My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 126 Ghoul Graveyard

However, things didn't go as planned, and Jules came away empty-handed.

He deliberately avoided reciting prayers and wandered around the cemetery for quite some time, but he did not see any ghouls again as before.

Unable to find it, he eventually left the cemetery with regret.

……

In the following days, Jules did not stay at old John's house as before, but after communicating with the priest, he stayed at a hotel in town.

After all, according to the priest, it would take some time before they could find a way to get rid of the evil spirit.

During this period, he had nothing to do.

Every day, as always, he would go to the cemetery to look for traces of ghouls—of course, he found nothing.

This forced him to consider the ghoul graveyard.

However, just as he was about to go to the priest to inquire about the matter, an uninvited guest arrived at his door.

"Does Mr. Jules live here?"

Jules was lying idly in the hotel room when he suddenly heard a knock on the door, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

"It's me, John."

Old John? Jules hesitated for a moment, then got up and opened the door for Old John.

"What is it?"

He chose to live here partly to avoid old John.

Ever since he rescued old John from the cemetery, he felt that something had changed about old John, which made him very uncomfortable.

Unexpectedly, Old John came to him on his own initiative.

Old John was still wearing the same patched-up coarse cloth clothes, with the familiar smile on his face.

“Mr. Jules, you left in such a hurry that I didn’t have time to show you my family’s secret teachings. Please take a look before making a decision.”

Upon hearing this, Jules knew that the other party had come for that matter again.

However, this time, he didn't rush to refuse, but pondered for a while before saying:
"Show me."

If he can't find any ghouls outside, then he'll have no choice but to go to the ghoul graveyard.

If he were to go in, he wouldn't mind taking the body of old John's daughter out along the way.

Old John was clearly surprised by Jules's quick agreement; his astonishment was quickly followed by a broad smile.
"You agreed?"

"I'll take a look first before making a decision," Jules said in a flat tone.

But this did not calm old John down again. He excitedly pulled a dusty little parchment booklet from his canvas bag and handed it to Jules.

“Mr. Jules, this is a secret tradition passed down from our ancestors.”

Jules took it from old John's hand and gently stroked the weathered parchment.

Each crease adds a touch of age to this secret manual.

He opened the secret manual, eagerly anticipating what interesting things he might find.

However, to his surprise, the paper in front of him was completely empty.

"what happened?"

Just as he was wondering, a piece of information suddenly popped into his mind:
The Secret of the Gravekeeper, Part One

[Quality: First-class rare item]

[Effect: Can be used as a key to some rooms in the Silent Dwelling; combines with the other six secrets of the Gravedigger to create new effects; holding this fragment and remaining silent allows you to resonate with the rest.]

[Introduction: It is said that certain kinds of knowledge can only be expressed through a specific kind of silence.]

So, the booklet in front of us is actually just a fragment of a complete secret transmission?

Jules paused slightly, and his gaze toward the object changed somewhat.

Although it appears to be only a Tier 1 artifact, he would not underestimate it because of that.

It should be noted that the moth cloak that had helped him many times was only a first-tier rare item!

Moreover, there are seven secrets of the tomb keeper, and what I have may only be the weakest fragment.

If they can be combined, they might at least reach the third or fourth tier, or even higher!

"Judging by its effects, I might actually have to collect some; perhaps I'll find something unexpected..."

He nodded thoughtfully.

After all, this item is related to the Silent House.

Old John watched nervously from the side, fearing that Jules might change his mind.

“This secret transmission, although not the kind I really need, is still somewhat useful to me.” Jules slowly looked at old John.

Upon hearing this, old John became excited.

"So, you really agreed?"

“Of course,” Jules said with a faint smile, “once I’ve agreed, I won’t go back on my word.”

"However, I want to take this secret manual with me."

Old John didn't seem to hesitate at all:

"It's alright, you can take it. It's useless to me anyway."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Jules!"

Jules could see that old John was so moved that tears streamed down his face, and he kept bowing in gratitude.

