Cocoon (Happy National Day, fellow readers!)

[It has been proven that the correct ritual pointing to my world within the dream can send sacrificial offerings into the real world.]

[The spirituality in the real world is actually slowly disappearing... Disappointing...]

[Attempting again, having Lin sacrifice another portion of spirituality to depict the ritual in reality, summoning myself to myself... Failed again, unable to establish a complete connection.]

Bang!

Aaron snapped his quill and slammed his fist onto the desk.

The setback encountered this time was truly significant.

If reality could not accommodate the extraordinary, then even if he possessed some supernatural abilities, he would absolutely never achieve immortality.

In fact, this "micro-ability" might allow him to live quite well, but it could not withstand an army, leaving him feeling very insecure.

[No... I cannot give up!]

[Next... I should attempt various different elemental paths! Simultaneously, I must continuously utilize spirituality, and even... attempt the awakening ritual...]

[Although spirituality can only remain within my body for a very short time, if it accumulates over time, perhaps each instance will permanently increase my strength by a negligible amount... After a long period, perhaps it could render my constitution extraordinary?]

[However, there might be conflicts between different elements and paths; I must plan carefully and act with caution.]

After only a moment of frustration and loss of composure, Aaron reorganized his thoughts, put away his notebook, lay down on the bed, and began to enter a dream.

The desolate city of Diat.

Lin walked through the gloomy streets, searching for survivors.

After the Great Cataclysm, the apocalypse arrived; the maddened transformed into monsters, while most others were caught off guard and died at the hands of these creatures.

Even so, life still held miracles!

Amidst the ruins of this city, besides monsters, Lin was not the only existence!

After sacrificing the essence of 'Crimson' last time, the Lord liked such offerings very much...

Lin thought to herself.

For a mortal to achieve the extraordinary, one must first choose a path, then accumulate spirituality, and finally, through a ritual, become a true Extraordinary.

She had now reached the second stage of the 'Crimson' path—the 'Blood Overflowed'!

She possessed the ability to turn her entire body into blood, or partially blood-ify it, transforming into weapons.

Beyond that, she could also master a vast array of curses and rituals.

Of course, because she dared not listen to the gibberish of the existence above the moon again, her knowledge in this area was severely lacking.

At the same time, she could also unleash the power of 'Crimson' to accelerate her development.

The current Lin was allowing herself to grow at an extremely rapid speed, making her no different from an ordinary, large fourteen or fifteen-year-old child.

"The Light of Redemption needs more believers, the Lord needs more sacrifices..."

She had saved a few people before, but they were all ordinary; it would take time to guide them onto the path of the extraordinary.

Not long after, Lin discovered a new target.

It was a large department store, with a defensive line built at the entrance using various furniture and debris, while several monsters wandered outside the door.

"If my guess is correct, there should be survivors inside..."

Lin licked her lips, her body preparing to blood-ify.

At this moment, she keenly sensed that something was wrong with the air.

A fine powder permeated the surroundings, making her feel drowsy.

"Powder..."

Lin looked up abruptly; the sky was empty, with only a faint, intermittent sound of flapping wings that seemed to transmit directly into her skull.

"Something is wrong!"

Lin took a deep breath and whispered a prayer: "Spirit of Unknown Void, Absolute Neutral Entity, Silent Observer... Sole Redeemer, Supreme Light, My Lord... I have encountered a strange situation, please grant me good luck, grant me courage..."

In reality, she knew that the Lord rarely responded even to rituals involving fixed altars, let alone such verbal prayers.

However, this was a form of piety.

The Lord might not care about humans, but humans must care about the Lord; He was the only light of reason!

Hmm... Is the connection being established faster now? A verbal prayer is sufficient; does this mean my occult connection with her is becoming increasingly tight?

Lin's luck was good; this time, Aaron happened to be right beside her.

However, he did not intend to respond.

Faith, occult connection... If it is tight enough, could it allow me to break through distance limitations and hear prayers from afar?

He thought to himself: My occult power can be bestowed upon believers through rituals to perform various operations, yet believers cannot purify the occult; they can only sacrifice spiritual items to me... It seems this path is also unworkable.

Aaron felt that his own occult energy might be the ultimate manifestation of spirituality.

Alas... the current utilization rate is far too low.

"And the fixed altars are a nuisance, often failing to respond to prayers... I wonder if I could implement some kind of intelligent feedback or a messaging system?"

"But that requires a high level of occult knowledge, which I cannot achieve, unless... I let Lin fleece the Mother Tree of Flesh, sink into that state of obsession, listen to the gibbering, and then I pull her back to have her recount the knowledge she learned..."

Aaron felt a flicker of excitement, but immediately shook his head: "This believer is precious; doing that too often will surely get her discovered. Better to let future believers handle such tasks..."

His figure flickered, passing directly through the plaza to arrive in front of the department store.

Whether it was the monsters or the powder, everything passed right through him without leaving a single trace.

Aaron passed through the obstacles and entered the department store, where he saw several disheveled survivors holding shotguns, watching the outside with vigilance.

At the center of their protection, a woman with a heart-shaped face and emerald eyes, dressed in a gray robe, was casting a spell.

"I beseech the symbol of life and change, the controller of invisible threads, the great [Cocoon]!"

"I pray that you grant me the dust of confusion!"

"I pray that you grant me the invisible threads!"

Outside the department store, Lin watched in astonishment as the wandering aberrations suddenly froze, standing still like statues.

Around the statues, extremely fine threads, resembling silken strands, connected them to the ground.

Suddenly...

The numerous threads contracted in unison, slicing through the statues.

Those tiny, transparent lines transformed into the sharpest of blades, instantly carving the monsters into numerous cubes with smooth surfaces.

"Ms. Olivia, thank you so much."

The lady in the gray robe finished the ritual, and a group of survivors crowded around, offering endless thanks.

"It is nothing, Mr. Aldo. In this post-disaster world, helping one another is only right. Could you provide me with a quiet room?"

Olivia shook her head, her face slightly pale: "I would like to rest properly. Please, do not bring me any food or water."

"Of course!"

The man holding a shotgun, who looked to be in his forties with hairy arms, agreed immediately and escorted Olivia to a quiet room.

Clack!

Olivia closed the door, immediately leaning her back against the door panel as her body began to tremble violently.

Beneath her gray robes, one lump of flesh after another bulged and crawled, moving about like little mice...

"Hah... hah..."

Olivia gasped for air, finally unable to bear it any longer, and collapsed to the floor, rolling about in agony.

Nearby, Aaron watched this scene calmly: "Forced use of the ritual, resulting in corruption? However... she seems to be someone who can barely maintain her sanity, though... it is a struggle."

He looked toward the door, his expression suddenly turning somewhat enigmatic.