The ritual of despair

The "Magician" Lady confirmed Lumian's guess:

"Yes, the remains of Ombella, the Harvest Goddess."

The remains of the "Harvest Goddess"... a level 0 Sealed Artifact... should be accessible, pick up, and briefly usable... Lumian asked with considerable anticipation, "Besides fusing with Ombella's Umbilical Cord Remains, what two prerequisites must be met?"

The "Magician" chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I really shouldn't have told you this; it really gave you the urge to take the plunge."

"Of course, as a high-ranking ' Astrologer,' I can't say I didn't foresee this. Telling you everything and then letting you decide for yourself is my choice."

"Those two prerequisites are:"

"First, she must have suffered betrayal from an immediate family member; second, she must be Women."

This... Lumian was clearly somewhat disappointed.

He felt satisfied with the betrayal he suffered from his immediate family; his biological father had abandoned him and his mother, and caused his grandfather's bankruptcy. But why did it have to be Women?

The "Magician" Lady seemed to be able to guess his thoughts:

"You barely qualify as a direct relative who betrayed you. As for being Women, in the Mysticism World, there are plenty of ways to temporarily transform you into Women. For example, a rather special Mystical Item through the ' Witch ' Pathway, which doesn't even necessarily require a corresponding High-Sequence."

"That's true..." Lumian thought of the "Lie" ear clip.

Although this item cannot change his gender, it is equally magical in modifying his appearance and adjusting his height.

If such items exist, then naturally there must also be sealing Sealed Artifact that can change one's gender when worn. Based on Lumian's understanding of the "Witch" Pathway, he believes that this is almost certain to exist, only relatively special and rare.

Lumian's anticipation of coming into contact with Ombella's remains was rekindled.

That's a level 0 Sealed Artifact!

The "Magician" Lady, with a slightly strange expression, offered another reminder:

"If you actually eat Ombella's Umbilical Cord Remains and possess the bloodline of the ' Great Mother's ' Divine Child, you will never be able to get close to the ' Pride Armor ' again."

"Your betrayal of it would have faded over time, but once you become a fake Ombella, it will target you first, forever, unless someone more worthy of its targeting is present."

Is this a manifestation of the "Pride Armor's " hatred towards the "Earth" Pathway? In future battles, if I'm nearby, Franca and the others won't be able to use the "Pride Armor"... However, anyone with normal intelligence and mental capacity knows the answer to choosing between the "Pride Armor" and a level 0 Sealed Artifact, even if the latter can only be borrowed temporarily... Lumian nodded slightly, indicating that he remembered.

The "Magician" Lady did not continue the topic.

"The deal with the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun can proceed. Let me know when you have agreed on the time and place for the deal."

"You can't hand over that Sealed Artifact; it's too dangerous. Have the ' Purifier ' prepare to seal it on-site. She will appear on her own."

"Okay." Lumian took this opportunity to recount all the other information he had gathered in the past two days.

Upon hearing that "Devil Warlock" Bourman was influenced by Harrison from Resurrection Island and wanted to access the mark Depths death, and that the Evil Spirit he summoned and killed was suspected to be himself, "The Magician" turned his head to look at "The Hanged Man" Alger.

Lumian had previously heard from the "Magician" Lady the "Tarot Club" had been investigating the Resurrection Island matter for some time, with the "The Hanged Man" and the "Hermit" Lady in charge.

That One Major Arcana player, nicknamed "Storm Messenger," pondered for a moment and said, "This is related to something I'm investigating."

"I can't reveal specifics at the moment, but I can tell you that Harrison is likely to appear in places closely associated with forces of death, darkness, Twilight, and Decay. If you encounter anyone of unknown origin in a similar setting, please let me know."

Death, darkness, Twilight, Decay... No wonder he's a visitor from Resurrection Island... Lumian wasn't surprised at all by the Hanged Man's suggestion.

What he cares more about is whether the "Resurrection" on Resurrection Island is a true Resurrection.

The "Magician" Lady could tell what he was thinking:

"As I said before, none of us are Beyonder have passed the ' Death God ' Pathway, and we don't have a real understanding of the situation on Resurrection Island. It's hard for us to have a sufficiently accurate understanding of their so-called ' Resurrection.' Perhaps we need to actually come into contact with Harrison or other islanders to make the kind of judgment you're hoping to get."

"The only thing I can say right now is, think about ' Devil Warlock ' Bourman. After he was led by Harrison to kill what appeared to be his own Evil Spirit, his condition clearly worsened. There's a high probability that the inhabitants of Resurrection Island have something wrong with them."

"Hehe, I was right last time when I said that the ' Aden ' Evil Spirit might still be alive after the related Ritual."

Lumian fell silent.

Upon returning to Trier, Lumian immediately went to 9 Orosei Street and knocked on the door of room 702.

"Why are you here again?" Franca asked with a look of disdain as she opened the door.

That guy left less than an hour ago!

Thankfully it's daytime, and I wasn't thinking of doing anything, otherwise what if I'd been scared out of my wits?

Lumian glanced at Jenna, who was curled up on the living room sofa with a book in her hand, and then smiled at the two Witch, saying, "I've obtained the Potion Formula for the ' Witch of Despair '."

"Huh?" Franca looked bewildered.

Wasn't this the "Iron-Blooded Knight" Potion Formula I just received?

Or rather, what important thing did this guy do while he was gone for those few tens of minutes?

Jenna was equally confused, her first reaction being that Lumian was joking.

