Chapter 913 The Upright Ritualist

Narcissus Duchy, Protagoras Territory, suburbs.

It was not until the evening of April 7 that Aiwas and his party finally returned to the manor villa rented by Master Chongbo.

After escaping from the ruins of the Tower of Babel, the first person to regain his vitality was the Drifter.

He dusted himself off, deftly removed his shredded clothes, and burned them. He then donned a spare leather vest in front of everyone. Then, as if nothing had happened, he invited everyone to go for a stroll, spend the night in a nearby village, and return to Basel Harbor tomorrow for a formal celebration.

It was as if the person who had been cut in half by the Fallen Angels and had just been resurrected was not him.

But the others politely rejected his proposal—after all, this trip was quite tiring. Furthermore, they were carrying a lot of valuable items, so it would be best to get to a truly safe place as soon as possible.

So, with the blessing of Aiwass, the group ran quickly towards the city.

Not everyone had spare clothes and armor, so they could only slightly distribute their clothing, wearing strange, ill-fitting jackets and dashing through the crowds.

Every once in a while, they would stop and collectively check to see if their belongings were still there, under the command of the wanderer. This was to prevent any important belongings from being lost or stolen along the way, and they didn't know when they were lost. Each time, they would confirm that everything was correct and then run again.

With great difficulty, I finally managed to run back to the villa before the sun set.

Kitty rushed into the bathroom to take a shower immediately. Sine thanked Professor Bard again earnestly, then hurriedly changed back into the spare robe he had placed in the villa and began to clean Professor Bard's robe with magic.

Master Chongbo disappeared immediately after entering the room. However, Monk Mu was still somewhat energetic. He and Baike went to cook some simple meals together.

Monks are not vegetarians - even ascetics do not mean they have to starve and become emaciated.

They only have some specific precepts, such as not lying, not committing adultery, not killing, not stealing, not slandering others behind their backs, not being arrogant or rude, not being stingy or greedy, and not being hypocritical or jealous. However, when it comes to actual daily behavior, there aren't many restrictions.

For example, when eating meat, monks can only eat meat that they "do not see," "do not hear," and "do not doubt," because the number of offerings is three. Specifically, this means they have not seen the animal being slaughtered, have not heard the cries, and do not doubt that the animal died for their motive of eating meat.

It seems that Mu was responsible for cooking in his original temple. Therefore, he has good cooking skills and works skillfully and quickly.

He quickly prepared a table full of simple, delicious and nutritionally balanced meals.

The craftsmanship of encyclopedias is more subtle.

As a wandering dream monk who traveled the world alone, he usually acted alone. Therefore, he had to at least be able to take care of his daily life... and because the weather on Horus' side was too hot, they lacked dedicated priests and physicians adapted to the path, so even a minor illness like indigestion could trigger a chain reaction and easily take a person's life.

They prefer to make food into a paste that is easy to digest and eat it with a spoon or spread it on hard flatbread. The temperature and humidity in Horus' environment are not suitable for dough fermentation, so they rarely eat leavened flatbread.

Zhu Tang closed his eyes and sat with Aiwass.

They sat side by side in the yard, facing the setting sun in the distance.

“…It really feels like a lifetime ago.”

Zhu Tang closed his eyes tightly and sighed softly, "I never thought that on this long journey away from home, I would have such experiences..."

He went to the ancient Parthia simply because he was bored at home and wanted to participate in the Night Festival.

As a result, because of his meddling in other people's affairs, he was forced to experience a thrilling adventure in Anxi, forced to flee westward, and came to a place he had never been to. Although he was able to learn a language in a short time, it was also assisted by rituals, but more importantly, it came from his intelligence.

"On my journey west, I've passed through so many countries, met so many friends and enemies, encountered wars, conspiracies, and rebellions. But none has been more dangerous or shocking than this one... Just surviving is enough to move me to tears."

Zhu Tang vowed earnestly in Taichu language, "If one day I can return home safely, unpunished by Your Majesty... I will definitely record everything I've seen and heard along the way in a book. It would be a great pity if these fantastic stories were lost."

"Then you'd better follow me closely, Mr. Zhu. By the way, do you like this kind of danger and excitement, or do you not like it?"

Aiwass asked casually while playing with the emerald octagonal gem "Stone of Eden".

Zhu Tang pondered for a moment, then shook his head helplessly, replying, "It's better than rotting away at home. I've already enjoyed all the splendor and wealth in this life. I'd rather die in a major event than wither and decay like a quiet tree in the remote countryside."

"This life..."

Upon hearing this, Aiwass put away the Stone of Eden in his hand and asked with a smile, "Mr. Zhu, you don't even have grandchildren yet, right? At this age, you're already living your life to the end?"

"I have four children... the youngest is almost an adult."

When Zhu Tang talked about his family, his tone became gentle.

Homesickness was as mellow as sweet wine. Even though he was looking at the setting sun and his cup was filled with only water, his words were as ethereal and intoxicated as if he had drunk wine: "My eldest son is much older than you, Your Holiness. He just had some disagreements with me and stayed in the army and won't come back. Of course, it could also be that I was pushing for marriage too hastily... But she's Her Royal Highness, how can I keep her waiting too long..."

"Your Majesty always loves to be angry with me, but he's very kind to my children. My second son is also an official in the court. He has the same straightforward personality as me, but surprisingly, he's not annoying. When I was exiled, they were all left in the capital. Only my daughter and youngest son came back with me...

"My youngest son loves reading, but he always likes to read mechanically. I don't like his rigid manner. Even at such a young age, he acts like a fusty old man, lecturing me with quotations from classics. So I took him to catch crickets, fish, and fly kites. At first, he could hold it together, reading seriously and pretending not to look at me. But then he couldn't help it and lost his composure, hahaha..."

Zhu Tang laughed so hard that he even shed a few tears.

He rubbed his eyes - and only then did Aiwass realize that there were wrinkles at the corners of Zhu Tang's eyes.

This old wizard should not be very old, but his aging is very obvious.

——The ritual actually has a price, and that price is life.

Or rather, it wasn't a price... but rather the wear and tear on the body during the ritual. It was like carrying an unbearable burden, or being overly hungry, overly full, or overindulging... Prolonged exposure to a power far beyond one's capabilities would naturally shorten one's lifespan.

But for ordinary ritualists, this problem is easy to solve.

Whether in Avalon, Star Antimony, or even the ancient Parthian Empire, there are rituals that involve killing other lives to repair the body. Even human lives aren't necessary; only living, vigorous young animals are sufficient. For example, calves or lambs.

——But Zhu Tang had never used such a ritual before.

Rather than integrity... this is probably closer to "stubbornness".

He always kept his eyes closed, probably because the ritual engraved in his pupils was too life-shortening.

That's why, after he was resurrected by Aiwass, his steps were so light... at least much lighter than when he left.

It was because after he came back to life, all the remaining problems were fixed by Aiwass!

It was precisely because his many physical ailments had been alleviated and he had suddenly relaxed that Zhu Tang felt so homesick. Under normal circumstances, he would have probably consumed too much energy simply to endure the pain and put on a smile.

(End of this chapter)