Chapter 483

Chapter 369: Soul Summoning

“If you truly wish to summon that spirit, you can have Kapak bring the medium when he returns. I will help you attempt the soul summoning ritual.”

Looking at Brandon, the smoke-formed Uta said solemnly. After hearing Uta’s words, Dorothy felt a pang of difficulty in her heart.

‘Bringing the medium over for him to summon… This voyage from Tivyán to the New World will take at least ten days. Kapak will need three to five days from the port to the tribe, adding up to almost half a month. By then, Barlet will probably have returned to the Great Soul.’

Dorothy thought to herself. The An Yin Bureau would certainly use soul summoning methods to investigate Barlet’s case, and they must have more information about Barlet’s various mediums than she did. If they succeed in summoning, it would leave her unsure whether she would be able to summon afterward.

Sitting at the edge of a street shrouded in night, Dorothy stroked her chin in contemplation, thinking about how she could quickly summon Barlet before the An Yin Bureau.

While lost in her thoughts, Dorothy had Brandon scan the scenes in the alley. After a while, an idea began to form in her mind. She then controlled Brandon to continue asking Uta.

“By the way, Lord Uta, I’d like to ask what state you are in at the moment. I seem to recall you saying that you, using the smoke mimicry, are a fragment of your soul? Is this smoking pipe a vessel for part of your soul?”

“Hehe, you are correct. What stands before you is indeed a fragment of my soul that is connected to my main body. My identity is special, and I cannot casually go with Kapak to your side. To persuade Sado and the others, I gave Kapak the spiritual vessel I once created—this smoking pipe.

“This kind of vessel is made using shamanic secret methods, which transform an item I am most familiar with into a part of my being. Then, I can separate a fragment of my soul and after it becomes a ghost, I can house it inside. This way, I have a ghostly avatar that I can command. Many Grand Shamans often send such fragments of soul to communicate during gatherings. To be able to talk directly with Sado and them, I had to give Kapak the vessel; otherwise, Kapak alone would not be able to persuade them.”

The smoke-like Uta spoke to Brandon. Upon hearing that Uta’s current state was indeed a fragment connected to the main body, Dorothy felt a surge of excitement in her heart, and she continued to have Brandon speak.

“Then may I ask, Lord Uta, can your fragment of soul possess another person?”

“Possess? Hmm… The fragment of soul that is attached to this pipe is merely a small part. As a fragment, it cannot possess and manipulate others like a complete soul. This soul avatar is not meant for controlling others.”

After pondering for a moment, Uta replied to Brandon, while Dorothy urged Brandon to continue.

“No, you don’t need to actively control anyone. All I need is for you to be able to possess someone.”

“Just possess someone… Hmm… As long as it’s not for too long, it can be done. However, what meaning does that have? My fragment possessing another person wouldn’t grant them the ability to summon souls.”

Uta said to Brandon with a puzzled expression, while Brandon smiled and spoke under Dorothy’s control.

“Of course it has meaning. You might not be aware, but here on our side, there is an Extraordinary Being known as a Soul Binder.” As Brandon said this, he turned to glance at Nephnis, who looked puzzled.

…

At this moment, Nephnis was filled with confusion. Since Kapak summoned that strange elderly spirit using the smoking pipe, she had been in a state of bewilderment. The reason was simple; she could not understand a single word of the conversation between Kapak and the elderly spirit.

In Nephnis’s eyes, Kapak and the spirit that appeared in smoke had been chattering nonsensically from the beginning, and as they talked, Brandon suddenly joined in. The foreign language being flung around among the three left Nephnis completely unable to interject; she could only stand aside, watching them speak in a foreign tongue, unable to say anything.

At some point, as the three continued to exchange their foreign words, they occasionally looked her way, pointing at her. It seemed like Brandon was introducing himself to the elderly spirit, who also cast a curious glance towards her.

Such a scene made Nephnis feel a chill in her heart. If it weren’t for her trust in Dorothy, she might have thought the three of them were plotting to sell her out while they babbled in a foreign language.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. After the three exchanged a few more remarks in an unfamiliar tongue, the smoke-formed elderly spirit nodded, then dissipated. Afterward, Brandon took the pipe from Kapak and walked towards her.

“Miss Thief, please allow the fragment of soul residing in this fragment to possess you, and then use your body to perform the soul summoning ritual.”

Saying this, Brandon extended the smoking pipe towards Nephnis, who stared at it in shock, her mouth gaping open.

“Eh…”

…

Finally, after completing all the preparations, the attempted soul summoning ritual was about to begin.

In the dark alley across from Lanji Street, under a dim glow, a magical array of “Silence,” drawn in black ash, floated on the ground. In the center of the array lay a broken fountain pen and a bl**d-stained cloth. Dressed in a black coat, Nephnis sat cross-legged before the array, her eyes closed, holding a small smoking pipe.

Brandon and Kapak stood not far away, watching Nephnis in front of the array. After waiting for a moment, Nephnis slowly opened her eyes.

At the instant her eyes opened, Nephnis’s entire aura underwent a dramatic transformation. Her pupils became murky, her demeanor became calm and composed, bearing the marks of hard experience. In her gaze, there was a sudden hint of weariness and wisdom, making her appear much older.

At the moment she locked eyes with Nephnis, Kapak couldn’t help but take a step back; he felt as though Nephnis was looking at him like Uta would.

‘A Soul Binder… An Extraordinary Being who can accommodate spirits and unleash greater powers through them? Indeed, there are others in this world adapting to the power of spirits in different ways…’

Kapak thought to himself, while Nephnis, now embodying Uta’s fragment, began the soul summoning ritual. She raised her hands, invoking a Spiritual Seal Language she had never learned before.

“Barlett Despenser, spirit wandering in the path of shadows, I call upon you here…”

Before the array, Nephnis opened her mouth, her voice ethereal as she began to chant ancient incantations to summon Barlett. But before long, she suddenly furrowed her brow and paused the incantation.

Seeing this, Dorothy prepared to control Brandon to ask, but Nephnis spoke first with a serious tone.

“I can sense that spirit now, but it’s being pulled by forces other than mine. It seems… it’s not just me attempting to summon this spirit.”