Don't disturb the sorcerer's scientific research

Chapter 228 Jashu's First Experience with the Radiant Knight

"Sleepy Demon, what's that?"

Jia Xiu tried hard to recall the information he had read about the demon race, but he had no recollection of this name at all.

"Is it a nightmare or a dream demon?"

Jia Xiu had seen the two behind them before, but they were both low-level demons. Their main ability was to enter other people's dreams and scare them.

Or they might create some false revelations in the dream, making the dreamer believe it's from ancestors or divine revelation, ultimately tricking them into signing a contract that sells their soul.

Even the most powerful nightmare demon can only use magic to bring awake people into their dreams.

If it gets any stronger, it should be able to advance into another type of demon.

In short, they are more like roadside demons, only capable of doing clandestine things, and rarely seen on the battlefield.

Therefore, after saying those words, Jia Xiu realized the problem.

It's definitely not a nightmare.

What kind of serious illness would warrant a sacrificial ceremony for a demon of this level? Instead of wasting time on that, you should trust the Radiant Knight. The Radiant Knight doesn't need complicated and laborious rituals; just spread her radiance around her. Remember not to write the Third Path; she can really protect you when it matters.

Justina over there also gave a negative answer.

"The Sleep Demon is not a Dream Demon. Although they are both related to dreams, they are completely different. According to the ancient texts we found, the Sleep Demon is an extremely ancient demon from the abyss. It did not participate in any power, nor in the demon race's struggle for supremacy, nor even in the war with the continent."

"You haven't participated in any wars here, nor have you participated in any internal wars?"

Jia Xiu was a little surprised.

He knew that the demons were not united either. This abstract race was fighting against the demons, the continent, and possibly many other planes, while also fighting amongst themselves.

The situation is not quite the same as that of the devils. Although the devils also ruthlessly punish their own kind, they are still united on the surface. The purpose of internal competition is to select the better devils to their rightful places.

Moreover, the devil's side also has a "ruler of the world," Asmodeus.

No matter how much competition there is among other demon lords, none can threaten the supreme position of this Lord of Hell, the supreme demon with immense divine power.

The situation is different for demons.

Pure chaos.

A nicer way to put it is "a multitude of heroes rising up," but it really just means an excellent matchmaking system.

It's like two mentally ill people have collided.

"How did it do that?" Jia Xiu asked, then immediately thought of an even more crucial question: "If it has never even participated in the war with us, how does it know all this information? Could it be that the entire book was made up?"

There have been instances where fabricated stories, passed down through generations, were taken as truth and recorded as such.

"Um... I don't rule out that possibility."

"That's really good news."

"Don't rush. You don't have any other sources of information to rely on anyway, so let's just assume it's true for now."

Wow, you're so good with words.

"Thank you."

I wasn't complimenting you!

"I know."

"..."

Jia Xiu suddenly realized that the Radiant Knight might have been corrupted. The demigod who used to have few followers, who listened attentively to every prayer, and who was single-mindedly focused on the Holy Light and gaining more followers, had become different from before.

It must be caused by those fanfiction writers who write random fanfiction and pray for good luck.

It couldn't have been him who led them astray.

It is absolutely impossible.

Justina continued, "These records about the Sleep Demon all come from the experiences and observations left by an adventurer who entered the Abyss when crossing planes was not so difficult. They are written in the first person, and it says here that he communicated with the Sleep Demon."

Jia Xiu had a bad feeling. The first-person short story sounded more like a novel with the characteristics of the times. It was written in the first person, but the protagonist was not this "I", but another character encountered from the perspective of "I".

"Let's set aside whether he communicated with the Sleep Demon or whether he actually went to the Abyss."

"I have indeed been there. The Adventurers' Guild has certified it. His statue is still displayed at the Adventurers' Guild headquarters. He is a very legendary adventurer."

"Alright, let's assume it's true. They even mentioned Sleep Demon there. How come he doesn't participate in any battles?"

To be able to go down into the abyss and come back alive is truly legendary.

According to Jia Xiu's own speculation, those who can remain unscathed in the chaotic plane are either too weak for any demon to care about, or too strong.

Given the chaotic nature of demons, if they are too weak, they might be kicked to death one day for no reason.

