New Moon Ritual

Time flies, and it's Sunday now.

The Lloyd's of Lloyd's attack, which was arranged in advance, should take place next week. The Noble Red Society has also suddenly gone silent. The news of Professor Moriarty's death has not yet arrived. The Minister of Trade remains unmoved, and the Assassin Miss's superior has still not come looking for them.

It was an unusually quiet and very peaceful week.

It was so quiet that Lily became somewhat uneasy.

However, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the only one who probably felt uncomfortable was Sherlock.

He's always been a restless soul. He usually needs to find something to do to keep his insatiable mind going. Now that he's forced himself to take a break, he can't make a fuss—according to Hai Na, he's been idly studying magic at the bishop's house by the weekend.

He also Hai Na to bring back a lengthy reply to Iver. It detailed various problems Iver might encounter at Lloyd's and how to deal with them; it also proposed seven conjectures that could only be verified by someone with Lloyd's status, and asked Iver to verify them when he had time.

The length of the letter reveals his concern for Iver and the extent of his boredom.

Of course, Iver didn't have the time.

He rarely had anything to do, so he quietly attended classes for a week. He methodically studied occult knowledge through the school library. He didn't even need much experience; he naturally advanced to level nine.

Iver was like a sponge, constantly absorbing knowledge. After reviewing his studies and finishing the two books he had planned to borrow, he began to study Elven Language in his spare time—because his Prayer Studies teacher Ms. Maya, intended to lend him a Grimoire on the Dedication Path, which was translated into Elven Language.

In order to understand this Grimoire, Iver had already begun preparations in advance.

The only thing that surprised Iver was that... Lily actually reached the peak of the First Level in just one week.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't even a week. She had already reached the Second Level wall by Thursday. Three days earlier than Iver had anticipated in the best-case scenario.

This means that Lily can indeed advance together during this New Moon Ritual —after all, they are both in Avalon, and it is extremely rare for them to either Path of Adaptation or Path of Transcendence, which means that they will almost certainly be scheduled together tonight.

And considering that Isabel has a key to the house at 14 Ronin Street ...

Although the possibility was slim, considering the possibility that she might come to visit Iver on Sunday night, Iver still asked his mentor for a Monday off in advance, and took Lily home to prepare for the Promotion Ritual and to seal the Paradox Flame Butterfly.

When they got home, Iver discovered that... the "Golden Dawn" that Master Agnes had promised had already been delivered and installed.

When Iver got home on Sunday morning, he was surprised to find the living room so bright.

It was as if it weren't a wall, but a giant window that transcended time and space—

A pure, brilliant golden light, mingled with the deep red of the rising Rising Sun, rose from the center of the sacred golden structure. Below, the Nephtys Guard of the Horus Empire worshipped the sun; their figures were small and indistinct, yet strangely real. The light penetrated the surrounding buildings crafted of crystal and gold, refracting and shimmering with a hazy glow. Even though it was a silent spectacle, one could almost hear solemn hymns being chanted.

This window creates a peculiar visual illusion—it looks like you're looking out from inside the window, but at the same time gives you the feeling of "looking at the same angle" and "looking down from the sky."

As Iver entered through the door and walked forward, the angle and distance from which he looked at the painting changed, as did the angle of the light emanating from the painting, the perspective of the surrounding buildings, and the angles at which they reflected the light.

The surrounding buildings are realistic and detailed; even a protruding brick on the wall or a small piece of peeling gold paint appears exceptionally clear. However, if you look at the whole painting directly, you can almost see a Golden Falcon soaring in the blue sky from the radiance repeatedly reflected by these sacred buildings and the sense of layering created by these buildings themselves.

This was the first time Iver had ever seen the Golden Dawn in real life. It was so sacred and magnificent that just looking at it made Iver feel his soul become clear and peaceful.

Even those completely unfamiliar with art can appreciate the timeless beauty contained within this painting. It is indeed, in terms of pure technique, the pinnacle of Yanis's magical paintings.

"When this painting was delivered, young master Edward was extremely surprised."

The old butler Oswald, followed Iver like a ghost, his hands behind his back, whispering, "After repeatedly confirming that it was a gift from Master Agnes to Young Master Iver, he kept saying things like 'unbelievable' and 'how could this be.' It took a long time of phone calls in the middle of the night to find out what had happened."

His withered, wrinkled face was full of a smile etched on his skin, and his wolf-like, deep green eyes were narrowed with amusement.

"Does Young Master Iver like it?"

"Of course I like it."

Iver chuckled, "It's not just this painting..."

As he spoke, he looked at the portrait hanging on another wall.

That was a painting Isabel painted for him.

In that painting, Isabel didn't depict the wheelchair behind Iver, and therefore Lily, who was originally standing behind him, was also absent. The background wasn't a classroom either... but rather a sky filled with the glow of dawn.

Whether it was intentional or coincidental, the background of that painting resembled a diluted version of "The Golden Dawn." It was as if the two paintings existed in the same time and space, only that Iver was a little further away from them, looking down at them from a higher vantage point.

When these two paintings are placed side by side, it becomes clear that Isabel's technique is not yet fully developed.

