Chapter 609: The Ring of the Sixth
In Gramorn, within the hidden space of Twinkling Star Lake, beneath the expansive dome of the towering colorless church, Doro stood still, gazing at the impressive and intact statue of the Mirror Moon Goddess in front of her. Observing the finely carved features resembling her own face by about seventy percent, she couldn’t help but slightly open her mouth in astonishment. After standing in a daze for quite a while, Doro eventually shook her head and spoke softly.
“Mom… who exactly are you?”
Doro had always been skeptical about the secrets existing within her family. From the unconventional naming that didn’t quite conform to Prit traditions with Gregor, to her somewhat unique hair color, and finally to the family ring she possessed, which bore the function of the Mirror Moon Holy Emblem and could conceal spirituality… everything showcased the extraordinary nature of the Meyshos family, which should have been a typical hunting family in a small village.
Doro had little memory of her family, but according to Gregor and the relic left in her hand, her family’s uniqueness likely stemmed from her mother. Doro inherited her ring and hair color from her, and they probably shared similar looks as well.
Now, looking at the statue of the Mirror Moon Goddess having such a similar face to her own, what was her mother’s situation? What was her connection to the faith in the Mirror Moon Goddess and the active Mirror Moon Church in Prit? What was the relationship between her and the true form of the Mirror Moon Goddess?
Staring at the towering statue, Doro felt a sense of confusion wash over her. After spending some time, she finally regained her composure.
‘Although the relation between mom and the Mirror Moon faith is worth exploring, that’s not the priority right now. The main objective now should be to prepare for the ceremony…’
Doro thought to herself. Regarding the current situation, the most important matter was not to explore her family’s past but to focus on her own ritual. Now, Doro needed to test whether her ritual could proceed effectively.
With that thought, Doro silently approached the center of the colorless church. There, she opened her magic box and took out some simple ritual setting tools.
First, Doro used a box of silver powder to draw a magical array on the ground of the church that simultaneously represented both “Enlightenment” and “Shadow”. She then placed her hand-shaped “Enlightenment” Holy Emblem and the Veil Ring, symbolizing “Shadow”, onto the array. Afterward, she sat cross-legged in front of the array, closed her eyes, and began to quietly chant and sense.
To ascend to Red Tier, Doro needed to conduct three consecutive rituals, and this was the first among them, symbolizing a preliminary small ritual of the conversion ceremony. Through this ritual, Doro could verify whether the current temple could smoothly carry out the conversion ceremony and meet the conditions for its initiation.
After the preliminary small ritual had progressed for a while, Doro slowly reopened her eyes. Compared to when she closed them, there was now a trace of seriousness in her gaze, indicating that the verification results from her ritual were not very favorable.
‘It seems… in this current state, this temple does not meet the conditions to hold a larger ceremony…’
Sitting in front of the ritual array, Doro furrowed her brows, contemplating. Through the preliminary ritual earlier, she conducted a simple test regarding the temple’s ability to perform the conversion. Unfortunately, the temple was unable to proceed with the conversion ceremony; more accurately, it was currently in a state where this temple couldn’t undergo conversion.
‘Many functions of a temple must be realized in the present world. Just like the Enlightenment Mark Temple in Adis, although many important functions are hidden in the concealed space, the functional area of the temple remains in the real world, allowing for the conversion ceremony to be performed, which leads to the malfunction of the temple’s functions…
‘However, the case of this Mirror Moon Church is a bit different; all its functions are hidden within the concealed space, leaving no trace in the real world. Thus, the temple’s functions cannot be utilized in this space. This temple must return to the real world for the ritual to proceed normally.’
Rising gently from the ritual array, Doro looked at the enormous statue of the Mirror Moon Goddess, realizing that if she wished to hold all the ceremonies directly, she needed to find a way to bring the entire temple out into the real world.
‘It seems that simply solving a riddle isn’t enough to complete all the rituals…’
Doro mused internally and, for the moment, stopped considering the ritual matters. She shifted her thoughts to another aspect.
Lifting her hand, she noticed a crescent moon-decorated ring on her right hand emitting a faint glow. This glow appeared the moment Doro was near the invisible door existing in the real world.
At the moment this glow appeared, Doro felt that her Veil Ring had experienced some changes, especially after arriving at this Mirror Moon Church, where these changes became more pronounced.
Uncertain about what exactly had changed in the Veil Ring, Doro, fortunately, possessed the Identification Technique. She re-evaluated the ring that was undergoing transformation, and the results revealed new information compared to before.
Veil Faith Ring, a high-tier relic of the Moon Court, can consume “Shadow” spirituality to shield against any extraordinary detection effects. It can also serve as proof of the Moon Court, supported by the Night’s Divine Edict to command various entities under the Moon Court within the Empire’s territory, summon armies, and impose various prohibitions. Generally worn by imperial commissioners or other important figures during the Dual Emperor Reign.
“Veil… Faith Ring?”
Looking at the ring in her hand with the Identification Technique, Doro fell into contemplation momentarily.
The identification process revealed a somewhat superficial and immediately usable capability of an extraordinary item. The essence of such items and their hidden abilities, which could only be triggered under specific conditions, wouldn’t be identified. For instance, when she identified the Heart Devouring Sword before, only the basic function of physical revival was revealed, without any mention of its essence as a biological weapon, which Doro discovered on her own.
