Chapter 130: Inexplicable
When the fire and mist dispersed, Moria saw no one else, except Li Wen.
“They ran away,” Li Wen said casually after looking away from the magic map. Although she had also been attacked by void creatures, the “Poem of Paradise” ability alone was enough to keep the fragile void creatures from getting close.
Moria didn’t ask who “they” were, or if everyone had actually run away. He shifted his gaze to the Security Bureau and found that mist was still continuously emerging, although it was considerably weaker.
“A void ticket can open 5 to 20 void rifts, lasting up to 30 hours. During this time, if left unchecked, more and more, or even stronger, void creatures will emerge from the rifts.”
In reality, void creatures were not that powerful. In terms of life strength, most of them were even weaker than goblins, but with their unique life forms and elusiveness, even Transcendent individuals could easily fall prey to them without prior preparation.
“How do you close the rifts?” Moria asked the most important question.
Li Wen didn’t answer immediately but slowly walked into the Security Bureau. She glanced at the messy interior and the ground full of dead military police officers, then focused her attention on the rift that was emitting mist.
This mist was actually a magical raw material called Void White Mist. If one had the means to collect, compress, and store it. Li Wen knew how, but lacked the energy and time. Moreover, the fairy treasure pouch left by Grandma Martha contained more superior alternatives, so there was no need to waste time and effort collecting something she wouldn’t use.
Li Wen took out her ritual dagger, cut her palm, and her blood dripped from the wound. Uncaring, she reached out to touch the rift, chanting words as she did.
“O gateway that opens, O key that closes, with my wound, I seal your door.”
As the incantation ended, her blood flowed back into the open rift, and then the rift slowly began to close.
After closing one rift, Li Wen repeated the ritual until all the rifts were closed.
When she was done, Moria handed her a bottle of healing potion. While Li Wen was closing the rifts, he was organizing the bodies of the unfortunate military police officers and praying for them.
Li Wen took the potion but didn’t drink it, instead putting it away. The small amount of life force consumed by the ritual did not require potion replenishment. The ritual she used to close the void rifts was a simplified generic portal closing and sealing ritual, which was referred to as “Lock Door Technique,” the opposite of which was “Open Door Technique.”
Neither of these rituals required flesh and blood as material. Li Wen used her own blood to gain the success rate increase from the “Necessary Sacrifice” trait, and also to gain a bit of proficiency.
“Judging by the mist that covered the entire Old Town, they clearly didn’t just set up this ritual in one place,” Li Wen pointed out very deliberately.
The ritual at the Security Bureau was likely just one of the many set up by those players, the most conspicuous one meant to draw attention.
Moria glanced at the bodies on the ground.
The actions of these people were no different from the cultists like the Deep Dark Believers. Regardless of the reason, Moria saw no possibility of them escaping.
“Who are you people! I am a Leicester Disciplinary Bureau investigator, and I advise you to give up resisting and confess honestly!”
Two investigators in black trench coats rushed over, speaking menacingly and looking at Li Wen and Moria with caution.
Li Wen glanced at them and lost interest, leaving the matter entirely to Moria.
“We are followers of the Holy Church.” Moria displayed his weapon, which bore the Candle Sun mark. To further prove his identity, he took out an old copy of “The Grace of Glorious” from his pocket. “We were invited by Bishop Carol of the Gospel to search for something related to the Holy Church.”
The investigators exchanged glances, and one of them, with a slightly softer attitude, said, “We hope you can demonstrate some divine ability to prove your identity. The current situation is not very clear, and we hope you two don’t mind.”
Upon hearing this, Moria hesitated and looked at Li Wen.
Why are you looking at me?
Li Wen raised an eyebrow, then realized something. Reluctantly, she cast a Prayer on herself. The potion she had saved earlier had not been wasted; otherwise, she would have been at a disadvantage now.
Seeing the warm and dazzling light, the investigators breathed a sigh of relief.
“Let’s go.”
Having dealt with the two investigators and confirming that they would be the ones cleaning up the mess, Moria gave Li Wen a look, hoping she could lead the way to find the other ritual sites.
Leaving the Security Bureau, Li Wen glanced at Moria and said, “Your curse hasn’t been lifted yet?”
In fact, Li Wen should have realized this earlier. This guy hadn’t used any divine abilities from the Glorious Spectrum Series so far. Even when facing void creatures, he fought with magic. Although Moria was a Holy See Knight who had passed the Spellbreaker trial, it was still a bit too strange.
Upon hearing this, Moria nodded silently.
The curse placed on him by that shadow had penetrated to the bone from the beginning, and now, with the passage of time, it had corrupted his soul. Back at Sorcery Anomalies Hand and the Gospel Grand Cathedral, Moria had separately asked Selwin and the old bishop, and their answers were as expected and consistent – this terrifying curse was something they had never heard of or seen before, and they had no idea how to lift it.
Now, the only way to get rid of this curse might be to return to Canaan, return to the Holy See, and seek help from the instructor who had taught him prayer, conduct, and martial arts since childhood.
Li Wen was somewhat skeptical, or rather, she didn’t believe it at all.
The greatest enemy of any curse was the prayer of the faithful of Glorious. Given Moria’s status as the Eldest Son of the Holy See, if he were truly afflicted with a life-threatening curse, an angel would likely descend from heaven to save him from danger.
It couldn’t possibly be an act, could it?
Li Wen, unable to make up her mind, sarcastically said, “So, even though you are cursed and cannot use any divine abilities, you are still going to trouble those people?”
Moria didn’t know who “those people” were, perhaps referring to all the Transcendent individuals who were after the Sage Ovum Sheath.
He nodded: “We can’t just do nothing.”
Li Wen didn’t refute him. She took out the magic map to search for the next potential ritual site in the Old Town, but she was soon drawn to another target. The light spot symbolizing the Leader of the Wolf Pack had finally moved.
He had left Red Oak District.
This meant that things had finally begun in Black Raven Port as well. Thinking this, Li Wen displayed a smile that was anything but friendly.
