Chapter 841: Rituals of Ancient Scholars
Even death cannot stop the head from betraying the body...
Looking at this bloody scene, Angel sighed and retracted his sword.
At her feet, the blood that continued to flow from the neck of the headless corpse of the evil wizard merged into the constantly flowing water of the "Fountain of Youth" and disappeared almost instantly. The spring water remained clear, just like the endless life it bestowed on mankind.
Apparently, the greatest function of the "Fountain of Youth" is to allow the lives of those immersed in it to continue in a nearly undamaged manner, but...
Right in front of Angel, the originally smooth and delicate skin of the dead "Wizard" quickly wrinkled, the skin on the chest, thighs and other fatter areas drooped, and obvious age spots appeared. The long bright golden hair turned gray in an instant, like a centenarian.
...Once she leaves the fountain, the extra "life" will be returned to the "Fountain of Youth". No wonder she didn't leave the fountain until the battle situation endangered her own safety...and the dead "weird wizard" couldn't maintain the effect of the faceless man...Angel pondered and quickly walked out of this strange fountain, fearing that he would become old in the next second and truly realize the dislocation of age and mentality mentioned in the "immortal" witch's promotion ceremony.
Of course, she did not forget to use invisible threads to pull the separated body of the "Strange Mage" out of the water and place it on the grass nearby. On the one hand, this was out of respect for her opponent, and on the other hand, she was worried that the "Fountain of Youth" would eventually devour the body and take away the extraordinary characteristics in her body.
Next, without wasting any time, she quickly walked around the huge stone in the middle of the grass, and returned to the "Fountain of Youth" hidden by the stone below. She picked up the dead branches of several withered trees and confirmed with simple divination that these could be used as auxiliary materials for the "immortality" potion.
Could it be that the "life" of these trees and flowers has been absorbed by the Fountain of Youth? This place feels incredibly strange. According to the normal promotion process, the Witch of Despair would have to bring other extraordinary materials with her to this place, taking a cup of water from the Fountain of Youth as the main ingredient for the potion. And this water itself derives its power from other living beings, like some kind of mystical life transfer...
Angel pondered over it and tried to use the small bottle he carried with him to fill a bottle of the "Fountain of Youth" that was crystal clear and seemed to be emitting vitality.
But the moment she left the range of the spring, the spring water in the bottle disappeared in front of her, as if the water in the bottle was just some kind of illusion.
Can't leave here, must I advance on the spot? The Black Knight and I just talked about leaving quickly after advancement, or else something bad will happen. And Winsa also said no "Immortal" witch is willing to return here... For Despair, the Fountain of Youth is essential for advancement, but for Immortality, it's something that brings misfortune?
Shaking his head to dispel these thoughts, Angel returned to the old corpse of the "Weird Wizard". Looking at this body that had been soaked in water for who knows how many years, a wave of emotion surged in his heart.
But she did not waste precious time. Instead, she placed the other person's head next to the corpse, took out a magic mirror, and constructed a simple spiritual ritual by praying to herself in the special mirror world.
As she expected, the spirit of the recently deceased evil wizard was still in her body. After the gray mist emerged from the surface of the mirror, a chestnut-haired woman about 30 years old with ordinary looks appeared.
This was her original appearance... Perhaps after obtaining the Witch Marionette, she had the idea of using the Faceless Man's ability to improve her appearance... Angel pondered and asked:
"Who are you? Why do you stay in the Fountain of Youth for such a long time?"
The lifeless blue eyes of the strange wizard in the mirror looked at Angel, and after a moment he replied:
"My name is Sophia. I'm a cunning mage from the Secret Order. I'm here to complete the ritual to advance to Sequence 3, Ancient Scholar."
Sure enough, just as I guessed, she couldn't leave the "Fountain of Youth" because she had to complete some special ritual!
Angel's eyes flashed with excitement, and he hurriedly asked:
"What are the potion formulas and rituals of the 'Ancient Scholar'?"
If he could get the formula here, Klein could begin preparations... Even the "Fountain of Youth" required for the ritual has been prepared for him... Thinking of this, Angel's lips couldn't help but curl up, revealing a smile from the heart.
But the next second, her expression froze on her face.
"I don't know the formula for the 'Ancient Scholar,'" Sophia in the magic mirror replied stiffly. "After completing the ritual, my teacher, Mr. Zaratul, the leader of the 'Secret Order,' will give me the prepared potion for advancement. All high-sequence Beyonders in the 'Secret Order' advance in this way. There's only the potion, no formula."
This... Zaratul seems to be the mysterious angel Klein encountered after stealing the Antigonus family notes and entering the foggy town. The formula of the "Trickster" was learned from him. And Arrodes's divination previously indicated that the angel trapped in the town had left and returned to the real world... If I kill his student, I won't offend this powerful being, right?
Moreover, the means used by the Secret Order to control the Diviner's potion were so extreme that all high-sequence members could only accumulate contributions under the leader in exchange for finished potions. They didn't even have the chance to obtain the formula and collect materials on their own... Angel's frustrated expression was beyond words.
