048 Face-to-Face Encounter (2)

When Green and Steward Laurence rounded a corner, they came face-to-face with two maids whispering among themselves.

"Did you hear? Gilmore just died too. It's terrifying!"

"I only just heard. They say he came down with a sudden illness..."

"Hmph! What sudden illness? I heard from Vakis of the patrol that he ran into something uncanny. It was Ginny Will from the kitchens who brought that uncanny thing into the castle."

"What did you say? That can't be! How could it possibly be in the castle..."

Just then, they suddenly saw Green and Steward Laurence round the corner. The two maids jumped in fright, immediately lowered their heads, and shut their mouths.

Steward Laurence shot the two gossips a harsh glare but neither scolded nor punished them. He simply led Green past in silence.

Green was slightly surprised. This was completely different from the image of the stern, rigid old steward he usually knew. It seemed that people going mad or dying bizarre deaths one after another these past two days had put tremendous pressure on the old steward, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted to the point that he no longer had the energy to discipline the servants.

Laurence brought Green to the lower level of the castle. The servants and stewards who lived here were all trusted members of the Wilson Family. According to the Wilson Family's rules, only those who had served the family for two generations, father and son, were eligible to live here.

The living conditions in this area were fairly good. The floors, glass windows, gas lamps, inferior yet finely crafted wooden furniture, soft and comfortable bedding, and cotton curtains gave the servants here a life more affluent than that of an average middle-class family in Landon City.

But when Green approached the gardener Gilmore's room, he frowned before he even reached the door, sensing an intensely unpleasant, chilling aura.

Was that the lingering aura of the uncanny? Green wondered, but he did not stop. He walked straight toward the door. However, he did not reach out to open it himself. With a casual wave of his hand, he summoned three Skeleton Soldiers as he walked. One Skeleton Soldier rushed ahead of Green and twisted the lock on Gilmore's door.

With a click, it did not budge!

Steward Laurence, who had come along, saw Green use magic so casually. His pupils narrowed slightly, and he took half a step back. Unseen, his reverence for Green deepened.

The uncanny that had appeared in Wilson Castle this time was especially skilled at curses. Curses required a medium, and although such mediums came in all shapes and forms, they ultimately had to involve contact. That was why Green was being exceptionally careful. He stood before the door and did not even want to enter, leaving everything to the Skeleton Soldiers. Yet unexpectedly, they had failed to turn the doorknob!

Green glanced at Steward Laurence beside him.

Steward Laurence was puzzled as well. He had inspected this place earlier and left someone to watch it. There was no way the door should have been locked. Moreover, the male servant left to guard the place had vanished too.

"Striker! Are you in there?" Steward Laurence approached the door and tried calling to the male servant. At the same time, he reached out, intending to knock, but suddenly remembered that even Green had avoided touching it casually. He hastily stopped his hand and looked back at Green.

Green's expression was solemn. He pointed upward. "I think I know where Mr. Striker is."

Steward Laurence followed his gaze, and his scalp instantly went numb. Above the door, the corpse of a middle-aged man dressed in the castle's male-servant uniform hung and swayed from a beam.

Although the castle ceilings were very high, nearly one and a half times the height of those in ordinary homes, Green's perception and observation had somehow failed to notice that a dead man was hanging above the door.

"Have we finally come face-to-face?" Green murmured. He gently rubbed the Ghost Eye pendant in his hand while once again using Soul Summoning to summon the Evil Spirit Maxim from the Graveyard.

Having a ghost deal with an uncanny thing that was suspected to be a ghost was the plan Green had devised. As long as the opponent was not of Formal Rank, Evil Spirit Maxim could handle it. Even if it was of Formal Rank, he could still desperately entangle it for several minutes. If his judgment was wrong and the opponent was not a ghost, Green was prepared for that too: he would immediately retreat and leave Landon City. Although he had gotten along well with Vincent, he had never intended to be buried alongside the Wilson Family.

At the same time, a stream of white vapor poured out through the gap beneath the door before him and rapidly spread over. A sigh drifted from an indistinct direction, distant and lingering, as if lamenting and weeping, soft and melodious. It actually made Green feel drowsy against his will.

Fortunately, Green had recently been practicing the Meditation Method without pause, and his spiritual power had increased considerably. Had this happened before, when he had just crossed over, that single resentful sigh might well have drawn him into a trance.

"What a powerful Charm!" Green sucked in a cold breath and took a step back. His thoughts turned, and he split his attention in two, entrusting part of his spiritual sense to the Graveyard.

This was a method Green had discovered by accident while practicing the Meditation Method recently. As the town center in the Graveyard leveled up, the great bell formed from the "Gelfis Meditation Method" and entrusted to it had leveled up as well. This advanced his Meditation Method another step, allowing him to separate a sliver of spiritual sense and entrust it to the great bell without affecting himself. That sliver of spiritual sense was equivalent to his lifeline. No matter what kind of mental ability he faced, as long as the Graveyard was not breached, he could retain a trace of clarity and remain immune to the negative effects caused by any mental ability.

Expressionless, Green glanced at Steward Laurence. Although the loyal old steward had a resolute will, he still could not withstand the invasion of the Charm. His eyes were vacant, and he stood there in a daze, like a puppet on strings that could not move.

Green no longer paid attention to Steward Laurence. He retreated several steps, keeping his eyes fixed ahead, and summoned all six remaining Ghosts from the Graveyard. A cold, resolute gleam flashed through his eyes. He gave a low shout: "Uncanny thing! Today, I'll see your true face!" Then he raised his hand and released Bone Spikes.

With a bang, a massive stone spike shot out from beneath the door, directly blasting apart the sturdy door, which had been reinforced by the uncanny's spell.

Wood splinters flew with a sharp clattering, striking the surrounding walls with a continuous din.

Using the angle at which the stone spike had shot out, Green ensured that the flying splinters could not hit him. Two seconds later, the stone spike vanished, revealing the open doorway.

Yet Green discovered that the room beyond the door was filled entirely with dense fog, white and ashen gray. It rolled and churned from time to time, as if something were stirring it wildly from within.

"Is this the uncanny thing?" This was the first time Green had seen the mysterious and powerful uncanny appear before him. Although its form of existence differed from that of humans, Green could say with certainty that it had come. It was there, within the fog. At the same time, the Ghost Eye clenched in his hand trembled faintly, as if it had spotted prey, quivering with eager anticipation.

But Green did not rush to activate his magic power. An uncanny thing was no ordinary ghost. He could not simply let the Ghost Eye draw it in. He had to wait for the best opportunity before striking.