I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 618 - 618 617. Soul Device_1

Chapter 618: 617. Soul Device_1 Chapter 618: 617. Soul Device_1 “According to the medical records from the hospital, Bronning should be nearing sixty this year, yet he appears very young. Although it could be explained by expensive maintenance, it’s more likely due to the influence of extraordinary powers,”

Stone explained.

“In fact, ever since Bronning turned fifty and started living in Storm Villa, his appearance has never aged, and he even seems to grow younger as time goes by. Despite living a reclusive life afterward, with many of his former companions cutting off communication, people have still somewhat noticed this fact.”

“Are you saying that Bronning might have come into contact with a part of the ‘Pollution’ from the Foreign Domain?”

Shia was well aware that age reversal was rare but not impossible.

After receiving extraordinary powers, at least on the surface, humans can temporarily achieve eternal youth and an ageless appearance. However, this guise comes with severe pollution; beneath the bright facade lies a decaying interior, no different from a monster.

Just like the portrait of Dorian Gray, it appears youthful and beautiful, but in reality, it’s rotten and withered.

“This Storm Villa must contain the remnants of Pollution left by Taoist Crane Cry, and this pollution might combine with what Master Byron brought, allowing Taoist Crane Cry to return to this world,”

Stone speculated.

“Bronning entrusted me to find the true remnants left by Taoist Crane Cry in this mansion. I don’t know if he just happened to live here and came into contact with the Pollution or if he has already mastered part of the secret. In any case, he hoped that I would search the entire mansion to uncover the secrets buried here. Unfortunately, before I could do so, he died.”

“He probably just realized that living here made him look younger. He wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of finding you if he had already discovered Taoist Crane Cry’s inheritance; that would be completely unnecessary,”

Shia concluded.

“Indeed.”

Stone nodded, sharing the same opinion.

“Is it possible that Taoist Crane Cry left a part of his soul in an object, thereby unknowingly bewitching Bronning and maintaining his youthful appearance? And if Taoist Crane Cry’s remains were brought close to such an object, would that enhance his power?”

Lu Ban suddenly said.

“Sort of like, um, a ‘Soul Device’.”

He was referring to a concept from a children’s literary work—splitting the soul into several pieces and infusing them into objects. As long as all the pieces are not destroyed, one could be revived through the soul fragments contained in them.

“That makes sense.”

Upon hearing Lu Ban’s words, Stone had an epiphany.

“Since Taoist Crane Cry’s ascension doesn’t mean he truly left this world, just transformed his form, then if he was careful enough, he would set up an avatar or a contingency. That thing, carrying the will and knowledge of Taoist Crane Cry, would logically have the ability to bewitch Bronning.”

“Which means, if we don’t find the ‘Soul Device’ that Taoist Crane Cry hid here on the Soul Summoning Night… then Byron would use the remains of Taoist Crane Cry to enhance the power of this great master, and we would all lose our sanity due to the intense pollution,”

Shia speculated.

This was the most likely scenario at the moment.

“It’s good that Master Byron hasn’t shown up yet, right?”

Lu Ban remarked.

“There are two possibilities. Byron knows what the Soul Device is inside Storm Villa, and his arrival would cause an overflow of pollution, or he doesn’t know what the Soul Device is and needs to search for it, just like us,”

Stone offered his perspective.

“Given the situation with the task, I think the latter is more likely, otherwise his arrival in the next two days would result in the revival of Taoist Crane Cry.”

“Another possibility is that if the object is near the remains of Taoist Crane Cry for a certain amount of time, like nine days, it could be absorbed by Taoist Crane Cry’s will,”

Lu Ban added thoughtfully, coming up with a sudden idea.

“If we just take Byron out halfway and snatch the remains he carries, can’t we quickly complete the mission?”

“???”

Stone glanced at Lu Ban.

“Good idea.”

Shia expressed her approval.

“No, wait a minute, is this how you usually complete missions in the Foreign Domain?”

Stone choked on a puff of smoke, then asked.

“Weren’t you able to kill those doctors and call girls before to achieve your own goals? Why are you not willing to do it now?”

Shia looked at Stone, puzzled.

“I have repented!”

Stone grew agitated when his dark past was mentioned.

“Moreover, I was helping her take revenge… Murder is a means to destroy everything. Once you kill someone, irreversible things happen, and we cannot just kill Byron based on conjecture. Maybe he’s just a swindler, or maybe he’s completely unaware of the Taoist Crane Cry’s remains…”

He was in a state of contradiction. On one hand, Stone had brutally killed members associated with the gang in the past, to help a call girl he’d met by chance seek revenge, to reach his own ends.

On the other hand, after many years of growth, Stone had come to understand the significance of killing. He had become “timid”, just like the boy that night on the bus, overcome by arrogance, crouching down and holding his head.

Of course, Lu Ban was certain that if Stone’s life was threatened, the detective would not hesitate to act, grinding his opponent to dust.

“Alright, the current problem is that Byron might not come through normal channels, and we don’t know when or how he will come. During this time waiting for his arrival, we can search the estate.”

Lu Ban said, then thought for a moment and added a few more words.

“And, Bronning’s family—I think they are not completely uninformed or uncaring about this place. They might also use various means to investigate the Taoist Crane Cry’s inheritance.”

Based on Lu Ban’s experience, in such missions, there would be no characters of no importance. Bronning’s children, his business partners, including that lover, must have a reason for their existence.

He would have to contend not only with the disciples of Taoist Crane Cry but also with Bronning’s family members.

After all, if they knew about Taoist Crane Cry’s inheritance here, they might become emboldened by evil and driven by greed, attempting to harm Lu Ban and others.

Moreover, if Taoist Crane Cry could bewitch Bronning, it was not impossible for him to bewitch Bronning’s family as well.

With this in mind, Lu Ban had an idea.

“Since you are a detective and have accepted Bronning’s request, we could perhaps use the pretext of investigation to learn more about Bronning’s regular activities, to see what he comes into contact with and find clues from it.”

“That’s exactly what I was planning on doing.”

Stone stood up.

Just then, a panicked and fearful scream came from outside the house.

The scream was heart-wrenching, as if witnessing the most terrifying thing in the world.

Lu Ban rushed out of the dining room.

*

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