Chapter 633: Section 420: “The Traitor’s” Betrayal Again
Undead Magic utilizes pure negative energy, so there is still a difference between Undead Magic and Dark Magic.
Of course, lantern fish heads could also be crafted into Death Skulls, but the success rate was significantly lower than with other skulls.
After exhausting all the lantern fish heads, Cang Xu finally possessed over 20 Death Lantern Fish Skulls.
He engraved Undead Magic onto the fish heads, only to find that the difficulty of imprinting the Magic Model of Undead Magic had increased significantly, and the space was limited; few spells could be inscribed on a single fish head.
By the time Cang Xu had five lantern fish heads capable of casting spells, he received good news.
To be precise, the reconnaissance by the Ghost Ship finally succeeded.
They discovered the whereabouts of the Fin Spirit!
To be accurate, they found the remains of a Water Ghost under the command of Fin Spirit.
The Fin Spirit commanded an army of Water Ghosts that performed notably in the Pine Wind Sea Battle. By the time the investigating ghost from the Ghost Ship discovered them, only the legs of the Water Ghost remained.
The investigating ghost brought the Water Ghost’s legs back to the Ghost Ship, where the ship ghost immediately cast a spell to confirm that it was indeed the magical aura of the Fin Spirit!
“At last, we’ve found her!” the Little Prince exclaimed happily.
Ku Feng said, “Undead Mages can control ghosts within a certain range. Since the Water Ghost is here, it means Fin Spirit must be nearby too.”
The ship ghost also breathed a sigh of relief.
Their purpose in coming to the White Hair Sea Trench was to rescue the ‘traitor’ Fin Spirit.
However, the ship ghost wasn’t sure whether Fin Spirit was indeed in the White Hair Sea Trench.
It would be best if Fin Spirit was here, but even if not, the Undead Mages could still rescue Fin Spirit’s Fishman Clan and help them escape the control of the Sea Snake Lady.
Fin Spirit cared most about her clan from her lifetime; once this group of Fishmen was freed, Fin Spirit would be relieved, free from her deepest concerns.
The remnants of the Water Ghost’s legs eventually faded and vanished into nothingness.
The Ghost Ship arrived at the initial location where the Water Ghost’s legs were found and continued to explore the surrounding area, using this point as a center.
Soon, they discovered new clues.
From the remaining traces of the battlefield, they deduced that a small group of sardines had killed the Water Ghost.
The sardines’ magic-like abilities were harmful to ghosts.
The Water Ghost dispatched by Fin Spirit was clearly an investigator and was surrounded and overwhelmed by the sardines, tragically dying on the spot.
Its legs had drifted with the ocean currents to a nearby area.
With the new clues, the ship ghost widely dispatched ghosts to search the surroundings.
Subsequently, many valuable clues were continuously discovered by the group.
Finally, in an underwater mountain hollow, they discovered Fin Spirit’s Fishman Clan.
“Fin Spirit must be nearby; she’s always worried about her people, even though they’ve hurt her multiple times!” the Little Prince muttered.
Next, a compelling piece of evidence proved the Little Prince’s speculation.
They discovered Fin Spirit’s investigating Water Ghosts.
And not just one.
These Water Ghosts were scattered around the Fishman Clan, hidden among the rocks.
If not for the leaking Undead aura, the Undead Mages wouldn’t have been able to detect them easily.
The Undead Mages began to act very cautiously.
They feared alerting their quarry and preferred to quietly pinpoint Fin Spirit’s exact location.
For stealth, the ship ghost even positioned the Ghost Ship far away, and he personally led the Little Prince and others in the operation.
However, despite their covert and extended search, they couldn’t locate Fin Spirit.
“Where could she possibly be hiding? We’ve practically turned over every stone nearby,” complained the Little Prince, whose patience was wearing thin.
“The environment in the White Hair Sea Trench is complex; perhaps there are passages concealed within the cliffs, or even interior spaces?” speculated Ku Feng.
Cang Xu pondered, “It’s a bit strange. If Fin Spirit is indeed nearby, then the Sea Snake Lady should also be close. Unless Fin Spirit has escaped her control, or the Sea Snake Lady is very confident in her methods of controlling an Undead Mage… But if I were just a pirate and a Water Mage, I wouldn’t have the confidence to control an Undead Mage.”
“You know, the Undead Faction is a new faction.”
Cang Xu expressed his opinion, thinking it highly likely that the Sea Snake Lady was also here.
“If the Sea Snake Lady is here, where is her ship?” the ship ghost furrowed his brows.
During the Pine Wind Sea Battle, the flagship of the Sea Snake Lady had left a deep impression on him.
The Little Prince shrugged, “We’ve already scouted the sea surface, haven’t we? It’s empty, nothing but water and wind.”
The group encountered a significant obstacle.
They just couldn’t discover either Fin Spirit, who could possibly be right here, or the Sea Snake Lady.
“Actually, this problem can be solved with some time,” Cang Xu said, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.
He didn’t keep them in suspense but said directly, “We can’t find Fin Spirit, but we can track those Water Ghosts.”
Ku Feng shook his head, “Even I know that ghostly scouts don’t need to return to report. Undead Mages can use spells to see through the ghosts’ eyes and access their memories.”
