My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 145 The Sorcerer Disappears

As Jules approached, he keenly sensed that the surrounding environment seemed somewhat different.

From the corner of the ground that was faintly visible beneath the pile of fallen leaves, he could see the terrifying claw marks left by an unknown creature.

"A ghoul..."

To be honest, although he actually entered the ghoul graveyard, he has not seen any trace of ghouls so far.

This is the first time I've directly seen any trace related to ghouls.

He sensed something unusual.

After searching the vicinity for a while without finding anything, Jules turned his attention to the graves, large and small.

And the slightly raised mound beneath it.

He then noticed that the soil in the graves seemed to be slightly loose.

It's obvious that no outsiders would normally come here, and even if someone accidentally wandered in, they wouldn't intentionally loosen the soil.

So, apart from ghouls, there's probably no other possibility.

With that in mind, Jules simply cut down a nearby tree and used his skills to carve out the shape of a shovel, then began digging.

The concept of sharpness can cut through anything, but it can't help him dig into the soil; he still has to do it himself.

One shovel, two shovels...

Before long, a coffin buried in the soil appeared before his eyes.

The coffin looked quite simple, and much of it was decayed; it was also made of the most common material.

What struck Jules most was that the coffin appeared to have been opened.

An ordinary person would probably have been frightened away by the terrifying chill emanating from the coffin.

However, Jules simply reached out and then flipped the coffin lid over.

As the coffin lid was lifted, a pungent stench of decay wafted out, mixed with the damp, cold smell of earth.

He frowned slightly and looked down into the coffin.

Contrary to expectations, the coffin was empty, with only a few small pieces of cloth scattered in the corner.

Judging from the broken part, it was clearly torn off by sharp claws.

"Not here?" He was somewhat surprised. All the previous signs led him to the conclusion that "Old John had transformed into the ghoul's daughter and temporarily returned to the tomb."

But if not here, where would it be?

Just as he was deep in thought, an extremely dangerous feeling came from behind him.

Jules, almost without thinking, lunged forward—

The instant he fell, he felt a gust of wind brush past the back of his head.

If he had been even a fraction of a second slower, he had no doubt that his neck or the back of his head would have been smashed open.

After falling to the ground, he rolled on the ground and looked at the uninvited guest behind him.

Unbeknownst to him, a swaying figure had appeared behind him.

His eyes were vacant, yet seemed to hold endless longing, which ultimately converged on his rotting face, making him appear even more terrifying.

Having heard Old John's detailed description, Jules, after just one glance, deduced from the patterns on the tattered dress that the ghoul before him was Old John's daughter.

"Since it didn't say how to take it back, taking the body should be fine, right..."

Jules raised the shovel, still covered in mud, and pointed it at the ghoul in front of him.

Under the influence of the sharp words, the rough edges of the shovel gleamed with an astonishing cold light.

While ghouls are undead to some extent, it should be noted that undead are still living beings, and they can still die.

However, what sustains ordinary people may be the principles of their hearts, while what sustains them may be the principles of winter.

Jules didn't know if the ghoul that was Old John's daughter in front of him had any consciousness at other times, but at this moment he felt that it didn't.

Therefore, he didn't bother with any more words, and simply picked up the shovel and swung it across!

The other party seemed to sense the threat and did not make any unnecessary movements. Instead, it flashed like a ghost and stretched out its sharp claws to grab Jules!

During this process, it made no sound, as if it were a manifestation of silence.

After several rounds of fighting between the man and the ghoul, Jules gradually found himself at a disadvantage.

Although not injured, she was somewhat disheveled.

"Damn it, I can't use it..."

Although he could easily deal with the ghouls in front of him, all he would likely bring back were shriveled chunks of flesh.

Controlling the other party without damaging the corpse too much was quite a challenge for him.

……

After a while, when Jules smashed the back of its head with a shovel, the ghoul finally quieted down.

"...Should we consider this resolved?"

He carefully fiddled with it for a while, and seeing that it still showed no signs of being alive, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it went much more smoothly than I expected.

After examining the tombstone for a while, Jules shrugged, hoisted the ghoul's corpse onto his shoulder, and headed back the way he came.

