Deity Investigation Report

Chapter 267 Thirteen Mysterious Sources
Han Su breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the message from Wei Lan.

The reason Wei Lan was asked to call Lu Neng over in the first place was to give him the glasses and pocket watch, and the reason for finding Lü Xiaoba was to wake him up.

Hunting a nobleman doesn't seem easy, so having a few helpers is essential.

As for Giant Horn City and Skinning Manor, let them fight it out. The fiercer their fighting, the easier it will be for us to act.

Of course, I need to find a safe place to lie in wait first!
Thinking about this, I followed the road and arrived at the brightly lit city built against the mountain.

Giant Horn City sits on the earth, its lights shining brightly like stars, looking like a magnificent work of art on this dark land.

Cities are the crystallization of civilization and have always been the most beautiful works of art, captivating people.

It seems that the city is completely undefended, and any road can be entered at will.

But Han Su dared not be careless.

Wei Lan had already stated in his information that Miss Ai did not exist in this city, but it was not easy to enter either.

The core of power in every city actually lies with the people within that city. Miss Ai's role in Qinggang was to utilize all the powers within the city, including the third line of defense, while she herself did not possess any power.

In other words, entering Giant Horn City also requires breaking through the city's third line of defense.

Typically, people from the wilderness need to sign a confidentiality agreement and obtain permission to enter a city.

If you rashly break in, once discovered, you will be treated the same as the mysterious cultists: killed on the spot or sent to a secret prison.

However, Han Su had his own ideas at this time.

He led the lamb girl to an overpass leading to the city, first softly reciting, "I command you to appear in the light," before taking her hand and slowly taking a step.

As Han Su crossed a delicate boundary, he felt the whole world dazzle, as if countless eyes were sweeping over him and the little lamb girl, as if an overwhelming sea of ​​eyes were converging on him.

He read out number 05 in advance, which drew all eyes to himself.

I could clearly feel that my divine essence was being affected, as if my body had an uncontrollable desire for abnormal transformation.

However, the Emperor's writing itself did not possess any distorted characteristics, so this desire only dissipated suddenly. He felt as if he had entered warm water, and the scene around him flickered. When the sense of reality returned, he was already in the city, and nothing unusual had happened.

"The convenience brought by the emperor's writing system..."

Han Su breathed a sigh of relief as his suspicions were confirmed.

Only by traversing this path of life can one truly understand how difficult it is for those from outside the city to enter.

In particular, those who have begun to steal mysterious power and whose divine matter has been altered will trigger the city's defense mechanisms once they attempt to enter the city. Simply put, the higher the level of mystery a person has, the more likely they are to arouse the city's vigilance and rejection.

On the contrary, the first-stage extraordinary individuals, because their divine matter has not yet been contaminated, can sneak in by deceiving the defenses of reality.

This is why lowly monsters and believers often appear in cities, while high-level dangerous things are rarely seen.

I am an exception.

The emperor's writings would preserve his divine essence, making him indistinguishable from ordinary people.

This is, in a sense, equivalent to having a pass to all the cities.

Not only that, by attracting the attention of the real defenses, he can also bring strange beings like the Little Sheep Girl into the city.

Walking on the streets of Giant Horn City, I felt a little more at ease.

Having experienced this part of his life, he finally understood the true meaning of the phrase "breeding ground for reality."

Life in the city is so stable and blissful that it can make one ignore so many anomalies and freaks in the world.

However, walking through this city, Han Su found it difficult to recapture the feeling of living carefree and ignorant in Qinggang, as the architectural styles of the two cities were simply too different.

Although it still gives one a sense of security, a feeling of being far removed from those strange things, at this moment, one feels more like a traveler wandering in a foreign land. If there is one thing in common, it is this highly civilized environment.

Without lingering on the street, Han Su first led the little lamb girl to a hotel.

The decoration is lavish and opulent, and looks quite expensive.

But Han Su didn't go in directly. Although he had some money on him, the currency of the Southern Continent was not accepted in Giant Horn City.

In this world, only ancient gold coins can circulate freely and are recognized wherever they go.

Of course, these ancient gold coins circulated only within mysterious circles, and ordinary people didn't recognize them.

Han Su first went around to the back of the hotel, had the little lamb girl climb onto his back, and then used the power of [Responding to My Limbs] to climb up the wall. The vertical wall was as flat as if he were walking on flat ground, and he was even carrying his own suitcase in his hand.

They quickly found an empty room with a dark hole. They first soaked the window cracks with copper-colored blood, opened the window, and then tore the little lamb girl off and stuffed her inside.

