Chapter 100: Instigation, Ritual, and Bloodletting

“Did you guys fall asleep waiting for me?”

“I waited at the iron gate outside for ages, but no one came to open it... Avena, why did you ask me to come?”

“Eh? Why is there a bite mark on your neck? Who bit you? Need medicine?”

At midnight, Adele, brought to the door of Avena’s room by Nia, chattered away at Avena, who opened the door looking sleepy, her black hair slightly messy.

Only when Adele, holding ointment, was about to apply it to Avena’s neck did Avena seem to react, taking a slight step back to avoid Adele’s hand.

“No need.” Avena’s drowsy eyes gradually cleared. She reached up to pull her collar, but still couldn’t cover the bite mark left on her neck earlier.

“Come in.” Avena moved aside slightly, allowing Adele to enter.

Looking at the somewhat dim bedroom before her, Adele entered without any hesitation, asking as she walked, “I’m a bit sleepy too... What exactly is going on?”

It seemed Adele had come directly to Avena’s estate without knowing anything and was easily lured into the room.

It was hard to tell if she was just overly trusting or too trusting of her friends.

At this point, Adele noticed under the candlelight that there seemed to be another person sound asleep on the bed.

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“Ciel?” Adele blinked, then looked towards Avena beside her, asking in a low voice, “So you two were sleeping together?”

Adele kept her voice extremely low, seemingly trying to avoid waking Ciel.

Before Avena could answer, Adele spoke cautiously, “Should we talk somewhere else, so we don’t disturb Ciel’s sleep...”

“It’s fine,” Avena shook her head. “We’ve already slept.”

Adele: “How long did you sleep?”

Avena: “About seven and a half hours.”

“Hmm...” Adele nodded. “That’s sufficient sleep time, good for the body.”

After a moment, Adele finally processed it, quickly counted on her fingers, then turned to Avena and asked, “You two went to sleep at 4:30?”

Avena: “Yes.”

Just as the two sat down on the sofa, their conversation seemed to have woken Ciel.

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“Mmm...” Ciel, whose tense spirit had finally gotten some rest, slowly stretched languidly in bed, kicked off the blanket that had been placed over her at some point, and propped herself up slowly.

Ciel rubbed her eyes, looked towards Avena and Adele sitting on the sofa not far away, and asked indistinctly, “Is she here already...”

“Good evening... morning... Hi, Ciel.” Adele smiled and waved towards Ciel, greeting her.

Avena sat beside Adele, also looking towards Ciel.

Avena watched Ciel, who still seemed half-asleep, slowly crawl to the edge of the bed and sit there, looking at the shoes on the floor, apparently wondering who had taken them off for her.

Originally, after changing into her nightgown, Avena had planned to gently turn Ciel over so she could sleep on the pillow properly.

But just after taking off Ciel’s shoes and socks and straightening her body, as she tried to pull her hand away, Ciel, in her sleep, wrapped her arms around Avena’s waist.

Avena was certain Ciel was in a semi-conscious, hazy state at the time, but Ciel seemed to be murmuring her name.

Ciel seemed to say something like...

“Avena... don’t be shy...”

Or something similar, holding onto her waist without letting go, as if dreaming.

With her waist held, Avena could only lie beside Ciel in an almost curled-up, very awkward position, nearly half her body on the pillow, the back of her head against the headboard, while Ciel’s face naturally buried itself in her chest.

At that moment, Avena was completely stunned, feeling like her brain was about to explode, but she didn’t want to move... She could only maintain that position, letting Ciel hold her, until she herself drifted off to sleep.

Although the position was incredibly awkward, for some reason, Avena felt unusually secure, her emotions floating as if on clouds, wishing that moment would never end.

And then... she was woken up by Adele knocking on the door.

But since she had invited her, she couldn’t blame her.

Ciel had now put on her shoes and walked over to sit beside the two.

She looked fully awake now.

