Chapter 59

In the wooden house, a bonfire rose in the hearth, and a plump native woman brought a pot of fragrant meat soup to the great shaman.

She squatted by the bonfire, occasionally glancing at He Boqiang. The native woman walked around the room, swaying her ample body, until the great shaman impatiently waved her hand, and the native woman hurriedly left.

Molly lay on the floor, curled up like a lazy cat. Seeing this scene, she laughed and said to He Boqiang, "Her name is Themis, and she seems to have taken a fancy to you."

He Boqiang couldn't help but roll his eyes and didn't respond to the topic.

The great shaman sprinkled some stone powder into the bonfire, and the flames immediately turned a deep blue.

A breeze blew, causing the firelight to flicker, and the shadows of the leaves hanging from the roof of the wooden house cast a mottled pattern.

He Boqiang felt that this flame made him feel somewhat oppressed.

The blue flames illuminated the great shaman's face, making her expression appear somewhat gloomy. He Boqiang thought the great shaman's mood might be very bad, so he was about to stand up and take his leave.

But before He Boqiang could speak, he heard Enoyatira, the great shaman, ask him:

"Do you want to learn the sacrificial ritual?"

He Boqiang hadn't expected the great shaman to ask him so directly and didn't know how to respond.

Actually, for him, it was something he would be more than happy to do, so he asked in return:

"Can I?"

Enoyatira, the great shaman, slightly raised her eyelids, and her gaze seemed to see through everything.

The great shaman said in a hoarse voice:

"You are a divine favorite, of course you can."

He Boqiang was quite interested in the native civilization of Handanar County, so he seemed a bit eager:

"What do I need to do?"

The great shaman placed her hand next to the bonfire, and a ball of deep blue flame leaped into her palm, as if it had come to life.

Enoyatira, the great shaman, said, "For some people, these things might be something they can never touch in their entire lives, but for us, it's very simple because we can communicate with the demon gods through sacrifice. As long as the offerings are sufficient, we can gain some special powers."

He Boqiang knew that 'manipulating flames' was just a minor spell, and Enoyatira, the great shaman, had added some unknown powder to the fire, which was likely a medium, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to control the fire.

Enoyatira, the great shaman, said solemnly to He Boqiang:

"Before learning the sacrificial ritual, there is one thing you must remember: when you establish a connection with the demon god through the sacrificial ritual, your offering must be equivalent to your request. If your request exceeds your offering, you will become part of the offering."

He Boqiang felt a chill, as it was really difficult to control the scale of the sacrificial ritual.

Then the great shaman added, "However, most of the time, the value of the offering is often greater than our needs. Don't expect the demon god to make up the difference; this world is not absolutely fair."

He Boqiang could only nod mechanically.

The great shaman continued, "The sacrificial ritual must meet three conditions: there must be an altar, an offering, and an audience."

Molly, who was listening attentively, looked at He Boqiang with envy.

Enoyatira, the great shaman, said, "The altar doesn't necessarily have to be a square platform; it needs a soul medium to build a bridge to the demon god. Then, by offering the prepared sacrifice, you can express your wish to the demon god."

She took out a bag from her body and poured some gray stone powder into the bonfire, instantly producing a blue flame.

He Boqiang understood that this stone powder was the soul medium the great shaman mentioned.

"Of course... usually, not all wishes can be granted by him (the demon god)!" the great shaman said.

Seeing He Boqiang's puzzled expression, the great shaman explained:

"To be precise, the demon god we worship can grant us very limited power..."

"..."

This left He Boqiang speechless; he didn't expect that the god the natives worshiped was also a weakling in the realm of gods.

Enoyatira, the great shaman, continued, "Under normal circumstances, the one who can grant me abilities is:

- The 'Divine Body of Courage,' representing courage,

- The 'Eye of Truth,' representing wisdom,

- The 'Shield of Blessing,' representing hope,

- The 'Whisper of Death,' representing fear,

- The 'Death Withering,' representing hatred,

- The 'Life Burning,' representing destruction."

After hearing this, He Boqiang thought it was indeed as expected; the abilities granted after the sacrifice were very consistent with the characteristics of this dual-faced demon god, existing at two extremes.

"The 'Eye of Truth' allows me to see some of the essence of the world, which is why I can strip the black-patterned demon skin from the evil spirits and transfer it to our warriors. However, they can't bear the power contained in the black-patterned demon skin," the great shaman explained her actions during the previous sacrificial ritual.

At this point, He Boqiang asked, "To help them bear the power of the black-patterned demon skin, did you grant them the Divine Body of Courage?"

The great shaman nodded, pressing her temples with a tired look, and said, "It's a necessary step. Someone must stand up to protect this village. Our power is too weak, and if those evil spirits break out, we will be the first to suffer. So we must do our part, and that's only fair."

He Boqiang was surprised by Enoyatira's thoughts and asked:

"If I master the sacrificial ritual, can I also gain these abilities through sacrifice?"

The great shaman nodded and said, "Of course, we are all divine favorites. If you want to know more details, I will tell you the specific steps of the ritual. I hope they can bring back some offerings tomorrow so you can try the ritual..."

"..."

He Boqiang didn't know what to say, feeling that the great shaman seemed to take the sacrificial ritual too lightly.

At this moment, Enoyatira, the great shaman, beckoned to Molly to bring four earthen bowls. The great shaman poured some stone powder into the four bowls and placed them around her. She introduced to He Boqiang that this white phosphorus powder was an excellent medium, and through these deep blue flames, the caster could quickly enter a state and more easily communicate with the demon god.

He Boqiang listened with great attention.

This time, Enoyatira, the great shaman, opened the door to the world of the sacrificial ritual for him.