OBS Chapter 4252 Corpses and Skeletons
Chapter 4252 Corpses and Skeletons
Chapter 4252 Corpses and Skeletons
Once they left the area of gray fog, the pain in their minds and bodies vanished. Mrs. Thorne sighed softly, then gestured for Shad to turn back. When Shad looked again, the fog had disappeared completely.
"Memories disappear after being experienced once, but walking through the fog of memories is not without its benefits. Lost memories related to the emotions associated with this fog may return, and it can also enhance our mental resilience."
Xia De nodded slightly:
"So besides the fog of 'pain,' are there other emotions here?"
"Yes, theoretically any emotion that can be contained in memory can appear, but in my personal experience, I am more likely to encounter fog containing negative emotions. This fog is the most common thing in this swamp, but it is also the safest thing, since it will not cause any real harm."
She gestured to Shad not to stop:
"The firelight is getting dimmer. Let's hurry back; I still have a few books."
The witch's voice abruptly stopped. In the white mist ahead, a black shadow was rapidly approaching the two. The shadow definitely didn't look human, and it was incredibly fast.
"What is this?"
Shad asked softly, the witch already preparing to cast her spell:
"There are many strange things in the fog. This one looks like an enemy. I sense the presence of the undead, but not ghosts."
The ghoul with grayish-green skin quickly broke through the thick white fog. It was unlike most of the ghouls that Shad had seen. Instead of walking on all fours, it hunched over and walked on two legs. Black particles emanated from its body, and its cloudy yellow eyes held a look of "confusion" that only intelligent life could possess.
Behind it, a series of black shadows approached; they were not a single entity.
Ms. Thorne recognized what it was:
"Those who linger in this fog for too long end up like this when they die here. They lose all their memories, and even in death, their bodies remain confused and unsure of what to do."
Be careful, these 'amnesiac ghouls' will attack any living being with memories. They like to gather together to attack the living, and they are stronger than normal ghouls.
Ms. Thorne emphasized:
"Be careful, as long as they get close, they will absorb our memories. Only by killing the ghouls that have absorbed our memories can we get back the parts of our lost memories."
"So you're going to use a ranged attack?"
Shad was about to unleash moonlight, but then changed his mind:
“Ms. Thorne, let me test their strength first.”
The witch nodded:
“No problem. These ghouls are among the most common enemies in this swamp. Their strength is at a mid-level, but they can be a bit troublesome because they live in groups.”
She abandoned her spellcasting, signaling Shad to attack. Seeing the horde of ghouls rapidly approaching, Shad raised his right hand, extending his index finger, and then used a rare, long-unused technique:
"Sunlight rays!"
Normally, when this magic is used, without the Night Watchman as a ritual sword to enhance its power and make it reach the level of a light cannon, this magic will only shoot out a blazing ray.
But this time, as Shad cast his spell, the warm golden light flowing through his veins seemed to have found a breakthrough. The intense light that burst forth from Shad's fingertips was so intense that even Ms. Thorne, who had an eye ailment, could feel the intense light by touch.
A golden sphere of light gathered at Shad's fingertips, and the light cannon that shot out from it dissolved all the ghouls blocking his way.
As the light faded, the still-warmth of the sun lingered in the damp mist. Shad looked at his hands in confusion, and "she" seemed to know what Shad was thinking:
Casting spells will not deplete the power of that ray of sunlight; during your lifetime, the sunlight will also self-repair along with your life force.
"No, I was wondering if I also have such a talent for the power of the sun?"
Xia De hesitated for a moment:
"When that beam of light burst forth just now, I seemed to sense something. Warmth, heat, sublimity, yet... indifference?"
[Outsider, what insights do you have about the "sun"?]
"This is truly amazing. Is this the power bestowed by the gods?"
Ms. Thorne sighed behind Shad, but she wasn't too surprised, since it was related to the gods.
Shad also knew that this power was only temporary, and it would probably be gone next time.
"We've made too much noise. Let's hurry up and leave, or something might come looking for us soon."
But Ms. Thorne shook her head again:
"This world is a world of memories, where the propagation of sound and light has little meaning—except for the firelight given by the gods. What is meant to come will come, so there's no need to worry about it."
She glanced at the firelight at the temple entrance in the distance:
"However, a ghoul race with so many individuals should have nests. If it's not too far away, let's go check out their nests."
