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Chapter 49: The Haunted Manor
Chapter 49: The Haunted Manor
The Kubero Manor.
In just a couple of months, this once bustling estate had become a complete wasteland.
During the day, it was still somewhat manageable, but at night, it was a different story. Shadows of ghosts seemed to lurk everywhere, and the soldiers tasked with guarding the manor could often hear eerie wails, as if a female ghost was moaning and groaning, keeping them up all night in terror.
If it weren't for the orders from their superiors, the soldiers would have long since fled in fear.
The Silver Moon Viscount, Sir Za, had once sent a group to explore the manor. A Grand Knight and five Knights went in, but only one Knight returned, and he was already showing signs of mental instability.
Standing not far from the manor, Sir Za couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain at the loss of his Grand Knight and Knights.
"What's the situation inside now?" Su Nan asked.
The scribe standing beside him quickly replied, "The manor is now overgrown with Mandrake flowers. Most of the original plants have withered and died, and there's often a faint mist during the day."
Su Nan's eyes flickered at this information.
Mandrake flowers were beautiful and could be used for medicinal purposes, but they were also highly toxic and had hallucinogenic effects. The Mandrake flowers in the manor, which had grown alongside the Blood Mandrake, were likely even more toxic and hallucinogenic than the ordinary variety.
The entire manor was now filled with the pollen and strange fragrance of these Mandrake flowers, transforming the environment into a highly toxic zone. Anyone below the rank of Knight who entered would likely die from the toxins before they could make it far.
Even powerful Knights and Grand Knights would struggle, managing to use only a fraction of their strength in such a hostile environment.
"Sir Ang, what do you plan to do?" the Silver Moon Viscount asked.
Su Nan cast a Shield Spell on himself and said casually, "You can wait outside."
The Silver Moon Viscount was taken aback. "Do you not need me to send anyone in with you?"
"No need," Su Nan waved his hand.
Knights would be of little use in the haunted manor, where the spirits' illusions could easily turn them into enemies. He didn't want to be in the middle of a battle only to find his allies had been manipulated by the spirits.
Holding a Rune Gem in his palm, Su Nan strode confidently toward the manor.
He had left Yulong and Amy outside.
The spirits located their prey through perception, rendering Yulong's camouflage and phase-shifting abilities useless. His sharp claws and teeth were also ineffective against the spirits.
Amy was even less helpful.
As soon as Su Nan stepped through the manor's gate, the light around him dimmed significantly. Everything he saw was shrouded in a gray, lifeless hue, exuding an eerie and oppressive atmosphere. The air grew noticeably colder, and a chilling breeze carried faint, sobbing sounds.
"Such a dense concentration of negative energy particles."
Su Nan's brow raised slightly.
For necromancers or those who had methods to counter the effects of negative energy, the manor would be a valuable place for training. Meditation here would be at least twice as effective.
Unfortunately, Su Nan lacked the means to counter the negative energy's side effects, so he had to reluctantly give up on the idea.
Even if he did have a way, the spirits in the manor would likely not allow him to meditate in peace.
After a brief pause, Su Nan continued his journey deeper into the manor.
As far as the eye could see, the ground was carpeted with brightly blooming Mandrake flowers. As soon as Su Nan entered, these flowers began to sway gently, their movements unnervingly synchronized, and their blooms seemed to be facing him, which was quite unsettling.
However, Su Nan's expression remained unchanged, and he ignored the flowers.
In his previous life, he had seen countless creatures that could drive one's sanity to the brink, from the Whispering Sphere to the Death Hunter and the Sosaiseed Parasite. The multiverse was filled with all sorts of revolting monsters and scenes that could make one's sanity plummet.
Compared to those truly disturbing sights, this was relatively normal.
Walking through the desolate courtyard, Su Nan entered the manor from a side door and made his way down the corridor to the grand hall.
Under the influence of negative energy particles, the furniture here had begun to rot and decay.
Mandrake vines had grown through these pieces of furniture, spreading out and nearly covering the entire hall.
Su Nan drew a longsword from his cube and casually sliced through the obstructing vines, ignoring the faint, low sobs that echoed in his ears.
He searched a few more areas but found nothing.
All he saw were more Mandrake flowers.
"Indeed, without detection spells for undead, it's impossible to find the spirit's true form with just the naked eye."
Su Nan paused, glancing at the strange mist that had begun to spread around him.
When he entered the manor, he had already activated his protective ring.
With the force field's protection, he didn't have to worry about the toxic mist, but staying here for too long would quickly erode and dissipate the field.
"I need to act quickly."
Without hesitation, Su Nan flipped his wrist, and a red gem appeared in his palm.
In the next instant, a surge of flames erupted from him, spreading out in all directions.
Wherever the flames touched, the Mandrake flowers and vines writhed as if alive, desperately trying to escape. But they were quickly caught and burned, the fire spreading rapidly.
In an instant, the entire manor seemed to boil like oil doused with water.
The surrounding sobs intensified.
The mist around him rushed toward the burning Mandrake, as if trying to extinguish the flames. However, the magical flames, formed from high-density energy particles, were not so easily quenched.
Su Nan moved to a few more locations, tossing out more fire rune gems.
Before long, the entire manor was engulfed in flames.
As the Mandrake flowers burned to ashes, the strange fragrance and mist in the air visibly diminished.
"Ah!!!"
A shrill, ear-piercing scream suddenly rang out.
A strange energy seemed to fill the air, and the rapidly spreading flames suddenly slowed, then quickly weakened and finally vanished.
At the same time, about a hundred meters in front of Su Nan, a dark red Mandrake flower appeared out of nowhere. The flower bloomed beautifully, but at its center was a twisted human face.
Next to the Mandrake flower stood a girl in a white dress stained with dark red blood, her hair disheveled and her face pale and distorted. Her eyes burning with hatred, she gave Su Nan a cold, eerie smile.
"Finally decided to show yourself, huh?" Su Nan raised an eyebrow.
Cackling laughter echoed through the air as shadowy figures appeared around him, forming a circle.
They retained human-like shapes, and their former appearances were vaguely recognizable—many were the manor's deceased servants and soldiers.
Among them were five particularly sinister armored warriors, the same Grand Knight and Knights who had died under the Silver Moon Viscount's command.
These souls, now transformed into wraiths by the Blood Mandrake, paused for a moment before screeching and charging at Su Nan.
Su Nan had no intention of dodging. These wraiths were no match for his protective force field.
He opened his palm, and a pure gem appeared.
With a gesture, an invisible force pulled one of the wraiths toward him. It screamed as it was dragged into the gem.
After a flash of strange magical light, the gem took on a peculiar gray hue.
(End of Chapter)
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