Above the mage

Chapter 249 [Conversation with the Dead]

Just as Catherine had predicted, they arrived at the site of Camp Snowver the following evening, barely as darkness fell.

Although night had fallen, it had little impact on the three of them.

As a hunter, one would naturally master the second-circle spell [Darkvision].

As for Gaode Maps, it has long since developed a high level of dark vision, and it already has a similar effect to dark vision with the naked eye.

Of course, the effect isn't as significant as Dark Vision, but it's sufficient for most purposes.

Looking around, one can clearly see that the camp, which was so large and prosperous just half a month ago, has now become a ruin, half-buried by the falling snow.

Tent fragments were scattered everywhere, and the fabric was torn and swaying in the wind.

On the snow, one can still vaguely see evidence of the rampage caused by wild animals. Some gnawed bones are scattered on the snow, along with fragments of life such as women's clothes, men's weapons, and cooking utensils.

An indescribable heaviness hung in the air.

The fragility of life is even more evident on the snow-covered plains.

Loich and Catherine remained remarkably calm in the face of this scene.

This is perhaps the biggest difference between hunters and guardians.

Guardians are truly compassionate and dedicated, while hunters are more self-centered.

Gao De thought to himself.

The two men led Gao De around the ravaged site of Snowfield, their eyes darting around as if searching for something.

In Gaode's view, all that remains here are broken trinkets and incomplete skeletons, making it virtually impossible to find anything to prove himself.

But since Catherine was so confident yesterday, she must have been certain of something.

After all, magic can do many things that defy common sense, and there are so many kinds of magic in this world, each with its own unique effects.

This is the biggest difference between the extraordinary world and the ordinary world; many things cannot be judged using common sense.

As it turns out, Catherine, who is usually quiet, dared to make such a bold statement yesterday, so she must have been very confident.

As they reached a more central location within the Snowfield camp, Loich's eyes suddenly lit up, and he exclaimed, "Catherine, look!"

Following Roychi's gaze, Gao De saw a frozen, pale corpse hidden in a snowdrift ahead.

It was the body of an old man.

"When there's enough food, the snow wolves will be picky eaters. The old man isn't very palatable to them, so he'll be left behind. And with the low temperatures in the North, the carcass will freeze quickly, and it can be preserved perfectly even after several months," Loich explained to God.

Gao De nodded slightly in response to Loych.

He naturally understood these principles.

The question is, what use is a complete corpse?

Even if it's perfectly intact, it's still just a corpse; it can't come to life and speak.

Loich clearly saw through what God was thinking, but he didn't rush to explain, only giving a mysterious smile.

The next moment, Catherine walked steadily to the side of the old man's body.

Then, she slowly raised her right hand, her slender fingers tracing a complex and mysterious mark in the air.

An extremely dense surge of magical energy erupted from her palm, surging like a tidal wave.

Finally, this powerful surge of magic transformed into a thin, shimmering ray of light, shooting out from Catherine's fingertips.

The ray pierced precisely into the body of the old man, who had been dead for over ten days and showed no signs of life.

To Gao De's disbelief, after the ray entered the body, a trace of color miraculously appeared on the corpse's originally pale face.

It's like a tender green shoot suddenly blooming on a withered branch in winter—completely unbelievable.

Immediately afterwards, the old man's eyelids began to tremble slightly.

The next moment, his tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.

However, beneath his eyelids were not bright eyes, but a deathly white, like cataracts.

This proves that the old man was still a corpse, not brought back to life, but had undergone some strange changes.

After opening his eyes, the old man slowly sat up, supporting himself on the ground with his hands, with an almost mechanical movement.

This scene greatly shocked Gao De, but Loych was already used to it.

"This is a rare spell called 'Speaking of the Dead,' which only Catherine knows. With this spell, even the dead can speak, and nothing can be hidden from her," Loich explained.

[The Dead Talk] Gao De silently memorized the name of this spell.

