Whispering Poems

Chapter 4079 Tomb Alchemy Laboratory

"you"

Vig watched helplessly as Shad the Cat was taken away, but didn't know what to say to stop it, while Flora herself smiled with satisfaction.

"That's great, this cat looks so well-behaved, no wonder so many people like it. But now, I've got you."

As she spoke, she touched the back of the clearly unhappy Shad the cat:
“Vige, this cat isn’t an ordinary cat, is it? I feel it has a very strong life force, so you’re using this kind of spirit cat to detect ‘decay’, right? My teacher also studied the power of ‘decay’ and tried to combine it with death, so I have some understanding of it.”

Wei Ge's lips trembled:

"Yes, cough cough, yes, that's right."

"Can I borrow this cat for a while? I'll return it to you after I get home tonight. I really like this cat, and we get along very well."

Miss McDonald looked helplessly at her teacher, but Viggo was powerless to help either, and could only purse her lips and look at the cat:
"You have to be careful. You absolutely mustn't hurt it."

"Yes, yes, this little female cat is so cute. It reminds me of an orange and white kitten I saw before."

Vigo and Flora appeared here with their group because Flora, after testing the "corpse" samples taken from the Astley family cemetery last Friday, used the witch's unique secret technique to track down the locations of the original bodies corresponding to those body tissues.

However, unlike Shad and Miss McDonald who went straight to Greyrock Pass, Vigo and Flora took a long detour through the desolate area between the outer city and Greyrock Pass before finally arriving here.

But Flora was certain that the original bodies corresponding to those body tissues were most likely located here, meaning that Vigo's mother was most likely located here.

The cemetery at dusk was not deserted. Besides the girls who had gathered together, a gravedigger was preparing graves for the new deceased in the distance, while the pastor of the Natural Church stood in front of the church, comforting two women wearing black veils who were sobbing.

The little girl stood alone, far away from the group, looking at a tombstone. The flower vendor stood listlessly at the exit of the cemetery connecting to the Gray Rock Pass fortress, probably not expecting to make any business today.

The sound of a carpenter planing wood came from behind the church, and the large bell above the church had already struck the hour. Crows cawed as they flew over the group's heads, their cries seemingly deliberately trying to soothe Wei Ge's mood.

"Flora, thank you for your help."

"Come with me."

With Shad the Cat on her shoulder, the artist was in a good mood, but she was considerate of Vigo's feelings and didn't show it.

The priest, the gravedigger, the carpenter, the flower vendor, the little girl, the crow—none of these living beings were Vigo's mother. Finally, Flora led the group around the cemetery's small chapel to its most secluded corner.

There is an entrance to the catacombs, but this catacombs are not the private burial grounds of any noble family. Instead, they are a local area used to bury the nameless, whose identities are unknown. Most of those who drowned while drifting down the Thernnir River and were pulled from the riverbeds near Grayrock Pass were also buried here.

"This is it."

The setting sun's light had already dimmed. Flora pointed to the locked iron gate, and Viggo nodded.
"Let's go. I'll accept whatever we see."

They unlocked the door, and upon entering, a pungent, earthy stench filled the air. Flora continued to lead the way, venturing deeper into the underground catacombs' corridors, until they finally entered an inconspicuous tomb chamber.

In the center of the tomb chamber were three coffins, while in the recesses on the walls were eight more coffins. Each coffin was inlaid with a stone tablet, which indicated the date, place, and cause of death of the bodies of these unidentified individuals.

But Flora's target was not them:
"There is space behind the wall. If I didn't specifically try to sense it, I would think that the back of the wall was solid. But I am quite certain that the source of the body material is behind the wall. Someone has set up a ritual here to hinder my senses. I am already at the twelfth level. If someone can slightly affect my senses here, the person who set up the ritual is probably not low in level."

Shad's "powerful spatial perception" allowed him to clearly perceive that behind the wall was a passage that was not particularly long, and that the passage connected to another area of ​​considerable size.

Because they were worried that forcibly breaking through the wall would destroy the area behind it, Flora and her companions did not use violent means to search for the passage to the hidden space.

Vigo demonstrated the alchemical skills she inherited from her mother. Although her alchemical skills were not as good as Megan, Granny Cassandra, and the "Creator" witch, they were better than Flora and Shad.

The 11 coffins in the tomb each contained different burial objects. Wei Ge matched the imagery and directions of those burial objects and then drew a simple alchemical ritual array.

