My health recovery is incredibly fast.

This casting method is faster and safer than casting the [Fire Cage] spell because the binding energy field has a blueprint.

As long as Xia Zuo stores the blueprint in his mental ocean beforehand, he can turn the blueprint into a substantial energy shield with just a thought during battle, which is at least twice as fast as traditional spellcasting methods.

Xia Zuo suppressed his smile and beckoned to the red jewel.

The jewel fell into his palm, and Xia Zuo saw a twisted black shadow inside the sphere, thrashing about wildly.

Each time Shadow Fiend collides with the sphere, the red orb loses more than 100 shield points.

Xia Zuo easily made up for this loss.

He glanced at the waning fire around him and used the [Extinguishing] spell, a fire-extinguishing technique, to help Dim put out the flames.

Only after the flames had died down in the burned forest did Xia Zuo use his flight technique to leave the charred land.

"Dim, mission accomplished." Xia Zuo returned to the airship and said, shaking the precious pearl in his hand.

Dim leaned closer to examine the jewel in Xia Zuo's hand. "What is this?"

"Hehe, I created a magical cage using a binding energy field." Xia Zuo smiled smugly.

Dim was visibly stunned, his eyes widening as he said in disbelief, "A binding field...you're being too extravagant. Mental oceans are so rare, and you actually used them to store the blueprints for this?"

Xia Zuo waved his hand dismissively, "No problem, Dim. My spiritual ocean is more than enough, it's related to my light element. I won't say any more, otherwise it would be against the law."

"Oh, okay." Tim stopped asking questions after hearing the order. He stroked his beard and sat back in the cockpit. "Then let's go. Let's try to get back to the academy before nightfall."

Chapter 23 Praising the Sun

On his way back to Starry Night Academy from outside the kingdom, Xia Zuode kept a close eye on the Shadow Demon inside the red orb.

He wasn't afraid the other party would escape... but rather worried that the Shadow Fiend would be scorched by the binding energy field filled with fire-attribute energy.

The original intention was to eliminate this Shadow Demon, but who knew it would hold Erin's lifeline in its hands.

Xia and Zuo had no choice but to temporarily change their plan and instead capture the Shadow Demon alive.

Because the incident happened so suddenly, Dim was not carrying any sealing items.

Xia Zuo had no choice but to hold the red light orb and maintain the high temperature inside it, keeping the Shadow Demon in a state of near death.

As midnight approached, the sky outside the airship's porthole was pitch black. Several dark clouds obscured the bright moon and starlight, and the earth bid farewell to the snow-white moonlight, embracing darkness.

"Dim, ha, this Shadow Fiend is up to no good." Xia Zuo looked at the Shadow Fiend inside the red orb and chuckled mockingly. "It thinks we're noobs who've never seen a demon before."

Dim sat in the driver's seat, chewing on a carrot to stay awake, while glancing at the scene inside the jewel.

The shadow demon seemed to be about to completely dissipate. Its body, which was originally a pitch-black mass, turned into a hazy gray mist, giving people the illusion that it could no longer hold on.

Dim chuckled dismissively. "Foolish Shadow Fiend. Midnight is when shadow energy is most active. Yet it's putting on this weak act, clearly trying to take advantage of your momentary lapse in attention to launch a sneak attack."

Xia Zuo nodded in agreement, but a few seconds later, he frowned slightly and said:

"Oh... this Shadow Fiend is serious. I can feel it letting my fire energy erode its body, as if it's courting death."

Dim sat up straight, leaned closer to examine the orb, his eyes fixed on the fading gray figure within it, a hint of anger on his face. "It's threatening us! That damned, cunning thing, it's using Erin's true memories and the rest of her life to threaten us!"

As of now, Xia Zuo and his companion have not received any news from Beatrice about Erin's deteriorating condition.

This indicates that the Shadow Demon has not yet destroyed the monster cubs or erased Erin's true memories; otherwise, Erin would definitely have fallen into a state of mental derangement.

The Shadow Demon harbors malicious intentions. He knows that the monster cub is his trump card, while Erin is someone the academy's mages want to protect. So... this guy hid the monster cub, and now he's using his own life to force Xia Zuo to weaken the fire attribute energy in the orb.

Xia Zuo looked at the dim, almost disappearing gray shadow in the jewel, and looked up to meet Dim's gaze. They both saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.

"Ugh... it feels so uncomfortable to be led by the nose by the Otherworldly Demons." Xia Zuo slightly reduced his energy output.

The Shadow Fiend's form stabilized and stopped becoming transparent, but it didn't improve.

“It’s waiting for an opportunity,” Dim said confidently. “It’s waiting for you to further reduce your energy…”

Dim looked up at the sky, his gaze piercing through the porthole to the dark, heavy clouds. "It's 11:55 p.m. now. In five minutes, the surge of shadow energy will reach its peak. At that time, it will definitely make a new move; this is its last chance."

“We need to be prepared,” Xia Zuo said.

“That’s right!” Dim slammed his fist down. “We can’t let it escape… Although I don’t think it can break through your seal, I still want to do something…”

Dim stood up, went into the cargo hold at the back, and brought out a square metal box.

This item has been modified by enchanting techniques, giving it a hardness of up to level 80. It is generally used to escort fragile and valuable items.