Cang Xu smiled, “That’s precisely the tracking I’m talking about. We can secretly capture a Water Ghost and while Fin Spirit casts spells to extract its memories, we use magic to track and pinpoint her exact location. I recall a spell for this in the middle-level Soul Vein heritage.”
The ship ghost nodded, “Indeed, it’s called the Soul Tracking Technique. Its main use is to determine the position of Undead Life through clues and trails. Undead Mages often use it to discover and capture some powerful or unique Undead Life in the Netherworld.”
“Now it can also be used to search for the position of the Fin Spirit. Because an Undead Mage is of course an Undead Life. And when she uses Undead Magic, communicating through the vision or memory of a Water Ghost, that becomes an Undead trace. However, I can’t guarantee success, as I rarely use this spell.”
After listening to the ship ghost’s explanation, the Little Prince and Ku Feng instantly understood.
Where could there be many powerful, unique Undead Lives?
Of course, the Netherworld.
And to explore such a realm as the Netherworld, an Undead Mage’s Level must reach the Holy Domain Level; Golden Level is not safe.
The butcher physician had received a distress signal from the ship ghost while exploring the Netherworld in the past.
Following Cang Xu’s proposal, the group captured a Bronze Level Water Ghost.
This move was actually risky.
Because they could also be discovered by the Fin Spirit.
The ship ghost pressed the Water Ghost into the Ghost Ship and after checking it, he made a new discovery.
When he reappeared and came up to the deck, he told everyone, “Good news.”
The Little Prince was delighted, “So, the Soul Tracking Technique worked? Tell me, where exactly is the Fin Spirit hiding?”
“In the sky,” the ship ghost said.
“What?!” The Little Prince tried to widen his eye sockets—well, all that remained were his eye sockets.
“I see,” Ku Feng realized suddenly.
The ship ghost continued, “There has always been a cloud above the sea, and the Softie is hidden in that cloud.”
“The Softie?” Cang Xu was puzzled.
The ship ghost had some understanding of that, “They’re part of the Firebeard pirate group, seemingly invited here by the Sea Snake Lady. This information was provided by the Fin Spirit.”
This surprise others.
The Little Prince unsurely asked, “Lord ship ghost, have you been in contact with the Fin Spirit?”
“Yes. The Fin Spirit anticipated our arrival and tampered with a Water Ghost beforehand. Through the Water Ghost, we can now communicate with her and exchange some simple information. That’s the good news I mentioned!” the ship ghost explained.
Indeed, promising news!
The Fin Spirit’s “betrayal” was coerced, a desperate move. In the Sea Battle of Pine Wind, she clearly went easy.
And she had foreseen that the ship ghost and others would come to rescue her, hence she tampered with the scouting Water Ghost in advance.
Cang Xu speculated: Perhaps her trust in the ship ghost was also because she was summoned by him and had served as his alchemy assistant for many years, becoming well-acquainted.
Now, the Fin Spirit was in secret contact with the ship ghost. With “eyes” inside the enemy’s ranks, the situation immediately became advantageous for the Undead Mages.
“How do we strike at the Softie hiding in the clouds?” the Little Prince worried.
“Difficult,” the ship ghost shook his head, “my Ghost Ship can’t fly yet.”
A thought passed through Cang Xu’s mind as he keenly detected a secret from the ship ghost’s words—could the Ghost Ship possibly fly?
“I can’t do anything in air combat,” Ku Feng said, “Only the Ghost Army could maintain combat effectiveness.”
“Yes, my Skeleton Archers simply can’t threaten the Softie. I have very few Skull Mages, and most importantly, my ramming Skull Turtles are completely useless now!” the Little Prince exclaimed, holding his large skull.
In his Skeleton Army, the most powerful were the ramming Skull Turtles. The current scale had expanded over twice more than initially.
“We need to lure them to the sea,” Cang Xu remarked.
“Yes, yes, you’re right!” the Little Prince nodded repeatedly, “Luring them to the seabed would be best; then my Heavy Cavalry might come into major play.”
Ku Feng noted, “We are in the dark, they are in the open, we can afford to take our time and plan.”
But the ship ghost shook his head, “The pirates aboard the Softie are not our only enemies. According to the Fin Spirit’s information, another pirate group will arrive here for reinforcement in the next few days.”
“It’s the Haughty pirate group.”
“However, according to the plan, they are first supposed to dock at Flower Skirt Island for a few days.”
“So, we don’t have much time.”
“We’d better draw them down soon!”
But how?
The Little Prince bowed his head to think for a while, then suddenly looked up, “I’ve got it!”
His motion of lifting his head was too sharp, and with a snap, his head detached from his neckline.
His round skeleton head directly fell onto the deck.
The Little Prince’s body hurriedly ran over, squatted down, and reattached his head: “We can attack the clan of the Fin Spirit.”
“That way, we can draw those pirates down!”
Seeing everyone silent, the Little Prince continued, “You tell me, why are these people hiding in the clouds?”
“I don’t think they are laying in wait for us.”
“They are probably threatening and exploiting the Fin Spirit’s clan, hunting a large number of sea beasts.”
“By attacking the Fin Spirit’s clan now, they will be in for a shock and then come to fight us. They’ll think we’re here for revenge, since the Fin Spirit betrayed us, right?”