After sitting down, she looked at Adele and said, “Adele, long story short, I need you to sleep here for the next few days.”

Adele: “?”

You called me over in the middle of the night just for this?

Wait, didn’t you two already sleep earlier? Now you want me to sleep here too? Sleep here for what? So you can watch me sleep?

Unreasonable.

Any normal person with a bit of self-respect wouldn’t possibly agree to such a nonsensical request.

Adele nodded gently and asked softly, “Then... are there any extra pillows...”

“You can use my pillow.” Ciel explained, “I asked you to come over so you could stay with Avena.”

“Your teacher, Sherlon, got involved with an evil cult before he died. Perhaps I don’t need to say the name for you to know. Before his death, your teacher collected a lot of information about this cult.”

Hearing about her teacher, Adele’s eyes dimmed slightly.

She greatly admired those who had saved her in times of adversity, aspiring to become as capable as them.

She admired her outstanding sister, Uris, who had cared for her since childhood.

She respected her teacher, Sherlon, who had countless students and decades of experience in surgery, having saved countless lives, including her own.

Even if she didn’t want to believe it, Adele knew that what Ciel said was likely true.

Because she had indeed found a large amount of information her teacher had collected about the Divine Advent Church in his library... It was just that at the time, Adele believed her teacher had collected it for some research purpose.

Adele looked at Ciel, hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Teacher Sherlon... he was brainwashed by the Divine Advent Church, that’s why he became like that, right?”

Hearing Adele’s question and sensing her low spirits, Ciel remained silent for a moment before saying, “No, he contacted the Divine Advent Church himself.”

Ciel never believed that lying about such things offered any real comfort.

She didn’t believe in the idea of “speaking no ill of the dead.” Good was good, bad was bad. Ciel wouldn’t whitewash a butcher who wanted to kill tens of thousands just to spare Adele’s feelings.

What surprised Ciel somewhat was that after hearing the truth, Adele didn’t become sadder; the sadness on her face actually eased slightly.

It seemed she wasn’t more saddened by her teacher’s betrayal.

-

“Aren’t you sad?” Ciel asked.

Adele shook her head, saying softly, “I was already sad about this reason before.”

“If teacher... Sherlon did those things because he was brainwashed, he would still be the teacher I respect.”

“But if not, as I said before, I’ve already been sad about it.”

Ciel nodded slightly.

Adele, this child, her thinking was always unconventional yet remarkably reasonable.

She had previously come to Avena, upset because her teacher had gone down the wrong path. For Adele, the matter of her “teacher’s betrayal” was already in the past.

With no reversal of the situation now, this matter wouldn’t affect Adele again.

Rather than calling her heartless, it was more like magnanimity, possessing a certain wisdom. It wouldn’t be surprising if she uttered some profound aphorism the next second.

At this moment, Adele also felt a strange sensation.

She initially thought she was called over for something extremely important and had been very nervous on the way.

But that nervousness had dissipated after standing outside the door for over an hour earlier. She began to wonder about the reason.

Avena and Ciel were new friends; Adele didn’t know them very well yet.

However, she really hadn’t expected Avena and Ciel to call her over merely out of concern for her safety, wanting her here for easier protection.

This moved Adele deeply.

Ciel and Avena had already developed a relationship where they could sleep together; she couldn’t be the odd one out.

Her gaze swept back and forth between Ciel and Avena. Ciel was also looking at her, waiting for her to speak.

Just then, Adele spoke.

“Next time you sleep together, can you include me?”

Ciel: “?”

Avena: “???”

Avena, who had been watching Ciel and lost in thought, was jolted awake by Adele’s words.

Seeing their shocked expressions, Adele tilted her head slightly to the right and asked quizzically, “Aren’t you having a pajama party?”

Ciel: “...No.”

After explaining to Adele that coming to Avena’s was for safety due to Nia’s protection, Adele finally understood that Ciel and Avena weren’t having a party earlier; Ciel had just gone to sleep early because she was tired.

