Marquis Augustus's condition was already critical, and time was running short. If the Dragon Blood Flower Bud could not be delivered to the Marquis as soon as possible, he was very likely to succumb to the poison right then and there.
And when that happened, Janey's two uncles would probably seize control of the Augustus Family's power outright!
This was something Janey absolutely refused to let happen.
But expecting her and Jemos to cross the Wailing Ghost Domain by themselves? Ha! That would be nothing short of suicide!
So, once Leilin agreed, both Janey and Jemos' eyes lit up with delight.
"Oh! Got it! We're going through the Wailing Ghost Domain, right? What an awful name!" Weilin replied carelessly, climbing back into the driver's seat and snapping the whip.
As a country bumpkin, the only places he knew in the entire world were Bott Town and the surrounding Crow's Crying Wasteland. Everything else? Thanks to the limitations of transportation and his lack of knowledge, he knew absolutely nothing about them.
In fact, this was the first time he had ever traveled any real distance!
With the horses whinnying, the carriage carrying all four of them creaked and groaned as it slowly rolled into the region known as the Wailing Ghost Domain.
Since the Wailing Ghost Domain was a notoriously dangerous place that few people visited, the road had long fallen into disrepair, overgrown with weeds and shrubs. Weilin could barely make out the traces of the path from the ruts on either side.
As the carriage ventured deeper, a thin layer of grey mist began to gradually materialize around them.
At first the grey fog was faint, but it steadily thickened, until eventually they could see no more than five meters in any direction from the carriage.
"M-Master Leilin! The fog is getting too thick..." Weilin immediately slowed their pace. At this level of visibility, pushing ahead at full speed would be an invitation to death.
"I know!"
Leilin spread open his right hand. A wisp of grey mist swirled continuously across his palm before dispersing, then quickly gathering back together.
"It carries a faint aura of cold and gloom, and... it's not made up of simple water vapor..."
He then issued a command: "Chip! Analyze the composition!"
"Ding! Task established. Material collection underway. Analysis commencing..." the Chip reported faithfully.
In an instant, a composition chart appeared before Leilin's eyes.
"The primary component of this mist is water, comprising approximately 98.2%, with trace amounts of inorganic salts, proteins, lysozyme..."
"Cross-referencing with the database. Determination: human biological tears. Probability: 99.99%"
The Chip delivered a response that startled Leilin slightly, but then, at the corner of his eye, a hint of amusement surfaced.
"A mist made of tears? Interesting! And I can even smell a trace of spiritual energy in it..."
"Master Leilin, is something wrong?"
Janey and Jemos looked at Leilin with concern in their eyes. The analysis and all the preceding moments had been conducted through the Chip — from the outside, they had only seen Leilin freeze for a moment before a faint smile crept onto his lips.
The Wailing Ghost Domain's fearsome reputation had been built upon piles of bleached bones. If Leilin, a fully-fledged Wizard, hadn't been there to anchor the group, Janey and Jemos would never have dared take this shortcut.
And even with Leilin present, the moment they entered the Wailing Ghost Domain, both Janey and Jemos had heightened their vigilance, not letting their guard down for even a second.
"Master Leilin! The fog is too thick — I've lost the road!"
At that moment the carriage came to a halt, and Weilin turned around, an apologetic look on his face.
"What? How is that possible?" Janey and Jemos exchanged a glance, then climbed out of the carriage. The sight that greeted them left them stunned.
Ahead of the carriage, the road had split into three forks, each one branching off at odd angles like the limbs of a dead tree, leading in different directions.
And standing quietly at the roadside was a wooden signpost, more than half broken away and covered in creeping vines.
On the signpost, written in black lettering that had already faded considerably, were a handful of place names, each with an arrow pointing the way.
"'The Weeping Lady's Cottage,' 'The Wailing Monster's Playground,' 'Jones' Bakery'... What kind of bizarre names are these?" A look of obvious puzzlement crossed Janey's face. "I've never been here myself, but I've studied the maps — there's only one road, with absolutely no forks or intersections..."
"It seems we've run into trouble," Jemos sighed, though inwardly he felt a measure of relief.
Before, they had never known how the Wailing Ghost Domain's terror would manifest, which had kept them on edge the entire time. Now that the problem had actually appeared, there was almost a sense of ease.
At least the challenge was out in the open. All they had to do was solve it.
"Hmph! A pointless trick!"
Leilin stepped out as well, gazing at the wooden signpost with undisguised contempt.
A flash of crimson light swept across the depths of his pupils, and the surrounding scene transformed in an instant.
The grey mist thinned dramatically, revealing all manner of grotesquely shaped trees. And where the signpost had stood, the wooden board was now crawling with small, triangular-headed vipers and toads, obscuring the original writing entirely.
"At this level, it's about the same as a poltergeist's prank — using suggestion and mental influence to deceive ordinary people, even apprentices. If this is all there is to it, then I'm quite disappointed."
"From here on, I'll direct, and you follow my instructions!" Leilin told Janey and Jemos to get back in the carriage, then settled himself into the front passenger seat.