Disciple Ceremony

The status of the Shadow Temple is relatively low, even among the priesthoods of various belief systems.

The priests of the shadow belief system are half a rank lower than those of the light belief system.

A large part of the reason is precisely that the Shadow Temple has existed for a very short time and lacks sufficient historical foundation.

The status of the Church of Light is still maintained by the priests of light and the Glory of the Blazing Sun.

From the tone of Oscar Capac at the end, one can infer the outcome of the divine war.

The Lord of Light defeated the Sun God and seized a portion of his authority, but did not completely annihilate him.

Instead, the authority of shadow was created, allowing the Sun God to survive in another form.

The supreme faith of the Xuanhe Empire became a secret cult suppressed by the Church of Light, lingering on in the shadows.

Arthur sighed softly; this was a brutal divine war, and it also served as a serious warning to him.

He must never expose his identity, or he would be severely beaten by the iron fist of civilization and purified on the stake.

Putting away the [Sun and Shadow] card, Arthur tapped the table lightly and looked at Mr. Red Grail and Miss Moth: "Please continue to collect the Tarot cards."

He said to Mr. Red Grail: "I adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange; you may make one request... equivalent to this Tarot card."

After saying this, Arthur was slightly taken aback; why did he feel like an evil Black Devil?

Fortunately, the mist obscured their vision, and the two could not see Arthur's reaction.

Edmond Tide's eyes lit up; he had been worrying about how to decipher the map of the "Mermaid Book," as he needed an expert proficient in the Sea Race Language.

If Mr. Mansus were willing to do it for him, wouldn't deciphering the Sea Race Language be as easy as pie?

"I request that Mr. Mansus translate the ancient archives of the Sea Race Language!"

Arthur tapped the table lightly and said indifferently: "Twice."

One Tarot card in exchange for two translation opportunities; he had to give Mr. Red Grail room to strive, and he could not let [Research] become cheap.

"Many thanks, Mr. Mansus!"

Edmond Tide had been trying to find an expert in the Sea Race Language in the Grand Route, but there had been no news at all.

By the Era of Light, the Sea Race had gradually withdrawn from the stage of history, and now it was the Age of Navigation.

Experts proficient in the Sea Race Language were simply too hard to find.

With Mr. Mansus promising two opportunities, the operation to find the sanctuary of the mermaids could officially begin!

Arena watched Mr. Tide, who was interacting, and calculated the time for the duel.

After the next Society of Hours meeting ended, she would engage in a swordsman's duel with Reilly!

As long as she won this battle, she would control her own destiny... at least her family would no longer pressure her.

"You may communicate freely."

As Arthur's voice fell, Edmond Tide looked at Arena; he had no other requests.

The last trade had brought in supplies, and with this one solving the dilemma of the Sea Race Language, Edmond Tide lacked nothing.

Arena had no other matters either; her only current demand was to defeat her brother, Reilly, in the swordsman's duel!

She stood up, lifted her skirt, and bowed slightly: "Mr. Mansus, I request to petition you alone."

"Granted."

Seeing that Edmond Tide had nothing else and that there was no communication between the two, Arthur kicked him out directly.

It saved him from having to use his power to isolate the sound.

"Miss Moth, what is your petition?"

Arena took a deep breath, as if she had made a certain decision, and said: "I want to obtain power!"

"Equivalent exchange; what can you offer to trade?"

Arthur did not refuse; Arena taking the initiative to make a request was actually a perfect opportunity to test the power of the "Moth Principle."

"I can become a follower of Mr. Mansus! I will serve Mr. Mansus!"

Followers are different from believers; believers are divided into general believers, believers, and fanatics based on their faith.

A follower is naturally someone favored by a deity; simply put, they are a priest of a belief system.

A follower is a step further than a believer.

For example, Arena believes in the Goddess of Night, but the Goddess of Night will not grant her power.

The priests of the Church of Night obtain power because of their faith, but this power can be taken back by the Goddess at any time.

If their faith wavers, their power will also be significantly weakened.

Arthur tapped the table and said indifferently: "A very simple trade. If Miss Moth becomes my disciple, I will grant you power."

After entering the Society of Hours, Arena was already one of his believers.

Passing this stage meant reaching the level of a disciple; by holding the disciple ceremony and officially becoming a disciple of the Moth, Arena would obtain the power of the Moth.

"Please, Mr. Mansus, tell me how I may become your disciple?"

Arthur closed his eyes, a pure white door emerging in his mind; as he ascended along the white door, another gate appeared.

It was wide enough to accommodate a ship, and blocking the path before it was a barricade of beast horns streaked with blood—the Stag Gate.

He opened his eyes to look at Arena, informing her of the specific ritual process:

"At the stroke of midnight, shed your clothing and strip away your past."

"Arrive at the Stag Gate in your dreams and recite the following incantation in Old Latin or Ancient Hermetic Language:

Sometimes shears, sometimes a knife. Sometimes a tree, sometimes bone.

Sometimes the fluttering of the moon, sometimes the spots of the soul.

He was once blood, and we shall be as he is."

"Once you finish these words, step through the Stag Gate, and you shall become my disciple, gaining the power of the Moth."

The incantation transformed into mist, surging into Arena's mind and carving itself deep into her memory.

Having memorized every step of the "Disciple Ritual," Arena opened her eyes, which shimmered with a yearning for freedom.

She wanted to pursue her own life rather than be bound by her family; the Society of Hours was her greatest advantage!

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

Arena lifted her skirt to curtsy, only to be kicked out the next second, waking from her dream.

Arthur tapped on the table; when it came to believers and disciples, it was best when both parties were willing.

Once Arena became a disciple and fed power back to him, the Moth power his true body could wield would see a qualitative improvement!

Sequence 9 and Sequence 8 were low sequences, Sequence 7 and Sequence 6 were mid-sequences, while Sequence 5 and Sequence 4 were high sequences.

A disciple was roughly equivalent to a mid-sequence transcendent; once Arena's ritual succeeded, Arthur himself would be able to wield Moth power at the level of Sequence 7.

Withdrawing from the Secret Sect Long Table, Arthur slowly stirred awake, rose from bed, and looked at Parrot Gro:

"How many sailing ships are nearby?"

"Respected Captain, there are five sailing ships hovering near the Great White Shark."

That was just about enough; with five pirate ships that spent their lives plundering, he could first formulate a concrete plan.

Then, by winning over a group of pirates, the scale would be sufficient to attack Rhine Island, and the plan could be executed smoothly.

Arthur looked at the countdown for [Research]; the contraband crafted from the Golden Palm Leaf was nearing its end.

"Send sailors out on small boats to notify the other captains; we shall meet on the open sea in rowboats."