Chapter 913
The Upright Ritualist
The Daffodil Duchy, Protagonus Territory, outskirts.
It was not until the evening of April 7th that Eivass and his party finally returned to the manor villa rented by Master Amber.
After escaping from the Sky-Piercing Tower ruins, the first one to regain his vitality was the Vagrant. He patted the dust off his body, skillfully took off his tattered clothes and burned them, and then changed into a spare leather vest in front of everyone. Afterward, he acted as if nothing had happened, inviting the others to stroll nearby, spend the night in a nearby village, and officially hold a celebration feast in Port Baset tomorrow.
It was as if he were the one who had been cut in half by a Fallen Heavenly Envoy and had just been resurrected.
However, the others tactfully rejected his proposal. after all, this trip had been quite tiring. Moreover, they were carrying many high-value items and it was best to get to a truly safe place as soon as possible.
Thus, with Eivass’s Blessing enhancement, the group quickly rushed toward the city. Not everyone had brought spare clothes and armor. They could only share some clothes, wearing ill-fitting, strange outer garments to avoid the crowds as they rushed.
At regular intervals, under the Vagrant’s command, they would stop to collectively check if everything they were carrying was still with them. This was to prevent losing something important on the road or having it stolen without knowing when it happened. Each time, after confirming everything was in order, they would set off again.
Finally, they managed to return to the villa just before sunset.
Little Cat immediately rushed into the bathroom to take a bath. Sinew, after sincerely thanking Professor Bard again, hastily changed back into his spare mage robe stored in the villa and began to clean Professor Bard’s robe with a spell.
Master Amber disappeared as soon as he entered the house. As for the Martial Monk Mu, he still had some energy. He went with Encyclopedia to prepare some simple meals.
The Martial Monk did not eat vegetarian food. Even an ascetic monk did not mean to starve himself and become as thin as a shadow. They merely had some special precepts. For example, not to lie, not to engage in lust, not to kill, not to steal, not to slander others behind their backs, not to be arrogant or rude, not to be stingy or greedy, and not to be hypocritical or envious. However, in their specific daily actions, there were not many restrictions. For example, when eating meat, monks could only eat meat that they did not “see,” “hear,” or “suspect” being offered. The number of Devotions was three. Specifically, this meant meat that they did not witness being slaughtered, did not hear cries from, and did not suspect died because they wanted to eat meat.
Mu seemed to have been in charge of cooking in his original temple. Therefore, his cooking skills were excellent, and he worked swiftly and skillfully. He quickly prepared a table of simple, delicious, and nutritionally balanced meals. Encyclopedia’s cooking skills, on the other hand, were more subtle. As a Dream Traveling Monk who traveled the world alone, he usually acted by himself. Therefore, he needed to be able to take care of his own daily life. And because the weather in Horus was too hot, and they lacked priests for the Path of Devotion and doctors for Path Adaptation, even minor illnesses like indigestion could trigger a chain reaction and easily claim a life. They preferred to make food into easily digestible paste, eaten with a spoon, or spread on hard flatbread. The humidity and temperature in Horus were not conducive to dough fermentation, so they rarely ate leavened bread.
As for Zhu Tang, he sat with Eivass with his eyes closed. They sat side by side in the courtyard, with the distant sunset in front of them.
“…… It feels like a different lifetime.” Zhu Tang sighed softly, his eyes tightly shut. “I never expected that this long journey away from home would bring me such experiences…” He had gone to the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi out of boredom, wanting to participate in the Nocturne Festival. As a result, because he meddled in other people’s affairs, he was forced to experience thrilling adventures in Anxi and flee westward, arriving in a place he had never been before. Being able to learn a language in a short period of time, although aided by rituals, was largely due to his intelligence.
“On my journey westward, I passed through many countries, met many friends and enemies, encountered war, conspiracy, and rebellion. But never before has any of it been as dangerous and shocking as this time. I am moved to tears just by surviving.” Zhu Tang sincerely vowed in the Primordial language, “If I can return to my homeland safely one day, and not be punished by His Majesty… I will definitely record all my experiences in a book. It would be a shame if these fantasy stories were lost.”
“Then you must stick close to me, Mr. Zhu—by the way, do you like this kind of danger and excitement, or do you not?” Eivass asked casually, fiddling with the emerald green octagonal jewel, the Stone of Eden.
Zhu Tang thought for a moment, then shook his head helplessly and replied, “It’s better than rotting at home. I have already enjoyed the glory and wealth of this life. Rather than withering and decaying silently like a tree in a remote countryside, I would prefer to die in a great event.”
“This life…” Hearing this, Eivass put away the Stone of Eden in his hand and asked with a smile, “Mr. Zhu, you don’t even have grandchildren yet, do you? At your age, have you already lived through this life?”
“I have four children… the youngest is almost an adult.” Zhu Tang’s tone softened when he spoke of his family. The longing for home was sweeter than fine wine. Even though he was looking at the sunset and only had water in his cup, his words were hazy and intoxicating as if he had drunk wine. “My eldest son is quite a bit older than you, His Majesty the Pope. We had a small disagreement, and he’s in the army and hasn’t come back. Of course, it’s possible I was too rushed with marriage proposals… But the other party is Princess Isabel, how could I keep her waiting for too long… His Majesty always likes to be angry with me, but he is very good to my children. My second son also holds an official position in the court. He has the same straightforward personality as me, but surprisingly, he is not disliked. When I was exiled, they were all left in the capital. Only my daughter and youngest son returned with me… My youngest son loves to read, but he always likes to read dryly. I don’t like his rigid way of thinking. At such a young age, he’s like an old fuddy-duddy, lecturing me with quotes from classics. So I took him to catch crickets, fish, and fly kites. At first, he could still hold himself together, reading his book solemnly, pretending not to look at me. Later, he couldn’t help it, and his facade broke, hahaha…”
Zhu Tang laughed heartily, even shedding a few tears. He rubbed his eyes—it was then that Eivass realized that there were already wrinkles at the corners of Zhu Tang’s eyes. This old warlock should not be very old, yet his aging was evident.
—Rituals do have a price, and that price is lifespan. Or rather, it is not a price… but the wear and tear on the body when performing rituals. It is like carrying a heavy object that one cannot bear, or being excessively hungry, excessively full, or excessively indulgent… Prolonged exposure to a great power far beyond one’s own capacity will naturally shorten one’s lifespan.
But for an ordinary Ritualist, this problem is easily solved. Whether in Avalon or Star Antinomy, or even the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi, there are rituals that kill other lives to repair oneself. There is no need for human lives; young animals that are alive and full of vitality are sufficient. For example, calves or lambs.
—However, Zhu Tang has never used such a ritual. Compared to being upright… this is probably closer to being “stubborn.” He always keeps his eyes closed, perhaps precisely because the ritual engraved in the pupils of his eyes is too life-shortening.
It is precisely because of this that after Eivass resurrected him, his steps were so light… at least much lighter than when he arrived. It was because after he was resurrected from death, Eivass conveniently repaired all the lingering ailments! And it was precisely because his many physical ailments were relieved that Zhu Tang, suddenly relaxed, became so nostalgic. Normally, he would have exhausted too much mental energy just enduring the pain and putting on a smile.
(End of Chapter)
