The Record of Unusual Creature

In this land next to the Arctic Circle, the sun did not bring much warmth, especially to the Andrea Family’s icy castle. The boring, black building relied on charcoal and boilers, which provided limited warmth to its occupants. The cold Siberian wind blew into the room through cracks in the window and Becky, who had just washed her face felt annoyed. “Who opened the window again?”

Lily squatted in front of the window with a naive and clean smile on her face. Vivian glanced at the husky, and said, “The husky’s here early in the morning to enjoy her ancestors’ blessings, eh? That’s such a dumb smile.”

Lily stood up and snorted. “I don’t care what you say. It’s good to have some cool air; it makes one adapt quickly to the climate at least, unlike you. You were frozen into an ice cube yesterday.”

Vivian had her arms on her hips. “Just three of them were frozen! And they didn’t crash. Didn’t I finally glide into the house successfully?”

“Don’t ask me to grill them again the next time they freeze. It was so unbecoming of you to tell me I couldn’t eat them after doing all the grilling. You were wasting my time.”

As always, Lily and Vivian were going at it hammer and tongs again, but the movement outside the castle had quickly shifted their attention. Something was approaching the castle from a distance. Upon careful observation, it appeared to be three sled teams. The sleds were sturdy and beautiful. They were covered in thick, brown bear fur and decorated with shiny copper antlers as well as side metal panels. Many groups of strong sled dogs were pulling the sleds and yes, they were Siberian huskies—three groups of them.

Despite snowmobiles being easier to use, there were still people using sledges as a means of transportation in the snowland. A few traditional ethnic groups still preferred this ancient mode of transport. The sled teams undoubtedly belonged to the castle owner, Igor. So, it seemed that the castle owner had returned from seeing his old friend.

The strong sled dogs had traveled a long distance, now gasping as they pulled up to the snowy border. They seemed reluctant to move again. The servants in the castle had already been informed and they rushed out to meet their master. Hao Ren just walked over to the window, stood there and looked out at the beautiful traditional sleds. He could not help but praise them, “Oh, those are beautiful sleds.”

Lily also glanced at the lasso and leash in front of the sleds. “Wow, sleds!”

Hao Ren looked at Lily, finding her bizarre. He had a vague feeling that the husky’s focal point was somewhat different than his.

Vivian bawdily poked Lily on the elbow and pointed her chin at the groups of huskies outside the castle. “Look, it’s your dear friends. Don’t you want to go out and say hello?”

Without saying anything, Lily pushed the window open to let out a loud “woof”. She immediately caused a ruckus outside as the Siberian Huskies ran excitedly before they lined up neatly in three formations. They barked incessantly at the castle as if they were shouting slogans.

Lily closed the window and looked provocatively at the stunned Vivian. “I’m telling you, it’s hard to find things with wings here, but huskies are a dime a dozen. Would you believe me, if I said I could climb up to the roof tonight, and call out 200 huskies with just one ‘woof’?”

Lily walked out proudly, leaving Vivian and Hao Ren speechless as they looked at each other. After a long while, Vivian said, “I can’t communicate with her.”

The first thing the middle-aged butler with the zombie face did was tell Igor about their guests. Igor was very surprised to hear that the demon hunter was not only alive, but he had also brought a large group of reinforcements. He immediately hosted a reception in the living room on the second floor of the castle.

Hao Ren had not eaten yet. Upon hearing about the castle owner’s invitation, he quickly went to the party.

Igor was a middle-aged man, less than 50 years old. He had a short, sturdy body, sparse hair on his head and pale skin, but a big red nose, which made him look a bit funny. However, beneath the comical face lay a depressed look. His depression made him look far older than his actual age. Igor was sensitive and cynical like an old man and even Hao Ren could see that the evil spirit in the castle had greatly accelerated Igor’s aging process.

“I’m glad to see you again, alive, my friend,” Igor pasted a smile on his face and greeted Nangong Sanba. He was wearing a thick fur coat, but the thick coat did not seem to protect him from the “cold air” in the castle. He was trembling slightly, and his voice was so low and faint like his tongue had froze. “I heard a horrible explosion that night. The light in the clock tower continued to shine until the next day. Then, I sent someone down to look for you, but we only found some blood and a locked iron gate. I thought you’d been consumed by the evil spirit.”

Nangong Sanba’s true nature was well-known by Hao Ren and others, but in front of outsiders, he was still an expert in exorcism. Therefore, his face was serious and his manner appeared like someone with authority. “I fought with the evil spirit and was certain that I had weakened its power. But, I have to say that the information you provided wasn’t complete. The first sealing attempt has failed, so I have to find someone stronger who carries a mysterious power of the east, powerful enough to expel the spirit beneath the castle.”

Hao Ren and Lily were busy gobbling up the food on their plates. Only then did they look up and greet Igor with a smile. He secretly nudged Nangong Wuyue’s arm and said, “Your brother is quite a snob, eh?”

“Orthodox demon hunters always stick to themselves and they never bother to solicit for business. They don’t even want people to know about their existence. So, my half-baked-demon-hunter brother has become the most famous exorcist of all, because he’s the only one advertising himself.

The living room now served as a dining room. Food on the long, gorgeous table was almost overflowing, but Igor apparently had no appetite. He chatted with Nangong Sanba for a moment and quickly turned to the real subject, asking about evil spirits, curses, and exorcisms.

The poor old man had been bothered by the dark forces of this castle since birth. His mental illness had ravaged his entire youth, and the terrible nightmares still occupied his mind in the present. He constantly heard murmurs from the depths of the ground, whispering bizarre information about the vengeful spirit. They were voices of his father and grandparents, and even of his ancestors from 300 years ago. He knew that this seemingly unassuming people from the east were his only hope: Nangong Sanba was the first real help among the countless exorcists, priests, and monks he had sought. At least, Nangong Sanba could summon a fireball out of thin air, and he had also temporarily suppressed his nightmares using just runes.

These achievements surpassed all of the conmen Igor had ever met.

Igor kept asking questions about witchcraft, while Nangong Sanba continued to blow Hao Ren’s trumpet. The door of the living room was suddenly pushed away as a thin, white figure wandered in.

It was Anna, the mentally abnormal girl with long, curly flax-colored hair. She walked into the living room. Her eyes swept past Hao Ren and finally landed on Igor. “Dad, you’re back,” Anna said.

When Igor saw his daughter, his expression took a slight change. His face looked a little unpleasant, but it was more of a worried look. He introduced her to their guests apologetically. “I’m sorry, this is my daughter, Anna. She usually doesn’t have contact with outsiders.”

Then, he looked at Anna and asked if she was feeling better. After getting a positive reply, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. He allowed the girl to sit down and dine together with the guests.

Anna slowly sat down next to Hao Ren. She was so thin that it seemed like she was not capable of any quick motions. She picked up the spoon and sounded as if she was murmuring to herself, “Why don’t we get Akim to join us?”

Igor’s face was gloomy. “Someone will send him his meal. When his health gets better, he’ll be able to join us.”

Anna ate her food quietly. However, Hao Ren could feel the girl’s eyes scanning him and making him feel uneasy. Just as he was about to ask her about it, Anna suddenly turned and looked at him. “You can’t kill that thing.”

“Huh?” Hao Ren felt a little funny.

Anna’s dark brown eyes shone with an inexplicable light. She looked at Hao Ren, but her eyes’ focus were farther away. “The strength of Tannagost has been sublimated by its people. Every Tannaean has become transcendent. You can’t turn the high energy of the polymerized form around. You can only continue to increase its gap, and sooner or later, you will usher in the catastrophe.”

Hao Ren was flabbergasted. “What?”