Chapter 42 A simple ritual for suffering souls, bitter...
Chapter Forty-Two
"This is the last of our stock!"
Enid pulled a bunch of badges out of her bag, gave some to each of them, and planned to give the rest to the others who weren't there later.
"I'll give the rest to them later, that'll be it. Once this teaching assistant issue is resolved, I'll go ask about the new teaching assistant."
She didn't mention her friend and only briefly touched on the topic of the teaching assistant. However, no one had ever seen or known about the friend from China she mentioned. Barbara and the others certainly had their suspicions and concerns, but no one brought it up. Jason, however, seemed to disagree with their views.
"you…"
Not all concealment is good. Jason spoke first, even though no one could stop him, but he only got to the beginning before stopping. Enid hesitated, then pursed her lips, unsure how to begin. A sadness welled in her eyes, and she slowly curved her lips into a forced smile.
“My friend is dead, I know… Don’t worry, Jay, I wasn’t fooled, don’t worry.”
She already knew that her friend was dead, and that it hadn't been her these past few days. Before she could say anything else, Barbara, Stephanie, and Cassandra all came closer, their gentle warmth melting the Arctic ice that hadn't yet frozen.
As Jason prepared to speak, the emotion in his eyes burned like a gentle flame. Of course, she wouldn't miss their good intentions, because Enid understood that they didn't want her to be caught up in her friends' deception, but she was no longer alone.
"I'm not alone, right?"
Enid smiled, her eyes crinkling, and leaned on Barbara's shoulder. The gazes of Cassandra and Stacy gave her enough courage and warmth to speak up, and she shook their hands.
“Of course, Fia.” Barbara patted her head, and Stephanie smiled at her too. “That’s right, maybe you should consider going to the same university as Tim?”
“Going to Hong Kong is fine too.” Cassan nodded, offering her opinion. Enid couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “I’ll still go to this university. Don’t worry, I’ll get a degree! Maybe? Wait, what if the world doesn’t recognize this university’s degree?”
Enid suddenly panicked, and Jason couldn't help but laugh, "Then you're the one with the lowest education right now. If you get it, you can just ask the old man to donate one for you. He's quite good at that."
"Don't worry, Bruce has already made arrangements for this, and has already transferred the trust fund and shares to you, so there's no need to worry."
Barbara comforted Enid and told her about Bruce's arrangements. In fact, Bruce had prepared for each child, regardless of whether they needed them or not. It was his way of showing his love, and of course no one would hate it, right?
"Mmm!" Enid sat up straight and nodded vigorously. "Then let's continue. What should we do about the teaching assistant situation next, hmm...?"
The statements Jason and Cassan took during their interrogation have been uploaded. Barbara has already summarized the general situation. Damian and Tim were both busy with their own things, and Stephanie came back briefly because she was worried about Enid. However, the statements have now been processed.
"Don't worry, Bruce has already made arrangements for the rest."
All the plans were in perfect order, but there was one thing Bruce repeatedly emphasized: Enid could not get involved. This was the only condition Bruce required to be fully implemented. Although Barbara didn't quite agree, she eventually agreed. She hesitated for a moment about how to tell Enid.
Enid looked at Barbara, seemingly understanding something, and could only nod.
"My father isn't going to let me participate, is that right?"
He's worried about you.
Cassan patted her on the shoulder, and Jason leaned back in his armchair, casually tossing a cookie into his mouth. "That's just how he is, you'll get used to it, but maybe you should listen to him this time." Jason could tell that Bruce seemed a little strange, and he understood what kind of mood caused it, so he unusually didn't encourage Enid to rebel, but instead offered advice.
"Bruce, it's always like this. Don't worry about Fia, I'll take care of you next time, I promise!"
Stephanie spoke in a slightly more relaxed tone. They had all been through it, and although they sometimes rebelled or outwardly complied, they still offered some words of comfort out of trust in Bruce.
Actually, they could have taken Enid with them, but Bruce noticed something different. Unlike usual, he didn't strongly object, but rather acted in a very unusual way, so they chose to listen to Bruce.
“Of course I understand! Who’s ever seen logistics personnel fight?” Enid agreed with a smile. “Alright, I’m going to continue looking for the conditions for the Storm Child’s awakening!”
...
Thirty-six and four hours had passed since the last conversation. The sky began to darken, and Gotham, already foggy, became even grayer. All the clouds crowded together, piling up into meaningless things, and then were discarded as the torch was about to be lit, forming a fragile barrier.
After the teaching assistant's testimony was verified one by one, all the hidden altars were overturned, the Breath of Despair was gone, but the Son of Storms was nowhere to be found, and Gotham was unusually quiet.
It's probably a game where whoever blinks first loses. No one makes the first move; everything is like an iceberg hidden beneath the sea, vast and unknown to anyone.
Until a seemingly ordinary car accident became the spark that ignited the entire city of Gotham.
"The person involved in the car accident was the wife of the mayor of another city. She came to Gotham at the invitation of someone."
Barbara pulled up the information about the person who was in the car accident. She probably received a letter and then suddenly came to Gotham. There were no surveillance videos or mail records, but someone happened to be nearby when the accident happened. It was a child, and the somewhat innocent child called an ambulance.
Tim happened to see the ambulance speeding by as the woman was being rescued, and he retrieved the letter that had fallen out of the vehicle. The woman did not burn the paper as requested.
Whether it was a coincidence or intentional for him to see it remains to be seen, but the contents of the letter cannot be ignored.
[If you want your husband to remain mayor, you should listen to me, come to Gotham and find me, and I will tell you what to do.]
