novelraw Chapter 631: Capture
Chapter 631: Capture
Chapter 631: Capture
The message that the barrier was complete arrived, and Jie Ming rose from beside the fountain, retracting his spread-out spiritual force.
Half an hour of continuous scanning had not burdened his mind much, but the prolonged sorting of fate lines had left him utterly exhausted.
Fortunately, with the Fate Subsystem’s assistance, it remained within bearable limits.
“Even after my life form has already transformed into an information being, controlling fate is still incredibly difficult…”
Jie Ming sighed, stretched his neck, and his bones let out faint cracking sounds. He then headed toward the assembly point designated by the male wizard in the deep blue robe.
The assembly point was set inside a fruit storage room on the north side of the town.
It was a half-underground stone building that maintained a cool, dry environment year-round, used for storing fruits harvested in autumn.
At this moment, the interior of the storage room had already been cleared out. The wooden crates that had been stacked inside were moved against the walls, leaving a sizable empty space in the center.
When Jie Ming pushed open the door and entered, most of the other eight wizards had already arrived. The storage room was filled with the faint sweet scent of fermenting fruit, mixed with the damp smell of the stone walls.
Several glowing crystals were embedded in the walls, emitting a soft, cool light that illuminated the entire space brightly yet without glare.
The male wizard in the deep blue robe stood at the center, holding a palm-sized crystal test tube in his hand.
Inside the test tube was half a tube of blue liquid. The color of the liquid was very deep, almost opaque, and its surface occasionally rippled with tiny waves, as if some invisible force was stirring it.
“This is…” Jie Ming walked closer, his gaze landing on the test tube.
“The core of the bait,” the deep blue-robed male wizard raised the test tube, letting the cool light pass through the blue liquid. “I collected the genetic material information of everyone in the entire town and concentrated it into this tube of solution.”
“Everyone? Including us wizards as well?” Jie Ming raised his eyebrows slightly. “When did you collect it?”
“I collected from all the other wizards except you, mainly while setting up the barrier,” the male wizard smiled, his smile carrying the indifference typical of a high-ranking wizard.
“My specialization is in bioinformatics. Collecting genetic material is as natural to me as breathing. The townspeople’s samples came from their shed hair, skin flakes, saliva, and other sources. As for all of you…”
He looked at the other wizards present. “I already mentioned it to them while setting up the barrier. I can also establish a contract to ensure these genetic materials will not be used for any other purposes.”
The wizards nodded, and no one showed any displeasure.
Although for wizards, handing over their own bodily tissue or genetic information to another wizard was somewhat taboo.
However, since the other party was willing to establish a contract, and it was for the sake of achieving the objective by collecting teammates’ genetic information…
Although it slightly overstepped normal social boundaries, considering the value of this hunt’s target, such a minor offense was entirely acceptable.
“These genetic materials have been concentrated into this tube of ‘Information Solvent,’” the male wizard continued to explain. “The blue liquid is a special medium that can maintain the activity of the genetic information while simulating the illusion of ‘one large family.’ Within this test tube, the townspeople’s genetic information has been woven into a massive family tree, and everyone can find their own position on this tree.”
“So to that Strange, this test tube is like a container filled with ‘potential victims,’” the Curse Witch walked out from the corner. Her pale gray eyes beneath the hood stared at the test tube, her tone carrying a trace of appreciation. “As long as it manifests, it can make contact with the genetic information of the entire town in one go.”
“Exactly,” the male wizard nodded. “Moreover, I deliberately placed various seasoning jars beside it…”
He pointed to the stone beside the test tube.
On the stone sat a row of ceramic jars, large and small, more than a dozen in total.
Salt jar, sugar jar, pepper jar… each one was open, and the seasonings inside emitted their respective scents.
“To give it a familiar crime scene,” the male wizard said. “The salt jar is its first choice, but I also placed the other seasoning jars to see if it has any other preferences.”
Jie Ming thought for a moment, signed a contract with the other party as well, and then handed over his own genetic information.
“Is there anything else I need to do?” Jie Ming asked.
