When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 906: Chapter 276: Spell Card: Ice of the Stars

When peace was restored, time slowly passed.

Only then did passengers muster the courage to peer out of the cabin to look outside… But they could see nothing, just the tranquility amidst havoc.

Nearly in ruins, the deck was brightly lit, where the disheveled captain directed the sailors—most of them injured, yet none too severely—to tidy up. The sounds of cleaning and the occasional pained groans added an unexpected clamor to the scene.

Above the sea, however, there was calmness. No lingering gunpowder fumes, no remnants of limbs, no visible trails of Path energy to the naked eye.

The ocean, appearing darker under the glow of the lights, seemed now like an abyss devouring life itself.

—It looked as though an earth-shattering battle had taken place, yet, surprisingly, not a single backbone of the ship was damaged.

“Everyone, go back!”

The captain, seeing the passengers poking their heads out, urged with a rough voice: “The problem is resolved, the enemy has been vanquished—we’re safe now!”

“Was it a sea monster?”

Someone asked.

“It was a ‘Sea Bride’!”

The captain did not avoid the question, but answered directly: “But the problem has been resolved—the sea monster has been slain!”

“Sea Bride!”

“That is… the Sea God!”

Some passengers, living in fishing areas, thoroughly understood sea monsters. They expressed varying feelings of unease, fear, or relief.

With their explanations, people could finally confirm: they had indeed encountered a sea monster.

In some less advanced coastal areas, people are helpless against sea monsters—these ancient creatures, older than many Pillar Gods and requiring a Fifth Power Level Transcendent to eradicate alone, left most races with only one option: blood feeding.

Based on a primitive religious belief, these villages often referred to sea monsters as “Sea Gods.” Because even Transcendents of immense non-human strength would often perish in combat, it wasn’t an overstatement to call them Gods.

They would “appease” these Sea Gods by periodically sacrificing children as blood feed. Miraculously, these “Sea Gods,” after feeding, would indeed become docile for a while—because they came for souls and did not rely on flesh and blood for sustenance; their actual needs were quite minimal.

In the simple minds of the “Sea Gods,” if food consistently appeared in a place, they would consider it their feeding point.

They would not only refrain from attacking the place, but even protect “their feeding point” from beasts and tides, physically forming a kind of “protection.”

If they attacked a village that stopped providing offerings, it was often not out of “anger” but “puzzlement”—is something wrong here? Let’s check by knocking.

Oops, why did it burst?

The villages hailed as “bravely battling the evil Sea God and achieving victory” were not avoided because the sea monsters feared them, but because they realized over time that no food was appearing there and they could not fix it, so they gave up.

“Who exactly saved us?”

Someone urgently asked, “Was it that Preserver?”

Many of them did not recognize Professor Laximi, but those capable of traveling to the Holy Nation, even if not Transcendents, often had sufficient knowledge about them.

The yellowish glow that previously spread throughout the cabin and protected them came from a unique Preservation Art of the Transcendent from the Path of Dusk.

In Star Antimony, where priests were scarce and legal Necromancers abundant, people always maintained a respectful and awed regard for Preservers.

—Because they could be both one’s physician and coroner.

“It wasn’t him!”

Other passengers denied: “We heard it—it was Miss Crowley! That Preserver was utterly powerless against the great sea monster; he called for people to summon ‘Miss Crowley’ to save us!”

Other passengers came forward to confirm the event.

As several pieces of the deck had been shattered, there were quite a few witnesses.

“Alright, go back! That lady doesn’t want to be disturbed; she needs to rest!”

Before people could continue the exchange, the fierce, unsightly captain sternly intimidated everyone: “We still need to clean the deck! Get down!”

Then, sailors began to hurry the passengers away.

Someone suddenly asked, “Please, who exactly is Miss Crowley, who saved us?”

Upon hearing this, the captain also fell into thought.

He contemplated for a moment and gave a definite yet somewhat vague response: “She is a beautiful and noble lady with black hair. She is a human.”

“Is she very beautiful?”

Someone caught onto a critical detail.

“Very beautiful.”

The captain nodded without hesitation.

And this comment sparked people’s imaginations. Their benefactor who saved them from a desperate situation, the “God Slayer” who defeated the sea god, the one who saved everyone but didn’t come out to accept their gratitude.

Such an identity, coupled with a “very beautiful” appearance… there was no doubt that this would make for a very good news story!

“Who exactly is Miss Crowley…?”

The passengers pondered in their own different reveries, faced with the unknown chaos.

