Chapter 1728: Chapter 1728

"While the Sage Church may not have specific trials to clarify one's nature like the Church of Destiny does, we are still very careful not to interfere with the purity of any individual possessing mysterious qualities. That book you saw has nothing to do with the nature of the Sage's power, nor does it have anything to do with your status as a Saint... or could it be that you truly are that compatible with the power of knowledge, and your affinity for life is merely a facade?"

Papa Oliver eyed Jenkins with suspicion, which made Jenkins a little uncomfortable.

"Speaking of which, you still haven't learned many of the Church's divine arts. You haven't even properly used any of the rituals related to books and knowledge. It's difficult to say just how much of a talent you have for the power of books... How about we do a simple test?"

"A test? Can it really determine my so-called essence?"

"How could it be that easy? If it were, wouldn't the Church of Destiny's painstaking trials with the All-Seeing Cards be completely redundant?"

Shaking his head, Papa Oliver rose from his rocking chair, tapped Jenkins on the head, and then gestured for him to step back. Jenkins immediately scooped up the cat, which was feigning sleep on the counter.

There was still no one on the street, so Papa Oliver felt safe enough to open the hidden cellar beneath the counter. He disappeared down the slanted metal ladder and soon returned, cradling a wooden box.

The box was anything but exquisite. To be more precise, it looked as if someone had haphazardly cut up some rotten wood into planks and, without even smoothing the surfaces, brutally nailed them together. Besides being seamless, the box had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

"It must be stored in a container . It's one of the containment conditions."

Jenkins and Chocolate, still in his arms, leaned forward to look at the box. As Papa Oliver opened it, a few wood splinters even fell from the lid. Inside lay a box filled to the brim with white ash.

Holding his breath, Papa Oliver carefully plunged his hand into the white ash and fumbled around until he pulled out a thick, ancient piece of bark. It appeared to be birch bark, specially treated so that it showed no signs of decay or flaking. On the inner side, several lines of text were scrawled in a pigment that looked suspiciously like blood.

Since the piece of bark itself wasn't very large, there wasn't much written on it.

"This ash is bone ash... Don't worry, not human. Animal," Papa Oliver explained, then continued to rummage through the white ash. In the end, he retrieved a total of nine pieces of bark of varying sizes, each inscribed with different texts, and arranged them in a three-by-three grid on the counter.

"B-10-2-4291, the Sommel Esoteric Ritual Book. This is the oldest item in my entire collection. The earliest document we've found that mentions it was unearthed from the ruins of a tenth-epoch civilization. Though written on bark, it is still a book. And because of its antiquity, it possesses more power than most Series B Extraordinary books."

Jenkins had never heard of the Sommel Esoteric Cult, and neither had Papa Oliver, for that matter. It was likely a secret society that had long since vanished into the river of time. The original text of this ritual book, despite having a writing area of only nine palm-sized pieces of bark, actually recorded twenty-seven different rituals used by that cult.

"The effect of B-10-2-4291 is to allow the holder to use the rituals recorded on it directly by offering a single drop of blood—no ritual formations, no consumable materials, not even a drain on one's own spirit. But each piece of bark can only be used in this way for one of its rituals per day. In other words, this ritual book can be used a maximum of nine times a day."

A look of wonder and curiosity crossed Jenkins's face. He kept his cat from pawing at the bark as he carefully examined the inscriptions.

The script was completely alien to him, the characters arranged like tiny red ants on the withered yellow surface of the bark.

"Besides the specific storage requirements, this item is classified as a level two hazard because frequent use of the Sommel Esoteric Ritual Book will cause the user to gradually hear whispers that no one else can. Once this starts, it's irreversible. Every person who has listened to the whispers has, without exception, descended into madness... But don't worry. You'll only be using it once. Pick one."

Jenkins glanced hesitantly at the countertop.

"Yes. The ritual book's effects aren't the same for everyone. I want to see your affinity for book-type Series B Extraordinary items, and this is the most suitable test subject I have on hand. Go ahead, pick one."

The nine pieces of bark were all different, and Papa Oliver hadn't explained what distinguished the rituals they recorded. After a moment's thought, Jenkins chose the piece that Chocolate kept reaching for with her little paws. Papa Oliver squinted down at it, then began placing the other pieces back into the bone ash.

"This piece is numbered seven," he said. "It records five rituals: 'Contact the Sky Leech,' 'Bloodcoat Hex,' 'Dream of the Ancient One,' 'Dragon-Calling Flute,' and 'Howling Demon Breathing Method'."

After stowing the other pieces of bark, he knocked on the wooden desktop—a superstitious gesture to ward off bad luck.

"The 'Contact the Sky Leech' ritual is too dangerous. The chances are small, but if you were to succeed, Nolan might become a thing of the past.

Don't ask about the 'Bloodcoat Hex.' It requires bark pieces number three and seven to be used together. The ritual recorded on this piece alone is incomplete.

The 'Dream of the Ancient One' is related to the Cursed Item A-12-2-4099, the 'Ancient God's Dream.' The ritual can summon a highly contagious dream curse. We'd best not try that.

The 'Howling Demon Breathing Method' allows a human to briefly mimic the movements of a powerful otherworldly species, but it comes at a price. I doubt you'd be willing to part with that young, handsome face of yours.

So, let's go with the 'Dragon-Calling Flute.' It's relatively safer. Pack your things and come with me to the Evergreen Forest, just in case you actually summon some formidable beast."

With that, he gestured for Jenkins to get ready to leave.

"Wait a moment, Papa. You keep something this dangerous right under the antique shop?" Jenkins asked, astonished.

"I know you have a penchant for collecting all sorts of strange items, but isn't this a bit..."

"It's fine. Only an Enchanter of the Sage's faith, at level six or higher, can use it," Papa Oliver said confidently, still under the impression that Jenkins was level six. He then told Jenkins to go outside and find a carriage. Dıscover more novels at ɴovelfire.net