Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1033 Snow Mountain Evil Spirit
Chapter 1033 -1033 Snow Mountain Evil Spirit
The pot was swiftly placed above the bonfire, and Mrs. Marques cooked the vegetables Shard brought, sprinkling salt simply. The flames burned brighter than when Shard arrived, reflecting the improved mental state effectively.
The fiery light illuminated the faces of everyone huddled in this small sanctuary, but considering the existence of a dreadful Snow Mountain Evil Spirit here, the faces lit by the fire seemed rather grotesque.
“Can’t you just leave here directly?”
“You really don’t know?”
Miss Chloe sipped her hot tea from her cup and clearly had a better attitude toward Shard:
“Only by climbing the highest peak of the Silver Mountains can we possibly leave this bizarre area. There’s no concept of time here, space is extremely chaotic, and it is inhabited by countless ancient evil entities.”
She paused for a moment:
“The black tea is quite tasteful.”
As color returned to her face, the witch’s charm was almost immediately evident. Her crimson eyes fixed on Shard, and that familiar scrutinizing gaze reminded Shard of many people.
“Besides ancient evil entities, this snow mountain is filled with countless unimaginable things for mortals. Demons, relics, even the legendary Snow Mountain Elves that help the lost ones, mimicking human appearances to aid survivors.”
She glanced at Shard, who was still warming his hands by the fire, looking around to confirm there was no “magical little elf” nearby. The “Snow Mountain Elf” she mentioned was not like the elven race such as Miss Orland but a strange, sprite-like creature:
“I am human.”
Shard emphasized.
“Yes.”
Miss Chloe nodded:
“Regardless of the purpose, the three of us must climb to the highest peak of the Silver Mountains. Sir, if you genuinely came to assist us, then use your wisdom to figure out who among us is possessed by the Evil Spirit of the snow mountain.”
The Evil Spirit Demons originating from the Third Era are adept at hiding, and even Shard couldn’t easily pinpoint them, but fortunately, he had other means:
“Try this.”
He took out three small glass bottles, containing the fourth version of Holy Water close to the Holy Water No. 3, made by Priest Augustus:
“Drink it, if someone is possessed by a demon, there should be a reaction.”
He handed the glass bottles to the three, and Miss Chloe shook the bottle:
“Holy Water?”
Shard hadn’t expected that by the early Fifth Era, witches already knew about Holy Water.
“It’s indeed a good idea.”
The witch drank the liquid first, showing no apparent reaction. Mrs. Marques, who was cooking vegetable soup, drank the Holy Water as well, and showed no reaction. The timid man didn’t speak but knew that if he didn’t do the same, he’d be thrown out. However, after drinking the liquid, he remained normal.
The gale howled through the mountains, with snow increasing, and the four under the light of the bonfire scrutinized the others in the tight space. Their shadows reflected on the canvas and branches, making them look incredibly eerie.
In the flickering firelight, Shard drank the Holy Water to prove he was fine. He regretted that the Night Watchman and Demon Hunting Seal couldn’t be brought here; no matter how adept demons are at hiding, they’d be exposed to these relics.
“Madam, do you have any good ideas?”
Feeling the cold creeping back, Shard asked Miss Chloe again, who simply shook her head:
“If I had a good idea, we would have solved the problem before you showed up.”
She hesitated briefly after saying this:
“But, since you mentioned the winter deity, perhaps we could use the power of the Great One to identify the demon.”
“Will you conduct the God Summoning Ritual?”
Shard asked softly, and Miss Chloe immediately shook her head:
“Do you think too highly of me? Although I am a believer of that deity, I am only Eleventh Rank, and do you see any proper ritual materials around me?”
She shifted forward slightly to get closer to the bonfire. Shard wasn’t sure how long this witch had survived in this snow mountain, and her hair was disheveled, lips slightly pale; such a miserable appearance was something Shard had never seen in other witches.
“You seem to be thinking something quite inappropriate.”
The witch eyed the pot from which the aroma of vegetable soup wafted:
“We can’t hold a God Summoning Ritual, but we can call upon the deity’s watchful gaze. This Silver Mountains is very unique, and in this environment, only a few Great Ones respond to the call of mortals. And the winter deity, the Winter Maiden, is currently the deity most likely to be attracted by us.”
She instructed Mrs. Marques to serve her a bowl of hot soup:
“The ritual requires a lot of spirit energy, which I can’t perform, but fortunately, there’s you. Under the watchful gaze of that deity, the demon will have nowhere to hide.”
“How exactly is the ritual conducted?”
Shard immediately asked, as the howling gale suddenly intensified, causing all four people to instinctively huddle closer. The wind blowing through the drafty opening of the “Sanctuary” made the bonfire flicker. In the trembling firelight, the expressions on the four faces were different.
“The crystalline snow as an offering.”
The witch whispered, her golden eyes observing the others in the cramped space:
“Passionate blood as guidance.”
