Description

The more Lumian listened to the Lady's words, the more he agreed with them.

He didn't know what the High-Sequence would look like, but based on the few extraordinary creatures he had "encountered," the creature with the Whirlpool mouthparts posed far less of a threat to him than the Monster carrying Hunting Rifle.

While his advancement to Beyonder, resulting in significant improvements in close combat and environmental skills, was partly due to the inherent limitations of the contracted Monster itself.

It did not demonstrate strong chasing ability, lacked long-range attack methods, and its "Invisibility" ability was not outrageous, but was completely countered by the "Hunter's " grasp of the surrounding environment and subtle traces.

In addition, it suffers from the common problem of Monster: it is not very intelligent and does not possess the combat wisdom of the Shotgun Monster, easily falling into the enemy's trap.

All of these factors combined led to the predictable result, so much so that Lumian had never imagined it would be equivalent to Sequence 7 until today.

He didn't even compare it to the Shotgun Monster, believing the difference between them was huge— the Shotgun Monster was strong, the Mouthpart Monster was weak.

Ability, intellect, preparation, adaptability, environmental factors... so many things can influence the outcome of a battle... Lumian made a mental summary, then asked with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty, "Can I directly invoke the power of the ' Contracted One '?"

That One Lady smiled:

"This is a very good way to commit suicide."

She casually explained, "Theoretically, it is indeed possible, after all, the power sealed within you is more than just equivalent to Sequence 7."

"But do you think your body can withstand such a huge ' Gift,' or rather, Corruption, all at once?"

"Of course, if you feel that becoming Monster, Marionette of That One being, or being mutated into another kind of creature is acceptable, then you can consider trying it."

"Tsk, it won't be long before I see you personally turn your Older Sister into Sacrifice."

Lumian felt a chill run down his spine after hearing what That One Lady said, and dared not think about "jumping the ranks" anymore.

He asked cautiously, "So, the greatest Gift I can bestow right now is ' Dancer '?"

"Yes, that's why I waited until you became Beyonder and had a basic understanding of it before telling you this." That One Lady took another small sip of the green liquid in her glass. "Only when your spirit, spirituality, and body have undergone significant improvement will you have a chance to resist the Corruption that comes with the ' Gift,' and then gradually gain control over that power."

"As time goes by, once your Spirit Body and Mental Body have further strengthened, and your body has adapted to the slight changes brought about by the Gift Power, then you can consider becoming a ' Mendicant Friar '."

For Lumian, the most important thing right now was to learn that mysterious dance, which would allow him to involuntarily and partially activate the Thorn Symbol, thereby greatly enhancing his ability to explore the Dream Ruins. Therefore, he stopped thinking about the "Mendicant Friar" and the "Contracted One," nodded slightly, and asked seriously, "Then how should I pray?"

He had already learned the Dual Ritual Method, but he still had no idea about the Honorific Name of the person he was praying to, the domain they belonged to, or the corresponding materials.

"Ahem." That One Lady couldn't help but cough.

Then, she said seriously, "What I'm about to say goes straight from my mouth to your ears. You mustn't tell anyone, or you'll harm them."

"Out of my mouth, into your ears..." This is a line Aurora liked to write... Has this Lady read one of her novels? Lumian solemnly replied:

"OK."

He thought for a moment and then said, "So I don't have to worry about any problems arising from listening?"

That One Lady took a sip of her Absinthe Anise and smiled slightly. "When did you start to think you were alright?"

Lumian was taken aback at first, then looked down at his left chest.

That One Lady then scoffed:

"You were destined to be severely Corruption. Fortunately, the mark left by That One Great Ones was activated, and the corresponding power descended upon you, sealing the Corruption and creating balance."

"Next, you will hold Ritual to face the power within the seal and pray for the corresponding Gift, which is equivalent to actively accepting a certain degree of Corruption."

"So what are you afraid of, even if there's a tiny problem after hearing this?"

The more I listened, the more I felt there was a big problem... Lumian wasn't very confident.

That One Lady shook her head and smiled, "Don't worry, when I tell you the corresponding words, I will definitely provide a sufficiently Concealment environment and very safe protection. Afterwards, if you want to hold Ritual, it's best to go to the Ruins. There is Gray Fog there, and the Protection of Great Ones, so you won't directly attract That One being's attention."

"And in the time leading up to the Ritual, you should break down each step and each description into a jumbled mess to solidify your understanding, trying not to think about them all together as a complete whole, otherwise, well..."

She chuckled, not revealing the outcome, but Lumian could imagine what problems might arise.

Seeing that he didn't ask any more questions, That One Lady nodded slightly.

Let's begin.

The first part is ' The Power of Fate '.

"That's enough. It corresponds to your Black Thorn Symbol. The full name of That One being is beyond your current knowledge. Even I must keep it Concealment before I dare to think about it."

For some reason, Lumian felt that the light around him had dimmed a little, but he wasn't quite sure.

At this moment, That One Lady composed herself and said seriously, "The second part is:"

You are the Past, the present, and the Future;

"You are the cause, the result, and the process..."