Similar scenarios occurred when Doro identified the Black Jaded Fragment. Through the Secret Transmission of Dry Wing, she learned that the Black Jaded Fragment was part of the Moon Crown, holding other functions when combined, yet the Identification Technique wouldn’t reveal that hidden information. It would only inform Doro that this Black Jaded Fragment held specific utility for her in the present, leaving its essence and hidden functions undisclosed unless those aspects were triggered under specific conditions. Just like now, it was evident that the colorless church activated some latent abilities within Doro’s ring, allowing her to receive interesting and important information.
‘So… the primary role of this ring is as a token and proof? Is it a credential for the imperial commissioners and important figures of the Moon Court? Is this Moon Court the official name for the faith in the Mirror Moon Goddess?
‘According to the newly identified information, rather than a mere cult or church organization, the Moon Court resembles an administrative institution within a country. Since the identification also mentioned the Empire, this should be some crucial department of the official government within the Third Era Empire. Did the faith in the Mirror Moon hold such standing during the imperial period? It was directly part of the official ruling system of the Empire, subordinate to numerous different agencies, and even had the power to mobilize troops…
‘Lastly… what exactly is this Dual Emperor Reign? Does this “Dual Emperor” refer to two emperors? Shouldn’t there only be the King of Light as the emperor? How could there suddenly be two emperors? Wouldn’t this situation risk a division of power?’
Contemplating the new information acquired from the Identification Technique, Doro thought. Remembering the earlier sketched scroll obtained from the Savior Faction’s Red Tier Muhetar, it depicted a man resembling the King of Light, along with a boy and girl. After seeing the new results from the identification technique, she had new speculations regarding the content of that scroll.
Shaking her head slightly, Doro organized her thoughts, choosing to focus less on other matters and more on the immediate challenges. What she needed to do now was to find a way to bring the entire church into the real world to complete her ritual. This opportunity was clearly linked to the ring she wore on her hand.
‘Since this ring has the ability to mobilize the various prohibitions under the Moon Court… does that mean the prohibitions in this church are similarly influenced?’
Doro thought to herself, extending her ring-adorned hand and closing her eyes. She used her intention through the ring to sense the entire church, even the whole space.
As Doro concentrated, she realized her ring was establishing a link with the church invisibly, entering a state of further activation. Observing the functions of the ring being further activated, Doro used the Identification Technique again to discern all the control and operations she could exert over the church.
After reviewing all the potential operations, Doro attempted to amplify the ring further; however, the result was negative. Currently, the level of amplification achievable within this church was at its maximum.
Upon realizing she could not obtain more information, Doro slowly opened her eyes, her expression serious as she fell into contemplation.
From the information gathered earlier, this church and the entire secret realm possessed numerous functions, including not only concealing its secret functions but also having capabilities for large-scale rituals and even powerful self-defense features… Similar to the Enlightenment Mark Temple Doro had previously entered, both were built around the core functions of a temple, incorporating many additional powers into a large, complex system.
However, compared to the Enlightenment Mark Temple, Doro’s control over the current Mirror Moon Church was evidently lacking, as she still needed some other resources.
Now, Doro could control the entire church and the secret realm with the ring given by her mother, but the extent of this control was limited. To fully manage all the functions within the church and this space, she needed not only the credential ring but also a divine edict from the Moon Court. Only combined could they yield the maximum authority, but currently, Doro had only the credential ring and lacked the Moon Court’s edict, restricting her ability to utilize the features of the Mirror Moon Church.
‘Compared to the Enlightenment Mark Temple, built in the Second Era and now over seven thousand years old, this Mirror Moon Church built in the late Third Era has only a little over two thousand years of history. Time has not eroded it as severely as the Enlightenment Mark Temple. Even without maintenance, most of the functions of the Mirror Moon Church remain intact, in much better condition than the Enlightenment Mark Temple.
‘However, regrettably, compared to my control over the Enlightenment Mark Temple, my permissions here are notably lesser… It is unrealistic to expect to manage this place like the Enlightenment Mark Temple. Just relying on this ring far from activates all the functions here, but fortunately, among the limited functionalities I can activate, there indeed lies what I need the most…’
Doro thought. For now, the vast majority of functions within the church – including its self-defense capabilities – were beyond her control. Only a small portion regarding ritual assistance and realm adjustment were manageable, including the crucial capability to shift the church into the realm of causality.
From the information deciphered earlier, Doro learned that this church had been designed to enable mutual conversion between the concealed space and the real world through Twinkling Star Lake. Typically, this church remained within the concealed space. During specific moon phases, its clergy or affiliated individuals could pass through the hidden door on the surface of Twinkling Star Lake using a key to enter the church for various activities.
On full moon nights, the entire church would automatically shift onto the surface of the lake in the real world to welcome the faithful for rituals and offerings. During this time, the church would be open to the public. As long as the general public navigated through the hidden barriers surrounding the church on the full moon, they could enter and participate in the ceremonies.
Now, having obtained the ring, Doro could utilize a limited authority to directly activate the church’s realm functions, enabling its transformation into the real world without needing to wait for the full moon. After the transformation, Doro would unlock most of the ritual capabilities here, allowing for the conversion and subsequent two rituals.
However, the current issue was that while Doro could bring the church into the real world, the Eight-pointed individuals were wildly searching for it in the present Twinkling Star Lake. Once transformed, the church, existing in the real world, would be immediately discovered by them.
