Fainting

"Huh, that's not right..."

Aaron suddenly realized, "Lin has already run far enough, and she is skilled at controlling the aura of flesh and blood, erasing all physical traces. Without occult tracking, the High Priest shouldn't be able to find her... Can my ability wash away this occult trail for her?"

He felt, inexplicably, that this should be feasible.

"Setting aside my reserves, I still have a bit of energy quota today; I can give it a try. If it doesn't work, there's nothing else I can do."

As Aaron's thought flickered, Lin suddenly felt the sense of urgency in her heart vanish instantly.

It was as if certain inexplicable threads in the air had been severed.

"Thank you for your protection."

Lin offered her sincere thanks once more and concluded the ritual.

"As expected, since I can wash away the corruption from that entity above the moon, I can also wash away the occult connection of the Black Sun... However, both are merely spontaneous corruption from Them, not active strikes. I must not grow arrogant..."

Blackstone Manor.

[Spirit of Crimson... It exists within all flesh-and-blood life. Because humanity is the head of all spirits, the Spirit of Crimson is most abundant within the human body...]

[Compared to 'Dark', the plundering of 'Crimson' does not require ritual assistance; it only requires consumption. Proper cooking and preparation will promote the amplification of spirituality...]

Aaron set down his pen and sighed.

He had originally thought the Three Stages of Dark Awakening of the Black Sun Church was somewhat evil.

But compared to the awakening of Crimson, it was practically a well-behaved child.

At least the accumulation of Dark began with honing oneself like an ascetic, rather than obtaining it from the outside world.

"Looking at it this way, the introductory stage of Crimson would be quite rapid. No wonder Lin grew so quickly..."

Aaron rang a bell to let Daili enter: "Prepare candles, rose essential oil, salt, and a dagger—preferably silver..."

He paused, looking at the suspicious maid, and lowered his voice: "I don't want rumors spreading in the territory that I am obsessed with witchcraft, or I will punish you. Do you understand?"

"Please rest assured, My Lord, I won't tell anyone."

Daili shook her head hurriedly, her face filled with fear.

"Very good."

Aaron nodded.

A moment later, he closed the door and drew the curtains, sealing the room before lighting the candles.

The first thing Aaron attempted was the Pathfinding Ritual.

Then, without the slightest surprise, he failed.

"So it really doesn't work?"

Aaron sighed, cleared away the original ritual layout and clutter, and began to redraw the ritual.

This time, it appeared much more casual.

"The ritual should require the participation of spirituality, but according to the High Priest, if there is no spirituality, one's own life force also has a certain effect..."

Aaron's expression gradually turned solemn as he began to call out a title:

"Creator above the Creator!"

"The Absolute Neutral Entity located behind the multiple veils!"

"Spirit of Unknown Void, Absolute Neutral Entity, Silent Observer!"

The first part was a title Aaron had set for himself, while the latter was the title confirmed by believers.

Combined, the focus should be quite accurate.

He used an otherworldly language, his voice shifting between deep and high-pitched as he continuously recited the title and began to pray.

"Is it useless?"

Aaron felt a sense of disappointment in his heart: "The object of my prayer is clearly right here... There should at least be some change, right?"

He thought for a moment, picked up the silver dagger, cut his finger, and dripped blood into the candle flame.

The bright red color slowly bled across the ritual markings.

Suddenly!

Aaron felt a wave of weakness, as if the energy within his body was gushing out through the small wound on his finger.

The ritual candle flame flared brightly.

Immediately after, he seemed to hear an echo in his ears, hazy and indistinct...

"Great."

Aaron was about to establish a connection, but the next instant, a sensation of the world spinning overcame him.

Thud!

He collapsed headlong onto the floor.

Vaguely, he seemed to see a maidservant running over in a panic.

When he opened his eyes again, Aaron was already lying on the large bed.

The floor, which had been in complete disarray, was now cleaned up. Daili stood by his side, and sitting in front of him was a fat man—Scholar Albert.

Well, scholars were usually the most learned individuals in a territory, and Albert possessed a bit of herbal knowledge, allowing him to serve as a part-time physician.

However, Aaron was deeply skeptical of this, as he absolutely could not accept that bloodletting therapy, at the very least.

"My Lord, it seems you have been overworking yourself, leading to physical weakness... You should eat more nutritious food and drink more deer blood."

Albert glanced at Daili, who was standing to the side: "Hmm... some nocturnal recreational activities should also be moderated."

"Cough, cough. I know. Thank you for your hard work."

Aaron's skin was thick, and his expression remained unchanged. After dismissing Albert, he looked at Daili: "You cleaned up those things? Well done. Remember to keep it a secret!"

As he spoke, he tossed a silver coin over to her: "This is your reward."

"Thank you."

Daili took the silver coin, her voice very low, like a startled fawn.

"I am fine now. Go bring me some food."

Watching Daili's retreating figure, Aaron fell into deep thought.

At the final moment before he lost consciousness, he had indeed heard a hazy call, but he had fainted before he could even establish a connection.

He himself was simply too weak!

Realizing this, Aaron could only sigh.

To perform a true ritual, one had to use spirituality to replace life force.

However... this world lacked spirituality...

Everything seemed to have fallen into a dead end once again.

Aaron sighed and began to consider the aftermath of these events.

"Hmm, Daili did a good job; nothing leaked out... But even if news spread that I used witchcraft, it wouldn't matter much. This isn't ancient Central Plains, where using sorcery meant immediate execution, nor is there a unified, powerful church to burn witches at the stake..."

"As a lord, even if I were to perform human sacrifices on my own land, I suspect Theodore would only come to exchange notes with me on his experiences as a priest... Well, as long as it's confirmed that I still worship Grandmother Green Banyan, it's fine."

"Researching witchcraft is nothing, but if I were to announce that I was abandoning the faith, then a religious war would truly be inevitable..."

Aaron let his thoughts wander while contemplating the possibilities of the supernatural in this world.

"The Path of Darkness failed, and Crimson... I certainly can't turn into Hannibal... Summoning myself also failed, and in a way that remains unsolvable..."

"Next, perhaps I should study herbs. After all... the mysticism of that world also contains content related to potions. Although it is highly unlikely I can concoct any spiritual elixirs, I must at least try to make something that can make me stronger, increase my vitality, and support longer rituals..."