So, if it's true, then this is an extremely powerful demon, just a relatively obscure one. The one who committed the crime in Gowald discovered a "powerful, niche treasure demon" and therefore attempted to achieve his goal by summoning its power. This makes sense; compared to well-known demons who are busy with summoning business, a niche but powerful one is indeed a better choice.

It is similar to the collaboration between Jashu and the Radiant Knight.

This murderer must have read quite a few books, to know even about such a niche evil.

Add one more characteristic: they are very likely to have a large collection of books at home.

Justina was silent for a moment, as if she was also checking her answers on the spot.

"Hmm... because the Sleep Demon has no intention of becoming the king of demons; it only wants to bring liberation to all living beings."

"what?"

"Let me see, it seems to mean... that life in all material planes is full of killing, torment, pain and despair, so it believes that it has an obligation to save the world and let all suffering beings enter into an endless peaceful and beautiful dream."

It is indeed a devil.

Jia Xiu now felt that the Sleep Demon was definitely a standard demon. That's how demons are. It's not 100% brutal, but it has a peculiar thought process and is extremely obsessed with it, firmly believing that other creatures should also accept its way of thinking.

Numerous strange and obsessive ideas collided to create a demonic world that normal people could not possibly tolerate.

How come the material plane is filled with pain and despair?

Please don't apply the situation of the Abyss Plane to other planes.

They all entered an endless dream.

What a "good" devil!

I reckon I could get along well with someone named Otsutsuki.

Justina continued, "It says here that the place where the Sleep Demon resides is filled with demons immersed in their dreams, all of whom are demons who have come to challenge it, and it, with a compassionate heart, grants them eternal peace."

Now it's confirmed, it really is one of those ridiculously strong types.

Those demons who went to cause trouble for it were also unlucky; they didn't even die a good death, and were instead stuck there as "figurines."

Jassiu thought for a moment and noticed the wording Justina used.

"It says here? What says here? The book that records the Sleep Demon is right in your hands?"

"Yes, the believer I contacted found this book in the Holy City's Great Library and then offered it directly to me."

"Um... what do you mean by 'sacrifice to you'?"

"Oh, right, right!"

Justina's tone suddenly became excited when this was mentioned.

"I now possess new divine power. My prayer channels can now be used not only to send messages, but also to deliver physical objects."

After fooling so many casual believers, they finally managed to "upgrade" Justina's faith.

No wonder those gods all want fanatical followers; the quality of these general followers is indeed poor, and it takes so many new ones to gain a little more divine power.

"So, it means we can accept offerings and receive divine blessings now?"

"Yes."

"Speaking of which, I've always been curious about what the gods need those offerings for?"

Jasmine couldn't understand what a god could possibly need those things for. "They're not really useful," Justina answered honestly. "But the more offerings there are, the more urgent and important it is, so they might prioritize processing the prayer content."

Jia Xiu understood.

The offerings are from U-Pass, so there's no need to queue.

Justina added, "In addition, sometimes other believers need things that some believers may have already provided for, and these can be given back directly, which is more convenient than normal divine gifts."

Jia Xiu was starting to lose his composure.

The act of offering sacrifices to the gods, and the gods granting this process, is essentially equivalent to a second-hand market.

Gods are fickle!
"Alright, why don't you just send me that book? I'll take a look at it."

"Don't send it to you! That would be too much trouble."

"Huh?" Jia Xiu didn't understand at all. "What's wrong with that? You could just throw it over through a crack. You know where I am, why bother?"

"No, you, you prayed."

“Strictly speaking, I am praying right now, but in a less formal way.”

"Then pray again, just pray a little more, and then I will bestow this book upon you."

Justina was like a child who had just received a new toy.

Can understand.

When Jia Xiu first learned a new spell, he also liked to find a secluded place to place it randomly.

"Quick, hurry, pray a prayer."

Jia Xiu never imagined he would have the chance to be urged to pray by a demigod in his lifetime.

"No, what's the difference between this and you sending it directly?"

“The process is different! This is the business I did after becoming more familiar with God as a believer. Moreover, this is the first divine gift I gave to God, so it is very meaningful.”

"Um... the chosen one doesn't mean me, does it?"

