Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 877 Sacrifice and Reward

Before Angel could ask, Arianna shook her head again and said:

"The 'seal' of this magical item has disappeared. You should not carry it or use it. Otherwise, you will become like Hvin Rambis, watched by the gaze of the stars and unknowingly contaminated."

"Starry Sky" again?
Angel frowned and asked subconsciously:

"You mean the starry sky above your head?"

As she spoke, she looked up at the red moon that had become huge due to the "hidden" effect, and the dark night sky against its backdrop. In the sky, tiny stars kept twinkling, like countless eyes looking at the earth.

"Yes and no," Arianna answered vaguely, "I can't tell you more. Once you form a complete concept in your mind, you will be watched by those eyes, and your body and spirit will be polluted... Wait until you are promoted to an angel, and then try to understand it all."

This is consistent with what my "person in the mirror" said. She also wanted me to become an angel and then ask her the truth. If I still had doubts before, the fate of Hvin Rambis after hearing the "information" today has explained everything... Angel nodded thoughtfully and stopped trying to pick up the cylinder that could launch corrosive spheres.

"So how should it be handled?"

Klein asked. He was also interested in the cylinder, but after hearing Arianna's explanation, his curiosity was no longer there.

"I suggest that you sacrifice it to the goddess, just like the 'manipulator' trait."

Arianna was worthy of the title of "Servant of Secrets" and the advice she gave did not exceed Angel's expectations.

But in this case, I gained nothing from this battle... Well, it's not like I gained nothing, at least I got the potion formula from the "manipulator"... Angel thought a little frustrated.

Of course, this was just a fleeting thought in her mind. After all, she had done a lot of things under the arrangement of the goddess, and she could get more benefits every time, such as the "painful" characteristics after the heavy smog, and the "immortal" characteristics after going to Trier to track down the man in the mirror.

I believe that the goddess will also give certain rewards for this sacrifice.

Therefore, she stopped worrying about the benefits of the battle and continued to say to Arianna:

"I didn't expect that the mastermind behind the 'Great Smog' was actually the owner of this city and this country, King George III... What is the church going to do? Will it join other churches to ask the king for an explanation?"

"We are still lacking more evidence. Hvin Rambis only provided a confession. According to him, George III still cannot break through the existing sequence before he gets hold of the item in the ruins. Even if we find him, he can deny that he violated the three major contracts. The church is limited by the relevant agreements and cannot use force on him."

Arianna replied calmly.

"What are the contents of the three major contracts?" Angel asked cautiously, "If they involve secrets, forget it."

"In the early days of the founding of the Kingdom of Loen, the three major churches signed a contract with the Augustus family, ensuring the right to preach, build churches and arm Beyonders within the kingdom, as well as the obligation to protect the royal family and nobles, assist the army and police in resolving Beyonder incidents, and even join the war when necessary. In contrast, the ruler of the Augustus family is not allowed to exceed the middle sequence unless he is willing to abdicate and hide behind the scenes."

Obviously, this is not secret knowledge, or Klein and I, as the gods' chosen ones, already know this information... Angel was not too surprised by the content of the "contract". After all, if a secular king became a demigod and could live to be hundreds of years old and still remain young, it would have a big impact on the people and would lead to many conspiracy theories. It would also be detrimental to the power transition within the royal family and would easily lead to internal conflicts.

But since it had been like this for thousands of years, why did King George III secretly break the "contract" and seek to be promoted to a demigod? Just to extend his life and sit on the throne for a few more decades, he even kidnapped his own people as workers to excavate the ruins, created a smog to cover up the truth, and used his son Edessac as a scapegoat...

Unless he has a more hidden goal, he would not be willing to take huge risks and do these things under the noses of the three major churches.

Unable to confirm George III's true thoughts for a moment, Angel could only continue to ask:
"Next, are we going to look for the ruins on the Tussock River? I remember that the 'Sword of the Goddess' Sesima has led a team to search for it for a long time, but there has been no trace of it."

"Cesima searched the Stryven area, but didn't find the ruins Hwin mentioned. After thousands of years, it must be deep underground and cannot be entered by ordinary means," Arianna said in a calm tone like a machine, only her eyes occasionally swept over Angel, making her feel that he was a living being. "We can only find the other people he mentioned who can enter the ruins, first obtain the means to enter the ruins, and get the truly useful evidence."

"Qonas Kilger, Katarina, and... Mr. K?"

