Demon Hunter and His Cabin
Chapter 396 - Chapter 396 Chapter 396 Calling the Death Crow

Chapter 396: Chapter 396: Calling the Death Crow Chapter 396: Chapter 396: Calling the Death Crow Stephen’s breath hitched slightly.

If Edward had died over a month ago, then who had taken them to the ancient castle half a month before?

Everyone apparently heard the voice coming through on the phone, and before Stephen could ask again, the call was disconnected.

“What’s going on? How could he be dead? I clearly saw him taking us…”

“Could I have gotten the time wrong?”

Stephen shook his head, “That’s not possible…”

At that moment, he was completely bewildered, even beginning to doubt his own memory and mental state.

“They?”

“Who else went with you to that ancient castle, besides Edward?” Henrik asked.

“Call them up.”

Stephen seemed to grasp at the last straw.

10 minutes later, the room fell into silence.

“It’s impossible, I clearly remember everyone set off together, how could they say they have never been to that place?”

In those 10 minutes, Stephen made six or seven calls, but without exception, everyone said they had never seen Edward, nor had they ever been to the so-called ancient castle.

As everyone expressed denial, Stephen also began to scrutinize his own mental state.

“Where did that Edward live?”

Roger suddenly asked.

“We should go there and take a look.”

A man who had apparently died half a month ago took living people to an ancient castle hidden in a remote mountain village half a month later.

Henrik glanced at Roger, “Monster Spirits can disguise as living people, but cannot move about freely in daylight for a long time.”

Henrik shook his head, “That would be too difficult.”

“What if it were a Spiritual Body higher than a Monster Spirit?”

“Monster and Ghost?”

“Or an even higher-tier entity?”

Goway added.

“Let’s wait until we investigate Edward’s home before we make any judgments.”

Roger originally thought this was just a simple temporary task, possibly involving some Evil Spirits or ordinary Cursed Items.

However, from the traits that have been shown so far, he had begun to sense something unusual about the incident.

An ancient castle over a hundred years old, a dead person, participants with lost memories, and Stephen’s special existence with a fragmented soul.

In a sense, if not for Stephen’s uniqueness, this matter might have never come to light.

It seems that behind this apparently ordinary Transcendent incident, there might be a significant event hidden, perhaps the person orchestrating all this has done it more than once before.

Roger suddenly thought of the Black Tide that everyone had been talking about at the Foreign Spirit Assembly, could this matter be related to the so-called Black Tide?

Edward did not reside in Mist City, but lived in another city 80 kilometers north of Mist City.

After a simple breakfast, the group drove straight to Edward’s house. Edward came from an affluent family; his ancestors had been nobility of Engelman, and even now, Edward’s father retained an honorary title.

After explaining their purpose, Edward’s family was not at all averse to Roger and the others.

They told Roger that Edward’s death was entirely accidental, due to family reasons and a lack of discipline, Edward was far more reckless compared to Stephen.

He had a passion for racing cars and had even secretly participated in several underground races, achieving commendable rankings. However, one day, a month prior,

Edward had left a bar on his way back to his mansion, and due to human negligence, the car crashed into the guardrail near a cliff.

As expected, the three people in the car didn’t survive.

Besides Edward, there was also a model and a minor celebrity.

Because it was a traffic accident, Edward’s family quickly handled the related affairs, and his body was buried in the public cemetery.

Having not found any information at Edward’s home, the group drove to the cemetery.

The tombstone bore the image of a young man with golden short hair and handsome features, his eyes slightly narrow, the corners of his mouth holding a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

“Can we be certain that the body buried below is indeed that Edward?”

Roger suddenly asked.

Goway nodded.

“This guy is indeed dead.”

“If that’s the case, then what did Stephen see half a month ago? A ghost?”

Veronica asked somewhat uneasily.

“If it was a ghost he saw, that would actually make things much simpler,” Henrik said with a bitter smile.

He glanced at Goway and asked tentatively, “I’ve heard that high-tier witches possess a forbidden spell that allows them to summon the souls of the dead.”

“As long as their souls still exist in this world.”

“Regarding souls and death, it is a taboo among all transcendent professionals,” said Goway without being explicit, but it was clear she had some knowledge of such a spell.

After a moment’s hesitation, she sighed deeply, “I can give it a try, but I can’t guarantee it will have any effect.”

“The method I wield comes from a family heritage and requires some preparations, and this place isn’t very convenient.”

“If the ritual is a success, and we actually summon Edward’s soul, and if his soul has evolved into another state, then we might be able to obtain some information from him.”

“But if the spell fails…”

“The situation will become very tricky.”

“The entity that took Stephen and the others away might not be Edward at all, but another creature disguised as Edward.”

“This Edward has been dead for half a month, and yet Stephen knows nothing about it, which suggests their relationship must have been very distant.”

“And that might be one of the criteria the mastermind uses when selecting targets.”

Hearing this, an idea suddenly popped into Roger’s head.

“Veronica, you could try your luck in this regard, ask around to see if anyone has organized any so-called castle explorations, or castle parties lately,” he said.

Veronica understood Roger’s intention.

After Veronica left, Roger and the others began their preparations.

The materials needed to start the ritual were not hard to find. Since Edward’s body had already been cremated, they could only focus on the objects he used when he was alive.

Once everything was ready, they went to a villa where Edward used to live. Goway drew a complex array on the ground with a black liquid made of unknown materials.

In the center of the array was a cage with a completely black crow inside.

The white candles around were lit, and the juice of the Ziqu flower was sprinkled on the candles, creating a crackling sound as water and fire collided. Immediately after, a purple smoke rose above the candles.

Goway’s hands released energy, which mixed with the purple smoke, and then the energy-infused smoke was poured into the black crow at the center of the array.

“The crow represents death.”

Goway explained.

“Its call will help us summon Edward’s soul.”

As she spoke, the crow in the cage began to swell in size. However, it soon became evident that its expanding body was constrained by the surrounding iron cage.

Amid the repeated friction, the crow let out a piercing cry, and as time passed, its flesh and blood became embedded in the gaps of the iron cage, its voice growing weaker and weaker.

Until finally, nothing out of the ordinary happened around them.

“The spell failed,”

Goway shook her head and sighed deeply.

But just as she was about to give up, a sudden change occurred.