It was late at night now, far past Adele’s usual bedtime. Plus, she had waited downstairs for so long, she was already extremely sleepy.

After confirming with Avena that she would be sleeping in her bed tonight, Adele didn’t hesitate much and went straight to the bathroom to shower, leaving Avena and Ciel alone in the living room.

Avena looked at Ciel, noticing she seemed to be contemplating something with her head lowered. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, “What are you thinking about, Ciel?”

Perhaps Ciel, like her, after sleeping in the same bed, was also starting to reconsider the definition of their relationship.

Hearing Avena’s question, Ciel looked up at her, shook her head, and said, “I’m thinking about what comes next.”

“What comes next?” Seeing Ciel’s somewhat serious expression, Avena reined in her thoughts slightly, though a faint sense of disappointment lingered.

Ciel chose her words carefully before speaking:

“I’ve also been assigned a mission, so I must complete my task.”

“Thank you for letting me stay these past few days, but I have to leave now.”

No matter how many times she succeeded in the simulation, she ultimately had to perform the actions herself. It was already the early morning of the 21st; Ciel had to act quickly.

“Wait, Ciel.” Avena stood up, placed her hand on Ciel’s shoulder, and asked seriously, “I have one last question, Ciel.”

“What question?” Ciel looked into Avena’s eyes.

“Ciel, perhaps it’s just my overthinking... but I really feel the organization behind you isn’t a good one.” Avena hesitated, then continued, “Killing Sherlon earlier, that was also their assigned mission, right?”

“And coming with us to Deton Manor before, that was also because they asked you to investigate, right?”

“They assign you these difficult tasks that even transcendents might not be able to complete, yet they can’t even guarantee your sister’s safety, leaving it to me... They provide you with intelligence to complete missions, but you even have to acquire the funds for these missions yourself.”

“Do they have some kind of ‘leverage’ on you? If this is something you can’t talk about, just blink three times consecutively to tell me.”

Avena’s mind was extremely sharp, intensely curious, possessing a superb talent for “detection.”

These recent negative experiences had long made Avena notice some clues.

That organization, apart from intelligence, clearly provided Ciel with no substantial help, perhaps only that pistol that seemed like a sealed artifact.

But regardless, that wasn’t a reason for a powerful, secretive organization to repeatedly put an ordinary person in danger. In Avena’s eyes, Ciel was being thoroughly exploited.

If Ciel was willing to tell her the truth behind this, she would do her best to help Ciel break free from the organization’s control.

At this moment, Ciel looked at Avena, her expression calm, without ripples.

She had long known Avena would definitely become curious and suspicious about the organization behind her; it was just Avena’s nature, so Ciel wasn’t surprised.

It had to be said, Avena’s “Listener” potion digestion was excellent. After hearing Avena speak, Ciel herself felt an urge to confide, but thankfully Avena hadn’t actively used her ability, so the effect wasn’t too strong.

As for the explanation, she had already prepared it.

“You’ve misunderstood, Avena.” Ciel raised her hand, gently removing Avena’s hand from her shoulder. “I’m just using a special Reconstitution Ritual, with the organization’s help, to digest a unique potion.”

Unique... potion?

Hearing this, Avena was somewhat baffled.

Centuries ago, major churches had already collected information on all first-tier paths. In recent centuries, the number of paths was no longer a secret to slightly higher-level organizations and churches.

The Roswell family had basically collected information on all first-tier potions and rituals, lacking only two paths.

So, how unique could the uniqueness Ciel mentioned possibly be?

Ciel turned towards the door, picked up her canvas bag and hat hanging beside it, turned back to Avena, and said, “Don’t worry about me, Avena.”

“I might be a tiny bit stronger than you imagine.”

With that, Ciel walked out of the room, leaving Avena standing there, looking at the Ciel who seemed unfazed by second-tier cultists, lost in thought.

She originally thought her communication with Ciel was deep enough, but the more she learned, the more mysterious Ciel seemed... as if she could never fully grasp her.

