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Aaron led Audrey to a lounge in the racecourse and took out herbal essential oils and candles from his bag.
Looking at the excited Audrey, Aaron smiled and said, "This is a relatively simple ritual magic. It can summon a unique spirit, my spirit, and my messenger."
"Spirit?" Audrey chewed on the word, and her mind couldn't help but flash with the evil spirits described in folk legends and storybooks. Her expression froze slightly, and she seemed to hesitate to speak.
Looking at Audrey's expression, Aaron thought for a moment and explained in easy-to-understand terms: "My spirit is a spirit naturally born in the Spirit World. It is inherently a spirit body, not an undead transformed from the death of living creatures. You don't have to be afraid."
Audrey nodded, half-understanding, and secretly decided that she must read more mysticism books in the future.
Aaron, while arranging the candles, said, "You give it the written letter, and it will accurately deliver it to me. It's not as fast as a telegram, but faster than a steam train. If you finish it at noon, even if I'm still in the Southern Continent, I can receive it before that night."
"And this is not a one-way trip. It can also bring a reply to you, and I can also send letters to you through it."
"How convenient! I wonder what other magical effects other ritual magic have."
Audrey watched Aaron place the candles, secretly memorizing the positions, while sighing inwardly and listening attentively, like a diligent student in class.
Aaron chuckled softly, then pointed to the "Chain of Emeralds" Audrey was wearing:
"The characteristic of this kind of ritual magic is to pray to oneself, drawing power from one's own spirituality. It doesn't require a deity, so it's quite concealed, though its power is often not great."
"And the drawn spirituality can be replaced by the spirituality of the 'Chain of Emeralds' itself. As long as you don't perform the ritual multiple times in a short period, it won't affect your state."
As he spoke, Aaron lit the candles and took out a bottle of dark purple liquid. He opened the stopper and sprinkled a few drops into the golden candle flame:
"This is a hydrosol distilled and extracted from night-scented stock, deep sleep flower, and chamomile, called 'Amantha,' which means tranquility in Hermes.
"It's also a hydrosol we often use as followers of Darkness when performing various rituals. It smells very good."
As he spoke, the candlelight flickered a few times, and those few drops of hydrosol quickly evaporated, filling the room.
A very familiar, clear, and charming scent entered Audrey's nose, relaxing her tension and quickly calming her mind, as if she were looking down at the Darkness in the dead of night.
Aaron placed all the other materials and then switched to ancient Hermes to say:
"I!"
"I summon in my name;"
"The spirit wandering in the void, the upper-world creature driven by others, the messenger exclusive to Lucivide Joseph."
Looking at the somewhat confused Audrey, Aaron repeated it in Loenese, then explained: "That's the incantation part. There are three sections in total. Lucivide Joseph is my alias, mainly to prevent others from locating me through the messenger."
Audrey nodded and, with Aaron's help, repeated it several times, somewhat unskillfully.
Seeing that she had generally grasped it, Aaron looked at Audrey and solemnly emphasized: "Remember, do not arbitrarily change the specific description of the summoned creature, as that can easily attract terrifying Monsters."
"Mm, okay." Audrey nodded obediently, her golden hair falling down and swaying with her movements.
With Aaron's encouragement, Audrey rearranged the candles and other ritual materials.
Immediately after, she dripped the Night's Kin "Full Moon Essential Oil" and "Amantha Hydrosol" onto them.
With sizzling sounds, the surroundings suddenly became quiet, and an invisible, subtle sensation surged.
Audrey, with a mix of apprehension and excitement, softly chanted in the not-so-familiar ancient Hermes:
"I!"
"I summon in my name;"
"The spirit wandering in the void, the upper-world creature driven by others, the messenger exclusive to Lucivide Joseph."
Whoosh!
The wind stirred up a humming sound, and the golden candle flame instantly took on a ghostly blue hue.
Under its illumination, translucent ripples spread out from the center of the three candles.
Suddenly, Audrey saw an eye, a round eye, an eye with clear black and white.
That eye stared at her unblinkingly, with no head attached, and no corresponding body.
The huge, black-and-white eye was translucent, quietly floating behind rich, vivid overlapping color blocks, showing neither hostility nor friendliness.
It was Astolfo, the Spirit World creature stored within the Death Mask. As Aaron gained more power and methods, he rarely used it.
