Chapter 148: The Wail of the Undead

“Did you personally craft this?” Hughes looked down at the notes on the paper and asked.

“Uh… no, I haven’t done that, but the dragon bloodline was all extracted by me!” Mavis’s voice dropped noticeably, betraying her unease.

“Hm. I’ll help you complete the reincarnation ritual as soon as possible. Start gathering the materials first!” Hughes glanced over the list. The ingredients for both rituals weren’t particularly rare; they should all be available in the trading district of Sanctum City.

Under the sunlight, Sanctum City bustled with its usual vitality and prosperity. However, in the past couple of days, numerous city guards had begun patrolling the streets, conducting inspections. Anyone even slightly suspicious was promptly detained. Still, this didn’t disrupt the city’s normal operations; many wizards were merely curious and didn’t pay it much mind.

In fact, many wizard organizations had started recruiting members on a large scale. The previously strict standards had been relaxed considerably. The public center was now packed with hopeful candidates eager to join their desired guilds.

“Looks like Sanctum City is already preparing,” Hughes thought as he observed the scene. It was clear why the wizard factions were hastily accepting new recruits: they were gearing up to face Samuel’s arrival. Yet, it seemed the city was unaware of Samuel’s existence, only knowing of a deep-sea demon whale.

“Now, this is interesting,” Hughes mused. After lingering for a while, he left to visit various shops in search of materials for the ritual.

“Boy, it seems you’ve forgotten something!” A familiar voice reached Hughes’s ears. Looking up, he saw the woman from the Broken Valley standing not far away, smiling warmly.

“Uh!” Hughes hadn’t expected to encounter her here, and it appeared she owned a shop in this district.

“You seem to have forgotten what I told you,” the woman said as Hughes approached. She glanced around before closing her shop.

“I haven’t returned to the Silver Rose recently. I plan to gather all the intelligence first before contacting you,” Hughes explained, noting that the shop sold various vessels and containers.

“Is that so?” The woman nodded upon hearing his response but said no more. Instead, she handed him a scroll.

“This is a contract. Regardless of your intentions, as long as you cooperate fully with this upcoming assault, I promise you’ll receive everything I’ve pledged!” She tossed the scroll to Hughes, urging him to sign.

“A temporary contract?” Hughes examined the document. It wasn’t an agreement to join the Black Cross Society but rather a set of terms requiring his full cooperation for the attack.

“Fine.” Without hesitation, Hughes signed. It was only a temporary contract, and he had no desire to become entangled with the Black Cross Society more than necessary.

“Excellent!” The woman’s face lit up again as Hughes complied.

“You’ve already seen how seriously Sanctum City is taking this. I hope you can deliver what I want as soon as possible. I live here—you can come find me directly,” she said, implying that Hughes should speed up or risk jeopardizing the plan.

“Understood. I’ll hurry,” Hughes promised. As he left, he discreetly pocketed a set of potion-making vessels from her shop. Judging by her expression, they must have been quite valuable.

After purchasing the necessary materials, Hughes returned to his laboratory, determined to begin crafting the Wails of the Undead without delay.

Inside the lab, Hughes prepared the ingredients while Mavis traced the wizarding array on the floor, coordinating the ritual.

“I’m ready here. How about you?” Mavis asked excitedly; she was eager to reclaim her body.

“Almost done,” Hughes replied. Everything was set for the ceremony to commence.

“Is this ritual complicated?” Hughes inquired, eyeing the tangled lines on the floor and the numerous magical stones.

“It’s manageable. The complexity lies in the many components involved. Besides the usual crafting, it includes energy conversion, material decomposition, and so forth. Not difficult, just extensive,” Mavis patiently explained. Since this concerned her own being, there was no room for carelessness.

“Alright, let’s begin,” Hughes said, unfazed. With Mavis by his side, who had studied the ritual for so long, mistakes were unlikely.

“Does your lab have soundproofing?” Mavis suddenly asked before they started.

“Of course. Why?” Hughes replied. Soundproofing was standard in almost every wizard’s lab.

“Turn it on. Otherwise, I’m worried the noise might attract the city guards,” Mavis advised.

“Got it.” Though unsure of the full reasoning, Hughes activated the soundproofing.

“All set. Let’s start!” Mavis said, ready to initiate the ritual.

Hughes placed a crystal orb containing the undead at the center of the array. Mavis began chanting the incantations while Hughes infused the magical stones with his spiritual energy, activating the entire array.

As the chanting continued, the undead trapped within the orb seemed to sense danger. The orb shook violently, delicate cracks appearing on its surface.

“Hm?” Hughes hesitated, about to inspect the orb, but Mavis stopped him.

“Don’t worry. This is a normal reaction. Only by doing this can the resentment within these souls be fully released and amplified!”

“Understood.” Trusting her, Hughes focused on maintaining the array’s operation.

With a muffled bang, the crystal orb shattered into a pile of white powder on the floor.

The freed undead—hundreds of them with blood-red eyes—lunged toward Hughes.

“Ah!” Just as they neared him, an invisible barrier blocked their path, enraging the spirits trapped within the array.

The entire lab echoed with their furious wails.

“It’s time for the crucial step. Activate all the arrays on the floor now!” Mavis urged, sensing the moment was right.

“Alright.” Hughes complied, initiating every array Mavis had drawn. Energy began circulating through the tangled lines.

“Ahhh!” The hundreds of undead at the center writhed in pain, clutching their heads as piercing screams filled the lab.

Hughes finally understood why Mavis had insisted on activating the soundproofing. Without it, the screams would have drawn the city guards immediately. He also grasped why the concoction was named the Wails of the Undead—the shrieks were so unbearable, it felt like needles pricking his mind.

As the arrays continued to operate, a faint black mist began to emanate from the undead. The mist coalesced above the array, while the spectral forms grew increasingly translucent until they dissolved entirely.

The process was lengthy. Mavis floated above, watching intently, while Hughes had his recording chip document everything. Perhaps one day, this knowledge would prove useful.