"Let's take the body out first... that way, we won't owe old John anything."

Jules carried the body of old John's daughter and steadily began his journey home.

The cold moonlight spilled across the cemetery, making the rotting corpse on his shoulder appear even more grotesque.

The corpse was cold and stiff, emitting a faint stench, and its tattered clothes swayed slightly in the wind.

The surrounding dense forest was eerily silent, with only the soft sound of fallen leaves being crushed underfoot.

Jules's eyes were wary as he scanned the surrounding mounds and tombstones.

Although the battle was brief, it confirmed one thing for him—the ghouls were not as weak as he had imagined.

Or rather, in direct combat, ghouls are no match for him, but they seem to be able to launch unexpected attacks under the blessing of the Winter Rule of "Silence".

As he walked, he glanced down at the fragment of the tomb keeper's book in his hand.

The paper gleamed faintly in the moonlight, and the resonance still pointed deep within.

That's the direction the sorceress went.

He frowned and decided to first send the body out of the cemetery before turning back to search for the missing pages.

Old John's commission is complete; now it's time to focus on his own goals.

The path was rugged, and the darkness writhed like a living creature, trying to devour the already thin moonlight.

Jules quickened his pace, the corpse on his shoulder swaying slightly with his movements.

Suddenly, a low roar came from afar, as if it came from the depths of the cemetery, filled with anger and resentment.

The roar subsided in an instant, but its echo lingered in his mind for a long time.

Jules snorted coldly, gripped the wooden shovel tightly, and cast his gaze into the darkness behind him.

You can't see anything there, but the prickling feeling of being watched grows stronger.

"……coward."

Seeing that he dared not approach what was hidden in the shadows, he pursed his lips and then headed back towards the entrance of the cemetery.

Before long, with a distortion of space, the darkness faded, and the familiar underground passage appeared before them.

However, unlike before, besides the shards of silver mirror scattered all over the ground, there was also a figure that surprised Jules, standing quietly in the darkness.

The figure saw Jules, cleared his throat, and chuckled hoarsely:

"Mr. Jules, is everything going smoothly?"

Seeing this, Jules raised an eyebrow and said:
"Priest, your body does not seem to be suitable for getting out of bed."

The priest shook his head and said:
"Don't worry, I'm not an ordinary person either, I have my own methods." Jules could also see that although the other party was still somewhat listless, he was much better than before.

The priest hesitated for a moment, then said:
"What about her?"

"Miss Ellen?"

Jules glanced back at the gate of the ghoul cemetery and said:
"They're probably still inside looking for what she wants."

“Oh,” the priest nodded, “and what about the corpse on your shoulder?”

"Old John's daughter."

The priest was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Old John..." He fell into deep thought.

"It's getting late. I'll take the body to the ground and lay it down first, then go into the cemetery for a quick look around and get out as soon as possible."

Just as Jules was about to leave, the priest suddenly called him back.

"Do you remember what you told me before about the unusual behavior Old John exhibited?"

“Of course,” Jules smiled. “Actually, I’m more curious about what old John came into contact with back then that caused such a big change.”

The priest nodded solemnly:

"If possible, I will keep a closer eye on old John from now on."

……

Not long after Jules carefully preserved the body on the surface, he returned to the underground ghoul cemetery.

This time, he entered not for anyone else, but for himself.

He now has two objectives.

One way is to obtain another ghoul corpse, then visit the lighthouse keeper to get the petri dish for black and white pigment.

Secondly, they sought information about the remaining pages of the tomb keeper.

As darkness faded, the familiar scene reappeared before my eyes.

Jules, however, was quite familiar with the place and quickly found the spot where new ghouls had appeared.

Since he didn't need to worry too much about the integrity of the corpse this time, he easily killed it, carried the body on his shoulder, and walked back.

When Jules returned to the doorway, he found the surroundings still deathly quiet. On a whim, he casually picked up the fragment of the tomb keeper's page and carefully examined it to see if its position had changed.

However, he was stunned by this realization.

"How did an extra torn page appear?!"