-

Meanwhile, Ciel walked down the outer corridor, contemplating her plan.

She wondered if there was a way to set up the required blood array for the spiritual summoning in Deton Manor beforehand.

As for the cultists inside, they were no longer a major threat in Ciel’s eyes.

This wasn’t arrogance or inflated ego on Ciel’s part.

As long as she could transform into “Judicator,” she could practically walk sideways through the entire Deton Manor. Before the arrival of that cultist Bishop on the 23rd, no cultist in Berren City could claim to beat Ciel in terms of combat power.

This confidence stemmed from Ciel’s repeated massacres of the Deton Manor cultist circle.

Moreover, she had one more heavyweight item she could redeem to ensure her absolute safety—it just couldn’t be seen by Avena and Adele, especially Nia, to avoid potential misunderstandings.

That item was the 【Sadhana Emblem】, the emblem originally exclusive to Divine Advent Church Bishops, which prevented attacks from cultists bearing the “Sadhana Mark.”

She had obtained it in the last simulation.

Now, she just needed to spend another 20 Fate Points to redeem it, but first, Ciel had to free up some space in her already full inventory.

Currently, Ciel’s inventory had only four slots, containing 【Eye of Order Contract】, 【Radiance Bishop’s Letter】, 【Deadly Blood Laurel】, and 【Echo of the Silver-White Timebinder】.

The previous 【Other Side Page】 had been taken out during the simulation and stuck onto “Instigator” Ciel’s mask, unable to be removed.

That mask Nia gave her, perhaps because the 【Other Side Page】 was attached, cost a whopping 100 Fate Points to redeem.

The price was too steep; Ciel definitely wouldn’t redeem the mask. If needed later, she could just spend 5 Fate Points to redeem a new 【Other Side Page】.

To redeem the 【Sadhana Emblem】 now, she had to clear one inventory slot to ensure it wouldn’t normally be discovered.

After thinking for a moment, Ciel decided to take out the 【Echo of the Silver-White Timebinder】 and carry it on her person.

It was Ciel’s exclusive sealed artifact; others couldn’t use it even if they obtained it.

Just carrying the pocket watch had no side effects, making it a much better option to take out than other items that would cause trouble if discovered.

Most importantly, Ciel had used this watch for three years. The recent period without it indeed felt somewhat unfamiliar.

A silver light flashed. The familiar, exquisite antique silver pocket watch appeared in Ciel’s hand. She casually slipped the watch into the right pocket of her skirt, fastening the chain’s delicate clasp to her belt.

Ciel slipped her hand into her pocket, feeling the slightly cool watch, the familiar sensation bringing her peace of mind.

Finally, Ciel directly redeemed the 【Sadhana Emblem】 from the inventory.

Having redeemed the letter she wrote to herself earlier, her Fate Points dropped to 192. Now spending another 20 for the 【Sadhana Emblem】, Ciel’s Fate Point balance fell to 172.

The redeemed 【Sadhana Emblem】 appeared directly in her inventory. Whether it would work just by being in the inventory, like the 【Eye of Order Contract】, Ciel would have to test herself.

By now, Ciel had reached the manor entrance. She looked back and saw that the light in Avena’s room on the third floor was now off, while the study light was on instead.

Having slept with her already, Avena definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight and would probably read all night. As for Adele, she would surely be dragged to sleep on the study floor or sofa, needing to stay close to Nia.

It seemed Avena had listened to her and wouldn’t act independently. As long as they didn’t act recklessly, they wouldn’t introduce more variables into Ciel’s plan.

At times like this, Ciel thought the “Instigator’s” ability was quite useful. With just a simple suggestion, amplified by the system skill, the first-tier Avena and Adele basically had no ability to resist.

The cool night breeze blew gently. On the empty streets in the early morning hours, Ciel walked forward while reopening the letter, starting to review the list.

