In the hands of Miss White Fox, transparent light began to glow. The light drifted slowly towards the corpse, like scattered stardust, seeping into it, resembling a solemn and mysterious ritual.

“Your Highness, what is she…?”

“Shh~”

Although Yuna didn’t fully understand what the girl was doing, her insight as the Bright Light Saintess told her that it must be some profound and magical spell, one that would play a crucial role in solving the case and finding the culprit.

Dawn wouldn’t do anything meaningless, especially since she was… an ally personally recommended by Mr. Diviner.

What was Violet doing? The answer to this question wasn’t particularly complicated.

The disguise of the 【Dominion of the Fox Mask】 isn’t merely superficial. Besides altering her appearance, this top-tier “Semi-Divine Artifact” grants the girl new abilities completely different from her original ones. The power she’s currently using is a skill known as 【Spirit Summoning】.

By crossing the Sanzu River with her mind and connecting with the remnants of a deceased soul, this is known as 【Spirit Summoning】.

Or, it could also be understood as 【Dawn】’s innate ability.

In fact, if Miss Violet were to take out her usual 【Eternal Scepter of the World’s Heart】 right now, the Spirit Summoning process could be shortened and simplified considerably.

After all, as a Divine Artifact, the staff’s soul-infusing power known as 【Creation】 can be seen as a superior version of 【Spirit Summoning】—much like when the priestess easily gathered the remnants of the Holy Knight Bowen Bernard’s soul in the alleyway of Sacred Star City.

However, in front of Yuna and the others, Miss White Fox couldn’t just casually pull out Violet’ signature weapon or simply raise her hand and resurrect the man. So, she had to settle for a more moderate approach.

As the transparent light gradually faded, Miss White Fox took a small silver bell from the sleeve of her priestess robe and gently rang it three times near the ear of the Ghost Warrior, who had long since lost any sign of life.

*Ding-ling~ Ding-ling~ Ding-ling~*

Accompanied by the crisp sound of the bell, the air seemed to ripple like visible waves, but instead of fading away with time, the ripples gradually gathered and contracted in a specific shape until, finally…

They transformed into a floating, vaguely human-shaped spectral figure.

“This…!”

“The art of soul summoning… truly an incredible and mysterious technique.”

The exclamations of the Holy Knight Jeremy and the sincere praise from Her Highness the Saintess rang out in succession. However, Miss White Fox, who had already anticipated this outcome, merely nodded slightly and stepped aside to give them some space.

“Alright, although this gathered remnant soul isn’t fully intact due to having been dead for some time, it should still remember its experiences before death. If you have any questions, ask them quickly. It can probably only be sustained for about an hour.”

Of course, that “hour” was merely a time frame someone made up on the spot.

In reality, if Violet was willing to exert some effort, she could keep this remnant soul from dispersing indefinitely. But if she were to go that far, she might as well just resurrect Arden outright.

Ultimately, this was only to gather information. After hearing Yuna’s explanation of the two energy cycle theories, Violet suddenly understood why true resurrection magic in this world is so rare and unaccepted.

Under Miss White Fox’s deliberate guidance, the remnant soul lingering within the corpse, belonging to the deceased named Arden, soon began to emit a voice audible to all.

“Wh… what’s happening to me?”

“Senior Arden! I… I’m sorry…”

Hearing the familiar, yet now departed voice, Jeremy, the Holy Knight, could no longer suppress his guilt and regret. He finally collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably. Arden’s remnant soul seemed to react to his voice.

“Is that… Jeremy? Haha, how did you end up in such a sorry state? If the Captain saw this…”

The hearty teasing had just begun, but then it abruptly stopped as if triggered by a certain word. His ethereal form wavered violently, stirred by the sudden surge of emotion.

“Oh, right… No wonder I’m floating in the sky. I remember now, I was… killed by the Captain.”

“Arden, can you please help us recall what happened last night? The temple is doing everything it can to solve this case and find the culprit. This… is also to help your souls find peace in the light.”

The Saintess, a seasoned figure accustomed to great challenges, quickly regained her composure and the grace of her sacred presence, even in the face of this eerie scene. After the initial shock, she stepped forward and began conversing with Arden’s soul.

“Young lady, who might you be…?”

Mr. Pedrick seemed rather thick-skinned as he immediately stepped forward and sternly admonished, “Third-Rank Arbiter Arden, mind your words. This is Her Highness Yuna Summerfield, the Bright Light Saintess. While it is understandable that a deceased soul may not be able to pay proper respects, at the very least, please observe basic etiquette.”

Perhaps the incompleteness of his soul caused some gaps in Arden’s reactions and memories. He stared blankly at the blonde girl with a warm smile for a moment before finally seeming to realize who she was. Hastily, he lowered his head in respect.

“So it’s the Saintess. Apologies, apologies. I feel a bit muddled. I’ve only just remembered your appearance. By the way, what’s going on? I distinctly remember dying in battle, so why am I suddenly in this ghostly place?”

In a situation like this, it should have been Miss White Fox, the one who summoned the spirit, who explained things. But sensing Violet’s dislike for unnecessary explanations, Yuna simply shook her head gently and said,

“Arden, your time is limited, so let’s not waste it on irrelevant matters. Tell us about last night. Start from when you first encountered the opponent and describe the entire process in detail.”

It was evident that Yuna held a remarkable position in the Bright Light City of the Western Capital. Even her calm, slightly commanding tone made Arden, as an Arbiter, instinctively nod repeatedly.

“Uh, as you command, Your Highness! As for what happened last night, um… our team was patrolling near Liulian Alley in the eastern part of Bright Light Street around eleven o’clock at night. We heard a girl’s humming sound in the empty alley…”

After some time, Arden’s remnant soul recounted everything he could remember. Although fragmented, the details provided a general sense of the events.

The information Arden provided was indeed consistent with what Jeremy had said. Essentially, their team heard the sound late at night, discovered a strange figure wandering alone in the street, and upon closer inspection, found it was a little girl wearing a peculiar mask.

What was peculiar was that Arden couldn’t recall what happened afterward. He only remembered that when he came to his senses, the Captain had already been possessed by the black-and-white mask, and the little girl was already down.

They sent the weakest knight, Jeremy, to call for reinforcements. However, the possessed Captain Karina’s strength was unexpectedly formidable, and the entire team was wiped out before the reinforcements arrived.

At first glance, this seemed like merely some known, unremarkable information. However, no one noticed that the normally expressionless Miss White Fox, with her little fox mask, subtly furrowed her brows again, appearing to be deep in thought.

Moreover, as a more experienced knight compared to the newcomer Jeremy, Arden knew more details.

For example…

“Are you saying that the 【Fearless Knight】 Karina Brett… also has about a quarter of Lightborn Tribe lineage?”

“That’s right, Your Highness. I discovered this by chance during an earlier encounter. The Captain had even specifically warned me not to tell the other team members, or else I’d get a beating. But… since I’m already dead, she can’t do anything about me now, hehe.”