Hyperdimensional Warlock

Chapter 4347 Summoning the Soul
After Fashan's soul perished, the biggest problem facing the Rabbit Hole team was... how to awaken the Red Clay team?
Fortunately, they asked Fashan about this issue as soon as they took her into custody.

According to Fashan, it is quite difficult to bring the spiritual consciousness of a lost soul back from the inner world to the outer world, requiring three conditions to be met: the right time, the right place, and the right people.

What is meant by "favorable timing"?

Ancient legends say that the evening bell tolls at the time when the sun god and the night god take turns.

This instant simultaneously envelops the divine power of both the outer and inner realms, and is the only moment when the two worlds can connect with each other.

Whether humans wish to enter the underworld or ghosts wish to descend upon the surface world, this moment is the promised time for communication between the two realms.

Therefore, the moment when day and night alternate is the "timing".

The specific corresponding clock times are: 6 PM and 6 AM.

However, as the boundary between day and night becomes increasingly blurred, the restrictions on ghosts entering the surface world have been relaxed, and they no longer need to adhere to the ancient rules; but for humans, this ironclad rule remains unshakable.

Therefore, the only way to save a person who has lost their soul is still to perform a "soul-summoning" ceremony at the turn of day and night.

Having determined the opportune moment, the next step is to consider the advantage of location.

What is the advantage of location?

"Geographical advantage" refers to the coordinate correspondence between the surface world and the inner world.

Although the two worlds are like two sides of a coin, they are not completely disordered overlaps, but rather there is a strict spatial correspondence: a certain location in the surface world must have a location in the inner world that completely overlaps with it and reflects each other.

To awaken the spiritual consciousness of a lost soul from the inner world, the location of the summoning must meet the strict consistency of the coordinates of the outer and inner worlds—the location of the spell in the outer world must completely correspond to and precisely overlap with the location of the lost soul in the inner world.

Only at such coordinate nodes can the passage between the two realms be stable and clear enough, allowing spiritual consciousness to smoothly return to the body along the corresponding spatial point.

If the positions of the table and the interior are misaligned and the coordinates cannot be matched, even if the right time is seized, the summoning of the soul will fail due to spatial disorder.

It can be said that the right timing is the only opportunity in terms of time, and the right location is the only anchor point in terms of space; neither can be lacking.

Finally, there's the matter of human factors.

What is meant by "harmony among people"?

"Harmony between man and spirit" refers to the purity of the bond between the physical body and the spirit.

When a lost soul's physical body remains in the outer world, it is often imbued with dark energy and spiritual attributes by invading ghosts, forming a layer of ghostly power covering the body. This power acts like shackles, severing the connection between the outer and inner worlds, making it impossible to recall the spiritual consciousness from the inner world even with the right timing and circumstances.

To achieve harmony between people, the ghostly power residing on the body must first be completely removed.

Whether you defeat the possessing ghost and make its spirit dissipate, or make it voluntarily withdraw the power of possession, as long as the ghost's power no longer remains and the body is cleansed, the spiritual connection between the inside and outside can take effect again.

that's all.

These are the fixed conditions of favorable timing, geographical advantage, and harmonious human relations.

Fashan's explanation was somewhat complex, more like a definition; in plain terms, to save the Red Clay Squad, the following three conditions must be met:

First, the soul-summoning ceremony should begin at 6:00 AM or 6:00 PM.

Secondly, during the soul-summoning ceremony, the members of the Red Clay Team must be at the coordinates of the underworld corresponding to Fashan's room.

Third, Fashan must die in order to eliminate the ghostly power remaining in the bodies of the Red Clay Squad.

The third condition has already been met. Once the first and second conditions are met, the summoning of the spirit can be completed.

The first condition is simple: it will be six o'clock in the morning soon.

But the second condition is a bit more troublesome.

Because they can control themselves, but they cannot control the Red Clay Squad.

The Red Clay Squad is now in the Otherworld. If they choose to explore and wander around in the Otherworld, they will deviate from the coordinates corresponding to Fashan's room. At that time, even if they time it perfectly and make all the preparations, they will still be unable to complete the summoning.

Therefore, this is why Fashan said it was quite difficult.

A person who has lost their soul cannot be controlled in the other world.

Unless someone can connect the two worlds and communicate with the Red Clay Team telepathically.

However, the Rabbit Hole team currently lacks this capability, so they can only gamble on the Red Clay team choosing a conservative defense and not making any rash moves in the Inner World.

And in the end, they actually won their bet.

At six o'clock in the morning, they performed the first soul-summoning ritual.

The method of summoning the souls is very simple: just call out their real names next to the bodies of the Red Clay Squad.

