"Awakening of the Wolf Spirit"

Chapter 11: The Investigation Begins

Emily took a deep breath and closed her mother's diary. Erikson had just revealed many secrets about her mother and her own origins, information that left her both excited and confused.

"We must start investigating immediately," Odin said, breaking the silence. "We only have six days left until the full moon night."

Sylvia nodded, "That's right, but where do we start?"

Emily looked down at the necklace in her hand, feeling the energy flowing within it. Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind, "Wait, the poem mentioned 'an ancient tree, a river, and a mountain peak.' Maybe that's where we should begin our investigation?"

Erikson's eyes lit up, "Clever! There is indeed a legendary ancient tree, a mysterious river, and a mountain said to touch the moon around this town."

"Then let's split up," Odin suggested, "We can save time that way."

Everyone agreed to this plan. Emily decided to investigate the ancient tree, Odin would be responsible for the river, and Sylvia would explore the mountain peak. Erikson promised to stay at the library and continue researching relevant ancient texts for potentially useful information.

Before they left, Erikson warned them, "Be careful of Hans's men. They're also looking for these clues, and they won't be gentle."

Emily nodded, clutching her mother's necklace, "We'll be careful."

The three set off in different directions. Following Erikson's instructions, Emily headed towards the forest west of the town. After nearly two hours of walking, she finally saw the legendary ancient tree.

It was a massive oak tree, its trunk so thick that it would take several people to encircle it, with lush branches that blocked out the sky. Emily was surprised to find that even in the sunlight, a faint silver glow surrounded the area under the tree, as if moonlight was flowing.

She cautiously approached the ancient tree and reached out to touch its rough bark. Suddenly, a strong wave of energy passed through her, making Emily feel dizzy. She closed her eyes and a strange image appeared in her mind: under the moonlight, a group of people dressed in white robes danced around this tree, chanting ancient spells.

The image vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Emily opened her eyes, breathing heavily. She realized she might have seen a ritual that took place here in the past.

Just then, she heard footsteps nearby. Emily quickly hid behind the tree and saw two strangers approaching the ancient oak.

"Are you sure it's here?" one of them asked.

"Of course," the other replied, "Hans said this tree is one of the sources of the Moon God's power."

Emily held her breath, listening carefully to their conversation.

"So what do we do?" the first person asked.

"Hans said to carve specific symbols on the trunk. That will channel the Moon God's power."

Emily's heart skipped a beat. She knew she couldn't let these two succeed. She took a deep breath, feeling the power surging within her, then stepped out from behind the tree.

"What are you doing?" she asked loudly.

The two men were startled and turned to face Emily.

"This is none of your business, little girl," one of them said menacingly, "If you're smart, you'll leave now."

Emily gripped her necklace tightly, feeling power flowing from within her, "I don't think so. This tree is protected by the Moon God. You'd better leave."

The two men exchanged glances and suddenly laughed, "Looks like we found the right person. Hans said if we encountered a girl wearing a silver necklace, we should capture her."

They advanced towards Emily, but she didn't feel afraid. Instead, she felt as if the ancient tree was giving her strength. She closed her eyes, concentrated, and felt the energy of moonlight.

When she opened her eyes again, the two men stepped back in fear. Emily's eyes were glowing with a silver light, and a strange energy permeated the air around her.

"I'll say it one more time," her voice carried an otherworldly power, "Leave this place. Don't disturb this tree again."

The two men were clearly terrified and ran away. Emily sighed in relief, feeling the power within her slowly subside. She turned to face the ancient tree and said softly, "Thank you."

She felt the branches sway gently, as if responding to her. Emily knew she had found the first important clue.

Meanwhile, Odin had arrived at the mysterious river east of the town. The river meandered, with a thin mist floating on its surface, giving it an otherworldly feel.

Odin walked along the riverbank, carefully observing his surroundings. Suddenly, he noticed strange symbols carved into a stone by the river. He crouched down to examine them closely and found that these symbols formed a riddle:

"I flow but do not move, I sing but have no voice, I reflect the moon's smile, but never leave the ground. Who am I?"

Odin looked thoughtfully at the river's surface, murmuring, "Is this describing the river itself?"

Just then, he heard a voice behind him, "It seems you've found the second riddle."

Odin turned to see an unfamiliar old man standing there, a mysterious smile on his face.

"Who are you?" Odin asked cautiously.

The old man shook his head, "Who I am is not important. What's important is that you must solve all the riddles before the full moon night arrives. Time is running out, young man."

Odin wanted to ask more, but the old man had already turned and disappeared into the mist by the river.

At the same time, Sylvia had reached the foot of the mountain peak north of the town. The mountain didn't look particularly high, but it gave off a mysterious aura.

Sylvia began to climb, keeping an eye on her surroundings. When she reached the middle of the mountain, she discovered a hidden cave.

She carefully entered the cave and found the walls covered with ancient murals. These murals depicted the moon, stars, and various strange symbols. At the deepest part of the cave, she saw the third riddle:

"I am the brightest pearl in the night sky, yet only whole at certain times. I influence the tides, rule the night, but where does my power come from?"

Sylvia looked thoughtfully at this riddle, knowing it could be the key to unlocking the Moon God's secrets.

That night, the three regrouped at the library to share their discoveries with Erikson and each other.

"It seems we've found three riddles," Emily said, "but how do we solve them?"

Erikson thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps the answers lie in your experiences. Emily, the power you felt at the ancient tree; Odin, the mysterious old man you met by the river; Sylvia, the murals you saw in the cave. These could all be clues."

Odin nodded, "We must solve these riddles quickly. Hans and his people are also moving, and we don't have much time."

Emily gripped her mother's necklace, feeling the power flowing within it, "We will succeed. For this town, for the power of the Moon God, we must succeed."

Everyone agreed with her words. Although the path ahead was full of unknowns and dangers, they knew that as long as they stood united, there was no difficulty they couldn't overcome.

As night fell, the moon appeared faintly in the sky. Emily stood by the library window, looking at the gradually rounding moon, silently vowing: no matter the cost, she would uncover the secrets of the Moon God and stop Hans's plot.