In a clearing in the Woodland somewhere in the New World, what was originally the Altar of the Wilderness Spirit had now become a fierce battlefield. The Wilderness Spirit Wooden Hoof had gathered mud, stones, branches, and fallen leaves to form a natural body in the shape of a wild ox, furiously trampling and goring the surrounding skeleton soldiers, crushing wave after wave of black-clothed skeleton soldiers to pieces. In the sky above the altar, the essences guarding Wooden Hoof were also entangled with the specters controlled by the Extraordinary, and the entire altar was now filled with eerie howls.
The skeleton soldiers used firearms and explosives to deal with Wooden Hoof. Firearms had almost no effect on Wooden Hoof, but the booming explosives repeatedly shattered Wooden Hoof's massive natural body, leaving it incomplete and broken. Although Wooden Hoof quickly used surrounding environmental materials to repair the damage caused by the explosions, this repair process constantly consumed Spirituality, and the parts hastily repaired were structurally unstable.
On the other hand, those skeleton soldiers could continue fighting even in a severely damaged state, with only their upper bodies remaining, or just a head... Even when completely disassembled, the skeletons could still move on their own, and could even reassemble themselves when the destruction was not too severe. Although Wooden Hoof seemed able to quickly smash and scatter the skeleton soldiers, completely stopping their activities was extremely difficult. These skeletons fought tenaciously in their damaged state, some even attempting self-reassembly. If this continued, Wooden Hoof's strength would only weaken through depletion, which was not a solution.
Wooden Hoof also understood its predicament. Facing the relentlessly attacking skeleton soldiers surrounding it, Wooden Hoof adopted a new strategy. At this moment, a faint glow appeared on its massive horns, which were composed of sturdy branches. With a sudden flick, it shattered a large area of skeletons. Countless bone fragments and debris scattered, yet this time, these skeletons did not stubbornly rise again with their damaged bodies. Instead, they lay quietly in place, becoming true remains.
This time, Wooden Hoof infused its attack with Spirituality, using its own """Silent""" Spirituality to attack the incomplete remnant souls within the skeleton soldiers. Once the remnant souls dissipated, the skeleton soldiers could no longer move.
This action by Wooden Hoof successfully caused large numbers of skeleton soldiers to completely lose their ability to act, but it also further accelerated the depletion of its own Spirituality. And this was exactly what the mastermind behind this attack wanted to see.
On a small hill not far from the altar, a figure wearing a dark cloak and a hood looked into the distance, observing the battle between Wooden Hoof and the skeleton soldiers, and looking at the natural body constructed by Wooden Hoof. She slowly spoke in a low female voice.
"Wilderness Spirit... the product of powerful spirits merging with the surrounding environment. What astonishing spirit form strength... Much stronger than most evil spirits formed purely from resentment. What a pity... there are far too few spirits like this on the Main Continent..."
"Now that Wooden Hoof has been weakened enough... next, we wait for the medium..."
Muttering, the hooded woman continued to gaze at the distant battlefield. From her demeanor, she seemed to be waiting for something. A moment later, a figure appeared in the Woodland beside her; it was Banu.
"Madam Lareina, I have already obtained the item."
Using Spirit Seal Language, Banu spoke to the woman named Lareina. Listening to Banu's words, Lareina pulled down her hood, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman with black hair styled in a bun, slightly yellowish-brown skin, and some wrinkles. She gave Banu a stern look, then spoke solemnly, also in Spirit Seal Language.
"Too slow. The speed you guaranteed me before was not like this."
"I, I am very sorry, Madam Lareina. I encountered some trouble while searching for Wooden Hoof's tomb, so I was delayed for a while. Please forgive me, but I have obtained the things you need, Wooden Hoof's grave soil and bone fragments."
As he spoke, Banu untied a small bag from his waist and handed it to Lareina. After receiving it, Lareina opened it and found a small bag of soil inside, which also contained a small bone fragment.
After seeing the contents of the bag in her hand, Lareina nodded. She then half-squatted on the ground, gazing at the battle on the distant altar. She placed the small cloth bag Banu gave her in front of her, and then took out a small jar from her cloak.
