The voice
When Lumian first acquired that Mysticism knowledge, what he looked forward to most was "Ghost Exorcism," which seemed to be the perfect solution to Suzanne Matisse's problem, if she hadn't already been completely eliminated by the Official Beyonder.
After actually reading through the "Ghost Exorcism," Lumian realized he had been too optimistic.
This Ritual Magic can indeed drive away Wraith and even Evil Spirit, and prevent them from haunting you, but there are two prerequisites: first, knowing the Ghost's true name and obtaining an item she carried with her during her lifetime; and second, having enough time to perform the Ritual.
The second premise determines that "Ghost Exorcism" cannot be used in intense battles, and is more suitable for situations like the one Charlie had repeatedly dreamed of Suzanne Matisse—being tormented by Wraith or Evil Spirit, but not yet able to die for the time being.
Lumian is not currently suffering any real harm from Suzanne Matisse; at most, she has been targeted by her, and his "Ghost Exorcism" lacks a corresponding target, making it impossible to exorcise the ghost.
When Suzanne Matisse strikes again, she will not treat Lumian gently. Instead, she will drain his energy through repeated erotic dreams, leading him step by step toward death. Given the hatred and obsession she has shown before, she will definitely take direct action, using all kinds of Extraordinary Ability to kill her target on the spot.
In that case, Lumian wouldn't have time to use his "Ghost Exorcism" at all, unless someone blocked the ghost for him for two or three minutes.
"Should I use the Official Beyonder? But that would mean the authorities find out about me, and there would be a lot of trouble afterwards..."
"Or, let Charlie sacrifice himself, use sweet words to Soothing Suzanne Matisse, and accompany her to do that thing in reality? The longer he holds on, the greater my hope of completing the ' Ghost Exorcism '... Heh, this method is weird, it has a kind of underground literature feel to it..." Lumian muttered silently.
The current Republic of Intis, despite its slogan of "freedom," is not actually that free.
On the one hand, it was to prevent Roselle worshippers from seeking a restoration, the Carbonari from attempting to overthrow the current regime, and the opposition from undermining the ruling party's prestige. On the other hand, it was also due to pressure from the relatively conservative Church of the God of Steam and Machinery and the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun. The Republic of Intis has always had a rather strict policy of censorship of publications.
They might even plant spies or recruit writers as spies to monitor active creators, ensuring they don't promote anything that could damage the ruling party's image, or present overly pornographic or overly critical content about religious authority to the general public.
Where there is prohibition, there is violation; Trier developed a thriving underground literary market that spilled over into other provinces.
Aurora had bought a few out of curiosity and forbade her younger brother from reading them, hiding them in the most Concealment corner of the bookshelf. But where there is prohibition, there is violation. Lumian secretly read one of them and was deeply shocked.
The book, titled "The Monk Who Chased Dogs," combines critiques of ecclesiastical authority, the extravagance and decadence of Clergy, and the dissemination of erotic content.
Lumian's idea of using Charlie to seduce Suzanne Matisse had a certain underground literary flair.
"Moreover, we don't have any of the items that Suzanne Matisse carried with her during her lifetime as a medium. We can try to find out where her belongings are these days. Whether or not we can use them in the end, being prepared is better than fearing disaster..." Lumian pulled his thoughts back and began to assess what role the other four Ritual Magic could play and what significance they had for him.
In his view, the "Animal Transformation" was both incredibly magical, evil, bizarre, and terrifying.
When used properly, this ritual magic can have incredible effects, such as turning prisoners into animals like sheep, cows, or horses and taking them away openly, or allowing oneself to blend into places that would normally be inaccessible as an animal. However, most of the time, especially in intense battles, this Ritual Magic is almost useless.
According to the Mysticism knowledge instilled into Lumian's mind, the object of the "Animal Transformation" could be That One Hidden Being named after Fate, the Honorific Name that were "gifted" but whose targets were unknown, or even himself.
Of course, this is on the premise that one has sufficient spirituality and the corresponding status, and the success rate of the Ritual is much lower than the previous two methods, as is the duration of the effect.
In the "Animal Transformation," the minimum requirement for rank is to reach Sequence 7, "The Contracted One." The higher the rank, the more likely the Ritual is to succeed and the better the effect.
With the Corruption sealed within his body, Lumian wasn't worried about whether his rank was high enough. He was just unsure if his spiritual energy could support the consumption of the "Animal Transformation," and if so, how many times he could endure it.
Aside from the "Animal Transformation," the remaining four Ritual Magic can also use oneself as the object of supplication; as for the probability of success and the quality of the effect, that's another matter entirely.