To ensure the Divine Advent Church didn’t notice her at all, Ciel couldn’t personally carry out many actions. The more she did, the more unintentional traces she would leave behind.

For this, she needed an inconspicuous “proxy” to prepare everything for her.

And she only needed to initiate the spiritual summoning at the critical moment.

This person definitely couldn’t be Kitty.

If something happened at Deton Manor, Kitty, as the cultist administrator for this area, would be a prime target for investigation. The Divine Advent Church would definitely discover something from her remaining blood and bones.

Ciel searched through the list for a suitable candidate, but after flipping through hundreds of names and addresses, she couldn’t find anyone suitable.

Although the cultists Kitty recruited came from all walks of life, due to fear of exposure, none were high-ranking individuals. Instead, they were servants of high-ranking people or secretaries in companies.

Furthermore, the Divine Advent Church’s choice of recruits was rather intriguing.

Most people on the list had criminal records, and many were desperate individuals. Reading the brief descriptions of some, Ciel even suspected they had antisocial personality disorder.

Under the Divine Advent Church’s baptism, they returned to normal society, lurking as hidden cultists, passing intelligence to Kitty.

Ciel recalled that “Radiance Bishop” Braque was originally a wicked pirate sailor but was similarly recruited by the Divine Advent Church.

Their recruitment logic seemed very different from the Church of the Savior Goddess.

Could there be another Reconstitution Ritual for “Ascetics” within the Divine Advent Church?

Or perhaps those who were originally evil were simply better at digesting the “Ascetic” potion?

Ciel skipped the first few pages of the list and looked directly at the marked transcendents at the back.

The ordinary cultists on the first few pages were mostly managed by the seven first-tier cultists. They didn’t know about the higher-up Kitty, nor that the Berren City Divine Advent Church stronghold was Deton Manor on Creek Hill outside the city.

Moreover, their identities wouldn’t grant them access to Deton Manor.

If Ciel wanted to brainwash and then eliminate a helper, she had to choose from those first-tier transcendents.

Ciel remembered clearly that some flesh and blood remained from Kitty after the spiritual summoning, but those first-tier transcendents were almost completely sucked dry by the spiritual being.

Having one of them work for her, then during the final sacrifice, the spiritual being would erase all traces for her.

If the Divine Advent Church really found remains among the corpses, they could only trace it back to the Other Side.

Soon, Ciel selected a very easily instigatable target.

-

The woman who crawled out from under Kitty’s desk earlier, the first-tier “Gambler” Georgine.

She had ample reason to seek revenge against Kitty. With just a little instigation from an Instigator, she could immediately be converted into an asset.

Ciel noted the address on the list, stuffed the envelope back into her satchel, changed direction, and headed towards Gem Avenue.

At 1 AM, Clock Tower Alley still echoed with factory noise, and homeless people could be seen wandering the streets. But Gem Avenue in the Gem District was comparatively brighter.

Most residents here were workers from the jewelry processing plants or employees working in the central district. Although not noisy at night, the areas near bars were brightly lit and bustling.

However, people mostly walked in groups of two or three. Ciel, being alone, attracted quite a few stares, making her feel uncomfortable.

To avoid the common occurrences of being hit on, Ciel ducked into an alley and climbed onto a rooftop.

The numerous, exquisite row houses provided excellent footholds, allowing her to traverse the buildings more easily than in Clock Tower Alley.

The physical enhancement from 【Mage Hunter】 didn’t seem very significant to Ciel, possibly due to her already high 【Dexterity】 level.

But in reality, Ciel’s current strength and physical fitness already surpassed most average adult males.

It was just that her base physique was a bit poor. Even with system skill bonuses, it hadn’t reached an absurd level.

Soon, Ciel stopped at number 144, near the end of Gem Avenue, the area closest to the Gem District’s jewelry processing factories.

Ciel stood on the rooftop of number 144, the simulation interface unfolding before her eyes.