The relentless wind sweeping over the Snow Mountain made her voice seem even more ominous.
“Immaculate ice as the altar.”
The bonfire simmering a pot of vegetable soup suddenly dimmed, and the surrounding brightness rapidly weakened. Before the true darkness descended, Shard heard the last sentence:
“A mortal’s wish is the most sincere summons.”
[Be careful.]
The whisper in his ear and his instinctive detection of danger prompted Shard to twist his body subconsciously. Something like a bullet with immense kinetic energy grazed past Shard’s cheek. Just as Shard lit up the Silver Light on his fingertips, the fire rekindled, and all three people, except Shard, fell.
The witch clutched her chest, half-closed her eyes, and leaned against a large rock. The bowl of soup had spilled onto the ground, and crimson blood trickled from the corners of her mouth. Mrs. Marques, who had been simmering the vegetable soup, lay directly on the ground with her eyes closed, her fate unknown. The cowardly man covered his eyes and groaned softly, blood oozing from beneath his hands and trickling down his cheeks to his chin.
This at least proved that he wasn’t mute.
Everyone was injured, except Shard, who remained unharmed. He turned to search for a hole in the cloth behind him, made by the bullet-like object, and was surprised to find the fabric intact.
The fire, reignited, illuminated the varied expressions of the four individuals, their strange shadows swaying in the snowstorm.
“I suppose, Miss Chloe, you won’t suspect me?”
Shard spoke softly amid the wind, and Miss Chloe shook her head slightly before coughing loudly, drops of blood falling on the shallow snow like blooming red plum blossoms:
“It wants us to distrust each other. This tactic may be effective, but it’s too crude. I won’t fall for it.”
“Then I shall prepare the ritual.”
He was about to act, but Miss Chloe shook her head pitifully:
“How would I know the God Summoning Ritual? I’m just a Shallow Believer, not a priest of a deity. The Zaras Academy requires official members who have passed the probation to not be clergy members. I just wanted it to act, so it would reveal a flaw. What a pity, it was too fast. I didn’t notice a thing.”
“I didn’t notice anything either.”
Shard quickly and “honestly” stated:
“Yes, it was indeed too fast.”
A soft laugh echoed in his ear as silver moonlight streaked from his fingertips.
The brilliant moonlight slashed towards the prone Mrs. Marques, but just before the moonlight hit, billowing black smoke shot out from the middle-aged woman’s facial features, blocking Shard’s casual strike like a round shield.
Miss Chloe almost immediately moved in Shard’s direction, while the cowardly young man curled up, seemingly wishing he could turn into an ant.
Mrs. Marques sat up straight, opening her eyes, with a crimson glow flashing in her pupils. The power of the Snow Mountain Evil Spirit influenced everything around, as the warm red fire transformed to black.
The gale finally overturned the “Sanctuary” behind the large rock at that moment. Branches and cloth were swept into the dense darkness of the sky by the wind, fully exposing mortals to the blizzard on the Snow Mountain.
In a matter of seconds, the previously somewhat dry ground was completely covered in snow, and the temperature and sense of security within the cramped sanctuary disappeared completely.
“Moonlight Greatsword!”
The black mist that drifted from the facial features of the middle-aged woman turned into writhing tentacles that rushed towards the three remaining normal individuals. Shard’s hand clasped the silver greatsword amidst the snow and wind, cleaving through the dense mass of tentacles formed from the black mist as Miss Chloe looked on in slight shock:
“Why hasn’t the Snow Mountain frozen your spirit? Your spellcasting is so fast?”
At this moment, the black mist, seemingly the true form of the demon, completely left Mrs. Marques’s body, spun around, and then rushed at Shard’s face. He rolled in the snow to avoid the black mist, standing up while slashing left-handedly with moonlight:
“Silvermoon Slash.”
On the vast Snow Mountain, the silver moonlight immersed itself into the storm, forcing the black mist to veer away from Shard, who was rising from the snow.
It did not attack the witch, nor did it care for the cringing man, spinning above Shard’s head while both Shard and Miss Chloe could hear the faint mad laughter carried on the wind.
“Miss Chloe, no need to get closer. I have a way to deal with it!”
Shard called out loudly, rising from the snow and standing upright.
The soul connected with the elements, elements drew spirituality, and spirituality influenced reality. As the steam whistle echoed and bells tolled, a dense Steam Mist capable of melting large snowbanks appeared behind him.
The enormous shadow of the Ring of Fate approached from the depths of the Steam Mist, until it appeared behind Shard, radiating a Four-Color Aura. The giant Brass Ring rotated slowly, even warming the wind.
The Spiritual Light shone in all directions like the sun, with the faintly glowing snow reflecting the light, making it seem as if Shard was standing within the radiance. Even though the meager sanctuary had been destroyed, the short witch inexplicably felt a sense of safety at the sight before her. The frozen power within her seemed ready to thaw in this light. The presence of this strange man made the Snow Mountain even more peculiar.
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