The Defeated Saintess Is On A Journey To Tame The Evil God Book 01 Chapter 06.04 - Whale Song

…

Xing Mo felt perplexed by the series of riddle. The girl in front of her clearly had no intention of disclosing her real identity.

In the end, she decided to speak frankly: "Yes, what's been bothering me is indeed Steam Man. He's elusive, like a specter, striking three people located far apart in a short period of time, and one of them was located in Nevirabeta Magic Academy."

"According to Instructor, that guy must be at least six string rank, and may even be approaching Demigod rank. If he control, half of the Citadel may be obliterated."

After Xing Mo finished speaking, the proprietress was quiet for a while, before speaking softly: "You said he's like a specter, but what if he's actually a specter?"

The proprietress's words exploded in Xing Mo's mind like thunder, causing her to crease her brow as she considered the possibility.

A specter... that would indeed explain how he was able to appear at three places in such a short span, without being seen by anyone, and even bypass Nevirabeta's string magic formations...

"But I have seen him, and he does have physical form..." Xing Mo said, "Specters can't disappear together with a physical form, can they?"

"What if he can transition between physical and spectral forms?" The proprietress's voice flowed like a stream.

"This sounds... inconceivable..." Xing Mo muttered.

At this time, the pink-haired maid came over with a tray and placed a cup of coffee in front of Xing Mo.

"Thank you." Xing Mo nodded and gave her thanks, and the maid smiled back and walked away.

Xing Mo picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip, and its bittersweet taste, accompanied by a warm and silky sensation, spread in her mouth.

She even added the right amount of sugar... how did she know...

When Xing Mo put down her coffee, the proprietress opposite her continued to say: "The truth is hidden within fragments. Flawed deductions only introduce impurities. To gleam the truth, you have to eliminate the impurities and look for the source."

Eliminate impurities... look for the source...

Xing Mo lowered her head and began to sort out the details again, casting away many things: such as Prince Austin, Bishop Freyr, and the Evil God's coming, focusing solely on the concept that was Steam Man.

Firstly, suppose Steam Man was a specter.

If he was indeed a specter, it could explain how he appeared in three places in a short period of time. After all, when outside the vessel, the soul could indeed move very fast.

However, without a body, no matter how far the soul moved, it couldn't materialize.

Not to mention, Nevirabeta Magic Academy had string magic barriers. Ordinary souls couldn't just waltz into the academy.

Therefore, if Steam Man was really a specter, then he required some kind of power to anchor his soul to reality.

This power had to be strong enough to condense a vessel in the material plane.

This power also had to allow him to pass through the barriers of Nevirabeta Magic Academy, or else it wouldn't explain how he was able to move to the academy's Rear Gardens from the White Tower District.

And this force had to be everywhere.

…

Xing Mo's thoughts revolved at high speed, weaving the clues together.

After clearing away layers of fog, a gleam of light suddenly emerged ahead—

"...!" Xing Mo's emerald-green eyes widened and her hands trembled.

Of course... why didn't I think of it before...

It's the curse!

... Prince Austin had been spreading the curse throughout the Citadel, from the Southern District to the Northern District...

... the students of Nevirabeta came from all over the Citadel. Of course, there would be carriers of the curse among them, thus bringing the dark power into the magic academy...

... just like Young Master Noble Sunlight...

... and when the power of the curse was dense enough, it would naturally be able to condense into physical form when Steam Man needed it, thereby accommodating his soul...

... hence the faint steam preceding his every appearance...

... the string formation used to extract the curse in the Sunflower Hot Springs was in the shape of the Tree of Life, indicated that the vessel provided by the curse was sculpted by the power of life...

... it all connected, everything fell into place...

Xing Mo took a deep breath and said quickly: "Steam Man relies on the curse spread throughout the Citadel to move rapidly! As long as the concentration of the curse within an area is high enough, he can traverse in soul form, and then rely on the curse to materialize!"

"The cause of the curse is people's negative emotions, which is why Steam Man first appeared in the Northern District—the Docklands' workers lead a hard life, making it an excellent breathing ground for negative energy."

"You're very astute, Ms. Xing Mo." The proprietress smiled gently, "That's right. To be precise, the curse forms a probability cloud. The higher its concentration, the higher the probability of Steam Man appearing. He can appear at random. There is no rule or pattern to it."

"... so that's how it is. I never thought of it that way. Thank you for offering your perspective..." Xing Mo murmured.

However, new questions surfaced.

Firstly, how did Prince Austin gain authority over the domain of life? After all, with Xing Mo by her side, Aurora couldn't possibly bestow such power to that guy.

Secondly, if Steam Man relied on the probability cloud formed by the curse to move quickly in the Citadel, then how did the one behind the scenes control him?

The kill list was obviously purposeful and not random.

Finding the means to control Steam Man was the real solution to dealing with him.

After all, you couldn't defeat an omnipresent ghost.

Xing Mo meditated about it for a moment and then asked: "So, if Steam Man is a ghost, then how does the one behind the scenes control him?"

"This is something you'll have to figure out for yourself." The proprietress showed a mysterious smile, "But I can give you a clue."

She flicked her wrist, and an ash-colored picture appeared between her fingers, then fell on the table.

Xing Mo picked up the picture and saw that it was of a large factory located by the sea.

"If you go here, you'll be able to find more clues." The proprietress explained.

"This looks like a building in the Docklands..." Xing Mo muttered and put the picture away.

"Oh, by the way, there's also this." As she spoke, the proprietress flipped her wrist again, and a cloudy white crystal fell from her fingers, suspended by a delicate silver chain, swaying in the air.

"This is... what would you call a sacred artifact, named Astrological Pendulum."

"If you store a sample of the curse in it and suspend it in the air, it will point to the nearest homologue."

"If utilized correctly, you can use it to find Steam Man."

Xing Mo took the pendulum from the proprietress, stared at it blankly, and then blurted out: "I have no money."

Xing Mo was afraid that the proprietress would suddenly ask her for money! She didn't have enough with her.

However, the proprietress just smiled: "It's fine. Next time you come, bring me a couple of stories as payment."

Using stories as payment? It sounded quite poetic...

Upon hearing the proprietress words, Xing Mo didn't ask any more questions. After all, the pendulum seemed really useful.

Thereupon, she put away the picture and the pendulum, and then smiled: "Thank you, Proprietress."

The proprietress also smiled: "As a guardian, you have done everything you could, so it's fine to ease up a bit and not to put too great of a burden on yourself."

Her voice was gentle, flowing like a mountain stream into a valley, ethereal yet imbued with strength.

Xing Mo nodded gratefully: "Though I don't know why you are helping me, but... can I have your name?"

On one hand, this was partly out of politeness, On the other hand, Xing Mo wanted to ask the instructor about this "omniscient miss", to see if she could uncover the true identity.

After all, she even knew that Aurora was an Evil God. Although she was acting friendly, but Xing Mo couldn't be sure if she had any ulterior motives.

Hearing Xing Mo's words, the proprietress was silent for a moment, and then said softly: "Sure."

She twirled a strand of her white hair with her finger, her blood-red eyes shining brightly: "You can call me Perlis."

......