Chapter 49

Lumian looked at the spirit realm creature that he couldn't see and pondered for a moment before saying:

"How complex can it be, and how powerful can it be?"

"Heh, I thought you would ask how to summon and how to perform ritual magic, but it turns out you just want to know how to use it!" Aurore joked, "This might be a characteristic of the 'Hunter' path, where you don't need to thoroughly understand the principles, but only consider how to use it."

Without waiting for Lumian to respond, she deliberated and said:

"I've tried it. By 'not too complex,' it means it can only perform one action. By 'not too powerful,' it means it doesn't exceed the power of a single spell of a Sequence 7 'Seer' or 'Wizard.'"

Talking to Aurore about these things is good; she has the habit of quantifying and analyzing things, unlike some people who like to describe things vaguely and incompletely... Lumian felt quite moved.

While thinking, he got up to help his sister bring the food to the dining table, and then asked while eating:

"But I remember that your spells often require materials, and 'White Paper' probably can't carry them, right?"

"Yes, that's quite awkward." Aurore forked a piece of fried trout into her mouth, and after chewing and swallowing, she said, "Moreover, a 'Wizard's' spells can't be completed with just one action. The simplest requires three steps: first, focusing the spirit, second, visualizing the symbolic representation of the spell in your mind, which can also be done by reciting the incantation, and third, using materials to cast the spell. The materials can serve as a medium or as part of the spell."

This does sound a bit complex, not something a single-celled creature like 'White Paper' can accomplish... Lumian felt that he couldn't do it either for a while and would need a long time of training to become proficient in casting spells.

Aurore glanced at him:

"Don't think about it. You can't be like me. First, your sequence restricts you, and your spirit is insufficient. Second, using materials to assist in casting spells is a unique ability of 'Wizards.' Well, perhaps some sequences of other paths can do it too, but I don't know enough to make a definitive judgment.

"However, when a 'Hunter' reaches Sequence 7 and becomes an 'Arsonist,' they can use many fire-related spells without materials, without visualizing symbols in their mind, or reciting incantations. In actual combat, this is faster, more convenient, and possibly even more powerful. 'Wizards,' on the other hand, excel in comprehensiveness; the more knowledge they master, the more powerful they become."

Lumian said with great anticipation:

"I wonder when I can become an 'Arsonist'..."

He planned to explore the dream ruins again tonight, first to help digest the potion through 'hunting,' and second to look for clues about the main material for Sequence 8 'Provocateur.'

As for the monsters corresponding to 'Arsonist,' he didn't dare to think about them, fearing it would be like offering himself up to be roasted, as those creatures can attack from a distance, making his 'special' ability useless.

He continued:

"The spells of 'Arsonist' seem to involve only one action. Can 'White Paper' carry them?"

"Technically, it can, but I'm not sure if the spells of 'Arsonist' exceed one unit of power." Aurore's reference point was 'Wizards.'

Hearing this, Lumian became excited:

"If it can, couldn't I simulate the floating cannon you mentioned?"

"Huh?" Aurore was momentarily confused.

Lumian explained in detail:

"I can summon a group of 'White Papers,' sign contracts with them, and have each 'White Paper' carry a fireball. Then, they would float in the air and attack the target together. Isn't this similar to the description of a floating cannon?"

"Unfortunately, you can't have a group of 'White Papers' at the same time." Aurore laughed, "After you sign a contract with one 'White Paper,' the next time you summon using the initial description, it will be the same 'White Paper.'"

"Can I summon one, not sign a contract, then summon another, and so on, until I have the desired number, and then sign contracts with all of them at once?" Lumian, who had not received formal education but had been privately tutored by Aurore with her own ideas, and had been 'tempered' by years of pranks, had a broad mind.

"..." Aurore admitted she wasn't that unscrupulous. She deliberated and said, "I haven't tried it, so I don't know if it works. When you reach Sequence 7, you can try it yourself. However, I think that with one 'White Paper' already present, summoning another 'White Paper' will likely result in a conflict and won't succeed. The only hope is to directly summon multiple 'White Papers,' but this is probably only possible for sequences skilled in summoning."

Lumian made up his mind to try it when the time came, as there was nothing to lose.

Aurore scooped up some mashed potatoes:

"Now, let's talk about how to summon spirit realm creatures, which is one application of ritual magic.

