Ten queen's gold coins? Donnie suddenly breathed heavily. Although he knew that he would earn a lot of money after he became an official sorcerer, many of his subsidies in school were arcana points, and he barely had any cash transactions. Therefore, after hearing the offer of ten queen's gold coins, he still couldn't help but swallow.
Ten queen's gold coins were nothing for nobles, rich merchants, and sorcerers, but Donnie was from a common family in a small town, and he had never seen a single gold coin in his entire life. Also, it was only a trip to the castle, and he could earn a fortune that could significantly improve his family's environment without really solving the problem. How could he not be tempted?
If he wanted to continue his path as a sorcerer, materials, scrolls, books, and extraordinary items were indispensable, and they all required the support of wealth!
If he could really solve the problem, how much would Baron Herdos pay him?
Donnie thought quickly, and his voice became slightly hoarse. "If I can solve the problem, how much will the baron pay me?"
The butler remained calm, not mocking Donnie's overestimation. It must be noted that a third-circle sorcerer tried to solve the problem but failed. He said respectfully, "My master said that, if Mr. White can restore peace to the castle, you will also be given a 'Magic Gauntlet', which is a level-two extraordinary item, apart from the ten queen's gold coins."
An extraordinary item? Donnie felt that his blood was boiling, and he almost accepted the offer.
Thankfully, his long-term meditation and spellcasting practice kept him awake. He said calmly, "Baron Herdos is the lord of the town. I'm more than happy to help him, but I need the records of the few sorcerers and apprentices who dealt with the supernatural incidents in the castle. If I'm confident enough, I'll go to the castle in person."
It was better to be cautious.
The butler put on a respectful smile and took out a thick stack of files from his pocket. "These are the records you need."
Sensing Donnie's surprise, he explained with a smile, "My master is no stranger to sorcerers. He knew that you would need them."
Donnie was relieved. He took the record and looked at it with a spell. He found that there were no traces of tampering, so he read it carefully.
After a long time, he stroked the document and calmly said, "It's just that the two apprentices were so shocked that they jumped out of the castle's window and fell to their deaths. There's no record of a mage's death. Hmm, for me, there shouldn't be any danger. Mr. Butler, please take me to see the baron."
The first half of his sentence was not meant for the butler, but for his parents and sister, lest they worry.
As he expected, after hearing his explanation, Lily and Mrs. White, who were worried and wanted to stop him, both sighed in relief and smiled from the bottom of their hearts. It was the honor of their family that their son (brother) was valued by the lord. It was the right choice to send him to the generic school!
As commoners, they feared and obeyed their lord more than they obeyed ordinary magicians.
Donnie's father, Old White, nodded excitedly and told Donnie to go ahead and not worry about the family matters.
…
The hills near the town were undulating and covered in evergreen trees. A dark, gloomy castle stood next to a beautiful, tranquil lake, reflecting the scenery around.
Inside the castle, Donnie and Baron Herdos, who had a sallow face and was coughing nonstop, sat on the couch opposite each other.
"This is the castle that has been passed on for nine hundred years. It's the symbol of the Herdos family, but the hauntings in recent decades have made us restless. I hope that you can help solve the problem, Mr. White. You are a professional of the school of necromancy," Baron Herdos said weakly.
He had been nursing himself in his villa in the city and barely returned to the castle. He had been waiting for Donnie here today. Ever since more power systems were established and alchemical items were popularized, more and more nobles preferred to live in the villas in the city or in the suburbs, where they could enjoy the convenience of the manors. Similar castles gradually became decorations, unless the infrastructure could be built deep into the forests in the future.
Although Donnie was a necromancer who specialized in body structure and genetic factors, the knowledge about ghosts and evil spirits was a compulsory course in the Heidler College. So, he was no stranger to them. He asked solemnly, "I wonder, what happened decades ago that caused the hauntings? I hope that you can tell me everything without leaving anything out. "
The sudden hauntings couldn't have happened for no reason.
"There really isn't. The few sorcerers asked about it before, too," Baron Herdos replied with a bitter smile.
Although the sorcerers that he invited earlier were not professionals of the school of necromancy, they would've done the necessary preliminary investigation since they were here to solve the problem. Unless they were crazy, no sorcerers were completely reckless. It was especially so for the arcanists today, who were clear-headed and logical!
"It seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Perhaps somebody did something in secret, but after such a long time, there are no more clues," Baron Herdos added.
Donnie nodded. "Baron Hope, please give me the files of the family during that period. I'll stay here tonight and 'kill' the time with them."
