Chapter 4: The Concealed Ones

That is a vertical shaft

You Lian crouched down, attempting to clear away the pile of corpses. So far, the vengeful spirit had not appeared, but in order to lure it out, You Lian had his own thoughts and plans.

Regardless, for now, I can only rely on myself

You Lian set down the document in his hand, rubbed his brow, and a wave of fatigue surged within him

In fact, the wandering souls were supposed to continue cleaning this castle for their master, just as they did last night, and maintain its cleanliness and hygiene. However, upon arriving here, the wandering souls were astonished to find that they were unable to carry out their tasks. This was due to a presence that was more powerful and colder than they were, which was dominating the area. Left with no choice, the wandering souls had to report to their master and hand the matter over to Yulian for resolution

He shook his head, casting aside these tedious feelings, and refocused his attention on the intelligence before him. There was a great deal to be done. The task of cleaning and tidying the castle could be left to those wandering souls, but managing the castle could not. Moreover, he did not intend to spend his days here in solitude; he had his own plans, and for those plans, he needed quite a lot of things.

As a secluded town, Twilight Town itself possesses no significant production capacity. The residents have lived here for generations, relying solely on the cultivated farmland and hunting wild beasts in the forest, with no particular sources of wealth. The town's monthly tax revenue amounts to just over 100 gold coins.

With a helpless sigh, You Lian closed the documents in front of him. Soon after, a cold gust of wind swept through, causing the documents to be lightly lifted and swirl in the air before landing on the bookshelf beside him. Although this castle had been uninhabited for nearly thirty years, the previous occupants had not removed the furniture due to their fear of bringing the 'curse of the demon' upon themselves. Therefore, You Lian did not need to worry about this aspect. Additionally, because of the presence of wandering spirits, ordinary insects dared not approach this castle, so the furniture remained largely undamaged. At least for now, it was still in a usable condition.

However, now this place has lost its former military value. Relying on this fortress, the kingdom's territorial boundaries expanded by one-third. Consequently, the original military fortress has become entirely ineffective. The status of Twilight Castle, however, determines that it cannot transition into a commercial or transportation hub. Therefore, this once magnificent fortress has completely declined, and Twilight Town has similarly lost its past glory, becoming a place that now holds almost no significance.

It should have originally been located behind the walls of the dungeon, but due to the passage of time, a collapse in the dungeon walls created an opening, allowing the previously sealed atmosphere to escape. The well had long since run dry, revealing only the bare inner walls and bricks. You Lian leaped down, turned his head, and then easily spotted his target.

Although after accepting this body and absorbing his memories, You Lian understood that the situation was quite troublesome, he did not expect it to be this difficult

It is important to note that this group of wandering souls is not composed of ordinary ghosts. They were born a millennium ago during the era of the most advanced magic, known as the Age of the Radiant Moon, and inherently possess formidable power. Coupled with being bound by powerful soul magic and having undergone the test of time, their strength, while not as great as that of mages, makes them rare adversaries in the realm of souls. In fact, as a former battlefield, countless individuals have perished on this land, and vengeful spirits are naturally not uncommon. However, most of these vengeful spirits have been completely consumed by the wandering souls, eliminated as food. Now, after the passage of time, although their power is not as strong as that of mages, they remain rare opponents in the world of souls. Indeed, as a former battlefield, countless individuals have died on this land, and vengeful spirits are certainly not rare. Yet, most of these vengeful spirits have been thoroughly devoured by the wandering souls and eliminated as sustenance. Now, the existence of these vengeful spirits that the wandering souls cannot eliminate undoubtedly piques Yulian's interest

The cold air faintly carried a weak laughter, echoing within the vast, dark castle. This would typically evoke feelings of fear and unease; however, for Yulian, it was merely a small game played by the wandering souls, and thus he did not overly intervene. Originally, Yulian intended to go to bed to rest and reconsider his plans, but the whispers within the souls halted his steps.

You Lian muttered to himself, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes

You Lian clearly felt that the originally gentle winds of the soul suddenly became intense and confusing. He focused intently on the reports of the wandering souls and then raised his eyebrows.

However, why is there such a powerful phantom energy spreading here

At the moment he crouched down, a cold and violent energy suddenly erupted from behind You Lian, extinguishing the already trembling torch.

During the era of Yulian, this place was besieged by the allied forces for a full six months. Although the enemy outnumbered the garrison within the castle by far, the allied forces ultimately returned empty-handed, having paid the price of nearly ten thousand corpses, and reluctantly chose to retreat. It is said that it was precisely because of these tens of thousands of corpses that this forest became so lush.

This is, however, a very unusual matter for You Lian

The light and warmth emitted by the burning torch dispelled the darkness and chill within the tunnel. You Lian, holding the torch, descended step by step along the frost-covered stairs. His expression was serious, with his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Even without the feeling of being an End Knight, You Lian could easily sense the danger that lurked in the darkness.

However, fate still did not grant any opportunities due to the efforts of the other party

Is there such a thing?

On this continent, there are two forms of fiefs: one is the "Royal Fief," which is directly granted by the royal family to others through royal decree. Those who are fortunate enough to receive such fiefs are typically individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the royal family or have blood relations with them. The territories they receive are generally sufficient to maintain their status and reputation, and they possess relatively ample resources. The other form is the "Noble Fief," which is used by lords who have received "Royal Fiefs" to reward their subordinates. The territories granted to these individuals are also generally sufficient to maintain their status and reputation, and they possess relatively ample resources. Unlike "Royal Fiefs," "Noble Fiefs" do not have a defined sphere of influence, and in fact, it is quite difficult for these noble fiefs to develop, as the nobles only assign a specified portion of towns and fortresses for governance. For instance, the fief that Yulian currently possesses, although the great noble has entrusted him with the entire Twilight Mountain range, he can only collect taxes from Twilight Town. As for the villages and towns on the outskirts of the Twilight Mountain range, although they fall within his sphere of influence, Yulian has no jurisdiction over them.