The painting depicts Iver swaying and breathing slightly, blinking slowly, and his sideburns swaying in the wind, looking like a level 2D character from a mobile game gacha game. While it's visually appealing, it's merely visually appealing. Even the movements don't feel natural... The outstretched hand seems less like a greeting or a lecture and more like offering a helping hand.

Even so, Iver still prefers it.

"Because the Temple of Horus does not belong to me, nor does the radiant sun. But it belongs entirely to me."

Iver looked at the painting and said seriously.

After finishing the painting, Isabel felt it wasn't good enough. She told Iver that she planned to paint another one for Iver once she had improved her skills.

But according to Iver, she would never stop there. Once her skills improved further, she would create an even better painting.

Eventually, Iver will be able to arrange these paintings together. That will become his photo album, a record of his memories.

Lily, standing behind him, silently pursed her lips, saying nothing.

Although she didn't feel that she should be painted in this picture... she felt that it was a bit unreal that Princess Highness had even painted away Young Master Iver's wheelchair. But at this moment, Lily felt a strange sense of pleasure.

Although Princess Isabel and Iver's relationship has grown closer, only she knows Iver's hidden identity as Demon Scholar. And now, only she can accompany Iver to this most dangerous New Moon Ritual.

Iver even got out of his wheelchair and personally helped her set up the ceremony in Iver room—

The rituals for the New Moon Ritual are completely different from those for the Full Moon Ritual.

Since there are no teammates, there's no need to give them up.

Compared to the Full Moon Ritual, the New Moon Ritual is darker and therefore requires a more brutal and dangerous ritual.

Under Iver's direction, Lily fed poison to a pair of roosters and hens. While they were still alive, she stabbed them to death with a knife, spilled their blood on the ground, and first soaked the two Ritual Array she had carved with the knife in the Chicken Blood.

After the blood dries, the excess part of the Ritual Circle is scraped off with a scraper, leaving only a complete, dark red circle. The original Ritual Array will then turn black due to the added blood.

Then Iver applied essential oil to the silver Ritual Knife, repeatedly heated it over a candle until the blade turned slightly black, and then set it aside for later use.

He then used a stalk of black sage to heat the silver hammer. After blackening its exterior, he burned the remaining sage to ash and smeared it onto the rope.

He smeared the rooster's venomous blood onto the thick iron nails. These nails were thicker and longer than a human finger, and he made six of them. He also made two sets of each of the other ritual items. He didn't entrust this delicate work to Lily, to ensure accuracy.

He pasted red, translucent paper on the window. Just in case, he also pasted one on the lampshade and temporarily boarded up the window leading from Iver' bedroom to the inside of the house.

Iver also prepared two sets of the ceremony materials.

Each set of ritual materials includes a live petrel, the heart of a deer that just died today, a miniature wax figure of a philosopher, a snake, a handful of black salt, a horse's penis, a fed mouse, an oyster, and a mirror.

Of these, only the petrel was not readily available to Iver. So he found a passing pigeon.

Materials for the New Moon Ritual are harder to find than those for the Full Moon Ritual, but fortunately, it only requires symbolism. Therefore, many materials can be found by looking for similar items.

The only problem is that these materials can't be purchased from the same place. And many of them have a limited shelf life...

Iver placed them in order at the nine corners of the Ritual Array —a nine-pointed star drawn in one stroke, but not with nine equal points. On the contrary, the nine points were all completely different sizes.

Iver the seabirds, mirrors, Deer Heart, wax figures, black salt, rats, whips, snakes, and oysters in the nine corners of the Ritual Array, following the order from smallest to largest angle.

The two of them waited quietly until nightfall, when Iver and Lily agreed on a secret code to confirm their identities upon meeting. Then they changed clothes— Iver found a red and white robe in the house and completely dyed it red with the remaining Chicken Blood; while Lily wore a very loose gray hoodie that was enough to cover her face and figure.

After the sun had completely set and the new moon had risen, watching the red light seep into the room, Iver turned on the gas lamp with the red lampshade on it.

As the red light filled the entire room, the Promotion Ritual officially began.

"—All nine are present."

Iver murmured, "I am among them."

Lily imitated Iver's chanting and followed his actions.

He picked up a rope and strangled the bird; he picked up a hammer and smashed the mirror; then he picked up a nail and, together with the hammer, drove it into the deer's heart.

He touched the wax figure with a candle to melt it slightly; then he cut his own finger and soaked it in black salt with his blood; he killed the rat with a black Ritual Knife; he pierced the horse's penis from the tip with a nail; he pried open an oyster and dripped his own blood into it.

Iver didn't touch the snake, and Lily didn't touch the rat—she nailed the frozen snake to the ground and skinned it with Ritual Knife.

But Iver's snake remained motionless, quietly coiled in place; while Lily's mouse raised its head, its eyes gleaming with a lifelike brilliance.

"Except for me, all eight others will die."

The two said in unison.

The next moment, eight clusters of black and red flames blazed up. The Ritual Array was illuminated, shining with a red glow.

—The ceremony was a success.

I accidentally overslept... This is 3,600 words. I'm taking a half-day off to rest today. I won't take any more days off after the dungeon is finished! It's amazing that a cat can write nearly 4,000 words even while on leave (hands on hips). I'll also organize tomorrow's outline!

Even though the cat knows you like to fatten it up, don't kill it! Remember to enable custom settings when you fatten it up (so sad).