The torn page that was originally in the ghoul graveyard not only didn't move, but there was an extra one nearby!
This change was quite unusual, and Jules almost immediately realized the answer—

This is the one on Ellen's body!

He hadn't been able to sense the torn pages on her body before, perhaps because she had hidden them. But now that he could sense them, what did that mean?
Could it be that... something happened to the other party?

His brows couldn't help but frown.

This is not a good sign. If someone of his strength died silently deep in the ghoul graveyard, it would be quite dangerous for him to go there as well.

His eyes flickered slightly, and carrying the ghoul corpse on his shoulder, he left the ghoul graveyard once again.

……

Three days later, early morning.

The sorceress has not yet returned.

The positions of those two tattered pages have never changed since.

Inside the room, the priest lay on the bed, occasionally sipping tea while flipping through a London newspaper from several months ago.

Jules pushed open the door and entered, saying softly:

"She's probably dead. Should I go and find Ellen?"

The priest shook his head and said:
"No need. After being diluted by half of the antidote, the toxin is no longer enough to kill me. Even if I don't take the antidote, at most it will just cause me to fall into some kind of chronic disease, which is not a big problem."

His tone was very calm, clearly indicating that he didn't care at all.

Jules entered the room, sat down beside the priest, and sighed:
"Perhaps I can try to expel the toxins from your body again?"

The priest glanced at Jules, smiled wryly, and said:

“Haven’t we already tried it before? The remaining toxins are already inextricably linked to my body. Forcibly removing them is too risky; I can’t afford to gamble.”

Jules shook his head, looking somewhat dejected.

What kind of nonsense is this!

After the sorceress Elaine disgusted everyone, she buried her head in the wall and died, leaving behind a mess. What kind of mess is this?
The priest smiled faintly and said:
"You don't need to worry too much, I'll handle all of this."

Oh, by the way, I don't think I've mentioned to you that Baron Blanker visited this morning, shortly when you went back into the ghoul cemetery, didn't he?

"Baron Blancco?" Jules was somewhat surprised to hear this name.

It wasn't for any other reason than that this baron was simply too inconspicuous.

If he hadn't interrogated the baron's assassin that day, he would have almost forgotten that such a person existed.

The priest nodded slightly:

He said that one of his consultants came here a few days ago and then disappeared without a trace.

Jules laughed:

"Is this baron here to demand our people back?"

He smiled, shook his head, stood up, and said:

"He hasn't left yet, right?"

"I have placed him in a room where he is currently being attended to by a special person."

“Very good,” Jules nodded. “I’ll go see him. You can rest here.”

At this moment, the priest was too inconvenient to move around, or to confront or negotiate with others, due to the poisoning.

Unexpectedly, the priest simply shook his head and insisted:

"I want to confront him in person, please allow me to go with you."

“You are the master, you should be the one saying this.”

Upon hearing Jules's words, the two exchanged a knowing smile.

“Let’s go then, and meet this nominal ‘master’ of Blanker.”

……

The baron sat in a comfortable leather chair, anxiously stroking the armrests.

He didn't even have the appetite to eat a bite of the delicious breakfast in front of him, nor to drink a sip of the steaming tea—he simply wasn't in the mood.

Outsiders, unaware of the situation, assumed that something had happened to the baron's family, such as the death of a child or the loss of his estate.

But only he knew that all of this was because the sorceress had disappeared, and there had been no news of her for three whole days.

He felt a surge of fear at the thought of what would happen to his child after the sorceress disappeared.

“Master, please don’t be impatient,” the butler serving nearby seemed to have noticed his master’s mood. “Everything can turn around, as recorded in ancient books.”

"I hope so," the baron said with a bitter smile, his mood extremely low.

The baron had just closed his eyes to doze off when he heard the sound of the door opening.

He opened his eyes and looked towards the doorway.

Upon closer inspection, they were stunned.

The priest arrived—but to his surprise, the priest was walking behind, while a completely unfamiliar young man was walking in front.

What shocked him most was that the usually arrogant priest not only showed no arrogance on his face, but even showed a hint of respect for the person in front of him.

(End of this chapter)