“Get a job now?”
Hearing the doctor’s words, Xia De suddenly became nervous. He didn’t expect it to be so direct:
“In…here?”
“Of course, is there a problem with the doctor’s clinic? And isn’t 72 hours almost up?”
The blonde Writer Louisa was puzzled, but Doctor Schneider understood what Xia De wanted to express:
“Of course it’s here. Oh, Xia De, let me emphasize one more thing.
Remember, we are correspondent Ring術士. Saint Byron's Comprehensive College and us actually have no special emotional connection, only responsibilities and obligations, do you understand? As for helping you, that’s because I need a fifth Ring術士 in the group, and the college will give rewards for introducing new Ring術士 to enroll. It’s not because I am a good person.”
The doctor looked at Xia De very seriously, and there was a warning in his blue eyes:
“You have no common sense about this world, so I give you the most important warning: don’t easily trust others.”
“He is actually a good person, but always so strict.”
The lady beside him said, shaking her head.
Xia De nodded cautiously, but he also agreed with the Writer’s view that Doctor Schneider was a good person... at least for now.
“Louisa, for the next process, you only need to observe and prevent unexpected accidents. Please don’t speak.”
“No problem, we’ve been through this process twice already, wasn’t it the same when Annette and Augustus took office?”
The Writer said, signaling Xia De to listen carefully.
“For a gifted person to awaken their Destiny Ring, they first need to come into contact with four elements. This is very difficult for ordinary people who know nothing.
Now is the sixth epoch, not the dark and chaotic fourth epoch, nor the fifth epoch ruled by the Witch Emperors. In this era where the extraordinary is not obvious, steam and machinery are the main themes. There isn't that much mystery here. Even if one knows of the existence of mystery, it is difficult to come into contact with it. Moreover, ordinary people cannot even imagine the danger of contacting mystery.”
The doctor extended four fingers:
“So Xia De, out of the four elements, how many have you come into contact with so far?”
“Only the 【blasphemy】 related to the evil god.”
Xia De spoke truthfully, and Doctor Schneider didn’t ask further:
“Look at my Destiny Ring.”
Three silver Ling Runes flashed simultaneously. Xia De interpreted their meanings as 【Wrath】, 【Muddiness of Heart】, and 【Malice】.
【You have come into contact with 'blasphemy'.】
Following this sentence, the whispering chapters recited another passage:
【sixth epoch, common era 1853, Summer, Silver Moon Dimming Day, you have come into contact with all four elements. Outsider, the door to the extraordinary is about to open, and the path of sublimation lies ahead.】
“Has ‘the other you’ given any hints?”
The doctor let the Destiny Ring behind him dissipate into the steam, then asked.
“Yes, it gave me a hint, telling me that I have come into contact with all elements, and the door to the extraordinary is about to open.”
The doctor nodded with satisfaction:
“The other me is the core of the Ring術士 system. It is the back of your soul; it is you, but not you. It shares Knowledge and memories with you. But it can perceive and see more, thus acting as a bridge for Ring術士 to communicate with the world, preventing us from directly contacting Knowledge and information that would pollute the soul. Now I will repeat it again, and I hope you will remember it firmly.”
“In other words, the other me cannot know Knowledge that I don’t know?”
Xia De’s heart stirred, and he asked this question.
The doctor nodded affirmatively. Xia De blinked. He had long guessed that his “other me” was definitely not normal.
“That is actually you, but you don’t know it. It is the same gender as you, so the voice in my mind is a man’s voice, while the voice in Louisa’s mind is a woman’s voice...”
The lady next to him nodded in confirmation.
“It shares memories with you, but it doesn’t need sleep, so it might know more about the night than you do. But essentially, you and the other you only have different ways of thinking and perspectives, so sometimes you hear inexplicable words, and it can see more from the ordinary world.”
The doctor said again, and Xia De blinked again.
In his heart, the woman’s soft laughter seemed to nourish his heart, dispelling the last bit of influence brought by the Poet Grade relic.
“Who exactly are you?”
He asked in his heart.
【Outsider, at least for now, I am you.】
“Collecting elements” is only the first step; after that, there are four more steps: “ringing the bell,” “lighting the fire,” “propelling,” and “chanting the hymn.” The complete five steps are the most orthodox Ring術士 awakening process, used by both the Orthodox Church and the Three Great Academies.
“Ringing the bell” refers to shaking the soul, allowing the soul to undergo its initial sublimation. This step sounds complicated, but it’s actually just drinking a potion.
The Three Great Arcane Academies and the five Orthodox Churches have different formulas for the “Bell-Ringing Potion.” The doctor said that the potion from Serex Higher Medical College is said to be the best-tasting, orange-flavored, and very sweet; while the potion from the Orthodox Church of the Lord of All Things, the Church of Nature and Malice, is the worst-tasting, somewhat like chewing dry bark.
The college sent the “Bell-Ringing Potion” directly via manuscript: a conical glass bottle with a bubbling purple liquid. It felt a bit cold to the touch, but it was warm to drink.
But Xia De felt that he didn't taste anything.