Entering the city is difficult, but once inside, using some mysterious powers makes it less likely to be noticed.

Upon arriving at the room, he first took out the "Do Not Disturb" sign for the room.

Hold it in your hands and silently recite the zero-sequence cipher spell number 06:

All things respond to my will!

【…】

His own spiritual power immediately showed a strange distortion, and then it separated from himself and attached itself to the sign.

Han Su hung it on the doorknob outside the room before he felt relieved.

This is a secret incantation that severs one's spiritual power and attaches it to something else.

The remaining spiritual energy will influence others through their own will, causing them to subconsciously refrain from disturbing the room.

The downside is that this portion of spiritual power that is separated will be permanently lost.

The effects produced will vary in intensity depending on the strength of one's will and mental activity:
The lowest level is that people passing by this room will subconsciously ignore it, and those who want to come to this room will inexplicably feel that something else is going on, thus giving up on visiting this room.

A more sophisticated approach would create a surreal effect, such as making front desk staff subconsciously avoid booking the room for others.

Even more impressively, even if they see that the room is lit up, that there is water or electricity consumption, or that customer service has been called, they will subconsciously ignore it when cleaning up afterwards.

The most powerful level is that once this ability is used, it can make the room permanently forgotten by everyone.

Han Su couldn't explain the underlying principles either, but it seemed that many zero-sequence spells shared similar characteristics.

Everyone knows how to use it, but no one can explain why, which gives it a rather unsettling feel when you think about it carefully.

Of course, Han Su's current ability is only enough to influence the front desk to prevent them from booking the room out of the room.

……

"Wei Lan is currently a guest at the Queen's Organization in Giant Horn City, and is helping me gather intelligence."

"Lu Neng bought a plane ticket from Qinggang after receiving Wei Lan's message. He will land in about an hour. As for that hot-tempered guy, Wei Lan only saw him on the mercenary list. He was involved in some classified operations, but he didn't know when."

"However, their mercenaries have access to some special airports, allowing them to take off and land at any time, and even use some secret passages, so they might get there even faster than Lu Neng."

Han Su drank a bottle of water, silently sorted out his thoughts, sent Wei Lan his room number, and then turned to look at the little lamb girl.

She just stood there with her back against the wall, her two little hands hanging down, not saying a word, only looking up when she was drinking water.

So I handed her a bottle of water, which she immediately grabbed with both hands, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and wiped her mouth.

It seems that only at this moment does she feel like a human being.

"So, what exactly was that ability you just used?"

Watching her quietly finish a bottle of water and then stand still against the wall, Han Su asked in a low voice.

At first, he only regarded the little lamb girl as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Giant Horn City and the Skinning Manor, or even to cause some trouble. Even the little lamb girl's ability to summon that forest only surprised him, not made him so concerned.

However, the fact that the little lamb girl had an aura that was extremely similar to that of Lady Meathorn really piqued Han Su's curiosity.

The little lamb girl tilted her head slightly, her expression blank, her eyes devoid of any life.

"Or perhaps..."

Han Su thought for a moment, then extended his palm to her and whispered, "Use your power to try and corrupt me!"

The little lamb girl was visibly stunned for a moment. Once she was sure that Han Su wasn't joking with her, she timidly stretched out her two small hands, grasped Han Su's palms, and stared at him with wide eyes again. After getting confirmation from Han Su, she opened her mouth in a low voice and recited a spell.

In an instant, Han Su felt an unusual force invading his mental world.

His divine essence was altered almost instantly.

The little lamb girl's spiritual level wasn't high, and although her activity was good, it wasn't as good as Han Su's, but the pollution of her power was extremely severe.

Fortunately, Han Su was holding the suitcase with his other hand, which almost instantly affected the Emperor's Book inside, causing the pages to rustle.

Han Su felt the power that had invaded his mental world being devoured. The next moment, he quickly withdrew his hand, which startled the little lamb girl, who took a few steps back and squatted in the corner.

"fine!"

Han Su glanced at her, offered a casual word of comfort, then opened the box, took out the Emperor's Book, and began to read it.

Unlike before, the Book of the Emperor previously displayed information about the Black Goat.

But this time, what was shown was:
Abundant Harvest

【Thirteen Mysterious Sources, Number 02 – Abundance】

[Nature: A nurturing soil containing the potential to transform reality, it has buried countless bizarre species and even civilizations throughout history, and has thus devoured countless bizarre substances, possessing the ability to nurture all things bizarre.]

