Chapter 750: The Ritual of Despair (Beginning of Month, Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)

The Lady Magician confirmed Lumian's guess:

"Yes, the remains of the Harvest Goddess, Oumibela."

The remains of the Harvest Goddess… a Class-0 sealed object… one should be able to touch, pick up, and briefly use it… Lumian asked with considerable anticipation:

"Besides fusing with the remnants of Oumibela's umbilical cord, what are the other two prerequisite conditions?"

The Lady Magician gave a self-deprecating smile:

"I shouldn't have told you this—it's given you a real urge to take risks."

"Of course, as a high-ranking 'Astrologer,' I cannot claim I didn't foresee this. Telling you everything and letting you decide for yourself was my choice."

"The two prerequisite conditions are:

"First, you must have suffered betrayal by a direct blood relative; second, you must be female."

This… Lumian clearly felt disappointed.

He felt he met the condition of betrayal by a direct blood relative—his biological father had abandoned him and his mother, leading to his grandfather's bankruptcy—but why must he be female?

The Lady Magician seemed to guess his thoughts:

"As for betrayal by a direct blood relative, you barely qualify. As for being female, in the world of mysticism, there are plenty of ways to temporarily become female—for instance, a special artifact from the 'Witch' path, which may not even require a high sequence."

"That's true…" Lumian thought of the 'Lies' ear clip.

Though the item couldn't change his gender, it was equally miraculous for altering his face or adjusting his height.

If such an item existed, then naturally there must be a sealed object that changes gender upon wearing it. Based on his understanding of the 'Witch' path, he believed such an object almost certainly existed—though it was rare and unusually specific.

Lumian's anticipation for contacting Oumibela's remains reignited.

It was a Class-0 sealed object!

The Lady Magician gave a peculiar expression as she added another warning:

"If you truly consume the remnants of Oumibela's umbilical cord and gain the bloodline of the 'Great Mother's' divine child, you will never again be able to approach the 'Armor of Pride.'"

"The betrayal you once inflicted upon it would gradually fade over time, but once you become a false Oumibela, it will prioritize targeting you—forever, unless a more worthy special individual is present."

Was this an expression of the 'Armor of Pride's' hatred toward the 'Earth' path? In future battles, if I'm nearby, Franca and the others won't be able to use the 'Armor of Pride'… But how could one choose between the 'Armor of Pride' and a Class-0 sealed object? Any sane person with normal intelligence and spirit would know the answer—even if the latter could only be borrowed temporarily… Lumian nodded slightly, indicating he remembered.

The Lady Magician did not continue the topic:

"You can proceed with the transaction with the Church of the Eternal Sun. Once you've set the time and place, inform me."

"That sealed object cannot be handed over by you—it's too dangerous. Have the 'Purifier' prepare the sealing measures on-site; she will appear herself."

"Understood." Lumian seized the opportunity to recount all the other information he had gathered over the past two days.

Upon hearing that the Devil Wizard Bürman, influenced by Harrison from the Island of Resurrection, sought to contact the Mark of the Deep Death and had summoned and slain a demon that resembled himself, the Lady Magician turned her head toward the Hanged Man, Alger.

Lumian had previously heard from the Lady Magician that the Tarot Society had long been investigating the Island of Resurrection, with the Hanged Man and the Hermit in charge.

The Major Arcana known as the Stormbringer thought carefully for a moment and said:

"This relates to certain matters I am currently investigating."

"I cannot yet reveal specific details, but I can tell you Harrison is likely appearing in places closely tied to death, darkness, twilight, and decay. If you encounter someone of unknown origin in a similar setting, remember to inform me."

Death, darkness, twilight, decay… No wonder he's from the Island of Resurrection… Lumian was not at all surprised by the Hanged Man's hint.

What concerned him more was whether the "resurrection" on the Island of Resurrection was true resurrection.

The Lady Magician saw what he was thinking:

"I already said before—we are not of the 'Death God' path, and we have no essential understanding of the Island of Resurrection. It's difficult to accurately comprehend their so-called 'resurrection.' You may need to actually encounter Harrison or another islander to make the judgment you hope for."

"All I can say now is: think of the Devil Wizard Bürman. After Harrison guided him to kill a demon resembling himself, his condition clearly worsened. The islanders almost certainly have problems."

"Heh, I was right last time when I said the 'Yadon' demon was likely still alive."

Lumian fell silent.

…………

Back in Trill, Lumian immediately went to 9 Aoluosai Street and knocked on the door of Room 702.

"Why are you back again?" Franca opened the door with a look of annoyance.

He'd only left less than an hour ago!

Fortunately it was daytime, and she hadn't been planning anything—what if she'd been scared out of her wits?

Lumian glanced at Jianna, curled up on the living room sofa, holding a book and propping herself up to look over, then smiled at the two witches:

"I've obtained the potion formula for the 'Witch of Despair.'"

"Huh?" Franca looked bewildered.

Hadn't he just gotten the 'Ironblood Knight' potion formula?

Or had he done something major in those few minutes since leaving?

Jianna was equally confused and first thought Lumian was joking.

