Miss Witch's Forbidden Book Secret

"I was just cleaning with Marn when I found this sword..." Tia tilted her head, handed over the assassination sword with both hands, and said earnestly, "But senior, I will always support you! Although I'm not sure if the guild will split up, I think we shouldn't kill each other, right?"

These words were spoken with such sincerity that Jeremiah did not notice anything amiss and was even somewhat moved.

She was silent for a moment, then nodded emphatically and said, "You're right, Tia."

"Your help was very timely, thank you."

Tia said, "In that case, senior, you should set off quickly. Otherwise, things might get complicated, and it wouldn't be good if Senior Rex found out."

"Lend your auspicious words."

...........................

After giving the sword to Jeremiah, Jeremiah did not take immediate action, but waited until nine o'clock in the evening.

At this point, Rexar would be in the church attending Mass, completely unaware of what was happening outside.

Knowing everything is the power of a prophet, and clearly, Rexar has not yet embarked on the path of prophecy.

Moreover, because his faith was too devout, and the Holy Grail was a means of imprisoning wisdom, his spirituality was suppressed during his prayers, and he didn't even notice the warnings.

The Mass lasted a full hour. Therefore, Jeremiah had a full hour to travel to the seventh floor of the bell tower, which seemed excessively long for her.

—If Tia hadn't come to the nameless church in Rexsa.

Seeing Tia rushing over, Rexa asked in surprise, "What happened?"

The next moment, Rex's expression changed drastically.

Upon seeing Rex, Tia immediately said:

"Senior! Senior Jeremiah is going to the top floor to retrieve the Book of Transformation!"

Chapter 197 Trinity

Upon hearing this news, Rexar immediately stopped his nightly mass. The Grail ritual abruptly ended, and his suppressed spirituality instantly stirred, reminding him:

　Tia is right about that.

This intuition struck Rexar as absurd; he couldn't fathom how Jeremiah dared to venture to the seventh level. Even with his Disintegration spell, he struggled to break through the ritual on the front of the seventh level, so there was absolutely no way Jeremiah could have broken through head-on.

But he set off immediately, and also invited Tia along.

Tia followed Rexsa out of the church and answered his question, "During the day, my senior just got a sword from the clock tower and then immediately left with it."

“An assassination sword that can open the side door? I see... That explains it.” Rexar murmured, “Tia, I will control Jeremiah later! But even I dare not say how long I can imprison the transforming moth.”

"You must take the assassination sword while I'm holding her back—that is, the sword you mentioned. It must be inside Jeremiah's laurel wreath. Back then, when the righteous Jeremiah was holding the laurel wreath for the tyrant Maxunus, he seized the opportunity to draw the sword from the wreath and cut off Maxunus's neck. It can only be hidden inside the laurel wreath."

Tia was a little confused; how come there were two Jeremiahs...?

"Senior, are you saying that the senior sister killed the tyrant five hundred years ago?"

“No, it’s her past life. She was a Sequence 4 of the Ascended Path, and had mastered the unspeakable Butgara, which is why she could control moths. You’re from the Ascended School, so you should know more than I do.”

No! I don't know.

I became a monk through a completely unorthodox path!

Rexar didn't care whether Tia understood or not, and said directly, "So you need to take the Assassination Sword immediately and then open the side door to take the Book of Transformation."

Tia shook her head and said, "I can't beat him, senior."

Rexar's voice was hoarse and low, with an indescribable heaviness.

“Listen carefully, Tia, I can only trust you. This is not only for my own good, but also for yours and for Jeremiah.”

“I remember you have mastered the Hand of Transformation, right? I will now teach you the lower ritual of the Trinity.”

The Trinity is the secret of the Transformation School, and one of Rexar's most powerful rituals. Its main function is to prepare three rituals in advance; when one ritual is activated, the other two take effect immediately without requiring materials or time. The effects of all rituals are tripled, but the cost is also tripled.

This is a Sequence 4 ritual, and its lower-level substitute is the Sequence 7 "Binary Substitution". When a ritual is activated simultaneously, the effect and cost are doubled.

The next lower-level ritual is Sequence 9, "Hand of Transformation," which is also a ritual, but the effect remains the same while the cost is tripled.

Rexar took out a cross, held it in one hand, and drew four dots in front of Tia, saying hastily, "You don't have much time left. I will now verbally tell you all the secrets of the Trinity."

"You should listen as much as possible. At your Sequence 7 level, it will be difficult for you to learn Trinity, but you should be able to at least hear about Binary Substitution. With Binary Substitution, you can use Golden Fire to temporarily drive away the moths."

After drawing four dots in a blur, Tia heard a slippery sound, like that of an ouroboros, ringing in her ears.

Rex's lips didn't move, but Tia heard his voice. And although time was passing normally to the naked eye, it sounded like time was fast-forwarded when she heard his voice.

At this moment, she felt much like when Tia read Pope Peter's letter of recommendation to her; she heard at least three ceremonies being mentioned simultaneously.

