The Cornflower Witch

More than a month had passed since the contract with the plesiosaur-like dragon, and the official Mage Alliance, seeing no further sign of the creature, had gradually let the matter fade from their minds, ceasing to care.

For Sylutia, beyond taming a powerful dragon, the greatest gain was the ancient tome found in the plesiosaur-like dragon's hoard.

Although she had obtained it a month ago, it was only today that she finished deciphering the obscure and intricate seals upon it.

Of course, being able to unravel those seals was due to Sylutia having read *Meleranke Praying in the Lake*. Otherwise, even the sages and masters specializing in that field within the Alliance would have found it difficult to unlock the book without damaging it.

After completing the deciphering, Sylutia performed the special secret technique she had deduced. The silver-leaf-patterned book floated silently, radiating a strange glow. The patterns upon it began to grow, wither, then grow again, wither again—repeating this cycle twenty-seven times. Finally, the newly grown patterns overlapped with the remnants of the withering, piecing together complete characters. If any single step went wrong, the result would be a jumble of misshapen script, making the original content impossible to read.

Sylutia had never seen such a peculiar encryption method. It seemed to offer multiple benefits. First, even if a powerful individual seized the book, they could not forcibly break the seal without destroying it. Second, before it was unsealed, the book appeared as ordinary silver-leaf patterns, carrying no textual information, and could not be detected by ritual techniques of the Secret Word Path.

Once it was fully unsealed and revealed its contents, Sylutia understood why such encryption had been necessary.

*Meleranke Dancing Lightly Under the Moon*

'A poetic scripture recording the life of the Named One, Meleranke. One of the three holy scriptures of the Silver Radiance Church. (According to its legends, it can perform two rituals and provides clues to the Sixth Tier progression path, [Misty Moon Saintess]. Meleranke was once granted the title of "Misty Moon Saintess" in her youth.)'

[Pure Ritual · Solitary Dance Under the Moon] (Luminous Moon · Mist Shadow · Snail Fish)

[Healing Ritual · Silver Radiance Relief] (Luminous Moon · Scorching Sun · Verdant Nectar)

[Sanctuary Ritual · City of Cast Silver] (Luminous Moon · Castle · Secret Word) (Obtained after deciphering alongside *Meleranke Praying in the Lake*. This ritual allows establishing a stable stronghold in the Shadow World.)

'Warning: Advancing to the [Misty Moon Saintess] progression path will be sensed by high-ranking members of hostile factions (Golden Honey Dynasty, Moon Parliament).'

....

So that was it. To pass down the holy scriptures without being discovered by hostile factions, the survivors of the Silver Radiance Church had specially developed this unique encryption method. Sealed in this way, even if enemies used the Secret Word Path's ritual divination to search, they would find nothing.

She had now obtained two of the Silver Radiance Church's holy scriptures. If she could find the remaining one, she would be able to reproduce all the inheritance secret techniques of the former Silver Radiance Church. According to records, at its peak, the Silver Radiance Church's strength was roughly equal to the current Mage Alliance—about twenty or more Seventh Tier saintesses and sages, and over three hundred Sixth Tier master-level figures. It was the faction most likely to unify the Fourth Continent during the Eighth Epoch.

After defeating the Silver Radiance Church, the Golden Honey Dynasty had conducted numerous raids, arrested and hunted down survivors, and used the Secret Word Path's rituals to erase the history of the Silver Radiance Church, severing its inheritance. As a result, very few people today know the true history.

Although some scholars in the Mage Alliance, through archaeological excavations, had learned parts of the Silver Radiance Church's history, recorded information about it remained scarce—let alone the secret techniques and knowledge the Church had once developed. By now, the only thing passed down was probably the beacon towers for exploring the Shadow World. These were first created by the Silver Radiance Church and later learned and spread by many other factions.

From what Sylutia observed, research on the Luminous Moon Aspect in the Fourth Continent was minimal, and factions dominated by Luminous Moon were few and far between.

If she could obtain all the Silver Radiance Church's inheritance, it would greatly aid in developing the Shadow World and allow her to rebuild a deeply inherited supernatural faction, filling the current void in that field.

Well, as tempting as that prospect was, unfortunately, the last holy scripture was hidden somewhere unknown. To avoid detection back then, it must have been heavily encrypted and protected against divination searches. That made rediscovery difficult in the present, leaving her to rely on sheer luck.

Over the following days, Sylutia held the unsealed book, carefully reading it page by page, gaining many insights and a new understanding of higher-level power systems. Supernatural beings, when advancing, often merged a fourth Aspect at the Fourth Tier and a fifth Aspect at the First Tier, achieving perfection.

For the vast majority of beings, Fifth Tier was essentially the limit of individual growth. Stepping up to "Sixth Tier" was an inconceivable process, requiring some kind of "miracle."

Yes, one had to achieve a certain "miracle" to ascend to Sixth Tier. However, the weight of a "miracle" varied greatly.

A simple "miracle" was: as a mortal being, you received the favor of a "Long-Lived," who was willing to grant you a blessing, allowing you to cross that threshold and become a Sixth Tier "Long-Lived" yourself.

A moderately difficult "miracle": on your supernatural path, you displayed exceptional talent and strength, studying and mastering a specific sub-field to the utmost level, to the point where you reached the threshold of "Authority." This "miracle" of touching the laws of Aspects let you step into the Sixth Tier threshold, becoming a truly legendary powerhouse.

A rare "miracle": you accomplished an unimaginable feat in the mortal world, fundamentally changing history and the world itself. That "miracle" allowed you to enter the realm of legend, ascending to Sixth Tier or even Seventh Tier.

Back then, Meleranke relied on the world-saving achievement of quelling the "Mad Crow Riot" to enter Sixth Tier through the third method, eventually becoming a Seventh Tier "Named One." During the salvation process, the "Silver Radiance Church" she led also gave birth to many legendary figures, each entering Sixth Tier through the second or third method.

The many sages of the current Mage Alliance mostly entered Sixth Tier through the second method. That was an advantage, but in the eyes of other factions, it also came with its own costs.

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