Xia Zuo put the orb into the metal box, using the box as a second line of defense, and then together with Dim, they built a third line of defense—an ice shell with 200 power points and a hardness of 110.

Including the orb, there are three lines of defense in total. Even the Cube Shadow Fiend at its peak would have to think twice before attacking.

When the preparations were completed, it was exactly midnight.

The world was shrouded in darkness, and even the alchemical lamps inside the airship seemed to have dimmed, unable to illuminate the view outside the windows.

"Thump, thump." Two muffled sounds came from the metal box beneath the ice shell.

Xia Zuo's face paled slightly.

Just now, his health dropped by a third because the energy consumption of the Beam Force Field increased sharply. In order to fill the energy gap, he was forced to spend a lot of health to strengthen the Beam Force Field.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Dim patted Shazo on the shoulder.

"Not bad. Cough, this bastard almost broke through my seal, but luckily I injected energy in time." Xia Zuo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and used several blood packs to raise the blood level.

"Thump, thump." Two more muffled sounds, but much weaker than the last one.

Tim retaliated by tapping the ice shell. "Behave yourself! Midnight is almost over, and you're finished!"

Dim was right. As time went by, the surge of shadow energy quickly subsided, and those two attacks only reduced Xia Zuo's health by one-fifth.

A brief silence fell over the cabin, then a hoarse voice echoed in Xia Zuo's mind:

"We...are here...to...make a...deal..."

“Did you hear that, Dim?” Shazo frowned. “Shadow Fiend is talking to me.”

Dim nodded solemnly. "I heard that too. That damned psychic ability is truly all-pervasive; it even managed to penetrate our seal."

Tim, being experienced, immediately took out a phonograph with a large horn from his alchemy pouch.

He placed the phonograph on the ice shell, inserted the music disc, and turned up the volume of the speaker.

"Ah~ Sun~ The brilliant sunlight shines all over the earth~ Ah~ Sun~ Its magnificent light is boundless~" The loud tenor voice made Xia Zuo's eardrums go numb.

"Dim! What song is this?!" Xia Zuo shouted, covering his ears.

“Praise the Sun!” Tim shouted, opening his arms in a embracing gesture. “Don’t you think it’s perfectly fitting to use this song to fight against the surge of Shadow Fiend and Shadow Energy?”

Xia Zuo's lips twitched. "Okay! That makes some sense!"

He listened carefully and heard a murmur-like voice in the singing, but the high-pitched singing made the murmur indistinct.

“It really works!” Xia Zuo laughed loudly.

"No! That's not enough!" Tim turned the speaker volume up even more.

"Ah~ Sun~~~~" The sound from the loudspeaker was deafening, completely drowning out Shadow Fiend's mutterings.

Xia Zuo and Dim exchanged a smile.

The singing in the cabin continued over and over again until it stopped around 2 a.m.

After removing the ice shell and opening the metal box, Xia Zuo took out the precious pearl from the box.

Inside the jewel, the enraged Shadow Demon was baring its fangs and brandishing its claws in provocation.

"It seems to be angry," Xia Zuo said.

"Hehe." Tim patted the phonograph. "Then let's treat it well."

"Hehe~" Xia Zuo chuckled mischievously, put the pearl back into the metal box, and then put the phonograph in as well.

"Ah~ Sun~" The song praising the sun rang out again, this time inside the metal box, playing right next to the jewel.

Xia Zuo closed the metal box, and the singing weakened considerably, but for the Shadow Demon inside, the enclosed space made the singing even more intense.

.

Chapter 24 Black Flag

My health is recovering incredibly fast.

As the first rays of morning sunlight shone into the hall of Starry Night Castle, Xia Zuo and his companion's airship docked at the shipyard in the tower.

Beatrice had prepared a container to seal the Shadow Demon in advance.

Shazo and Dim carried the metal box into the sealing chamber amidst the faint singing.

Beatrice stood guard beside the sealed container, tilting her head slightly to listen, then asked:

"You...put a loudspeaker in this box?"

Dim laughed. "Yes, Headmaster. This guy used that annoying psychic ability last night at midnight, saying he wanted to make a deal with us. Xia Zuo and I weren't going to believe his nonsense, so we gave him a good beating."

Dim opened the metal case and snapped off the gramophone that had been playing all night.

The Shadow Demon inside the orb looked as if it had been verbally abused all night.

Beatrice picked up the orb and glanced at it. "Oh? A temporary sealing container made with a binding energy field? Did you make it, Shazo?"

“Yes, teacher.” Xia Zuo nodded.

"A good idea," Beatrice said with a light smile.

She placed the pearl into the sealing container, closed the top of the transparent glass tube, and activated the sealing array on the base of the container.

The dark shadow that was originally swimming in the orb was immediately frozen by a chilling magical energy.

Following Beatrice's instructions, Xia Zuo severed the connection with the orb. The energy within the orb quickly dissipated, revealing the Shadow Demon contained within.

In the Silvermoon Federation, sealing the Shadow Demon requires a bright, well-lit room with no shadows or blind spots.

In Beatrice's room, however, the room she chose was full of shadows, yet the Shadow Demon had no way to escape.

These two different sealing environments are caused by differences in schools of thought.