Chapter 416

Chapter 335 – Thief

“Move these things around? Why?”

Inside the warehouse on a dark night, Kapak scratched his head in confusion at the words of the living puppet, Tom, while Dorothy continued to speak through Tom’s body.

“Move them as I say. I’ll explain why later once we’re safe. For now, just know this is the only way to save Wood Hoof and the essences. Hurry up before the buff I gave you wears off!” Dorothy urged through Tom, knowing that moving so many heavy boxes would be impossible without the strength boost from the bl**d-eating effect. Kapak still had the effects from when Dorothy had applied the bl**d-eating buff earlier.

“Oh… Understood, Detective…”

Hearing Dorothy’s words, Kapak, unsure about what “buff” was, did not dare to delay. He immediately began moving the boxes. After Dorothy reinforced Tom’s body with another bl**d-eating buff, she too started helping move the boxes.

In the dimly lit port warehouse, two figures began to work quietly, carrying boxes back and forth. There were two piles of cargo, each consisting of more than eighty coffins-sized boxes. Although the distance between the piles was only a few steps, moving them was no easy task. With ordinary adults, it would take all morning to move such heavy boxes. Fortunately, Dorothy could apply the bl**d-eating buff to both Tom and Kapak, making their work more efficient.

Following Dorothy’s instructions, they moved the boxes very carefully, trying not to make much noise. After about ten minutes, they had moved more than half of the boxes. At that moment, one larger wooden box among those containing the essences caught Kapak and Dorothy’s attention. Kapak exclaimed excitedly:

“This… This essence feels like… Detective, I can sense something coming from inside this box—it’s Lord Wood Hoof!

“Lord Wood Hoof’s spirit is very strong; even through the seal, I can faintly hear its voice!”

Upon hearing Kapak’s words, Dorothy did not respond immediately but instead picked up some tools and slightly lifted one corner of the large wooden box, illuminating the interior with a gas lamp. Inside, she saw an iron coffin.

“The material of the coffins is different. This iron coffin clearly has stronger binding power, yet despite that, Wood Hoof can still exert some influence. Is it really a wilderness spirit?”

Looking at the iron coffin inside the wooden box, Dorothy thought to herself. Then, using Tom, she asked Kapak:

“You can hear Wood Hoof’s voice, right? What is it saying?”

“Hmm… Its voice is very muffled, and I can’t make out exactly what it’s saying, but I can hear some words. It sounds very angry. It’s struggling, but it’s useless. It seems to be cursing the intruders, calling them vile curse-casters…”

Kneeling beside the box, Kapak used his medium abilities to listen to the faint sounds coming from the iron coffin inside, discerning the meaning and telling Tom. Upon hearing this, Dorothy began to ponder.

“Intruders and curse-casters? This Wood Hoof is cursing in such a manner… Could it be under a curse? Could curses be one of the extraordinary abilities of the Underworld Coffin Cult? It seemed that the undead from Northern Ufeiga could also use curses. It appears there is a path within the ‘Silence’ extraordinary branch that specializes in curses. And the extraordinary being from the Underworld Coffin Cult who suppressed and sealed Wood Hoof must be a practitioner of this path.”

Having gathered her thoughts, Dorothy returned to the matter at hand. She controlled Tom to close the box he had lifted and then had him continue speaking to Kapak, who seemed eager to release Wood Hoof.

“Now, we absolutely cannot release all of them. Keep moving. This is the only way to save them.”

Hearing Tom’s words, Kapak paused for a moment, looking at the box containing Wood Hoof’s spirit, then nodded. He stood up and continued moving the boxes with Tom.

Finally, after another ten minutes, all eighty boxes were moved. The stacks originally containing tobacco and the essences and Wood Hoof had been completely swapped. From the outside, the two stacks looked almost identical except for the black cloth labels indicating their contents.

One label read “animal specimen,” destined for shipment to Dankdo at six in the morning. The other stack’s label read “tobacco,” set to leave for Tivyán at four in the morning. In reality, the boxes underneath contained essences.

“Phew… Phew… Phew… Will this really save Lord Wood Hoof and the others?”

Breathing heavily, Kapak sat down on the ground, looking at the two stacks of cargo in confusion. Meanwhile, Dorothy, who felt no fatigue, let Tom stand and responded:

“Of course, but they won’t be freed immediately. This wilderness spirit and its essences need a long journey. They probably won’t return anytime soon.”

“Not anytime soon? Detective, wilderness spirits are spirits of the land. If they stay away from their land for too long, they will grow weaker. Wilderness spirits are crucial guardians of our land. How long do you mean by ‘not anytime soon’?”

Kapak asked anxiously, while Tom responded calmly under Dorothy’s control:

“Fifteen days. Within fifteen days, I guarantee I can remove all constraints from Wood Hoof and the other essences. But after liberation, I don’t know if these wilderness spirits and essences can travel long distances across the sea on their own. If I have to keep them in their sealed state during transport, it might take longer—only within a month can I ensure their arrival.”

“Fifteen days? If Wood Hoof can be free within fifteen days, that’s acceptable! If Wood Hoof can be released from the iron coffin’s constraints, I can ask Teacher Uta to perform a medium ritual at his altar to summon Wood Hoof’s spirit directly. With Teacher Uta’s power, as long as there is a close enough medium, he can bring any spirit back instantly, no matter how far away it is.”

Hearing Dorothy’s response, Kapak raised his eyebrows and replied. Dorothy felt a slight surprise upon hearing this.

“A medium ritual… Can actually summon a spirit regardless of distance. Is this the shaman’s ability?”

“Yes, this is a capability Teacher Uta demonstrated to me, one that only shamans of his level can achieve. Though powerful, this ability cannot summon a spirit if it is bound too strongly. From Wood Hoof’s reaction, I can feel that the seal on the iron coffin is very powerful. Even Teacher Uta would find it difficult to summon it without breaking the seal.

“But once Wood Hoof is summoned, things will be easier. These other essences are long-term companions of Wood Hoof. Once Wood Hoof returns, these essences should easily be summoned back by it.”

With a hint of pride, Kapak said to Tom. Hearing this, Dorothy, who was still sitting by the fire, nodded slightly.

“So that’s how it is… Looks like the shaman path is quite interesting…

Just as Dorothy was marveling at the shaman’s abilities, she suddenly thought of something and clapped her hands.

“Wait… If Kapak is right, perhaps I can use these essences to gain some additional benefits…”