Mystery: The Stranger

Chapter 25 Blue Jelly

Sataras paid no attention, because in her eyes, it was indeed not difficult at all. Snow had summoned imps, succubi, hellhounds and the like many times before. Summoning a messenger was just another way to achieve the same goal.

Indeed, that was the case. Since it was something he used daily, Snow didn't intend to make it too special. It was impossible for him to contract a crippled angel like Klein did; having a Saratas attached to him was already tiring enough.

He looked up at Leah, who was standing in the study doorway, and asked calmly, "What is the incantation used by Baron Hawke to summon the spirit messenger? Did he attach the summoning ritual to any personal item?"

Leah lowered her head slightly, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her skirt, a hint of hesitation and barely concealed sadness on her fair face. She remained silent for a moment before walking to the bookshelf in the corner of the study, taking down an extremely ordinary-looking inverted cross from the top shelf—the wooden base was somewhat worn, and the metal symbols on it had lost their former luster.

"I don't know if I can still summon it." She handed the inverted cross to Snow, her voice trembling with a barely perceptible sob. "After all, Rodney is... gone."

Before she could finish speaking, her eyes reddened slightly.

When Baron Hawke was alive, this spirit messenger was an important link between the family and the outside world, but now...

"Where's the spell?"

Snow took the inverted cross, interrupting the spellcasting and preventing Leah from successfully developing her emotions.

His fingertips traced the rough wooden surface, clearly wanting to finish the messenger's business as quickly as possible and deal with any possible contact from Karen Tamara, not wanting to waste any more time.

Leah was taken aback by his calm, unwavering gaze. The sorrow that had been building up was instantly interrupted, and her tears subsided considerably. Watching Snow toying with the inverted crucifix, she could only suppress the complex emotions in her heart and softly recite the incantation: "Spirits wandering in illusion, benevolent creatures at your disposal, messengers loyal to the Hawke family."

Upon hearing this, Snow pondered for a moment. This spell was clearly bound to the bloodline of the Hawk family, and as an "outsider," he might not be able to summon it directly. However, finding a new spirit messenger would be too troublesome. This family-style "universal mailbox" was just right for the daily needs of transmitting messages, and there was no need to go through the trouble of changing it.

"You can definitely summon it, right?" He looked at Leah.

Leah nodded, her eyes filled with certainty—she was Baron Hawke's widow and quite familiar with Hawke's family messengers, having summoned them many times before.

"Then I'll trouble you." Snow handed the inverted crucifix back to her, his tone indifferent. "You can summon it, and I'll make up a new contract with it. These ordinary spirit messengers probably don't have any complicated emotions. If the process is correct, they should be happy to establish a new contractual relationship."

He was still happy to go through the motions. It was just a spirit messenger; he wouldn't force the other party to sign a contract. That would make him seem like he only knew how to use brute force. After all, he was still a noble spellcaster.

Leah did not refuse, taking the inverted crucifix and walking to the center of the study. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to recite the magical ancient Hermes, her voice soft yet firm:

"I!

"I summon in my own name:"

"A spirit that wanders in illusion, a benign creature that can be commanded, a messenger loyal to the Hawke family."

The instant the incantation was cast, Snow keenly sensed a momentary overlap between the spirit world and the real world. He activated his spiritual vision and saw a soft blue light emanating from the inverted cross, condensing in the air into a translucent blue jellyfish—about the size of a palm, its body shimmering with a lustrous sheen, several slender tentacles swaying gently, and two oval-shaped spots of light on its head, like a pair of wise eyes.

The jellyfish hovered beside Leah, and a spot of light swept across the Hawke family baron's glove on Snow's hand. It clearly sensed a familiar aura and swayed slightly, as if to greet her.

"Drum, I hope you can sign a summoning contract with the new head of the family." Lia reached out and gently stroked the surface of the blue jellyfish, her tone pleading.

"Gurgle..."

The blue jellyfish blew a small bubble but made no move. Its light spot fell on Snow again, scrutinizing him for a moment. It was clear that it had sensed that he did not have the blood of the Hawk family. Even though it was Leah's order, it stubbornly kept blowing bubbles and refused to come closer.

"I'm...sorry."

Seeing Snow slightly raise his finger, seemingly intending to use extraordinary power, Leah instinctively apologized while shielding the blue jellyfish behind her. But her protection was in vain—Snow casually tossed out a luminous object emitting a faint white light; it was a small fragment of a pure soul, possessing a fatal attraction to spirit creatures.

A flash of blue light appeared, and one of the blue jellyfish's tentacles wrapped around Leah's arm, deftly snatched up the fragment of soul, and quickly stuffed it back into its body. Its body instantly brightened, and the light spot became even more intense.

"It's okay if we don't sign a contract." Snow walked past Leah, who was still in a daze and hadn't reacted yet, and gently patted the surface of the blue jellyfish—it felt soft and elastic, cool and slippery like jelly.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind: Could this thing be used as a mount? Could it grow bigger? Like a somersault cloud, riding on it to travel through the spirit world would seem pretty good.

"The contract doesn't matter. I'll pay you. You just need to deliver my message."

Snow squeezed it in his hand; the texture was quite nice.

A messenger who cannot be ridden is not a good messenger.

Although his Void Demon form is enough to freely explore the Spirit Realm, why bother floating around in the Spirit Realm by himself when he can have a "pet mount"?

His tone carried a hint of seduction.

"Gurgle."

The blue jellyfish seemed to understand, its body swaying slightly as if in nod. It extended a slender tentacle and gently touched Snow's fingertip, thus sealing the deal. As a creature of the spirit world, it simply couldn't resist the temptation of soul fragments.

"If you encounter trouble in the spirit world, you can come to me for help, and I will fight for you."

Now that he had the idea of ​​riding it, Snow took a lot more care for this new "pet" and made a promise to it.

The blue jellyfish was visibly taken aback, its body shimmering slightly. It had served as a messenger for the Hawke family for centuries, and every patriarch had only ever treated it as a tool; no one had ever offered to fight for it. Yet this demon, radiating an abyssal aura, was more generous than any human?

"Gurgle!"

It seemed to let out a joyful cry, then its body recoiled sharply backward, as if leaping into invisible water, instantly sinking into the spirit world. A short while later, it extended a tentacle from the spirit world, the tip of which held a crystal-clear gem, gently placing it in Snow's palm before vanishing completely into thin air.

"You actually know to give me a benefit?"

Snow held the gem in his palm and tilted his head slightly. The gem was pale blue, with starlight seemingly flowing within it; it looked extraordinary and must be very valuable—could spirit beings really be like this?

"This... seems to be an illusion crystal."

Leah stepped forward, examined the gem in Snow's hand closely, and explained with a somewhat complicated tone, "It's one of the main materials for the Sequence 9 'Apprentice' pathway..."

She looked at Snow with mixed feelings, suddenly feeling a sense of "betrayal" from her family's messenger. At least her beloved Dorum had never given her a gift since they met, yet now he was being so attentive to a demon he had just met.

"Really? That's an unexpected bonus."

Snow held the illusion crystal, chuckled softly, and put the crystal away.