Chapter 115

"A vow made with your soul?"

Lamat's tone remained unchanged despite Ines's words, but her beautiful, veiled eyes inevitably fell upon Ines.

"Do you know that Banshee are best at is manipulating the souls of their enemies, and I am one of the best at it?"

"If you truly swear an oath with your soul, then if you break the oath, the Banshee's song will haunt you like a shadow, and even death will not be able to rid you of it."

"I know."

Ines said calmly, "I am willing to accept all of this, and I will keep my vow until a hundred years later, no, until the end of my life."

"A hundred years? It might not be that long."

Lamat said softly, "Even if I am a great Banshee, my witchcraft cannot affect you for a hundred years; it may only last fifty."

"Fifty years?"

Ines glanced at Han Fei, her eyes questioning, as if asking if fifty years was enough.

Han Fei ignored Ines's question, his gaze fixed on Lamat, and asked softly, "What's the point of doing this?"

"Is it meaningful? That's an interesting question."

Lamat explained softly, "The significance is that once the spell takes effect, she cannot do anything disloyal to you."

"Otherwise, if she disobeys, her soul will be punished by the Banshee's Wail, a pain that is unbearable. Believe me, in that situation, death might be easier."

"More importantly, without your permission, she can't even end her own life."

After listening to Lamat's explanation, Han Fei still looked uninterested and said, "I like to tell the truth, I don't think it's necessary."

"If she's determined to break her vow, I don't think suffering alone can stop her."

"You underestimate the witchcraft of a great Banshee."

Lamat was not angered by Han Fei's words. She calmly said, "As a great Banshee, once my witchcraft takes effect, the punishment will come as soon as she has a thought of infidelity. At that time, the Banshee's Wail will completely incapacitate her."

"You must understand, she cannot deceive her own soul."

Lamat's gaze swept over Ines on the ground, calmly looking at her. "Young man, are you sure you want to do this? Oaths that affect the soul cannot be tricked in any way. You can deceive your heart in countless ways, but the soul cannot be deceived."

"Ms. Lamat."

Lemuen suddenly spoke softly, saying, "So, if I understand correctly, once Miss Ines's oath is fulfilled, she won't be able to do anything disloyal to Han Fei, including but not limited to harming us, is that what you mean?"

"Um."

Lamat responded, "Your summary is spot on, young Sankta."

Lemuen also chimed in, "What if she, like before, secretly leaves messages on the road to lure people over?"

"The moment that thought arose, the Banshee's Wail had already descended," Lamat explained.

"Wow, what a strict oath," Lemuen exclaimed.

"Swearing an oath with one's soul is certainly not a joke."

Lamat said softly, "So, young 'Sarkaz,' are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure."

Ines insisted, "I can offer my soul if he's willing to help me."

Lamat nodded slightly, indicating that she understood, and said, "I am not biased towards either side, but if it is merely as a witness, I can use witchcraft to grant your wish."

Han Fei waved his hand and said, "Don't rush, I haven't agreed yet."

"My time is limited, please make a decision as soon as possible."

Having said that, Lamat silent, like a fine sculpture, silently observing everything.

Han Fei didn't shy away from the question, looking openly at the other members of the team and asking, "What do you guys think?"

Texas was decisive. "I respect your decision. If you agree, I will continue to look after her, and this time, I won't let her out of my sight again."

As she spoke, Texas seemed somewhat remorseful.

Last time, she failed to keep an eye on people, and she didn't even know when Ines left the signal.

"If you're blaming yourself like this, then I've also failed in my duty," Lemuen patted Texas on the shoulder. "After all, I didn't keep an eye on her either."

Lemuen looked back and forth between her sister and Texas, then finally spoke up, "So, count me in?"

"Cough cough."

Han Fei coughed lightly, interrupting, "Just a quick note, we've gone off-topic."

The three of them then came to their senses and re-examined the initial question.

"Reason tells me that accepting it would be better."

At this point, Lemuen lowered her voice, speaking in a tone only a few in the group could hear, "We still need to consider our evacuation, don't we? A guide familiar with Kazdel would be useful to us."

Although Han Fei's map is terrible, at least the locations of the evacuation points and the power-off points are marked.

There are only three evacuation points in the top-secret Brakkesh.

Furthermore, there are two evacuation points where only one person can leave at a time.

--The packet was lost and the evacuation point was located at the top of the Babel.

This is commonly known as the flying squirrel maneuver.

These two evacuation points were clearly not within Lemuen's considerations.

There are only four people in the team, so sending any of them out would not be a good thing.

They're gone. What will happen to the remaining three?

Unless they are truly at their wits' end and have run out of supplies, Lemuen will not include these two evacuation points in her first choice.

At least for now, Lemuen has only one evacuation point in mind—the evacuation point in front of the Babel.

As the name suggests, this evacuation point is located right in front of the Babel.

That place isn't exactly close to here.

Even if punctuation marks can guide the way, without a guide, who knows how many detours one might take?

If you only need to know a general location and rush in, it's almost predictable that you'll take a detour.

If Lamat's witchcraft can truly bind Ines completely, then accepting her oath in exchange for a guide is feasible.

