Chapter 454
Akropolis
The pirate clearly had nothing to say to Lulu and Olive.
After confirming the cooperation with the fox, he almost didn’t glance to his right again and closed his eyes.
Isabel realized that the pirate must have opposed Beauty and Transcendence, hence his obvious attitude. Otherwise, he would have at least come to chat with her. Regardless of their external standing, she was now a valuable pure support profession! No threat, unable to backstab, and capable of providing assistance. If it were a New Moon Ritual, it would be one thing, but this was a Full Moon Ritual that required unity and cooperation—wouldn’t a melee profession dislike support?
Soon, Isabel validated her guess. After some time, as the Ascension Ritual spread towards the outer ring, new individuals appeared to Isabel’s right.
First to appear was a man with a dark and mysterious aura. He wore a black hooded robe and his age was unclear, but he was certainly not too young. He held a wooden staff, and his exposed left fingers had several gemstone rings.
Almost immediately after him, a man and a woman appeared. They both wore the same black hooded robe, and it was evident at a glance that the three were together.
After they landed, the male immediately spoke, “Hello everyone, I am Mo Ke. An Alchemist, I hope we can cooperate well.”
Eivass looked up, surprised to see him. He observed for a moment and then confirmed—it was indeed him. However, this time Mo Ke did not disguise himself as a middle-aged man like last time. He looked young and clean—perhaps the similarly young and petite girl beside him was the reason for his appearance.
“My name is Grape…” The girl, who looked no older than twenty, spoke in a clear, cold voice, “A… Necromancer.”
Eivass immediately sensed that it wasn’t her personality that was cold, but rather social anxiety. She was clearly unaccustomed to introducing herself in front of so many people, so she subconsciously followed Mo Ke’s introduction.
The other male who appeared with them did not speak immediately but calmly leaned on his cane, waiting for everyone to gather.
Next was a young man in a white lab coat. He was tall, almost two and a half meters. It was obvious he was an elf.
Finally, a girl of about eight or nine years old appeared. The moment she arrived, everyone’s surprised gaze turned to her. This was a Tier 3 to Tier 4 Ascension Ritual! And she didn’t look like an elf…
“Huh?” Isabel looked at her with some surprise. Because she felt she recognized the girl. She seemed somewhat familiar…
“Is it Sister Lulu?” To her surprise, the girl was the first to recognize them, and her mood immediately brightened, “And Brother Fox—I’m Cheese, long time no see!”
Eivass suddenly looked at her with surprise. After a moment of recollection, he remembered her identity. She was the little girl from the Path of Love who appeared during Eivass and Isabel’s first Ascension Ritual. He wasn’t sure if she had succeeded in her Ascension that time.
…But could Cheese keep up with his and Isabel’s Ascension speed? At this thought, Eivass immediately realized her identity—a born Extraordinary! Either a reincarnated Heavenly Envoy or Apostle, or a pure-blooded Child of the Moon… The latter was much more likely, as she appeared to be a genuine child, not an old woman trying to look young in a JK uniform.
Then there was only one possibility—her parents were both Children of the Moon, and therefore she became a Child of the Moon from birth. Just like dragon-blooded individuals, her bloodline was already imbued with a vast amount of Extraordinary Power. Moreover, she probably wasn’t a Child of the Moon when she participated in her first Ascension Ritual. Because she had said then that her name was Cheese because she liked cheese, clearly not having started drinking blood yet. Now, only a few months later, she had already touched the wall of the Fourth Tier… This definitely meant she had completed blood drinking, fully transformed into a Child of the Moon, and reclaimed the power within her bloodline.
Even though she was the weakest among everyone, her age was enough to be astonishing. With such pure blood… at least one of her parents was Fifth Tier. And based on this unusual age, Eivass directly pinpointed her identity—a descendant of the last monarch of the Daffodil Duchy, the Moon Princess of the Iris, Lucia Tsepash! The “Dracula” renowned in Avalon could be considered her grandfather. She was also one of the few Children of the Moon who still believed in Hengwo, known as the kidnapped expert who only played high-stakes games.
…Eivass’s reason for recognizing her was also simple. Naturally, it was because this girl had also entered the dungeon before. But she was one of the rare BOSSes who “entered the dungeon but did not die”—because strictly speaking, the BOSS of that dungeon was her foster father, and she was more like a dungeon mechanic. Her main role was to be an energy battery and a blood pool for the BOSS to recover its life. Later, she also made a few cameo appearances in the main storyline, always being kidnapped by some BOSS. This was mainly because her Energy Level was high enough, her Path was pure, her bloodline was clean, her faith was pure… yet she was weak enough. She was one of the few Children of the Moon who still believed in Hengwo and adhered to the purest principle—only drinking the blood of “devotees,” that is, blood voluntarily provided by humans who fell in love with her. She could be considered an excellent ritual material. She even almost became the vessel for the descent of the Blood Heavenly Envoy once, and it was only through the players’ disruption and interference that the person who kidnapped her became the vessel for the Ouroboros Ring Ritual.
…So the Moon Princess only became Extraordinary in 1898, Eivass realized. After all, in the waiting hall of the Ascension Ritual, it was impossible to discern her features… And when they first met, Cheese was almost the last to enter, only one position ahead of the woman named “Basil.” The moment she finished introducing herself, the ritual began.
After Cheese finished her introduction, the elf youth in the white lab coat also spoke, “My name is Doctor, Path Adaptation.”
So, Mo Ke and Grape introduced themselves again. At this point, the leader among the three men spoke in a deep voice, “I am Advisor, a Mage. From Star Antimony.”
