Chapter 58: Chapter 56 Completion of the Lost Ritual

“`

Byrne occasionally heard that in recent years, some Extraordinary Exponents on the Ouden Continent were trying to explore the Spirit Realm.

He found it hard to imagine just how great the risks were for those without the knowledge of the Spirit Realm or guidance from deities, as they continuously attempted to do so in the dangerously terrifying yet tempting Spirit Realm.

“What exactly does the Gate of Shadow mean?” Byrne asked once again.

Irene recalled the mysterious knowledge in her mind and finally summarized an explanation:

“The Gate of Shadow, also known as the Gate of Chaos, signifies the random “Transformation” of states; different Gates of Shadow lead to different changes.”

Random changes?

Byrne was momentarily stunned, a trace of fear arising from deep within him as he said:

“So, after we pass through this Gate of Shadow, the changes that will happen to us are also unknown?”

“Yes, but as long as we leave the Spirit Realm, most of those states will not persist.”

Irene took out a small knife to cut her palm, dabbed the blood, and slowly squatted down to make five symbols of mystic studies amid the ruins.

They respectively symbolize “Limitation,” “Contraction,” “Expansion,” “Exchange,” and “Reception.”

This was to record the coordinates of the Spirit Realm’s location so that the next time they entered the Spirit Realm, they could directly arrive here without needing to search for the Gate of Shadow again.

After completing everything, she stood up, extended her hand, and gazed solemnly at the black vortex.

Faint blue light points, almost indiscernible, emerged from the three of them and drifted slowly toward the Gate of Shadow.

The purple vortex immediately vanished, and the black vortex gradually expanded until it occupied the entire field of vision, and at that instant, they sensed anomalies in the world.

“We have already passed through the Gate of Shadow.”

As soon as Irene finished speaking, she discovered that the entire city’s ruins had turned into shades of black and white, and they too became beings of only black and white, as if they had become life forms from another dimension.

As for what condition they were currently in, Irene felt quite puzzled, yet she did not show it and calmly turned to Grandma Narda, saying:

“My lord is not only the Dawn but also Redemption, and beyond all things in the world, the great Lord of the Lost that will awaken again. You, having undergone this ritual without light or shadow, will thereafter be able to serve Him even more closely.”

Although she was also visiting the Spirit Realm and passing through the Gate of Shadow for the first time, it was crucial to appear as undaunted as possible, otherwise, it might cause Grandma Narda to look down upon her in her heart.

Byrne took out a special elixir from his waist and passed it to Grandma Narda, who had long been anticipating it, and she was nearly overflowing with gratefulness to him and his sister.

The potion was consumed in one gulp.

Cold, viscous, and even dizzying, the terrible taste was nevertheless accompanied by a joyous sentiment, as the consumer understood that they could finally progress further.

She was about to receive the reward for her years of loyalty to the great existence!

Grandma Narda felt that her connection with the Lord of the Lost was strengthening, and a tremendous feeling of fear swiftly enveloped her entire body!

Yet, she did not merely revere the Lord of the Lost with extreme awe, her heart was also fervently longing for the strength He could bestow!

To transcend the mortal coil and ascend to the Extraordinary was a dream many harbored from birth!

However, in the world they once knew, bloodline and innate gifts determined everything.

The craving and desire of mortals for Extraordinary power are unimaginably vast; many would even be willing to pay the price of their lives to seek a power different from ordinary people!

“I feel Him, oh, I praise You, great Lord of the Lost!”

Narda knelt on the ruins, praying with utmost piety to the flickering black cross of light in the sky.

Had it worked?

Irene and Byrne exchanged glances. Grandma Narda’s connection with the Lord seemed to have strengthened, and thus, even if she became an Extraordinary being, she could still be controlled.

Their goal was thus achieved.

Should any thought or emotion of betrayal arise, the great Lord of the Lost would sense it, and they would be immediately apprised of the traitor’s location and then erase them.

In fact, most people, upon sensing the gaze of the divine, would lose any thoughts of betrayal they might have harbored, dissipated like smoke before fear.