The Abundant Forest was formed from the overflowing power of the Abundant Earth, possessing the ability to alter reality. The Abundant Forest exists between reality and illusion, and some call it a divine realm.

The Black Goat was once known as the master of the Abundant Forest, possessing the ability to control abundance. However, based on a comprehensive analysis of documents, relics, and even torture during interrogation, we believe the Black Goat simply lived in the Abundant Forest and thus acquired its aura, gaining the ability to influence plant growth. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that certain special Black Goats could summon the Abundant Forest into reality.

【…】

"Ok?"

Han Su saw the words "torture and forced confession" and thought he had misread them.

I took another look, and it was indeed there. It seems that the knowledge in the Emperor's Book didn't appear out of thin air, but rather each has its own origin.

It even carries the dissatisfaction of some of the parties involved?
However, he didn't care about these things anymore. After seeing the description of the thirteen mysterious sources, the image of the horned lady on the second floor of the castle came to mind. The correspondence between the numbers and the floors, as well as the aura of the little lamb girl, all matched up.

It seems my guess was right...

"However, regarding the thirteen mysterious sources..."

As he pondered this, he placed his hand on the crystal skull that Ms. Shen had given him.

With the infusion of spiritual power, he quickly found what he wanted.

Ms. Shen's memories also contain records of supernatural and abnormal forces. For example, the twelve altars she built correspond to: abundance, superbody, pale, bronze, scarlet, psionic energy, dimensional worm, dark state, consciousness beast, horrific species, flesh collection, and dust.

In other words, both the seven-day divine descent and the corresponding ancient castle are actually related to these abnormal forces.

Even in the Emperor's Book, these powers are referred to as the Thirteen Mysterious Sources.

But why is it that, in Ms. Shen's and others' understanding, there are twelve such abnormal forces, and twelve altars?

However, the Emperor's Book states that there are thirteen types.
As Han Su pondered this question, a thought suddenly struck him: Could this be the real reason for the failure of the Seven-Day Divine Descent Plan?
My poor mother, she even got the quantities wrong...

He wasn't sure what was going on, but the unusual power emanating from the little lamb girl confirmed one thing: Giant Horn City and Skinning Manor were clearly not simple.

Why would the power of abundance appear in such a remote little town?
It's worth noting that four independent investigators in Qinggang were infected with Scarlet, instantly making them a level above those in other cities.

What if there were abundant harvests in the Great Horned City?
"Is this power something you were born with, or did you acquire it from somewhere?"

As he pondered further, Han Su suddenly had a somewhat ambitious idea. He looked directly at the little lamb girl and asked her in a low voice.

This time, the little lamb seemed to understand, and looked up to reply, "Baa~~"

Han Su paused for a moment: He didn't understand this language...

The little lamb girl got up and slowly turned around. Her movements seemed a bit stiff, but she appeared to be seriously sensing something.

Then, she slowly walked to the window and pointed in one direction of the lights.

Is it there?

Han Su also got up and came to her side. He looked out but couldn't see anything specific. However, he chanted a spell in a low voice, put his hand in the shadows, and used the shadows of the city to look towards that place.

Soon, they sensed that in that direction, there was a large area of ​​shadow that was different from other places, possessing an extremely high density of spiritual power, like ice in a lake.

"Is her power source related to that place?"

He glanced down at the little lamb girl and saw that she was also looking at that place with a serious expression, as if she really wanted to go over.

But Han Su could only shake his head slightly; not only did she want to go, but he wanted to go too.

Judging from the eerie density of that mental energy, that place was either the Disaster Management Bureau or the headquarters of a secret society.

I'm not confident that I can break in and get out unscathed.

Seeing Han Su shake his head, the little lamb girl seemed a little disappointed and silently lowered her head. Han Su was not in the mood to comfort her. He lay down on the bed and prepared to discuss the next plan after Lu Neng and Wei Lan arrived.

But at that moment, a loud "bang" was heard, and the entire city seemed to shake violently.

It wasn't an earthquake, but a shaking that occurred in all directions.

It felt like someone was in the sea, and the entire seawater shook violently.

Han Su suddenly sat up and looked towards the west of the city, which was the place where he and the little lamb girl had just entered the city.

Although he couldn't see it at all, he could vaguely sense, through his mental power, that something enormous was violently crashing into the city. The force was so great that it immediately triggered a counterattack from the physical defenses.

The next moment, the city suddenly became busy, with countless sirens blaring and armed vehicles being dispatched.

Han Su went to the window and looked out. He could even vaguely see countless people carrying boxes rushing in that direction.

