Those Whom the Goddess Does Not Favor

Blackthorn Security Company, underground armory.

"I've taught you everything that needs to be taught. Give it a try."

Klein said to Luther. At this moment, all the materials had been prepared and laid out on the table.

Luther nodded, then picked up the silver ritual dagger, channeling his spirituality into it. He used the spirituality spitting from the tip of the dagger to cut through the surrounding air, creating an invisible Spiritual Wall. He took out two candles, one long and one short; the long one represented the deity, and the short one represented himself. Releasing spirituality from his fingertips, he rubbed the candle wicks, and with a "pop," the flames ignited accordingly.

As the candlelight flickered, Luther dripped a drop of Deep Sleep Flower essential oil into the flame. The fire immediately made a "hissing" sound, and a faint fragrance wafted out. He continued to add powders of Moon Flower and Night Fragrance Herb into the flame, and the scent in the air became more distinct, as if one had walked into a meadow in the dead of night, smelling the fresh fragrance of wild flowers and grasses, making one feel peaceful and calm.

A silver sheet two fingers wide was placed under the long candle. Luther took the engraving tool and whispered in the Hermes language:

"O Goddess of the Night, more noble than the starry sky, more eternal than eternity."

"You are the Lord of the Crimson, the Mother of Concealment, the Empress of Calamity and Fear, the Lord of Sleep and Silence."

When chanting the honorific name of the Goddess of the Night, Luther suddenly felt a bit awkward. Because he was clearly a formal member of the Night Watcher squad belonging to the Goddess Church, yet he had never stepped into the Goddess Church on a normal day; this was actually his first time chanting the Goddess's honorific name.

Outside the Spiritual Wall, Klein watched the progress of Luther's ritual and suddenly let out a soft "huh."

But Luther inside the wall did not know this, and he continued to chant the prayer according to the procedure:

"I pray to you;"

"I pray that you grant me power;"

"Grant me the power to complete the Sleep Charm."

"Great Goddess, please pass your power to my charm..."

As the incantation was about to end, Luther reached out and picked up the engraving tool. According to Klein's demonstration, at this moment, the Goddess would respond to his prayer, projecting divine power onto him, and then he would use the engraving tool to carve this power into patterns on the silver sheet, solidifying it into a charm... wait, where was the Goddess's power?

Luther froze, holding the engraving tool. He had finished chanting the entire incantation, but nothing had happened.

Turning his head to look outside, Klein also had a dumbfounded expression.

"The Goddess actually didn't respond to a believer's prayer? Has there ever been a precedent for this?"

"At least I've never heard of it."

"Then why did the Goddess ignore my prayer?"

"...I don't know either."

In the basement of the armory, Luther and Klein stared at each other with wide eyes.

After this, they tried several more times and found that as long as it was Klein, the ritual could be completed smoothly, but if it were Luther, he could never receive a response from the Goddess.

What kind of situation is this! Could it be that the Goddess hates me?

Luther was completely speechless, sitting on the ground, lost in thought.

He was pondering the reason why the Goddess ignored him.

To be honest, the Luther of his past life had no faith. But after arriving in this world, the existence of Beyonder powers made him understand that there truly were gods in this world. Coupled with the fact that the original Rondal family were shallow believers of the Goddess, he had just gone with the flow, pretended to be a believer of the Goddess, and joined the Night Watchers.

But from the bottom of his heart, he still did not believe in gods.

Could it be that this was the reason?

Luther couldn't help but stand up.

Since that was the case, following the consistent pragmatism of the people from his homeland, wouldn't it be enough to just go to the temple and pay his respects?

So he turned and walked quickly toward the outside of the armory.

"Hey, Luther, what are you doing?"

Klein called out in a panic.

"Going to pray to the Goddess--"

Luther shouted aloud. He did not return to the ground floor but used the underground passage to quickly head toward St. Selena's Church. He walked in a hurry, and when he rushed out from the secret door, he startled the priest guarding nearby.

"Is something the matter?"

The priest asked.

"Nothing, I'm here to pray to the Goddess."

Luther replied.

The priest was speechless. He could not stop a believer from praying to the deity, so he had to clear a path, while reminding him, "Please be quiet and don't disturb others."

Luther stepped out of the corridor, walked a few steps, and the view before him suddenly opened up. Under the high dome, the altar, confessionals, pulpit, and several rows of pews were laid out in order. The church as a whole was deep and quiet, with only the holy emblem at the top, where holes had been chiseled in the position representing the stars, allowing sunlight to shine in, as if they were bright stars in the night.

It was afternoon, and there were few believers in the prayer hall. The priests also had their own things to do and did not pay attention to him. Luther picked a secluded pew and sat down, clasping his hands together, bowing his head and closing his eyes, and began to pray silently.

"O Goddess of the Night, more noble than the starry sky, more eternal than eternity..."

He first chanted the Goddess's honorific name again in the Hermes language, then whispered a prayer in the Roosevelt language.

"Great Goddess, I am a naturally suspicious person, and I haven't been respectful enough to the gods. I hope you can forgive me."

In any case, admit the mistake first; the attitude must be good.

"From now on, I shall believe in you with greater piety."

He didn't even believe his own words, but at the very least, he had to show sufficient respect to the Goddess in terms of form.

"May you be as magnanimous as the endless night, bestow your grace upon me, and grant me the opportunity to wield your authority..."

Expressing his vision at the end was perfect.

As soon as Luther's voice faded, he immediately felt that something had changed.

The lofty dome and the deep, gloomy prayer hall seemed to soften, making him feel less out of place within them, as if he had become a part of the surroundings.

In the darkness, there was a faint, light chuckle, as if an invisible thread had descended and connected to Luther.

Luther's eyes suddenly widened.

It was hard for him to describe the feeling, but he was certain that in this very instant, he had established a connection with some hidden, lofty existence.

The Potion within his body was digesting rapidly; in a mere split second, a significant portion of it had actually been digested. The world suddenly became quiet and clear in his ears, much like the sensation of having one's ears blocked from motion sickness, only to swallow and have the eardrums return to normal.

Good heavens, it actually worked.

And my Potion has digested so much... why is that?

Luther's heart was filled with shock and confusion. He raised his hand and, not particularly piously, traced the symbol of the Crimson Moon on his chest, whispering, "Praise the Goddess."

He stood up to return, once again taking the secret passage. By the time he arrived back at the armory, he operated the Ritual with practiced ease, and after chanting the honorific name of the Goddess of the Night, a kind of peaceful, profound power flooded his body.

It works!

Luther gripped the engraving tool and began to sketch and carve Hermes script and mysterious patterns onto the silver sheet, anchoring the power of slumber onto the charm. By the time the final stroke was completed, the power of deep sleep was entirely locked within the charm.

He picked up the charm, felt the cool touch of the silver sheet, and revealed a satisfied smile.