She walked to the edge, looked down at the small fourth-floor terrace below, and leaped.

Clang—

Her hard boot soles landed on the railing with a crisp sound. Through the uncurtained window, Ciel saw the room inside.

A woman lay in bed, seemingly woken by the sound, sitting up with her back to Ciel.

Home.

Good.

“No.1.” Ciel silently selected the number one slot in her mind. Her figure distorted, and Ciel’s form changed.

【No.1】

【”Instigator” Ciel】

【00:29:59】

A system interface lingered before Ciel’s eyes, along with a constantly decreasing countdown timer.

Ciel’s Fate Point balance also dropped from 172 to 167.

She raised her hand, touched the mask on her right cheek, then directly pulled open the unlocked window curtain and spoke with a smile, “Don’t move... Georgine.”

Georgine’s body froze. Her intended movement to turn around stopped, as if sensing some terrifying presence.

The “Instigator” potion, “Art of Conversation,” “Nemesis,” the mask with the damaged “Other Side Page”... under the combined pressure, the transcendent Georgine couldn’t even manage to speak, merely sitting on the bed, trembling uncontrollably.

Ciel climbed through the window, landing softly on the carpet inside with a muffled thud.

“Don’t be nervous, Georgine. I came to bring you wonderful news...” Ciel sat down behind Georgine with a smile, casually observing the room’s decor while saying, “This room you rented, is anyone else here?”

“Oh right, you can speak now.”

Georgine, sitting on the bed, swallowed hard.

She had no idea what was happening. She just wanted to return to her home in the city for a rare good night’s sleep, but suddenly felt an indescribably terrifying fluctuation.

This person who walked into her room possessed an oppressive aura far more terrifying than Kitty’s, forcing Georgine to obey her words.

Simultaneously, what terrified Georgine even more was discovering she couldn’t muster any desire to attack the other party—as if even the thought of “resistance” had been stripped away.

Is this... a sister from the Church? Or a passing Bishop who sensed my aura?!

This oppressive feeling that prevented her from turning around, in her view, could only be brought by a Bishop.

“My room... just me... Lord Bishop...” Georgine managed to speak with difficulty. Soon, she didn’t realize her own lips had lost their color.

Bishop?

How did she mistake me for a Bishop?

I only said two sentences.

This must be the 【Sadhana Emblem】 taking effect.

Does it also work just by being in the inventory?

Ciel’s lips slowly curved upwards.

Doesn’t this mean cultists will worship me as a Bishop wherever I go?

If other churches have similar items, maybe I can ask the system how to expand the inventory later, line up these emblems in my inventory. Wouldn’t I be invincible then?

Do whatever I want!

“Georgine, I came to ask, what is your opinion of Kitty?” Ciel asked with a smile.

Hearing the mysterious Bishop behind her mention this, cold sweat instantly streamed down Georgine’s face.

“I, I, I... Lady Kitty is a priestess I deeply respect. She has made many contributions to the Church... We all hold her in high esteem. She works tirelessly for the Church here...” Georgine spoke faster and faster, but her words sounded like a memorized template.

“You want to kill her, don’t you?” Ciel interrupted Georgine abruptly.

Georgine froze completely, feeling as if her brain had been struck by a heavy hammer.

Am I... suspected of betrayal?

At this point, Georgine threw caution to the wind. She rolled off the bed, crawled to kneel before Ciel, kowtowing while saying tearfully, “I absolutely harbor no such thoughts, Lord Bishop. I truly respect Lady Kitty... Please, you must believe me.”

“Oh no no no, Georgine, what have I done to make you so afraid to speak the truth?” Ciel chuckled and shook her head. “I was just going to ask you for a small favor. If you agree, I can pretend I don’t know about this.”

“This morning, before you go to Deton Manor, I will bring you some things... You just need to follow the pattern in the drawing, temporarily clear the card room, lift the carpet, and sprinkle them in the card room directly above the sanctuary...”