Not only that, but even the spiritual energy of the entire city began to flow in a perceptible way. In particular, the area that he couldn't see clearly just moments before started to have its energy drawn upon, and it began to vaguely appear before him...

"Eh?"

Han Su was pleasantly surprised and suddenly turned to look at the little lamb girl.

"..."

"..."

"I don't care about this or that..."

Ten minutes ago, in the desolate mountains outside the city.

Count Alvarez roared angrily, "It is your Great Horned City that has the audacity to do this!"

"When I was made a count at the age of seventeen, I received the knight's blessing. I have lived to the age of seventy-nine and have encountered opponents and enemies, but no one has ever dared to truly take my life, and I have never used my knight's blessing."

"I never expected that Giant Horn City, with its mere Black Goat, would turn its attention to silencing me..."

"In that case, when Giant Horn City is destroyed, don't forget that you started this war!"

"Open that coffin!"

Behind him, someone was already waiting with a walkie-talkie. Seeing that he had finally made up his mind, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.

The order was passed on, and inside Skinning Manor, someone had already moved a black coffin from the lowest secret room of the manor into the moonlight.

Beside the coffin were several iron racks with rows of blood bags hanging on them. Infusion tubes continuously pumped blood into the coffin. Countless people stood guard beside the coffin, their bodies trembling slightly.

After the order was given, someone took a crowbar, removed the blood bag, inserted it into the coffin crevice, and pressed it down hard.

Bang!
The coffin lid flew to the side, revealing the creature inside.

With pale skin and wrinkles all over her body, she suddenly sat up from the coffin. The moment her skin was exposed to the air, blood began to seep from the pores of everyone around her, turning into a blood mist that flew towards her.

“Miss Ariane, we are all your subjects, your bloodline…”

The servants beside him immediately knelt down and screamed in terror, while someone else held a black scroll and kept chanting incantations.

These spells could not soothe her, but they began to transmit a coordinate and a request into her confused mind.

Once the incantation was finished, the person holding the black file immediately retreated, staggering and squatting on the ground. In just a short time, he had lost half his body weight, and blood seeped from every pore, completely soaking his clothes.

"Shh!"

The creature inside the coffin suddenly opened a pair of eerie vertical pupils, and then suddenly jumped out of the coffin.

The pale skin, bathed in moonlight, fell and transformed into a dress, and the face seemed to become the beautiful white woman's face. But in the next moment, it suddenly dispersed, transforming into a flock of white bats that flew into the depths of the night sky.

"what have you done?"

The already overwhelmed investigators in Via also suddenly sensed something.

This is when he's most confused; he just tried to snatch the black goat, but he didn't succeed.

The old count went mad.

These nobles were indeed barbaric at heart.

"Ha ha……"

The old count, his face grim, chuckled coldly: "She was my great-great-grandmother, and she has lived for 1,200 years. The vampires' abilities granted her longevity, but that kind of longevity is imperfect; she is too old."

"As she aged, the Blood Ancestor's power grew stronger and purer, but her human mind became increasingly confused. She could no longer distinguish friend from foe, but she still possessed the instinct to hunt..."

"Weren't you going to hide that black goat?"

"Now that I've given her the mental coordinates of that black goat, what do you think she'll do?"

"..."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the blood-red clouds in the night sky, knowing that they were all bats, and that no matter where the black goat hid, she would inevitably track it down.

When he saw the blood cloud rushing towards Giant Horn City without hesitation, his anger intensified: "What else is there to say now?"

"..."

"A 1,200-year-old vampire?"

Investigator Via was also trembling a little. Did this old skinflint really know that things were serious and was now reckless?

Even his great-great-grandmother was sent out.

Not to mention how many casualties would result if this level of mysterious species got out of control.

His actions are considered unfilial in the eyes of the people of the Eastern Continent...

What was even more terrifying was that the blood cloud, without hesitation, drifted straight toward Giant Horn City and then crashed solidly into the city's defensive line, causing the entire city to tremble.

He couldn't even comprehend how the Black Goat could be in Giant Horn City, how it could have entered the Reality Defense Line.

……

……

"What a great opportunity..."

Meanwhile, Han Su, who was in the city, was also somewhat surprised to see the changes in the city and quickly made a decision.

Turning to the lamb girl, he said, "Let's go!"

The little lamb girl also suddenly looked up, her empty eyes finally showing some signs of life, and nodded vigorously:

"Bah!"

"..."

This time, Han Su seemed to understand, and she was happy!
(End of this chapter)