章 13: Chapter 9 The Enchantress is Digging a Pit
"Hygieian Porridge?"
"Mmm-hmm, that's right, fresh out of the pot, still steaming! Drink it up quick!"
Circe, hand on hip, proudly fished for compliments as she lifted the earthenware bowl in her hand and offered it to her beloved apprentice.
Luo En immediately caught the bowl and sneered, revealing the woman's wicked intentions.
"Stop it! Are you trying to turn me into a pig again? Then no one would force you to give lessons!"
"I've never turned anyone into a pig..."
"Still in denial, huh? What about last night?"
"Of course, because you're already a pig, my cute little piggy!"
Circe spread her hands and blinked her pink eyes innocently, her expression seemingly teasing.
Unmoved, Luo En pointed at the bubbling pot of Hygieian Porridge, his face dark as he let out a cold huff.
"Haha, still trying to trick me, I've known about this stuff's effects for a long time, alright?"
"Effects? What effects?
Just a few medicinal herbs, pure water, natural grains, in my bowl.
No change; no change at all;
Only disguises that vanish without a trace, letting them see themselves and each other."
Circe hummed off-key, her gaze filled with an even thicker sense of mockery.
"Don't believe me? Look, you must recognize these ingredients, absolutely harmless."
Luo En glanced at the black and green gruel in the bowl, sniffed, and the list of ingredients flashed in his mind.
Barley, water, honey, mint oil, and... mandrake?
It seemed that apart from the last herb, all ingredients were quite ordinary.
And the effect of mandrake was just to cause hallucinations...
Wait, hallucinations?!
Luo En's mind flashed, and he suddenly understood, blurting out the answer.
"Your porridge simply induces hallucinations, making the eaters think they are the incarnation of some animal!"
"Giggle, that's right, my smart little piggy."
Circe nodded affirmatively, a pleased curve forming on her lips as she continued to speak.
"So you see, Hygieian Porridge is essentially just a benign magic potion that frees the mind and leads to unity of body and spirit, greatly beneficial for meditation."
So that was it.
Doubts fading from his face, Luo En nodded thoughtfully.
Seeing the atmosphere lighten, Circe eagerly handed over a full bowl of the porridge, smiling as she presented it to her apprentice.
"Here, my cute little piggy, drink it up quick, and let's start meditating earlier to finish today's learning."
Looking at the bubbling special beverage before him, Luo En vaguely recalled that in the Eleusinian cult of Ancient Greece, which worshipped the agriculture Goddess Demeter, there was a secret Eleusinian rite.
That is, the senior members invited the newly initiated devotees to fast for a day, in memory of Demeter's fast while searching for her daughter Perse.
During the fast, the devotees would guzzle a special barley drink in hopes of receiving divine "revelation."
Such a barley drink was likely similar to Hygieian Porridge.
So, it's possible that Hygieian Porridge was originally truly intended as an aid for meditation and the development of psychic abilities.
But...
"But the prerequisite is, I can resist your psychological suggestions..."
Glancing at the thick porridge in the bowl, Luo En pursed his lips with a half-smile, looking at the Great Witch before him who was full of earnest assurances.
"Of course, there's nothing wrong with the Hygieian Porridge, since it's just an aid. It's your constant psychological suggestions to me that are key, right?"
The smile on Circe's face suddenly froze, her hand holding the bowl stiff in mid-air.
She had been found out...
All this time, Circe frequently repeated the phrase "little piggy" in hopes of implanting a blurry recognition in others' minds, making them subconsciously accept their identity as a "piggy" and, through the psychological and physical integration of Hygieian Porridge, complete the transformation from "human" to "piggy."
As she said, she indeed hadn't turned anyone into a pig, but she was the biggest facilitator of this transformation.
Sure enough, a witch is never a symbol of kindness and purity, but rather a willful, unprincipled group determined to please themselves by any means necessary.
To sum it all up in one word—trash.
Luo En shook his head, once again seeing the true nature of his foolish bird of a teacher before him.
Seeing the conspiracy exposed, Circe frantically darted her eyes around, her gaze flittering toward the doorway.
"Oh dear, I just remembered, there's still soup simmering on the stove!"
With those words, the demigod enchantress leaped up from her seat, ready to flee the scene of the incident.
However, before Circe could make a run for it, a hand picked up a clay bowl from the ground and downed the brimming Hygieian Porridge in one gulp.
