Chapter 18: Stepping into the Void (Part 1)

Hearing Oliver's words, Mel took out the ten-pound note.

The banknote exuded a faint, unique smell under the sunlight.

“Can money.... also be a sacrifice?”

She asked, a little uncertain.

“Of course.”

Oliver said, “But in reality, the sacrifice is not the money itself, but the meaning it carries. For example, everything you went through to earn it, the tension, unease, and anticipation at the gathering. What the Red Moon likes most is humanity's submission to instinct. And money corresponds to material desire.”

He said.

“Then what should I do?”

Mel asked, “Just put it in the donation box?”

“Of course, but it doesn't have to be right now.”

Oliver smiled, “You can pray to the Red Moon first, and then put the ten pounds into the donation box later. If you don't know the prayer ritual, I can teach you——first, the ritual is best performed at night, or in a place with little light. Places without sunlight are the domain of the Red Moon.”

As Oliver spoke, he drew the surrounding curtains, preventing any more sunlight from shining in.

As the curtains were drawn, the reception room was plunged into darkness, with only a few faint rays of light penetrating through the gaps in the curtains, leaving long, thin traces of light on the floor.

“Now close your eyes,” Oliver's voice seemed particularly deep in the darkness, “let your heartbeat calm down.”

Mel did as he said and closed her eyes, feeling the tranquility brought by the darkness.

“Now, focus your attention on your breathing,” Oliver continued to guide, “feel the flow of Quintessence within your body.”

Mel began to adjust her breathing.

With each breath, she could feel the Quintessence slowly flowing within her.

This feeling was very strange, as if a warm stream was meandering inside her body.

Next, Oliver lit a candle.

The candle seemed to be made of some special material.

Under the burning flame, it emitted a red glow like moonlight.

“The purpose of this candle is to represent the presence of the Red Moon, but it doesn't have to be this kind of candle. At night, you can directly face the Red Moon. If you are indoors, you can also use something else as a substitute.”

Oliver explained.

“But in reality, as a Shepherd of the Red Moon, you may not need these processes. Your prayer itself should be directed at the Red Moon.”

After a pause, he put down the match in his hand, then said: Now, begin to recite the prayer——there is no standard for the prayer, just say what you think.

The only requirement is: maintain reverence.

Hearing this, Mel took a deep breath to calm her mind.

In this artificially created darkness, the light of the red candle was particularly striking, like a miniature red moon suspended in the air.

“Red Moon above——”

The young girl spoke softly, her voice echoing in the dim room, carrying a trace of piety and anticipation.

“Your believer offers you the most sincere prayer here.”

As her voice fell, the originally scattered candlelight suddenly gathered, focusing on Mel like a spotlight, as if the Red Moon had heard the call and cast its gaze upon its believer.

“With this money that carries desire as a sacrifice, I yearn to master the mystery of that ancient incantation, so that I may travel between The Void and reality.”

The candlelight suddenly flickered violently, and a strange power flowed through the room.

The air was filled with an indescribable sense of oppression and being watched.

“——”

An ancient whisper sounded in her ear.

The words on the sheepskin scroll seemed to come alive, climbing onto Mel's skin like countless tiny insects, drilling into her ear canals, eyes, and mouth.

“Mmph....!”

Mel couldn't help but let out a low groan, her body beginning to tremble slightly.

In the midst of the pain, she found that something was continuously filling her brain along with that whisper.

It was knowledge.

Knowledge about Void Walk.

The elusive incantation was being transformed into knowledge that her brain could understand, branded into Mel's mind.

It was just that this method of transformation was too crude, completely unlike the ease of absorbing another's soul and memories during shepherding.

Mel only felt as if her sanity was constantly decreasing, as if she could fall into madness at any moment.

“Plop——”

A drop of blood fell from Mel's nose, blooming into a dark red flower on the table.

The Red Moon did not seem to want to let go of this unexpected gain.

The candlelight swept gently, taking the blood into its fold.

“I... I see it!”

Mel murmured to herself, her eyes wide open, but her amber pupils were contracted to the size of a pin.

In her vision, the real world and The Void overlapped, forming a dizzying and shocking scene.

“Crack——crack——”

A faint cracking sound came from the air, as if something was being torn.

Mel felt her consciousness passing through some kind of barrier.

The feeling was like the moment a deep diver breaks through the surface of the water.

Suddenly, all sound disappeared.

Mel found herself standing in a boundless void, unable to feel any sense of direction or the existence of gravity.

Is this The Void?

Mel spoke subconsciously, but no sound came out.

She tentatively took a step and found that she could move freely in this void.

With each movement, a faint trace would be left behind her, like a ripple created on the surface of water.

But for some reason, Mel did not have the sensation of moving.

Or rather, in The Void, she did not need to rely on her feet to move.

Mel felt that with just a thought, she could appear a foot away.

But before Mel could get used to this feeling, in the next moment, a sensation of falling enveloped her, bringing her from The Void back to reality.

“!”

Mel's eyes flew open, her amber pupils reflecting the flickering light of the red candle.

Her breathing was rapid and chaotic, as if she had just experienced a long dream.

“Did I.... succeed?”

Mel asked, a little uncertainly.

The feeling was simply unbelievable, as if she had crossed countless dimensions in an instant, only to return to the starting point in the next moment.

Oliver stood to the side, a smile of approval on his face.

He gently pulled open the curtains, letting the sunlight pour back into the room.

The alternation of light and dark made Mel feel a wave of dizziness.

“You succeeded, Miss Mel.”

The bishop's voice sounded in Mel's ear, carrying a hint of praise.

“You just disappeared for about two seconds. After two seconds, you appeared silently at the doorway.”

Hearing him say this, Mel finally noticed that she was no longer in her original position.

“Is this.... Void Walk?”

She murmured to herself, and at the same time felt a wave of fatigue.

The Quintessence consumed by Void Walk was much more than that of a healing spell.

At least in a short period of time, she could only use it twice in a row at most.

“What are your thoughts?”

Oliver asked from the side, like a reporter interviewing a prize-winning student.

“I feel... very different.”

Mel said softly, her gaze falling on the red candle that had been extinguished at some unknown point.

“It's as if the whole world has become different.”

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