Night fell, and for the first time ever, the Black Flag Territory lit a bonfire in the darkness. In front of the altar at the center of the square, a neatly stacked pile of firewood in the shape of a hashtag had been prepared early, ready for the grand ritual.

  The air was thick with tension and anticipation. The villagers gathered together, their eyes fixed on the pile of wood, waiting for the moment the flames would ignite.

  At last, a team led by Draven used a torch to set the wood ablaze. The flames instantly leapt up, the fierce fire turning the sky red, and the blood moon seemed even more vivid and radiant.

  That blood moon was one of the rare perfect moons in this world, illuminating the night and igniting the ancient faith in people's hearts. The Black Flag Territory was witnessing its first sacrificial night.

  Various offerings were placed before the altar. Besides the enchanted stag, there was a wild boar and a mountain goat. Though simple in appearance, these were considered abundant by their standards.

  After all, back in Black Wolf Castle, they usually offered only a small amount of game, or even less.

  Draven silently reviewed the sacrificial text in his mind, afraid of making mistakes. This was their first formal ceremony; any error might bring misfortune.

  Time slowly passed until midnight, when the blood-red full moon hung high in the sky, its light bathing every corner of the village.

  Draven woke the still half-asleep kids and slaves; everyone gathered in front of the altar.

  Except for the ever-curious Liliana, everyone knelt before the life-sized statue of their lord, Selene, led by Draven.

  The atmosphere was solemn and reverent. A gentle, cool night breeze stirred the ribbons and leaves on the altar.

  After the kneeling, Draven stood up. He bit his finger, letting blood seep out, then carefully dabbed the blood onto the statue's forehead and lips.

  This was the most important part of the ritual — the bond connecting humans and the divine. Then he began reciting the long and complicated sacrificial text, his voice trembling at first but gradually gaining steadiness.

  The rhythm of the incantation was ancient and unfamiliar. The tongue-twisting words made him feel like a charlatan, but he had to follow the memory exactly, fearing any mispronunciation.

  Surprisingly, as the recitation continued, the statue began to emit a faint pulse of energy. Draven felt a warm power emanate from the statue, slowly enveloping the offerings on the altar.

  The flesh seemed to dissolve like sand scattered by the wind, gradually disappearing into the air and transforming into tiny particles invisible to the naked eye, which the statue absorbed bit by bit.

  The statue's light softened, glowing with a milky white radiance that made Selene's image holy and untouchable.

  That strange glow unexpectedly harmonized with the statue's bold and unique design, inspiring awe in everyone's hearts.

  Draven's voice unconsciously rose, knowing the ritual was working. As the offerings dwindled, the light expanded from the statue, covering the surrounding crowd and the big house, even slowly reaching the stone walls around the village.

  With only a few offerings left and the light not yet fully covering the walls, Draven hurried forward and took a huge snake head offering from his storage ring, placing it on the altar.

  As the snake head was absorbed, the light quickly spread, finally covering the entire stone wall, enveloping the village in a gentle halo.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Time passed without Draven noticing. After reciting the last line of the incantation, the light gradually faded until it vanished completely.

  Draven closed his eyes, feeling the power flowing through the village. He sensed the village's magic had increased several times over, and his own realm seemed to shift slightly because of it.

  More mysteriously, he felt a faint connection with the statue, as if he could feel Selene's gaze watching him.

  "Same old faith tricks again,"

  At that moment, an untimely voice came from the rooftop of the big house, breaking the sacred silence.

  Draven opened his eyes and looked in puzzlement at the druid little girl Liliana sitting lazily on the roof, yawning. She looked utterly bored, completely unlike the others who were focused on the ritual.

  Meanwhile, the serpent tribe had also finished their own ritual. Their leader, Red Snake, led his people in bowing low in thanks.

  But unlike the Black Flag Territory's worship, the object of their reverence was completely different. The statue of Selene that should have stood at the altar's center had long been moved aside, replaced now by a huge statue of a serpent-headed humanoid emitting a chilling aura.

  The statue was covered in mysterious snake patterns, with dense snake skins entwined around it, linking it firmly to Selene's statue.

  In the cave Draven had discovered earlier, there was a huge pool of blood. The blood-red liquid contracted and pulsed constantly, as if some kind of life was hidden within.

  Looking closer, the surface of the blood pool floated a heap of disgusting things: rotting skulls and torn chunks of flesh. Among them, he particularly recognized the head of the familiar troll chieftain, Garruk.

  That teal-green skin, sharp tusks, eyes wide with fury, and the terrified expression frozen on his face at the moment of death—he looked as if he might roar at any second. The sight made one involuntarily draw a cold breath.

  Draven knew nothing about this, but he was very clear in his mind that he had to pull Liliana down from the rooftop. The little girl sat lazily on the big roof, yawning, completely indifferent to the atmosphere of the ritual.

  Draven forced a smile and patiently tried to coax more information out of her.

  "Your expression is really disgusting!" Liliana suddenly pouted, shrinking into Viola's arms and glaring disdainfully at Draven.

  "That brat has a sharp tongue!" Draven looked helplessly at Viola, as if asking for help.

  Fortunately, Viola knew better how to deal with Liliana. With Draven's persistent prompting and hints, Liliana finally relented and gave him the answer he desperately needed.

  "So that's how the ritual works," Draven murmured to himself, while a turbulent wave surged in his heart.

  According to Liliana's description, the ritual was actually a method for lord-level powerhouses to collect faith. Faith was not something ordinary people could casually access; it was an important resource for lords to increase their strength.

  The so-called blessing was merely an ability that lords had realized through faith. Liliana called this ability the "Halo of Faith."

  The Halo of Faith varied according to the strength of the lord. Take the light that just enveloped the entire village, for example—that was only the most basic mana-gathering halo.

  With more frequent rituals, higher-level offerings, and even changes to the statue itself, the Halo of Faith's functions could be enhanced and expanded.

  Liliana told Draven that most Halos of Faith had three basic functions: gathering magical power, warning of danger, and protecting territory.

  What the Black Flag Territory's village had now was only a very basic part of these three functions—the simple gathering of mana.

  While shocked, Draven also felt an indescribable joy. He had long known that the ritual could make the village's magical power more concentrated—the earlier experience in Black Wolf Castle was proof. But he hadn't expected that the Halo of Faith actually concealed even more potential benefits.

  It seemed that back in Black Wolf Castle, the tribespeople had never understood these secrets, thus missing the opportunity to further develop the Halo of Faith.

  At first, Draven was still somewhat skeptical of Liliana's words. Until the little girl suddenly boasted proudly, "You don't know—my teacher is a great Archdruid!"

  Her proud tone froze Draven in place. In this world, the status of an Archdruid was almost comparable to a demigod. The thought of a demigod sent an indescribable pressure and chill down his spine.

  Feeling a shiver run down his back, Draven cautiously probed, "If I could break the contract we made before..."

  Before he finished speaking, Liliana sneered coldly, "Then my teacher would definitely arrest you and study you carefully!"

  Draven nearly fainted. Besides himself, he had never heard of a beast contract being broken. The thought of being taken by a demigod for experimentation immediately made him discard the idea.

  "What's a demigod? My disciple is in my hands now—if push comes to shove, it's a fight to the death!" he gritted his teeth secretly, though his heart was pounding.

  Only after confirming that Liliana's teacher would be heading north soon and would not return for a while did Draven finally relax a bit.

  The crisis of the serpent tribe was far from resolved, and now they had inexplicably drawn the attention of a demigod-level existence—the pressure had suddenly increased dramatically.

  The fleeting joy and satisfaction right after the ritual instantly vanished into thin air.