Byron casually tossed Salman’s corpse aside, arranging the various ingredients for the Blood Brew on the table, neatly sorted into categories. The most eye-catching item was a silver cocktail shaker, along with a glass bottle that had about one-tenth of its red liquid remaining. Byron didn’t have time to personally conduct the ceremony for brewing the Blood of Metamorphosis, the Holy Grail of Blood, nor did he plan to capture a live chef to feed to Bloody Mary’s Gourmet Cookbook.
Fortunately, Salman’s stock still had a bit left, enough to mix a cup of Bloody Mary that could be used to seek divination from an Evil Spirit, with some to spare.
Byron mentally reviewed the mixing steps, took a deep breath, and grabbed the cocktail shaker from the table.
Add six drops of the Blood of Metamorphosis, 15 milliliters of virgin’s fresh blood, and 15 milliliters of vodka aged three years or more.
Then add 10 milliliters of tomato juice, 1 drop of devilish hot soy sauce, 2 drops of Sweetwater of Life, 10 milliliters of lemon juice, and 1 drop of spicy oil.
The silver cocktail shaker flipped and flew in Byron’s hands. As he shook it, he carefully harmonized the spiritual energies using techniques learned from the "Gourmet Cookbook," activating their material properties.
Two minutes later, feeling a chick-hatching-like pleasure emanating from the cocktail shaker, he opened the lid and poured the drink into a tall glass. He sprinkled a generous amount of black pepper and salt, garnished with a lemon wedge on the rim, and a celery stick in the glass.
"Phew, I succeeded on the first try!"
Even as just an Attendant, he had achieved, and even surpassed, human limits in every aspect. Byron, relying on precise control over his hands, replicated this not-so-complicated Blood Brew perfectly by the book.
If a woman drank this cup, she would not show any signs of aging for the next year. One cup each year thereafter, in theory, could keep her youthful forever. Just a small cocktail was enough to drive many ladies of high society mad with desire.
This is the power of forbidden knowledge breaking the rules of material reality!
Of course, Byron had no interest in using it to please any ladies. Instead, he carefully set the drink in front of the room’s glass mirror, on top of a white cloth stained with Finger Monkey’s blood.
He intended to use this drink to conduct a ritual, to summon an Evil Spirit called Bloody Mary and seek divination from it!
By lighting a white candle on each side of the mirror and closing his eyes to enter a meditative state, he silently called its name from the depths of his heart—Bloody Mary.
After repeating it three times, he suddenly felt the temperature in the room soar rapidly, making even breathing slightly painful.
His eyes snapped open, and he saw another "Byron" in the mirror suddenly give him a sinister smile. As the mirror blazed with intense flames, "Byron’s" flesh charred and peeled away, revealing another figure unfolding from within.
Black hair fluttered in the air, and two gem-like Bloody Eyes radiated a captivating charm. Her fiery red dress flowed like flames, wrapping around her marble-like slender body, making her seem like a spirited flame sprite.
One had to admit, she was a woman filled with a fatal allure, like poison.
The surging heat in the room disappeared, replaced by a bone-chilling cold. Looking at Byron through the mirror, the woman smiled seductively. A crystal-clear but chillingly cold hand slowly reached out from the mirror, clearly prepared to take his hand and engage in some very joyous activities together.
However, the Storm Sigil Ring on Byron’s hand suddenly lit up with a ring of blue-green electrical light.
Bloody Mary recoiled her hand as if electrocuted, a spot blackening with a char from just a moment’s contact.
Obviously, forbidden knowledge not only carried side effects but also unknown risks during use.
"Bloody Mary’s Gourmet Cookbook" contained detailed records about this Evil Spirit. In her lifetime, she was a lady of high standing, renowned across the Old Continent. Countless men dueled to the death for her, and even the King was smitten. It was said that she remained stunningly beautiful even into her sixties. But the secret to maintaining her beauty was horrifying—young girls’ fresh blood! Using forbidden knowledge, she killed more than a thousand young girls throughout her life, bathing in their blood to maintain her sinister charm. It was even rumored that she drank the young girls’ fresh blood to cleanse the impurities in her body. Eventually, her crimes came to light, and she was burned to death by a group of valiant Knights in the castle’s bathhouse.
Without a doubt, Bloody Mary had now become a fierce and bloodthirsty Evil Spirit whose likelihood of attacking the summoner was far greater than offering any help. It was advised to wear a blessed protective charm and take ample protective measures before summoning.