"You may not admit it, but I've already unilaterally decided that you're my chosen one. This is my first divine gift, and you wouldn't want me to give it to someone else, would you?"

"How did you manage to make such a proper procedure sound so bizarre?"

Jia Xiu now has ample reason to suspect that he has been subtly influenced by reading too many lowbrow fanfics about demigods.

The "Corruption" of the Radiant Knight.

"Hurry up, oh dear, don't waste time, just say, 'Please...'"

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Justina otherwise, Jassi had no choice but to give in to her.

I cleared my throat, made sure no one was around, and for some reason felt a little ashamed.

"Please, great Jas..."

“When you speak the name of a god, you don’t speak his real name.”

"The Great Radiant Knight".

"Do you think using the word 'great' is a bit inappropriate?"

"You asked for it yourself!"

"Never mind then, let's not add a prefix..."

……

Two minutes later, Jassi completed his first formal "prayer".

The deity in question observed the entire process, expressed great satisfaction, and bestowed divine light upon the event.

Because neither party was very familiar with the process and both were a little nervous, the whole process was very quick.

But we managed to succeed, albeit with some difficulty.

Regardless of what is bestowed, the visual effect of the Holy Light pantheon is still very ceremonial.

As the warm light filled the room, Jia Xiu felt a sense of holiness surrounding him.

Okay, the thought that this thing was given by some demigod makes it seem less sacred.

A ball of golden light gradually solidified into a physical form, transforming into a book.

The book's material didn't look very refined to begin with, but now it's radiating a golden glow and looks quite like a sacred artifact.

Jia Xiu opened it directly.

Justina even thoughtfully placed a bookmark at the chapter where Sleep Demon appears.

Whose god uses a small knife as a bookmark?

As Jashu pulled the ordinary little knife from the book, he could imagine Justina not knowing how to mark it, so she simply pulled a knife from her own equipment and tucked it inside.

Indeed, she's much more likely to carry a knife than a proper bookmark.

Jia Xiu quickly browsed through the records about the Sleep Demon.

The more I look at it, the more unreliable it seems. This adventurer didn't even remember what the Sleep Demon looks like.

Perhaps they haven't seen their true face yet.

However, as he read on, he suddenly noticed a very noteworthy passage.

It relates to the ritual for summoning the Sleep Demon.

Strictly speaking, it's not about summoning the Sleep Demon itself, but rather summoning it to bring its power down to a certain area and then bring so-called "peace" to that area.

It should be for this area to open Tsukuyomi.

The key lies in the entire process of the ceremony.

First, a pure heart is required as a sacrifice, because the Sleep Demon believes that only a pure heart that is not polluted can conjure up a truly beautiful dream world.

So the murderer tied up the child and then began to perform the ritual steps in sequence.

The first soul to be sacrificed should be in a place where food is plentiful, for in a beautiful dream, there should be no worry about hunger.

It matches up now, it matches up now.

The first child to be sacrificed in the ritual was in the grain cellar.

It can be considered a place with a sufficient amount of food.

It's hard to find a place with more food in this wretched place like Gowad.

He hurriedly looked at the subsequent sacrificial requirements.

The good news is that there are time intervals for the sacrifice; you don't sacrifice all your souls at once.

The remaining children still have a chance to survive.

The bad news is that sacrifices require a large number of pure hearts.

If the murderer isn't caught soon, other children will probably suffer too.

Jia Xiu couldn't understand why the Sleep Demon needed such a complicated process to unleash its power. Logically speaking, based on the strength recorded here, it was almost on par with a weak god, so it should be able to unleash its power whenever it wanted, without needing such a complicated ritual.

Is it also to prioritize the importance of those who are to be sacrificed? Or is it simply for the sake of ritual?

Something is wrong!

No, there is definitely something wrong with it.

The next sacrificial site will have a warm place to stay, melodious music, and a whole host of other amenities.

The Sleep Demon's beautiful dreams were surprisingly well-thought-out.

But in the end, I didn't see that the ritual required removing the internal organs of the sacrificial offerings, making it so bloody.

Why is this?
And what's the point of letting Goward enter a dream? What does it have to do with the secrets of the manor?
Could it be that the perverted killer took the initiative?
(End of this chapter)