Next, Lareina stared intently at Wooden Hoof in the distance, and then began to silently chant something. As she chanted, the small jar she had just taken out automatically opened, and strands of weeds wriggling like worms or snakes crawled out from inside. These weeds crawled into the bag, curling around and entwining the grave soil and bone fragments within, and gradually shaping themselves. Before long, these weeds had wrapped the grave soil and bone fragments, coiling themselves into the shape of a wild ox. Seeing this, Lareina picked it up and placed it in the palm of her hand.
"Receive my curse... Spirit of the land."
Muttering, Lareina extended her hand and crushed the head of the ox made of weeds in her hand. At the same time, the head of Wooden Hoof's natural avatar in the distant altar also suddenly exploded without any warning, scattering stones, mud, and wood fragments everywhere.
After this scene, Wooden Hoof's spirit form let out a wail, and then began to reassemble its head. But at this moment, Lareina squeezed the entire woven grass ox in her hand, completely crushing it. Instantly, Wooden Hoof's entire natural body completely burst apart, turning into dust and fragments scattering down.
Using the most crucial medium provided by Banu, Lareina, after consuming a large amount of Spirituality, directly and completely shattered Wooden Hoof's natural body, forcing its spirit form to appear from within the dust. At this moment, Lareina immediately gripped the bone fragment of Wooden Hoof in her hand and continued to consume Spirituality to curse Wooden Hoof's spirit form. Instantly, a powerful curse was applied to Wooden Hoof's spirit form, forcing it to weakly crouch down.
Just then, several figures slowly walked out from the Woodland surrounding the altar. They were not the previous black-clothed skeleton soldiers, but men with white skin, various clothes, and Main Continent faces. Some of them held firearms and weapons, keeping watch on their surroundings.
Among these people, two or three were staring at Wooden Hoof's spirit form, silently chanting something, seemingly also casting curses upon Wooden Hoof's spirit form. They were Extraordinary under Lareina. The skeleton soldiers that had just been entangled with Wooden Hoof were almost all controlled by them using talismans, and now they were casting curses on Wooden Hoof's spirit form along with Lareina.
And behind these Extraordinary, more ordinary people serving as laborers walked out from the back. They were carrying a large iron coffin. These men carrying the coffin silently walked to the front of Wooden Hoof's spirit form, which was suppressed and entangled by countless curses. They placed the iron coffin down in front of it and opened it. Inside the iron coffin, dense inscriptions were carved. Seeing the people before it, the suppressed Wooden Hoof spirit form's eyes were filled with anger.
"Its spirit form has been suppressed by us. Take my men and put its grave soil and remaining bones into the soul-binding coffin, and then we can forcibly imprison the soul of this Wilderness Spirit." Seeing the scene before her, Lareina said to Banu, who was standing nearby. After hearing this, Banu immediately nodded in response.
"Yes, Madam Lareina."
...
In the altar in the Woodland, the fierce battle had now passed. The damaged battlefield was now bustling with white figures moving back and forth. A small portion of them were collecting firearms, burying skeletons, and clearing traces of the battle, while most were capturing essences.
After losing Wooden Hoof, the remaining essences in the altar had almost no ability to resist. They were cursed by the invading white Extraordinary, and then controlled by the specters they manipulated. These invading Extraordinary would bring over small coffin-like boxes carved with incantations. After putting soil inside, they would seal the captured essences within.
And the largest essence, which was Wooden Hoof's spirit form, was sealed inside a heavy iron coffin two or three meters long, containing its grave soil and skeleton.
Using mediums and soul coffins to seal wild, powerful souls that defied taming was what these Extraordinary were doing.
In the busy clearing, Lareina, wearing a cloak, was inspecting left and right, watching as one essence after another was sealed into the small coffins prepared beforehand. She walked to the side of the iron coffin containing Wooden Hoof's spirit form and asked the Extraordinary subordinate standing there.
"Carle, what is the situation now?"
"Respected Madam, without that wild ox spirit form, these essences are much easier to deal with. Almost all the essences near the altar have been captured now, and we plan to go deeper into the Woodland to capture more."
The Extraordinary subordinate named Carle, who was questioned by Lareina, responded respectfully. Listening to his words, Lareina nodded and then continued to ask.
"So, how many essences do you estimate you can harvest this time?"
