Having some free time today, Xia De and Leia went out together, with their first stop being Old John's pawn shop.
He not only spent over 100 pounds to order a sufficiently powerful alchemy crossbow from the old man, but also purchased the materials needed for "moonlight water" and "Sunlight Fire."
Xia De already had the gems himself; the harvest from Huntington was abundant.
As for the special materials, while it might be cheaper to buy them in Coldwater Port, Xia De was in no mood to wait at this moment.
He decided to set up the ritual in his attic, where the windows would allow the midday sun and midnight Moonlight to directly illuminate the ritual array.
Because the angles of Moonlight and sunlight differ in various seasons, to prevent himself from making a mistake, Xia De also went to find Luvia with Leia.
The purple-eyed girl was proficient in astrology, and after learning that Xia De needed help, she took leave and followed him back to Saint Delan Square Six.
Xia De and Leia built the main body of the ritual, while Luvia, relying on the astrolabe equipment on the third floor, calculated the best position in the attic.
Finally, Xia De brought over a wooden round table.
Luvia used a file to outline a star chart on the dark brown tabletop, then filled the depressions with silver powder, and finally poured mercury into them.
After being treated with special techniques, the entire tabletop displayed an unusual silvery aesthetic, and at two symmetrical positions on the round table, circular areas outlined by mercury were left open, where rituals related to the sun and moon were to be set up.
This made the entire tabletop look more like the back of a rhode cards, but in reality, the "Sun, Moon, and Stars" pattern on the back of rhode cards is itself a sophisticated astrological ritual.
The ritual was set up by 11:30 AM.
Luvia adjusted the table's position again to ensure that both daylight and Moonlight could shine onto the tabletop from the window during this season.
Next, Xia De only needed to order a custom-made rotating wooden table and then connect the ritual tabletop to its surface.
This way, in different seasons, he would only need to rotate the tabletop's angle to adapt to the positions of the sun and moon at midday and midnight.
As the time approached Sunday noon, the three expectant individuals waited in the attic for the ritual's effect.
As Xia De's Time Perception accurately captured the moment noon arrived, a faint spark indeed appeared within the transparent crystal bead at the center of the ritual array representing the "Sunlight Fire" ritual.
"moonlight water" is stored in crystal containers, while "Sunlight Fire" uses crystal beads.
Both can store up to a week's worth, so Xia De only needs to remember to collect them once a week.
"moonlight water" is liquid and can be stored long-term in larger crystal containers.
"Sunlight Fire" is fire itself and cannot be stored in ordinary containers, so Xia De stored it in an old-fashioned lantern that Sister Devlin once gave him, which could preserve embers (Chapter 831).
The Sister not only needed the firewood of the First Fire but also "otherworldly fire" for the First Fire to devour.
The sky was covered in a gray mist, and the clouds also reduced sunlight, so the "Sunlight Fire" produced at noon was just a very faint spark.
This faint spark caused a reaction in Xia De's Original Fire, and it was clear that, like the "Flame Demon's Fire," this was also a flame that could be devoured by the First Fire, but because there were only tiny sparks at the moment, Xia De did not hand it over to Sister Devlin.
"Devouring flames, as long as one is not burned to death, can cause an sublimation of one's fire-related abilities; lighting a bonfire can dispel undead and evil specters within a certain range; attaching it to a weapon can give the weapon properties such as 'Holy Fire, Bane of Evil' for a certain period."
Xia De held the old-fashioned lantern and smiled as he explained the purpose of the sparks to the two girls.
Of course, the prerequisite for these effects was that there had to be enough flame.
Therefore, although these two brand new rituals were very important to Xia De, they could not yet exert much effect for now.
Fortunately, the Outsider understood the meaning of "accumulating small amounts into large ones" and was happy to wait for the harvest.
Although this gave him the illusion that he was "growing vegetables" in his attic and had to "harvest" them every now and then, this kind of waiting brought him great joy.
To thank the two girls for their help, the three had lunch together on Silver Cross Avenue at noon.
Although the relationship between the three was quite delicate due to the Outsider's great sin, Leia and Luvia both behaved very normally during lunch.
After lunch, Luvia went back to work, while the Golden-haired girl accompanied Xia De on errands in the city, leisurely enjoying the winter time in the "Steam City, Pearl of the North Country" without having to worry about livelihood or work.
By evening, the two people and one cat had dinner out again, then specifically went for a walk in the scenic University District, and around seven o'clock, Xia De escorted Leia back to Quill Avenue.
This wonderful day made the Princess quite satisfied:
"It's really nice to occasionally take some time to relax like this."
She embraced Xia De downstairs at the apartment building Dorothy rented, and Xia De noticed the landlady looking at the two of them disapprovingly from the second-floor window.
