Chapter 1054: Tailored-Made Ritual
After thanking "Her," Klein immediately gave up his control over Hvin
Rambis, making it impossible for him to maintain his marionette-like
state.
With that, this Spectator pathway demigod collapsed to the ground and
became a corpse.
Arianna lowered her head and took a look, the darkness in her eyes
growing deeper.
Hvin Rambis's corpse immediately got erased like a pencil drawing as if
it was being wiped away by an eraser, inch by inch, leaving behind only
the ice-blue metal cylinder.
Right on the heels of that, beams of light seeped out of the void and
quickly gathered together, forming a strange object.
It was fist-sized and looked like a heart. However, it resembled a
different kind of brain with its surface being covered in grayish-white
wrinkles, each crevice with countless symbols and strange patterns that
extended into the surroundings. These connected to a world that
Beyonders of other pathways couldn't see.
This was the Beyonder characteristic left behind by a Manipulator.
*Miss Arianna's concealment and reversing concealment process is able to
quickly extract Hvin Rambis's Beyonder characteristic...* Klein
came to a realization after a moment of pause.
At this moment, Arianna calmly said, "The mental imprints in it have all
been removed."
"Thank you, Ma'am Arianna." Not surprised at all, he bowed as if he had
prepared to do so.
He had decisively given up on his marionette because he foresaw that
something like this would happen.
In fact, his original plan was to bring Hvin Rambis above the gray fog
as a marionette, allowing him to use Unshadowed Crucifix to purge the
Manipulator, Dreamwalker, Hypnotist, and other Beyonder characteristics
out. This way, Miss Justice no longer needed to worry about the
ingredients needed before becoming a demigod, even her Beyonder dog at
home had a chance of advancing. After all, Audrey had briefly mentioned
in the past to Dwayne Dantès that her act of escaping from Hvin Rambis's
control was all thanks to Susie.
But later on, he considered that there was no way he could bring Hvin
Rambis above the gray fog inside this world of concealment, as it would
directly expose the fact that he was The Fool under Arianna's watchful
eyes. And once he left, no matter where he teleported to, there was a
chance of being discovered by Adam because of Hvin Rambis's existence.
In that case, giving up a marionette in front of Arianna was undoubtedly
a better choice. At least, this angel had a high chance of helping him
remove the mental imprint on the Beyonder characteristic.
And none of these affected Klein's original plan. He could easily find
some ingredients to make Hvin Lanbi's Beyonder characteristic into a
problematic potion. He would then pour it onto an ordinary item so that
it could absorb the potion and transform.
After obtaining such a Sealed Artifact and binding it with the
Unshadowed Crucifix, he could obtain the corresponding Beyonder
characteristics by keeping track of the time.
As for the mental corruption during this process, there was no need for
concern. The Unshadowed Crucifix could also cleanse it!
Klein picked up Hvin Rambis's Beyonder characteristic, but he wasn't
able to stuff it into the iron cigar case. He could only stuff it into
his pocket. As for Arianna, "She" cast her gaze towards the ice-blue
metal cylinder and said in an unhurried voice, "It's from the cosmos, so
it's best you don't use it. Even you carrying it with you should be
limited. Otherwise, a gaze might be cast onto you, causing you to be
corrupted and suffer aberrations."
"From the cosmos?" Klein found the description familiar.
Soon, he remembered the origins of its familiarity:
This originated from the the "Yellow light" Venithan's prophecy of the
apocalypse in "Sights in the Spirit World" from the Abraham family:
"Casting one's gaze from the cosmos, the lands shatter. Everything in
the world will cease to exist."
*The apocalypse... The origins of this Sealed Artifact is related to the
apocalypse? What does the cosmos represent? What does it have to do with
the astral world?* A series of questions formed in his mind,
making his expression turn heavy.
Faced with his question, Arianna nodded gently and said, "Yes, the
cosmos."
"Is it the cosmos above our heads?" he pointed at the dark night sky
which was embedded with the gigantic crimson moon.
"Yes." Arianna gave an affirmative answer, but she didn't explain
further.
After some thought, he asked again, "There are many hostile existences
that are attempting to destroy this world?"
Arianna's gaze swept across his face and finally stopped at his eyes.
"I can't give you an answer.
"There are some things that make it easier to be 'infected' the more you
know. Both your body and soul will be infected. Once you become an
angel, you can seek out the exact answer."
The more I know, the easier it is to get "infected"... A chill
ran down Klein's back.
He didn't ask Arrodes earlier about the Sealed Artifacts that Hvin
Rambis possessed, because he was afraid that Adam would notice them if
they left any traces behind.
When facing a King of Angels, no amount of caution was enough!
Seeing that Arianna wasn't revealing anything else, Klein pointed at the
ice-blue metal cylinder and asked, "How should we handle this item?"
The description of the ascetic leader made him a little afraid of
bringing the Sealed Artifact above the gray fog to "disinfect."