"I think over thirty should be no problem. The main issue is that we've lost almost all our skeleton puppets, and we don't have enough labor to carry too many soul-binding coffins back. Otherwise, we could catch more." Carle said this, then looked at the piled-up coffins around him and changed his tone as he spoke again.
"However, the essences in the New World are much purer than the lonely ghosts and wild spirits on the Main Continent. Taking them back to refine Spirituality is much more efficient. Not to mention, we also harvested such a big guy today. Taking it back to Dankoto will definitely surprise many people! This is all thanks to you, Madam, that we were able to know the specific altar and burial ground of this guy." As he spoke, Carle also looked at the iron coffin lying on the other side. The Wooden Hoof spirit form imprisoned inside could be said to be the biggest gain from their hunt this time.
"Heh, that's why I said, to deal with matters of the New World, you have to start with the people of the New World."
Listening to Carle's flattery, Lareina smiled slightly and said, then she turned her gaze to the other side, where Banu was standing. At his feet, a young man in tribal attire lay unconscious; that was Kapak.
Lareina walked towards Banu, and after a while, she reached his side. Banu also respectfully spoke to Lareina in Spirit Seal Language.
"Madam…"
"You did very well. This is your initial reward. After this batch of spirits is taken back and refined, there will be more Spirituality that can be directly absorbed for you."
Seeing Banu, Lareina said as she took out a small bottle and threw it to Banu. Banu received it with joy and immediately put it away, then he tentatively asked.
"Thank you, Madam… Then may I ask about the matter you mentioned before, formally leading me onto the path of Incantations…"
"That depends on your performance. As I said before, as long as you get us information on other Wilderness Spirits, then your advancement will be completely worry-free. We will elevate you to a height you have never imagined before."
Lareina continued to speak to Banu, who also answered with certainty after listening.
"I understand. I will find a way to communicate with the Shamans of other tribes and find out the specific whereabouts of other Wilderness Spirits."
Listening to Banu's words, Lareina nodded silently, then continued to look at Kapak, who was sleeping soundly at Banu's feet.
"This… is the trouble you just mentioned?"
"Yes, his name is Kapak. He is the Apprentice of the Shaman from the Tupá tribe. He came with me today for a spirit sacrifice. He clearly went back just now, but for some reason, he suddenly ran back. I was afraid he would ruin things when he found us attacking Wooden Hoof, so I knocked him out."
Banu spoke directly to Lareina. After listening to Banu's words, Lareina paused slightly, glanced at Kapak again, and then spoke.
"Then why didn't you just kill him?"
"Cannot kill him, this guy cannot die yet! His teacher is Uta, a very powerful Shaman, even more powerful than my former teacher! If Uta sees that Kapak hasn't returned, he will directly assume something has happened to him. The spirit channeling of a Shaman like Uta is very powerful, and he definitely has sufficiently close mediums for Kapak.
"If Kapak dies now, Uta can directly channel Kapak's soul through these mediums. Kapak saw my abnormality before. Once Kapak's soul informs Uta, Uta will definitely inform the entire tribal alliance about me. At that time, having committed a great sin, I can either only escape or be jointly judged by the Shamans of other tribes. By… by that time, there will be no one to inquire about the news of other Wilderness Spirits for you, Madam!"
Banu said to Lareina with a tone of fear. For a crime like betraying the Wilderness Spirits, it was absolutely impossible for him to survive.
"Shaman…"
Listening to Banu's words, Lareina murmured with a slight frown. At this moment, Carle on the side came over and spoke to Lareina.
"Aren't they just some natives who can summon souls? What's there to be afraid of? We can free up a Soul Restraining Coffin, put this guy in and kill him, trap his soul in the coffin and take it back to refine it. Can those natives still summon him back?"
Carle spoke in broken Spirit Seal Language with many errors, his tone filled with disdain, while Banu retorted.
"You underestimate Shamans too much. What Uta knows is not simple soul summoning! It's spirit channeling! Ordinary restraints cannot stop spirit channeling!"
Banu said this. Generally, there are two ways to call spirits: one is soul summoning, and the other is spirit channeling. Soul summoning is setting up a ritual, using the deceased's belongings as a medium, to attract the soul of the deceased wandering in the wilderness. Spirit channeling is much more advanced. Spirit channeling also requires a medium, but spirit channeling can summon the soul to be summoned directly in front of the caster, transcending space and even realm restrictions in one go.
