There had originally been no wind in the Gravestone Wasteland, but after arriving beneath the Corpse Tree, a bone-chilling yin wind began to blow. The dried Hound corpse embedded in the tree asked:
"You encountered Foul Rotting Corpse Sir?"
"What? That guy really is a Sir?"
Shade had thought even that carriage's self-introduction had been fake.
"This is the Grave King's kingdom. Isn't it perfectly reasonable for there to be Sirs here?"
The hoarse voice sounded ancient, and it truly was familiar with this world:
"But you needn't worry about offending him. Nobles are nothing unusual in this land of the dead; what is truly unusual is a living person like you. This scepter is the symbol of his noble status. Keep it for now. It might prove useful."
The Hound's face wriggled on the trunk, making the entire tree rustle. The aura of death surged forth, making even Shade deeply uncomfortable. He was alive, after all, so he did not say anything more and went straight to the point:
"Then, according to our promise last time, I have brought a way to free you and fulfill your master's wish."
The little Hound's soul hopped about beneath the tree, while the shriveled Hound head on the trunk nodded.
"Free my soul and suppress this tree, and I will give you what you want."
Only then did Shade take out the box containing the Benevolent Doctor's Injection Needle. The slender silver needle reflected the bluish glow overhead. The fact that this relic could be brought into this spacetime itself meant that this Hound must possess crucial information.
Daniste's "three-step" plan was simple: extract spirit, strip away the soul, destroy the tree.
The first step was to use the relic in Shade's hand to extract the immense amount of spirit that the