They are like warriors; when the war no longer requires them, their significance also disappears.

The reason behind this lies in the granted fiefdom—although the great nobles did indeed provide Felix, this young man, with genuine and effective documents, it is important to note that they are not fools. In the event that the other party knowingly walks into a death trap and deliberately creates chaos, he could easily leave this world with a carefree gesture, facing the earth and turning his back to the sky. However, the subsequent reconstruction and stabilization efforts in this area would still fall upon the shoulders of those great nobles, who naturally would have considered this point. Therefore, what they granted Felix was a "noble fiefdom".

More than one hundred gold coins is not a small amount for an ordinary person, but for the nobility, it is hardly enough to fill the gaps between their teeth. It is evident that the document specifies that Yulian only has the authority to manage and collect taxes in Twilight Town, which is precisely to limit his development. Although to the nobles, a dying man poses no real concern, they are wary of the desperate struggle he might make before his death. In any case, Twilight Town is small and sparsely populated, with a total population of barely over one hundred. Furthermore, lacking any economic power, even if one were to consider rebellion, there would be no capability to do so, and it would be better to just play around with books.

The narrow corridor was pitch black and dim, even the light from the torches had grown faint. As I turned the corner, the murderous intent of the soul became even more apparent, almost without the need for confirmation, the source could be easily identified

This is fate; no matter how hard some people strive, they cannot achieve their goals... Even sacrificing their lives does not change this.

Call ... ...

There are vengeful spirits present here

Or rather, something that should have been a corpse

The stones used for constructing the well are of the finest quality, as they must withstand pressure and possess permeability. Even a sword would struggle to leave any mark upon them. Although the well water has dried up, the moisture left behind has nurtured moss, making the surface of the stones even more slippery. However, at this moment, there are distinct scratch marks on those stones. The traces left on the hard rock reveal the intensity of the other party's desire to survive. Furthermore, despite the well water being dry, the moisture has fostered moss that renders the stone surface slicker, yet the scratch marks remain, indicating just how strong the will to survive is.

The air is filled not only with the unique fear of death and obsession with life that the vengeful spirits possess, but also with a powerful shadow energy. This is a distinct form of magical energy that reacts solely to those without physical form, to illusory existences. For this reason, for the incorporeal wandering souls, a place saturated with shadow energy becomes their place of demise; should they dare to enter, there is only one path left for them: death.

And now, standing in the pitch-black tunnel, You Lian finally understood the reason why those wandering souls could not advance

In such circumstances, You Lian does not feel unfamiliar. In his own world, he also started from scratch and ultimately achieved great success. If it were not for the whims of fate, he would not have left his own world to come to this magical and peculiar capital. Subsequently, You Lian still followed his desires and successfully became one of the most powerful beings in this world. Moreover, long ago, You Lian had already considered various situations that might arise in the future and had made the necessary preparations.

The only benefit is that, in consideration of the dying man, those great nobles finally ceased to hold Felix accountable, and generously exempted him from taxes for a year. This means that for this year, the Twilight Castle does not need to pay taxes to those great nobles, which is the only good news for Yulian. Otherwise, Twilight Town only collects one hundred gold coins in taxes each month, half of which must be paid to those nobles. Even if Yulian had extraordinary abilities, he would likely have to shake his head and run as far away as possible. During this year, Twilight Castle does not need to pay taxes to those great nobles, which is the only good news for Yulian. Otherwise, Twilight Town only collects one hundred gold coins in taxes each month, half of which must be paid to those nobles. Even if Yulian had extraordinary abilities, he would likely have to shake his head and run as far away as possible

You Lian furrowed his brows and continued walking inside. Generally speaking, the dead would emit a magical aura, but only mages do. Could it be that a mage actually died in his own castle? But why did the wandering souls seem to have never discovered this?

Due to the passage of time, the clothing has become tattered and worn, with most of the stark white bones buried beneath the yellow earth. You Lian moved the torch, illuminating the corpse before him, and then raised his gaze to survey the surroundings

However, it now appears that the current situation is even worse than starting from scratch

The Twilight Castle is not a small fortress; during the era of Yulian, it was located on the border of the kingdom, backed by the Twilight Mountains, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. The Twilight Mountains are steep and complex, and the only flat area is right here. It integrates seamlessly with the Twilight Town below, providing mutual support. Under the protection of the castle, Twilight Town is safe from enemy attacks, and with the support of Twilight Town, the castle does not face issues due to lack of supplies. Additionally, the clear spring water flowing down from above makes this place virtually an invincible stronghold. Under the protection of the castle, Twilight Town is safe from enemy attacks, and with the support of Twilight Town, the castle does not face issues due to lack of supplies. Additionally, the clear spring water flowing down from above makes this place virtually an invincible stronghold

Under the illumination of the flames, what is displayed on the wall are deep, chilling scratch marks

That is a corpse

What lay before Yulian was the detailed report of Twilight Town, and the results of this report were somewhat troubling for Yulian

No matter how powerful You Lian is, he only has two hands and ten fingers, making it impossible for him to cover all aspects. Therefore, he must seek out talented individuals who can assist him in his work. However, at present, this is clearly a luxury.