old campus looked rather primitive during the day.

These houses don't have a long history, only about a hundred years.

But ivy and vines grow everywhere, climbing on the old houses, and weeds grow rampant all around.

Apart from a few students smoking marijuana in the corner and the lonely little guardhouse next to it, these are the only other school buildings that are sparsely populated.

The moss-covered Yuk High School sign can still be seen in various places above.

However, it wouldn't be accurate to say that there was no human presence; there was a clearly worn path leading deep into the old campus.

It is worth noting that the road was paved with many cobblestones.

Because Angelica had already spoken to Old Green and the principal, Ji Li pushed Aquile to find the old man guarding the house.

The old man first chased away the students who were secretly using marijuana, and then took Ji Li on a tour of the old campus.

"These are the old teaching buildings, and these are the old school buildings. There are basically only these few buildings. I don't know what's so interesting about them."

As for the place with maple leaves and pebbles you asked about, the only one is the big maple tree behind the school.

The three stopped beside a large maple tree at the back of the school. Ji Li noticed a small path worn into the ground, which led to the building next to the maple tree—the old teaching building—but it led directly to the back of the school.
“That was the road Mr. Green opened himself. In recent years, he has sometimes come back to check on the things in the school and is preparing to convert them into other facilities.”

"After all, this piece of land is quite large, and it's a real shame to leave it lying around like this."

"Old Green?" Ji Li pondered.
"Where does he usually hang out?" "Mainly his office on the third floor. That should be the cleanest place in the entire old campus. You can go and see for yourselves. After all, Mr. Green gave us permission, but a wheelchair can't go up there."

Ji Li glanced at Aiguier, who was also looking at him, and then stretched out his arms without thinking.

The two figures appeared in the third-floor corridor, with Aiguir looking constipated as Ji Li carried him on his shoulder.
"Can't you hug me properly?"

"This way it's less strenuous."

"You're already an Awakened One, why are you saving your energy?!"

"So how do you want me to hug you?"

"Can't you carry me horizontally?"

"Oh, if you want a princess carry, just say so. Why beat around the bush?"

"I'm not! It's just that you're not normal!"

Finally, they managed to turn Aiquier sideways, and the little sister stopped making a fuss, wrapping her arms around Ji Li's neck and staring at him.

"Don't look at me, look around. We're here to look for clues."

"Tsk... I always feel that you are more annoying than before at times."

The two entered old Green's office.

There wasn't much decoration inside, but it was quite clean, and the atmosphere of daily life was much stronger than Ji Li had imagined.

Not only were there some draft contracts that hadn't been processed yet, but there was also a small induction cooker and a pot.

The bookshelves were spotless, a stark contrast to the outside environment.

On the table was a book called "Vikings," and next to it was a picture frame containing a middle-aged couple with a boy holding their hand.

“Is this Jason? He doesn’t look quite like him, and… he seems to have a very intelligent expression.” Aigui’er was referring to the boy in the middle.

Ji Li picked up the photo frame, looked at it, and flipped it to the back:
[The Grey family, for my beloved and children — Margaret Green]

"Margaret Green?"

"That's Mr. Green's aunt."

"Aunt?" Ji Li looked puzzled.

Aiquier, who was explaining to Ji Li, was also suddenly stunned. After examining the couple again, her expression turned to horror:

"...Good heavens...?! This child is old Green, doesn't that mean..."

She suddenly looked up at Ji Li:
"Old Green's mother and his aunt are the same person, and Jason's grandfather is..."

"Then Green and Johnson are quite lucky to have grown up so well."

Not only did they not give birth to a deformed child, but they also gave birth to a Janssen double-door refrigerator. They must have been blessed by their ancestors.

Ji Li didn't pay much attention to anything. After carefully examining the photo, she discovered that the man's arm was a flesh-colored prosthetic limb that looked to be made of wood.

Given the world's current technology, prosthetics from decades ago must have been extremely crude.

But he always felt that the prosthetic leg looked a little different. Was it just his imagination, or was he being too sensitive?
The logical framework of the Ascension Protocol also yielded no useful conclusions, after all, it was just a photograph.