The deep blue-robed male wizard looked at him. “You possess knowledge related to fate. We need you to use fate-type methods to connect everyone’s fate lines as closely as possible to this crystal test tube, ensuring there are no flaws in the fate aspect of this thing. Then, search for fate lines related to the Strange as much as possible to ensure it notices this place.”
Jie Ming pondered for a moment and nodded. “I can try.”
A bright light flashed across his forehead as the Fate Subsystem operated at full power.
The information processing network constructed by the Incense Fire Divine Dao unfolded deep within his consciousness. Countless fate lines extended from the virtual network, floating in the air like spider silk.
Jie Ming’s spiritual force probed into these fate lines, beginning to sort them one by one with the genetic information inside the crystal test tube.
This was not a simple process. After all, Jie Ming’s fate-type knowledge was only at the starter stage.
Fortunately, Jie Ming had the Fate Subsystem.
This information processing network built by the Incense Fire Divine Dao was most skilled at handling such matters.
With the assistance of the Fate Subsystem, Jie Ming organized the fate lines of the entire town in perfect order. According to genetic relationships, the closeness of social connections, and even the proximity of living locations, he categorized and connected them to the crystal test tube.
The blue liquid began to change.
The originally still liquid surface started to ripple with fine waves, as if something was gently stirring in the depths of the liquid.
The color of the liquid also slowly lightened, from deep blue to indigo, then to a fluorescent blue-purple.
That was the external manifestation of the successful connection of the fate lines.
After completing the first step, Jie Ming let out a long breath, his expression becoming even more serious.
Next was the key part!
The power of the Fate Subsystem began to rise, and the Five Aggregates Rainbow Mirror also became active. A steady stream of computational power surged from his soul.
Jie Ming began to collect all fate fluctuations related to the Strange, using the timing of events as the benchmark.
Based on this, he searched for all similar fates and connected them to the blue liquid.
Finally, Jie Ming retracted his spiritual force. A layer of fine sweat had seeped onto his forehead.
The fates of all characters in a town and the fates of events occurring in a town were completely different in scale.
Sorting and connecting tens of millions of fate lines, even with the Fate Subsystem’s assistance, still consumed a considerable amount of spiritual force.
“Completed,” he said.
The deep blue-robed male wizard looked at the test tube, then at Jie Ming. A trace of approval appeared in his gaze. “Impressive. For a moment, I subconsciously felt that this thing was actually related to me.”
The other wizards also used their own methods to verify it and all nodded in satisfaction.
“Then, let’s begin now,” the Curse Witch walked to the stone and sat cross-legged not far from the seasoning jars. “I will be responsible for locking on. Once that finger appears, I will immediately shift the focus of the curse from the test tube to us.”
“Don’t mess it up,” the burly male wizard looked at her with some doubt.
The Curse Witch did not answer. She simply raised her right hand, and a complex black rune emerged in her palm.
The rune slowly rotated in her palm, emanating an aura that instinctively made people uncomfortable.
The burly male wizard wisely closed his mouth.
The other wizards each found positions in the storage room to stand or sit, forming a loose encirclement.
Everyone restrained their own auras and suppressed their energy fluctuations to the lowest level, so as not to disturb that Strange.
Jie Ming chose a position where he could see the entire stone surface. He leaned his back against the stone wall and sat cross-legged.
He was not skilled in this part, so he simply did not participate. Instead, he spread his spiritual force over a wide area as before, constantly monitoring the changes around them.
The storage room fell silent.
Only the occasional faint rippling sounds from the blue liquid and the sound of wind seeping through the gaps in the stone walls could be heard.
Time passed in the silence.
No one spoke. The nine high-ranking wizards stood or sat like nine statues, each maintaining the most suitable posture for taking action, waiting for that thing to appear.
About twenty minutes passed.
Jie Ming’s spiritual force captured an extremely subtle anomaly.
The feeling was difficult to describe…
It was like a nearly invisible object suddenly appearing on the surface of a calm lake, causing the entire lake surface to ripple simultaneously.
Then, he saw it.
A finger had appeared inside the salt jar.
Pale skin covered in age spots, the nail crevices damp and glistening.
“It’s here,” Jie Ming said softly.
No reminder from him was needed. Almost at the same moment the finger appeared, everyone’s gazes focused simultaneously on the salt jar.