But the most crucial one is still the one at the very top—

"What I am talking to you is: the complete ritual of the Trinity."

"The materials for this ritual are: sacred salt, sulfur, mercury, fresh blood from three inches below an adult's wrist, and a clean and intact mirror no larger than the palm of your hand."

"The entire ritual involves smearing blood on a mirror and drawing an equilateral inverted triangle, while also smearing the same inverted triangle on one's uninjured palm. This step is the same as the Transformation Hand."

"Then ingest mercury and sulfur, which are highly toxic at this time. So you must use your tongue to dissolve the sacred salt and balance their properties. At this time, immediately construct the ritual of the three rites in your mind through meditation. This step must not be performed during the new moon or waning moon, but during the middle of the moon, you can point a mirror at the moonlight, and at this time you do not need to use the sacred salt."

"Afterwards, you must wear the mirror on your body; the mirror is the 'lock' for the entire ceremony. Do not stray too far from the mirror; the maximum distance is one thousand feet."

"When the mirror is nearby, the cost of all the rituals arranged through the Trinity is temporarily stored in the mirror. When the sun rises the next day, or if the mirror is broken, or if you are too far away from the mirror, the cost will come to a head."

"Note: Do not attempt to deploy two Trinities simultaneously, nor allow two or more Trinities or their subordinate rituals to synergize. Otherwise, the cost will increase exponentially, and you will bear the consequences—"

As the words fell, Rexar's eyes cleared again. This knowledge itself was also corrupted, and it had affected him to some extent.

Rexar asked with urgency and worry, "Tia, how much did you understand? Did you understand binary substitution?"

"Almost there..."

“That’s enough. I don’t have time to teach you anymore. I know you’re feeling unwell right now—nauseous, in pain, dizzy—but time is really running out. Go to the clock tower immediately and find the materials. I’ll go and subdue Jeremiah!”

Rexar breathed a sigh of relief; the situation had largely exceeded his expectations. To be honest, this was somewhat of a desperate attempt. But Rexar had no choice. He didn't have any particularly close associates within the academy, and his faith in the Seven Gods and the Holy Grail made him somewhat of an outcast, to the point that most alchemists preferred Jeremiah.

The only people he could trust were Tia, who came to deliver the message, and young Marn.

But Marn was only Sequence 9, so he was really useless. The only one who could help him was Tia, and he was even prepared that Tia wouldn't understand at all—in that case, he would have to find a way to take risks.

Tia took a deep breath and pretended to be a little uncomfortable.

Rexar's concerns may indeed be valid, but they are completely different from what he expected.

Tia not only understood everything, but she didn't even feel anything—to be honest, after running alongside Rexsa all the way, her feet were a little sore...

However, Ulrich is really generous... he practically gave her the entire Trinity ritual for free...

In the night wind, Rexar's black robes fluttered loudly.

Rexar warned:

"Tia! The ritual I set up in advance at the clock tower can trap her for half an hour, and when I arrive, I can use the Trinity to control her for another hour."

"Go to the clock tower right now. Marn knows all the materials are there. Then come and take the assassination sword immediately. It's all up to you!"

As he finished speaking, the shadow of the clock tower stood in the distance.

—Thump!

At the top of the seven-story tower, a circular mechanical clock hangs in the center of the front of the tower. The hammer clicks loudly, and the hands point to the hour.

Chapter 198 is my Tia!

—Thump!

As the bells rang loudly on the top floor, at the top of the stairs leading to the seventh floor, Jeremiah looked up at the light source that had been bothering her for almost half an hour, slightly raised her hand, clenched it into a fist, and muttered to herself:

"Teacher! Am I really a traitor? If I am a traitor, then what about Rexar, who placed the golden lantern at your door to guard against me?! I never intended to lay a hand on him."

“I’ve said it before, Rexar is too dangerous to learn! Change isn’t always a good thing; it can be a path to conflict. In this respect, I’d rather you be a god.”

"I'm sorry, teacher. But you died too young."

As soon as the words were spoken, a moth took flight and extinguished the flame of the golden lamp.

The moment the golden lamp went out, the burning sensation that pierced her soul and the terrifying attraction vanished instantly.

Jeremiah breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw that Rex had not yet arrived.

The golden lamp actually poses a great threat to her. Her supernatural abilities are weakened by 30% when exposed to light, and if there is a strong light source, all her supernatural abilities will be deflected to a certain extent, and in severe cases, they may even become completely ineffective.

If Rexar had arrived at this moment, her preparations would have been almost entirely in vain.

She tossed her long robe and continued upwards, gripping the stair railing. Hidden beneath the pristine white robe, half of her right arm was charred black, the charred crust emitting a strong, smoky smell. Black moths fluttered their wings, their wings hissing. The moths took flight, and the wound instantly became as smooth as the other half.

Jeremiah opened the side door and stepped into the storeroom with practiced ease. Looking inside, he saw the side door covered with heavy iron chains and large brass locks.