After putting down the photo, Ji Li carried Ai Guier and searched around, but it was just an ordinary room with no clues.

However, after seeing that photo, Aquile acted a little strangely.

"what's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine... I just feel a little embarrassed."

Ji Li asked Ai Guier a question that made her blush.

What are you embarrassed about?

"It's awkward, you're my brother."

“We have different surnames and bloodlines.”

“…Wouldn’t that be even more awkward…” Aiquier gritted his teeth.

Ji Li ignored her and got back to the main topic:
“The gravedigger may have already searched this room. If there were any clues, it wouldn’t be our turn to search.”

Ji Li pondered for a moment, then suddenly recited the nursery rhyme aloud as if struck by a sudden illness, startling Aiquier, who was still lost in thought:
"What are you doing?"

Ji Li shook his head:

"It seems to be useless."

"...Even if it's a password, you shouldn't just shout it out like that, right?"

Ji Li said, "What if there are prerequisites? For example, three World Tree Marks?"

Aiguil shifted her body; her back was still a little sore from being hugged for so long, and her mindset gradually returned to normal.

“But we only have two now, and Ms. Laurent won’t let us take them.”

Ji Li glanced out the window. The room was cleverly positioned, offering a perfect view of the cobblestone path and maple trees below.

Now a few maple leaves have fallen on that path.

"Maple leaves, pebbles."

He glanced at the ivy:
“Tree roots, forbidden zones... and the Yuk Middle School mark that looks a lot like the World Tree mark.”

"Does everything seem to fit the nursery rhyme?"

"Um……"

Beneath the red leaves-covered pebbles, the truth lies buried deep within the tree roots, a forbidden zone.

Although it fits the description, if that were true, the tomb keeper would have already found the entrance.

What he and Aquile are doing now is merely the surface. So what is the real meaning behind this nursery rhyme?

"What if the nursery rhyme doesn't refer to Odin's sacred site?"

"What do you mean?"

Ji Li didn't answer Ai Guier, but instead put his arm around the guy and took out a small bottle from his pocket.

Having been held for long enough, Aiquier simply stopped pretending and jumped down, drawing Ji Li's attention:
"A medical miracle?"

Aquile chuckled at the joke.
"Yes, yes, thank you for your embrace."

Of course she knew that Ji Li knew she could walk again; he was just being a little temperamental.

So she was quite happy that Ji Li was willing to accommodate her...

Wait, when did I need this guy to cater to me?
Aiquier's expression changed, and her eyebrows rose slightly, but Ji Li ignored her and directly poured spiritual energy into the bottle—

It contained the remains of the Dead Apostle, the very one who had crawled out of the gravedigger's mouth.

"This is... the remains of the gravedigger?"

“Hmm.” Ji Li saw no need to correct her.

Since Odin's Holy Land existed a hundred years ago, and the "Clay Figure Master" mentioned in the tombstone also existed at the same time, and even operated within the territory of Saint Root County, and even Red Maple Town.

Following this logic, is it possible that this nursery rhyme does not point to a spiritual place, but rather to something related to clay puppeteers?

Thinking about what has already happened in Red Maple Town, there are many conflicting points outside of this logic.

But since it was just a trial by injecting spiritual energy, and there was no cost involved, Ji Li boldly proposed the idea.

Aquil, standing beside him, clearly hadn't held out much hope. He chuckled, about to make a sarcastic remark, when he saw the contents of Ji Li's bottle suddenly twist and contort.

"Hey, don't tell me you just stumbled upon this by sheer luck...?"

Ji Li remained silent, as the reaction within the bottle intensified, gradually separating a brownish substance—

silt.

A surge of spiritual energy suddenly spread out from the mud imbued with spiritual essence.

At the same time, just like sonar detection, both of them sensed another spiritual energy fluctuation coming from a certain direction.

Aiquier was suddenly stunned, while Ji Li instantly gripped the bottle tightly:
"Downstairs..."

(End of this chapter)