The more Lumian listened to the lady's words, the more he agreed with them:
He didn't know how higher sequences would behave, but judging from the few extraordinary creatures he had "dealt with", the threat posed by the fellow with the whirlpool-shaped mouthparts was far less than that posed by the monster with a shotgun.
Although it was because he had become a Beyonder and had made great improvements in close combat and use of the environment, it was more of a problem with the contracted monster itself.
First, it did not show a strong pursuit ability, second, it lacked the means of long-range attack, and third, its "stealth" ability was not outrageous, and was completely restrained by the "hunter"'s grasp of the surrounding environment and subtle traces.
In addition, it has the common problem of monsters: low IQ and not as combat smart as shotgun monsters, so it easily stepped into the enemy's trap.
Putting all these together, the final result is predictable, so much so that Lumian had never thought that it was actually equivalent to Sequence 7 until today.
He didn't even compare it to the shotgun monster, thinking that there was a huge gap between them - the shotgun monster was strong and the mouth monster was weak.
Ability, brains, preparation, on-the-spot adaptability, environmental factors... There are so many things that can affect the outcome of a battle... Lumian made a summary in his mind and asked with great anticipation but without much hope:
"Can I pray directly for the power of the 'Bound One'?"
The lady smiled:
"This is a great way to commit suicide."
She casually explained:
"In theory, it is possible. After all, the power sealed in your body is more than just Sequence 7.
"But do you think your body can withstand such a huge 'gift', or pollution, all at once
“Of course, if you think that turning into a monster, becoming a puppet of that being, or being transformed into another creature is not unacceptable, then you can consider trying it.
"Tsk, it won't be long before I can enjoy watching you sacrifice your sister with your own hands."
Lumian's hair stood on end at what the lady said, and he felt a chill down his spine. He no longer dared to think about "jumping to a higher level of promotion".
He asked cautiously:
"So, the greatest gift I can bear right now is 'Dancer'?"
"Yes, that's why I told you this after you became a Beyonder and digested it." The lady took another sip of the green liquid in the cup. "Only when your spirit, spirituality, and body have improved significantly, will you have a chance to resist the contamination of the 'Gift' and then control that power little by little.
"As time goes by, as your spiritual and mental bodies become stronger and your body adapts to the slight changes brought about by the power of the gift, you can consider becoming a 'mendicant monk'."
For Lumian, the most important thing at the moment is to learn that mysterious dance, which can automatically and partially activate the thorn symbol, thereby greatly improving his ability to explore the ruins of dreams. Therefore, he no longer thought about the "mendicant monk" and the "contracted person", nodded slightly, and asked seriously:
"Then how should I pray?"
He had already learned the binary ritual method, but he still had no idea about the name of the object of prayer, the field it belonged to, and the corresponding materials.
"Cough." The lady couldn't help coughing.
Then she said seriously:
"What I'm going to say next will go out of my mouth and into your ears. Don't tell anyone, otherwise it will hurt them."
Out of my mouth, into your ears... This is a sentence that Aurore likes to write... Has this lady read any of her novels? Lumian responded solemnly:
"OK."
He thought for a moment and said:
"So I don't have to worry about problems if I listen to it?"
The lady took a sip of absinthe and smiled.
"When did you get the illusion that there was nothing wrong with you?"
Lumian was startled at first, then he looked down at his left chest.
The lady then sneered:
“You were originally one of those people who were about to be severely polluted. Fortunately, the mark left by that great being was activated, and the corresponding power descended upon you, sealing the source of pollution and creating a balance.
“Next, you will hold a ceremony to face the power within the seal and pray for the corresponding blessing, which is equivalent to actively enduring a certain degree of pollution.
"So, why are you afraid of a little problem after hearing it?"
The more I listen, the more I feel like this is a serious problem... Lumian isn't too confident.
The lady shook her head and smiled:
“Don’t worry. When I tell you the corresponding words, I will definitely provide a sufficiently secret environment and very safe protection. Afterwards, if you want to hold a ceremony, it’s best to go to the ruins. There is gray fog there, and with the blessing of the great being, you won’t directly attract the attention of that being.
"And during the period before the ceremony, you should disrupt each step and each description to consolidate them, and try not to think about them together in a complete manner, otherwise, hehe..."
She laughed and didn't say what the outcome would be, but Lumian could imagine what would go wrong.
Seeing that he stopped asking questions, the lady nodded slightly:
"let us start.
"The first part is 'The Power of Fate'.
"It is enough to use it. It corresponds to your black thorn symbol. The full name of that existence is not something you can understand now. Even I have to keep it secret before I dare to think about it."
For some reason, Lumian felt that the light around him had dimmed a little, but he was not sure.
