Chapter 426

Chapter 340 Countermove

On a small hill amidst the forest northwest of Tivyán, a painful scream suddenly echoed.

After the transaction was completed, the members of the Underworld Coffin Cult escorted the thief away. Their leader, Larina, had planned to use a medium obtained secretly during the transaction to curse the audacious thief. However, an unexpected situation occurred.

Larina, who was in the middle of cursing with the medium, suddenly let out a scream of agony. With the curse doll exploding in her hand, she fell backward, clutching her eyes. This frightened her subordinates, who hurried to support her after a moment of shock.

“Lady! Lady Larina! What happened!?”

Kale, who was closest to Larina, immediately knelt down and helped her up, urgently asking about her condition. Larina trembled as she removed her hands from her eyes, revealing bl**d streaming from them. She spoke in a trembling voice, filled with panic.

“We were tricked… The Judgment… The Eye of Judgment… How could there be an Eye of Judgment! That thief… She was protected by some power from the First Dynasty… I was counter-cursed… Ah…”

Holding her head, Larina suppressed her pain and said. Hearing this, Kale’s expression darkened, followed by a hint of confusion.

“The First Dynasty? What is that…”

“I can’t explain the details! We underestimated that thief. Her background might be linked to a vast Treasure Theft Society. Now… We’ll temporarily halt our plans against that person! Gather all the goods and load them onto the carriages. We need to return immediately and report to the Cult!”

“Yes, yes…”

Standing up, Larina immediately pushed Kale away and sternly said. Kale immediately ran to organize the other subordinates to load their wagons onto the hill.

Meanwhile, Larina stood aside, holding her head. Her serious expression showed her suppressing mental pain while watching her subordinates prepare for loading. In her mind, the image of the golden giant eye remained vivid.

At this moment, a bird flying above the hill observed the scene below with sharp eyes. Through its gaze, Dorothy continued to monitor the situation on the hill.

A few kilometers away on a small road, a black ordinary carriage was parked. Dorothy, dressed in thick winter clothes and wearing a fur hat, sat inside the carriage. Using a distant zombie puppet, she continuously monitored the hill where the transaction took place, peering at the events unfolding there.

“Unexpectedly, that scepter from the Neve family not only defends against curses but also counter-curses the caster. The leader was cursed so badly… I didn’t expect it to be like this.”

Dorothy, looking at the distant scene, rubbed her chin thoughtfully. The scene of Larina being counter-cursed was indeed beyond her expectations.

When Dorothy chose someone to conduct the transaction on her behalf, she decided to ask her senior classmate, Nephnis, due to her family’s scepter that could defend against curses.

Based on the intelligence gathered, Dorothy determined that when dealing with the members of the Underworld Coffin Cult hunting the Wilderness Spirit, the main concerns were ghosts and curses. Invisible ghosts could attach and track others unnoticed, and curses could influence others from afar without them knowing. Both were difficult to defend against directly. Nephnis had ways to deal with both.

Firstly, Nephnis herself was an extraordinary being of “Silence,” able to see and sense ghosts. To her, ghosts were not insurmountable threats; it was hard to possess or track her. Secondly, Nephnis, due to her family’s connection, possessed the extraordinary cultural relics of the ancient Northern Ufeiga civilization, which provided resistance against curses.

The scepter from the Neve family only required a small amount of “Enlightenment” to resist powerful ancient undead curses.

That ancient undead curse affecting the entire Boil clan, capable of crossing oceans and influencing Prit from Northern Ufeiga over thousands of kilometers, could affect an entire lineage for decades without pause. Such formidable curse power was not something ordinary extraordinary beings could withstand. Even this level of power was defended by the scepter, let alone ordinary non-extraordinary beings.

Thus, in Dorothy’s view, Nephnis was the perfect choice to deal with the Underworld Coffin Cult, given her defenses against spirits and curses. As expected, the Cult intended to use a curse against Nephnis, but the curse backfired.

“Curse from a general extraordinary being to the target being counter-cursed so severely… That undead has been casting spells for decades without stopping. It’s truly powerful.

“And the scepter from the Neve family… Not only does it defend against curses, but it can also counter-curse the caster. This is even more advanced than I expected. No wonder it’s a relic from the ancient Northern Ufeiga civilization. How did Grandfather Neve find such a treasure…”

Dorothy sighed, elevating her impression of Neph’s grandfather. Obtaining such a powerful extraordinary artifact and provoking such a powerful ancient undead was beyond the capability of an ordinary extraordinary being. Truly a legendary tomb raider.

‘Neph should have left the dangerous area by now. I should check how things are going.’

With these thoughts, Dorothy extended her spiritual thread to communicate with Nephnis.

…

At this moment, on another path in the forest, three carriages were moving forward in a line. The last two were empty after unloading their cargo, while the first one was a passenger carriage. Inside, Nephnis was seated.

“Huff…”

In the carriage, Nephnis, wearing a black robe, pulled down her hood, letting her long hair spread out. Removing her face mask, she relaxed and sat in the seat, taking a deep breath.

“It’s finally over. Everything went smoothly… No unexpected incidents…”

Relaxing, Nephnis eased her tense emotions. Images of countless terrifying skeletons and ghosts on the hill still lingered in her mind. Recalling those who controlled spectral creatures, she felt a lingering fear.

‘Just now… Were those people from the Underworld Coffin Cult? Controlling so many ghosts and skeletons… It’s really scary. According to Miss Dorothy, they seem to be the largest ‘Silence’ extraordinary society… The leader might even have the power of White Chalk. Me, a mere apprentice, actually confronted her directly, even threatening her… It’s unbelievable…’

Nephnis thought to herself, recalling the encounter on the small hill with the Underworld Coffin Cult. She was still shaken, even though she knew Dorothy had been assisting her from the shadows.