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The Moon Country, where hills once covered in black vines and thorns were now bathed in a soft, silvery moonlight. The barren hills were lush with green grass, flowers, and grains, exuding a powerful aura of life that completely overshadowed the original strangeness and madness.
After the incomplete fragment of the Divine Kingdom merged, the lingering will of the Mutant King Kvastir contained within the wasteland was completely suppressed.
Louise stood beside her grandfather, Count Mistral, her body shimmering with a faint glow. Even though she was enveloped by dense yin energy and life aura, her current state was still somewhat unstable.
This was a clear state of spiritual tide. After the Moon Country was completely restored, its missing authority and symbolism were replenished. The Sanguine within the Moon Country became unstable during the full Moon.
This was not like the variants who would go mad and lose their minds because of it; instead, it was a form of enhancement. However, the sudden surge of spirituality, like a rising tide, still placed a great burden on the Sanguine, especially those below the demigod level who had not yet mastered divinity.
It could even lead to hallucinations or unnecessary dangers due to a temporary increase in inspiration.
Crimson, almost black, chains extended from the void, coiling around the suddenly appearing Black Emperor and restraining the ghost ship. After completing all of this, Count Mistral looked at Louise and said with a smile:
"We Sanguine Counts are outstanding masters of powers in domains such as Darkness and Moon. Our advancement also needs to be carried out under the full Moon."
"The spiritual tide brought about by the restoration of the ancestral land is similar to the weakened side effects of advancement. Experiencing it more will be very helpful for your future advancement."
Enduring the whispers that occasionally sounded in her mind and the accompanying stinging pain, Louise slowly nodded.
Although she was somewhat curious why the flagship of the King of the Five Seas would appear here, she controlled her curiosity well and did not ask.
During her last conversation with Duke New Moon, Jorna, she also learned that, apart from a few important Sealed Artifacts, the entire Sanguine currently had no surplus Count Beyonder characteristics.
If one wanted to advance to a demigod, they could only wait for an existing Count to die due to old age or accident, leaving behind an inheritance.
Compared to humans, the Sanguine have long lifespans. Even without a title, ordinary members can live for about three hundred years. In such circumstances, they can accumulate bit by bit, filling every level, and rarely have Beyonder characteristics in stock.
And compared to low Sequences, a Viscount becoming a Count is even more difficult because a Sanguine Count is already a demigod who can easily live for over a thousand years. Those Viscounts would have to wait for generations for a Count to pass away.
Because of this, as soon as a Count characteristic becomes available, it is immediately distributed rather than placed in a "warehouse."
If Baron and Viscount characteristics, more or less, still exist in the Sanguine treasury in the form of Beyonder materials and Sealed Artifacts, though not in large quantities, and each bestowal must be very strict, then Count characteristics truly have no surplus at all.
"That King of the Blood Moon from the Rose School of Thought is a very good target, but after the previous incident in Bayam, he probably won't easily step into a trap again..."
Just as Louise was pondering whether to cooperate with Sharron again, a blood-colored gate with immense pressure suddenly appeared. Several figures walked out of the Summoning Gate, and Louise instantly recognized the King of the Five Seas, Nast, who stood at the end but was highly recognizable.
Bernadette looked at the unique silver Moon in the sky in surprise, suddenly recalling that the fairy tales Roselle once told also featured such a Moon. She was about to cast her Eyes of Mystery Prying, but her Clairvoyant's spiritual intuition curbed her impulse.
Her gaze swept over Count Mistral not far away, and Bernadette looked into the depths of this strange world, where two more Angel-level auras rose.
Siatas, holding the Tricky Pendant, had dim silver light in her eyes. The power entrusted by Gaoxinam was absolutely suppressed here. After looking up at the silver Moon, she calmly said:
"I have fulfilled my promise. I should be able to leave now!"
Alvin Gallows nodded slightly. He had already stored the collected Solomon treasures in the Gate of Reincarnation. Apart from the most precious Duke of Entropy Beyonder characteristic and the portions taken by Nast and others, there were still several demigod Sealed Artifacts and a large amount of Beyonder materials.
And according to Aaron's wishes, these strategic materials would be distributed after his advancement and return.
