NOVEL SIMPLE 120. Ritual Studies and the Ceremony.
Nighttime.
Kaer Morhen's alchemy chamber.
"…Astrology and ritual studies were once unified, or rather, astrology was originally a part of ritual studies…"
"…It became too esoteric and obscure, and as different races studied it, it became overly complex, so it split off into a separate discipline…"
"…However, there are still many connections between the two, such as constellations, crystal balls…"
...…
Amid the refreshing scent of myrtle, Allen sat by the alchemy table, listening to the sorceress explain the mysterious knowledge of ritual studies.
"Shush~"
The cool, clear voice stopped as the pages of the book automatically flipped to the last page. Then it closed, revealing a black cover dusted with silver powder.
"Snap!"
A snap of the fingers.
The book 'Astrology and Ritual Studies' slowly floated back to its original place.
[Ding! Would you like to spend 5,000 experience points to unlock the skill 'Ritual Studies'?]
Hearing the familiar mechanical voice, Allen ignored it.
"Alright, that's all for today's lesson," the sorceress said softly.
Allen stood up and smiled as he bid farewell to the sorceress and Mary, who was busy fiddling with a drowner's heart.
"Goodnight, Lady Vera! Goodnight, Lady Mary!"
"Goodnight!" the sorceress responded warmly.
"Goodnight, Allen!" Mary echoed, looking up dazedly from the drowner's heart.
After leaving the alchemy chamber, Allen quickly ran to the third floor.
"Bang~"
The ornate wooden door closed behind him.
"Whew~"
Allen let out a long breath. In truth, by the middle of the lesson, the experience points required to unlock ritual studies had already dropped to the minimum. However, out of respect for the sorceress and to avoid suspicion, he forced himself to patiently listen to the entire lesson.
Now that he was home, the moment he'd been waiting for had finally arrived. Allen sat on the bed and focused on the notification still lingering in his vision.
Magic circles, constellations, wands, crystal balls…
In an instant, a vast ocean of ritual studies knowledge flooded into Allen's mind, only stopping three or four minutes later. Perhaps because his attributes had improved, this upgrade didn't bring as much pain as before. It wasn't like when he leveled up his alchemy, where his head felt like it would split open, and blood trickled from his nose. He only felt a slight throbbing at his temples, like he'd stayed up all night studying math for five or six hours.
"Ritual studies and alchemy are indeed deep wells, no wonder male and female sorcerer apprentices only specialize in one field before they become full-fledged wizards."
"Without the Witcher's Notebook, it would take at least a decade of study just to get started."
Allen reviewed the new knowledge in his mind, feeling both impressed and relieved. He rubbed his temples and relaxed for another half-hour before the throbbing subsided.
And then…
[Ding! Your skill 'Ritual Studies LV1' has been upgraded to 'Ritual Studies LV2'.]
After another half-hour of absorbing knowledge, Allen rubbed his hands together in anticipation and opened his inventory.
[Name: Flesh Golem]
[Type: Magic Ritual]
[Requirements: Ritual Studies LV2]
[Elements: Flesh and Blood]
[Effect: Sacrifice flesh, blood, and bone with magical properties in a 4:2:1 ratio to gain great power.]
[Note: Who are you sacrificing to?]
As soon as he clicked to learn the ritual, all the necessary materials and various setup methods were deeply imprinted in his mind.
Very powerful!
Extremely powerful!
From the information he'd obtained, Allen knew that as long as the ratios were followed, the amount of flesh, blood, and bone sacrificed could be theoretically unlimited, and the power gained could also be theoretically infinite.
"There must be some limitation, but the side effects of the ritual weren't mentioned in the new memories I received." Allen pondered.
The true effect would have to be tested in practice. However, even with the minimum twofold power increase mentioned in his mind, combined with his potions, tools, and spells, it should be more than enough to handle the monsters during the Conjunction of the Spheres.
"It's a pity that the memory didn't mention any information about the unknown ruins or the group of people who performed the ritual when I first obtained it." Thinking of this, Allen sighed regretfully.
He always felt that the unique cutscene hinted at something significant, but unfortunately, even the golden treasure chests he'd opened afterward didn't contain anything similar.
"No point dwelling on it. Let's hope tomorrow's Conjunction of the Spheres brings a bountiful harvest!"
Allen shook his head and looked out the window. In the sky above the ancient sea fortress, the silver moon was a crescent, and the stars twinkled.
In the distance, the Blue Mountains, covered in a thick blanket of snow, reflected the moon's cold light. The heavy snow had stopped yesterday afternoon, and the clear, cloudless night sky suggested that tomorrow would be a good day.
It's a good omen! Allen thought.
Then he pulled up the thick silk quilt, filled with anticipation for attribute points, treasure chests, and experience points, and drifted into sleep.
------------
The next day.
After days of heavy snowfall, the drowner lake was indeed frozen over. The lake's surface, the shore, and the hills were all blanketed in white, blending into a seamless expanse. Some of the shorter willows, larches, and spruces only had tiny tips poking out, and even when the wind blew, they didn't move. Until suddenly, a continuous sound approached.
"Boom~"
A semi-transparent telekinetic wave instantly blew away the deep snow, creating a path just wide enough for one person to walk through.
It was an Aard sign.
"The winter sun is high, and there's not a cloud in the sky. It really is a nice day…" Allen muttered.
After taking three steps forward, he curled his right middle finger and pushed it sharply upward.
"Boom!"
Another semi-transparent telekinetic wave was released. Snow mist instantly filled the air, obscuring his vision. When the mist cleared, Allen took three more steps and looked at the still towering wall of snow in front of him, sighing.
"It's a shame the weather's good, but the terrain isn't."
This morning, while having breakfast in the main hall, Allen had asked a few witchers how they dealt with going out when the mountain was snowed in.
After all, they returned to Kaer Morhen every year, so they must have had plenty of experience. Unexpectedly, the uniformly drunken witchers all responded with, "Don't go out!"
That made sense!
It left Allen speechless.
But today, the Conjunction of the Spheres—Drowner was on cooldown. If he waited for the snow to melt enough to travel, it would take at least another ten days. So Allen had no choice but to push forward.
What was normally a half-hour journey from Kaer Morhen to Drowner Lake ended up taking him nearly two hours. And that was only because he had a sudden inspiration from watching Hughes and the others play in the snow a few days ago and used Aard to get back to the castle. Otherwise, it would have taken him at least another hour.
"I finally understand why the two witchers at the gate gave me that 'this fool is hopeless' look after repeatedly trying to dissuade me!"
With a self-deprecating smile, Allen opened up his witcher senses and continued the "three steps, one Aard" rhythm as he moved forward. After about twenty more minutes, Allen finally reached his destination.
"Boom~"
Another blast of Aard cleared the snow wall. A dark cave entrance appeared before him. This was where Allen first encountered the Drowner King, a place he considered the most suitable for hunting large monsters.
His ideal spot for the Conjunction of the Spheres!
...…
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121. Flesh Golem.
122. Not the Drowner King?
123. The Headmaster of Ban Ard Academy.
124. Are the Inhumans Elves?
125. How to Counter the Threat of Annihilation.