Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 32 - 31 The Dog Doesn’t Soil the Carpet

The air of the swamp was thick with the stench of rot, which became even more apparent under the scorching sun. Lyle, wearing his beak mask, and William had a better method, his body wrapped in circling breezes that not only made his body lighter but also purified the surrounding air.

The swamp was not a barren wasteland; countless microorganisms beneath the black mud decomposed the rotting matter, and the buzzing of insects amid the reeds indicated the popularity of the place among insects.

As they delved deeper, the swamp resembled a boiling cauldron, with bubbles bursting one after another, spewing their pungent odors into the surrounding air.

Just as the two of them were beginning to doubt their bearings, a small clump of reeds in the distance caught their attention.

A mist hung in the air, thick and unmoving, an unusual phenomenon that was far from ordinary. Lyle glanced at the sun overhead, which had begun to tilt westward as time passed but remained fiercely hot.

Under high temperatures, fog would not form, as the heat would evaporate the haziness of the vapor.

Confronted with this anomaly, the two exchanged glances and proceeded toward the mist-entwined reeds.

Passing through reeds as tall as a man, they found a large swamp shrouded in fog; at the limit of their visibility loomed a huge shadow within the mist, indistinct.

Lyle speculated that it was the shadow of a house, broader than the trees.

"We’ve arrived at Lafillin," William’s voice reached Lyle from behind, pulling him from his trance.

How did he determine it was Lafillin?

Lyle turned around, finding his question answered by following the direction of William’s pointed finger. Lyle saw an object he recognized but had in fact never seen before.

A human severed limb.

The flesh on the hand was ragged, the bones of the thumb and index finger had vanished without a trace, and the rotten flesh still clinging to the bones attracted mosquitoes and flies. The other end of the arm sank deep into the swamp.

Around it lay flattened reeds, crushed into forming a great area of three square meters, with the dismembered hand at its center, squeezed into the mud by pressure.

"It’s probably the farmer’s severed limb." The only human settlement in the vicinity was the small town of Lavren. If this had happened long before, most likely even the bones would have decomposed by now.

"Shall we take it back?" Lyle suggested, but soon found the idea impractical. The severed limb would hinder their movement, the Chimera skin bag given by Mr. Dragon could not be revealed, and to bring back Mr. Mirren’s body, Lyle could only count on the miraculous assistance of William.

"No, our goal is Lafillin. Carrying this limb will only be a hindrance. Are you planning to give the giant wolf a bonus meal? Buy one, get one free."

William predictably refused.

Lyle did not raise the subject again.

They inspected the surrounding details more carefully.

"William, don’t you think this three-square-meter area looks very much like..."

"Like what?"

"I mean, a footprint." Lyle gauged the size in his mind, wondering just how large Chaichai’s actual body might be.

"Terrifying." William too had realized, feeling chilled by the speculation about the monster.

"Should we head straight for Lafillin?" William gestured towards the shadow within the fog.

Lyle checked the sky; although covered by the mist, the sunlight still created a small bright spot on the fog’s canvas, suggesting it was about four in the afternoon. Considering the longer daylight hours of summer, there was still plenty of time before dusk.

"William, are you suggesting we go directly to Lafillin?"

"Yes, Lyle, don’t you find this mist unusual? All anomalies have their reasons. I’ve read in books that where mist lingers all day, it’s either a cold place or a Necromancy Domain. Lyle, Lafillin may not be just an abandoned site; it might be a Ghost Domain, that is, a place only for the dead."

"Do you mean Ralph might be in danger?"

"I’m not sure. Compared to the Ghost Domains described in records, the fog here is too thin. By all accounts, this place should only harbor some dirty things that scare people, nothing that should harm a sheriff like Mr. Ralph, but..."

"But what?"

"Normally, such a thin aura of spirit would not give rise to large creatures like the Wolf of Lafillin, as described in the books. I’m skeptical about the reliability of those books."

