Once for Five Hundred

Only after confirming that Kradashi had left did Xia Xiu slowly begin reviewing the transferred memories. They were all ancient thaumaturgic array designs, already out of step with Terra's current mainstream thaumaturgic structures. For a woman from the reformist faction of the Flesh-Eating Cult to still use such outdated arrays showed just how little ambition she had to improve.

A Magic Circle was a geometric structure drawn to construct a thaumaturgic formula and obtain a controllable output.

Thaumaturgic array systems took incredibly complex and varied forms across different civilizations and cultures. Under Terra's modern standardized thaumaturgic research system, however, the study of arrays had also been standardized. Their functional components were simply divided into four parts: the Thaumaturgy Source Structure, the Guidance Structure, the effect structure, and the Backwash Correction Structure.

The thaumaturgic Magic Circle Kradashi used for blood sacrifices was so outdated that even the Flesh-Eating Cult was on the verge of discarding it. It still adhered to the simplistic model of a Magic Circle's basic structure as layers arranged around a central power supply—usually concentric circles.

This was imprecise; in most cases, it could even be called wrong. What century was this? Why was she still drawing circles all the time? Did she think she was Hohenheim?

That suits me just fine.

An exceptionally brilliant smile spread across Xia Xiu's face. Woman, thaumaturgy is a very dangerous thing. One wrong move, and you'll be damned beyond redemption.

Clap, clap, clap-

Xia Xiu clapped his hands. The young boys around him, all identical to him, turned to face him. He smiled at his "own kind" and said:

"Let's start laying out the thaumaturgic Magic Circle, as our master ordered."

"Yes."

BIO species needed neither sleep nor food. They consumed EVE particles, which made them cheap labor.

After a night of work, the ritual Magic Circle for the blood sacrifice was essentially complete.

Early that morning, a muscular, handsome man carried Kradashi down from the living room. She wore a pink nightdress, her eyes were hazy, and the dark circles beneath them were exceptionally pronounced.

Xia Xiu noticed the mark on the neck of the handsome man carrying her.

This woman really knows how to have fun.

"CC, take me to bathe. D·222, bring me my formal dress."

"Yes."

D·222 was a handsome, middle-aged man with beautiful white hair. He followed respectfully behind Kradashi.

Half an hour later, Kradashi appeared before Xia Xiu in elaborate attire, her face flushed and radiant. Xia Xiu stared at the additional mark on D·222's neck, speechless.

Kradashi examined the Magic Circle before her. At its center was the core Thaumaturgy Source Structure, constructed from materials of various colors: a circle with countless intricate patterns traced around its edge. Ten straight lines extended outward from it, connecting to circles made of mercury.

"You ten, stand on the branches."

"Yes."

Xia Xiu and his kind obediently stood inside the mercury circles. Kradashi took her place at the center of the main circle, then began her offering before Ravata's statue.

"I have gazed upon the faceless ones, servants of The Boundless One Who Overturns."

Their master is blind-castrated by our words and intentions.

He sings songs of disorder and shall come no more.

These dreadful spirits are unworthy of our love; offer no sacrifice until the stars align..."

Ravata's mark appeared on Kradashi's hand once more. She chanted as though possessed, the mark in her hand growing ever redder.

"Here I shall present my sacrifice, the bloodline of Abraham from the Sanctum's [Heaven Lineage]."

Just as I thought. This woman wants to die. She even dares to meddle with Heaven's Lineage and Abraham's bloodline. If word of this gets out, the Sanctum's Heretic Inquisition will wipe her out in minutes.

Oh, right. That's exactly what happened. Her deeds were exposed, and a heretic hunter wiped her out on the spot. Even her soul medium was used as fuel to burn brightly in the [Ether Sea].

"Great Ravata, please grant me the power to warp reality.

Let my spirit transcend, let me ascend into the Ether Sea.

I shall prostrate myself at Yarn's feet and yours, and softly kiss the soles of your feet."

Just as I thought. This woman wants to become a Thaumaturgist.

