Chapter 130: Chapter 114: Omen of Death_3
Andre took the teacup and deeply breathed in: "Carl is dead."
"Carl?" Ron searched his memory, recalling the intelligence that Mira had once exchanged with him:
"I think I heard last time that he and his companions went missing in the Edge Forest, it turns out that..."
Andre nodded, a trace of sorrow in his eyes:
"Yes, he returned from the Edge Forest today, almost reaching the safe zone of the School, but was still attacked by the mutants. The Law Enforcement Team received the news and immediately set out, but it was too late."
He took a sip of tea and continued:
"The body has already begun to show signs of mutation and pollution, we have to deal with it immediately, otherwise it will cause wider pollution, possibly even breeding new mutants."
Ron listened silently, memories of Davod’s twisted and grim form and the battle that nearly took his life flooded his mind.
He was indeed very lucky at that time, not being left with pollution during the battle, without having a Pocket Watch to purify the contamination.
"The activity of mutants around the School indeed has become increasingly frequent lately."
Andre continued: "The Law Enforcement Team’s patrol missions are becoming more dangerous as well. Some say it’s because of leaks from secret experiments, while others say the pollution is spreading..."
He shook his head, seeming unwilling to continue on this heavy topic:
"In any case, the Law Enforcement Team completed a simple purification after handling the body, allowing me to return here. Sorry for keeping you waiting."
"It’s not your fault, these sudden events are beyond anyone’s control."
Ron patted Andre’s shoulder, indicating understanding: "The ritual isn’t urgent at this moment, you can take a short rest first, and then start."
Andre gratefully nodded, but the fatigue in his eyes didn’t lessen: "Thank you for understanding, I’ll go take a nap first."
Originally, Andre was still asking if they should start again tomorrow at noon, but Ron thought for a bit, believing the energy released from bloodline activation was already overly strong.
If combined with the noon addition, the activation ritual would probably become a suicidal ceremony...
As time passed, the sky completely darkened, but the atmosphere in the workshop grew increasingly tense.
Ron and Andre stood at the specially prepared ritual site center, surrounded by seven specially-made candles, the candlelight gently flickering in the breeze, enveloping the entire space in a mysterious atmosphere.
The ground was painted with a complex Array, which Ron meticulously designed based on the records from the Bloodline Activation Manual, combined with the royal secret ritual details provided by Andre.
The Array presented a sun shape, with seven main lines extending outward from the center, each line engraved with special runes, symbolizing life, power, balance, purification, stability, guidance, and awakening.
"Are you ready?" Ron asked softly, holding the bloodline activation potion bottle that shimmered with golden light.
Andre stood in the center of the Array, his upper body bare, his skin appearing healthy and radiant in the candlelight.
He took a deep breath, nodding: "I’m ready, this is the moment I’ve long awaited."
Ron could feel the tension in his friend’s voice but chose not to mention it.
Instead, he began executing the ritual step by step according to the pre-set program.
"According to the procedure you previously gave me, first activate the Array."
Ron said, taking seven specially-made small Energy Crystals from his belt pouch, these stones soaked in the essence of Sunshine Grass, capable of guiding the flow of Positive Energy.
He placed the Energy Crystals one by one at the seven key nodes of the Array, and as the final stone was placed, the entire Array began to emit a faint golden light, marking the activation of Positive Energy.
"Now is the second step."
Ron glanced worriedly at Andre, whose teeth were already gnashing, clearly tense to the extreme:
"Runes are not only on the Array itself, but also need to be temporarily drawn on your body, to guide the potion’s energy flow to the correct meridians and bloodline nodes."
He retrieved a specially made silver ink bottle, beginning to draw runes on Andre’s body.
The ink was slightly cool, producing a slight stinging sensation upon touching the skin, a result of the active ingredients within
Ron’s technique was skillful and precise, each rune appropriately landing at the key meridian points.
Andre felt a peculiar sensation, as if the runes weren’t just painted on the skin surface, but had penetrated into flesh and bones.
"Finally, the most crucial step."
Once Ron completed the rune drawing, he took the bloodline activation potion bottle: "Drink it, keep your will clear, guide it, and not be led by it..."
Andre nodded, took the potion bottle.
The light through the Crystal Bottle wall illuminated his face, reflecting a golden ocean in his eyes.
"Ro... Ron, if... if the ritual fails, when you return to the Kingdom, can you help take care of..."
He asked suddenly, with a voice full of unease, and the light in his eyes dimmed along with his words.