"Despair" is Sequence 4 Potion Formula, Recording the method for humanity to unlock the gates of Divinity. How can it be obtained so easily?

In a flash, Franca and Jenna asked in unison, "You went to the ' Blue Avenger '?"

"Have you explored the ' Blue Avenger ' thoroughly?"

"It's just a preliminary exploration," Lumian said with a smile as he squeezed past Franca.

"You obtained the Potion Formula for the ' Witch of Despair ' through such a preliminary exploration?" Jenna asked, still somewhat incredulous.

Lumian chuckled softly:

"That's one of the Blood Emperor's legacies; Sequence 4 Potion Formula is just one of the more common ones in the treasure trove."

"What else did you get?" Franca asked curiously after closing the door.

Lumian casually sat down on the Armchair and recounted his experience exploring the "Blue Avenger" and his interactions with "Lady Magician" and "The Hanged Man" from beginning to end.

"That Corpse Oil Candle sounds really Evil..." Franca exclaimed sincerely.

Jenna nodded in agreement, feeling as if she had just finished reading a horror story.

As Beyonder of the "Witch" Pathway and a friend of the "Hunter," she couldn't help but imagine herself, Franca, and Lumian when she heard that the Candle was made from the corpse oil of the "Iron-Blooded Knight" and the "Witch of Despair."

Jenna felt that Franca had spoken her mind, her companion eagerly added, "Last time in Fourth Epoch Trier, I didn't really see what that misty city looked like, and your description wasn't clear enough. Could I use that Candle to make a Mysticism and see what the misty city looks like from inside or from mid-air?"

"You will be my Guardian!"

"That Candle Burning very quickly; I only tried it once, and a fifth of it was gone," Lumian said after a moment's thought. "How about I let you try it again when we have a chance to go to Bansy Harbor, or enter Trier in the Fourth Epoch Trier? Besides, the ' Magician ' Lady said that unless there's Residual Aura of the ' Blood Emperor,' a specific Ritual is needed to assist, and no one knows what that Ritual looks like yet. Perhaps in Bansy, or Trier in the Fourth Epoch, due to environmental influences, the Ritual will no longer be necessary."

"Okay, fine." Franca didn't insist.

The Corpse Oil Candle, which can only be used four more times, should naturally be used on the best occasions.

Franca said to Lumian with great interest, "We can bring out the Potion Formula for the ' Witch of Despair ' now."

"And the reward?" Lumian joked.

Franca clicked her tongue:

"I'll keep an eye out for Mystical Item that can change your gender within the Witch Sect, and I'll give them to you for free."

At this point, Franca's smile grew even brighter, and her Eyes became remarkably luminous:

I look forward to that day.

Jenna imagined it for a moment and found herself somewhat looking forward to it.

Considering the possible consequences of arguing about this topic, Lumian pretended to be speechless, took out the clean and delicate Human Skin from the "Traveler’s Bag," and quickly placed it on the Coffee Table table.

The three of them only glanced at the Potion Formula before quickly moving away, returning only after a while to continue.

After repeating this process several times, the complete contents of the Sequence 4 Potion Formula appeared in their minds:

Name: Despair;

Sequence 4;

Main Ingredient: Plague Mother Snake's venom sac; Silver Hunter's Crystal;

"Auxiliary Ingredient: 10 ml of the bile of the Plague Mother Snake, three pieces of the Silver Hunter fragment, one fresh Mistletoe, and 10 ml of blood from each of seven victims who died from different Plague."

"Ritual: Engulf over 30,000 people in a devastating Plague; the more deaths and the more intense the Despair and Pain, the better the Ritual's effect."

In the brief silence between us, Franca hissed:

"Isn't this Ritual incredibly evil?"

"I could never do such a thing!"

She felt that if she succumbed to the desire for advancement and to become Half-God, and brought about such a Plague, then she would truly have fallen and truly become a "Witch"!

Jenna shook her head, her face filled with fear.

She couldn't imagine herself becoming that kind of person.

She'd rather remain forever in the Sequence of "Witch of Pain"!

"This is not only a matter of evil, but it is also significantly more difficult than the ascension Ritual of the ' Iron-Blooded Knight '," Lumian said from another perspective.

With the "Witch of Pain's" abilities, along with the aiding mediums and items, it wouldn't be too difficult for an infectious disease to develop into Plague that sweeps across 30,000 people. However, the problem is that with so many cities inhabited by humans, there must be Official Organization present. The Plague will be noticed soon after it begins to spread, allowing for targeted treatment and resolution. It might even be possible to find the Source of the disease, namely the "Witch of Pain" herself, and eliminate it.

If the Plague is allowed to spread from town to town and village to village, bypassing cities, it will take a very long time. And as time goes on, all sorts of unexpected events may cause the Ritual to fail, such as being discovered by Official Beyonder, the spread of the Plague being naturally cut off, or encountering other events.

In comparison, the Southern Continent is more suitable for the "Witch of Pain" to advance.

"Yes," Franca said, her face contorted in Pain. "Is there no way to bypass this Ritual? Or is there an equivalent, less evil Ritual?"

Jenna racked her brains, but couldn't come up with a clever way to avoid killing innocent people.

Lumian chuckled nonchalantly, "It's simple. After you reach Sequence 5, you'll be switched to the ' Iron-Blooded Knight.' If you're concerned, uh, and prefer to be a ' Witch,' you can check if the ' Witch of Unaging's' Ritual is evil. If it's not evil, you can switch back."

"Uh..." Franca and Jenna were both stunned.