“Ms. Cassandra is in charge? If Middelburg is really that dangerous, isn’t it too dangerous to leave Ms. Cassandra there alone? After all, she is only a tenth Ring術士.”
Xia De couldn’t help but ask. Jialinna shook her head:
“But she has a good teacher.”
Sister Devlin had said this before, and the Sister also said that Grandma Cassandra’s teacher was not a Great Witch.
“How many Rings is Ms. Cassandra’s teacher?”
“I don’t know, but the other party is not a Great Witch. You probably know that the Council’s power inheritance follows the ancient apprenticeship system. Each of us has our own protégé, or apprentice.”
Teachers train apprentices and provide free accommodation, but in return, apprentices must also fulfill corresponding obligations during their studies and after graduation. This is a very ancient tradition.
“Grandma Cassandra’s corresponding seat is ‘Darkness’, but the previous generation’s ‘Darkness’ Great Witch and apprentice both died in a terrible accident at the same time. At that time, Grandma Cassandra was just an ordinary student beside the previous generation’s Great Witch, somewhat similar to my other followers. It was the previous generation’s Darkness Great Witch’s friend, Grandma Cassandra’s teacher, who recommended her to the previous generation’s Council President and personally taught her the Knowledge of a Ring術士. That respectable Lady also understands some Great Witch’s power.”
“So Grandma Cassandra’s teacher is older than Grandma Cassandra? Oh, is the other party still alive? How many Rings?”
“Indeed, she is still alive, and very strong. The President personally said, very strong.”
Jialinna cautiously evaluated:
“I once had the good fortune to meet The Lady in Middelburg. She looked very young, probably even younger than Tifa. And the other party looked very strange; her mental state was not at all like an elderly person like Grandma, but rather like a young person of her apparent age. But in any case, with Grandma Cassandra’s teacher in Middelburg, Grandma can handle most troubles. If she really can’t handle it, the Council will consider sending other Great Witches to help her.”
“That’s good.”
Xia De said, then looked at the morning glow outside the window. The situation in Middelburg is still unclear. Regarding the third Chosen One, Luvia still needs to perform divination and investigation before he can take targeted action.
Therefore, after rescuing Priest Augustus, he temporarily had no urgent matters at hand, and life seemed to have temporarily returned to Balance.
“However, Priest Augustus and Sister Devlin could both be Chosen One. Who will it be? Or are they just secondary candidates, and the true Chosen One has not yet appeared?”
“You should still have some things to do.”
“She” reminded softly, while Jialinna called Xia De to change into formal attire and then go to breakfast with her. The Duchess had reserved a table at a high-end restaurant in a private club in the east of the city. A new Carson Rick chef with excellent skills had just arrived there, and Xia De seemed to have never tasted Carson Rick’s special breakfast.
“Yes, I need to play a few games with the rhode cards players in Middelburg. Maybe I can get some interesting special cards.”
Choosing clothes in front of the wardrobe, Xia De joked to himself.
Tifa also walked into the bedroom, asking Xia De to move away from the wardrobe, apparently wanting to help Xia De choose clothes. Xia De’s wardrobe contained several nice formal suits, of which only the one missing sleeves was left by the former Detective; the rest were gifts from others.
“Besides playing cards, there are indeed other things to do: the Demon Hunter’s sword, and returning the corporal’s pistol to the army at Windy Path.”
Jialinna’s voice came from the living room at this moment, asking Tifa to help Xia De choose a nicer tie as well.
“However, these two things are not important; they can be completed anytime.”
“Is that so?”
“She” chuckled.
Xia De looked at the bedroom window:
“According to the games in my hometown, these two things are side quests in a river. It’s better to complete them, but it doesn’t matter if they are not. So, the most important thing for me in Middelburg is actually to have Priest Augustus treat me to a meal at the best restaurant in the city.”
He still hadn't forgotten this matter.
After breakfast, the Great Witch did not leave Xia De’s home but prepared to teach Iluna there. The seventeen-year-old girl had officially begun learning the power of Balance from the Great Witch. Although she was reluctant, she at least showed great respect for Jialinna. Last weekend, both of them missed a class due to other commitments, but the young Outsider couldn’t understand why the class had to be held at Xia De’s place this Monday.
However, he did not sit in on the class, which held little meaning for him, but instead began to organize his gains.