"You, you... drank it all?"
Under the stupefied gaze of Circe, Luo En wiped his mouth, tossed the now empty bowl onto the ground, and calmly offered his review.
"The taste of peppermint oil is a bit strong, use less next time."
"So, how do you feel now, little piggy?"
Circe reseated herself in her original spot, her eyes filled with eager anticipation as she looked at her beloved pupil.
If this little creature before her turned into a pig again, she could continue to skip the grueling lessons and instead cuddle with her beloved little piggy in bed.
Hmm, cuddle and roll around.
Imagining that delightful scene, Circe's eyes unconsciously shimmered with excitement, and her pointed ears trembled slightly with anticipation.
However, Luo En, who had voluntarily walked into the trap, showed no change, his gaze still clear and lucid.
Actually, once he understood the true nature of the transformation into a pig, it became much simpler to counteract the negative effects of the Hygieian Porridge.
By establishing a mental barrier and continuously repeating the concept of being "human" in his mind, he naturally would not be easily swayed by his foolish teacher's incantations, transforming him back into a "little piggy."
"Stop daydreaming, what's next?"
The calm murmur at his ear interrupted Circe's fantasy, slightly dampening her spirits.
But in the temple of Hecate, this great witch who worshipped the Witchcraft Goddess had to settle down and grudgingly guide Luo En on how to use the effects of the Hygieian Porridge to make meditation twice as effective.
"Just like usual, regulate your breathing, relax your body, disperse your five senses, sense the magic in the air, and then try to construct the corresponding Hermes Runes with them, constantly strengthening your affinity and control over the elements..."
Luo En did not rush into meditation but examined his foolish teacher before him.
"What else?"
"...don't completely empty your mind, remember your essence to avoid getting lost in the illusions produced by the Hygieian Porridge..."
Circe muttered the key elements resentfully, her frustration mounting.
She hated smart students, especially those smarter than their teacher.
At that moment, Luo En, who was merely habitually bluffing a bit, looked even darker in the face.
Old habits die hard! To trick him into bed, it really was one pitfall after another.
"Keep talking!"
"That's it! Really, there's no more!"
Luo En finally closed his eyes, still somewhat skeptical but attempting to clear his mind and disperse his spirit to sense the elements around him, after Circe petulantly grumbled and swore on the name of the Goddess Hecate.
Of course, just to be safe, he did not throw caution to the wind but instead cautiously relaxed his mental restraints step by step, searching for the boundaries that would maintain his self-awareness.
As his spiritual power flowed outward like a tide, his self-awareness started to blur, so Luo En carefully reined in his mind a bit.
Empty seventy percent, retain thirty percent... that was probably his limit for now.
However, despite only around seventy percent of mental sensing, the amount of magic he captured during meditation increased by twice the usual.
It seemed that, although Hygieian Porridge as a special potion indeed contained dangerous ingredients, it could indeed significantly enhance the consumer's mental sensitivity.
Once certain of this, Luo En gradually settled down and began his daily practice.
As he breathed in and out, his spiritual force that had spread around him resonated in harmony, causing the elements swirling within thirty meters to form a visibly pulsing Magic Tide, with varied Hermes Script appearing intermittently, creating different formations and foundations.
Circe could only stare for a while before she became bored and listless, propping her chin on her hand and spacing out in her seat, pondering philosophical matters like what to eat for dinner tonight.
After all, as a demigod great witch and beloved pupil of the Witchcraft Goddess Hecate, she could quite literally do whatever she wanted in the seas near Aiaia.
Without the threat of survival, there was naturally a lack of impetus to actively become stronger.
Therefore, compared to the monotonous daily rigorous training and research, Circe, who was quite negligent in both her studies and life, preferred to leave her strength improvement to her innate talent and lineage.
During the tedious supervision, time slipped away bit by bit, the newborn sunrise gradually turning into twilight below the horizon.
As the last glow of the sunset faded, a dazzling light suddenly burst forth in the Temple of Hecate, which was about to be swallowed by the night.
Bright as the raging sun, lustrous as gold.
Circe, who was just about to fall asleep, suddenly opened her eyes wide and stared at the glowing eyes in the darkness, speechless with astonishment.
"You you... you've advanced again?"
Her expression of shock was as if she were looking at a curly-haired baboon that had evolved directly into an alien from the zenith of the stars.
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