"I'll count on you tonight, Mr. Donnie." Baron Herdos nodded. Then, he left ten queen gold coins on the table and left the castle with his butler, returning to the city.
The servants in the castle all came during the day and left before the evening. Nobody dared to live here. Therefore, after Baron Herdos and his companions left, the castle regained its tranquility. The fire in the fireplace was burning furiously, but it could not drive away the profound coldness.
Donnie examined the castle and found nothing. Then, he found a bedroom and began to meditate to maintain his vigor, waiting for the arrival of night.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three bells burst out. The old wall clock "indicated" the arrival of ten o 'clock at night. According to the files in Donnie's hands, all the hauntings happened after that time.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Hardly had the bells stopped when Donnie heard a dull and weird sound. He frowned. Was it the sound of the cold wind hitting the window frame? But he had checked before, and all the windows were closed!
Touching the sorcerer's badge on his chest, Donnie opened the door and walked to the source of the sound.
Bam!
An enormous and dull crash echoed behind Donnie. He hurried to turn around, only to discover that the door that he just left was automatically closed!
Wu! Wu!
Wu! The feeble, hallucinatory cries entered Donnie's ears. His pores constricted. Had it not been for the few real nightmares that he had experienced, he probably wouldn't have been able to keep calm.
Wu!
The wind whimpered and suddenly blew in the corridor.
The candlesticks died out one after another, and the castle was completely enshrouded in darkness.
Donnie hurried to cast "Illumination". His gloves immediately emitted crimson light like a torch, illuminating the surroundings.
But all of a sudden, a gloomy and cold air blew on Donnie's neck, making his hair stand on end. Then, "Illumination" ended without a sound!
"This evil spirit is even more horrifying than described!"
Donnie had 'seen' all kinds of undead creatures in nightmares. He was more aware of the power of the evil spirit than the common sorcerers. Feeling uneasy, he quickened his steps and walked directly to the gate of the castle. "It interrupted my spell without me noticing at all! How could the few sorcerers have survived? "
Generally speaking, such evil spirits were all trapped in a certain place. As long as he left the castle, he would be safe!
"Hehehe!"
A white, fuzzy shadow floated in front of him and laughed miserably.
"If I didn't let them leave, why would they 'deliver' food to me again and again?"
Donnie was greatly alarmed. Did it know what he was thinking? Or was it trying to shake his mind with illusions and words?
"Rest assured. I won't eat you directly. I'll slowly, slowly absorb your soul." The shadow flashed, not giving Donnie a chance to lock onto it at all. "Ever since I was woken up, I've been very restrained. I'll only absorb half of your soul. It will make you forget what you're going through right now and come to me every few months."
Donnie moved forward warily, unaffected by the words. The evil spirit did not stop him, either.
He was more or less reassured. He felt that the evil spirit was just a facade. At this moment, the gate of the castle appeared before him.
All he needed to do was to get out!
Donnie opened the gate, only to find that it was the hall of the castle outside!
Fear surged up. Coldness rose from his feet and quickly paralyzed him.
"Haha, I love this kind of fear the most." A pale, illusory human face appeared in front of Donnie. It opened its mouth and a foul breath blew on Donnie's face, making him dizzy and unable to concentrate on casting spells.
Looking at the face vaguely, Donnie felt that the coldness was getting stronger and stronger. Even his soul seemed to be frozen.
He was fine even after such a nightmare, but he was going to die in the hands of this not-so-strong evil spirit?
Suddenly, Donnie felt a coldness surging in his right hand. Then, he raised it uncontrollably and grabbed at the face in front of him.
This is my right hand?
Donnie's pupils reflected a monotonous black, white, and gray palm. Looking at it was like looking at death without any vitality, death that would never fade away!
"No?" The evil spirit screamed miserably, as if it had seen the thing it was most afraid of.
Then, it froze in place as if it was waiting for Donnie's right hand.
The right hand passed through, and the evil spirit disintegrated and fell into the black, white, and gray, disappearing.
Donnie recovered and hurriedly cast the Illumination Spell. He saw that everything was normal except for the extinguishment of the candles.
"Illusion? No, it's definitely real! " Donnie raised his right hand and looked at it that was no longer abnormal. He muttered to himself, "What happened? Why did my right hand become like this? "
At that moment, he felt that he was the master of death!
"It … It feels very similar to the black, white, gray, and black armor in the nightmare!" Donnie suddenly raised his head. His face was covered in cold sweat.
…
Outside the castle, a tall and straight black shadow stood quietly. He smiled and said, "It's not so easy to solve all the problems."
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