To become a Thaumaturgist, one had to undergo spiritual ascension, cast one's soul medium into the supernatural source, the [Ether Sea], then form one's own field and gain the power to warp reality.

Ravata's statue began to change. She opened her eyes and gazed at the devout believer before her.

Kradashi was overwhelmed with excitement when she saw the statue come to life. Just as she opened her mouth to state her wish and present her sacrifice, something unexpected happened.

"Aaaah-"

Ravata let out a piercing scream. Bright red blood flowed from her eyes as she stared resentfully at the stunned woman before her. The sudden turn of events terrified Kradashi. Her face went pale, and her lips trembled involuntarily. She wanted to leave, only to discover that she could not move at all.

What is happening?!

"If you seek treasure, omnipotence, or renown-to rule others through conquest and tyranny-then leave. Return to the shadow of your dark ambitions, and know that you cannot escape our light.

But if you wish to learn wisdom-to shatter the shackles of slavery and perceive humanity's potential-then I shall embrace you as blood kin and teach you the way of the whole flesh."

The Magic Circle beneath Kradashi's feet changed. The multicolored runes turned into mercury, while the branch arrays that should have been mercury became the main structure.

A rich, resonant voice broke through Kradashi's bewilderment. She stiffly turned her head and looked at the sacrifice numbered D·503, standing in the main Magic Circle. An unprecedented terror filled her heart.

"You... why are you..."

The BIO species before her had eyes brimming with spiritual awareness. His palms were pressed together, and he was reciting scripture she had never heard before.

Xia Xiu did not answer her. He continued reciting the incantation.

The incantation he was reciting was "Ya'en's Black Sea Sermon." It ranked very highly in the Flesh-Eating Cult's prayer sequence, making it easy for Jasser to cut in and shove aside an antiquated prayer like Kradashi's.

Now, Xia Xiu was the one controlling the Magic Circle.

By this point, Ravata's statue was blood-red all over. Tender strands of flesh began sprouting from her stone eyes, then multiplied and interwove, forming a pair of terrifying eyes.

Ravata gazed at Xia Xiu. Countless crimson worms writhed over one another inside her eyes, while thin strands of flesh emerged and intertwined around her eye sockets.

"Pray-"

An eerie, layered voice reverberated through the hall. Everyone but Xia Xiu fell into a state of partial delirium upon hearing it. Its demonic tones filled their minds with countless inverted images.

A smile curled Xia Xiu's lips. This method of cutting into a ritual on the fly had been developed during the fourth expansion, by a group of big-spending players who had burned through a vast number of death-substitute items to work it out.

The purpose behind its development was simple, too: it could interrupt all kinds of Flesh-Eating Cult rituals. Although the price was being marked by Yarn, the players did not care. They could pay a newbie with a freshly created account to take the hit for them. After all, it was a brand-new account. If it got marked, they could just delete it and start over.

Since the going rate for hiring a newbie was 500, this method was also called Once for Five Hundred.

The specific procedure for Once for Five Hundred was as follows:

Prerequisite: a Church of the Flesh believer activates a sacrificial Magic Circle that requires prayers and incantations to operate.

Jasser procedure:

① One set of non-visually concealed Magic Circles.

② Incantation: "Ya'en's Black Sea Sermon"

③ Incantation: "Lavata Falls and Is Reborn"

④ Several sacrifices (usually the Church of the Flesh believers activating the Magic Circle and their sacrifices).

Hidden condition: a spectacular performance. (Dance, opera, defeating the strong as the weak... so long as it pleases Yarn and the Four Saints, even the lowliest species can receive an unparalleled reward.)

Ritual effect: obtain the [Mark of Ya'en]. His symbols include spirals, broken chains, drops of blood, sickles, and Ouroboros (an ancient symbol depicting a serpent swallowing its own tail, symbolizing the endless cycle of life and death).

Complete the hidden condition to obtain a [Blessing] and a [Lineage].

(End of chapter)