Loich didn't elaborate on anything more specific.

He could only judge from experience that it must be a necromancy spell, and the level of the spell must be no less than the third level.

"Did your tribe suffer two attacks from snow wolf beast tides a dozen days ago?" Catherine asked the "resurrected" old man in a deep voice.

"Yes, it is true." The old man responded slowly to Catherine's question in a rigid voice devoid of any change in tone or emotion.

"Good luck," Loich quickly concluded after hearing this. "It seems that the Snofer's body we found was killed in the second, more intense beast tide."

"During the first beast tide, an outsider guardian stepped forward and single-handedly killed the Golden-Eyed Snow Wolf that led the beast tide, which allowed your tribe to temporarily escape the crisis, right?" Catherine asked her second question.

"Yes," the old man replied again in that monotonous voice, without the slightest hesitation.

Upon hearing this answer, Loich's expression changed.

Catherine pressed further, "After that outsider guardian intervened, did he remain in your tribe due to severe injuries?"

"Yes, he was seriously injured and almost died, but he pulled through." This time the old man gave a more specific answer.

Upon hearing this answer, Catherine did not immediately ask the next question, but instead fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

After a while, her gaze shifted from the old man to Loich.

Loich immediately understood, took out a piece of animal skin from his pocket, and unfolded it in front of the old man.

Gao De glanced curiously at the animal skin, where Baruch's face was clearly depicted.

"Does the appearance of that guardian match the person depicted on this animal skin?" Catherine then asked.

However, the old man shook his head. "I don't know. I only saw him rush in from afar and fight alongside our chieftain, but I couldn't see his face clearly."

Upon hearing this answer, Catherine remained silent for a moment before finally speaking again: "What memorable characteristics does that guardian possess?"

"The guardian rode a huge, snow-white tiger, about twenty feet long, with high shoulder blades, looking incredibly fierce. However, he was killed in battle while protecting the guardian, surrounded and attacked by snow wolves."

This is the longest and most detailed statement the old man has made since his "resurrection".

But as soon as he finished speaking, the old man's eyelids suddenly closed.

The color of blood that had appeared on his face vanished at that moment, as if all his life force had been exhausted.

With a thud, the old man who had sat up fell back onto the snow, turning back into his silent, lifeless body.

The three people on the field had different expressions.

"The snow-white tiger he described should be Baruch's pet Icemane Tiger."

"There's no mistake, Icemane Tigers are extremely rare even on the snowfields."

"As far as I know, even among the Guardians, only Baruch has tamed an Icemane Tiger as a pet. The Guardian who made the move was definitely him."

Loich's expression showed surprise, deep thought, and a touch of solemnity.

Now that Baruch's identity and actions have been confirmed, the claim of betraying the doctrine naturally falls apart.

And what Gao De said about Baruch entrusting him to deliver a message can almost be confirmed as true.

Neither hunter was a fool.

Then, recalling the almost blatant misrepresentation of the truth they had received from within the sect, they instantly realized what was going on:

This person who practices forbidden necromancy must hold an extremely high position among the Snowfield Guardians to possess such power.

"Catherine, it's fortunate that you came back just in time. Otherwise, if any other hunter had been on this mission, they would never have been able to uncover the truth."

"And once more than thirty days have passed, even you will be unable to awaken the dead Snowfowl, and the truth will be completely buried."

Loich said with lingering fear, "In that situation, Baruch would never have been able to get rid of the blame."

Because Catherine was wearing a bronze mask, her expression couldn't be seen, but her eyes clearly became sharper, with a glint of light shining through.

"What cunning methods! We must find this person as soon as possible, otherwise, if this continues, who knows how many more people in the North will be harmed by him," she said coldly.

Hearing this, Gao De breathed a sigh of relief.

Clearly, his innocence has been proven.

Logically speaking, the two of them had no reason to make things difficult for him anymore.

"Now that the truth has come to light, you should let me go, right?" Gao De said.