There's only one issue to consider.

Will rescuing Hedley lead to an even greater crisis?

As for Ines's possessiveness, that wasn't within Lemuen's concerns—she didn't feel that she was less important to Han Fei than Ines.

With Lemuen's statement, everyone's attention naturally fell on Lemuen.

At that time Lemuen had just graduated from school and was far from being as experienced as the future Exusiai. Moreover Lemuen was still alive, so Xiao Le naturally put her hand on her sister's shoulder and said in a carefree manner:

"I'll listen to my older sister. If she says it's okay, then I think it's okay too."

Han Fei scanned the girls' faces one by one, then said, "So, the question now is, if I rescue him, will he come back?"

Ines's voice suddenly interrupted:

"Once the oath takes effect."

Her gaze pierced through the crowd, fixing firmly on Han Fei. Every word she uttered was resounding. "I will handle all your 'aftermath troubles'."

She slightly raised her chin, with an almost sharp resolve, "This is my first answer to the question of loyalty."

Looking at Ines's resolute expression, Han Fei was initially unwilling to trust her, after all, her credibility in Han Fei's mind had actually plummeted to rock bottom.

--If Han Fei were in the bike-sharing business, Ines would have to scan her face just to ride a bike with him.

However, the words of Lamat, the queen of the Banshee Court, still carry considerable weight.

With that thought in mind, Han Fei nodded slightly. "This is the last time."

"Thank you for your kindness..."

Ines paused, then suddenly uttered the two words she had previously resisted so vehemently:

"Owner."

"It seems you've made your decision."

Lamat walked slowly to Ines and looked down at her.

Even through the veil of mystery, Ines could clearly feel the soul-piercing, majestic gaze of the King of the Royal Court, causing her to instinctively hold her breath.

Lamat slowly raised her hand, her palm cradling a pale white Bone Whistle carved from the bones of some ancient creature. She brought it to her lips, saying nothing, only exhaling softly...

Waaah...

A deep, drawn-out sound, like a lament rising from the depths of an ancient abyss, suddenly shattered the silence of the River Valley.

The voice was not human; it carried a primal sorrow that pierced the eardrums and reached the very soul.

This is just the beginning.

As if summoned by an invisible force, from the depths of the River Valley and from all directions, the faint, equally mournful voices of Banshee began to rise, like fireflies in the dark night, initially weak and scattered.

Soon, these sporadic cries of sorrow, like pebbles thrown into a still lake, stirred up ripples upon ripples.

Countless mournful and ethereal Banshee voices converged from all directions.

They echoed each other, intertwined, and finally converged into a vast, awe-inspiring, and magnificent lament.

The entire River Valley seemed to have become a giant resonating chamber, completely enveloped by this ancient, sacred elegy, imbued with endless sorrow over the years.

The sounds of wind and water, all the sounds of nature, paled in comparison to this mournful torrent.

At the climax of this mournful elegy, amidst the solemn echo of the collective will of the Banshee, Ines took a deep breath.

Meeting Han Fei's gaze, she adjusted her posture and, with a sacrificial devotion, slammed her right knee heavily onto the solid ground of the River Valley.

Ines straightened her back, like a martyr facing the gods, her voice piercing through layers of elegiac lament, resounding clearly and powerfully:

"I swear by my soul, with Lamat Ducanfaris, Queen of the Banshee Court, as my witness."

"I dedicate everything I have, my soul, and my loyalty to Han Fei."

"Just to get his help and save Hedley's life."

Ugh!!

As if in response to her vow, the dirge echoing through the River Valley suddenly rose in pitch, like a surging tide, carrying the immense power of judgment and witness, impacting the hearts of every listener.

Amidst this deafening, sorrowful wave of elegiac lamentations, Ines's voice remained unwavering, growing even more resolute, like the final hammer blow, striking the mark of destiny:

"If I break my vow, may my soul be forever condemned to the agonizing echoes of heart-wrenching cries, never to be freed!"

As the sound faded, a lament came to its final chapter.

After the climax, the noise gradually subsided, and Lamat put down the Bone Whistle in her hand. Her lips parted slightly, bringing this witnessing event to a perfect close:

The oath has been made.

At that moment, Han Fei could clearly sense that something was different.

Looking at Ines before him, he felt a strange sense of having her within his grasp.

Ines did not get up; she remained kneeling on one knee, calmly looking at Han Fei, awaiting the final verdict.

Although the oath was made, it was not fully effective because Han Fei failed to rescue Hedley.

Until then, she was still a free person.

Having already made his decision, Han Fei stopped hesitating and said, "Then come with me."

Ines then stood up and silently followed behind Han Fei.

Lemuen followed beside her sister, looking at Ines with curiosity, and said, "So, she's one of us now?"

"Not yet."

Texas calmly replied, "The boss hasn't saved Hedley yet, so the oath shouldn't have taken effect."

"Oh, it feels pretty strange." Lemuen scratched his head. "We were fighting to the death just now."

Lemuen said softly, "The Sarkaz do indeed have a lot of strange witchcraft."

Sarkaz witchcraft is considered mysterious throughout Terra.