The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

George's gaze swept over the dull silver powder array on the ground and the dead, strange frogs.

He made sure there was nothing unusually thick around him, gripped his cane, and focused his mind on the card table in his mind.

Several more cards appeared on the card table.

One pair consists of a silver magic array called the "Celestial Zodiac Ritual" with a golden-red sun suspended in the center, and a component of the magic array called the "Celestial Pivot Wheel".

【Celestial Zodiac Ritual】

[Sexual aspects: Candle, Star, Ritual]

The celestial sphere is characterized by four axes, known as the four seasons; two fire-bearers, Cortopes, who holds the cold fire, and Cortés, who holds the blazing fire; the soul descends through the northern gate and departs through the southern gate. This ritual is a simplified variation of the famous Mithraic rites, using the divine power of the sun and spirit to extinguish the surrounding darkness.

One image shows layers upon layers of disgusting frogs.

【Frog Plague - Demon Frog】

[Nature/Appearance: Abyss]

[Originating from the power of the "Abyss" leaked from the seal, it caused a calamity under strange influences. After the culprit was killed, it lost its foundation and its life dried up.]

The most important one is a staff that radiates a holy white light.

Staff of Katharsis

[Appearance/Sexual Signs: Candle, String, Utensils, Evidence of Achievements]

[Forged from the purple robe favored by the goddess of the crossroads, and inlaid with a pure white testament sealed in the name of the crescent moon. This alchemical artifact possesses spirit but lacks wisdom, yet this does not diminish its powerful efficacy.]

His attention was particularly drawn to the "proof of accomplishment" entry in the cane information, which seemed to possess a certain deep interactivity.

A prompt appeared when his will attempted to touch it.

[Requires either "rationality" or "passion" to unlock]

George was not surprised that it would take resources to analyze it, and although the use of "passion" was a first, it was also reasonable.

From the entry for 【Pure White Cube - Purification】, he deduced that this cane might contain the key to the viscount's advancement path, or his past that he was trying his best to hide.

Either way, it's crucial to his current situation, and it's information he needs to gather even if it means taking risks.

He quickly drew a card of passion, which led to an interesting discussion.

[Proof of Achievement: Relying on the existence of Siwei, the Venerable Lawgiver will inevitably choose a path, delving ever deeper into the world beneath its surface. Both the highest and deepest places are "Shepherd Capitals," and those who ascend this path can only stop before the "Sea of ​​Breath."]

[[The Law of Respect - Burning] I have lit my soul, like a candle flame—and nothing can extinguish me except death, for I can only embark on the path of reshaping myself through light and flame...]

[[The Law of Alchemy] I follow the path of the gods of light, practicing the principles of burning through the existence of the four supreme beings, offering myself in the proper way in exchange for the ultimate brilliance of my soul...]

[Achievements - Albinism] The Crescent Moon holds the secret of albinism; it has stripped my color from within my skull. My pupils glow like pale glass, my form is translucent, and my soul is abundant; even in the darkness, it is as bright as day…

It's clear that he gained a lot this time, but George's knowledge of the occult is insufficient, and he only has a superficial understanding of it.

Fortunately, he was temporarily satisfied—knowledge could be learned slowly, but such opportunities to assess one's abilities were rare.

He carefully surveyed the lake shore.

The whirlpool had long since subsided, and the lake surface had returned to an almost deathly calm. Only the non-human corpse covered in slime and scales floated silently, proving that the fierce underwater battle just now was not an illusion.

The frog swarm had completely lost its activity, and the disaster seemed to have truly ended.

After confirming, George didn't delay any longer.

He carefully wiped away the traces of the silver powder array with the sole of his boot, then picked up the few ritual objects that had become dull and seemed to have lost their power, wrapped them in his coat and packed them into a bag.

After doing all this, the last trace of emotion on his face returned to calm, and he simply sat quietly in place, waiting.

During this time, George had been thinking about how to take advantage of the Viscount's weakened state while he was in a coma.

Having witnessed the Viscount's explosive outburst that wiped out the Blood Disaster and the Frog Disaster, he wasn't entirely convinced that his adoptive father was truly terminally ill.

The attempt to steal the cane was also an attempt to see the viscount for who he really was. Given his carefully cultivated persona of an extraordinary rookie, there was an element of risk involved, but it wasn't very significant.

He knows too little about the extraordinary right now, and he can't guarantee that the Viscount might have skills like long-range eavesdropping or mind reading.

Assuming the viscount truly does possess the ability, he must utilize this period of weakness to accomplish what needs to be done.

Of the known insiders, Thomas is likely to remain by the Viscount's side and is unlikely to be used as a breakthrough point.

Although his uncle had delivered the message, George remembered that he had always stayed in the New World, and the purpose of his return was currently unknown.

The old man was involved in so much that he rarely had the opportunity to have any legitimate contact with him.

George didn't have much contact with his grandmother and uncle. He felt that it would be better to go to the original owner's sister instead—at least they would be closer and less likely to give him away.

In summary, Carson is probably the most likely breakthrough point at present.

George still remembers how the original owner often sneaked away from the nanny to play in the servants' room when he was a child.

Although the housekeeper always found out and sent him back, Carson was always kind and would occasionally give him some small snacks.

He decided to take advantage of his long absence from home and ask the steward to let him go down to the servants' quarters again to find out more about this family history.

Although it's certainly not "respectable" for a young master to wander around the servants' quarters, the situation is urgent.

The current frog plague presents an excellent opportunity, and I believe Carson will not refuse a kind young master from the main household who comes to inquire about the servants' condition.

As he pondered this, not long after, he heard the old man Mo calling out in the distance, accompanied by the low barking of hunting dogs.

George hurried over and, as expected, saw the old man Mo carrying a lantern, followed by a slightly nervous boatman named Sam, wading along the lake shore.

"Young Master! Young Master George!" Old Man Mo was visibly relieved to see George standing safely and quickened his pace to come over.

He glanced around at the vast expanse of dead frogs and the restored lake shore, clearly quite shaken.

"Mr. Hammer, my father has been taken back to the mansion by Thomas. He is exhausted and unconscious, but he instructed me to handle the aftermath," George replied, his tone feigned calmness.

His gaze passed over old man Mo and fell on Sam behind him.

"Sam, everything's fine here. Go back to the dock and get the boat over here. Keep an eye on the lake."

Sam, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, nodded hurriedly in agreement and turned to leave quickly.

George explained to old Hanmo, "There's something else in the lake that we need to take the boat over to deal with."

The old man didn't ask any more questions, he just glanced at George and nodded.

George nodded in response, then looked up at the sky.

The fact that this old man can remain calm in the face of adversity suggests that he has seen his share of big events.

George, however, admitted that he was not good at speaking and was exhausted after experiencing a big event. He was also socially awkward and afraid of making a fool of himself.

Otherwise, it would be good to get some information from this loyal servant of the manor.