“I am Olive, a Curse Master from Anxi.” The old man chuckled, his tone gentle and kind, “Don’t worry, not scum like Demon Scholars.”
“Lulu, Bard of the Path of Beauty.” Isabel, realizing Eivass wanted to conceal his identity, went along with the lie, hiding her true profession. She said smilingly, “I can sing you songs.”
“A Curse Master is not much stronger than a Demon Scholar, old sir.” Director Kent sarcastically remarked. It was clear he had strong hostility towards the Transcendent Path, but his hostility towards Isabel was not obvious. He glanced at the three people in black robes and asked, “From the Necromancy Academy?”
“Yes,” Advisor’s head rose, and he calmly replied, and then counter-questioned, “From the Inspection Bureau?”
“That’s right, I am the Pirate, a Supervisor from Avalon. But I will not be your shield.” The “Pirate’s” attitude was unusually firm. This was actually normal; no one else came to mediate—the war between Avalon and Star Antimony had been ongoing for several months, and even the Iris people should know that the two countries were currently in a state of hostility. As part of the official armed forces, a Supervisor, possibly from the military, would naturally harbor animosity towards Star Antimony people. Not to mention, it was the Necromancy Academy—most people would have reservations about Necromancers who played with the dead. And in Star Antimony’s Necromancy Academy, the “Spirit Tower,” were all such monsters who controlled corpses and spirits.
The three of them wore the same black robes, clearly intending to not hide their identities. Isabel also guessed their purpose—it was likely to look out for the girl named “Grape.” As a Necromancer, no matter what she did, it was easy for teammates to dislike, alienate, or even oppose her. In scenes lacking corpses, teammates might even be sacrificed as spellcasting materials. Moreover, most people didn’t understand Necromancers—the unknown meant fear. Therefore, they formed a team to enter together, accompanying Grape, the only Necromancer among them, to complete her advancement.
Both “Advisor” and “Mo Ke” were clearly advancing their second Path. This meant they had already planned to… act alone during this Ascension Ritual, without relying on other teammates. This was a very dangerous move. Dying during a Tier 3 to Tier 4 Ascension Ritual could lead to soul damage, or even death. And the blatant faction formation by the three could lead to them being targeted by the other six in a dungeon where attacking teammates was not restricted. After all, the maximum number of Ascension spots was six. If three people could be eliminated from the start, the remaining six could cooperate wholeheartedly… increasing the possibility of completing the mission and ascending.
“Mo Ke” and “Grape” clearly realized this and were somewhat uneasy. The girl named Grape kept her head lowered, looking as if she was about to shrink into a ball. Mo Ke also opened his mouth, unsure what to say, constantly casting looks of seeking help towards “Advisor.”
“Then please, Mr. Pirate of Avalon.” Advisor sneered, leisurely saying, “Want to play something exciting? Unable to fight on the battlefield, so you like taking it out on students? You don’t have children, Mr. Pirate. Were you too busy raiding to find one, or was your job too dangerous to find one? Or perhaps, because of your personality of kidnapping others, your wife took your child and ran away?”
“This is a Full Moon Ritual, not a New Moon Ritual for showing off. We are all semi-allies. We will not attack you proactively, but if you come looking for trouble… you’re welcome to try. Have fun.” Advisor clearly had the backing to do so. When countering “Pirate,” he showed no hesitation or regret, but was full of aggression and sharp words. This was not like a student. —A professor from the Necromancy Academy? Eivass guessed his identity and smiled, offering a symbolic gesture of mediation, “Everyone, there’s no need to be so confrontational. After all, when we enter, we might not directly encounter our teammates. You can call me ‘Fox.’ I am a Priest of the Church of the Nine Pillars God, specializing in group healing and dispersion. I can promise—anyone present who requests my healing will receive it equally.”
“Indeed, this is the Hippocratic Oath.” The “Doctor” next to him nodded in agreement, “To do my best to heal everyone, and not to use or sell poison to anyone…”
Cheese asked curiously, “Then Big Brother, are you not allowed to attack others?”
“Why do you ask that, little darling?” Doctor smiled, “The Hippocratic Oath is not a suicide oath—if someone attacks me or my partner, I will definitely counterattack. But if he’s still alive after the battle, and he asks for help, I will bandage him and stop the bleeding for free, at least not let him die like that.”
“If I see two people attacking each other, and neither kills the other, then they will both receive treatment.”
“I am not a soldier, nor a guardian, I will not interfere with the outcome of the battle, nor will I favor any side.”
“They will all only have one name—a patient, an injured person, someone who needs treatment. And I am the one who can provide them with treatment.” He said, respectfully and politely saluting Eivass, “But my Healing Ability is far inferior to yours. I hope we can cooperate happily.”
“Well said…” Just then, an old and hoarse voice suddenly sounded from the center. It was a statue of an elderly and short Lizardman. But compared to modern Lizardmen, he was more like a “Snake Person”—his entire body was covered in snake scales, and he held a staff with two black and green snakes intertwined. He appeared out of nowhere, and came to life out of nowhere.
The Ascenders suddenly realized that none of them had noticed the “Host” in the middle! It was as if everyone had forgotten that this ritual had a host.
“I will be presiding over this ritual. I am an Apostle of the Lord of Scales and Feathers… the teacher of the ‘Hippocrates’ you just mentioned, Akropolis,” the unassuming snake-scaled old man said slowly.
Update complete, meow! Seven thousand words of update are here~
