"Wait, something's wrong..."
Alan suddenly realized: "Lin has already run far enough, and she's good at controlling the breath of flesh and blood, eliminating all physical traces. Without some kind of occult tracking, the High Priest shouldn't be able to find her... Can my abilities erase this kind of occult trace for her?"
He inexplicably felt that this should be feasible.
"Not to mention my reserves, I still have a bit of energy left today. I can give it a try, if it doesn't work, there's nothing else I can do."
As soon as Alan thought of it, Lin suddenly felt the sense of urgency in her mind disappear.
It was as if some invisible threads in the air had been cut.
"Thank you for your protection."
Lin sincerely thanked him again and ended the ritual.
"Indeed, since I can wash away the pollution from the being above the moon, I can also wash away the occult connection of the Black Sun... However, both of these are spontaneous pollutions and not intentional actions. I must not be arrogant..."
...
Blackstone Manor.
{The spirit of the Red... It exists in all flesh and blood life. Since humans are the heads of all spirits, the spirit of the Red is the richest in the human body...}
{Compared to 'Darkness', the plundering of the 'Red' does not require ritual assistance. Just consuming it will suffice, and proper cooking and preparation will enhance the spirit...}
Alan put down his pen and sighed.
He originally thought that the three-stage awakening of the Black Sun Church's Darkness was somewhat evil.
But compared to the awakening of the Red, it was like a well-behaved child.
At least, the accumulation of Darkness initially honed oneself like an ascetic monk, instead of capturing it from the outside world.
"In this way, the entry level stage of the Red is quite rapid. No wonder Lin has grown so fast..."
Alan shook a bell, calling Daili in: "Prepare candles, rose essential oil, salt, and a dagger for me, preferably a silver one..."
Pausing for a moment, he looked at the suspicious maid and lowered his voice: "I don't want rumors spreading in the territory that I am obsessed with witchcraft, otherwise, you will be punished. Do you understand?"
"Don't worry, sir, I won't tell anyone."
Daili quickly shook her head, her face filled with fear.
"Very good."
Alan nodded.
After a while, he closed the door, drew the curtains, rendering the room sealed, and lit the candles.
Alan initially attempted a path-seeking ritual.
As expected, he failed.
"As expected, it doesn't work?"
Alan sighed, removed the original ritual objects, and re-drew the ceremony.
This time, it seemed much more casual.
"The ritual should require the participation of the spirit, but according to the High Priest, if there is no spirit, one's own vitality can also have a certain effect..."
Alan's expression gradually became serious as he began to call upon a title:
"Creator above the Creator!"
"Absolute Observer behind multiple veils!"
"The wandering spirit in the unknown void, the absolutely neutral existence, the Silent Observer!"
The first part was Alan's own chosen title, and the latter was a confirmed title by believers.
Combining the two should be quite accurate.
He used an otherworldly language, his voice sometimes low and sometimes high, continuously chanting the titles, starting the prayer.
"Is it useless?"
Alan felt a bit disappointed: "Clearly, the target of my prayer is right here... There should be some changes, right?"
He thought for a moment, picked up the silver dagger, cut his finger, and let the blood drip onto the candle.
The bright red color slowly spread over the ritual track.
Suddenly!
Alan felt a burst of weakness, as if the energy within his body was pouring out profusely through the small wound on his finger.
The ritual candlelight flared brightly.
Immediately, he seemed to hear echoes, vague and indistinct...
"Great."
Alan was about to establish a connection, but the next instant, he felt dizzy.
Bang!
He collapsed to the ground.
Vaguely, he seemed to see the maid rushing to him in panic.
...
When he opened his eyes again, Alan was lying on a large bed.
The originally messy ground had been cleaned up, and Daili stood beside him. In front of her sat a fat man, Scholar Albert.
Hmm, scholars were usually the most knowledgeable people in the territory. Albert also knew a bit about herbalism and could act as a half doctor.
However, Alan was deeply skeptical of this, at least the bloodletting therapy was something he absolutely could not accept.
"My lord, it seems you have overworked yourself, causing your body to weaken... You should eat more nutritious foods and drink more deer blood."
Albert glanced at Daili beside him: "Hmm... Some night-time activities also need to be restrained."
"Cough, cough, I understand. Thank you for your hard work."
Alan, with his thick skin, showed no change in expression. After letting Albert leave, he looked at Daili: "You cleaned up those things? Well done. Remember to keep it confidential!"
While speaking, he threw a silver coin over: "This is your reward."
"Thank you."
Daili accepted the silver coin with a soft voice, like a startled fawn.
"I'm fine now. Bring me some food."
Watching Daili's back, Alan fell into deep thought.
In the last moment before fainting, he indeed heard a vague call, but there was no time to establish a connection before he fainted.
He was too weak!
Understanding this, Alan could only sigh.
To conduct a true ceremony, spirit must replace vitality.
However... This world has no spirit...
Everything seemed to be at an impasse again.
Alan sighed and began to think about the aftermath.
"Hmm, Daili did well, she didn't spread it around... However, even if rumors of me practicing witchcraft spread, it's nothing serious. This isn't ancient times in the Central Plains where one would be executed immediately for practicing witchcraft. There's no unified and powerful church to burn witches..."
"As a lord, even if I performed human sacrifices in my domain, Theodore would probably just come to exchange experiences with me as a priest... As long as it is confirmed that I still believe in the 'Grandmother Green Banyan Tree', it's fine."
"Studying witchcraft is nothing, but if I were to announce abandoning my faith, then that would really trigger a religious war..."
Alan continued his tangled thoughts, contemplating the possibilities of transcending in the present world.
"The Path of Darkness failed, as for the Red... I can't become Hannibal Lecter... Summoning myself failed too, and in an unsolvable way..."
"Next, perhaps I should study herbs. After all... In the mysticism of that world, there are recipes related to magic potions. Even though there's a high probability I can't concoct any spiritual potions, at least I should try to find something that could strengthen one's physique and vitality, enabling longer-duration ceremonies..."