I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Chapter 199 The Tradition of Gale (Bonus Chapter 19 for Monthly Tickets)

Richard's hand stopped half an inch from the inner pocket button.

The real way to get down the well is to turn yourself into a stone that is "passively passed through".

Any "proactive" action is simply giving away an opening.

The iron cage finally reached the bottom, and Lieutenant Colonel Ode's voice came from outside.

"Gray Eyes, you're the first one out."

The lieutenant colonel made no attempt to call him by his real name.

Richard froze for half a second, then scanned the lieutenant colonel with his spiritual vision.

The lieutenant colonel showed no signs of anything amiss.

He only took the first step after confirming that it was indeed Lieutenant Colonel Odd.

After stepping out of the iron cage, everyone else inside almost simultaneously let out a long sigh of relief.

The salt in everyone's mouths had almost completely melted away.

Richard took a breath; the air inside the passage was much more stable than inside the iron cage.

Nine stone rings were ahead, and the pit should be right beneath their feet.

But at this moment, he was no longer as afraid of the incredibly deep thing beneath his feet as before.

No matter how powerful it is, it's just looking for an entry point.

It can't get in unless he gives it to it.

One end of the passage leads to the entrance of the shaft, while the other end leads deeper into the shaft.

Lieutenant Colonel Odd and the first group were already in the middle of the passage.

"This way." The lieutenant colonel raised his hand.

The passage stretched about a hundred yards into the distance, ending at a double-leafed, thick iron gate.

Mr. Hutton stepped out of the line.

The old man took out a small engraving knife from the inside pocket of his coat.

He used the tip of his knife to gently pry open a small, inconspicuous groove on the inscribed plate.

With a soft "thud" from the center of the inscribed plate, the double iron doors opened to both sides.

Behind the iron gate, there is a nine-layered stone ring, with nine concentric circular stone grooves extending outward from the center.

The nine grooves together form a "manhole cover" on the etheric plane.

The pit shouldn't be right beneath their feet, filled with soil and cement for over thirty feet, and then locked by these nine stone rings.

Lieutenant Colonel Odd began to assign positions.

"Everyone, take your positions."

Richard walked to Mr. Hutton's side, and several halos of light enveloped him.

Mr. Hutton has already opened the two small boxes.

The first box contained engraving knives and chisels of various sizes.

The second box contained several grayish-white wax blocks wrapped in oiled paper, a few small bags of silver powder, and a silver pot containing holy water.

The old man looked up and glanced at Richard.

"camera."

Richard took out the Colton 120 that his senior had given him from his shoulder bag.

"Take photos following the steps of replicating one set at a time."

"it is good."

Richard raised his camera and aimed it at the first groove.

Lieutenant Colonel Odd has secured his position on the outer circle.

He took a small pocket watch from the inside pocket of his coat and pressed a button on the side of the watch.

"start."

The old man and two hermits were responsible for re-engraving and repairing, while Mrs. McNeil was responsible for activating it.

The medium took a small silver pot from his suitcase and tilted it.

A small stream of holy water flowed from the mouth of the silver pot, flowing along the inscription that Mr. Hutton had just copied in the first groove.

Where the holy water flowed, the inscriptions that had been copied and filled with wax began to light up section by section.

The inscriptions on the first ring lit up section by section, eventually forming a closed circle of light.

"First ring activated." Mrs. McNeil put the silver pot back into her suitcase.

"One link in place." Lieutenant Colonel Aude pressed a button on his pocket watch:

"Following the established procedure, begin the second step."

The replication and activation of each of the second, third, and fourth rings requires at least twenty minutes.

By the time they reached the fourth ring, Richard had changed several rolls of film.

The atmosphere inside the cave gradually shifted from a tense state to a rhythmic working atmosphere.

The six members of the patrol team were scattered around the outer perimeter, each vigilantly watching their assigned area.

Wentworth stared at the edge of the cave, at the entrance to a secret passage leading deeper inside.

Mr. Hutton's speed in replicating the inscriptions in the innermost circle is very consistent.

As the process progressed to the middle of the fourth stage, Richard felt an extremely slight vibration coming from the ground beneath his feet.

Something is seeping upwards from the deepest point beneath the nine-layered stone ring.

Inspiration is starting to emerge.

