Chapter 1385: Chapter 1385

As he infused it with spirit, the cane began to grow like a slow-sprouting sapling, its shaft thickening as it extended upward. After a few seconds, the scepter he had wielded only once before in his Saint form materialized again, but the transformation was not yet complete. Jenkins continued to guide the intertwined vines further upward, but this new section remained unbound.

When the transformation was finished, the scepter retained its normal form along its length, but the top had blossomed open, with four or five vines resembling the petals of a flower. Jenkins let out a breath and, with his left hand, picked up the orb. He carefully placed it atop the scepter, simultaneously coaxing the untwined vines at the tip to slowly close inward.

The process was excruciatingly slow; the slightest mistake could have disastrous consequences. The gradually closing vines eventually clung to the milky-white sphere, twisting over its surface into the likeness of coiling serpents.

Once it was done, the scepter itself began to emit a verdant glow, while the orb adorning its tip shone with a milky white light.

The two lights merged, bathing the room in a brilliant radiance. But the glow lasted only for a moment before fading. Jenkins released his grip, allowing the scepter to float in mid-air, and watched as fine cracks appeared on its surface, only to heal just as quickly.

This happened two or three times before the scepter finally fell from the air back into Jenkins’s hand. Thıs text ıs hosted at novęlfire.net

Though the only change was the addition of an orb, Jenkins was surprised to find it felt much heavier. This weight was both physical and a deeper, more substantial presence he could feel the instant his skin touched it. All of this confirmed that the fusion had been a success.

By merging with the orb, the Scepter of Life had gained the concept of “light” on top of its foundation of “life,” which enhanced its ability to stimulate plant growth. Its other new function was that Jenkins could now activate the orb at any time. When he raised the scepter high, darkness would be dispelled, and a blinding white light would disrupt the vision of everyone nearby—including himself.

“So I toiled all night just to add a light spell to my weapon?”

Jenkins had seen many canes used by nobles with gems or gold ornaments at the top, but he had never seen one decorated with a pearl. Still, he had to admit the two had merged perfectly. At the very least, the “pearl” did not look out of place.

“Alright, at least it’s something.”

He comforted himself with a whisper, then sat back down at his desk to sort through the harvest from the Month’s End Whisper.

Besides the secret knowledge of combining items, he had gained two complete, unique abilities and three interesting rituals.

The two abilities were [Dual Moon Sense (White Basic)] and [Illusory Moon Art (Yellow Spell)].

The former was the signature ability of the Night Watchmen of the Righteous God, the [Unlit Moon], and a prerequisite for most of their divine arts. Furthermore, according to the secret techniques of the [Dark and Hidden Church], this ability could also help an Enchanter absorb spirit, and with greater efficiency than Jenkins’s method of transcribing the twisted, tadpole-like text.

But it was obvious he could not learn this ability. If he were discovered, it would not be something he could easily explain away.

The latter was a rare illusion-type spell. When cast at night, the [Illusory Moon Art] could create hallucinations within a certain area. Aside from a few specialized vision abilities, an Enchanter could only rely on their own perception to see through the illusion. If cast during the day, the spell would plunge the area around the caster into night. This darkness existed somewhere between illusion and reality, and the abilities of the Night Watchmen were greatly enhanced in it, even automatically granting them [Dark Vision]. It was an incredibly useful ability.

The three rituals were [Ocean's Memory], [Bloody Red Moon], and [Moon's Blessing]. The [Ocean's Memory] ritual could help an Enchanter review events that had occurred on the surface of the ocean in a specific area, and was often used to track missing ships and hunt pirates. [Bloody Red Moon] was a healing ritual that used large quantities of blood under a full red moon to treat severe injuries. Of course, the blood could be from any creature, as long as it had not decomposed.

As for the final one, [Moon's Blessing], it was derived from the rituals of primitive humans who worshiped the moon, praying and making offerings to it. This ritual required hundreds of people to participate. After a harvest feast, it was activated through a combination of bonfires, grains, wine, and complex ritual dances, ensuring that a large swathe of farmland would yield a good harvest the following year.

Jenkins had only heard of this ritual from Papa Oliver. In this era, prayers for a bountiful harvest were typically made in the spring using rituals of the Righteous God, [Mother Earth]. The ancient moon-worshiping tribes that used [Moon's Blessing] in the autumn were now a rare sight.

Although he hadn't gained any abilities or rituals that were directly useful to him, expanding his knowledge was still a good thing. By the time he had organized everything, it was nearly three in the morning. Jenkins cleared his desk and returned to bed.

He reached out to pet Chocolate before falling asleep, but to his surprise, the cat dodged his hand and deliberately moved to the edge of the bed to sleep. The bed was so large that the distance between them was now considerable. Even a fool would know that Chocolate was still angry about what had happened earlier.

“Okay, my fault. I shouldn’t have gone back on my word.”

He whispered the words, feeling a bit embarrassed to be placating his own cat, but he knew he was in the wrong.

He then pointed at the ring under Chocolate’s paw.

“You can borrow this to play with for now. I won’t be asking for it back anytime soon. But don’t break it, and whatever you do, don’t lose it.”

Chocolate sprang up in an instant, quickly rubbing against Jenkins’s face. After a moment of happily admiring his ring, he nuzzled Jenkins’s hand again before carrying his “toy” back to the pillow to sleep.

“Chocolate is so simple. If only the ladies I’ve dated were this easy to understand.”

With that sigh, he drifted off to sleep.

Outside the window, the night wind whispered softly, rustling the green leaves on the treetops and the birds nesting in the eaves. May had arrived. The coming of summer marked nearly a full year since Jenkins had come to this world, and it meant he was drawing ever closer to that final day.