Chapter 487

### Chapter 371: Burial of Souls

As Nephnis continuously chanted the incantation, Barret’s ghost within the magical array began to show some changes. His hazy and distorted state gradually faded, and his spirit body exhibited a stable posture. In this tranquility, the dullness that had once clouded Barret’s face disappeared, replaced by a natural serenity.

Eventually, amidst this peaceful demeanor, Barret’s spirit body became increasingly transparent, until it completely vanished into the air, leaving behind an empty magical array and a silenced Nephnis.

“That spirit has embarked on his final journey guided by the Great Soul. Mortal power will no longer shake his path.”

Sitting cross-legged before the array, Nephnis, relying on Uta’s soul fragment, spoke, the weariness in her eyes unmistakable.

“Thank you for your hard work, my lord. You have truly helped us this time.”

In front of Nephnis, Dorothy gestured for Brandon to bow, to which Nephnis shook her head in response.

“You helped Kapak persuade Sado and the others, sparing our tribe from unwarranted harm. This repayment is only right… Well, now I should rest…”

Nephnis said, leaning on Uta’s soul fragment as she turned her gaze toward Kapak and added, “Kapak, remember to bring everyone back early. Don’t stay too long there to avoid any unforeseen incidents.”

“Understood, teacher. I’ll arrange for their return tomorrow.”

Kapak replied seriously to Nephnis, and after hearing this, she nodded slightly before closing her eyes.

Next, a shadow detached from the seated Nephnis, shrinking and finally attaching itself to the pipe in her hand.

After Uta’s soul fragment left, the now-normal Nephnis opened her weary eyes. After casting a glance at the scene before her, she let out a long sigh of relief.

“Finally… is it over? I’m so tired…”

As she spoke, Nephnis stood up unsteadily, swaying slightly due to her fatigue. At the critical moment, Dorothy gestured for Brandon to step forward and catch the stumbling Nephnis, then asked with concern, “What’s wrong, Miss Thief? Is there something wrong with your body?”

“Um… thank you for your concern. I’m fine; I’m just feeling really exhausted and dizzy, probably because my spirituality is nearly depleted?”

Nephnis, flustered after being caught by Brandon, quickly stood upright and explained. Hearing her words, Dorothy seemed to understand her condition.

Nephnis was likely showing signs of overexertion of her abilities. She had just recently advanced to the Black Tier, and immediately relied on the Wilderness Soul Whiskers, searching for a long time throughout the city. After relying on the whiskers for combat, she subsequently used Uta’s soul fragment for the soul summoning and burial ceremonies, which were both demanding on her.

Having just advanced and excessively used her abilities, combined with the two ceremonies she conducted, Nephnis’s spirituality and energy were nearly depleted, hence her exhaustion. Previously, Dorothy also felt fatigued after controlling a limited number of zombie puppets in battle.

“Miss Thief, you should go back and rest now. You’ve worked hard today.” Brandon said to the weary Nephnis, who nodded slightly in response. Brandon then continued to address Kapak.

“Shaman Apprentice, please escort Miss Thief back to the East District. Afterwards, go find your companions and settle them down. The Scholar will help arrange your journey home.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll safely take Miss Thief to her destination, and please thank the Scholar for his assistance on my behalf.”

“Well then, I still have a task to attend to, so I must leave. See you both later.”

After greeting Nephnis and Kapak, Dorothy led Brandon out of the alley, while Kapak and Nephnis cleaned up the remnants of the ceremonies before also leaving the scene, returning the quiet alley to its usual serene state.

At that moment, distant howling sounds began to approach from the night sky.

…

In the Bishop’s Square, a chilly evening wind swept through, producing strange high-pitched sounds that carried far away.

On the outskirts of Bishop’s Square, by the roadside.

Dorothy sat on the road, rubbing her hands together, her body trembling slightly as she kept glancing around, looking toward both sides of the road, seemingly waiting for something.

After a while, it seemed Dorothy noticed what she was waiting for. Suddenly, she stood up from the steps by the roadside and waved toward the center of the pedestrian walkway, where Gregor was hurrying toward her, panting under the streetlight.

“Sorry, Dorothy! There were some unforeseen circumstances at the square, so I’m late…”

Upon reaching Dorothy, Gregor breathed heavily as he spoke. Dorothy tilted her head slightly upon seeing him and asked, “What happened at the square? I heard a loud noise from here, like glass shattering?”

“Uh… I’m not sure about that either. It might have been a gas explosion. In any case, this area isn’t safe, so I’ll take you away from here.”

Gregor said to Dorothy, who nodded obediently without asking further questions.

After Dorothy arranged for Gregor to act as a wounded person, he was quickly carried away by Dorothy’s zombie puppets to a secluded place to change clothes. Just as Gregor wondered what purpose there was in pretending to be injured, a fierce wind erupted from within Blue Weave Street No. 1.

For a while, Gregor, having just changed clothes, began to act on his responsibility as a Hunter, immediately helping to coordinate the maintenance of order and moving the wounded at the square. He kept busy until the situation stabilized, after which he found the chance to return and look for Dorothy.

Up until now, Gregor still did not fully understand what had happened at the scene; he only knew that something unusual had occurred. He needed to take his sister to a more secure place.

“Gregor, are you taking me home?”

On the road away from Bishop’s Square, Dorothy asked Gregor, who glanced back toward the square before replying.

“No, it’s too late now, and it’s not convenient to go back. I’ll take you to find an inn nearby, and you can stay there alone until tomorrow when you return.”

“Do you have something else to attend to, Gregor?”

“Yes… I suddenly ran into some colleagues at the square. An unexplained explosion affected some of our operations, so I might have to work overtime.”

Gregor replied, having already heard the howling sounds that swept through the sky earlier. He also sensed the peculiar high-frequency sound coming from the direction of Bishop’s Square.

He knew that the headquarters’ personnel had arrived at Bishop’s Square. They were gathering the Hunters who happened to be home for the holidays, and that bizarre sound was a special summon signal from the An Yin Bureau.

As a Hunter, he needed to return to his post.

‘Ah… it’s been a while since my brother has worked overtime. Go ahead and take care of your business; once you’re gone, I should also start taking care of mine.’

Dorothy thought to herself upon hearing Gregor’s words, realizing that the exploration of the Barley Mansion could not be delayed. She too needed to act quickly.

This New Year’s Eve didn’t seem to be over for Dorothy, as she also had some work to do.