Listening to Banu's rebuttal, Lareina nodded, then responded.
"Indeed… I've heard that the spirit channeling of the native Shamans here is very powerful. Ordinary soul restraints can be pulled free by their spirit channeling. Ordinary Soul Restraining Coffins indeed cannot resist spirit channeling."
Looking at the pile of wooden Soul Restraining Coffins used to restrain essences around, Lareina murmured. The strongest iron coffin they brought has already been used for Wooden Hoof. The remaining coffins used to hold essences really cannot resist spirit channeling. If Kapak dies now, his soul will be easily channeled back. Without large refining tools, Lareina can only disperse a soul now, not completely destroy it.
As a seasoned Extraordinary of the "Silent", he is aware of the power of spirit channeling. Even residual souls can be channeled back one by one.
Now Lareina still needs Banu to obtain information about the Wilderness Spirits from other Shamans, so Banu cannot be exposed yet. Therefore, Kapak must stay alive now to avoid being channeled by his Shaman teacher after death.
"Tie this guy up properly and keep him confined. Don't let him die. Transport him back to Dankoto with this batch of goods. Have the people at the stronghold there kill him and directly refine his soul on the spot using the 'furnace'. That way, those native Shamans won't be able to summon him even if they want to."
Waving her hand, Lareina gave the order, and her subordinates on the side also echoed her words and tied up the unconscious Kapak, while Banu on the side watched all this with indifference.
"Goodbye, Brother Kapak. I didn't want to do this, but who told you to suddenly come back? You forced me to…"
Murmuring, Banu watched as Lareina's subordinates carried Kapak and threw him onto the carriage.
…
After an unknown amount of time, Kapak's consciousness finally slowly awakened from his stupor. His mind went from unconsciousness to clarity; he felt as if he had slept for centuries.
His consciousness was connecting with his body little by little. After regaining awareness of himself, what Kapak felt was a sharp pain in the back of his head.
'Hiss… So painful… What… what happened to me…'
Clenching his teeth, Kapak endured the pain. Amidst the pain, his hazy consciousness gradually cleared, followed by a surge of memories. He recalled
the memory from the moment before his head was severely struck, he recalled Wooden Hoof being surrounded by skeletons, and he recalled the familiar face he saw the moment he fell.
After remembering all this, his heart couldn't help but burn with anger.
"Banu! You actually…"
Kapak wanted to speak, but he found that he couldn't open his mouth. There was something foreign blocking his mouth, and the sounds he made were muffled cries of "woo woo".
Realizing that his situation was not right, Kapak wanted to open his eyes, but he found that everything was pitch black. Based on the sensation in his head, he realized that his eyes were covered with some cloth.
After that, Kapak panicked and began to struggle desperately, but he found that his hands were tied behind his back at some point, and his feet were also bound.
Unable to speak or see, and his movements restricted, this was the predicament Kapak faced upon waking up. He tried hard to break free from the ropes on his hands and feet, but it was useless.
In the darkness, his heart grew more and more panicked.
'Bad… bad… Where am I? What happened to me? Am I dead? No, dead people don't feel pain. I'm not dead yet.
'I've been… I've been tied up, by someone I don't know… blindfolded and tied up! Damn it… What should I do now…'
Gritting his teeth, Kapak thought in panic. In the darkness, he forced himself to calm down and look for a way to escape. He kept trying to break free from the ropes, but it was useless.
'Hoo… hoo… No, I can't waste my strength like this… I can't be reckless like this, I must think of other ways…'
Kapak thought anxiously in his heart, then began to ponder a solution. After thinking for a long time, Kapak realized that there was only one thing he could do now, and that was to pray, to pray to the existence that brought him something special.
Kapak was not sure if this could help him in his current situation, but facing this situation, he could only try.
'Great Aka who records all things… Hoo… hoo… I sincerely pray to you…'
With his eyes closed, Kapak prayed sincerely in his heart.
And on the distant side of the ocean, Dorothy, who was eating dessert and reading by the fire, suddenly froze, looked at the world map hanging on the wall, and looked at the location of the New World on the map.
"It seems someone is in trouble again…"