Chapter 166: Miss Sage

Chapter 166: Miss Sage

Mr. Commoner turned his gaze toward Mr. Courage and continued. "There are ancient ruins inland on that specific island. You should hurry and perform your respective rituals soon, but don’t go for the next stage of the Bloodborne Sea."

Mo Fei listened intently, his cold, analytical mind recording every single word Mr. Commoner uttered. ’The Isle of Silent Remnants.... Perfect. This is exactly the information I needed to save my own life at dawn.’

"A wonderful piece of exchange, Mr. Commoner. In return, Mr. Courage may offer you something of an equal value." Mo Fei praised him, waving his hand as a faint trickle of white mist materialized a blank scroll in front of the Arbiter. "Your knowledge has value. What is it that you seek from the Lenormand Club in return?"

Mr. Commoner bowed his head slightly. "I need an anchor — specifically the auxiliary ingredients required to stabilize the descent of an Ordinal Six."

Miss Sage, seeing the high-level exchange, took a deep breath and raised her hand slightly, her eyes fixed on Mr. Courage. "Mr. Courage... regarding the Threadbinder formula you provided me. I have gathered most of the core ingredients, but the fate-weaving ritual also requires a ’pure anchor ’— a person who has touched the edge of a deity’s influence and survived without mutating. Since you are currently on that island... Your survival in the first stage makes you a perfect candidate. I am willing to trade a rare warding charm to help protect your ship in exchange for a drop of your spiritually anchored blood once you return."

Mr. Courage looked at her in surprise. "That’s great, Miss Sage. I’m willing for this trade, and as for Mr. Commoner..." He paused and turned toward Zhuo and gave him a respectful nod. "I’m grateful for your knowledge, and respectfully, I’m willing to give you an awakened mid-grade artifact —the Bell of Catalyst; it’ll be your anchor for the Descent.

A smile crept over Zhuo’s face behind the protective mist. "Thank you for that offer, Mr. Courage."

"Be careful, an Ordinal Six descent is extremely dangerous. I wish you good regards." Silas warned before projecting the Bell of Catalyst at the table near Zhuo, who slowly grabbed it.

Afterward, Miss Sage turned toward the grand seat and asked gently. "Mr. Mysteries, if you permit, then can I ask one important question?"

Mo Fei raised his hand in a gesture to continue.

Avrill’s warm, emerald green eyes glinted with curiosity and anxiety. "Is it safe to perform the Descent for the Threadbinder?"

Mo Fei leaned forward and looked at her for a few moments. He knew about Threadbinder from Old Bai and the book he had gotten from him. "Miss Sage, I can see that you are excited to become an Ascended, but before you step into this mad path, I would like to warn you." He paused for a moment as the heavy weight of his words got to Miss Sage, who listened attentively.

"To ascend to the next world, you need to meet the death ascension requirements, which may get you mentally exhausted beyond limits. Moreover, once you become an Ascended, you’d have to constantly fight madness and lingering malice. Tell me, do you accept such outcomes? Please, consider yourself since the step of the ladder you wish to take has broken legs." Mo Fei stopped speaking, looking at Miss Sage, who seemed to think about it more seriously.

"Mr. Mysteries, does the death requirement mean I have to kill myself to reach the next world?" She asked curiously and stood up.

"Precisely."

"..." Avrill paused, a heavy silence gripped the edges of the spirit world. After a while, she finally continued. "Yes, I will become an Ascended."

"Why is that?"

Hearing that question, she immediately answered. "It’s my dream to learn about the world; I want to reach every bit of the corner and learn about humanity."

Miss High Priestess glanced at Avril, her expression shifting into unease as she thought in her mind. ’So Ascenders have to constantly die just to get into the next world?’

"I see." The Mysteries said before resting his one arm over his lap and the other on his chin. "If you wish to weave the thread of fate, then remember one thing, Miss Sage: the more you touch fate, the less your fate clears up." With another small pause, he added, keeping his tone detached. "As for your question. The Threadbinder Authority is currently the most dangerous one; everyone who had chosen it either lost control or died miserably."

Of course, Avrill, who had recently read multiple occult books, understood the danger of this Authority. The reason she chose it wasn’t merely this Authority being versatile, but it was also that if she had it, then she could overcome her own fear of fate.

Miss Sage closed her eyes for a while. Knowing the danger of it, she still believed Mr. Mysteries would grant her permission to walk onto it and may even bless her to remain sane. "I decided then. If you permit me, then I shall continue the Descent ritual."

The cosmic Jester chuckled slightly at her words, maintaining the terrifying authority over the Spirit World. "Rest assured, Miss Sage, for now, perform the Descent and I’ll watch over you."

Finally, Avrill turned toward Silas and gave him a brief nod. "I’ll provide you the rare mystical charm now, I have got it from the Church of Judgment."

Miss Sage focused her thought into a singular point, projecting the mystical charm on the top before sitting back in her chair.

Mr. Courage took the charm silently. "Mr. Mysteries, after returning to the Mortal Realm, can I send the anchoring blood?"

"You may, but do not try to pry into the spirit world too deeply."

Looking at Silas sitting back, Mo Fei finally spoke again. "Now, for the next gathering, I’ll chant my great honorifics; the next meeting won’t be inconvenient. If you wish to attend it, then call out..."

"You are The Lord Light that Walks Beyond the Sun."

"Your are The Keeper of Godless Heaven."

"You are The Last God of a Dying World."

"You are The Lost Destiny of Time."

Each word settled into their minds. Mr. Courage, who had heard these honorifics before, still seemed to feel the weight. Mr. Commoner, however, felt his mind calm down even further, while Miss Sage memorized each one of them.

Miss High Priestess seemed to look directly toward Mo Fei, her face shifting into various thoughts as she found herself giggling inwardly.

"I give you forty seconds; if anyone has any questions, you may ask in that time limit, or we shall now dismiss it."

The forty-second countdown began, ticking down within the majestic expanse of the protective white mist.

Miss Sage remained seated, her hands resting on her lap as she thought about whether she had questions currently. Mr. Courage let out a silent breath, holding the conceptual projection of the rare warding charm, while Mr. Commoner rigidly maintained his seat, his eyes fixated on the newly acquired Bell of Catalyst.

At the head of the table, Mo Fei kept his grand posture perfectly still, counting while waiting for someone to speak again.

After a while. "The time has expired." Mo Fei announced as the final seconds ran out. The marble pillars began to dissolve back into the white mist, and the starlit sky began to fade. "Until next Sunday, at the same time... the meeting is adjourned."

With a collective whoosh, the pillars of starlight shattered. Avrill, Silas, Kiyori, and Zhuo were instantly pulled back down into their physical shells, leaving the grand hall empty.

The moment they left, Mo Fei’s majestic silhouette collapsed. The nebula layers vanished, leaving him gasping for air as his remaining spirituality bottomed out completely as the Divine Mist began to slowly heal the infection of his Spirit threads.

The clean, safe silence of the Spirit World snapped away, replaced instantly by the suffocating air of the narrow ship passage, the howling wind outside, and the excruciating, burning itch of his corrupted right arm.

Mo Fei snapped his physical eyes open in the hidden cabin, drawing a heavy breath as he got back to guide the ship, knowing well that time was ticking.