"...Old scholar, what's going on?" he asked in a low voice.

Mr. Hutton is replicating the seventh set of inscriptions on the fourth ring.

The old man did not look up.

"Under normal circumstances, loosening the rings reduces the overall functioning of the seal, allowing the 'calling' from deep within to seep up through the gaps."

"Just stay in the innermost circle and ignore it."

"……yes."

Richard raised the camera again.

Mr. Hutton has completed the replication of the last set of inscriptions for the fourth ring.

"Activate." He stood up and reached out to press his lower back.

The old man did squats dozens of times in a row today, and his body was starting to give out.

Just as the entire fourth ring of light began to close...

The lieutenant colonel suddenly raised his right hand from the outer circle.

"All groups, prepare for battle."

The three people in the first group immediately put their weapons into combat mode.

The team leader himself was carrying a modified gun, with his left hand resting on the handguard below the barrel.

Xiao Ma was holding a silver dagger and a flintlock pistol, and he was noticeably more tense than before.

Richard used his hidden spiritual vision to scan the direction of the secret passage entrance.

The ether concentration at the entrance is rising rapidly.

He could clearly see clumps of grayish-white ethereal mist rolling out of the secret passage.

Something is hidden in the fog.

Those things have no physical form; they are driven by some kind of will, and they self-assemble within the fog.

The first shadowy creature burst out of the secret passage without making a sound.

It wasn't fast, but it moved without hesitation, heading straight for the pony.

"Little Ma, crouch down!" the second group leader shouted immediately.

The little horse squatted down.

The shadowy creature rushed above Xiao Ma's position and was hit by a shot from the second squad leader.

The bullet was a silver lead bullet, and when it passed through the misty shadow, it released a tiny silver halo.

A halo flashed by, and the entire misty shadow spread out above the little pony boy's head.

"It's clean now." The second squad leader reloaded his rifle.

Little Ma was still squatting in the same spot.

"Get up and watch your back."

Xiao Ma got up from the ground, his face pale from what had just happened.

The second, third, and fourth shadowy creatures rolled out of the entrance, each choosing its own target.

Three came from the first group.

The team leader dodged to the side, raised his shotgun, and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The bullet traced a very short arc in the air and struck the first mist shadow.

After the misty shadow was hit by the bullet, the entire cloud of mist dispersed with a "hiss".

The second one was brought in immediately.

The team leader then slammed the butt of the gun down hard.

A dark silver gem was embedded in the stock, its silver light slicing the second shadow of mist through the air.

The third one was dealt with by the male team member from the first group who was carrying a silver dagger in both hands.

The male team member flicked the silver dagger in his right hand into the air.

The silver dagger was pulled by an invisible thread and flew out on its own, striking the core of the third mist shadow.

After the mist was struck by the blade, the entire cloud of mist dispersed most completely.

The silver dagger fell to the ground, and the male team member picked it up and held it in his hand again.

Richard used his spiritual vision to see the silver dagger.

The hilt of that silver dagger was inlaid with an extremely fine silver thread, within which was a magical formula.

The entire sequence of actions was very smooth and had formed a complete response procedure.

This team of experienced hunters has been honed through more than a decade of fieldwork.

The battle on the outer edge lasted for about a minute.

In that minute or so, about a dozen shadowy figures emerged from the entrance of the secret passage.

Each of the six men on patrol dealt with at least one of them.

Wentworth also made his move, drawing two swords from under his coat and charging towards the seventh mist shadow.

He was so fast that Richard could barely keep up with his sight.

The inscription on the hilt lit up, leaving a scorching red trail in the air.

The moment the fog shadow was hit, the entire fog exploded from the center.

Then the second knife struck the eighth one in quick succession.

Wentworth sheathed the two knives at his sides and stopped.

His breathing was a little heavy, his shoulders heaving slightly, and the brief burst of ethereal energy had ended.

After a brief exchange of fire on the outer perimeter, the number of shadowy figures emerging from the secret passage decreased significantly.

"...Should we have another round?" Xiao Ma asked his team leader in a low voice from the outer circle.

"It's hard to say." The second squad leader raised his rifle again: "Follow me, keep a close eye on the entrance."

"Yes."

On the outer edge, several more shadowy figures rolled out from the entrance of the secret passage.

