"This wasn't Thaumaturgy or a curse. It was divine magic of an Ancient God. If that's the case, I think I have a way."
The Guardian said this, stopping with Shade to look toward the people holding another funeral in the distance. Their sorrow seemed to have merged with the fog, yet the grief of the living could not reach the world beyond the shore:
"Attach the effect of your curse to an object, allowing it to grant Active Mud to all soil it touches for a short period. I am now a Chosen One, and the power inherited from the ancient earth deity can let me help you accomplish this. But the object bearing an Ancient God's divine magic must be related to that Ancient God's power."
In other words, the Guardian could "enchant" Shade's Active Mud curse onto another object. This way, Shade would indeed not need to show himself, and the user would pay the spirit cost.
"That's easy."
Shade said, taking the Earth Runestone from his pocket. He and Iluna had obtained it from the relic Plague Merchant back in Tobesk. Now that there was no need to consider purifying the earth or sinking into the Heart of the Earth, it could serve another purpose:
"This runestone meets the requirements. Once we've attached my curse effect to it, give it to the Believers of the God of Sun and Earth. Oh, and after they're done using it, tell them to give it to the Balanced Chosen One as a gift."
After all, Shade was only helping others; he had no intention of casually giving away his own belongings.
Attaching the Active Mud curse to the runestone proved far more difficult than Shade had expected. This exceptionally advanced alchemical technique was simply beyond his current grasp, and