To Gao De's surprise, Catherine glanced at him sideways, then shook her head. "No, not at least not now."

"Why? This matter is clearly none of my business anymore, you asked it yourself." Gao De's face stiffened.

"First of all, the mastermind is obviously a big shot among the Snowfield Guardians. In order to avoid alerting them, this matter must be handled carefully, so as not to arouse their suspicion and to better investigate their identity."

"As an outsider, yet knowing such a top secret, if I rashly let you leave now, there is a risk of the information leaking out."

"Secondly, you are now the only survivor of the Snowflake Clan's beast tide, which is equivalent to the only witness. For this reason, I cannot let you leave until the matter is settled."

"Finally," Catherine said softly, "you have appeared in our branch before. Perhaps the mastermind already knows about this. Given the methods and cruelty this person has shown, they will surely kill you to silence you."

"If we can find you, he might also find a way to find you. For your own safety, it's better if you stay with us until this is over."

Although she was explaining, Catherine's mind was firm.

Gao De's complexion wasn't good, but he didn't struggle anymore.

There is no logic to this world.

Because in the face of absolute power, there is no need to reason.

Gao De had already understood this principle at the Cyrus Magic Academy.

……

"What should we do next?" Loich asked Catherine for her opinion.

"We can't go back to headquarters for now, it might arouse the suspicion of the mastermind behind it, and they might even take action to eliminate him," Catherine said after thinking for a moment.

The "he" she was referring to was Gaode.

"Moreover, this matter cannot be told to anyone else in the sect except for the two of us at the moment."

"Because we still cannot confirm who is trustworthy within the sect and who is the mastermind behind it, the more people who know this information, the easier it is for the news to leak out."

"We also cannot use the power of the Snowfield Guardians to conduct an investigation. Since the mastermind is a high-ranking member of the sect, he must be very clear about and sensitive to the movement of people in the sect. We cannot hide it from his eyes."

"We need to seek help from forces outside the sect," Catherine said with remarkable clarity.

"A force outside the sect?" Loich had no clue.

"We'll go to the Zhenbing Tribe. Elder Grant of the Zhenbing Tribe is someone I know well. I can ask him for help, and with the power of the Zhenbing Tribe, they are capable of helping us investigate this matter," Catherine said decisively.

"Oh right, I forgot you also know people from the Zhenbing tribe!" Loychi's tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed.

The two decided on their next direction in just a few words.

Gao De could only listen silently; he had no right to interfere in their discussion.

"Let me remove the forbidden ice needles for you first." After making the decision, Loich turned to look at the silent God and said apologetically.

"Wait." But before Gao De could say anything, Catherine stopped Loich first.

"Although he is innocent, he certainly doesn't want to follow us and get involved in our sect's affairs."

"If you remove the forbidden ice needles now and restore his spellcasting ability, he will inevitably have other ideas and cause trouble. Let's leave it at that for now," Catherine said calmly.

This little vixen... Gao De is probably happy to have the forbidden ice needles left in his body, because it can accelerate his adaptation and evolution.

But it's one thing for him to be willing, but it's quite another for Catherine to impose it on him so rudely.

Gao De will remember this grudge.

"Once this is over, we will give you some compensation." Seemingly sensing Gao De's resentment, Catherine added calmly, her tone still completely indifferent.

"Catherine is very generous," Loich added quietly from the side, trying to ease God's resentment.

"I will cooperate with you, as a way to avenge Baruch. He and I were friends, and I feel very bad for him that he ended up like this," God replied, half-truthfully and half-jokingly.

Since the deed is done and cannot be changed, we might as well change our mindset and try our best to gain greater benefits.

If they were filled with resentment, Loich and Catherine would feel much more at ease.

However, if one adopts a good attitude, given their somewhat law-abiding nature, they will feel some guilt towards one's actions.

"Let's go to the Zhenbing tribe," Catherine said coldly.

(End of this chapter)