"Tomorrow night, Opera House, absolutely do not forget."
The Princess whispered emphatically into Xia De's ear, then smiled and pushed him, causing him to stumble backward down the steps:
"See you tomorrow, Knight."
She seemed to want to end this perfect day with a kiss.
But Leia also noticed the landlady watching them from the second floor, and for Dorothy's reputation, she ultimately just pressed her gloved right index finger to her red lips and then blew a kiss to Xia De.
The apartment Dorothy rented was only for single women, and Xia De was questioned by the landlady every time he entered.
Dorothy once said that the landlady was warm but old-fashioned and cared greatly about the private morals of the girls renting, so even Leia was somewhat "afraid" of that enthusiastic lady.
Returning home in a good mood, after washing up, the diligent Outsider did not go to bed early to welcome the arrival of Monday, but instead read by the fireplace until midnight.
He stayed up late not because he wanted to review better, but because Xia De was also wondering what "moonlight water" actually was.
At midnight, Xia De, in his pajamas, holding the cat who was very energetic at night, climbed up to the attic.
The attic lights were off, and the bright Moonlight from the window illuminated the round tabletop.
The starlight made the astrological ritual personally arranged by Luvia glow faintly.
Also emitting light were the faint sparks in the old-fashioned lantern, and the silvery-white spiritual light generated by the operation of the Moon ritual.
That scene was exceptionally quiet, and exceptionally visually striking, so much so that Xia De paused for a moment before walking towards the table.
At the bottom of the transparent crystal bottle in the center of the ritual, there was now a shallow layer of a very small amount of silvery liquid.
In the darkness, the "Moonlight" was faintly glowing; its texture was very much like mercury, but it was undeniably also very pretty.
"About half a dram (0.5 dr ≈ 1.8 ml).
In today's moon phase, march is leaning towards a full moon, so the quantity is a bit more."
Xia De calculated in his mind, but only considered the quantity, not directly converting it into pounds.
He did not intend to sell "moonlight water" and "Sunlight Fire" to anyone; even if he didn't use these two precious substances himself, storing them was something that made him quite happy.
"Meow~"
Mia lightly jumped onto the glowing star-patterned tabletop, timidly shrinking her head, looking at the sparks in the old-fashioned lantern for a moment, then at the liquid at the bottom of the bottle in Xia De's hand, her eyes filled with a longing to try it.
"How should I use this precious liquid?"
Xia De pondered, glancing at the liquid towards the moon outside the window, and thought of his sealed Ling Rune.
So, he carefully pulled out the crystal stopper and then poured the liquid directly into his mouth.
"Oh~"
Even though the quantity was very small, that refreshing sensation immediately swept through his entire body.
The comfort of that moment made him groan, which made the cat crouching on the tabletop widen her eyes even more, meowing a few times anxiously but very obediently.
The taste of the liquid was difficult to describe; if he really had to give adjectives, Xia De could only use the non-taste words "soft" and "cool."
The moment he drank it, it felt wonderful, like truly bathing in Moonlight and absorbing the moon's power.
He raised his left hand, letting it faintly emit silvery Moonlight, and vaguely felt that his understanding of the Silver Moon's power seemed to deepen.
"Long-term consumption will definitely greatly enhance all my moon-related powers."
Xia De sighed in his heart, and "She" by his ear also gave a hint:
【The power of the Red Moon is still sealed, but if you can drink approximately 90 to 120 times the current amount at once, the Ling Rune has a chance to be unsealed.】
"About three to four months?"
Although the time was a bit long, at least there was hope, which made Xia De feel even better.
And 100 times more than the previous amount was only about 200 milliliters; Xia De felt that if he truly did that, he might experience the feeling of truly "melting" into the moon.
"I don't have much now, but when I've accumulated some, I'll let you try it.
As for the fire, Sister Devlin and Yiluna probably both need it, so I can't give it to you.
Besides, good cats don't play with fire."
Xia De placed the expensive crystal bottle back in the center of the ritual array, picked up Mia, and said with a smile.
Since this cat had once absorbed a trace of divine power, drinking this special liquid should be fine.
The cat probably understood Xia De's words, meowed obediently again, and then rested her fluffy little head on Xia De's pajama-clad chest.
Compared to the rewards given by previous time key missions, although there were no Miracles this time, the two rituals were quite useful.
Looking at the moon outside the window, Xia De couldn't help but imagine what other rewards the Father of Infinite Trees would give in the future.
The various strange powers bestowed by this ancient god were not limited to "trees" and "time," and the powers granted to Xia De were always what Xia De needed most.
"What kind of story will I encounter with the next key?"
He held the cat, ready to rest.
The first day of the last month of common era 1853 officially ended, and this Sunday was also a perfect day for Xia De.
