novelraw Chapter 123 The "Hand of Pain" Escapes the Seal
Chapter 123 The "Hand of Pain" Escapes the Seal
Chapter 123 The "Hand of Pain" Escapes the Seal
Raphael returned to his apartment and pondered the task that Dawn Dantes had just assigned him.
This task wasn't urgent; Raphael planned to have his subordinates gather some information about the "socialite" Sophia before taking action.
As for whether this would provoke the "Witch Cult" and bring endless trouble, Raphael wasn't worried about that. He was only attacking a "Pleasure Witch," and the main conflict was with the people behind this "witch" and Dawn Dantes.
As long as you leave in time, you won't be targeted by the "Witch Cult".
The following day, Raphael approached Carter and Wagner, asking them to secretly gather information about Sophia.
Then Raphael went to the Blue Parrot Bar. He didn't go in himself, but instead manipulated an "Iron Corpse" to hand a letter to the bartender, instructing him to deliver it to a gentleman named Leonard Mitchell in the name of Hale Krud.
Raphael's letter was a reminder to Leonard that he had discovered Leonard's secret.
With this reminder, Raphael could continue to associate with Leonard without worrying about being arrested. It was midnight in the western suburbs of Backlund.
Leonard Mitchell gazed at the castle ruins on the hill in the distance, the very place from which he and Raphael had entered the Quaternary ruins.
Boom!
Suddenly, a muffled sound came from inside the mountain, and then the entire hill collapsed, completely burying the castle ruins halfway up the mountain.
Just as Leonard had predicted, after he reported the matter of the ruins to the church, Archbishop Anthony Stevenson personally took action and completely buried the entrance to the ruins.
Looking at the collapsed mountain, Leonard thought to himself: I wonder if that Level 1 sealed artifact is still in the ruins?
It should still be in there, after all, neither he nor Raphael were able to bring it out.
Leonard felt it was somewhat of a pity.
After confirming that the collapse of the hill had not caused further damage and inspecting the collapsed area, the "Red Gloves" members gathered together and took a carriage back to the city of Backlund.
By the time we got back to the city, it was already dawn.
Leonard slept for a while in the car and felt quite refreshed. He then took a horse-drawn carriage to the Blue Parrot Bar and asked the bartender to inform Raphael that the church had agreed to acquire the property he possessed, and that the transaction should ideally be completed next week.
The church will acquire any extraordinary characteristics it encounters, regardless of whether they are from the same path as the "Sleepless."
After all, if they acquire a feature within the church, they lose one feature outside.
They soon arrived at the "Blue Parrot Bar," which was empty except for a few drunkards sleeping on the tables.
The bartender yawned and greeted Leonard. After Leonard explained that he was looking for "Mr. Crude," the bartender immediately produced a letter, saying that it was left by Mr. Crude for Mr. Leonard Mitchell.
Leonard sat on a high stool and casually opened the letter. The letter read: I saw a hand reaching out from your chest in the shadows.
Leonard chuckled and whispered, "Old man, you've been found out."
Palez Zoroaster scoffed, "If you hadn't been in such a sorry state, I wouldn't have needed to intervene."
If we don't take action, the other party won't notice.
At that time, Pales vaguely sensed that Raphael seemed to have discovered him, but since this was someone the "Fool" was paying attention to, Pales did not dare to test him.
Leonard wasn't worried that Raphael would report him. He knew very well that Raphael left the letter not to threaten him, but as a way to protect himself.
With that in mind, Leonard took out a pen and paper, wrote a letter, and handed it to the bartender to pass on to "Mr. Crude".
Let's go back to early morning, to the village on the western outskirts of Backlund, the closest village to the collapsed hill.
Farmer Sak would shoulder his axe and take his rope as soon as it was light, ready to go up the mountain to chop firewood.
After the autumn harvest, there's nothing much to do in the fields. All everyone can do now is chop more firewood to prepare for winter.
Because in December, there will be a period of heavy snow that closes off the mountains, and at that time a lot of firewood is needed, and it is not possible to enter the mountains.
It's very close to Backlund, so it's often foggy here.
The fog was very thick today; Sak could only see a few meters ahead.
However, he was very familiar with the roads around the village, and even though the visibility was low, he walked very fast.
As soon as he left the village, Sak saw a figure walking forward in the distance.
He didn't notice when the figure appeared; it seemed—it seemed to appear suddenly?
Sack cleared his throat and asked, "Old Kurt?"
The Kert family lived on the edge of the village. Old Kert also had the habit of getting up early to chop wood. Sack thought that old Kert had been squatting on the ground to rest and had only walked forward after seeing him.
But there was no response.
Sack frowned and stopped.
The figure also stopped moving forward.
The rolling gray fog obscured Sack's vision, and he wasn't sure if it was old Kert.
Sack shook his head and continued forward.
The figure continued forward as well.
Sack paused for a moment, then stopped.
The figure stopped.
Sak raised his hand.
The figure raised its hand.
Sack broke out in a cold sweat. It seemed like there was a mirror over there, and whatever he did, that figure did the same thing.
He pulled out his axe and slowly walked towards the figure.
The figure then walked towards him.
Finally, Sack noticed that the other person seemed to be wearing something draped over their shoulders.
As they got closer, Sack could see clearly that there was a skull on the other's left shoulder, with a black, eerie light flickering within it. Although it had no eyes, Sack felt as if he were being watched.
On the other shoulder of the other creature, a skeletal hand, also emitting a black, eerie light, stood upright.
slap~
Sack dropped the axe from his hand and trembled with fear.
The person in front of him also made a gesture of letting go, but he didn't have an axe to throw away.
This "person" was in his thirties, with a high nose and thin lips; he was none other than the previously lost "Iron Corpse," Wilbert.
The eerie light in the skull on "Iron House's" shoulder brightened. It no longer imitated Sak's movements. Instead, the skull opened its mouth, and the flesh and hair on Sak's entire head flowed like water, converging on the skull. The flesh and blood coalesced, and the skull acquired a somewhat effeminate face.
Sack was otherwise intact except for his head, but above his neck, only a red skull remained.
The next second, he collapsed to the ground and began to convulse.
"Iron House" raised his hand, twisted his own head off, and placed the head from his shoulder on his neck.
At this moment, the head opened its eyes, stretched its neck, casually tossed Wilbert's head aside, and left with seemingly awkward steps.
This is the "Hand of Pain" that escaped from the sealed fortress.