"Hmm?"
After hearing Blake's question, Monroe raised her eyes in surprise.
She was also very observant; from Blake's question and gaze, she quickly deduced that Blake might have already known the reason for her hesitation.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked such a thing.
When she thought of this, Monroe was taken aback. Her gaze was filled with incredulity as she looked at Blake.
'This guy is much smarter than I thought…
'He could actually tell the reason for my hesitation just from my subtle expression, but why is such an intelligent person like him only able to live for one more day?
'Could it be that his fate is to die from sealing Rakshasa's soul?'
When she thought about how such an interesting guy like Blake would die soon, Monroe couldn't bear it.
Even she herself did not realize that subconsciously, she had already recognized him as her new master after she witnessed him annihilating the corpse insects.
'So, what should I do now? Should I tell him the method to incarcerate Rakshasa?
'It isn't a difficult task, but I'll need a magical artifact that's on par with the Pandora's Box. Will this kid have it on him?
'Sigh, what am I doing, fretting over him. The Lotus Lamp is as powerful. I'm worrying for nothing… But what if he dies after sealing Rakshasa? What should I do then?
'No, from the looks of it, if I don't deal with Rakshasa as soon as possible, my life would be in danger too. I shouldn't be thinking so much about others…'
These thoughts whirled in Monroe's head.
In the end, after dithering for a while, she decided to first tell Blake the way to imprison Rakshasa's ghost. Otherwise, things might change, and it would be bad for everyone.
"The method to confine Rakshasa is actually really simple," began Monroe as she looked at Blake. "As long as you have a weapon that can repel the ghostly Qi, it will also have the function to seal Rakshasa. The Pandora's Box will be a huge help in this. Then, you'd have to stay in the coffin for the night. This way, the entire formation will be attached to the magic tool and you can carry Rakshasa with you wherever you go, as long as the device is with you."
Monroe's words echoed in Blake's ears as he made a mental note of her instructions.
The black gas wrapped around him continued to whirl, but Blake was no longer afraid.
Now that he knew the technique to deal with Rakshasa, everything would be much easier.
He carefully digested every word Monroe said.
'A magic artifact that is able to constrain Rakshasa's soul…
'I wonder if the weapon I used before would work.'
As he thought of this, he reached his hand into the system's portal and a gray dagger materialized in his hand – the Obsidian Carving Knife!
It was the same item that he had used to destroy the coffin's magic seal previously.
According to the records in the Supernatural Treasure Guide, the Obsidian Carving Knife has the ability to break any magical seal and constrain all spiritual beings in the world.
'I wonder if it would work on Rakshasa…'
Blake guessed to himself, and his hands moved quickly.
He gripped the handle of the blade with his left hand, and held the Pandora's Box with his right, shaking it at Rakshasa's soul while chanting an incantation.
A cluster of sigils surged out from the Pandora's Box, flowing along the Obsidian Carving Knife, and charged toward the accumulation of black Qi!
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
A small stream of black Qi separated from its main body, and let out a sharp cry.
Chi!
'Now! We can do it now!' exclaimed Monroe.
Blake did not waste any time; he accelerated toward it and brandished the Obsidian Carving Knife while using the Pandora's Box to summon a string of runes to bind the black gas.
The scattered cyclone of ghostly Qi kept shrinking under the suppression of the sigils, and it started to dissipate as Blake slashed it with his Obsidian Carving Knife.
In the end, Blake seized the whole mass of gas and they flowed into the box in his hand.
This small device was indeed bizarre. It could release chants in the form of flying runes to restrain Rakshasa, and it also seemed to be bottomless. The black Qi that flooded into it never overflowed, even though it was clear that it shouldn't have been able to fit entirely into the cramped box.
If it weren't for the Pandora's Box, Blake definitely would not have been able to accomplish this feat so easily today.
'How did this spiritual tool come about in the past, and who exactly was this Moses who had the ability to establish such an incredible magic formation?'
Blake wondered to himself.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that there were probably thousands of the same kinds of people out there. There were just simply too many things that he was oblivious to...
Chi, chi, chi!
As the ghostly mist was being harvested into the Pandora's Box, Blake stabbed the Obsidian Carving Knife into the last cloud of them, which contained the essence of Rakshasa's soul, forcing a seal onto it.
Then, he secured both the lump of gas and the incarcerated core of Rakshasa into the box, shutting it with the lid.
Rakshasa's ghost was restrained, for the time being.
"Phew!" Blake let out a long breath. Cold sweat trickled down his wrists, back, and his whole body, while his limbs and torso were covered in tiny wounds.
He felt as if he had been having an out-of-body experience the entire time. Everything that had just taken place was unlike anything he had ever gone through before.
He had just been a regular high school student who led a monotonous life. If the system hadn't told him about how death would find him on the next day, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to do all of this.
His actions tonight were as if he was keen on meeting his maker.
After Blake calmed down, he reminisced about the past few hours and felt like he was stuck in a dream.
"Blake! The seal hasn't been set yet! Lie in the coffin!"
"Use the tomb's magic circle to finalize Pandora's formation!"
Monroe's reminder echoed in his ear.
Hearing this, Blake hurriedly picked up the magic box and rushed toward the coffin in the tomb.
That's right, it wasn't over yet. He still needed to carry out the final step!
...
A few minutes later, he stood in front of the coffin and opened the lid. Looking at the gloomy and cold container, Blake knew that this wasn't going to be pleasant for him.
He tried to reassure himself, repeating in his mind that he would only have to stay there for half a night.
Just half a night, and whether he lives or dies tomorrow would be determined.
"Hu!" Blake exhaled deeply as he calmed his thumping heart.
Whether he would be able to live for another week depended on the result tonight!
Bang!
He fit himself into the coffin and lowered the lid.
In the dull and frigid tomb, Monroe glided along in the air with a grave expression.
She could see that Blake's life force was so weak, it looked like he only had one breath left. He was in danger of being disconnected from life at any time.
'Should I accompany this guy out of here and start a new life, or wait for a new master?'
Monroe's heart was pounding against her chest nervously.
She couldn't make up her mind over this uncertainty.
...
While this was going on underground, the quake had stopped and the captain of the Criminal Investigation Division was also rescued safely.
However, when everyone looked at the sealed entrance to the cemetery, they fell into silence. There was no way for the Criminal Investigation Division to get down there.
"Everyone, bring your excavation tools! Dig up this place as fast as you can!
"I won't give up on our hero this easily! We must retrieve him, even if all that is left is his dead body!"
The captain pointed toward the entrance of the tunnel and instructed loudly.
The men of the Criminal Investigation Division saluted and boomed, "Roger! We promise to bring Blake back, no matter the cost!"
...
Just like that, the entire Criminal Investigation Division started shovelling up the ruins crazily under the moonlit night.
One hour passed.
Two hours.
Then three…
Time went on painfully, minute by minute.
By the time the sun rose from the east, it was already 7 a.m. A team member who was shoveling with all his might had finally managed to break through the huge pile of gravel, and the entrance to the tomb was now exposed.
"Captain! We've found an entry!" the men shouted excitedly.
At the same time underground, Blake, who had been slumbering in the coffin, heard the long-awaited notification appearing.
[ Ding! ]
[ Congratulations to host for completing the novice mission: A Night in the Cemetery. ]
[ Reward: A luxury sports car. Currently being distributed… ]
[ Ding! The car has been parked on the A120 basement level of the Phoenix World Center. Please collect it! ]