Chapter 86: Revenant
Morning.
Bean Village.
The three little squirrel brothers lined up, yawning and wobbling as they headed towards the pioneer’s cabin.
This was the job Chu Jiu had arranged for them: when Chu Jiu and the spirit beasts were out, the little squirrels were responsible for feeding grass and water to the two “triangle cows,” Golden Horn and Silver Horn, and also for taking them out for a walk.
As usual, they reached the side of the cow shed.
At this moment, Shovel Little Squirrel suddenly stiffened his tail and raised a small paw, gesturing: “There, something!”
Axe Little Squirrel looked in the direction of his younger brother’s paw, and his fur also stood on end: there really was something lying on the other side of the yard! It was wrapped in vines, like a giant caterpillar, and it was still wriggling!
Although Axe Little Squirrel was trembling with fear, he still took down his little axe and bravely walked towards the giant caterpillar!
They couldn’t let strange things damage the pioneer’s cabin! They still had to come here to eat sunflower seeds!
Upon closer inspection, Axe Little Squirrel’s eyes widened:
This… looked like a person?
A person bound by vines and unable to move? How did he get here?
Could it be… that someone packaged him up from the demon beast area and threw him in? But who would do that? And why?
Axe Little Squirrel couldn’t figure it out.
However, he knew that when he didn’t know what to do, he should go to someone who did.
He told his two brothers, Shovel and Pickaxe, to stay and watch, and he scurried off to find the old village chief.
An hour later.
Lauren rode his horse, galloping away from Bean Village, heading straight for Sea Moon City.
*
At the same time.
Sea Moon City.
“Wow… it’s really lively today…”
Chu Jiu muttered softly, looking at the layers upon layers of people outside the venue.
According to Clara’s request, the “signing ceremony” venue was chosen on the waterfront, specifically the best-preserved, most scenic, and most eye-catching part of Sea Moon City’s coastline.
In the small square by the sea, there were tables covered with snow-white tablecloths in the front for both parties to sign; behind them were rows of neat oak chairs for the humans and Seal Clan members attending the ceremony to sit.
The square was decorated with deep red velvet drapes, and golden wheat-ear tassels hung from the drapes, creating a magnificent atmosphere.
The neatly dressed guards standing around the square added a solemn and dignified air, completely deterring curious onlookers from intruding.
Outside the square, specially hired chanting poets loudly recited among the crowd, “The Seal Clan, intelligent and agile… they are friends of humans… they silently fight against sea monsters…”
Such a grand arrangement had never even been seen at previous “New Year Celebrations.”
The citizens who came to watch looked at the magnificent venue, their faces filled with excitement or emotion.
They whispered:
“It’s so good, our Sea Moon City is truly amazing.”
“I’ve only heard my great-grandmother tell me about such scenes… she said that in her great-grandmother’s generation, humans would make agreements with other races like this and even trade with them… that was an era we can’t even imagine…”
“Now we can cooperate with the Seal Clan again… will our lives get better and better…?”
“It will, right? At least our Sea Moon City is doing pretty well now… it will definitely get better and better…”
The ancient mechanical clock struck nine times.
The ceremony officially began.
The little Seals, dressed in sharkskin formal attire, looked dignified and solemn as they entered in neat formation.
Chu Jiu and Clara together put on the [Goggles Hats] for each of them.
Every time a pair was put on, the little Seals showed surprised expressions, but because they had to pay attention to etiquette, they couldn’t “woof” loudly, so they could only try their best to hold it in.
The Seal Clan and humans below the stage all applauded, congratulating another warrior on regaining their sight.
After dozens of little Seals had put on their [Goggles Hats], the Seal General and Clara sat together and signed the agreement.
The moment the signing was completed, enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from below the stage and outside the venue.
Clara said to the Seal General, “General, the residents of Sea Moon City are singing praises for the Seal Clan today, and they are all grateful for everything the Seal Clan has silently done.”
The Seal General looked at the crowd below, using all his strength to control himself from wagging his tail.
He looked at Clara, trying his best to maintain a serious expression: “May our cooperation be smooth, and may we jointly eliminate the sea monsters and restore peace to the sea!”
Clara’s eyes were firm: “Eliminate sea monsters, cleanse the sea!”
Standing beside them, Chu Jiu silently said in his heart again: This is good.
*
Ancient Linburg.
The Association Chairman’s meditation room.
The meditation room was bare, without decorations or furniture. Apart from a dimly lit candlestick on the wall and a wool carpet on the floor, there was no other furnishing.
The Chairman, cloaked, sat cross-legged on the carpet.
The hood of the cloak obscured his face, also concealing the clusters of blisters that rose and fell on his skin, appearing every two to three minutes.
The blisters constantly burst, and foul-smelling pus slid down his face.
This skin sack really wouldn’t last much longer.
