The Disciple Rite

The Shadow Temple held a relatively low position, despite its priests belonging to the same faith system.

Priests of the Shadow faith held a rank half a tier below those of the Light faith.

A large part of the reason was that the Shadow Temple had existed for such a short time and lacked sufficient historical depth.

The Church of Light's position still depended on the Light priests and Glory of the Blazing Sun to maintain it.

From the way Oscar Capac had spoken at the end, Arthur could infer the outcome of the divine war.

The Lord of Light had defeated the Sun God and seized part of his authority, but had not completely extinguished him.

Instead, the authority of Shadow had emerged, allowing the Sun God to survive in another form.

The supreme faith of the Xuanhe Empire had become a secret sect hunted by the Church of Light, barely scraping by in the shadows.

Arthur let out a soft sigh. That was the terrible cost of the divine war, and it served as a stern warning to him.

Even if he died, he could never reveal his identity. Otherwise, civilization would beat him senseless and purify him at the stake.

After putting away the Sun and Shadow, Arthur lightly tapped the table and looked at Mr. Red Grail and Miss Moth. "Please continue collecting tarot cards."

He turned to Mr. Red Grail and said, "I believe in equivalent exchange. You may make a request... equal in value to this tarot card."

After saying this, Arthur paused. Why did he suddenly feel like an evil Black Devil?

Fortunately, the mist obscured his face, so neither of them could see his reaction.

Edmond Tide's eyes lit up. He had been worrying about how to find an expert in the Sea Race Language for the map in the Mermaid Book.

If Mr. Mansus was willing to help, deciphering the Sea Race Language would be a piece of cake.

"I ask Mr. Mansus to translate some ancient documents written in the Sea Race Language!"

Arthur lightly tapped the table and said calmly, "Twice."

One tarot card in exchange for two translations. Mr. Red Grail needed room to work toward his goals; Research could not be made cheap.

"Thank you, Mr. Mansus!"

Edmond Tide had tried to find an expert in the Sea Race Language along the Grand Route, but had received no leads.

During the Era of Light, the Sea Race had gradually withdrawn from history. Now, it was the Age of Navigation.

An expert in the Sea Race Language was truly difficult to find.

With Mr. Mansus granting him two translations, he could finally begin his search for the mermaids' sanctuary!

Arena watched Mr. Tide interact with the others, counting down the time until the duel.

After the next Society of Hours meeting, she would duel Reilly as a Swordsman!

If she won the battle, she would take control of her own fate... At the very least, her family would stop pressuring her.

"You may speak freely."

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, Edmond Tide looked at Arena. He had no further requests.

The supplies he had received in the previous exchange, along with this solution to his Sea Race Language problem, meant Edmond Tide wanted for nothing.

Arena had no other business either. Her only wish now was to defeat her elder brother, Reilly, in the Swordsman duel!

She rose and lifted her skirt in a slight curtsy. "Mr. Mansus, I request to make a private plea to you."

"Granted."

Seeing that Edmond Tide had nothing more to discuss and the two had no further business with each other, Arthur sent him away.

That saved him the trouble of using his power to block out their voices.

"Miss Moth, what do you wish for?"

Arena took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and said, "I want to gain power!"

"An equivalent exchange. What can you offer?"

Arthur did not refuse. Arena had come forward with a request of her own, which gave him the perfect chance to test the power of the Moth Principle.

"I can become your follower, Mr. Mansus! I'll serve you!"

Followers and believers were different. Believers were classified according to their faith as casual believers, believers, or fanatics.

A follower was someone favored by a deity—in simple terms, a priest of a faith.

Followers were a step above believers.

For example, Arena believed in the Goddess of Night, but the Goddess of Night did not grant her power.

The priests of the Church of Night gained power through their faith, but the Goddess could take that power back at any time.

If their faith wavered, their power would weaken considerably as well.

Arthur tapped the table and said calmly, "This is a simple exchange. If you become my disciple, Miss Moth, I will grant you power."

After joining the Society of Hours, Arena had already become one of his believers.

The next stage was becoming a disciple. By performing the Disciple Rite and officially becoming a disciple of the Moth, Arena would gain the Moth's power.

"Please tell me, Mr. Mansus. How do I become your disciple?"

Arthur closed his eyes. A pure white door appeared in his mind. He walked up along it, and another door came into view.

It was wide enough for a ship to pass through. In front of it, a bloodstained horn barred the way like a spiked barricade—the Stag Gate.

He opened his eyes and looked at Arena, explaining the exact procedure for the rite:

"At midnight, strip off your clothes and cast off your past."

"In your dream, go to the Stag Gate and recite the following incantation in Old Latin or the Ancient Hermetic Language:

At times, shears; at times, a knife. At times, a tree; at times, a bone.

At times, the moon's wings beating; at times, the soul's spots appearing.

He was once blood, and we shall be like him."

"After reciting these words, pass through the Stag Gate. You will become my disciple and gain the Moth's power."

The incantation turned into mist and flowed into Arena's mind, etched deep into her memory.

Having memorized every step of the Disciple Rite, Arena opened her eyes, her longing for freedom shining within them.

She wanted to pursue a life of her own, not be shackled by her family. The Society of Hours was her greatest advantage!

"Mr. Mansus, thank you for your generosity."

Arena lifted her skirt in a curtsy. The next moment, she was sent away and woke from the dream.

Arthur tapped the table. Matters like believers and disciples were best left to mutual consent.

Once Arena became his disciple and returned power to him, the Moth's power his true self could wield would increase dramatically!

Sequences 9 and 8 were low sequences; Sequences 7 and 6 were mid-sequences; and Sequences 5 and 4 were high sequences.

A disciple was roughly equivalent to a mid-sequence supernatural. After Arena successfully completed the rite, Arthur himself would be able to wield the Moth's power at Sequence 7.

After leaving the Secret Sect Long Table, Arthur slowly came to. He got out of bed and looked at Parrot Gro.

"How many sailing ships are nearby?"

"Respected captain, five sailing ships are loitering near the Great White Shark."

That should be enough. Five pirate ships that had been raiding for years. First, he would work out the details of the plan.

Then he would recruit more pirates. Once they had enough forces to attack Rhine Island, the plan could proceed smoothly.

Arthur checked the Research countdown. The prohibited item made from the Golden Palm Leaf was almost finished.

"Send a sailor in a small boat to notify the other captains. We'll meet on the water in our boats."