The ray of sunlight that just shot out didn't hit all the ghouls at once; after all, even the thickest beam of light doesn't shoot out in a fan shape. But even those ghouls that weren't directly touched by the sunlight were melted into that supreme power.
The few remaining ghouls on the edge had no intention of avenging their companions. Although they lacked intelligence, they could still sense just how terrifying that power was.
Therefore, Shad and Ms. Thorne quickened their pace to pursue the fleeing ghouls. After slightly deviating from the route back to the temple, they found the lair of the "Memory Ghouls".
To be honest, the nests that appeared in the swamp looked completely different from the nests of undead creatures that Shad had imagined.
There were no mountains of withered bones, no stench-filled pus and blood, and no dark, damp caves. The depression before them, shrouded in white mist, exuded an eerie emptiness and cleanliness, as if all sharpness and chaos had been deliberately erased, leaving only a forgotten blank space.
The ground wasn't muddy, rotten soil, but a layer of grayish-white, dry, powdery substance. As Lady Thorne cast her spell to wipe out the remaining ghouls in the lair, Shad looked down at his feet, his footsteps leaving only shallow imprints on the ground.
After the ghouls were defeated by Lady Thorne, they turned into specks of light and vanished without a trace. Therefore, the fact that the ghouls killed by Shad earlier did not leave behind any corpses was not solely due to the power of the sun.
But the place wasn't empty; scattered across the white sand-like ground were many odds and ends. There were wooden signs with illegible writing, faded ribbons, buttons with worn-out patterns, feathers that had lost their luster, a few pieces of old paper with curled edges, and, more often than not, various bags and backpacks.
Shad's gaze swept over the scattered old objects in the low-lying area, and then looked at the five or six skeletons scattered on the outer edge of the depression.
“These skeletons have not yet turned into ghouls. Some have lost too much of their memories to become ghouls, while others have not had enough time to be affected by this place.”
The witch continued to explain, and Shad looked at the "blank" area:
"Those ghouls aren't undead creatures, are they? They're special manifestations of memories in special environments. My friend who studies the power of memory mentioned this to me."
Ms. Thorne shook her head:
"I don't know much about this. The one I follow is the Great Witch of the Earth. Although 'Memories of the Soil' is also a branch of the Earth system, I have no knowledge of this."
However, she still stated according to her own understanding:
"Perhaps nothing here is real. The book I found in the temple said that in this swamp, memory is the most important thing, and external form is not important."
Shad nodded slightly, still feeling he should consult Sirius:
"Check these odds and ends; you might find something you left behind."
But then he glanced at his candle:
"Forget it, let's take them back and sort them out slowly."
The two then worked together to gather all the miscellaneous items together, and Shad used magic to turn them into cards. A few items that couldn't be turned into cards were simply picked up, since there weren't many items.
Beneath the white sand-like ground, however, there seemed to be many things buried, and the foundation of this place was formed by items flowing from the memories of the ghouls who once lived here.
They couldn't take everything with them, and once they left, this place probably wouldn't be here again the next time they came.
"That's enough, let's go back."
Ms. Thorne said, but Shad pointed to the edge of the depression:
"Let's burn these bones to prevent another nest from appearing."
The witch had no objection, and so she summoned all the bones to the center of the low-lying clearing. Just as Shad summoned flames to burn them, Lady Thorne said:
"Please wait a moment."
"what happened?"
Shad looked at her, and the woman, whose eyes were covered, asked hesitantly:
"Let me confirm, it's just the two of us here right now, right?"
Shad immediately turned around and looked around:
"Yes, at least that's what I think."
"Is Mr. Leonard Albert not here?"
Shad remembered that it was the name of the young man by the fire:
I didn't see him.
“I have no sight, but I can clearly feel that he is here, right in front of us.”
The witch pointed to a skeleton in front of her:
"Although I don't consciously try to sense men, we spent so much time together by the fire that my perception of his aura shouldn't be wrong."
She paused for a moment:
"From a realistic visual perspective, Mr. Hamilton, what you see is a skeleton, isn't it?"
Shad looked at the skeleton:
"Yes, although I'm not particularly good at autopsies, the body is so badly decomposed that he's probably been dead for quite some time."