Looking at the restrained Black Emperor, Nast, concerned about the Duke of Entropy Beyonder characteristic, asked somewhat uneasily:
"When can Duke Aaron return? I have fulfilled all his requests, and I am willing to sign that contract."
After this exploration, Nast's mindset had changed, and moreover, the situation was now stronger than him; he had no other choice.
Looking at the very self-aware Nast, Alvin Gallows responded expressionlessly:
"I cannot be certain, but at the latest, it will be in a week. During this time, you had best remain here."
Under the gaze of the four Angels, Nast silently nodded. Just then, complex and illusory symbols condensed in Bernadette's eyes, finally forming an illusory paper crane in her hand.
After watching it fly into Alvin Gallows's hand, Bernadette slowly explained:
"Please hand this to Duke Aaron. When he returns, I wish to invite him to Emerald City."
The blood-colored bat mark on Duke Purple Moon, Liana's forehead, glowed faintly, and the figures of Bernadette and Siatas disappeared from their original positions.
Bernadette only felt her consciousness blur for a moment. When she looked up again, the unique silver Moon had disappeared, replaced by the dawn about to break.
As sunlight streamed in, the Queen who roamed the Five Seas suddenly broke apart like a pile of soap bubbles. The light reflected by the bubbles under the morning sun refracted into different colors, like a dream.
-----------------
Conant, the largest port city in Loen's Desi County, 49 Red Street.
The light of the early sun was blocked by thick curtains. After setting up the Wall of Spirituality, Sharron, wearing a small black soft hat, gazed at the quietly burning candle flame. She stepped back and prayed in a low voice.
Whoosh!
Inside the Wall of Spirituality, the wind suddenly intensified, and a rare hint of joy and excitement appeared in Sharron's azure eyes.
The candle flame swayed, expanding to the size of a human head, pale as if it had lost all warmth.
A translucent head slowly emerged as if breaking through a thin film. Its hair was light gold and smooth, its eyes crimson like blood, and its appearance was bright and elegant.
"Teacher..." Sharron couldn't help but take a step forward, murmuring in a faint, ethereal voice.
The head fully emerged, but what followed was not a neck, but an illusory hand holding the ends of its hair.
After the hand, there was a dark-colored cuff with intricate patterns.
Reinette Tinekerr was no longer as gigantic as she was in the Spirit World, comparable to a castle. She was now just a tall, "ordinary" lady.
Of course, her neck still only had a cut, and she held four identical heads in her hand.
"Don't like..." "The nickname..." "Sharron..." "Good morning..."
Reinette Tinekerr, dressed in a gloomy, intricate black dress, stood quietly there. The four hanging heads spoke one after another, using ancient Feysac.
As they spoke, the light golden hair of the four heads simultaneously reached out to Sharron, caressing their long-separated student. However, their unique appearance made this warm scene look somewhat unsettling.
The dressing mirror not far away floated on its own, hovering in front of Sharron, and lines of text appeared:
"I have never heard of the hidden existence that helped you, but it can be seen that she also detests the Mother Tree of Desire. This is also your opportunity."
"My physical body has been destroyed by Suah. Although I have recovered in the Spirit World, I still crave the integrity of my body. What needs to be done now is to lie dormant and accumulate strength in the dark. You and Maric have done this very well."
Feeling the golden hair continuously stroking the top of her head, a hint of helplessness flashed in Sharron's eyes, and then she said in a faint, ethereal voice:
"There is also a Sanguine member in the gathering I participate in. She, or rather the Sanguine, is also hostile to the Rose School of Thought. I think this is a very good partner for cooperation."
The four hanging heads nodded simultaneously, and the text on the mirror reappeared:
"Yes, but it will take some time. Cooperation is fine, but we must never become subordinates, let alone cannon fodder. This requires me to recover further."
Sharron nodded slightly, as if the previous words had exhausted her desire to speak, but looking at her teacher who had fallen to such a state, she still softly asked:
"Teacher, what exactly happened back then? Your current state..."
A hint of disgust flashed in her crimson, blood-like eyes, but this was clearly not directed at Sharron. The text on the mirror changed accordingly:
"Abomination Suah and King of Curses Barranca attacked simultaneously. I was unable to stand alone and ultimately fell on the plateau."
