บท 37: The Ritual Once More
บรรณาธิการ: Atlas Studios
"Plop, plop, plop!"
Walking in the wet cave, Bernal felt the humidity in this cave.
Compared to the dryness during his last visit, this place was undoubtedly moist.
Water vapor filled in every breath he took in, and it was an uncomfortable feeling.
"It seems that the fellow who got trapped has also arrived."
Kulenna had the same thought.
"Based on the signs inside the enchantment, that person should have drowned the entire surface of the ground and discovered the secret passageway."
Kulenna gave his judgment. As he spoke, he looked at Alia for some reason.
It was normal for that person who was trapped to find the exit, but it was strange for Alia to walk in straight away as if she knew where it was.
How did this woman know about the exit?
Kulenna had always been curious about Alia. What is with this girl? Sometimes, he would find that she was more terrifying than his master.
That was ridiculous in itself. Was there really such a person in this world who was scarier than Bernal?
Kulenna did not know how to explain this feeling, but his eyes tell no lies. Therefore, he had always been vigilant against Alia, be it for himself or Bernal.
Unfortunately, his loyalty did not pay off. No matter how he explained Alia's issue, Bernal, his master, was unmoved.
Compared to him, Bernal seemed to trust this maid named Alia more.
Regarding this, Kulenna had no better ideas.
He could only remain vigilant against Alia in case she did anything harmful to his master.
Bernal understood Kulenna's concerns.
However, it was pointless to take precautions with some things. Bernal would prefer to use other methods to deal with potential problems that might arise from Alia.
However, these were things he would consider in the future.
Now that Bernal drew his attention back in front of him, he had a faint premonition that something bad was about to happen.
Ritual venue.
"Are you sure this will work?"
Bona looked at Robocco, who was fiddling with the ritual platform. He was puzzled by his companion's familiarity with it.
"Don't worry. There won't be a problem."
Robocco said confidently, but Bona could not shake off a strange feeling.
"Why didn't I know that you knew all this?"
"That's because your level isn't high enough," Robocco replied without hesitation.
After he said that, he fell silent for a moment before adding,
"If you are able to leave successfully this time, you will be able to access the core areas of the Church."
"What do you mean?" Bona suddenly thought of how his partner acted very differently from usual in this outing.
He suddenly understood something as he looked at his long-time partner in shock.
"This time… It can't be a test for me, right?"
"Yes, that's what's happening."
"If I don't pass…
"Then you'll be dead."
At that moment, Bona felt like his partner was a stranger to him as if he had never truly understood him.
As he looked at the busy Robocco, he had many things to ask, but he did not know what to say in the end.
"I, em, you… Sigh, so can you tell me something about it now?"
After much thought, Bona finally accepted the reality in front of him. He had long been prepared since joining this organization.
He was also extremely loyal to the Church and had never thought of betraying it.
Upon hearing Bona's words, Robocco withdrew his killing intent and approved of his nominal partner.
Aware of its master's thoughts, Liveras withdrew its gaze and closed its eyes again.
It turned out that what had just happened was the final test. If there was anything wrong with Bona, then what awaited him was the joint attack of Liveras and Robocco.
Since Bona had already passed the test, there was no need for Robocco to hide anything.
"Do you know why the ritual group can always complete the replenishment in the shortest time possible?"
Bona had been puzzled about that question for a long time, and he was even slightly afraid of the Church's efficiency.
"Why?"
This time, Robocco did not hide anything, nor did he keep him in suspense. He revealed the truth regarding the Church.
"This is because the ritual group is the core of the operation of the entire Church. You might think that there's only one ritual group, but in fact, the entire Church is a pool of reserves for the ritual group."
"But I never see anyone getting transferred to the ritual group?"
"That's because so far, there have not been any major losses that warrant the need to do so."
Robocco took out a small jar from his pocket and poured magic power into it.
Soon, dark red liquid flowed out from it and quickly outlined an incredibly profound magic formation on the platform.
As he prepared for the ritual, Robocco explained to Bona, "The Church has always been gathering people suitable for the ritual. Whoever meets the requirements will be admitted into the Church."
With that said, Robocco paused for a moment. He looked at Bona and asked, "Do you know how many followers the Church has gathered over the years?"
"You mean all of them?" Bona exclaimed as he recalled the size of the Church.
Robocco gave Bona an accurate answer.
"70% of them are. Before these reserves get used up, it's not our turn to join the ritual group."
"Now, I'll tell you how I knew about these rituals."
After finishing the drawing of the ritual formation, Robocco stood up and looked at Bona.
"Once the members of the Church gain access to the core level, every core member will have to learn knowledge related to rituals in order to take over the ritual group when the need arises.
"The followers are reserves to the ritual group, and the core members are reserves to the leaders of the ritual group?"
Until here, Bona finally understood.
Robocco nodded and looked at him appreciatively.
"That's right. Every core member can become the head of the ritual."
Putting the jar away, Robocco began the final step of the ritual preparation.
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