[Mummy's Burial Wrappings: Can be bound around a wound to slow down deterioration or infection. Especially effective for missing internal organs. Possesses the effect of time magic, capable of delaying the worsening of wounds.]
[PS: It's just a bit dirty.]
Ethan looked at the mummy's burial wrappings, then looked again at the holy water the Scarecrow Bro had tossed out.
He immediately understood.
'So that's how it was!'
What the scarecrow meant wasn't for him to use the holy water directly, but to first use the holy water to wash the mummy's burial wrappings clean, and then use the wrappings on Daji.
'Have to say, this Scarecrow Bro really is a talent.'
Ethan didn't say another word. He immediately twisted open the holy water and poured it onto the bandages.
Sizzle~
The mummy's burial wrappings instantly began to emit wisps of black smoke.
And that black smoke carried the stench of ten-thousand-year-old cured meat, that sour, rotten, spoiled meat smell.
After about a full minute of nonstop black smoke, it finally started to dissipate.
Then, Ethan was surprised to discover that the mummy's burial wrappings had indeed turned pure white and bright.
They looked exactly like new. The whitening effect was even better than a paid internet army.
He picked them up and checked the description.
The content hadn't changed. The only thing missing was the note that said [a bit dirty].
Ethan hurriedly wrapped them around Daji's abdominal wound. Sure enough, the wound stopped bleeding, and the mummy's burial wrappings didn't change color at all, as if the blood had been frozen in time.
But then another problem appeared, Daji's heartbeat seemed to slow down as well.
Ethan glanced at the corpse-oil life-extending lamp. There was still plenty of oil inside, but the flame had grown dim. And the flame that used to sway with the wind now looked as if it had been frozen in time, completely motionless.
"What's going on here?"
Ethan started to panic. This didn't look good at all.
Meanwhile, the scarecrow blinked its eyes several times, making it impossible to tell whether this was good or bad.
Then it quickly hopped over to Ethan's side and used the long, long, long bamboo pole beneath it to kick the small porcelain bottle of [Petrification Potion] over to Ethan.
"You mean I still have to use this too?", Ethan finally got it.
Blink!
"If I don't use it, Daji will die?"
At that point, without needing the scarecrow to react at all, Ethan actually understood.
This petrification potion had to be used.
He believed, if it weren't truly necessary, Scarecrow Bro wouldn't have thrown this thing out right from the start.
Wasn't that obvious enough?
"Fine, I'll use it!"
Ethan gritted his teeth, opened the bottle of petrification potion, and poured the colorless, odorless liquid evenly over Daji.
There wasn't much of the petrification potion inside. Only after pouring it all out did Ethan suddenly feel regret.
He should have saved a bit.
That way he could have done partial petrification. Then wouldn't he be able to achieve an unbreakable golden spear?
Very quickly, Daji's surface began to gradually petrify, including her fur and the wound.
Everything turned into something like a finely carved stone sculpture. It felt icy to the touch, and the original soft, fluffy texture became hard.
'So this is the petrification effect?'
But right at that moment, the scarecrow, which had been standing obediently in front of Ethan, suddenly erupted.
Its entire scarecrow body sprang into the air and leaped toward Daji.
And judging from where its bamboo pole was going to land, it seemed to be right on Daji's body.
"What are you trying to do?"
Ethan was shocked.
He hurriedly stood up, trying to stop the scarecrow's attack.
But the instant he stood up and met the scarecrow face to face, Ethan felt his body suddenly stiffen.
Immediately after, his whole body stopped obeying him and, following the scarecrow's posture.
Spread his arms and brought his feet together.
"Th-this… what's going on?"
[Scarecrow's Bewitchment: Forces you to imitate its actions.]
∑(〟〇О〇)!?
He'd fallen for a scoundrel's scheme.
So from beginning to end, this scarecrow had only been trying to trick him.
The scarecrow helping him was just to plot against his body, trying to turn him into a substitute?
Just like those legends where water ghosts need to find a suitable substitute, drown them, and only then can they be reborn.
The scarecrow also had to find someone as a substitute. Only after that person completed the scarecrow's guarding duty for it.
Could it turn back into a human?
Thud!
The scarecrow's bamboo pole landed squarely on Daji's body.
Stone fragments flew everywhere, and a large chunk of Daji's petrified skin shattered on the spot.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The petrified skin on Daji's body rapidly began to crack.
The sound was like wafer biscuits being crushed, spreading into massive, spiderweb-like fractures.
"You damn scarecrow! I tried to help you, and you screw me over!"
"I'll burn you, mix you into shit as fertilizer, then grow tomatoes, have people eat them, and shit you back out!"
"I'll grind your bones to dust!"
[T/N: If anybody wants their name to appear on the chapter, comment it and I will put it in a future regional Chat Channel conversation. The name can be as ridiculous as you want.]