"The Ancient Bane's ritual is to curse oneself with the ability of 'Incantation' and infect a period of history with oneself as the source. The longer the infected history, the better the ritual effect."
"After successful advancement, as long as that cursed history has not been erased or occupied, the Ancient Bane will have the opportunity to reappear in the Spirit World, a conceptual aggregate, in the form of a curse, and borrow power from past history."
"The history I cursed was the Highland Kingdom once ruled by my father. Although Suah is a Sequence 1 Abomination, she was born only in the last few centuries, and she does not understand the secrets of the Highland Kingdom."
"This is also why I was able to get a respite. Chasing you all this time was to cut off my last anchor, to make me sink into that cursed history."
Highland Kingdom... Looking at the text appearing on the mirror, Sharron's pupils widened slightly. She hadn't expected the Ancient Bane's advancement ritual to be like this. After a moment of silence, she continued:
"Teacher, I am now a Puppet. I want to know the potion formula and advancement ritual for Sequence 3 Disciple of Silence."
Reinette Tinekerr's four heads lifted slightly. As the candlelight swayed, ripples spread across the mirror:
"Sequence 3 Disciple of Silence"
"Main ingredients: The true soul body of an aberrant Monster, the Cursed Heart of Witchcraft Thorns, or the Disciple of Silence Beyonder characteristic."
"Supplementary ingredients: 200 ml of aberrant Monster blood, 100 grams of ground Witchcraft Thorns."
"Advancement ritual: Use a curse to stimulate all your malice, personally experience the eruption of desire, and maintain the stillness of your mind until the advancement is successful."
Carefully memorizing the potion formula, Sharron did not bother to ask her teacher if there were any surplus Disciple of Silence Beyonder characteristics.
After all, power could be borrowed from cursed history, but Beyonder materials could not be taken from the mists of history. The most practical way was to seek help from the Lord of Order at the Council of Entropy.
Sharron, who was meticulously recording, suddenly found another passage appearing after the formula:
"Disciple of Silence was formerly known as 'Cursed Object.' The essence of the ritual is to use the release of desire to blend spirituality with curses, transforming from a Puppet into a true Cursed Object. You must remember to maintain the stillness of your mind to avoid losing control and becoming a Monster."
Turning her head in surprise, Sharron watched Reinette Tinekerr's four heads, which she was holding, simultaneously blink. Her figure quickly became illusory and shrank back into the pale candlelight.
-----------------
West Balam, Southern Continent, Nikifell City.
In a lavishly decorated bedroom, Audrey looked at the constantly changing luster of the liquid in the bottle in her right hand, which seemed to be able to shine into everyone's hearts. She thought excitedly:
"Audrey, you're amazing! You succeeded in concocting it on the first try. I wonder what interesting abilities a Telepathist can gain?"
As she thought this, she warily glanced at the door, seemingly afraid that Susie would suddenly burst in, as Susie would open the door by the doorknob.
"Hmm, Susie doesn't know I'm preparing to advance to a Telepathist yet. She should still be eating biscuits right now..."
Relieved, Audrey confidently drank the Telepathist potion, smoothly passing the integration phase of the Beyonder characteristic and achieving advancement.
What she saw before her eyes seemed to suddenly become much clearer, and many more things were added. Audrey skillfully used meditation to converge her scattered spirituality.
As her mind emptied, Audrey's thoughts also drifted:
"After this, I also need to gather all the materials for Susie. Some things are much more convenient for Susie to do than for me to do myself."
"Every excellent Adventurer needs a good assistant. Hmm, why do I have the illusion that I'm a potion-testing maid..."
Once her Sequence stabilized, Audrey smiled, cleaned the potion-concocting equipment, and walked lightly towards the door.
As soon as she opened the door, a golden retriever dog darted in. Audrey saw a clear expression of suspicion on Susie's dog face.
"You took longer to change than usual. Were you eating something?" Susie twitched her nose, not hiding her thoughts.
Audrey sat on the soft stool and gave two dry laughs. Remembering Mr. Hanged Man's previous commission and the Pirate Admiral's intelligence, she changed the subject:
"Susie, tell me, how can I discreetly inform Alfred about something without exposing myself, and make him interested in it?"
Then, she looked at Susie, and Susie looked at her. One person and one dog simultaneously fell into contemplation.
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