Klein repeated the names of the people who could enter the ruins that Hwin Rambis had mentioned. "That's right, and we need to do it as soon as possible. Hwin's death is kept secret, so it won't be discovered for now, but it won't be delayed for too long. Once those people know that an important person has died, they will definitely evacuate the personnel and cover up the evidence, leaving us with nothing."

Arianna's tone finally changed a little at this time, and it became much more lively.

"But attacking them may also attract more attention. We need to make a series of plans. It is best to act at the same time and go to the ruins immediately after obtaining useful information." Klein said carefully, like a detective in Backlund rather than a crazy adventurer. "Ms. Arianna, how long can your 'secrecy' last?"

"No one would notice his disappearance for ten days."

Arianna replied.

So this is how "Secrecy" works. It's similar to "0-08" which makes people ignore something naturally... Angel nodded and said:
"I am in charge of the White Saint Katarina. My original plan was to use Tracy to lure her out so that I could deal with Viscount Stratford. If the plan goes well, it should be completed in about a week."

"I will hold a hunting event at Meige Manor next weekend. Since I bought that manor through the help of Qonas Kilger, I will invite him to the event. We can then look for an opportunity to take action."

Klein also spoke quickly, as if he had already had a corresponding plan.

As for that "Mr. K", neither of them was very familiar with him. Only Angel heard Sherman mention that the name of this Aurora Society messenger appeared in the underground gatherings that were restarted in the East District. But with the precedent of Mr. X's death, he dared to reopen the business. He must have some backup plan. It was not worth attacking him.

"Very good, let's do it this way," Arianna moved the corners of her mouth, as if trying to put on a smile, "Now, make the sacrifice, I'll wait on the side."

He meant to use "secrecy" to protect us, so that we wouldn't be noticed by certain beings before the sacrifice, or because He was worried that something unexpected would happen and we would be contaminated... Angel thought secretly and nodded.

She did not dare to directly pick up the two extraordinary properties and magical items with "starry sky" pollution. Instead, she held them up with invisible silk threads. After Klein skillfully set up a simple altar with candles, essential oils, and herbal powders, she placed the two items in the middle.

"Come on, and see if you can get a Sequence 2 Beyonder characteristic."

After doing all this, Klein smiled at Angel, stepped aside, and stood on both sides of the altar with Arianna, waiting for Angel's sacrifice ceremony to be completed.

The latter sniffed, smelling the scent of burning night-blooming herbs and moonflowers, then stood in his own position on the altar, half-closed his eyes, and chanted the honorable name of the Goddess of Night, causing a breeze to swirl around him, making the red moon in the sky even brighter.

According to the process of the sacrificial ceremony, after reciting the honorific name, Angel can state his own prayer, such as what kind of items he needs and how many he needs. The gods may not necessarily agree, but they may use it as a reference.

Of course, she did not choose the Beyonder characteristic of the "Disaster" witch. It was impossible to exchange a Sequence 4 characteristic for a Sequence 2 one. However, the requirement to purify the "Manipulator" characteristic might be met. Therefore, Angel prayed for this first, and then after a brief pause, silently chanted in his heart:

"Respected goddess, I hope to obtain the potion formula of the 'Ancient Scholar', which is an item needed by another of your followers... If your contribution is not enough to obtain it, you can not provide the promotion ceremony..."

She nervously repeated it three times in her mind, let out a long breath, and slowly opened her eyes.

On the altar, the ice-blue metal cylinder has disappeared, but the "manipulator" feature that looks like a twisted brain is still there. But unlike before, the dark green luster that seeped out of its surface has disappeared, and instead more strange patterns and symbolic symbols are squeezed out from the wrinkles, blending into the surrounding environment.

That is the characteristic of the "manipulator" that has been "purified"!
Angel breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that at least he did not return empty-handed tonight. This Beyonder characteristic could be sold to Justice Audrey after she was promoted to Sequence 5, or used to create a demigod-level magical item. The value should be between and pounds, which was considered a great harvest.

Unfortunately, the goddess did not agree to my other request... After the gold coins in my head rolled by, all that was left was deep regret. Angel's eyes flickered, and when he was about to look at Klein beside him, he suddenly found that the ground that served as a temporary altar was painted with various symbols. Various herbs and ashes formed one elegant word after another:

"Sequence 3, Ancient Scholar:
"Main materials: a pair of eyes from Fulgrim's Hound (the guardian of Sefirah Castle), and a heart from the Mist Wolf; auxiliary materials..."

The potion recipe did not mark the promotion ceremony, so it was quite short, only two lines, but it made Angel hold his breath with excitement.

The goddess of night actually agreed to her request!

(End of this chapter)