Then she almost died on her first day there, and the letters were classic examples of newspaper collages.
Enid joined in, looking somewhat troubled. The letter offered no clues, and the words were meaningless threats.
"What do we do? Are there no more clues?"
"No."
Tim and Dick spoke at the same time. Dick smiled and gestured for Tim to continue. Tim showed an indifferent expression, implying that Dick could show off in front of Enid and he didn't need the opportunity. Dick smiled and accepted Tim's kindness, then picked up the newspaper.
"Obviously, there are no clues from the headlines alone, but if you look at the full content of these newspapers, you will find the answer."
Enid didn't know how many newspapers they had read, or from what angle they could tell, but she could only watch them with admiration. She moved closer to Dick, looked at the newspaper he had unfolded, and, with his guidance, discovered the cut-out newspaper content and the subtly aligned patterns on it.
"Wow, that's amazing... So what should we do next!"
"Don't worry, we'll catch that charlatan."
Noticing his confident smile, Enid nodded. She certainly believed they could do it; nothing could defeat them.
"Wait for our good news?"
"Okay, I'll be waiting for your good news!"
She waved goodbye to them, but her gaze lingered on the coordinates they were about to travel to. Her eyes then shifted to Lyra, and she was relying on her connection with Lyra to assess their current situation. She needed to know this the moment the Storm Child awoke.
Are you worried we won't be able to find the Son of Storms?
"Well... there is a bit. His purpose is still unclear, so I'm afraid."
That's a lie. Enid had already guessed what the Storm Child was planning to do. She still went to read the books that were foreshadowed in her dream. Just like the dream had predicted, the earth turned into pieces, and she fell into the deep sea. The mirror shattered. She already knew the Storm Child's purpose: only one.
"No, I think his purpose is very clear, right, Fia?"
Tim refuted Enid's earlier statement, and Enid was taken aback, not quite understanding why Tim would say that. Seeing the obvious confusion on Enid's face, Tim kindly explained.
“You wouldn’t lie, Fia.” He paused. “Perhaps you can tell me.”
He wasn't entirely sure at first, but he could read Enid's true feelings from her face. There was nothing he could do; Enid really wasn't very good at managing and concealing her expressions. He swore they had taught her diligently, but it seemed like she just couldn't learn it. It wasn't his fault.
“I think the Storm Child wants to become the storm, remove the suffix, and become the only god.”
“Very good, I agree. If my calculations are correct, his source of power is still a little lacking. He needs a grand ceremony to celebrate his resurgence, right?”
Enid nodded, but there was no mention of the awakening ritual in any of the books related to the festival, not even in the forbidden books. Her mind seemed to be split in two from the beginning, with most of it languishing in the bookshelves. She almost fell over at home several times, and everyone comforted her not to worry, but Enid refused to listen.
Even now, Tim hasn't urged her, but fortunately Enid has found the closest answer.
After hearing Enid's incantation appear in the gray book, she eagerly flipped it open and found a page with a somewhat horrified expression. The page described the requirements of the ritual, which Enid projected with trembling hands. Tim glanced at it and his expression also became serious. It was a very simple sacrificial ritual, unbelievably simple yet terrifying.
Ten suffering souls are enough.
"This is a ritual that no one would attempt. The soul is light but contains excessive power. The more suffering the soul, the more meaningful it is. I should have done it sooner."
Enid's voice was a little hoarse. This was the first time she had described this sacrificial ritual. It was not their ritual, but something that had been abandoned long ago in another world. It was something that the Witch of Oko had spent her whole life abolishing and prohibiting. It was something that had been sealed away in the sands of the past. Enid had searched for a long time before she found the prohibition.
What's most terrifying is that Gotham is not lacking in people or souls, and even less so in suffering souls.
Her voice trembled with tears. Enid didn't say how long she had been searching or how many books she had; she was only blaming herself.
"It's not too late. We've already considered the possibility that the sacrifice is human, but we can't confirm it yet because the number of missing persons in Gotham is too frequent. However, we're under constant surveillance, so don't worry."
“I know…I know.” Tim’s words of comfort did not make Enid feel better. She believed them, but she still felt that she was not good enough. She thought that reading all the books and memorizing all the contents was amazing, but that was not the case.
She hadn't finished reading yet; there were still things hidden in those book towers that she didn't know about. She was still a bit presumptuous.
Then the air fell silent, and someone's breathing seemed to become heavier.
"Batman has been found. The time hasn't passed yet. They're all alive."
Tim didn't speak because he was waiting for Bruce's message. Of course, he was just like them and never blamed her. Her information was timely, wasn't it?
Dick's gentle voice also rang out on the channel, and Enid seemed to see the approval in his gentle gaze.
"The information about the Archdruid came just in time. He's been found. Don't worry, baby."
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Author's note: Well, the Storm Child will awaken in the next chapter.
They did a lot, but the enemy had even more to consider. Don't forget, there's another world out there.
In fact, the journey of the Storm's Children has only just begun. Almost everything that follows will be about the Storm's Children, and the foreshadowing laid earlier will be revealed one by one.
All I can say is that the Stormbringer isn't the final enemy yet, but he's pretty much going to make a proper appearance soon.
Since the main storyline is actually about daily life, it won't end after the Storm's Child arc; there will be university scenes as well.
Of course, if no one wants to read or read Enid's college life, or the stories of her helping Enid through various strange two-player and multiplayer dungeons with the Bat Family, then I won't write it.
The university storyline is mostly about dungeons, various interesting dungeons, and fairytale-like experiences!
There's also a slightly dark, otherworldly plot.
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