“This is a necessary ritual for summoning the Mother Goddess’s divine servant. You... will complete it properly, won’t you?”

“As long as you complete this ritual, you will attain a status higher than Kitty’s, even gaining direct access to the divine servant...”

“If you wish, I can even transfer you away from Berren City, directly to Bliss City.”

“Are you... willing?”

Ciel’s combination of threat and reward completely disoriented Georgine. With almost no resistance, she lowered her head deeply and said, “I will complete the task, Lord Bishop.”

“Remember, do not speak of me to anyone... On the 23rd, I will go directly to Deton Manor to personally inspect the results.”

The voice above her disappeared. After a long time, when Georgine’s legs were numb from kneeling, she looked up again, but saw no one.

Meanwhile, Ciel had already run back at full speed to her original home in Clock Tower Alley, carrying some newly purchased items.

She returned to her room, drew all the curtains, and by the faint candlelight, looked at the wooden tub, large teapot, several large hot water bags, and a few dinner knives before her, taking a deep breath.

The teapot, hot water bags, and knives were just purchased.

And the wooden tub was the one Ciel originally used for bathing.

10 Fate Points for 1000g of blood was a bit too expensive for Ciel.

Her blood was truly more precious than gold.

Redeeming the blood needed for the spiritual summoning might not even be possible with all her remaining Fate Points.

So she decided to follow the example of “Instigator” Ciel from the simulation and bleed herself.

With seven minutes remaining before the 30-minute transformation effect wore off, Ciel decided to bleed her “Instigator” self, not wasting any time.

Initially, she could directly use “Echo of Time” to draw more blood.

After “Echo of Time” ended, the “Temporal Disorder” negative effect would only occur within this transformed save file.

Moreover, regardless of which save file “Temporal Disorder” switched to, as long as it wasn’t her original self, Ciel could continue bleeding until the wooden tub before her was full.

Ciel removed her clothes, stood inside the half-height wooden tub, and slowly crouched down to prevent blood from splashing out.

She held the pocket watch in her left hand and a dinner knife in her right. After taking a deep breath, she pressed the button on the watch.

A phantom timer appeared before Ciel’s eyes, indicating the watch’s ability, “Echo of Time,” had activated.

She held the sharp dinner knife, pressed it against her carotid artery, lowered her head, and slowly drew it across.

Spurt—

Under immense pressure, blood gushed out, hitting the edge of the wooden tub and slowly flowing down the side.

Time passed minute by minute, but the speed of the blood flow continuously decreased.

Ciel raised the knife, slit her wrist, femoral artery... Finally, as her heartbeat gradually weakened, she slowly inserted the knife into her heart, draining the last drop of flowing blood.

Thump—

Ten seconds passed. A flash of silver-white light passed. Ciel, who had been leaning back in the tub, barely alive, instantly returned to her state from ten seconds prior.

Ciel leaned against the tub, her breathing becoming heavy. The blood at the bottom hadn’t even covered her ankles yet. The blood collection speed was much slower than Ciel had imagined...

How much time did her simulated self spend constantly bleeding... how bored must she have been?

But fortunately, as long as the procedure was followed correctly, this bloodletting was completely harmless to Ciel.

She just wondered if she could use this mechanism to dig out her own heart... Would the heart simply disappear? Or would she grow another one?

At this moment, Ciel, still in the “Instigator” transformed state, let her thoughts wander.

Just being able to leave behind blood already felt absurd enough to Ciel... as if she had created so much blood out of thin air.

She had reason to believe that if her heart could be redeemed from the system interface, then a heart dug out during “Echo of Time” could also be retained.

Unfortunately... this was her exclusive sealed artifact.

Otherwise, she could let others use this artifact while she harvested their materials, allowing for infinite profit...

Ciel raised her hand, lightly flicked the knife tip across her neck, felt her limbs gradually grow cold, and slowly waited for the arrival of “Temporal Disorder.”

The blood rose past Ciel’s ankles.