Based on this, Lumian suspected that these five Ritual Magic could be simplified at High-Sequence and applied to actual combat. For example, by wrapping an enemy in Sheepskin and reciting a pre-set Incantation, one could directly turn him into a sheep.
"It seems impossible to do what Sequence 7's ' Contracted One ' is, and Sequence 4's ' Person of the Loop ' is too high a rank to match this rudimentary spell... So, is it Sequence 5's ' Fate Hunter ' with a similar simplification, or Sequence 6 whose name I don't currently know?" Lumian subconsciously did some analysis.
As for the "Fortune Transfer," he felt that it could only be used to "help" others at present, and it was impossible to use it on himself, because his Destiny was deeply affected by the Corruption sealed within his body and the Great Ones That One sealed the Corruption. Unless he directly prayed to the Power of Fate, it was impossible to change his fate. Only when he reached the "Fate Hunter" stage could he selectively choose a segment of Destiny that did not involve those High Sequence beings to exchange.
The "Substitution" is too complicated and would seriously affect Lumian's daily life and other tasks. If there were other ways, he would not consider using it.
In comparison, "Prophecy" is a Ritual Magic that is not too difficult to complete and is quite useful.
Lumian had already planned to gather relevant information, find a Corpse, analyze the approximate timeframe for Suzanne Mattis's next attack by questioning Charlie about his Future, and also use the questioning of Louis Lund's Future to find the whereabouts of Madame Pualis and the others.
"Dog saliva, lynx entrails, Hyena tongue, stag bone marrow, chunks of Sea Monster or Water Monster flesh, Lizard eyes, stones from an eagle's nest, snake venom sacs, and deadly Herbs —these materials aren't too difficult to find. The only tricky part is the Sea Monster or Water Monster flesh, but the Ritual requirements don't specify a particular level. Theoretically, even the weakest Water Monster is still Water Monster, just not as effective?" Lumian pondered for a while, seeing that his energy had recovered considerably, and prepared to leave the underground Quarry Cavern and return to the "Golden Rooster Inn."
He had just stood up when he suddenly frowned.
He heard a faint sound.
The sound was echoing in his ears!
Lumian forced himself to calm down and listened carefully to the content of the voice.
Gradually, in his perception, the sound became clearer, more powerful, and more magnificent:
Lumian Lee!
Lumian Lee!
"..."
Do you know my name? Carrying the Carbide Lamp, Lumian instinctively looked around, but found no one and nothing unusual.
Lumian Lee!
Lumian Lee!
"..."
The sound echoed in waves, seemingly emanating from the Depths of Lumian's mind, from within his body, blocked by flesh, organs, and bones, forming echoes layer upon layer.
Inside the body... As soon as Lumian had this realization, a certain guess formed in his mind.
He lowered his voice and asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"
The deep, majestic, yet ethereal and layered voice no longer repeated its cry, but solemnly proclaimed. "I am Termiboros, the Angel of the Lord."
"Master, which master?" Lumian's eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
He suspected that the one speaking was the "Corruption" sealed within him. After receiving the Gift of the "Mendicant Friar" and getting closer to That One being named Fate, the other party managed to transmit a voice that was not Corruption by using the connection between their powers.
The ethereal voices echoing in Lumian's ears proclaimed Devout: "The Lord is the Ruler of the Old Days, the Origin Above the Sequence, the great ' Circle of Fate '..."
These words, merely appearing in Lumian's mind, filled him with inexplicable fear, as if a gaze pierced through the Starry Sky, through the clouds, through the ground of Trier, through layers of soil, and landed upon him.
Suddenly, Lumian kept turning around and looking to his side, as if there were Invisible Man staring at him from the surrounding darkness.
This terrified him, it unsettled him, it drove him almost to madness.
Just then, a faint Gray Fog appeared from nowhere and enveloped the area, greatly calming Lumian's mental state.
He scoffed at Termiboros claimed to Angel:
"You're the one sealed inside me?"
It's unclear whether they are true Angel with Beyonder Characteristic, or merely Angel servants bestowed with Gift...
This Provocation seemed to have slightly reduced the Potion within Lumian's body.
Termiboros showed no anger or resentment, but solemnly and respectfully said, "If you follow my orders and release me from the seal, I will help you Resurrection Aurora Lee."
"You should know very well that the power of my Lord involves the Past, present, and Future, and can make Destiny form a Loop."
"At that time, I will restore Aurora Lee's Soul Fragments to their state before the Advent Ritual began, and all you need to do is prepare a living body for her."
Lumian fell silent for a moment before asking in a low, hoarse voice, "The descent Ritual... that Ritual creates a body for you to descend into the world?"