“Look behind you.”
The doctor reminded him.
Xia De swallowed the last mouthful, wiped the corners of his mouth, put down the bottle, and turned around. A layer of white mist had already risen behind him, and he vaguely heard the sound of a bell, but it was not clear.
He did feel the so-called vibration of the soul, but that could also be a gastric hallucination caused by drinking too quickly.
“Lighting the fire” refers to igniting the four collected elements, causing the initial soul spark to ignite. This step only requires the assistance of a Ring術士 of three rings or more and some techniques. The doctor pointed his right index finger at Xia De’s glabella. As some cold airflow slowly entered Xia De’s body, the bell sound in his ears became clearer.
He turned his head, and the thick white mist behind him had a scorching temperature. The steam became profound, as if countless possibilities were contained within the steam.
“Propelling” means allowing the soul to drive the ignited faint spark, enabling the Ring術士 to perceive Ling and have the ability to manipulate the four elements. Specifically, this requires Xia De to feel power, to feel the idealistic power of the mind influencing matter.
So Doctor Schneider brought a book without a cover:
“For Ring術士, there are multiple ways to come into contact with the four elements. However, the method of engraving Ling Runes into one's Destiny Ring does not encourage contact with gods, mystery, or strangeness. Although this can also work, it is quite dangerous. The orthodox cultivation method is to read books, read stories from the past. Other methods can be considered relying on luck.”
“Reading?”
This reminded Xia De again that the extraordinary organization he joined was a school.
“Yes, churches, academies, and a few Ring術士 organizations possess some special books that record extremely dangerous Knowledge and stories from past eras. Those books are copied by hand and translated from dangerous ancient languages into contemporary languages, which weakens their power. Therefore, reading those original or only once hand-copied or translated forbidden books is the best method for Ring術士 to engrave Ling Runes. And for you, this is enough to make you feel your own power.”
He handed the book to Xia De:
“This is a handwritten copy of the first volume of ‘The Book of Fire Worship,’ and it’s a version that has been copied at least six times from the original. It’s the least dangerous book I have, and it’s impossible to obtain Ling Runes by reading this book. Read it completely in half an hour. You can ask me about any words you don’t understand.”
So Xia De spent another half an hour reading, equating the advancement of his future extraordinary path with reading and studying. He had to disguise his current identity, so he could only pick a few words to ask about every now and then.
During this time, the doctor and the Writer remained completely silent. They knew this was an important moment for Xia De.
“Finished reading? How do you feel?”
The doctor asked.
“A little hot.”
Xia De put down the book and answered cautiously.
“Ignite it.”
The doctor gave Xia De another piece of paper. Xia De held it for a few seconds, and finding that the doctor had no other words, he asked:
“Um, did I skip any steps... like a spell or a gesture or something?”
“Don’t understand, feel it, guide this power. Unless your core Ling Rune is a concept like 【Extinguished Fire】, this is not a problem.”
So Xia De closed his eyes. He came from another world. Although there was no extraordinary, there was more Knowledge and fantasy. He closed his eyes, relaxed himself, and imagined the warm current in his body flowing with his perception, finally reaching his fingertips and bursting into sparks.
Opening his eyes, the paper between his fingers had already turned yellow from the high temperature.
A huge roar came from the steam behind him, and a black shadow represented the hammerhead that was about to strike Xia De’s soul.
“The last step is the hymn. You must acknowledge your identity and declare to the world that you have transcended the mundane.”
The doctor’s tone became serious at this moment.
“How do I do that?”
Xia De was puzzled. His heart was pounding. He understood that he was about to truly come into contact with the extraordinary and enter the mysterious realm of the Steam Age.
“Just say something. I recited my name at the time, Louisa recited a famous short poem, Mr. Latt Augustus prayed to God, and Miss Luvia Annett silently recited, so we don’t know.”
For Xia De at this moment, the doctor’s words seemed to come from a very distant place. He looked at the thick white steam behind him, watching the hammerhead about to strike through the dense fog.
The woman’s voice, the voice reciting the whispering chapters, sounded again.
So, Xia De, almost in sync with the woman’s murmuring voice in his heart, silently recited that declaration:
【sixth epoch, common era 1853, Summer, Silver Moon Dimming Day, I came to this world, I pushed open the door to the extraordinary, and stepped onto the path of the four elements’ sublimation. Xia De · Su Lun · Han Mi Er Dun, the path of destiny branches at my feet. I will witness, I will experience, I will see all of this.】
The giant hammer, carrying immense wind pressure, swung out from the depths of the steam, striking behind Xia De in the gale.
Boom~
The soul was impacted, sparks splattered, spiritual light flickered, and elements overflowed. In the wildly spewing white steam mist, a brass-colored ring, with a strange luster like the sun, gradually became clear.
It rotated, scattering sparks in all directions. The brass ring, with its high temperature, fully appeared in the steam mist, and the Destiny Ring floated behind him.
In the center of the rapidly rotating ring, two brass-colored, shining core Ling Runes symbolized Xia De’s future destiny—
【Time-Space】 【Silver Moon】.