That made sense, as the saying goes, the land nurtures its people. William found Chaichai’s genesis puzzling because he could never have conceived that Chaichai was a product of Necromancy Spell, an artificial monster. That alone could explain it. Lafillin’s single threat was indeed Chaichai, so it seemed Ralph might not encounter other mishaps.

"Such an environment might not give rise to monsters, but it could foster plants with the corresponding essence of death, which would be excellent for casting materials," William’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, "Lafillin must have precious treasures."

Of course, Chaichai’s cave also had the Spectral Moss I wanted. There were naturally many mysterious plants here, and Lyle decided to play it safe.

"Let’s operate on the edge of the mist first, assess the risk, locate the materials we need and then gradually move closer to Lafillin."

William agreed, he restrained his desire for the precious materials, and chose to support Lyle’s cautiousness, stepping carefully into the mystery.

The two made a wide detour around the massive shadow of Lafillin. At first, they were a bit impatient, but as they delved deeper, the strange plants they continuously discovered brought them immense excitement and surprise.

"It’s the Dream Flower!"

"This is the Soulshock Daisy!"

"And there’s Undead Root!"

William’s excitement caused him to transform, he pulled out a small dagger and began cutting the leaves, like a farmer reaping his harvest. Evidently, he was much happier, for these were not his own crops, and the fruit of no labor tasted even sweeter.

Lyle also began to harvest some plants.

"Lyle, do you want these too? But these are useless to you, aren’t they? Do you even recognize them? They could cause trouble if used recklessly."

"Since they’re so precious, I’ll take some back to help out the family. No harm in that, right? At the very least, I could sell them to you."

William thought about it and found no fault in the idea. Two working together was better than one, and later on, he just needed to give some to Yule to get them back. Why wouldn’t he be pleased? William even taught Lyle hands-on how to harvest without diminishing the medicinal properties.

As Lyle learned, he thought, ’Stupid William, I may not recognize the value, but would Mr. Dragon not recognize it? Sell to you? I wonder how many Oliou I could get if I sold them to Mr. Dragon. Small money, delightful.’

"What’s this? Mutated Nightshade? I don’t care, I want it." Lyle heard William’s words, turned his head, and saw William’s dagger pointed at several enchanting blossoms.

They were the five-petaled Death Nightshade!

Seeing the only plant he recognized and that was of use to him, Lyle felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"No, you don’t want these, they’re mine. I’ll trade with you; that bunch over there, all of it is yours, and these, I’m taking them."

Lyle used his persuasive powers.

"Well, I suppose that’s fine, Lyle. Have you seen this kind of Mutated Nightshade before?"

"Never, but they’re so pretty, I want to take them home for a vase."

William was speechless but let it be, just as he said, plants he didn’t understand were of no use to him.

The two little gardeners continued their work.

They reached a small depression.

The plants here were much denser than around them, but in the middle was a palm-sized hole, appearing like a rabbit hole.

William immediately rushed towards the plants, but Lyle stayed put due to an uneasiness inside him.

He stared at the pitch-black hole as if he had forgotten something.

Unaware, they had ventured quite deep, but they were still a considerable distance away from Lafillin’s shadow. What was this spine-chilling intuition? This familiar feeling?

Yes, a feeling of being watched.

As the temperature kept dropping, his body began to shiver, and Lyle finally remembered.

The fear of being gazed upon by Alianna’s ghost, he had caught the attention of a ghost.

Lyle finally understood.

Why the weird plants grew so lush here.

Who had decided that the Wolves of Lafillin had to dwell in the ruins of Lafillin?

Who had decided that giant wolves had to live in huge lairs?

Chaichai was a Ghost Dog, and the size of the hole was just an adornment for him. He could pass through any material at will, just like now.

Two eyes the size of lightbulbs, emitting a chilling light, a house-sized apparition squeezed its way out of the rabbit hole.

A gust of cold wind blew.

William’s hand holding the small dagger began to tremble, and he stumbled backward.

It turned out what they had been harvesting was the grass at the edge of Chaichai’s nest.