Chapter 62: Description (Requesting Monthly Votes)

Lu Mi found himself agreeing more and more with the woman’s words:

He didn’t know what higher sequences might be capable of, but among the few Extraordinary beings he’d encountered, the creature with the vortex-like mouth posed far less threat than the one carrying the hunting rifle.

Though this was partly because he had become an Extraordinary being and greatly improved in close combat and environmental manipulation, it was mostly due to the creature’s own flaws.

It showed no strong pursuit ability, lacked ranged attack methods, and its “invisibility” was not extraordinary enough to evade the Hunter’s mastery of surroundings and subtle traces.

Moreover, it suffered from the common flaw of monsters: low intelligence, and no combat wisdom like the rifle monster—it walked straight into the enemy’s trap.

Combined, these factors made the outcome predictable, so much so that until today, Lu Mi had never imagined it was even equivalent to Sequence 7.

He hadn’t even compared it to the rifle monster, assuming the gap between them was vast—the rifle monster was strong, the mouth creature weak.

Ability, intellect, preparation, on-the-spot adaptation, environmental factors… too many elements could influence the outcome of a battle… Lu Mi summed this up internally, asking with cautious hope:

“Can I directly invoke the power of the ‘Chained One’?”

The woman smiled:

“That’s a fine way to kill yourself.”

She casually explained:

“Theoretically, yes—after all, the power sealed within you isn’t just equivalent to Sequence 7.”

“But do you think your body can withstand such a massive ‘blessing’—or rather, such contamination?”

“Of course, if you don’t mind becoming a monster, a puppet of that entity, or mutating into another form, you might consider trying.”

“Hmm, before long, I’d be able to watch you turn your sister into a sacrifice yourself.”

Lu Mi’s hair stood on end, his spine chilled—he dared not think of “cross-sequence ascension” again.

He asked cautiously:

“So the maximum blessing I can currently withstand is the ‘Dancer’?”

“Correct. And that’s precisely why I waited until you became an Extraordinary being and began digesting the power before telling you this,” the woman took another small sip of the green liquid in her cup. “Only when your spirit, soul, and body have all improved significantly can you hope to resist the contamination accompanying the blessing, then gradually gain control over that power.”

“As time passes and your spiritual and mental bodies grow stronger, and your body adapts to the slight changes brought by the blessing, then consider the ‘Beggar Monk’.”

For Lu Mi, the most urgent task now was to learn that mysterious dance—to activate the thorn symbol partially and voluntarily, greatly enhancing his ability to explore dream ruins. So he stopped thinking about the “Beggar Monk” or the “Chained One,” nodded solemnly, and asked:

“Then how do I invoke it?”

He had learned the Binary Ritual Method, but the invocation’s sacred name, domain, and required materials remained entirely unknown.

“Cough.” The woman couldn’t help but cough slightly.

Then she said seriously:

“What I’m about to tell you—out of my mouth, into your ear—must not be spoken to anyone else, or it will doom them.”

Out of my mouth, into your ear… Aurora loved writing that phrase… Had this woman read one of her novels? Lu Mi replied solemnly:

“Understood.”

He paused, then added:

“So I don’t have to worry about hearing this causing me problems?”

The woman sipped her absinthe, smiling faintly:

“When did you get the illusion that you weren’t already broken?”

Lu Mi froze, then looked down at his left chest.

The woman snorted:

“You were already destined for heavy contamination. Fortunately, the Great One’s lingering mark was triggered, its power descended upon you, and sealed the contamination source, creating balance.”

“Now, you will perform a ritual, face the power sealed within you, and invoke the corresponding blessing—essentially, willingly accept a certain degree of contamination.”

“So why fear a few minor side effects from hearing it?”

The more he listened, the bigger the problem seemed… Lu Mi wasn’t confident at all.

The woman shook her head, smiling:

“Don’t worry. When I give you the words, I’ll ensure a sufficiently secret environment and strong protective measures. Later, if you perform the ritual, go to the ruins—there’s ash mist there, and the Great One’s protection, so you won’t directly draw its attention.”

“And during this time before the ritual, scramble every phrase, reverse the order, reinforce them separately—don’t let yourself think of them as a complete whole. Otherwise, hmm…”

She laughed, leaving the outcome unsaid—but Lu Mi could easily imagine what would happen.

Seeing he asked no more, the woman nodded slightly:

“Let’s begin.”

“The first part is: ‘O Power of Fate.’”

“That’s enough—it corresponds to your black thorn symbol. The full name of that entity is beyond your current understanding; even I must be secretive enough to even think it.”

For some reason, Lu Mi felt the light around him dim slightly—but he wasn’t sure.