This is good news; it seems Lexar hasn't set any traps in the storeroom. Even the door isn't perfectly secure; the adamantite frame doesn't fit snugly against the wall, and a strong wind is blowing in from inside, making a whooshing sound.

Upon hearing this voice, Jeremiah was somewhat dazed. He took the tin wine jug he always carried from his waist, scattered it on the ground, and then pressed his hand against the laurel wreath on his head, holding it in his arms.

"Alright, teacher, I know I might be wrong about this. But besides that, what other way is there to mend this huge rift between the school and even the Iris Flower?"

"Conflict, division, intrigue, assassination, everyone is in danger! The unsheathed blade has become a systemic problem in this country, and no one is safe! You dedicated your life to bringing the iris back to the path of peace, and I feel that what I am doing is truly carrying on your legacy."

Her murmurs had barely ended when the sound of prayers during Mass came from the stairwell behind her.

Accompanied by the moonlight streaming through the window, the prayer sounded rather holy and solemn.

Jeremiah raised an eyebrow slightly, turned around and looked behind him, immediately seeing a small mirror reflecting the moonlight.

The mirror hung at Rex's waist, draped over his black robe. Rex made the sign of the cross and spoke:

"Jeremiah, were those words meant for me?"

"You're overthinking it. That's what you were saying to the teacher."

“Jeremiah! I remember that scholars who enter the Society must swear an oath to their own hearts and to the sages of the past. Do you remember what they said?”

Jeremiah raised his right hand, his fingers covered in grayish-black scabs, and pointed at Rexsa. The rings on all three fingers simultaneously emitted a faint, shimmering white glow.

These rays of light flowed like a stream from Jeremiah's fingertips down to his entire body.

In that instant, her skin resembled that of some kind of reptile, with irregular, scale-like patterns forming on her previously fair and delicate skin.

There was no sudden burst of rays, nor any bomb that suddenly exploded. Instead, Rex's entire body instantly transformed into a flurry of red and white moths, their skin, hair, flesh, and bodily fluids all fluttering up.

In the storm of moths, Rexar didn't even have time to make a sound before his entire body was completely transformed.

"I, Jeremiah, hereby swear: I willingly enter into the marriage bed of the serpent and the dove, pledging my life to the indebtedness of change. I am the key of knowledge, the locksmith of fear. I will follow the creed of cruelty and truth to the best of my ability and judgment."

"Wherever I go, whether poor or rich, weak or strong, I will follow the right path of balance and heed the teachings of the scales. I will not heed the heresies of other religions, nor will I lean towards the light or the darkness, nor will I insist on the eternity of the soul or believe in unchanging existence. May I strictly keep these vows, and may all teachers grant me the highest glory in knowledge and wisdom."

The moths fluttered their wings and scattered, leaving only a skeleton in the place.

After killing Rex, Jeremiah dared not relax for a moment and asked, "Rex! You may be right to insist that letting your teacher continue to live in the mortal world is indeed a bad idea. But for the sake of learning, this is the only way. I would rather he become a god living in the mortal world."

The skeleton collapsed with a loud crash.

Right at the corner of the stairs, thick thorns, each as thick as a person's embrace, grew on the wooden stairs.

Rexar walked up from the corner, glanced at the pits formed by the blood and gore on the ground, and frowned as he gripped the handrail, saying, "Stubborn to the end..."

The moth itself embodies the knowledge of change, making it more suited to Rex's "displacement scholar" than to Jeremiah's "great philosopher." Jeremiah, using the power of the moth, could never defeat Rex, who was an expert in this field.

The moths, having feasted on flesh and blood, flew towards the thorns, only to be pierced and exploded by the thorn vines, their blood splattering onto the ground and corroding a large pit, billowing out poisonous smoke.

But the thorns were completely unaffected, spreading and covering the walls and floors in an instant, turning the entire storeroom into a corridor of thorns.

The moment the thorns were laid out, Jeremiah's heart skipped a beat, and his brow furrowed.

She had originally thought that Rex would use the Trinity Amplified Disintegration to subdue her directly—her Moth Path was infinitely versatile and completely resistant to Disintegration.

But unexpectedly, Rexar used the "Thorn Corridor," a skill he rarely used.

This is an Alchemy Sequence 4, Earth Oak Sequence 6 ritual. Its main function is to warp space and create a thorny corridor for the enemy, causing them pain equivalent to a sword piercing their feet when performing any action. Any attack against Rex will also have a 50% damage reflection effect.

The damage reflection and pain are secondary; the key is the distortion of space itself.

Jeremiah looked toward the side door—and sure enough, the side door was completely gone, leaving only a tangled mess of thorns.

The problem is, Rexar knows that this approach will definitely not trap her.

In half an hour at most, she could find the flaw in the ritual and destroy it. Whether she opened the door to the observatory or simply ran away, Rexar couldn't do anything to her.

So Rexar's backup plan is...