Inside a warehouse under reconstruction in Pritz Harbor.
A few days later, Fors met his teacher Dorian Gray Abraham, again.
"Are you ready?" Dorian asked in a deep voice.
During their previous meeting, he had already told Fors about the ritual requirements for the " Apprentice " pathway Sequence 4 " Secrets Sorcerer " so that she could prepare in advance.
"That's about right... It should meet the requirements..." Fors replied, not entirely confidently.
The ascension ceremony for " Secrets Sorcerer " is relatively simple, but this "simple" is the opposite of "complex," not the other way around "difficult." Fors would prefer something else.
The ritual requires the ascendant to seal a Demigod -level creature with clear hostility. The less external force is needed, the better the ritual will be. As for the target's own rank, as long as it is not lower than that of Demigod, it will not substantially affect the ritual.
Upon hearing the student's answer, Dorian nodded slightly and said:
"That's good enough. That ritual is far too difficult for Sequence 5 Beyonder relies solely on themselves. Seeking help is essential, but it's crucial to be careful not to exceed the appropriate limits, or the ritual will definitely fail."
His previous advice to Fors was to borrow only one "Level 1" Sealed Artifact, and preferably not even ask for help from Saint- level assistant.
Fors said somewhat vaguely:
"I only intend to make one Wishes to Mr. ' The Fool ': to increase the success Wishes of advancement after taking the Potion. This is more like getting good luck when taking the Potion than receiving protection when sealing that Demigod."
"Besides this, we'll also use the painting you mentioned, teacher."
That painting wasn't a Level 0 Sealed Artifact " The God's Painting," but rather a Level 1 Sealed Artifact belonging to the Abraham Family, called " The Devil Oil Painting."
In the Fourth Age, when many members of the Abraham Family had advanced to Sequence 4 " Secrets Sorcerer," they created that "painting" to seal away corresponding Demigod -level beings.
However, after being attacked by the Aurora Order and losing a lot of data, Dorian Gray wasn't entirely sure how many terrifying creatures were still sealed within the " Devil Oil Painting," only that there were more, and more than one.
His original plan was to release a Demigod -level creature from the " Devil Oil Painting " that had gone completely mad and acted solely on instinct, as the student's ritual target. This was far easier than dealing with a rational Wisdom Saint, and it perfectly met the requirements of the ritual. However, he did not expect that Fors would actually plan to borrow the " Devil Oil Painting " directly.
Dorian frowned slightly and reminded him:
"' Devil Oil Painting ' itself only has the effect of imprisoning and sealing; it does not have the ability to actively influence the target. In other words, you have to stuff Demigod- level creature into the ' Devil Oil Painting ' yourself."
Fors nodded, indicating that he knew this:
"Teacher, you said that one's own ability to ' Record ' is not considered external help."
"Yes," Dorian Gray replied with absolute certainty.
If one's own " Record " ability is considered an external aid, then almost no " Traveler " can be promoted. After all, " Record " is the most core ability before Demigod through the " Apprentice " path. Once it is "abolished," Fors will be left with almost nothing but running around, making it difficult to do anything to enemies.
"That's true in theory, but you can only Record four or five Demigod -level abilities at most..." Dorian said, not entirely reassured.
Before he could finish speaking, he thought of the " The Fool " and His Blessed, and his heart calmed down a little.
"If the combination is good, it's not impossible to succeed; that's just the work of a mad, instinctive creature." Fors was trying to convince both his teacher and himself.
Dorian nodded almost imperceptibly, said nothing more, and immediately summoned his contracted creature, Marmot, who loved music, to retrieve the main and auxiliary materials for the " Secrets Sorcerer " potion. He then prepared a bottle of " Secrets Sorcerer " Potion for the student on the spot.
"If the seal can't be completed, there's no need to force it to be ingested. Even if the Potion and the glass bottle are mixed together and become Sealed Artifact, you can restore it to its Beyonder Characteristic by praying to Mr. ' The Fool '." Dorian still gave a slightly worried reminder, then handed the Potion to Fors.
Inside that glass bottle, layers of starlight rippled, as if the Milky Way in the sky had been captured in Potion.
"Yes." Fors nodded emphatically, indicating that he was absolutely not worried about the Potion being wasted.
She had already prepared a contingency plan: if the released Demigod -level creature could not be sealed, she would immediately " Teleportation " away, make a wish to Mr. The Fool, and ask Him to resolve the issue.
Dorian then took out an oil painting from his suitcase. It depicted a series of rather abstract and incomprehensible patterns that, if looked at for even a short while, could make one feel dizzy, nauseous, and mentally weak.
This is precisely the " Devil Oil Painting " that seals away countless terrifying creatures.
"If you succeed in your promotion, I have only one request," Dorian said solemnly to Fors, holding the " Devil Oil Painting," "That is, on the night of the Full Moon, listen to what Mr. 'Door' is saying, and ask him why he did what he did."