"What is ritual magic? It is magic performed by selecting dates and times, preparing corresponding materials, and strictly following formats and procedures. It is often used for prayers and summoning."

Lumian nodded:

"Is it about achieving a certain extraordinary effect through a ritual?"

He thought of the various rituals of the 'Eternal Sun' Church and the process of the Lenten festival.

"Yes." Aurore was very satisfied with her brother's understanding. "In simple terms, ritual magic always has a target of prayer, which can be one of the seven deities, other secret entities, even evil gods or demons, or even yourself. When you pray to a deity, you need to check or select the dates and times they govern. For example, Tuesday is the symbol of the 'Eternal Sun,' and there are corresponding sun times every day. Performing ritual magic to pray to the 'Eternal Sun' during these times will greatly increase the success rate.

"But this is actually not very useful. Non-official supernaturals have a very low success rate when praying to the corresponding deities. Even if you get a response, don't be happy, as it might mean you've been noticed.

"Of course, we have ways to bypass the restrictions, such as obtaining an item closely related to the target deity.

"Praying to secret entities, evil gods, or demons doesn't require selecting dates and times, but the dangers are obvious, right? Ninety-nine percent of the people who do this don't have a good outcome.

"Therefore, for wild supernaturals, the most commonly used ritual magic is praying to oneself, to mobilize one's own spirit and accomplish more complex tasks."

"Creating talismans and supernatural weapons?" Lumian recalled a point mentioned by the lady.

Aurore nodded:

"Yes, some potions also require ritual magic to be effective.

"You missed one point: summoning spirit realm creatures."

After eating some more food, she continued:

"The second step in ritual magic is preparing the corresponding materials. If you want to pray to a certain entity, prepare herbs, essential oils, powders, hydrosols, etc., that belong to their domain or can please them. For example, to pray to the 'Eternal Sun,' you can use 'Sun' essential oil, rosemary powder, bergamot, and various sunflowers. If you are praying to yourself, it doesn't need to be too complicated. Although it's best to use materials from your own domain, a glass of absinthe will do, and not using it is also fine.

"The third step is setting up the altar, which can vary depending on the environment. It doesn't need to be particularly sacred and solemn, mainly it should be free of clutter.

"The most important part of the altar is the candles..."

Aurore picked up her knife and fork:

"Pretend they are candles. To pray to a deity, use corresponding symbolic materials to make them.

"Still using the 'Eternal Sun' as an example, His titles include 'Unextinguished Light,' 'Embodiment of Order'..."

Being cautious, Aurore paused for a few seconds before continuing:

"God of Contracts, Guardian of Commerce."

"Shouldn't there also be the title 'Father of All Living Beings'?" Lumian had heard many sermons.

Aurore shook her head:

"This is just a title commonly used by the 'Eternal Sun' Church in their propaganda. In mysticism, the 'Eternal Sun' is not sufficient to bear this title. If it were, it might mean something significant."

She didn't specify what the significant event was, as she herself wasn't entirely clear.

She brought the topic back on track:

"If you want to exorcise the undead, you should pray to the 'Unextinguished Light' and use various sunflowers to make the candles. If it involves contracts, use the title 'God of Contracts' and make the candles with bergamot and other materials. For more options, refer to my witchcraft notes.

"In a ritual magic, we place at most two candles representing the deity, because in mysticism, 0 represents the unknown and chaos, symbolizing the beginning of the world. Not placing candles means there will be no effect. 1 represents the beginning, symbolizing the first creator, and also represents a precisely directed entity. 2 symbolizes the world and the deities born from the first creator, so ritual magic can only use two candles to represent the deity. The specific candles to use depend on the desired effect.

"3 represents all things, so the third candle should be for ourselves.

"In other words, the two upper candles represent the deity, and the one in front represents ourselves, making a total of three.

"If you have an item closely related to a deity or secret entity, you can remove the two upper candles and use that item instead, which is called a binary ritual.

"If you are praying to yourself, only leave the candle representing yourself."

Lumian listened intently.

According to the lady's explanation, as a wild 'Hunter,' the only ritual magic he could use before knowing the title of a great being was praying to himself, as he couldn't find an item closely related to a deity.

"Let me demonstrate the subsequent steps of summoning a spirit realm creature for you." Aurore saw that her brother had finished dinner and got up to say.

The two quickly cleared the dining table.