Chapter 587, You Count as a Deputy
The wraith turned and fled.
In the blink of an eye, it phased through the rooftop and disappeared from sight.
This was entirely beyond Wu Heng's expectations.
With a thought, his two wraiths separated from him, floating on either side.
"What happened?" Glenda glanced at the corpse and the ritual materials.
"I just converted a wraith, but something seems off. Capture it, but don't harm it," Wu Heng quickly instructed.
The two wraiths exchanged a look and then shot through the roof, chasing after the fleeing spirit.
They pursued the wraith into the sky.
Glenda and Xiaoxiao were both level 18 wraiths now, clearly faster than the escaping one.
The gap between them quickly shortened as they got closer.
Wu Heng stepped out of the storeroom and waited for a moment before Xiaoxiao flew back.
She pointed in a direction and said, "Uncle, Aunt Glenda caught the ghost."
Among Glenda's abilities was a skill to imprison soul entities.
The first time they met, she had used it on Xiaoxiao. Later, in the zombie world's train station, she had used it to trap mindless wraiths.
So, capturing a low-level wraith was something Glenda excelled at.
Wu Heng let out a sigh of relief.
If the wraith had escaped, both his and the wraith's levels would have been wasted.
"What level is it?" Wu Heng asked.
"Not even level 5, really low. It didn't get far before Aunt Glenda caught it."
"Let's go take a look."
"This way!"
Xiaoxiao led the way, guiding them out of the city lord's manor.
The wraith hadn't gotten far before Glenda had captured it.
Entering a dimly lit alley, they saw Glenda standing beside the wraith, which was bound in place, struggling and screeching.
"Something's wrong with it," Glenda murmured.
Wu Heng stepped closer, observing the wraith trapped by an invisible force.
Its form flickered erratically, its spectral face appearing and disappearing as if shifting between a ghost and a wraith.
Upon seeing Wu Heng approach, the wraith suddenly lunged forward, slamming into the barrier with a shriek, then hastily retreated, curling into the furthest corner.
It looked wary and terrified.
Wu Heng frowned.
Did the spell fail?
The skill description stated that it could awaken the soul within a corpse. This shouldn't have resulted in an incoherent spirit.
Beni's death—turning into a wraith was her only chance to 'live' again.
If this didn't work, there was nothing else he could do.
Aahhh!
The wraith screeched again, lunging forward like a vengeful ghost.
Then it retreated just as quickly, remaining cautious.
"What's its name? Try calling it," Glenda suggested.
"Beni!" Wu Heng called out.
The struggling wraith suddenly froze.
It turned its head, glancing at them.
It worked!
Wu Heng continued, "Loberini, it's me, Wu Heng. We met at the tavern—you once provided me with intel. We saved the town's children together."
The indistinct spirit began to form facial features.
It also became more solid.
"I came to take you away from Blackstone Town."
The wraith's blurred form gradually shaped into a human figure, with facial features that matched Beni's original appearance.
She clung to the edge of the binding barrier, staring blankly at him.
"Beni, don't you recognize me?"
"Wu Heng? Didn't you become an island lord? How…" Then she suddenly realized something, looking down at herself. "I… I… I think I died… Those people killed me… I'm so scared…"
Her form distorted again, swaying unstably.
Wu Heng reassured her, "Beni, it's okay. It's all over now. I came to take you away from here. Will you come with me?"
Beni hesitated. "Like this?"
"Yes. I'll take you to Gold-Silver Island. It's surrounded by the sea—have you ever seen the ocean? There are elves, dwarves… The outside world is much bigger than Blackstone Town."
Beni hesitated. "But I don't know anything… Won't I just be a burden?"
"I came all the way from Blackstone Town to get you. If you refuse, I'll be really sad."
"Well… okay, then. I'll go with you," Beni nodded shyly.
As they spoke, Beni's state began to stabilize.
Her form was no longer erratic, and her features became identical to how she had looked in life—except she remained in wraith form.
Wu Heng glanced to the side. "Glenda, release the restraint."
The binding disappeared, and Beni didn't try to run.
Wu Heng stepped forward and said, "I'll form a contract with you. I'll explain everything in detail once we return."
"Alright," Beni nodded.
Wu Heng released his necromantic energy, slowly enveloping the wraith.
With no resistance, he imprinted a mark deep within her soul.
The contract was complete.
"Welcome to the team, Beni."
"Does this mean I'm part of the Guild now?" Beni asked.
"You count as the deputy of the Guild's Banner Holder, which makes you an indirect member."
Beni floated forward slowly. "That's fine, just like before."
Wu Heng glanced at the two curious wraiths whispering to each other and introduced them, "This is Loberini, a friend of mine from Blackstone Town."
Then he turned to Beni and introduced, "These two are Glenda and Xiaoxiao, my companions."
Beni gave a slight bow. "Lady Glenda, Miss Xiaoxiao."
Glenda returned the greeting, while Xiaoxiao initially saluted like a young pioneer, then, realizing it felt out of place, imitated Glenda's lady-like bow.
"Let's go back first. We'll discuss the details later," Wu Heng said.
Glenda and Xiaoxiao re-entered his body first.
Beni hesitated for a moment before following suit.
Wu Heng turned and walked back.
...…
City Lord's Manor.
The main hall was packed with people—the gang members who had extorted money, the city's guards, and several other figures dressed like gang members.
They were all fervently trying to explain something.
Wen Mansa sat at the head of the room, expressionless, exuding the air of an aloof and indifferent city lord.
As Wu Heng passed by, he pointed upstairs, signaling that he was heading up.
Wen Mansa nodded in acknowledgment.
Upstairs, Wu Heng entered the study.
He released all three wraiths again.
Glenda floated to the side, Xiaoxiao curiously looked around, and Beni remained stable.
"Beni, can you remember what happened before?" Wu Heng cautiously asked.
Beni's expression turned fearful and uneasy.
But she still responded, "I remember. I was trying to send information to the Guild. Somehow, I got discovered… They killed me, accusing me of betraying the church."
Wu Heng confirmed that discussing the topic didn't destabilize her.
Feeling relieved, he continued, "What intel did you gather?"
Beni recalled and said, "The church I joined was called The Church of Destiny. The leader's name was Fatih. He gathered many followers through preaching and was moving toward the western side of the kingdom."
Hearing Beni mention The Church of Destiny, both Wu Heng and Glenda looked surprised.
This wasn't the first time they'd encountered this cult.
The live sacrifice at the Emerald Sea that released the Coffin Exile, and later the 18th-level necromancer who came for revenge…
Both incidents were orchestrated by the Church of Destiny.
The Guild had listed them as a wanted organization, but there had been no further leads.
Yet now, they had surfaced here.
Emerald Sea and Blackstone Town were quite far apart.
Especially in a world where transportation wasn't advanced—this was an enormous distance to cross.
"What class is their bishop?" Wu Heng asked.
"I'm not sure. He's very secretive, but I suspect he's a melee class—I once saw him carrying a longsword," Beni answered.
A melee class!
An 18th-level necromancer, and now a melee-based bishop?
It wasn't impossible.
But typically, intelligence-based classes were better at manipulating people.
"Were there any strong followers?" Wu Heng asked.
"When I was there, more people kept arriving. Among them was a Great Knight and two Church Protectors. Their levels seemed high," Beni recalled.