The true name plays an important role in many rituals; and in the current soul-summoning ritual, calling out the true name has become the anchor point connecting the two worlds.

Without Fashan's ghostly power to stop it, the voice calling out the true name will travel along the body into the inner world, guiding the lost soul home.

Rabbit Girl didn't know most of the members of the Red Clay Squad, but luckily... she did know Gray Porcelain.

All I can say is that the Red Clay Team was incredibly lucky.

Gray Porcelain knows all the members of the Red Clay Team. As the one who summons souls, it stays beside the bodies, constantly calling out the name of each member of the Red Clay Team.

And with each call from the gray porcelain.

Its sound was like ethereal celestial music, passing through the layers between the inner and outer worlds and reaching the ears of the lost soul.

At that time, the Red Clay Squad of the Underworld, having been terrified of being killed by the invisible ghosts, all stayed in what they thought was a safe zone—the House of Fashan.

Therefore, both Nihu and the other team members heard a "call" coming from an unknown place.

The clay teapot immediately recognized the source of the sound.

"It's gray porcelain! Gray porcelain is calling us!"

"Gray porcelain? It's been incorporated into Dream Mirror... Could it be that the Dream Mirror organization has come to save us?"

After hiding in the underworld for two days, everyone was in low spirits. Therefore, when Gray Porcelain's voice rang out, everyone expressed their excitement.

Of course, everyone had their doubts—could this be a trap set by a ghost?
But no one pointed it out at that moment.

The atmosphere is already somber and oppressive; being able to relax a little is far more important than being overly cautious and suspicious.

"But where is the gray porcelain? Why can we only hear its voice but not see its person?" someone asked curiously.

Just then, the clay pot suddenly exclaimed, "The grout is gone!"

Niwa was also a member of the Red Mud Team. He had been mingling in the crowd, but suddenly disappeared, which surprised everyone.

"What happened? Why is Niwa missing? Could it be that the voice just now was deadly..." The speaker dared not continue, and the previously heated atmosphere began to cool down.

At this moment, someone spoke up: "Just now, Niwa told me that it wanted to close its eyes to find where the sound of gray porcelain was coming from. As a result, I saw it walk forward with its eyes closed and then disappear."

Close your eyes and follow the sound? It disappears in the blink of an eye?
The members of the Red Clay Team felt a chill run down their spines.

But just then, the call suddenly changed. Before, there was only the voice of gray porcelain, but now it has become a duet, with the voice of Niwa mixed in!
Did Niwa find gray porcelain?
Or perhaps, Newara was assimilated by the Ghost and turned around to sabotage his teammates?

As everyone looked at each other, at a loss, Nihu, the team leader, stepped forward: "If we die in the Otherworld, it will only reduce the countdown by three days; it won't kill us outright."

"The fact that Niwa hasn't returned means it's not dead, and it might have actually found the gray porcelain."

"Alright, I'll try it next."

"I'll close my eyes and follow the sound later. If I disappear too, it means I've most likely found Niwa. Listen carefully for the next call—"

“Let’s agree on a high-pitched voice, like this.” Nihu deliberately pinched his throat and spoke a few words in a high-pitched voice.

“If I call to you in this high-pitched voice, it means that I am conscious and not being controlled, so you should follow the sound to find me.”

"If I don't use a high-pitched voice, it means I've been affected by a ghost and my consciousness is out of control... You must not respond, and you must not follow me."

The clay pot was clearly trying to set an example.

Everyone tried to dissuade him, because the clay pot had the shortest countdown, but the clay pot didn't give them a chance to argue. It simply closed its eyes and began to search for the source of the call.

After closing his eyes, the clay pot clearly felt the surroundings become quiet, and could only hear the calls of the clay tiles and gray porcelain.

It looks like it's on the left?

The clay pot took two steps to the left, intending to continue listening, only to find that the sound was already right next to its ear.

It suddenly opened its eyes.

He found himself lying on the ground, surrounded by a group of people, including Gray Porcelain, Niwa, even the mayor of Rabbit Town, and Chaotic Mute Gabriel!

They are all members of Dream Mirror!

Am I really saved?
……

“That’s roughly the situation,” Laplace said.

Afterwards, the clay pot used the shrill sound of the code to call all the other members of the Red Clay Team back to the surface world.

Everyone was given a new lease on life.

"I have to say, the Red Clay Squad is incredibly lucky," Angel remarked.

Not only did they happen to run into the Rabbit Hole team, but they also encountered Gray Porcelain, an acquaintance. Furthermore, their cautious approach, avoiding wandering around the inner world, ultimately gave them the opportunity to emerge.

It's fair to say that if any one link is missing, the problem cannot be solved.

That's really good luck.