No choice, the ‘mouth’ of this plane simply couldn’t bear such strong spiritual power.
The Chairman raised his arm, watching the tiny worms crawling densely within the festering flesh, and blew a breath at them.
Hoo…
Was it because the ‘mouth’s’ power was declining? Even his perception was becoming increasingly dull.
Especially towards that area called “Bean Village.”
Every time he released his perception to probe the movements of that area, the response he received was always a blurry mess.
However, his human subordinates had been consistently reporting that there was nothing special about that area.
…Perhaps he was indeed overthinking it.
Those people from Arsa Star could never have imagined that he had hidden himself in such an ancient and primitive plane.
As long as that group of humans didn’t appear, the natives of this plane, with their abilities, plus the obstacles he had set up…
They would either constantly regress, further and further back, until they returned to complete barbarism, or they would have the good fortune to become his food.
Thinking of “food,” the Chairman’s face twitched slightly.
The high-ranking ability users sent over recently didn’t have pure enough spiritual power.
Perhaps this was the limitation of this plane…
Just as he was thinking this, the Chairman’s arm suddenly trembled, and several worms poked out their heads.
In a certain area of the monitoring field, the unique aura of gathered spiritual power users emanated!
The Chairman quickly concentrated his mind, sensing the specific location of this area.
It turned out to be Sea Moon City, that city that always engaged in strange behavior and refused to obediently submit.
They seemed to be holding some kind of gathering, with many ability users gathered together.
Hoo, if there were “worms” nearby, he could have a good meal and also repair this skin sack a bit.
That vicinity… yes, there were worms nearby.
Although it wasn’t yet time to awaken it.
But such a buffet could not be missed.
*
Sea Moon City.
The small square by the sea.
The final part of the signing ceremony was Clara’s guards distributing candied fruit to the onlookers.
Even in Sea Moon City, “candied fruit” wasn’t something everyone could afford easily.
Thus, the cheers of the crowd grew even louder.
The scene was a complete uproar.
Clara smiled as she watched the crowd, while also glancing at the young man standing beside her.
She said to Chu Jiu, “I heard you found a plant called ‘sugarcane’? It can make ‘sugar,’ and the taste is even better than honey?”
The young man hurriedly said, “Yes, it was a chance discovery. I imagine people have grown it before, and the candy stores in the city have also sold this kind of sugar.”
“Once this batch of sugarcane is harvested, I will try to build a sugar mill in Bean Village.”
“At that time, the residents of Sea Moon City will be able to taste this sweetness that is different from honey.”
Clara: “By then, your Bean Village should have already been upgraded to ‘Bean Town’.”
Chu Jiu looked surprised and delighted: “Really?!”
Were they going to fulfill the promise so readily? The sea monsters hadn’t been completely defeated yet, had they?
Clara looked at the overjoyed Chu Jiu and couldn’t help but want to tease the young man, “What, do I seem like someone who goes back on their word?” Chu Jiu: “No, no, you always keep your word, you are a wise leader!”
Clara smiled: “I never expected a child like you to go to the front lines to kill sea monsters.”
“Since you have already discovered the truth about the sea monsters and introduced such an excellent Seal Clan to me, you have already completed your work.”
“In that case, I will naturally fulfill my promise.”
“After the ceremony is over—”
Before Clara could finish speaking, the little cat on Chu Jiu’s shoulder suddenly leaned forward and let out a low purr towards the beach.
Chu Jiu’s expression changed: “In the sea… I’m afraid there’s a situation.”
Neither Clara nor the Seal General dared to take Chu Jiu’s words lightly.
Clara immediately sent ability user guards to investigate, while the little Seals led A Li directly towards the beach.
*
The seawater, the seawater at the end of July, reflected the clear blue sky, looking clear and transparent, instantly soothing and pleasing.
It was hard to believe that anything unexpected would happen in such a scene.
But the little Seals ran to the beach, raised their heads, sniffed the air with their wet little noses, and immediately raised the spears in their hands, shouting loudly, “Enemies! Assemble!”
The little Seals who had been laughing and jumping around while eating dried meat were first stunned, then quickly put down the dried meat, grabbed their spears and lances, and ran on all fours towards the shore.
The attendant beside Clara was already a bit flustered: “This, could it be, sea… Impossible, it’s not August yet… and how could they be so close to the city!”
Indeed.
In the past, sea monsters always appeared in August and never appeared so close to the city’s coastline.
Clara frowned tightly and said, “Perhaps it’s because the Seal Clan warriors are all on the shore, and there’s no one to intercept them.”
The attendant’s face paled, and the hand holding the plate trembled: “H-how could this be…”
“Why at this time…”
Why today, why at such an important and inspiring ceremony!
Clara raised her right hand and summoned a messenger: “Send my orders—”
“According to the previous drills, the guard team will be divided into two groups!”