But a strange, uncomfortable feeling flashed by—almost making him think it was his imagination.

“Strange…” His eyes flickered slightly, then he shook his head.

Well, even if Old John has some strange traits, he doesn't want to get too involved.

After old John left, Jules also began to ponder.

His primary goal remains to enter the Silent House, obtain the "pigment" the priest needs, and then leave Blankocough for London.

While Blancco left a decent impression on him, it was ultimately not as good as London.

Admittedly, that damned foggy city, with its inhuman coldness, left him with countless unpleasant memories.

However, all his old acquaintances were in London.

It's fair to say that London has become his second home.

Whether out of concern for his family and friends or a desire to become stronger and seek revenge against the Red Cup, he had every reason to return to London.

"My hometown..."

Jules closed his eyes slightly, feeling that his hometown, which had been so clear in the past, had become much more blurred.

He almost forgot that he didn't actually belong to this world—or rather, that his homeland actually belonged to a history that didn't exist in some kind of mysticism.
Constantly longing for one's hometown seems rather sentimental.

Being content with one's lot is the normal state of life.

But sometimes, in the dreams created by the hazy moonlight, he would still miss the weaker version of himself he once was.

Although he is now far more powerful than he was in the past, he is filled with insecurity and fear, afraid that he might die inexplicably one day.

After thinking for a long time, he finally shook his head with a smile.

His smile was filled with helplessness.

He slowly rose, silently left the inn, and headed toward the Blancour Monastery, where the priests resided.

He wanted to inquire about matters related to the ghoul cemetery.

……

The dim candlelight flickered, obscuring the priest's expression, but the sudden cessation of the shadow of his hand revealed his inner surprise.

"Why...did you suddenly decide to enter the ghoul graveyard?"

Jules stared at the ceiling and said softly:

“What I need is there.”

The priest neither refused nor showed any sign of agreement; he simply paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back.

After a long while, a sigh came from the bird bone mask.

"To be honest, I believe you are capable of entering the ghoul graveyard and coming back unscathed, but there are other difficulties involved."

"please say."

Jules was not an unsympathetic person; he could naturally tell that the priest was indeed in a dilemma.

He vividly recalled that before he last visited the Silent Abode, the priest had said, "Give him some time to suppress the ghoul graveyard."

Clearly, this place was extremely important to the priests.

The priest raised his head, the empty eye sockets of the bird bone mask staring straight at Jules.

Then, in a light and casual tone, he stated a fact that would shock the people of Blankog:

"The ghoul graveyard is now on the verge of collapse."

Yule raised his eyebrows and said:

"Could you explain in detail what the ghoul graveyard is like?"

"Well... there's really no secret about it."

The priest sighed and said:

"Please come with me."

……

Following the priest, Jules rediscovered the sophistication of the underground engineering in Blanccourt.

In addition to a bunch of tunnels and rooms, there are also quite a few tombs hidden underground.

However, none of these seem to be the priest's targets.

On the way, the priest explained to him:

"Because the curse of the ghouls has flowed through the land of Blancug for generations, and into the blood of us Blancug people, our ancestors tried many ways to break this curse."

"They tried for a long time, but ultimately they couldn't remove the curse."

"Later, someone thought that if the dead could not be brought back, at least they should be prevented from disturbing the living. Thus, the ghoul cemetery came into being."

Through the power of ritual, all newly born ghouls are continuously drawn into this terrifying tomb, sealed within the dense aura of death, rendering them utterly annihilated. This is the operating principle of the ghoul graveyard.

At this point, the priest sighed and changed the subject:
"However, you should understand that everything has a limit, and the ghoul graveyard is no exception."

In recent years, the ritual's effectiveness has gradually weakened, causing the seal to loosen considerably. Ghouls have been escaping from time to time, leading to a significant increase in ghoul sightings in recent years.

As they spoke, the two had already passed through one corridor after another, arriving at an unknown depth underground.