As That One Lady uttered each Vocabulary, Lumian felt dizzy and realized that black winds seemed to be swirling around him.

The brown surface of the table where his glass of Absinthe Anise sat seemed to come alive.

With a snap.

A black worm, about the length of an adult's index finger, crawled out from inside the Wooden Planks, and an evil aura instantly spread outwards.

Before Lumian could even get a good look at the black worm, the Lady opposite him put down the glass of green liquid in her hand, crushing the strange creature into a puddle of minced meat.

Then, That One Lady took out a patterned napkin, wiped the bottom of the glass, and wrapped up the Corpse of the black worm.

She took another small sip of Absinthe Anise as if nothing had happened, emphasizing, "Remember, the first and second parts must be recited in Ancient Hermetic, Giantish Draconic, or Elvish as well."

Just as the first "I" in the Ritual of praying to oneself cannot be in Hermetic... Lumian nodded, indicating that he understood.

He was usually very bold, but the strange phenomena that kept appearing during the conversation made him somewhat flustered and uneasy; his heart raced. That One mysterious Lady, however, acted as if she had merely discovered a minor impurity during her meal. She continued, "The third part can be spoken in Hermetic, and its content is:"

I pray to you,

"I pray for your Gift."

"I pray that you Gift me the power of a ' Dancer '."

"Remember, the three sentences are in a progressive relationship."

These words did not bring about any new environmental Change, and the previously unsettling and alarming anomalies gradually subsided.

Lumian took careful notes and, following That One Lady's instructions, scrambled the order and reversed the sequence of events to avoid any problems.

That One Lady finished the rest of the Absinthe Anise, savored it with satisfaction, and said, "The rest is pretty much the same as common Ritual Magic."

"The corresponding materials are Gray Amber, Tulip, Lilac, and Musk. You can choose any two to make Candle, and the remaining two can be used as Herbs, essential oils, or Hydrosol in the Ritual."

Lumian recalled the Dual Ritual Method he had learned, frowned, and asked, "The place representing the Deity should be filled with items closely related to the Deity, but my Thorn Symbol is on my chest. I can't just peel off the skin, can I? Besides, I don't think peeling it off would be of any use."

That power was sealed within his heart and Spirit Body.

That One Lady nodded slightly:

Didn't I tell you to make Candle?

"When making Candle, take 5 milliliters of blood from your chest. More or less doesn't matter, as long as it's incorporated into the materials and becomes part of the Candle."

"During the Ritual, only one Candle is placed in the position of the Deity."

"Because of your blood, the Candle is 'awakened' by the Ancient Hermetic. After becoming a symbol, it will point directly at you, and then, in conjunction with the following description, it will, to a certain extent, activate the power sealed within you."

It feels like a special variant of Dual Ritual Method. Aurora never mentioned that it could be done this way, so not many people probably know about it... Lumian pondered for a moment and said, "Can perfumes with Gray Amber ingredients be used?"

He remembered that his Older Sister had it, and that she liked to call Gray Amber".

"Yes, you can use it as an essential oil." That One Lady nodded.

In that case, the Gray Amber has been found, Lilac are also at home... Lumian began to ponder where to obtain Tulip and Musk.

After much thought, he could only think of three possible locations:

First, there's my Older Sister Aurora, who's a "Warlock" and might have the necessary materials. Second, there's the Administrator's residence. Third, there's the Parish Priest's house.

Lumian decided to first tell her Older Sister about the upcoming Ritual, break down the descriptions into individual words and ask her to teach her the corresponding Ancient Hermetic and Hermetic, and also asked if she had any of the materials.

If not, then consider other options.

Seeing that That One Lady was about to leave, Lumian quickly asked another question:

"What exactly was that ' Lizard ' that crawled out of the Assistant Parish Priest's mouth?"

That One Lady stood up and said with a smile, "I can't explain it to you."

You might as well just say you don't want to tell me... Lumian barely managed to control the Change in her expression.

After That One Lady left, he took out the Paper and Pen he had brought, wrote down the details of the Ritual in the Error order, and then numbered them in the correct order.

After leaving the Old Tavern, Lumian began searching for the Three Foreigners in the village.

He hadn't walked far when he heard a clanging sound.

Lumian immediately smiled and quickly moved closer. Sure enough, he saw Lya with two bells on her veil and two on her boots, Ryan wearing a dark bowler hat, and Valentine with powder sprinkled on his head.

He wanted to open his arms and shout, "My cabbages, I've missed you so much!" but he quickly remembered that he hadn't had any contact with those Three Foreigners in this Loop.

Lumian quickly rubbed his face, trying to appear serious.

Then, he walked towards Ryan and the others, and as he brushed past them, he said in a low voice, "I know who you're looking for."

Ryan, Lya, Valentine were all taken aback and stared at the guy in astonishment.

Lumian didn't stop; he walked past them and headed forward.

The Three Foreigners exchanged glances, composed themselves, and followed behind as if nothing had happened.