Chapter 38 The One Whom the Goddess Does Not Favor
Blackthorn Security Company, underground weapons depot.
"I've taught you everything I need to teach you. Try it."
Klein said to Luze. At this point, all the ingredients were ready and placed on the table.
Lu Ze nodded, then picked up the ritual silver dagger and infused it with spiritual energy. The spiritual energy from the dagger's tip sliced through the surrounding air, creating an invisible spiritual wall. He took out two candles, one long and one short. The long one represented the gods, the short one himself. He released spiritual energy from his fingertips, rubbed the wicks, and with a "teng" sound, the flames ignited.
As the candlelight flickered, Lu Ze dripped a drop of deep-sleeping flower essential oil into the flame. The flame sizzled, and a faint fragrance emanated. He continued to add moonflower and night-sweet vanilla powder to the flame. The fragrance in the air became more and more distinct, like walking into a meadow late at night and smelling the fragrance of wild flowers and grasses, which brought a sense of peace and tranquility.
A two-finger-wide silver piece was placed under the long candle. Luze took the carving knife and chanted softly in Hermetic language:
"The goddess of the night, higher than the stars, and more enduring than eternity."
"You are the Crimson Lord, you are the Mother of Secrets, the Queen of Misfortune and Terror, the Lord of Sleep and Silence."
When reciting the honorific name of the Evernight Goddess, Lu Ze suddenly felt a little embarrassed. This was because he was an official member of the Night Watcher Squad of the Goddess Church, but he had never been to the Goddess Church on weekdays. This was actually his first time reciting the honorific name of the Goddess.
Outside the spiritual wall, Klein watched Luze's ritual progress and suddenly let out a soft "Huh."
But Lu Ze inside the wall didn't know. He continued to recite the prayer according to the procedure:
"I pray to you;"
"Please give me strength;"
"Give me the power to complete the Sleeping Charm."
"Great goddess, please pass your power to my talisman..."
As the spell was about to end, Luze reached for the carving knife. According to Klein's instructions, the goddess would respond to his prayers and bestow divine power upon him. He would then use the carving knife to carve this power into patterns on the silver sheet, solidifying it into a spell. But what about the goddess's power?
Lu Ze was stunned holding the carving knife. He had recited the entire spell, but nothing happened.
Turning his head to look outside, Klein also looked dumbfounded.
"Is there ever a precedent for a goddess not responding to her believers' prayers?"
"At least I haven't heard of it."
"Then why did the goddess ignore my prayers?"
".I don't know either."
In the basement of the armory, Luze and Klein stared at each other.
After that, they tried several more times and found that as long as it was Klein, the ceremony could be completed successfully, but if it was Luze, he would never get the goddess's response.
What the hell is this! Does the goddess hate me?
Lu Ze was completely speechless. He sat on the ground and was in a daze.
He was thinking about why the goddess ignored him.
To be honest, Luze had no faith in his previous life. But when he arrived in this world, the existence of extraordinary power made him realize that there really was a God in this world. In addition, the Londor family was originally a light believer of the Goddess, so he took advantage of the situation and pretended to be a follower of the Goddess and joined the Nighthawks.
But from his heart, he still does not believe in God.
Could it be that this is the reason?
Lu Ze couldn't help but stand up.
In this case, according to the traditional pragmatism of the Chinese people, wouldn't it be better to go to the temple and worship?
So he turned around and walked quickly out of the armory.
"Hey, Luze, what are you doing?"
Klein shouted hurriedly.
"Go pray to the goddess—"
Lu Ze shouted. Instead of returning to the surface, he used the underground passage to quickly reach St. Selina's Church. His hurried steps, as he rushed out of the secret door, startled the priests guarding nearby.
"What's up?"
The pastor said.
"It's okay, I'll pray to the goddess."
Lu Ze answered.
The pastor was speechless. He couldn't possibly stop a believer from praying to the gods, so he could only make way and remind them, "Please be quiet and don't disturb others."
Lu Ze stepped out of the corridor and after a few steps, his vision suddenly opened up. Beneath the high dome, the altar, confessional, pulpit, and rows of benches were laid out in order. The church was deep and quiet, except for the holes carved into the top floor, where the holy emblem stood, representing the stars. Sunlight streamed in, like a dazzling constellation in the night.
It was afternoon, and the prayer hall was sparsely populated. The pastors, each preoccupied with their own affairs, ignored him. Lu Ze chose a secluded bench and sat down, clasping his hands together, bowing his head and closing his eyes, silently praying.
"The goddess of the night, higher than the starry sky, and more enduring than eternity."
He first repeated the goddess's name in Hermetic, and then prayed softly in Loen.
"Great goddess, I am suspicious by nature and lack respect for the gods. I hope you can forgive me."
In short, admit your mistakes first and have a good attitude.
"I will believe in you more devoutly from now on."
He himself didn't believe what he said, but at least in form, he had to show enough respect to the goddess.
"Please be as gracious as the endless night and grant me the gift of Your power."
Finally, the vision was expressed perfectly.
As soon as Lu Ze finished speaking, he immediately felt something was different.
The originally high dome and the deep and dark prayer hall seemed to become softer, making him appear less abrupt and become a part of it.
In the darkness, someone was faintly laughing, as if an invisible thread was hanging down and connected to Lu Ze.
Lu Ze's eyes suddenly widened.
It was difficult for him to describe the feeling, but he was very sure that at that moment he had established a connection with some mysterious and lofty existence.
The potion in his body digested rapidly, and in just a short moment, a large portion of it was actually digested. Suddenly, his ears became quiet and clear, just like the feeling when his ears were blocked for a long time due to motion sickness, and he suddenly swallowed his saliva, and the eardrum returned to normal.
Wow, it actually works.
And why did I digest so much of the potion?
Lu Ze's heart was filled with shock and confusion. He raised his hand and half-heartedly drew the crimson moon symbol on his chest, whispering, "Praise the goddess."
He stood up and returned, still using the secret door. When he returned to the armory, he performed the ritual with familiarity and chanted the name of the Goddess of Night. A sense of peace and deep power filled his body.
That's it!
Lu Ze held the carving knife and began to draw on the silver sheet, carving out Hermes characters and mysterious patterns, fixing the power of sleep on the talisman. Until the last stroke was completed, the dormant power was completely locked into the talisman.
He picked up the talisman, felt the cool touch of the silver, and smiled with satisfaction.