“`

“Return to reality, you have completed the Lost Ritual in the Spirit Realm.”

After speaking, Priestess Irene reached out and tapped Grandma Narda’s forehead before drawing the mysterious symbol of “Transformation” in the shape of the moon, and said,

“Awake.”

Grandma Narda felt as if she had been in a long dream and took a while to gradually awaken from the deep, hallucinatory state.

She opened her eyes and saw Priestess Irene and Mr. Byrne kneeling on the ground and the great sacred object on the altar.

Grandma Narda couldn’t help but glance at the black light contained within the sacred object, and she suddenly felt a boundless fear. She felt as if everything around her had lost its luster, and all things were gradually fading into destruction.

It was a state utterly different from the demolished black-and-white city she had reached after passing through the Gate of Shadow, even the sounds seemed to wither.

She immediately knelt down in fear and began to murmur to herself.

Meanwhile, Irene was devoutly praising the Lord of the Lost, celebrating the completion of the Lost Ritual.

“Ah, praise You, great Lord of the Lost! Please grant us new power!”

After completing her prayers, she slowly rose and moved to a corner of the basement to retrieve a prepared bottle of spectral blue elixir.

This spectral blue potion, concocted with Spectral Blue Fish Fin, should give anyone who takes it the extraordinary power of the Path of Divine Sacrifice in theory.

Byrne took a deep breath, watching as Irene handed the magic potion to the excited old woman.

The greatest weapon of the Fischer family’s arsenal was their ability to grant others the power of becoming Extraordinary Exponents.

However, the principles of “caution” and “secrecy” made them feel that if a person not of their bloodline could not be controlled, then it was better not to endow them with extraordinary power lightly.

Through years of research and the Lost Ritual, the Fischer family came upon the possibility to control lower-tier Extraordinary Exponents. They had to seize this opportunity.

Grandma Narda drank the potion and soon felt an intense dizziness in her mind, almost collapsing, but she managed to steady herself.

“I feel, I feel a different world…”

Irene subconsciously wanted to help her, but she knew she had to maintain the dignity of a priestess and could not be too casual during the ritual.

So she just watched everything happen with an expressionless face.

At last, Grandma Narda stepped onto the God Pantheon stairway, the Path of Divine Sacrifice.

Like Irene before her, she attained the Power of Consecution of the 1st Rank, “Attendee,” and gained the Extraordinary traits of God Worshiping and Malice Perception.

The strengthening of her Spirituality made her mind clearer, and the physical improvement was like regaining a youthful vigor of more than a decade. Grandma Narda became incredibly excited!

“My body feels like it has returned to when I was fifty years old, how miraculous, hahaha! Great Lord of the Lost, I am willing to offer everything! You are my true redemption, my dominion!”

She knelt down fervently, and Irene and Byrne exchanged glances, realizing that even if the Lost Ritual had not controlled Grandma Narda, it likely wouldn’t be an issue anymore.

Because the old woman, now endowed with extraordinary power, was devout to the great Lord of the Lost!

A thought suddenly emerged in the depths of Irene’s heart.

What if they attempted to control more Extraordinary Exponents with the Lost Ritual?

Not those later given the magic potion, but those who were already Extraordinary Exponents.

However, entering the Spirit Realm and going through the entire process of the Gate of Shadow almost always required the cooperation of the other party; it wasn’t as simple as forcing a potion down someone’s throat.

She shook her head, thinking that due to the principle of “caution,” it still wasn’t something they could do.

After all, even if someone completes the Lost Ritual, if they decided to betray, and were not afraid of the gaze of the Lord of the Lost, but instead surmised that the Lord could not easily intervene, then ultimately, it would still be difficult to handle.

“Daybreak” must first draw the individual’s heart closer to the Lord of the Lost, foster a certain level of loyalty, and let them make significant contributions. Then, they could be led to the Spirit Realm to undergo the Lost Ritual.

She remembered the children in the Daybreak Orphanage and a smile slowly appeared on her face.

“I think, the grand light of the Lord of the Lost will eventually cover the entire East Coast.”