Inside the Ritual Room, silver rune networks pulsed along the walls like veins.
All eyes were fixed on the two figures at the center of the Array.
Ron, immersed in Meditation, and Eve, surrounded by an aura of enhanced Life Energy.
The girl clenched her hands tightly, her knuckles white from exertion.
Inaudible prayers escaped her lips, an ancient healing prayer, her voice trembling yet firm.
Cassandra stood at the edge of the Array, her purple eyes flickering with complex emotions.
Suddenly, she retrieved an intricately carved sandalwood box from her storage space.
The surface of the box was engraved with Preservation Runes, emitting a faint green light.
"Crystals of the Fountain of Life, heart’s blood of a Pure-blooded Sea Siren, and Nightlight Essence..."
The Witch’s voice was soft, but every Great Wizard present heard it clearly.
She took out the precious materials from the box one by one, each worth a fortune.
Gould’s gaze swept over these materials, a hint of surprise in his eyes:
"These things are almost impossible to find in modern times, yet you still have them?"
"This is my last safeguard for Eve."
Cassandra did not turn back, continuing to retrieve items from a deeper storage space.
A slender object, thumb-thick, emitting a faint golden light, appeared in her hand.
It was Dragon Musk—an invaluable secretion from the first-generation Dragon Species, known for its magical Purification effects on Spirit and enhancing clarity of Consciousness.
In this era, such material had vanished.
"Dragon Musk..." Selena gasped: "The worth of this..."
"I know its worth."
Cassandra placed the Dragon Musk in a specially made censer, then lit it without hesitation.
Thin golden smoke rose slowly, carrying an indescribable fragrance.
The scent was neither strong nor pungent, yet it instantly cleared one’s Spirit to a transparent clarity.
Even the Great Wizards maintaining the projection felt a significant boost in state.
The Magic control became more precise, and their thoughts sharper.
But the most noticeable change was in Ron, immersed in Meditation.
The thin golden smoke swirled around his form, bringing his state of Consciousness to an unprecedented realm of emptiness.
What Cassandra did next widened the eyes of everyone present.
With a flip of her right hand, a card emitting silver light appeared in her palm.
It was the "Decadence" Power Card, of silver quality.
"Cassandra..." Uther’s voice was filled with shock: "You’re going to use a Power Card here?"
"Yes."
The Witch’s tone was unusually calm, but the determination in her eyes was chilling:
"The silver Decadence card can amplify the effects of the precious resources invested. For Eve, it is necessary."
As she spoke, she activated the card in her hand without hesitation.
Silver light erupted instantly, enveloping all the precious materials she had prepared.
The crystals of the Fountain of Life slowly melted, turning into pure life essence;
The heart’s blood of the Pure-blooded Sea Siren emitted a deep blue glow, its marine Life Energy surging like a tide;
The Nightlight Essence transformed into starlight flecks, injecting a peaceful and harmonious aura into the whole environment.
Under the power of the card, the effects of these materials were magnified multiple times.
In the Array, Eve’s weak life aura began to rise steadily, her pale face gradually recovering its color.
"Such an enhancement level..."
The Eye of Observation narrowed slightly:
"It has already reached the effect of temporary bloodline modification."
Gould nodded in agreement, looking at Cassandra with admiration:
"Although the approach is extreme, it is indeed effective."
Selena, despite her dissatisfaction with Cassandra’s character, fairly evaluated with professional integrity:
"I must admit, at critical moments, you indeed spared no expense."
......
Meanwhile, deep within Ron’s Consciousness Space, a conversation was unfolding.
The lights of the Hermit Star and Scholar Star had stabilized, guiding Ron’s Spiritual World like two beacons.
In the farther void, a third star was slowly revealing its true form.
The surface of the Star of the Observer did not exhibit the simple light or rocky structure of other stars but presented a surprisingly complex mechanical construction.
Countless intricate gears rotated slowly on the star’s surface, each as immense as a continent, inscribed with ancient and mysterious Runes.
The gears were connected by a complex transmission system, forming a vast mechanical network.
Between these gears, light points flickered like stars.
These were the lenses of Observation devices, each capable of perceiving truths inaccessible to ordinary people by penetrating the veils of space and time.
Most striking was the massive pupil-like structure at the star’s center.
It was not an inanimate object but a real, living eye.
The pupil was an abyssal black, with the iris displaying nebula-like magnificent colors.
When Ron’s Consciousness touched this star, the gigantic eye slowly rotated to gaze upon him.
A sensation of being deeply scrutinized hit instantly, more penetrating, more... alive than the previous examination by the Eye of Observation.
"Another fool seeking power..."
An ancient and majestic voice echoed within the Consciousness Space, both distant and near, as if traversing endless eras to reach him.
"However..."
The mechanical structure of the Star of the Observer began to rearrange, exuding a hint of warmth amidst the initial cold mechanical feel: