The two wandered through the mountains, delving ever deeper into the wilderness, arriving at the entrance to the Hall of Spirits by noon on the fifth day, just as Ewaqu had described.
Pushing aside layers of tangled branches, a damp, slightly putrid smell greeted them as Ewaqu led Ronan to a certain place.
It was a modest-sized swamp, with gray-black mud covered with dead branches and leaves, and the corpses of wild animals, either new or decaying, drowned within.
"Three days until the full moon."
Ewaqu looked up at the sky, speaking to Ronan, "I need to make some preparations; you can rest for a while."
Ronan nodded and watched Ewaqu step into the swamp alone.
Completely disregarding the filth and stench, he allowed the filthy mud to cover him entirely. With a solemn and devout demeanor, he picked up a half-decayed bird carcass teeming with maggots from the swamp and walked back step by step to the dry shore.
Ewaqu chanted ancient prayers under his breath, gently placing the bird carcass on the ground, exuding an inexplicable aura of sanctity, as if conducting a special ritual.
Ronan watched as the decaying bird carcass melted into the earth like wax, followed by a semi-ethereal glowing bird that flew out of the ground, eventually transforming into countless light points that dispersed into the vast forest.
Ewaqu continuously repeated this behavior, bringing out animal carcasses one by one from the swamp, sending their souls away with a mystical ceremony, filled with utmost devotion.
Upon formal ascension as a Wizard, one’s soul undergoes an initial elevation. Even if the body is destroyed, there is a certain probability for the soul to be preserved.
If a special secret technique is applied at this time, a Wizard can also survive as a soul body for a significant period, though it is challenging to advance further and inevitably requires returning to the Village of Peace.
During Ewaqu’s "ritual," Ronan pondered the relationship between the soul and the body, and for some reason, mere observation brought an unprecedented tranquility and peace to his heart.
He watched as the swamp’s mud decreased with every animal carcass removed, the water level inching down with each passing moment.
Three days later, at the brink of a full moon dusk, the entire swamp vanished without a trace, replaced by a dry basin, with no clue where the swamp’s mud had disappeared. In the center of the basin stood a black Faceless Stone Man.
Having cleansed himself, Ewaqu nodded at Ronan, leading him step by step into the basin towards the black Stone Man.
By this time, the Sun’s rays had fully faded, and a full moon disk rose above the treetops.
Silver moonlight bathed the entire basin; all sounds of insects and birds in the forest had gone without a trace, plunging the woods into a vast mysterious, and tranquil atmosphere.
Ronan followed Ewaqu to the Stone Man, watching as Ewaqu took out an oddly-shaped bone knife from a beast skin pouch, sliced his palm, and let his fresh blood drip onto the Stone Man’s head.
"The witness must do the same. Otherwise, you cannot gain entry to the Hall of Spirits..."
Ewaqu handed the bone knife to Ronan, looking into his eyes, speaking seriously: "I need to inform you in advance, once inside the Hall of Spirits, most spells cannot be cast...
If you regret it now, it’s still not too late, Damien."
Ronan remained silent for a moment, then calmly took the bone knife from Ewaqu’s hand, imitating Ewaqu’s actions to slice his palm and let his fresh blood drip onto the Stone Man.
Seeing this, Ewaqu visibly relaxed, and in his eyes, trust and closeness towards Ronan grew.
After handing back the bone knife to Ewaqu, he hastily recited a passage of ancient spell, simultaneously using his blood-stained fingers to draw some peculiar patterns on the Stone Man’s surface.
They resembled some kind of special rune, or perhaps ancient tribal totem symbols.
Ewaqu added more drops of blood several times until the patterns covered the entire Stone Man’s body. At that moment, the full moon above both their heads rose to the highest point, its moonlight showering on the Stone Man, giving rise to a thin layer of silver mist. The black Stone Man shuddered slightly, and suddenly, two black holes appeared on its faceless head, continually oozing a thick black liquid.
Noticing the Stone Man "weeping," Ronan felt inexplicably familiar and inadvertently let out a slightly startled sound.
"Have you seen this Sacrificial Spirit Stone Carving before?"
Ewaqu turned to look at him, slowly wiping the blood from his hands.
Ronan shook his head and explained, "I have seen something similar."
He briefly explained his encounter with the Holy Shrine Stone Pillar to Ewaqu.
Yes, the Stone Man before them was strikingly similar to the Holy Shrine Altar that Ronan found when pursuing the Ice Crystal Demon Snake outside White Stone Castle—they were made of similar material, both secreting an unknown black liquid.
It was just a mere assumption, but upon hearing Ronan’s account, Ewaqu actually confirmed his hypothesis.
"Indeed, the Sacrificial Spirit Stone Pillar is forged from Holy Shrine Stone; your intuition was correct."
"Holy Shrine Stone..."
Unable to resist, Ronan inquired, "Can you tell me more about it?"
His knowledge of the Holy Shrine was gleaned from an ancient note obtained during his Apprenticeship from Old Wells. Always curious, yet the note had only scarce descriptions.