Members of the Abraham Family still cannot fully accept that the curse they suffer originated from their ancestors, and feel that Mr. "Door" may not be fully aware of the consequences of His "plea for help".
They were eager to find out the whole truth about the matter.
"Okay." Faced with her teacher's request, Fors agreed without hesitation.
Then, she took the " Devil Oil Painting," " Teleportation " out of Pritz Harbor, and arrived in a vast desert uninhabited by humans.
In this way, even if something goes wrong during the ceremony, she will have ample time to resolve it without affecting ordinary people.
After checking the surrounding scene and his own preparations, Fors inserted the " Devil Oil Painting " into the ground.
She immediately clasped her hands together, bowed her head and prayed to Mr. The Fool, Wishes the success rate of her advancement would increase after taking the Potion.
Almost instantly, she saw the illusory gray-white mist and knew that Mr. The Fool had responded.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Fors finally overcame her fears, took out the pre-mixed herbal powder, and sprinkled it onto the " Devil Oil Painting."
Then, she recited the incantation to break the seal in the Jotun.
This is a spell that releases only one creature at a time.
Silently, all the drifting herbal powder landed on the oil painting and began to spin rapidly around a single point.
As it rotates, the surface of the oil painting becomes ethereal, as if a deep vortex is being created.
Suddenly, a bluish-black hand, bearing many signs of decay, emerged from the "vortex."
It extends beyond the oil painting into the outside world!
Fors ' body suddenly turned icy cold, as if he had fallen into a lake that had cracked open after freezing.
This made her mind clear, but she seemed to lose all sensation in her body; no matter how hard she tried to move her hands and feet, she couldn't.
In that instant, Fors seemed to return to her old routine of writing at night and sleeping during the day. Back then, she often felt that she was awake, but she couldn't move at all, as if she were being held down by an invisible creature.
Although the terrifying creature inside the " Devil Oil Painting " has not yet completely escaped, its divine influence on the outside world has already rendered Fors powerless to resist. Once it completely leaves the painting, Fors may even lose control if he looks directly at it.
The gap between the two sides is, on some level, unimaginably large.
Gradually, Fors's consciousness became a little blurred. She kept thinking that she was awake, raised her arms, and took a step, but in a moment of thought, she realized that it was just her own imagination. Her body grew colder and colder, and the feeling of being pressed down by an invisible creature became more and more obvious.
Fortunately, she had a group of Demigod providing her with information, which allowed her to close her eyes in time and not look at the " Devil Oil Painting " again; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Using Cogitation techniques to maintain a certain level of clarity, Fors began a countdown in her mind.
Based on the hint given by Mr. "World", she knew that it would take five seconds for the terrifying creature to completely detach from the " Devil Oil Painting ".
4...3...2... With one second left, a phantom book appeared in Fors' eyes, flipping through the pages rapidly before freezing on one of them.
1! Fors had just finished counting silently when he suddenly opened his arms wide.
Around her, peach blossoms fluttered down in an instant, vibrant and colorful.
The bluish-black hand that was about to grab her neck suddenly moved away from her, blocked by a lush peach grove with blooming flowers, and separated by the mountain peak at the end of the stream in the forest. She could only try to peek out from a small cave.
This is Fairy Tale Magic that Fors " Record " from the " The Hermit " lady, called:
" The Source of the Peach Blossoms!"
It can create a barrier that is isolated from the outside world and difficult to connect to.
Seizing the opportunity, Fors, who had barely regained control of her body, took out a "Queen" Roselle Chess piece from her hidden pocket and threw it towards the Source of the Peach Blossoms, towards the cave through which the water flowed.
This is another Fairy Tale Magic she " Record," called:
" The Chess Game of Time!"
Its function is to slow down the target's movement, as if entering a region with a different flow of time.
With a snap, as the "Queen" piece was placed, the bluish-black hand that was struggling to break through the barrier of " Peach Blossom Spring " suddenly changed from reaching out to wriggling.
Without even checking the effect, Fors used his " Invisible Hand " to pick up the " Devil Oil Painting " stuck in the sand and used it to block the cave.
After a mere second or two, the bluish-black hand returned to normal, its movements suddenly becoming extremely fast. It rushed out of Peach Blossom Spring and crashed into the oil painting.
As the painting shook, the terrifying creature pierced through the surface and fell inside.
Fors was overjoyed and, without hesitation, recited the incantation again, closing the outer seal of the " Devil Oil Painting ".
Fortunately, that Demigod creature had already been driven out of control, leaving only madness and no Wisdom... I wonder if he will hear Mr. "Door's" call directly after taking the Potion... Fors, still on edge, took out the bottle of " Secrets Sorcerer " Potion and poured it into his mouth.
P. S.: Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes on Monday!