She then transformed the ritual array based on the different numbers on the coffin and tombstone, ultimately obtaining a completely new alchemical ritual:

"I now need liquid mercury, symbolizing the flowing soul; burning sulfur, symbolizing the burning flame; and pure white salt crystals, symbolizing the 'foundation of immortality'."

I also need the raw materials of life—crow feathers, scarab beetle shells, cockroach antennae, stray dog ​​umbilical cords, spider silk. Finally, the bounty of the earth—mandrake leaves, mistletoe, and aconite.

These materials are all common, but no one would carry so much stuff when going out. The girls rummaged through their pockets to gather the materials, but they were still missing half of them. So Flora, who had somehow gone from carrying Shad the cat on her shoulder to hugging Shad the cat, pinched the cat's right front paw, and Shad the cat nodded in response.

"I have these materials, please wait a moment."

Flora turned her back to everyone, and then the cat Shad she was holding shook its body, and a bunch of cards flew out from the cat's fur and were restored to materials.

"Give."

Flora handed all the materials to Vigo, who coughed and asked:

"Ahem, where did you get these materials from?"

“Vege, just like you don’t want me to check the red alcohol in your perfume bottle, I also have my secrets. We need to learn to respect each other.”

Viggo then stopped asking questions and, with Miss McDonald's help, located the proper spot on the ground and set up the ritual array. As the ritual emitted light, a string of ancient runes appeared on each of the four walls of the tomb.

Wei Ge blinked blankly:

"My ancient language isn't very good. Flora, do you recognize these?"

The artist lady, of course, didn't recognize it either, but after squeezing Shad the cat's paw and receiving an affirmative answer, she said:

"Wait for me a moment."

She turned her back to everyone again, and the fine letters formed by the moonlight translated the ancient runes.

Flora then turned back and said confidently:
"I understand now, the meanings of these four sentences are as follows—"

[The abyss gives birth to a secret essence, the mother of all spirits returning to silence;] [Silent whispers echo in the empty mountains, the formless breath of the spirit is carried;] [Flowing shadows reflect cold light, the path of birth and death repeats;] [Burning impurities to refine pure gold, forging an eternal essence.]

These sentences were very difficult to pronounce even when translated, but Vig immediately understood their meaning:

“My mother’s notebook contained similar sentences; the four sentences were four riddles, corresponding to the elements of Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire respectively.”

"Now that we know the answer to the riddle, what's the next step?"

Flora asked, and Viggo coughed softly again:
"We were able to find this place thanks to the find in the cemetery. The coffins in the cemetery eventually turned into that black stone tablet. The tablet contains some very important sentences, and some of them corroborate the information provided by the 'Construct Master'."

On that stone tablet, 'fire' and 'earth' were mentioned, symbolizing the vibrant spirit and the physical body as their foundation, respectively. Eve, go touch the rune string on the east wall; Annie, you touch the one in the south.”

Miss McDonald and another girl touched the rune together, and the west wall lit up. A rusted iron door appeared on the mud wall, and after struggling to open the door, there was a naturally formed underground passage behind it.

The rugged passage continued for another twenty meters before ending at a small alchemy laboratory, roughly the size of the combined living room and bedroom of the Shad family. The laboratory walls were also made of raw rock, indicating that this place was originally a natural underground cave, only slightly modified by humans.

The warm light source summoned by the girls illuminated the enclosed underground space. It was clear that the owner of the laboratory had not returned for a long time. The tables, chairs, cabinets, various containers, and alchemy equipment were all covered in dust. The flame that should have been burning brightly in the vertical Asano furnace made of terracotta in the corner of the laboratory had long since gone out.

However, Shad was curious about how the furnace could release the gases produced by combustion in such a closed room.

"Be careful, there might be a burglar trap here."

Vigé imagined her mother's figure moving about here, feeling slightly saddened, but she still reminded everyone to be careful. Flora continued searching for the location of the corpse indicated by the human tissue, and then she came to the furnace.

Flora glanced at Vigo with some concern before opening the furnace's working chamber. The sphere of light floated in, and thankfully, there were no charred corpses curled up inside. The filthy furnace contained only a doll with hair tangled around its head and a letter.

By the time Flora saw the doll, its hair had already dried and discolored from the open furnace. Before Flora could even stop it, the hair turned to ashes.

"A substitute corpse doll made from the original's hair? Such alchemical gadgets are not common. Well, Vige, I admit your mother has quite a few tricks up her sleeve."