At this moment, Aleister was leisurely playing with the newly sealed Phantom Card in his room. He was studying the card’s face, full of various implications, from which mysterious knowledge continuously seeped out and was greedily absorbed by Aleister, who possessed a pure Heart of Transcendence.

This card was originally “Temperance,” but now it is called “Art,” and can also be referred to as “Alchemy.”

In the center of the Tarot Card is a two-headed monster, with both male and female features, one male and one female head mirrored on the left and right sides of the illustration.

It is pouring water and fire into a crucible. On either side of the crucible stand a white male lion and a red female griffin—their positions are similar to “The Lovers” card, but their colors are reversed. The Lovers card features a red lion and a white griffin, whose expressions and figures are the exact opposites.

At this moment, the white male lion is placing its paw on top of the crucible, dripping red blood; while the fiery red female griffin is spitting out white saliva—some believe that these high-flying creatures do not have saliva, or that they contain their saliva when flying, and should they spit it out when attacked, it would cause them to fall.

Therefore, they could also symbolize earth and wind.

And at this moment, water alight with flame is overflowing from the crucible. They step onto the cold Fiery Fire without an expression of pain. Inside that crucible, something glorious seems about to be born—the two-headed hermaphrodite monster’s heart also burns with a sun-like brilliance.

“Temperance” can be understood as “restraint” or rational “binding.” But its correct interpretation should be “controlling something real with something unreal,” which leads to a result—Balance.

This card tells the story of “purification and refinement of things” under the influence of the Force of Equilibrium. And this is precisely the origin of Alchemy.

In this Tarot card, the monster’s head is the moon, and its chest represents the Sun. The mirrored surfaces reflecting masculinity and femininity are perfectly connected to the Sun and the Moon, which also seems to symbolize the Gemini Mirror, the Eternal Self, the Dawn Celestial Marshal, and… the subtle relationship with the “predecessor of the Serpent Celestial Marshal” as the originator of Alchemy.

In a certain sense, this card is closely related to Aiwass.

Aiwass and Aleister are precisely in this hermaphroditic state. And he is also exactly “using the mirror and the power of balance to connect the Sun and the Moon.” Moreover, the re-creation of earth, wind, water, and fire within that crucible also seems to be linked to the act of Aiwass creating Phantom Cards.

“So that’s how it is…”

Aleister murmured.

She suddenly received an implication from this card—or perhaps a revelation of a truth that has always been there but ignored by everyone.

As is well known, Alchemy has a close connection to allegory.

Just like the Alchemists of the Stibium School, who do not believe in the existence of the Philosopher’s Stone but aspire to the refinement of “Star Antimony”—the “Triumphal Chariot of Antimony” written by Valentine I is about elevating animals’ nature to godly Transcendence.

And the Red Chancellor was Valentine I’s good friend.

He regarded this book as the method of verification for the Perfect Human, thinking the seven steps of ascension from elevating animal nature to godliness, was akin to the process of cleansing the animalistic nature of the Son of the Moon.

Although Aleister thought that Valentine I probably did not mean it this way… what’s outrageous is that the Red Chancellor, based on this book, which in reality did not discuss this matter at all, stubbornly conducted magical research. And somehow, he really succeeded in the end!

This is a classic case of Red Chancellor audacity.

But in fact, while “Star Antimony” is a metaphor, the Philosopher’s Stone can also be a metaphor—if one places one’s soul within the crucible of the body, introducing dreams, fears, hopes, desires, refining through earth, fire, water, wind, purifying all that is oneself… then the truly perfect object can be born.

That is the “Philosopher’s Stone”—the greatest Alchemy that can turn stones into gold. This also means turning an incompetent, stone-like person into something shining brightly… turning those dark things into dazzling Light.

And this…

“…is precisely what I am doing.”

Aleister murmured to herself.

She had found the entry point.

Had the Alchemists of the Stibium School not realized that there was actually no problem with the theory of the Philosopher’s Stone?

Probably not.

Rather, they have gone too far to turn back—preferring to persist in their mistake.

With this thought, Aleister shattered the projected card into a bubble illusion with a single grip.

Its attributes flashed across her mind:

[Spell Card: Ice of the Stars (Art)]

[Requirement: Water 4]

[Action, Summoning, non-contact]

[Effect: Summon colorful Ice of the Stars, simply shaping its form and allowing it to remain for a while. Anyone who gazes directly at the Ice of the Stars, attempting to destroy or understand it, will fall deeper into the illusion; those entrapped by the effect will be frozen; those completely frozen by the effect cannot voluntarily escape the illusion, even if the Ice of the Stars no longer exists]

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