As the object of the spiritual communication, Sophia ignored her emotions and continued:
"The ascension ritual for the Ancient Scholar requires me to completely detach from reality for at least 300 years, taking a magical potion in an era when I myself have become history. A demigod with a lifespan of only a hundred years or so cannot possibly accomplish this without external assistance. Therefore, I sought the aid of the Witch Cult and signed a contract with them, maintaining a prolonged life in the Fountain of Youth, isolated from the world, awaiting the day I will see the light of day again."
After being out of touch with reality for 300 years and then taking the potion... Angel's lips parted slightly, and he fell into a state of shock and stupor.
When she was guessing the reason why the "weird wizard" Sophia stayed in the "Fountain of Youth", she did consider the possibility that she was using the concept of "immortality" to prolong her life, but at best she thought that she was already very old and could only rely on external things to prolong her life, and seek the opportunity to extend her life after being promoted. However, she did not expect that the ritual alone would require more than 300 years.
So... how does Klein advance? Soak in the Fountain of Youth for 300 years like Sophia? Why would there be such a ritual... Angel muttered, suddenly remembering the ritual he'd undergone to achieve immortality. The two rituals bore some resemblance.
Could it be that his advancement to "Immortality" and his help to Klein through the long 300 years were some kind of destiny?
Seeing that Sophia's figure had faded, Angel calmed down and continued to ask:
"What do you mean by the bad things that a witch will encounter after reaching the level of 'Immortal'?"
"I'm not sure, but every witch who came here to advance said so. Ms. Judith, who signed a contract with me, also mentioned this... It seems to be related to the witches' 'man in the mirror'."
Sophia frowned slightly, as if lost in memories.
Judith, the "Gray Saint" Judith... She, no, He, as the leader of the "Witch Cult", must be a Sequence 2 "Disaster" Witch. The fact that she was able to sign a contract with Sequence 4 Sophia must have something to do with her teacher Zaratul... As for the issue of the "man in the mirror", it's probably related to what Wenza said before, that after being promoted to "Immortal", one must reconcile with the "man in the mirror" within oneself.
"Where's your secret witch? Is she also a member of a certain promoted 'witch sect'?"
Angel realized that Sophia's spirit was almost transparent and knew that he could only ask two or three more questions without thinking and continued to ask.
"No, according to the Witch Cult, she's a wild witch. As part of my contract with them, I hunted her and turned her into my marionette. Through this, I gained the key to the Fountain of Youth."
It seems that ordinary Witches of Despair really have a hard time dealing with a "Trickster" possessing the "Black Knight" puppet... Angel sighed and asked his next question:
"How long did you stay at the Fountain of Youth? How many witches came to be promoted during that time?"
"From 1175 to now, a total of three witches have come to be promoted."
Sophia answered briefly, her figure becoming increasingly dim and transparent.
1175 years have passed since then... She's already halfway to her goal of becoming an "Ancient Scholar"... The "Witch Cult" has a total of thirteen "Immortal" and "Disaster" witches, and only three of them were promoted within these 175 years? It seems a bit too rare, but considering the extremely long lifespans that "Immortal" witches likely possess, it makes sense...
Angel pondered, and before Sophia was about to disappear and the spiritual communication ended, he asked:
"Where are the magical items and seals you carry?"
Since the "ancient scholar's" formula is hopeless, Angel is ready to maximize profits and squeeze out the last bit of value from this "weird wizard".
"To prevent the negative effects of magical items from affecting the promotion ceremony, I left all my belongings at Dilan Castle before entering here. It belongs to my teacher and the Secret Order..." Sophia's spirit seemed to have just realized her situation, and a trace of panic appeared on her transparent face. "If you see my teacher, tell him that I don't have..."
Before she finished her words, Sophia's figure flashed and disappeared into the magic mirror.
Wait, I also want to ask where Dilan Castle is... Angel reached forward and grabbed, trying to retain Sophia whose spirit was dispersing.
As the communication ended, a faint glow emerged from the body of the "weird wizard". They quickly condensed and formed a crystal half the size of a fist beside the head. It was an irregular oval shape, and there seemed to be countless transparent worms entangled and crawling inside. Angel felt his thinking a little sluggish after just one glance, as if he had entered an incomplete "mysterious" state.
She quickly used the silk thread to pick it up from the air, sealed it initially, and then put it away carefully.
Even if he didn't get the potion formula of the "Ancient Scholar" this time, at least he gained a piece of the extraordinary characteristics of the "Weird Mage". Whether it was made into a magical item or used as a promotion potion for the "Master of Secret Puppetry", it was priceless.
Moreover, there are those dead secret puppets that she controls outside...
Looking at the grass outside the boulder, Angel felt a little hot in his heart again.
This time, there is no negative effect of "Angelica's Blade".
No, that's not right. Where is my blade?
Angel looked at his empty hands and suddenly realized that his weapon was gone.
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