At this time, the lady restrained all her expressions 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 the lady uttered words one by one, Lumian felt dizzy and found that there seemed to be a black wind surrounding him.
The table on which his glass of absinthe lay, its brown surface moving as if with life.
With a snap.
A black worm, about the length of an adult's index finger, crawled out from the wooden board, and an evil aura instantly spread out.
Before Lumian could get a clear look at the black worm, the lady opposite him put down the cup of green liquid in her hand, directly pressing down on the strange creature and crushing it into a pool of meat paste.
Then the lady took out a patterned napkin, wiped the bottom of the cup, and wrapped up the body of the black insect.
She took another sip of absinthe as if nothing had happened and emphasized:
"Remember, the first and second parts must be recited in the ancient Hermetic language. Giant language, Dragon language, and Elvish language are also acceptable."
Just like the first "I" in the ritual of praying to oneself cannot be in Hermetic... Lumian nodded to show that he understood.
He had always been very courageous, but he was still a little uneasy when faced with the strange visions that frequently appeared during the conversation. His heartbeat became faster, but the mysterious lady acted as if she had just found some impurities during the meal. She continued:
"The third part may be in Hermetic language and shall read:
"I pray to you,
"Please grant me your grace,
"I pray that you will grant me the power of 'Dancer'.
“Remember, the three sentences are a progressive relationship.”
These words did not bring about any new changes in the environment, and the anomalies that had originally caused disquiet and panic gradually subsided.
Lumian took note of it carefully, and as the lady had said, he wrote it down in a shuffled order, reversing the order of the words to avoid any problems.
The lady drank the rest of the absinthe, sipped it with satisfaction and said:
“The rest is pretty much the same as common ritual magic.
"The corresponding materials are gray amber, tulips, cloves, and musk. You can choose two to make candles, and the remaining two can be used as herbs, essential oils, and hydrosols in the ceremony."
Lumian recalled the binary ritual he had learned, frowned and asked:
"The position representing the gods should be placed with items closely related to the gods, but my thorn symbol is on my chest. I can't peel off my skin, right? Besides, I think it would be useless to peel it off."
That power was sealed in his heart and spirit.
The lady nodded slightly:
“Didn’t I tell you to make candles
“When making candles, take 5 ml of blood from your chest, more or less is fine, it will be melted into the material and become part of the candle.
“During the ceremony, the candle is placed in the place of the deity, only one.
"Because of your blood, the candle was 'awakened' in the ancient Hermetic language. After becoming a symbol, it will point directly to you. Then, combined with the following description, it will stimulate the power sealed in you to a certain extent."
This feels like a special variant of the Binary Ritual. Aurore never mentioned that this was possible, so not many people would know about it... Lumian thought for a moment and said:
"Can I use perfume with gray amber?"
He remembered that his sister had it, and she liked to call gray amber ambergris.
"Yes, you can use it as essential oil." The lady nodded.
In this way, the gray amber has been found, and there is also some at Lilac's house... Lumian thought about where to get tulips and musk.
He thought about it and could only think of three possible places:
One is my sister Aurore’s place. She is a “witch” and may have prepared the corresponding materials. The second is the administrative officer’s residence. The third is the parish priest’s house.
Lumian decided to tell his sister about the ceremony first, broke down the descriptions into individual words and asked her to teach the corresponding ancient Hermetic language and Hermetic language, and asked her if she had the materials.
If not, consider somewhere else.
Seeing that the lady was about to leave, Lumian asked again:
"What on earth is that 'lizard' that came out of the vice-priest's mouth?"
The lady stood up and said with a smile:
"I can't explain it to you clearly."
You might as well just say you don’t want to tell me... Lumian managed to control the change in his expression with great difficulty.
After the lady left, he took out the paper and pen he had brought with him, wrote down the ceremony-related information in the wrong order, and then numbered them in the correct order.
… …
After leaving the old tavern, Lumian looked for the three strangers in the village.
Not long after he walked, he heard a tinkling sound.
Lumian smiled immediately and walked quickly towards that side. As expected, he saw Leah with two bells on her veil and two bells on her boots, Ryan wearing a dark round hat, and Valentine with powder on his head.
He wanted to open his arms and shout "My cabbages, I miss you so much", but he quickly remembered that he had not had any contact with the three strangers in this cycle.
Lumian rubbed his face and tried to look serious.
Then, he walked towards Lai En and the others, and as he was about to pass by them, he lowered his voice and said:
"I know who you are looking for."
Ryan, Leah, and Valentine were all startled at the same time and looked at this guy in amazement.
Lumian didn't stop, but walked past them and headed forward.
The three strangers looked at each other, suppressed their abnormal expressions, and followed behind as if nothing had happened.
PS: Ask for monthly ticket~