Chapter 301

Apple? Salvation?

Confused by the lazy youth's suggestion, Li Ang couldn't help asking:

"Why an apple?"

"It doesn't have to be an apple—four-leaf clover, rabbit's foot, clear purple crystal, a coin minted on a specific date and carried for a long time, or any red object symbolizing luck will do.

I chose the apple because it's easiest to get; unlike four-leaf clover, it doesn't wither easily, and unlike lucky coins, it doesn't require long-term carrying, and it's incredibly cheap—a single purple crystal can buy dozens of them.

As for why I say it can save your life… because eating the apple and discarding the core is the simplest mystical ritual to invoke luck."

"Ritual?"

"Yes, a ritual."

The lazy youth pointed at Li Ang's forehead, then explained slowly:

"For example, this gesture of pointing at you—in mystical terms—is a simple ritual meaning 'guidance,' 'selection,' or 'locking in.' When paired with your name, its effect is strengthened.

Eating the apple is much the same: this sweet fruit, typically red-skinned, carries four meanings—luck, safety, temptation, and enlightenment—and is a classic ritual object in mysticism.

You eat the flesh, meaning you consume temptation; you discard the apple, meaning you lose safety; you don't eat or plant the seed, meaning you abandon enlightenment. With three of its four meanings gone, what remains is pure luck, quadrupled in strength."

After spouting a string of mystic nonsense, the lazy youth drew a wavy line in the air, then continued explaining to the dazed Li Ang:

"I said before that because the World's Will dislikes us, we're far more unlucky than ordinary people—but that doesn't mean we have no luck at all. It's just been forcibly suppressed.

So if we take something representing luck and proudly throw it at this world, we're essentially linking with that bastard that's suppressing our luck, completing a simple luck ritual.

Then, the vast amount of luck it forcibly held back will spill out through the opening provided by the ritual, granting us sudden good fortune and reducing the fluctuations of fate, making our 'wavy line' relatively smoother, avoiding those dangerously deep troughs."

"Of course, once you learn this ritual, you'd better stop eating apples altogether—because this luck isn't created from nothing; it's traded for the bad luck we've accumulated, so the total is limited.

And you don't have an anomaly like me that lets you directly see fate. Fiddling with your own destiny too often is extremely dangerous, so use it only when necessary—just enough to avoid dying from bad luck."

…

So that's how it works…

Having roughly understood why discarding an apple core brought luck, Li Ang nodded in sudden comprehension—but then, glancing at the cat-paw badge on his chest, he couldn't help asking again:

"But earlier, I only spat out a bit of flesh—why did that still bring luck and get me the badge to enter the Scale Gold Sect?"

"Because you bit too hard—you carried out the seed inside the core. Barely counts, but it still fulfilled the ritual."

"I see…"

Li Ang nodded in understanding, then asked with concern:

"Senior Tang Mu, are there any other 'simple rituals' I should watch out for? Like eating an orange or black fruit—could that suddenly bring misfortune?"

"No problem. This only fully activates when the user clearly understands the ritual's effect and consciously performs it."

The lazy youth strode forward through the dim underground alley, answering calmly:

"You managed to activate the simple ritual just now because you thought, like me, spitting out the apple brings luck—and you unconsciously mimicked my posture, meeting the basic activation condition. Otherwise, the ritual wouldn't have succeeded so easily.

And our ritual works so powerfully precisely because the World's Will dislikes us. That qualification isn't something ordinary people have. To someone unaware, no matter what they do, the ritual won't activate.

Even if they somehow met the conditions and accidentally triggered the simple ritual, their soul strength and talent are too weak—they'd barely get a few copper wheels… Ready? Beyond this door is the Scale Gold Sect's *** site. Put away all your anomalies!"

After warning Li Ang, the lazy youth stopped in front of a heavy door studded with one hundred eleven copper wheels. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pile of bizarre objects.

A small bottle of mercury, sulfur powder wrapped in moisture-proof paper, a bag of salt labeled "Charlton Department Store"…

Two sets of pure copper weights, a tin balance with an iron pan, a small silver mirror, two giant gold teeth of unknown origin…

Amber, matches, cut fingernails, a draft paper stained with blood, curved horns resembling those of cattle or sheep, a tail of unknown origin…

Amber, matches, clipped fingernails, draft paper stained with blood, curved horns resembling those of cattle or sheep, a tail of some unknown creature…

Watching the lazy youth, like a Doraemon, pull out a chaotic heap of junk from his tiny pocket and begin "performing rites" outside the door, Li Ang—despite the urgency—couldn't help asking:

Watching the lazy young man, who looked like Doraemon, pulling out a pile of random junk from his tiny pocket and laying it outside the gate to begin his "ritual," Leon couldn't help asking, even though the situation was urgent:

"Mercury here represents the three sacred elements: the fire of spirit and soul, the yielding water of change and adaptation, and the solid substance of reality—meaning body, soul, and the bridge between them."

The lazy youth, clearly expecting the question, didn't look up as he arranged the ritual site:

"The next two sets are five symbolic metallic elements and three pairs of opposing materials: amber stands for solidification and eternity; matches for brevity and ash; a child's fingernail signifies growth; an elder's will signifies end; horns and tail imply beginning and conclusion… Enough. I'm ready. Let's go!"

He pulled out an apple, devoured it in three bites, tossed the core into the center of the ritual site, then—with dark circles under his eyes making him look more like a net addict than a "wizard"—Tang Mu pushed open the door and stepped inside the Scale Gold Sect's *** site.

Tom, his face shadowed by dark circles that made him look more like a net addict than a "wizard," pulled out an apple, devoured it in three bites, tossed the core into the center of the ritual site, then shoved open the door ahead and entered the Scale Gold Sect's *** hall first.

So what exactly did you prepare?

Looking at the pile of ritual items on the ground—not messy, but indistinguishable from a trash heap—Li Ang stared blankly for a moment, then carefully stepped around the meaningless objects and followed inside the Scale Gold Sect's *** site…

Leon stared at the pile of ritual items on the ground—not merely messy, but resembling a trash heap—and after a moment of helpless silence, he carefully stepped around the meaningless objects and followed them into the Scale Gold Sect's *** hall, then…

The instant he stepped over the threshold, a sound like clinking precious metal coins rang out. Li Ang's cat-paw badge trembled slightly, then spat out

a heavy cloth coin purse, dropping at his feet.

What appeared before Li Ang was not a crowd of robed believers bowing before a shrine—but a bustling, vibrant grand square.

Dozens of elegantly dressed men and women, their faces obscured, moved about the square wearing badges composed of three animals, pausing briefly at various "stalls" to purchase what they desired…

Numerous elaborately dressed men and women, their faces obscured, moved about the square wearing badges composed of three animals, pausing briefly at various "booths" to purchase what they desired…

Seeing the display shelves beside him—where a dozen roaring fish-people floated in sealed aquariums, and a miniature estate no bigger than a palm, complete with fluttering banners, blaring horns, and even clearly detailed stone textures on its walls—Li Ang's eyes widened in shock.

Leon's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the shelf beside the booth: a dozen roaring merfolk sealed in glass tanks, and a miniature estate no larger than a palm—its banners fluttering, horns blaring, even the texture of its exterior stone clearly visible.

The goods sold here... don't they seem a bit off?