However, it had also gradually grown by continuously devouring other spirit bodies and had shown a desire for the Prisoner Pathway Beyonder characteristic.
The portion of Beyonder characteristic extracted from Meham's left arm, harvested last time, roughly equivalent to a Sequence 5 level, Aaron had fed to Astolfo.
Perhaps it was because the Beyonder characteristic hadn't been fully digested, or perhaps it was a transformation after this special spirit body grew to a certain extent.
The originally somewhat illusory and shapeless spirit body had, to some extent, solidified into a physical entity after swallowing that Beyonder characteristic.
However, this did not affect its activities in the Spirit World; instead, it gained abilities far stronger than other Spirit World creatures, perfectly meeting the requirements of a messenger.
Although its current strength was not high, Aaron did not intend for it to participate in future battles that might involve Demigods or even Angels; it was only for delivering messages.
If there were better options in the future, the messenger could be replaced.
And the most suitable messenger in Aaron's mind was Elvin Gallow, the Night Emperor's personal guard leader, an Angel from the Fourth Epoch, who might be slumbering in the "Specter Empire."
However, with Aaron's current strength, he couldn't open that treasure. He was beyond his reach and had to focus on the present. After communication, Aaron signed a messenger contract with Astolfo.
Looking at Audrey, who was full of excitement from successfully completing the ritual magic, Aaron smiled and introduced, "This is my messenger. You can call it Astolfo."
Saying that, Aaron demonstrated. He handed over a letter he had prepared earlier and placed it in the center of the ritual magic.
Behind the rich, vivid overlapping color blocks, the huge, black-and-white eye suddenly turned pure black, like the Abyss, directly swallowing the letter.
Then it turned pure white again, ripples spread, and a letter emerged from it, flying back into Aaron's hand.
Astolfo's huge, black-and-white eye stared blankly at Aaron, as if it didn't quite understand why it needed to be summoned for such a simple delivery.
-----------------
Pritz Harbor, Oak Island, Royal Navy Base.
A group of military officers from MI9, who had just passed the New Year and were about to be transferred to the Southern Continent, stepped down from their carriages in neat military uniforms, chests adorned with badges, and heads held high.
Glenn Wall was among them. He did not return to East Tucker County with Aaron but took an airship directly to the Southern Continent.
As the assistant to Lord Aaron, the new Deputy Director of MI9's Southern Continent branch, Glenn Wall also received a warm welcome from the surrounding military officers.
Although unaccustomed to such occasions, Glenn Wall patiently socialized until everyone's attention was drawn to a sight not far away.
In the nearby military port, thousands of workers were hammering away at a majestic giant ship that gleamed with metallic light. It was still far from completion, but its general outline could already be seen.
It had no sails, only a lookout tower, and gained two towering chimneys and two open-air turrets, one at the front and one at the back.
It was so magnificent, so enormous, that the sailing battleships docked nearby looked like newborn dwarves clustered around a giant.
"Storms above, could this... could this be the Navy's latest equipment...?"
"Oh, my Lord, it's incredible."
...
Exclamations mingled softly. Glenn Wall, standing at the front of the officer's ranks, looked solemn, carefully memorizing every visible detail of the behemoth.
He planned to report everything he saw to his grandfather, Joseph Wall, once he arrived in the Southern Continent.
He had heard in Backlund that the Loen military was developing a new type of weapon, and the East Tucker family, which had significant influence in the Navy, had been rudely and unreasonably removed from the research team by the King.
Glenn Wall had initially not cared. As a Beyonder who had already reached the Mid-Sequence, although he wasn't very clear about the fighting methods of High-Sequence powerhouses, he knew very well that those terrifying Demigod existences could not be dealt with by one or two weapons.
It wasn't until he saw this behemoth that he couldn't help but doubt his previous judgment.
After an unknown period, a black speck in mid-air grew from small to large, gradually occupying a third of the sky, once again attracting everyone's attention and making the atmosphere suddenly solemn.
This was a colossal object floating and flying in mid-air. It had extremely smooth and graceful lines, painted entirely in dark blue. A sturdy yet lightweight alloy frame supported the cotton fabric containing hydrogen balloons.
Below, suspended compartments housed machine gun ports, bomb bays, and flat-firing cannon ports. The exaggerated hum of the high-fuel steam engine and the frantic rotation of the tail propellers formed a breathtaking symphony.