At that moment, the woman’s expression hardened into solemnity:

“The second part is:

“You are the past, the present, and the future;

“You are the cause, the result, and the process…”

As the woman uttered each word, Lu Mi’s head spun—he sensed black winds swirling around him.

The surface of the table holding his absinthe, its brown wood, began to writhe as if alive.

Crack.

A black insect, the length of an adult’s index finger, crawled out from the wood—its evil aura instantly spreading outward.

Before Lu Mi could clearly see the insect’s form, the woman set down her cup of green liquid, crushing the strange creature beneath it, turning it into a pulp of flesh.

Then she took a patterned napkin, wiped the cup’s base, and wrapped the insect’s remains inside.

As if nothing had happened, she took another small sip of absinthe and emphasized:

“Remember: the first and second parts must be recited in Ancient Hymnos. Giant tongue, Dragon tongue, or Elven tongue will also do.”

Just like the first “I” in self-invocation rituals cannot be in Hymnos… Lu Mi nodded, understanding.

He was always bold, but the recurring anomalies during this conversation still unsettled him—his heartbeat quickened—yet the mysterious woman acted as if she’d merely spotted a speck of dirt at dinner. She continued:

“The third part may be in Hymnos, and it is:

“I invoke you,

“I beg you to grant me a blessing,

“I beg you to bless me with the power of the ‘Dancer.’”

“Remember: these three phrases are progressive.”

These words brought no new environmental changes; the earlier unsettling anomalies gradually subsided.

Lu Mi carefully memorized them, following the woman’s instruction to scramble the order, reverse the sequence, to avoid mishaps.

The woman drained the rest of her absinthe, savoring it with satisfaction:

“The rest is much like common ritual magic.”

“The required materials are gray amber, tulip, clove, and musk. Choose any two to make into candles; use the remaining two as herbs, essential oils, or hydrosols during the ritual.”

Lu Mi recalled the Binary Ritual Method he’d learned, frowned, and asked:

“The position representing the deity should hold an item closely tied to it—but my thorn symbol is on my chest. I can’t exactly peel off my skin, and I doubt it would work even if I did.”

The power was sealed within his heart and spiritual body.

The woman nodded slightly:

“Didn’t I tell you to make candles?”

“When making them, take five milliliters of blood from your chest—more or less is fine. Just mix it into the materials to become part of the candle.”

“During the ritual, place that single candle on the deity’s position.”

“Because of your blood, the candle, when awakened by Ancient Hymnos, becomes a symbol that directly points to you, then, combined with the later phrases, activates the sealed power within you to a certain degree.”

It felt like a special variant of the Binary Ritual Method—Aurora never mentioned this possibility; few would know… Lu Mi thought for a moment and asked:

“Can I use perfume containing gray amber?”

He remembered his sister had some—and she called gray amber “dragon’s saliva.”

“Yes, use it as essential oil,” the woman nodded.

That meant gray amber was secured—clove was already at home… Lu Mi began considering where to obtain tulip and musk.

After much thought, he could only think of three possible sources:

First, his sister Aurora—she was a “Wizard,” perhaps she had prepared such materials; second, the Administrative Officer’s residence; third, the parish priest’s house.

Lu Mi decided to first tell his sister about the ritual, ask her to teach him the corresponding Ancient Hymnos and Hymnos words for each phrase, and inquire whether she had these materials.

If she didn’t, he’d consider other places.

Seeing the woman was preparing to leave, Lu Mi quickly asked:

“What exactly was that ‘lizard’ that crawled out of the assistant priest’s mouth?”

The woman rose, smiling:

“I can’t explain it to you.”

You might as well say you don’t want to tell me… Lu Mi barely controlled his expression.

After the woman left, he took out his paper and pen, wrote down the ritual details in the wrong order, then numbered them correctly.

…………

Leaving the old tavern, Lu Mi searched the village for the three outsiders.

He hadn’t walked far when he heard a jingling sound.

Lu Mi smiled instantly, quickened his pace, and there they were: Lyra, with two bells on her veil and two on her boots; Ryan Cos, wearing a dark round hat; Valentine, dusted with powder.

He’d been about to open his arms and shout, “My cabbages, I’ve missed you so much!”—but he quickly remembered that in this cycle, he hadn’t yet met these three outsiders.

Lu Mi rubbed his cheeks, forcing his expression to turn serious.

Then he walked toward Ryan Cos, Lyra, and Valentine, and as he nearly passed them, he lowered his voice:

“I know who you’re looking for.”

Ryan Cos, Lyra, and Valentine all froze, staring at him in shock.

Lu Mi did not pause; he passed them and walked forward.

The three outsiders exchanged a glance, masking their surprise and following behind as if nothing had happened.

ps: Requesting monthly votes~

(End of chapter)