With a sigh, Angell inquired about the aftermath: "How did the Red Clay Squad manage to escape?"

Laplace succinctly stated: "Suicide."

Angell nodded knowingly.

Suicide in the Otherworld, reducing the countdown.

Suicide in the surface world is equivalent to mission failure, and according to the rules, you will be teleported out directly.

"The Red Clay Team is so decisive? They're not planning to continue exploring?"

"Nihu believes that given the current state of the Red Clay Team, they absolutely cannot overcome this obstacle."

Unlike the Rabbit Hole, they don't have illusions to become invisible. Without any cover, they would be instantly killed by any ghost they encountered and banished back to the Otherworld.

But who will save them after they're instantly killed next time? Are they still going to rely on the rabbit hole?
As for staying in the surface world to help the rabbit hole?
Nihu did consider it, but the Red Clay Team was far too different from the Rabbit Hole Team, and staying here would only make them a hindrance.

In addition, when Mud Pot learned that all the teams were stuck at Night City Evening Bell and that the various races were not receiving any information, it thought of bringing out the situation of the checkpoint.

So in the end, the clay pot decided to commit suicide and leave.

That concludes the Red Clay Team's entire experience.

"Did the clay pot say anything about the next steps for Rabbit Hole?" Angell asked.

Laplace nodded: "Yes, the current plan for Rabbit Hole is to split up."

Their plan was to first control a ghost in the surface world, and then leave Gabriel in the surface world.

The rabbit girl and the gray porcelain girl use the ghost's banishment ability to go to the underworld.

The reason they wanted to go to the Otherworld was, of course, because of the information provided by the Red Clay Squad: the light of day was very likely to exist in the Otherworld.

To ring the evening bell, day and night must first be re-divided.

The premise of separating day and night is to find the lost "daylight".

The surface world is currently completely immersed in darkness, with no sign of daylight; on the contrary, in the inner world, although there are no neon lights, one can still see, which is obviously not right.

Furthermore, after the Red Clay Team went to the Otherworld, the information in the text box explicitly reminded them to "explore the Otherworld".

The clues from Wonderland are never meaningless; since they are specifically given, they must contain crucial clues.

All things considered, there's a high probability that Tian Guang is in the Inner World.

Therefore, in order to complete the mission, the rabbits had no choice but to split up.

As for why Gabriel stayed in the surface world instead of Gray Porcelain, the reason is still the same... Gray Porcelain's talent is too outstanding.

Especially in the ghostly, invisible underworld, Gray Porcelain is practically a humanoid radar.

Therefore, gray porcelain must be included.

"Grey Porcelain must be very unwilling, right?" Angel could even picture Grey Porcelain's desperate little expression.

However, Laplace gave a negative answer this time.

“You really guessed wrong this time.” Laplace: “The moment the decision was made to split up, Gray Porcelain volunteered to explore the Inner World.”

"When did it become so brave?" Angell exclaimed in surprise.

Could it be that, after the trials of Nereid and the Library of Echoes, Grey Porcelain has grown to the point where he is no longer afraid of danger?
Laplace said calmly, "Who told the Red Clay Squad to be here?"

"???"

Laplace explained that the Red Clay Team was present when the Bunny Girl revealed her plans.

Gray Porcelain is indeed a timid person, but it is also a person who cares a lot about face.

In public, it can be timid, fearful, and resistant because everyone knows its personality.

But in front of the Trus.

Especially in front of clay teapots.

It previously boasted that its bravery and exceptional talent were the reasons it was able to gain a foothold in the Dream Mirror organization.

Now that the Red Clay Squad is right next to it, if it shows any fear or timidity, it will lose face big time.

Therefore, in order to show the Red Clay Squad that he was "valuable" in the Rabbit Hole Squad, Gray Porcelain calmly volunteered to join the exploration of the Inner World.

After saying that, Gray Porcelain regretted it a little and tried to wink at the Rabbit Girl... hoping she would refuse.

Unfortunately.

Even if Gray Porcelain hadn't applied, the Rabbit Girl had already included him in the Inner World Exploration Team, so she nodded in agreement.

Although Gray Porcelain was disappointed, he dared not show it in front of the Red Clay team.

Angell: "...Well, I didn't expect it to actually step up when pushed to cover up its boastful lies. I wonder if it can do math problems next time it's pushed to its limit."

Laplace: "Doing math problems?"

Angel: "I was just talking nonsense, don't worry about it. Getting back to the point, it seems that the Rabbit Hole team is currently in good condition, and their next choice is correct."

"I probably won't need your support as an off-field player for the time being."

"By the way, you just said that besides the information from Night City Evening Bell, there's also new information from Luigi's side?"