This half-week “Priest Augustus Rescue Operation” was not without benefits for Xia De. Although Xia De gained the negative effects of “easily attacked by evil spirits” and a random streak of bad luck due to using the relic that manipulates luck, he also gained the first Ling Rune of the third Ring, the whisper 【True Death】.
This Ling Rune is currently linked to the Miracle 【Death Door】, but this Miracle is completely useless to Xia De; he can’t imagine any reason why he would enter the land of death again.
Therefore, he planned to learn another Miracle related to it. But what exactly to learn, Xia De decided to decide when he met Priest Augustus in Middelburg on Tuesday.
What truly bothered him was the curse 【Blood Wine Brewing】, which he obtained from the second wine party by listening to ten stories of the evil god brewing blood brew.
The effect of this curse is not complicated: using a bottled container that once held any kind of alcohol as a casting material, it can transform any completely unconscious creature into blood brew and absorb it into the bottle. This process is not completed in an instant but requires a long wait.
The curse is ineffective against targets far stronger than the caster. When the curse can take effect, the stronger the target, the longer the blood brew brewing time, which can last for several years. During the process, the target must remain in the deepest coma, and the opening of the wine bottle must be buried inside the target’s body. However, once the comatose person’s consciousness awakens, the already brewed blood brew will become ineffective, and the target cannot be selected again.
When the curse effect ends, clothes will remain on the ground, while flesh and soul will be brewed into blood wine.
Drinking this blood wine can heal one’s injuries, strengthen one’s physical body and soul qualities, and gain part of the memory, power, and even Ling Runes of the consumed target.
The curse also works on corpses; because they have lost their souls and only have flesh, although the casting speed is greatly increased, the effect is merely healing and strengthening one’s physical qualities.
In addition to animals with souls, the curse also works on soulless plants. However, using this ability on plants like apples and grapes is basically equivalent to brewing wine. Wine made from ordinary plants without souls can hardly be called “blood brew”; it can only be considered a very good quality plant wine or fruit wine.
Simply put, the essence of this curse is a more elegant method of “cannibalism,” and it is a very rare ability in the sixth epoch that can imprison souls.
If one does not make a moral judgment, the effect of this curse is simply omnipotent, more powerful than any curse Xia De possesses, and even most Miracles. But the problem is that no intelligent creature, in a normal mental state, can “eat” their own kind without psychological barriers.
The Outsider was not entirely clear why that evil god gave Xia De this ability, but he understood very well that the other party must be expecting him to use this power and then get lost in it.
Perhaps, the evil god would appear when Xia De completely fell into madness, and then use the same method to brew Xia De, this special individual, into blood brew.
Of course, the above is pure speculation; it is also possible that the other party merely wanted to have some fun, watching Xia De repeatedly struggle between morality and power.
But when the Outsider first came to this world and first encountered the mysterious, he had a conversation about related topics with Schneider. Although he yearned for power, he also had his own principles. Therefore, even now that he possesses the curse 【Blood Wine Brewing】, he has resolved that he can use this curse during his lifetime, but he will never drink any blood brew made from a sentient being with a soul.
He had no interest in “cannibalism.”
Even if the other party was an evil person like Ivan Darkness, Xia De would not brew them into blood wine and drink it. And to help himself always remember this vow, Xia De even asked “She” in his heart to help remember this point, and to remind him at any time if Xia De might “eat people” for power.
“I will not interfere with your choice.”
This was “She’s” response when having dinner with Jialinna. Iluna had already returned; her companion was injured while containing a relic, so she had to take on the work of Blackwater Security Company recently.
Exotic dishes were served one after another, and Xia De and the Duchess sat opposite each other. The pre-meal dessert, a dish called “Roasted Wind Mushroom,” was currently being served, which Xia De and Mia both liked very much. This was food roasted from a specialty of Carson Rick, a mushroom that looked like a windmill, brushed with sweet bean paste, and served with mushrooms and fruit on a plate.
One mushroom was about the size of Mia’s head. It didn’t taste like ordinary mushrooms when eaten; instead, it tasted like a sweet melon with a mushroom texture.
“I didn’t ask you to interfere with me, just to remind me.”
Xia De thought distractedly:
“How about you act as my guardian? Always behind me, yet invisible to me, but at the same time guarding my inner self, ensuring I don’t go down the wrong path, although what is wrong and what is right is hard to say. It sounds like excellent material for a novel, something Dorothy could reference, such as the criminal motives of a patient with dual personalities.”
