Chapter 1538: Chapter 282 mory
Zheng Qing didn’t want to turn into a writhing lump of flesh.
Especially not because of so inexplicable reason, accepting such a curse. So, when it ca to selecting offerings for Bastit, he was extrely cautious.
“How about salted frogs?” Xin Fat Man suggested.
“Wusa City isn’t Lin Zhong Lake, and His Highness Bastit isn’t a god worshipped by the Fishman Tribe,” Xiao Xiao imdiately rejected the idea, “If there’s salted dried mice, that would be a decent choice.”
“We really don’t have that.” Fat Man browsed the directory on his watch and shook his head, “Because of the Underground Rat Clan beneath the First University, the island is extrely cautious about handling products made from mice… Besides, not many people actually like eating mice.”
Zheng Qing instinctively glanced at those brown, glossy silhouettes.
The Zu Ge trembled under his gaze.
The warlock shook his head slightly. Although these Enchanting Mice looked sowhat like rats, no actual mice would have squid tentacles near their mouths, nor would they communicate by thumping their chests.
Rather than risking angering the divine spirits with counterfeits, it would be better to honestly give up such a clever trick.
“Then how about salted caral? Or mint juice? I’ve heard that cats like mint… Or Lourdes Holy Water? I have plenty in storage,” Xin Fat Man continued scrolling through his watch’s directory.
Zheng Qing took a deep breath.
“Catnip isn’t the sa as mint,” he tried hard to keep his tone and expression under control, “Also, there have never been precedents for offering salted caral to the divine spirits…”
“Outer Gods probably wouldn’t like Lourdes Holy Water either,” Xiao Xiao interjected, “It’s like soone visiting your ho and bringing you a barrel of aqua regia as a gift.”
Lourdes Holy Water is a magic potion used by wizards to cleanse contamination originating from the deeps of the starry sky, and its effect is highly remarkable. Yet, as Xiao Xiao pointed out, because of its efficacy, it might not be welco to the Elder Gods.
“Aqua regia is pretty useful, especially for mixing potions and conducting experints,” Fat Man muttered under his breath. But upon noticing the terrifying glare from the young scholarship student, he imdiately switched his tone: “Since holy water is off the table, we can go for so food instead… Like beef jerky, stewed chicken drumsticks, braised pork trotters, roasted chicken, roast duck, sausages, dried at… Chicken can be white-cut, braised, stewed, fried, roasted, stead…”
“All of it’s food?” Zheng Qing couldn’t help but interrupt Fat Man. “What about pig heads? Whole ones? Or cow heads would do as well.”
“Are you thinking about offering the three sacrificial animals?” Fat Man quickly caught on to the warlock’s intention.
“I think it’s the safest choice as an offering,” Zheng Qing answered cautiously.
Xiao Xiao shook his head again, dismissing Zheng Qing’s idea as well: “It’s uncertain whether Dreamland has pigs, cows, and sheep like the real world. Even if they do, are we supposed to offer Bastit Highness the standard three sacrificial animals, the small ones, or perhaps the jade-carved ones? Pigs, cows, sheep, fish, chickens, deer, roe deer, muntjacs… What should we choose?”
Zheng Qing felt a headache coming on.
He knew that using three sacrificial animals in rituals was considered an ancient custom in The Magical World, but he didn’t realize there were so many nuances involved.
“So, do you have any other suggestions?” He surveyed the group, trying to gather ideas, “Not limited to food… Anything divine spirits might like will do.”
Xiao Xiao silently glanced at him, the look in his eyes making Zheng Qing’s stomach churn.
Luckily, Jiang Yu spoke up in ti, saving him from the unease creeping into his heart: “What about gemstones or jewels? From what I know, most divine spirits like these magical, mysterious, and beautiful stones as gifts.”
Zheng Qing felt sowhat tempted.
But only sowhat, since expressing gratitude to a divine spirit couldn’t be done with just one or two ordinary gemstones. The exorbitant cost was sothing that even Wizarding Families struggled to bear.
Xiao Xiao shot another glance at him.
Zheng Qing turned away, blocking out the malice-filled gaze of the doctor, and shifted his attention to Nikita.
“Can you provide a decent offering?” He asked directly, without ceremony.
“An offering, an offering… tch.” The female demon gave a dismissive roll of her eyes and replied rudely, “I hate that word… so the answer is no.”
Zheng Qing waved the charm gun in his hand.
“If you can’t provide a suitable offering, I’ll have no choice but to put you on the altar,” he expressed his apology sincerely to the demoness, “I’m sorry I can’t send you to the Black Prison… But from what I’ve heard, demons who are sacrificed in blood offerings to the divine spirits all receive ultimate absolution. So this wouldn’t be so bad for you.”
Nikita’s mouth twitched, the dislike on her face vanished in an instant, replaced by a forced and fake smile.
“I’ve heard the Elder at the Wusa City Temple has quite a fondness for fine wine?” She didn’t want to be blood-sacrificed, so she worked hard to help Zheng Qing find a solution to his current dilemma.
Zheng Qing glanced at Fat Man, received a confirming nod, and then nodded himself: “That’s true.”
“Well, I happen to have a gift that both the Elder and this world will appreciate.
…
…
“This is…” Elder Atar gazed at the redwood box in front of him, his eyes flickering subtly. After a mont of hesitation, he finally asked, “Do you intend to use this as your offering?”
The box was plain, devoid of dazzling gemstones or intricate magic runes, and even the copper lock at its opening was an ordinary leaf-shaped design.
Inside the box lay a transparent wide-mouthed glass jar, wrapped snugly in thick velvet. Its soft cork stopper was fastened with a few loops of copper wire; through the jar’s transparent walls, one could see milky white mist swirling and rolling inside, resembling cotton candy-like puffs that seed to breathe.
Zheng Qing glanced at Nikita, equally curious in his heart.
Outside Wusa City, under his threat of “blood sacrifices,” the demoness quickly produced her offering. But she refused to explain its essence to the young wizards, rely stating that this gift was exceptionally rare and precious for all beings in Dreamland.
Zheng Qing certainly wouldn’t trust the female demon’s words alone to approve her offering.
Being wizards, they had other indirect ways to verify.
Xiao Xiao gathered dry twigs and moss to light a fire; Jiang Yu washed clean the bone fragnts and turtle shells; Xin Fat Man and Zhang Ji Xin prepared the divination ritual—in case of ergencies, Zheng Qing also contributed his red paper position as additional protection for the divination.
Amid the swirling smoke, cracks spread across the turtle shells and bone fragnts, emitting faint popping sounds.
The Atonent Hunting Team’s diviners carefully read the cracks, and cross-referenced the results from the crystal ball, tarot cards, and Cao Herb divinations, confirming that Nikita’s offering would bring Wusa City friendship and Bastit’s delight.
So they returned to the temple.
“mory is more enthralling than power,” Nikita recalled the Mist Captain’s words as she looked at the temple’s elder and smiled faintly, “This world was born from echoes of mory, fernting over ti to beco reality… So, no gift is more suited to the essence of this world than it.”
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