“One group will cooperate with the Seal Clan. After the Seal Clan sprays the ‘lost souls’ with ink, attack with explosives!”
“The other group will stay on the shore to protect the civilians and help them evacuate!”
The messenger responded loudly and immediately went to make the arrangements.
The attendant said anxiously, “City Lord, while there are no monsters attacking the beach yet, we should evacuate quickly—”
But Clara stubbornly sat back down in her chair.
“If I leave in a panic at this time, it will definitely frighten the people and cause a stampede.”
“Let the civilians evacuate first.”
Clara’s voice was firm and steady.
Hearing this, Chu Jiu’s respect for this City Lord grew even more.
He knew that ever since the last “informal meeting,” Clara and the General had been preparing to deal with the underwater ghosts.
How they would deploy their forces, Chu Jiu naturally had no say in.
But Chu Jiu had done everything he could:
He used branches from the [Primal Tree] to modify the Seal Clan’s spears, in order to stop the [Rampage State] of those ghosts;
He made hundreds of [Bamboo Tube Explosives] and gave them to Clara’s guards to replace the previous bows and javelins;
He also modified the [Bug Catching Net] into a [Special Fishing Net] that could be dragged underwater, used to intercept those ghosts hiding under the boats…
With these equipment, plus the [Goggles Hats] for the Seal Clan, and the repeated drills by Clara and the General, Chu Jiu believed that they would definitely beat these “sea monsters” so badly that they wouldn’t dare to show their faces again.
*
In no time, the weather on the sea changed drastically.
Waves of seawater, like small mountains, surged towards the coastline one after another!
Fortunately, the Seal Clan was prepared.
They jumped onto their Ten-Legged Fish and rushed straight towards the “waves” at top speed!
In an instant, between the blue and white seawater, the black water sprayed by the Ten-Legged Fish created streaks of black shadows!
Those black shadows, tall and short, fat and thin, were all in the shape of humans!
Clara, holding the brand-new telescope Nikola had sent, clicked her tongue: “Indeed, lost souls…”
If it were before, the Seal Clan would not be able to quickly hit these groups of wandering and undulating black shadows. They would have to fight them for a while before they could hit the heart area and make the lost souls sink back into the water.
But now, their vision was clearer than ever before.
Following the General’s command, one team went up and one team retreated, cooperating orderly, and all accurately thrust their spears into the black shadows!
At this moment, an astonishing scene occurred:
The black shadow, which had been baring its fangs and twisting and rolling, instantly exploded in place after being pierced through the heart by the spear, scattering into piles of white foam on the sea surface!
The Seal Clan had previously annihilated countless lost souls.
But this kind of situation had never happened before!
At this moment, A Li, whose vision was the best after wearing the [Goggles Hat], shouted, “In the air! There’s something in the air, floating away!”
Just then, several more lost souls were pierced, and indeed, wisps of phantom-like shadows, like jellyfish tentacles, rose into the air again and floated upwards!
The General was silent for a moment and then said, “It’s ‘purification’.”
“It’s the mysterious power contained in the [Primal Tree] that Chu Jiu mentioned, breaking the shackles that imprisoned these lost souls and allowing them to fly to where they should go!”
Hearing this, the Seal Clan were all somewhat stunned:
These lost souls could actually be purified?
If the lost souls were all purified, wouldn’t that mean that these spirits would no longer be able to do evil in the future?!
The General raised his spear high again: “Advance! Purify the lost souls!”
At the same time, he ordered his subordinates to signal the human army not to directly attack the lost souls, but to assist in driving them towards the Seal Clan and try to finish them off with the Seal Clan’s spears.
The human army temporarily put away their explosives and instead used the [Fishing Nets] to drag the surrounding lost souls towards the Seal Clan as much as possible.
It had to be said that the cooperation between the two sides was very efficient.
The battle situation was very smooth.
The residents near the small square had not yet finished evacuating when the “sea monsters” on the beach were already retreating steadily, constantly moving towards the deeper parts of the ocean.
Clara, holding the telescope, said, “Good.”
At this point, Chu Jiu could no longer see the movements on the sea with his naked eyes. Fortunately, Little Can would report everything to him truthfully.
Little Can meowed in his ear, and Chu Jiu knew: Hmm, not bad, not bad, it looks like they’re about to win.
However, as Little Can spoke, its voice suddenly changed.
Clara also suddenly clenched her hand.
Chu Jiu’s heart tightened, and he quickly asked Little Can, “What’s wrong?!”
Little Can: “On the water’s surface, the lost souls suddenly multiplied like locusts.”
“And they’re twisted together, one entangled another, twisted into… a waterspout shape!”
Clara didn’t know what Little Can was talking about.
But the scene in the telescope had already turned her face white.
This kind of situation was something they had never anticipated in their previous simulated drills.