Arianna calmly said, "My suggestion is to sacrifice it to the Goddess.
Together with the contributions you have previously rendered, you can
exchange them for what you want."
Klein nodded slightly.
"I understand."
After expressing his gratitude, Arianna's figure was quickly erased and
disappeared into the dark garden under the abnormally huge moon.
And with that, the world of concealment collapsed.
Klein observed for a few seconds before taking out candles and other
ritual items he carried with him. He quickly set up an altar and
sacrificed the ice-blue metal cylinder to the Evernight Goddess.
At the end of the ritual, amidst the howling winds, the burning ash of
the herbs and the surrounding soil rose up and landed onto an empty spot
on the altar.
The ash and soil were connected, forming words:
"Sequence 3: Scholar of Yore;
"Main ingredients: Hound of Fulgrim (also known as Sefirah Castle
Keeper) pair of eyes. One Demonic Wolf of Fog's transformed heart;
"Supplementary ingredients: 100ml of Hound of Fulgrim blood, 30 grams of
White Frost Crystal of Demonic Wolf of Fog, a large amount of real
ancient historical records...
"Advancement ritual: Be separated from reality for at least three
hundred years and consume the potion after one becomes history and
doesn't belong to the present era."
This... Klein couldn't help but blink, wondering if he had
seen the wrong description.
The description of not belonging to the present era made him think of a
line in his honorific name:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era!"
*I've been hanging above the extraordinary door of light for more than
three hundred years... In a sense, have I already completed the ritual
and am only waiting to consume the potion? The mysterious space above
the gray fog really has a very close relationship with the Seer
pathway... Could it be the manifestation of the Uniqueness? Klein was
momentarily delighted but also grim. This was because he didn't know if
a price was exacted for such a bestowment.*
*Phew, I really want to jump to a neighboring pathway after becoming an
angel to not follow whatever path was planned for me... For other
Bizarro Sorcerers, the hardest part about the advancement ritual is to
live for more than three hundred years. After all, this isn't a pathway
that's known for having a long lifespan... Also, being separated from
reality for three hundred years easily drives one mad. For Bizarro
Sorcerers who are in a dissociative state, the risk of madness and
losing control is quite significant...* Klein looked at the
Scholar of Yore's potion formula as thoughts couldn't help but flash
through his mind.
After an unknown amount of time, he ended the ritual and put away the
corresponding items.
As he walked out of the garden, the gigantic crimson moon and the
pitch-black darkness faded away, disappearing inch by inch.
Then, he saw fresh autumn flowers and the sunlight shining above them.
He also saw a blonde girl waiting in between the house and the garden.
Audrey's eyes wore an elated look as the corners of her lips curled up
unconsciously.
Klein nodded at her before his figure was enveloped by scarlet flames.
Elsewhere in the garden, there was another flame soaring in the air, but
it wasn't obvious.
When the flames dissipated, Gehrman Sparrow was gone. The remnants of
the crimson moon and the night scenery vanished completely.
Audrey fell into a daze for a few seconds before thoughtfully looking
away and entering Viscount Glaint's residence.
After she left in a carriage with Susie and the servants, she returned
home and had a chance to be alone. As expected, she received The World's
invitation for a "meeting."
Above the gray fog, inside the palace.
Audrey looked at The World Gehrman Sparrow and calmly asked, "What was
Hvin Rambis's true goal?"
She had long known from Gehrman Sparrow's calm composure that Hvin
Rambis had been finished off.
Klein answered frankly, "The first is to find out if there's a
mastermind behind Xio and Fors's actions. Secondly, when the princes
express their goodwill towards Earl Hall's family, the cue was for you
to not be an obstacle. In essence, it's to create a fracture between the
three major Churches."
With regards to this matter, Audrey had already discussed it with Mr.
World before. There was no need to seek further explanations as she
asked, "Then why was a demigod like Hvin Rambis personally visiting me?"
Klein smiled and said, "If you wish to deceive the guards arranged by
Earl Hall, as well as hypnotize a Hypnotist with great certainty without
causing any commotion, a Sequence 5 might not be capable of doing so;
therefore, it's best to send a demigod. Furthermore, you knew Hvin
Rambis and had interactions with him before, so your vigilance against
him would be minimized.
"To be honest, if you weren't careful enough and had an unnoticeable
helper like Susie, the whole matter would've gone on smoothly without
you and I knowing until Monday."
Justice Audrey didn't wear a thick mask. She smiled and sighed with
mixed emotions.
"So I'm already this powerful..."
Powerful to the point of needing a demigod to be certain of success.
"He was even more powerful than I had imagined. You actually hypnotized
a demigod, a demigod that's good at hypnotism," Klein praised with a
smile.
Audrey pursed her lips without realizing it and smiled.
"That's mainly because of the Fate Siphon charm you gave me. Uh, my
Hypnotist potion seems to have completely digested as a result of
this..."