"Despair" was a Sequence-4 potion formula—the key to humanity's path to divinity. How could one simply "obtain" it?

In a flash of thought, Franca and Jianna asked in unison:

"Did you go to the 'Azure Avenger'?"

"Have you explored the 'Azure Avenger'?"

"Only preliminary exploration," Lumian said, squeezing past Franca with a smile.

"Preliminary exploration and you already got the 'Witch of Despair' potion formula?" Jianna still found it hard to believe.

Lumian gave a light laugh:

"That's one of the Blood Emperor's legacies. A Sequence-4 potion formula is probably just an ordinary treasure among the hoard."

"What else did you obtain?" Franca asked curiously after closing the door.

Lumian casually sat on the single sofa and recounted from beginning to end his exploration of the 'Azure Avenger,' as well as his conversations with the Lady Magician and the Hanged Man.

"That corpse-oil candle sounds incredibly sinister…" Franca sighed in genuine awe.

Jianna nodded in agreement, feeling as if she'd just finished reading a horror story.

As a Witch-path adept and Hunter's friend, hearing that the candle was made from the corpse-oil of the 'Ironblood Knight' and the 'Witch of Despair,' she couldn't help imagining herself, Franca, and Lumian.

Just as Jianna felt Franca had voiced her thoughts, she heard her companion eagerly say:

"Back in the Fourth Era Trill, we barely saw the mist city's appearance. Your description wasn't clear enough—could I use that candle to make a pact, and see the mist city from inside or from midair?"

"You two be my guardians!"

"The candle burns quickly—I only tried once, and it consumed a fifth of its volume," Lumian said after thinking. "Let's wait until we get to Bansi Port or enter Fourth Era Trill to try it. Besides, the Lady Magician said that unless there's residual Blood Emperor aura, a specific ritual is needed to assist—and no one knows what that ritual is yet. Perhaps when we reach Bansi or Fourth Era Trill, the environment itself will eliminate the need for the ritual."

"Fine," Franca didn't insist.

A candle that could only be used four more times must be saved for the best occasion.

Franca eagerly said to Lumian:

"Now you can show us the 'Witch of Despair' potion formula."

"What's the payment?" Lumian joked.

Franca made a 'tsk' sound:

"I'll keep an eye out in the Witch Cult for any gender-changing artifacts and give it to you for free."

As she spoke, Franca's smile grew brighter, her eyes shining:

"I'm looking forward to that day."

Jianna imagined it and felt a flicker of anticipation too.

Considering the possible consequences of arguing further on this topic, Lumian pretended to be speechless, pulled out the fine, white human skin from the Traveler's Satchel, and quickly placed it on the coffee table.

The three of them glanced at the potion formula for only two seconds before quickly pulling away, then returned after a pause to continue.

After repeating this several times, the full content of the Sequence-4 potion formula appeared clearly in their minds:

"Name: Despair;

"Sequence 4;

"Main ingredients: Poison sac of the Plague Mother Serpent; crystallized remains of the Silver Hunter;

"Auxiliary ingredients: 10 milliliters of bile from the Plague Mother Serpent; three fragments of the Silver Hunter; one fresh sprig of mistletoe; 10 milliliters of blood each from seven deceased individuals who died of different plagues.

"Ritual: Cause over thirty thousand people to be engulfed in a violent plague. The more deaths and the stronger the despair and suffering, the better the ritual's effect."

In the brief, silent exchange of glances, Franca hissed:

"This ritual is too evil!"

"I could never do something like this!"

She felt that if she yielded to advancement, yielded to the desire to become a demi-god, and brought about such a plague, she would truly fall—truly become a 'Witch.'

Jianna nodded in agreement, her face filled with fear.

She couldn't imagine becoming such a person.

She'd rather remain forever at the 'Witch of Pain' sequence!

"It's not just about evil—it's clearly much harder than the 'Ironblood Knight's' advancement ritual," Lumian said from another angle.

With the 'Witch of Pain's' abilities, plus auxiliary tools and items, turning an infectious disease into a plague affecting thirty thousand people isn't too difficult—but the problem is, in any human-populated city, there will be official organizations. As soon as the plague begins to spread, it will be noticed and dealt with, possibly even tracing the source—the 'Witch of Pain' herself—to eliminate her.

If one avoids cities and lets the plague spread slowly from town to town, village to village, it would take an extremely long time. And the longer the process, the more likely unexpected events will cause failure: being discovered by official adepts, the plague being naturally cut off, or encountering other unforeseen circumstances.

In comparison, the Southern Continent is more suitable for the 'Witch of Pain' to advance.

"Yes," Franca looked pained. "Is there no way to bypass this ritual? Or is there an equivalent, less evil ritual?"

Jianna strained her mind but couldn't think of any clever way to avoid killing innocents.

Lumian smiled indifferently:

"It's simple. After you reach Sequence 5, switch to the 'Ironblood Knight.' If you care—or prefer being a 'Witch'—then later check whether the 'Eternal Witch's' ritual is evil. If it isn't, switch back."

"Uh…" Franca and Jianna both froze.

PS: At the start of the month, please vote for double monthly tickets~

(End of chapter)