Chapter 254: Ritual

It's also because he has the god-talent 【Will of the Heavens】.

Otherwise, the mental backlash after a failed Focus would've been more than he could handle.

Luo De picked up the molar earring in his hand.

It no longer stuck to his skin.

No spiritual aura came from it.

The bloodline at the root of the molar had vanished; now, from the outside, it looked merely like a dirty, yellowed tooth.

It was completely unrecognizable as a treasure.

Though even in its full state, no one could tell.

"So not all treasures radiate power."

【Treasure Addiction】 earned great merit.

Go chat with Naulin soon and see what reward she wants.

"I wonder when it'll be fully charged again."

Luo De could feel the spiritual essence within the molar earring slowly accumulating.

But to be fair, the speed was painfully slow—who knew when he'd be able to use it again?

He tossed it back into his spell satchel.

He brought Amy back to her own quarters.

With time still early, Luo De sneaked back to the forest ranger's cabin.

Two days later.

The grassland between Windwall Forest and Henry Farm.

Luo De, the elf Kalist, the rat girl No. 3, the half-deer Xiao Ke, the mare-girl Bond, the giant squirrel Cui Qian, and the ghoul Pan Ni gathered here.

Because two rituals were to be held today.

One was Luo De's Spirit Soul Solidification Ritual; the other was the Plague Removal Ritual for the ghoul servant.

Yes, after a period of research.

Kalist had finally devised a ritual to counter the ghoul plague.

Henry Farm's reopening was imminent!

The only question was whether anyone would be willing to buy beef, mutton, and crops tended by ghouls.

But now that he had the magic ring made by the zombie Selina as a new income stream, Luo De didn't care much.

More importantly, he wanted Pan Ni and Chris to keep busy—after all, undead races did unpredictable things when idle.

So why were Xiao Ke, Bond, and the giant squirrel here too?

Xiao Ke was here as medical support, observing in case of emergencies.

The mare-girl Bond had been dragged over by Kalist to help set up the ritual.

She'd studied long enough—even if she couldn't handle delicate tasks, basic setup and carving should've been fine.

That was the theory.

But Bond had recently become lazy, and with Giant Squirrel Cui Qian as a playmate, she'd grown worse.

So every step of the ritual setup had to be corrected by Kalist.

Finally, the elf had had enough and issued a red card, benching her.

"Waaahhh."

Sniffling, Bond had wanted to run to Xiao Ke for comfort, but halfway there, she saw her sister's icy gaze.

She immediately turned and flung herself into Luo De's arms.

She buried her face against him, whimpering and tugging his coat over her entire body.

Luo De, seeing how poorly she'd performed, had intended to scold her.

But Bond, through tears, pleaded: "Hide me. Hide me."

He softened a little.

The little one knew shame—there was no point in scolding further.

He gently patted her back.

"It's fine, it's fine. I've already hidden Bond."

He wrapped her in his coat.

"Waaahhh."

【Bond's obedience to you +5, current obedience: 63】

【Obedience surpassed 63—unlocked shared skill with Bond】

【Beginning random draw...】

【Draw successful】

【Shared Skill: King of Polearms】

【Details: The centaur is the most skilled intelligent race on the continent in wielding polearms, capable of mastering any pole-type weapon. When fully active, this skill allows one to disarm even a master-attuned treasure-grade polearm with bare hands.】

As a flood of polearm techniques poured into his mind.

Luo De's eyes gleamed slightly.

Disarm a treasure!

Treasure-grade weapons were extremely rare—he'd combed the entire market district of the Magic Control League and hadn't seen a single decent weapon.

Let alone a treasure-grade one.

Heh, if I ever run into one, I'll turn into a minotaur!

Pan Ni walked over smiling: "It's okay, Bond. We'll work hard from today on—we'll make everyone take notice."

Bond was still polite enough.

Even while crying, she remembered to thank:

"Thank you, Auntie Pan Ni."

Pan Ni's smile froze: "A-Auntie?"

She turned stiffly to Luo De, silently asking: "Am I that old?"

"If she calls you auntie, you must be old."

Luo De burst out laughing.

Pan Ni, furious and embarrassed, wanted to punch him—but dared not.

She bit her lip, bowed her head in shame, secretly cursing inside.

Old your ass! Who rushed in three days ago, all frantic, and didn't even say a word before jumping right in?!

You damn master dares call me old! Waaahhh... My swelling hasn't even gone down yet, and now you're saying I'm old?! Waaahhh...

Xiao Ke walked over.

Seeing Bond buried against Luo De's chest, sobbing.

She softened instantly, gently stroking the back of Bond's head.

"It's not that your sister is forcing you, Bond. The world is getting harsher, and this forest can't stay peaceful forever... you need your own foundation."

If anyone else said this, Luo De probably wouldn't care.

But this was the half-deer—the most linguistically gifted race on the continent.

His expression turned serious.

"Did you foresee something?"

Xiao Ke nodded, her face grim: "A demon. In the near future, a demon will obtain a drop of special blood from the Abyss and intends to expand his influence on the surface... starting from Coral Bay."

Blood...

Without saying it, it had to be the sacred spark-blood of Mistral, founder of the Magic Web.

Starting from Coral Bay... the dark elves?

So is this demon the one the dark elves worship?

Xiao Ke wore a thick skirt today, hiding her entire deer body, but as she spoke, she trembled violently.

Luo De, holding Bond with one arm, wrapped the other around Xiao Ke's shoulders.

He gently rubbed.

Xiao Ke always felt safe from this man.

Her trembling stopped.

She looked up—a face pitiful and trembling like a startled little animal.

"Prophecies don't always come true, right?"

"According to the Snow Hill Evening News, half-deer prophecies have a 60% to 85% accuracy rate, so... it's highly likely to happen."

"Can't you just comfort me?!"

Luo De smiled but said nothing, kissing her smooth forehead.

Pan Ni poked her head over, glancing at her master, then at Xiao Ke.

Her expression went blank.

Xiao Ke's cheeks flushed red, and she shoved Luo De away.

"W-what are you doing? Sneaking a kiss?! You're a pervert!"

Giant Squirrel Cui Qian, shaking her fat body, asked indifferently: "Bond—done crying? Aren't we going to play in that hole we found yesterday?"

Kali's setup of the ritual was swift.

Especially now that Bond was no longer a burden.

She completed the ritual to purge the ghoul plague in less than ten minutes.

(End of Chapter)