A waterspout formed by lost souls?!
How could they resist this?!
No matter how strong the Seal Clan’s attack power was, it was impossible for them to break a waterspout powerful enough to sweep everything away with just their spears!
*
On the sea.
The slowly rising and then full-speed charging waterspout also changed the General’s expression.
He made a hand gesture: “Evade!”
The Ten-Legged Fish carried the Seal Clan members, swiftly scattering to both sides.
Some who couldn’t dodge in time had already been sucked into the air by the waterspout!
The lost souls attached to the waterspout reached out one after another, beginning to tear at the dogs.
The General roared loudly, stepping on his Ten-Legged Fish and leaping upwards, the spear in his hand thrown out—
It actually pierced through several twisted-together lost souls in one go!
The lost souls dispersed, naturally releasing their grip.
The little Seal landed back on the water with his spear.
The General’s Ten-Legged Fish scooped up the spear and returned it to the General’s hand.
The General gripped the spear, looking at the waterspout with a gloomy and unwilling gaze. Although the spear thrust just now had sent away several lost souls, its power was just a drop in the ocean for this giant waterspout.
The waterspout, with irresistible force, headed straight for the human ships!
*
On the ship.
“Captain!” Weber’s voice changed its tone, “No good! We can’t beat this monster!”
Captain: “So what? Are we going to retreat?”
“Look behind you! Where is that? If we retreat, the entire coastline of Sea Moon City will be finished!”
Weber gritted his teeth and let out a shout, and together with the captain, began to gather their abilities.
The soldiers in the guard team who didn’t have abilities, even though their legs were starting to weaken, still stubbornly held onto the [Special Fishing Nets] or took out their bombs again, thinking that no matter what, they would block it for as long as they could, at least to slow down the speed of this waterspout!
*
On the shore.
Clara, who was usually so poised and elegant, had large drops of sweat seeping from her forehead.
What to do?
She couldn’t order the guard team to retreat.
Once they retreated, the coastline and the residents on the shore who hadn’t had time to leave would all be swallowed by the sea monsters.
So could she only watch helplessly as these adorable, fearless guards, these vibrant young people, were devoured by the sea monsters?!
Was there really no other way?!
Just as Clara was enveloped by unprecedented anxiety and panic, the clear voice of the young man rang out beside her:
“City Lord, please order the guard team to retreat to the shore, join the remaining guards, and evacuate the crowd as quickly as possible.”
“Please also move to a safe place quickly.”
Clara turned her head sharply:
Chu Jiu, the seemingly well-behaved and innocent young man who posed no threat or aggression, was looking at her sincerely, his hand resting on the back of a black four-legged beast with ice-blue eyes.
Clara’s face was deathly pale: “Pioneer Chu Jiu, this matter is no triviality, it’s a matter of life and death. Do you know what you’re saying?”
Chu Jiu: “I know.”
Everything I’m saying is what Little Can—no, Big Can, no, Lu Qingyan asked me to convey.
Chu Jiu: “My ‘spirit beast’ will definitely be able to turn the tide.”
“I…”
“Don’t worry, City Lord.”
“I’m still waiting for you to upgrade Bean Village to ‘Bean Town,’ so I definitely won’t act rashly.”
Clara looked at the four-legged beast beside Chu Jiu.
Was this four-legged beast a transformation of the little black cat that was inseparable from Chu Jiu?
It should be. After all, they had the exact same ice-blue eyes.
However, compared to the little black cat, the eyes of this big black cat contained a power that was even more awe-inspiring, also making Clara believe that what the young man said was not false.
Clara made up her mind: “Pioneer Chu Jiu, I trust you.”
“Messenger! Order the guard team to retreat to the shore!”
*
On the other side, Lu Qingyan in his black cat form, carrying Chu Jiu, sped like lightning to the seaside.
At this time, no telescope was needed; the waterspout on the sea was clearly visible.
Before entering the water, the big cat’s paw paused for a second, as if hesitating whether to take Chu Jiu in with it.
Without even thinking, Chu Jiu blurted out, “Lu Qingyan! I can help!”
“You can ask Little Can! My ‘ability’ will definitely help!”
I have the active skill [Enemy Situation Detection]!
I also have a lot of bombs, and a whole library of books to look through, and I can instantly make all sorts of auxiliary items…
Just as Chu Jiu was thinking about how to convince Lu Qingyan to take him along, the big cat let out a muffled “awoo” sound, signaling Chu Jiu to hug its neck tightly.
Chu Jiu’s heart filled with joy, and he immediately hugged the big cat’s neck tightly, saying, “Great! I thought you wouldn’t agree!”
The big cat didn’t respond.
The big cat was just silently thinking in its heart:
I wouldn’t disagree.
After all, no matter how dangerous it is, I have the ability to protect you.