This time, the last one was facing the wrong direction.

Unlike its companions, it did not choose the target that was closest to it.

It took a detour, passing between the two patrol groups.

Xiao Ma's breathing rhythm was temporarily disrupted during the process of squatting down and standing up.

That slight disruption in rhythm was a clear signal for this mist shadow.

The misty figure rushed towards the little horse.

"Little Ma!" The second group leader noticed a beat too late.

Upon hearing the team leader's shout, Xiao Ma instinctively raised his flintlock pistol.

But the fog was already about to engulf the boy's face.

Richard glanced at Mrs. McNeil, and the medium was standing about ten feet away from the pony.

But Mrs. McNeil didn't move; she just shook her head.

On the other side, Lieutenant Colonel Ode raised his iron hand.

Under the light of the spiritual vision, the rivets embedded in the joints of the steel prosthetic limb lit up at this moment.

The prosthetic limb, from the shoulder down to the fingertips, was enveloped in an extremely thin white aura.

That was an air bomb compressed to its limit.

Lieutenant Colonel Ode flicked his index finger, and the entire mass of compressed air was ejected.

It made a tiny turn in the air, bypassing the bodies of the patrolmen on the outer circle, and headed straight for the misty shadow in front of Xiao Ma.

The airflow struck the core of the fog shadow.

"puff!"

The entire cloud of fog was shattered from mid-air by an unseen fist.

Xiao Ma stumbled backward a step, but was caught by the second group leader.

"Huff..." He gasped for breath, his face still pale.

"Get up." The second group leader patted him on the back: "Stay still, don't move around."

"Yes." Xiao Ma nodded vigorously.

Lieutenant Colonel Odd lowered his right hand, and the white aura above the entire steel prosthetic limb slowly dissipated.

"Clear the area and confirm the entrance."

The first and second groups approached the entrance to the secret passage respectively.

Mr. Hutton explained softly beside him:

"That's the blessing from the pre-selection of the Gale tradition."

"A fierce wind?"

"A small tradition with a strong sense of aggression."

"The tradition originates from the Celtic priesthood of the highlands, and its essence is to launch attacks by utilizing wind pressure."

"Wind itself has no weight, but air compressed to the extreme can bear enough destructive power."

"Hunters of the Gale tradition do not need any physical weapons; the person themselves is the weapon."

"The silver rivets embedded in the lieutenant colonel's steel prosthetic leg are his own signature artifacts."

"Alright." Mr. Hutton gently patted Richard's shoulder:

"His intervention indicates that this wave of riots has come to an end."

"It's just a regular riot during the window period; we can handle it."

The old man shifted his gaze back to the innermost circle:

"According to the plan, the fifth ring road will be unclogged next."

Richard shifted his gaze away from Lieutenant Colonel Odd.

The patrol team members on the outer edge are already confirming the status of the entrance to the secret passage.

The male team member in the first group, carrying a silver dagger, glanced into the secret passage and made a gesture toward the lieutenant colonel.

"There are no new cases emerging for the time being."

"Get ready, get ready for the fifth ring," Lieutenant Colonel Odd said.

The atmosphere inside the cave relaxed again.

Wentworth sheathed the enchanted twin swords.

"It consumed a bit of energy, but it didn't have a big impact. We can still handle the remaining workload today."

"Hmm," Lieutenant Colonel Ode responded.

The second group leader took a small silver pot out of his satchel and handed it to Xiao Ma's mouth.

"Take a couple of sips to calm down."

Xiao Ma took the silver pot and sipped it, his complexion gradually returning to normal.

"Are you alright?" the second team leader asked.

"It's nothing," Xiao Ma nodded. "It was just for a split second..."

"Everyone's like that the first time." The second group leader took the silver kettle back: "Practice more in the future."

"Yes."

Mr. Hutton whispered to Richard:

"This year's wave is considered normal."

"Last year, six lower-level evil creatures and one mid-level evil creature appeared. One member was sacrificed at that time, so Xiao Ma came to fill the gap this year."

"Don't just stand there, the fifth ring is next."

"Yes."

Richard raised the camera again.

Lieutenant Colonel Odd stood on the outer circle, not completely relaxed.

He glanced towards the edge of the cave.