Byron had no need for such trouble.
Storm Sigil Ring effect: Immunity to prophecy-related abilities, immunity to Curses, shields against Spirit Vision surveillance.
This was also why Byron, fully aware of the dangers of forbidden knowledge, still summoned an Evil Spirit without hesitation. Her true form wasn’t here; she could only harm people with Curses.
"Bloody Mary, tell me where the owner of the blood is!"
Humbled by the experience, Bloody Mary’s hand obediently picked up the cup of Blood Brew, and with a look of grievance on her face, she downed it all. The bloodstains on the white cloth turned into a Blood Mist and rushed into the mirror.
Immediately, the reflection in the mirror was no longer the room’s interior but the view outside the Rosemary Inn. The perspective rose swiftly, allowing Byron to see the windmill just one street away and a few figures lurking in the shadows, on the alert.
A sudden sensation of falling as if jolted awake assailed him. By the time Byron steadied himself, all the strange visions had disappeared. Only an empty goblet remained in front of the mirror. It seemed as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.
He quickly realized that it was merely an exchange of information on a spiritual level after sacrificing the Blood Brew. Despite the vast distance, aside from the sacrifice, the Evil Spirit had no power to directly intervene in reality.
Pirates should raid with the ferocity of fire, swift as the wind. At this moment, Finger Monkey and the assailant who was just heavily injured are likely together. Next move is my turn!
Reloading his four flintlock pistols without hesitation, Byron pushed open the door and stepped out.
"Eight Fingers, gather the men!"
On the second floor of the mill, Magic Mirror West, his Spirituality having returned to his body, was vomiting blood profusely. The blood was dark, emitting an overpowering stench of charred flesh, as if it had been scorched by flames. Scattered on the ground was a ragdoll that had been torn to pieces.
Ignoring his own wounds, he couldn’t help but let out a piercing wail, "I went to great difficulty to buy this stand-in doll from the native wizards of the Bantaan Archipelago, and now it’s been wasted just like that!"
He had used the power of the Mirror Demon Spirit but failed to kill the owner of the drop of blood, Bloody Eye Salman, and the backlash came immediately. If it weren’t for the stand-in doll he had prepared in advance, West, already severely injured, would likely have been killed by his own Demon Spirit. Even with the doll’s help, it took him a great deal of effort to confine the Demon Spirit back into the mirror.
"Child of the Devil, Child of the Devil, you deserve to die—!"
Magic Mirror West gnashed his teeth, his face filled with fury. Although he had not seen the intruder’s face clearly in the panic, before fleeing back into the mirror, he distinctly heard Salman call the shadowy figure "Byron." There are countless Byrons in the world, but who else could appear so coincidentally at the scene if not the target, the "Child of the Devil" Byron?
He finally realized the root of his mistake.
He gasped heavily a few times before managing to get up from the ground. Shaking his head violently, he felt increasingly dizzy. His Spirituality had been greatly damaged; at this point, he couldn’t even use his transcendent abilities, much less rely on his dulled senses.
Now is certainly not the time for revenge, but I, Magic Mirror West, swear that one day I will make you die a miserable death!
The cautious pirate captain still had his wits about him. Now that he had lost nine-tenths of his power, he was no better than an ordinary person. What he had to consider next was not how to take revenge on the "Child of the Devil" Byron, but to make an immediate move. And he absolutely could not let his enemies know that he was severely injured. As an undisputed villain, his social network was more complex, and he had far more enemies than a good person. Finding a way to survive after being wounded was the top priority.
Fortunately, aside from these loyal attendants, none of the other crew members know about today’s assassination. It’s best not to even return to the ’White Crystal’ until my injuries have fully healed.
West, having made up his mind, did not forget to unhook a horn goblet from his waist and silently recite the severance inscription, "Spring Flow Inscription." Immediately, a continuous stream of clear water flowed out of it. He meticulously washed off all the dried blood and sea salt from his body. Only when he felt refreshed did the discomfort caused by his severe obsession with cleanliness begin to alleviate.
However, when he called out twice for his guard and received no response, his heart suddenly became alert. But his severely damaged Spirituality was too sluggish to react. Before he could, the crude wooden planks beneath his feet were harshly pierced by two long spears thrusting up from the first floor. Pierced along with the floorboards were the roots of his thighs.
In the moment he opened his mouth to scream, a silhouette that had quietly appeared at the top of the stairs flicked his hand, and a basketful... of cow dung was fiercely hurled at him.