The passage ahead grew narrower, the moss on the walls glowed eerily in the darkness, and the air became damp and stuffy.

Jules could clearly hear his own footsteps echoing in the silence, each step feeling like the heartbeat of this ancient underground world.

Finally, they arrived at a huge stone gate.

The stone gate was covered with strange runes, which shimmered with a mysterious luster under the light of the lantern held by the priest.

The priest reached out and gently pressed his hand on the stone door, chanting incantations.

As he chanted his incantation, the stone gate slowly trembled, emitting a dull sound, as if a sleeping giant beast was awakening.

“This is the entrance to the ghoul graveyard,” the priest said, gazing at the stone gate. “In the past, the rituals performed here were far more elaborate than they are now…”

Before he could finish speaking, a strong, putrid stench suddenly wafted out from the crack in the stone door.

The pungent stench made Jules wrinkle his brow and cover his mouth and nose. Even the priest waved his hand in disgust, saying:
“I can let you in, but if I do, the ritual will need to be temporarily activated, which could very well cause the already fragile ritual to collapse.”

The priest's voice was low and solemn:
"The ghouls that have accumulated over hundreds and thousands of years will be revived, and the winter laws that originally suppressed their revival will become their nourishment."

At that time, all living beings on Blanco will suffer a cataclysmic flood of undead.

Upon hearing this, Jules stepped forward slowly, his gaze falling on the stone door.

His eyes flickered slightly, recognizing that it was indeed shrouded in a rather powerful ritual.

However, the ritual has indeed weakened considerably, just as the priest had said.

"Is there any way to allow me to enter without causing the ritual to collapse?"

The priest sighed and said:
"It's actually very simple. We just need to find a way to repair part of the ritual, but that's where the problem lies."

He raised his head and looked in some unknown direction.

"The materials needed to restore this ritual are in an abandoned monastery that has been abandoned for many years and is occupied by the wandering spirits of the deceased."

"Why is it still a monastery?" Upon hearing this familiar word, Jules frowned and muttered to himself.

The priest gave a wry smile:

"There's nothing we can do about it. In the past, religious activities in Blankogue were quite frequent, but for some reason, they have all declined now. However, if you are willing, you can still find many traces of the past."

Jules stroked the stone gate, feeling the rituals etched upon it, and casually remarked:

"So, you want to use me to get rid of those wandering spirits that are hindering you?"

The priest smiled:
"exactly."

He didn't try to hide it; instead, he openly admitted it.

Jules didn't say anything, but pondered for a moment and said:
"In other words, you can't defeat the wandering spirits there head-on?"
The priest said helplessly:

“Perhaps I can resolve these issues, but if I lose, there will be no one to maintain the ritual to suppress the ghoul graveyards for a short period of time, and the consequences will be far too severe.”

Jules raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the priest.

"Judging from your words, since the rituals in the ghoul graveyard are becoming increasingly weak, and you've been unable to get away, why didn't you bring up this topic before?"

He couldn't help but have some doubts.

To Le's question, the priest shook his head and said:

"You're overthinking it. It's precisely because I know I can't do without you that I would never risk my life."

Frankly, London is far older and more powerful than Blankocough, so my initial idea was actually to use the tax collection opportunity to obtain some materials from London that could be used to restore the ceremony.

He glanced at Jules and said helplessly:

"I didn't expect you to be in such a hurry to go into the ghoul graveyard."

Jules chuckled, and after a long pause, slowly said:

"Where is that abandoned monastery you mentioned?"

The priest did not answer immediately, but instead said:
"...Let's leave here first, it's creepy to stay here."

Hearing the faint roar of a ghoul coming from the stone gate behind him, Jules nodded in agreement:

"Then let's go first."

Soon, the two left the intricate tunnels and returned to the surface.

After rummaging through the bookshelf for a while, the priest found a dusty map and handed it to Jules.

"This record shows the location of that monastery back then."

Staring at the map, Jules said:

"What's the origin of the wandering spirit occupying that place?"