The airship that would take them to the Southern Continent had arrived, carrying an air of majestic authority, looking down on everything.
A vertically downward "Sword of Judgement" emblem with a ruby crown as its hilt reflected the sunlight on both sides of the compartment. This was a symbol of the Augustus family, a legacy traceable back to the previous epoch.
-----------------
Pritz Harbor, White Oak Street, Pritz Harbor Fishermen's Association.
Dorian Gray slowly sat down, his face weary. He was of medium build but had exaggerated arms, and his hair was meticulously combed, in stark contrast to the bird's nest hairstyles of most people in the association.
Ignoring the tea, pastries, newspapers, and magazines on the table, Dorian Gray frowned in thought.
After an unknown period, accompanied by a muffled sigh, Dorian Gray stood up and drew the curtains, plunging the office into dimness.
He walked around the room once, confirming the environment, then Dorian Gray lit a candle mixed with crimson sandalwood.
Amidst the flickering yellow light, he walked to the front of the candle and took out two bottles of water-colored essential oil and some common herbal powders.
After completing the initial part of the ritual, Dorian stepped back, his expression serious, and switched to ancient Hermes:
"I!
"I summon in my name:
"The peculiar spirit body roaming the Upper World, the void creature that loves music, Dorian Gray-Abraham's contracted partner."
Whoosh!
A sudden wind swept through the living room, carrying a weeping tremor. The swaying candlelight was instantly dyed a ghostly blue hue.
Rings of light rapidly spread out, seemingly forming a Door beyond normal conception.
A semi-illusory, semi-real spherical object flew out from the "bottom" of the light ring.
It was milky white all over, with no eyes, nose, arms, or legs, only a slit on its surface that looked like a mouth.
Dorian opened his mouth and softly hummed a folk-style lullaby.
The "sphere" immediately swayed from side to side, looking extremely content.
After humming a song, Dorian reached out his hand:
"Marmoth, give me the inherited 'Eye of Arcana' that I previously deposited with you."
The "sphere" bounced up and down, its body suddenly swelling, its "mouth" opening wide.
Then, it spat out a strangely glowing crystal ball, as if formed by countless insects clinging together. Under the candlelight, the crystal ball floated with dazzling "waves."
Dorian caught the "Eye of Arcana," interrupted the summoning, and ended the ritual.
He held the "Eye of Arcana" in his left hand, while his right palm cut a bloodied opening and lightly touched the top, stroking it back and forth, muttering continuously, like a whisper.
Accompanying the murmurs, the blood gradually integrated into the "Eye of Arcana." The glittering points within the crystal ball grew brighter and clearer, as if the night Cosmos had cast its reflection.
And those stars, often used to determine the course of fate and life's trajectory, appeared one after another, forming a three-dimensional astrolabe, interspersed with many Spirit World revelations that seemed to be symbolic.
Dorian Gray's face remained pale, his shoulders trembling slightly as he finally stopped, burying his head in scrutiny. A moment later, a low, hoarse voice sounded:
"Why is there still no revelation? Where is the future of the Abraham family?
"It's clearly recorded in the family's ancient texts that Venithan, one of the Seven Lights of the Spirit World, the 'Yellow Light,' once prophesied that the Abraham family's curse would be lifted by an Apprentice who received help from a hidden existence."
"When will this prophecy, passed down by word of mouth and even recorded in 'Spirit World Observations,' finally come true?"
The light of the crystal ball gradually dimmed, and Dorian stood up, feeling a mix of confusion and urgency, his blue eyes even revealing a hint of despair.
In the past year, the frequency of full moons had inexplicably increased significantly, far exceeding previous years, and most were Blood Moon nights, an enhanced version of the full moon.
Having become a Sequence 7 Astrologer, he was more strongly affected by the full moon's ravings. Every time the full moon's ravings came, Dorian Gray felt it was difficult to endure and that he might not live to see the day the Abraham family's curse was lifted.
Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps his faith was strong enough, but Dorian Gray endured each time. However, a significant portion of other family members with whom he could originally correspond by letter were now unreachable.
And after the drastic change when the Traveler Botis betrayed the Aurora Order, almost all the upper echelons of the entire Abraham family were wiped out, leaving only scattered branches in various places.
There wasn't even a decent powerhouse, let alone someone who could roam the Spirit World like the Abraham family's Traveler ancestor and seek answers from the "Yellow Light" Venithan.
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