The finger stood motionless among the salt grains.
But everyone present could feel an invisible force surging from the finger and spreading toward the crystal test tube.
That was the “writing” process of the curse.
“Lock,” the Curse Witch’s voice was very soft, but every word carried an unquestionable certainty.
The black rune in her palm instantly exploded, transforming into countless tiny black threads that spread in all directions like living creatures.
The threads precisely wrapped around the finger while shifting the focus of the curse from the crystal test tube to the wizards present.
She proactively allowed the Strange to target them.
Sure enough, the finger reacted immediately.
“Ugh…” The wizard specializing in the life system suddenly let out a muffled groan, his body stiffening slightly.
He instinctively reached out to press his waist, his brows tightly furrowed.
“Got hit?” the wizard beside him asked with some envy. “How does it feel?”
“A rather novel sensation,” the life-system wizard’s expression was somewhat strange, as if he had not experienced such discomfort for a long time. “The curse is attacking my kidneys. I can feel many tissues being replaced with salt.”
“Does your mouth taste salty?”
“Yes…” The life-system wizard took a deep breath, his expression becoming even stranger. “It really is too salty.”
“Even you can’t stand it?” one wizard felt very curious.
After all, the person in front of them was a sixth-ring wizard. Even if he deliberately relaxed his defenses to allow the curse to take effect, he should not be made unbearable by a mere taste.
With the physique of a sixth-ring life-system wizard, even if he gnawed on an entire salt lake raw, he should not feel any discomfort.
“Yes. My mouth is full of salty taste, so salty it’s bitter,” the life-system wizard licked his lips. “This thing’s mechanism… should be directly making the cursed person only feel a saltiness that exceeds their own carrying limit.”
As he spoke, a faint green light surfaced on his body.
That was the signature ability of life-system wizards: Life Form Transformation.
The faint green light flowed within his body. His soul and flesh rapidly changed structure under the light, transforming from flesh organs into an elemental state composed of pure life energy.
In an instant, his entire being completed the transformation from a flesh-and-blood body to an elemental being.
“The elemental being I have transformed into theoretically has no ‘salty’ sense of taste…” The life-system wizard paused midway, his brows furrowing again.
“But I can still taste the saltiness.”
This statement caused a subtle change in the atmosphere inside the storage room.
A sixth-ring life-system wizard had transformed himself into an elemental state. In theory, he should have already escaped the influence range of conventional sensory-type curses that could affect taste.
Yet he could still taste the saltiness.
This meant that this Strange’s curse did not act only on the material body, nor only on the soul, but on a more essential level.
“Interesting,” a gleam flashed in the Curse Witch’s pale gray eyes—that unique excitement a researcher felt when facing an unknown phenomenon. “This curse’s level of action is higher than I imagined. Since it’s not material, energy, or soul, then it must be…”
“Concept,” Jie Ming interjected. “It directly acts on the concept of ‘salty.’ No matter what form your body takes, as long as your understanding includes the attribute of ‘salty,’ it can make you taste salt.”
Because he was quite familiar with conceptual materials, Jie Ming made the judgment quickly.
“This level of concept…” The deep blue-robed male wizard’s eyes also revealed an excited look. “If we can capture and study it, our understanding of law theory will advance tremendously.”
His gaze fell on the finger inside the salt jar.
The finger was still inserted among the salt grains, but the Curse Witch’s black threads had already wrapped it tightly.
One end of the threads connected to the finger, and the other end connected to the continuously rotating black rune in the Curse Witch’s palm.
“I can seal it,” the Curse Witch said. “Although after releasing the curse, this finger will become useless. But before the curse is released, this finger is instead the materialized form of the Strange. Sealing the finger is equivalent to sealing the Strange.”
“Then do it,” the burly male wizard urged.
The Curse Witch nodded and began to cast her spell.
The black rune rose from her palm and slowly floated toward the salt jar.
As the rune drifted, it continuously expanded, from the size of a fingernail to the size of a fist, then to the size of a head.
Dense curse scripts appeared on the surface of the rune, each emitting a low buzzing sound—the sound of the sealing technique activating.
The other wizards also took action one after another, assisting the Curse Witch in reinforcing the seal.