Chapter 542: Longevity Ritual

Before long, the seats in the viewing area of the ritual hall were completely filled. Xia Duo made a rough count; there were about a hundred people. Aside from those who had been in the Temple earlier, others must have been teleported in from outside. Although waiting was somewhat tedious, having so many people waiting with him made it not so unbearable, especially when Niya used her gaze to give him an indication toward an unassuming Spellcaster, while simultaneously writing the words "Great Arcanist" on his palm.

Knowing that a Great Arcanist was waiting patiently, Xia Duo instantly felt it was no longer tedious, though the time Archmage Sandro spent preparing the potion seemed a bit long.

Just as Xia Duo thought the so-called Longevity Ritual was simply preparing some secret potion and drinking it, Archmage Sandro suddenly stopped his movements and placed the black-looking potion bottle onto a small wooden stand on his desk.

Immediately after, Archmage Sandro continuously cast spells at the potion bottle. Although the Magic Aura acted on the level of Perception and was not light that could truly be seen with the naked eye, Xia Duo still subconsciously squinted.

The intense Magic Aura fully proved the Archmage's powerful strength; at the very least, none of the spells Xia Duo currently mastered could possess such an intense aura.

It must be a spell higher than the 5th circle.

Not just one, but several, were cast one after another. Xia Duo had never seen a single potion bottle have so many spells applied to it, and such high-level ones at that.

Generally speaking, one potion bottle could only have one spell applied to it, and it would not exceed the 3rd circle. Furthermore, there were many restrictions on the types of spells, usually just state spells for temporarily enhancing physique, strength, and the like.

Because potion storage and transport were inconvenient, and their potential was limited, Xia Duo had not specifically studied Magic Potions, but he still knew some common knowledge.

It was just that now, that common knowledge seemed to have been overturned.

Once Archmage Sandro finished casting, he turned to face the crowd of observers, first bowed, and then said slowly in his hoarse voice: "Thank you all for coming to witness my Transformation Ritual. Although I will no longer be human from this point on, my Soul and my will are forever linked with Netheril, forever linked with Morien Tower. May Netheril rise, and may the Arcane be eternal!"

"Wishing Archmage Sandro a smooth path to longevity!"

With the first person speaking up, others also offered their blessings one after another.

Sitting below, Xia Duo was startled in his heart when he heard Archmage Sandro say "no longer human." Could it be a transformation into an Undead? Undead were essentially a type of dead thing, so naturally, there was no such thing as life or lack thereof; they only had existence and destruction.

This could also be considered longevity in an indirect sense, or even eternity.

Could it really be an Undead?

While others were offering their blessings, Xia Duo watched the Great Arcanist Niya had hinted at offer his blessing before he followed suit. Regarding Undead, he remained very cautious.

……

After accepting everyone's blessings, Archmage Sandro laughed heartily, then lay back on the recliner beside the desk, taking out a book-shaped object that was clearly a Magic Item and placing it on his chest.

He then took out an Adamantine Dagger shimmering with blue light and slashed heavily across the palm of his other hand. Blood immediately gushed out. The Archmage's expression did not change as he pressed his bleeding hand directly onto the Spellbook on his chest.

With a "clack," the Dagger fell to the ground. Archmage Sandro reached out, and the potion bottle that had been on the small wooden stand on the desk flew into his uninjured hand.

The potion bottle was not large. The Archmage drank it in one gulp, threw the bottle away, pressed his hand over his other injured hand, and finally cast one last mysterious Spell. The Archmage completely lost all movement.

This frightened Xia Duo. Had the Longevity Ritual turned into a suicide ritual?

In Magic Vision, the Archmage was no different from a dead person. Even Undead were distinct from dead people. Had the transformation failed, or was it some other situation? If not for the Temple personnel who brought them here specifically warning them not to be surprised by anything that happened, to remain quiet, and especially not to cast spells, quite a few people present would likely have jumped up.

The Archmage who had been lively just a moment ago was now suddenly a dead person. If this were reality, it would be ridiculous.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the ritual hall was terrifyingly quiet. Everyone was staring fixedly at Archmage Sandro on the recliner. Could he really turn death into life? Or was this just a failed ritual?

Xia Duo glanced at the Great Arcanist hidden in the crowd and saw that he was also frowning, appearing somewhat nervous, which made Xia Duo feel that things might be going wrong.

Time ticked by second by second, and the atmosphere in the ritual hall became somewhat restless. Some people began to look around, seemingly wanting to leave. Xia Duo was also becoming impatient, but since that Great Arcanist hadn't moved, Xia Duo didn't dare to move either.

*Cough*—

Finally, someone couldn't help but cough. That one sound seemed to completely break the calm in the ritual hall. The atmosphere became even more restless, and some people had already stood up, preparing to leave.

Just at this moment, that Great Arcanist suddenly stood up, and his appearance suddenly changed. This appearance was immediately recognized, and even Xia Duo recognized him.

He had seen this person a few times before, though of course only from a distance.

This person was none other than the Great Arcanist Lander of Morien Tower. At this time, the mages belonging to the Seven Towers, especially those from Morien Tower, all stood up in unison to salute: "Lord Great Arcanist Lander!"

"No need for formalities. My teacher's Transformation Ritual has already been completed; he is currently organizing his past memories. Please stay a while longer," Lander said very politely, without putting on any airs of a superior.

As the mentor who had guided him before he became an Advanced Arcanist, even though his teacher hadn't notified him about the Transformation Ritual, he had still received the news and come. To avoid causing his teacher any psychological burden, he had even specially changed his face.

He just hadn't expected that the ritual seemed to have had a small accident. The time his teacher was taking to organize his memories seemed longer than normal, to the point that the observers felt the ritual had failed.

At this time, Lander had to stand out. A ritual must have a beginning and an end; he did not want his teacher to wake up to a scene where everyone had left.

……

With the explanation from Great Arcanist Lander, those who had originally wanted to leave immediately sat back down in their seats. Of course, even if the Great Arcanist hadn't explained, as long as he showed his face, the others wouldn't have left anyway.

Xia Duo was particularly curious now about what this so-called Transformation Ritual was actually about, that it even required organizing past memories, and that Archmage Sandro's current state was clearly that of a dead person, yet at the same time, he was not an Undead.

How was this longevity?

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(End of chapter)