By the time Lucian left the Sacred Hymn Hall, it was already eleven o'clock at night. Only scattered lights could be seen nearby, and the streets lay dark and mostly emptied of carriages.
The Harvest Month was scorching during the day, but whenever it rained, the nights turned wonderfully cool. Feeling the crisp night breeze wash over him, Lucian's spirits lifted, snapping him out of the elation over Victor's concert success and the pleasant surprise of obtaining the Gold Thaler. He strolled along, thinking to himself, "It looks like I'll have to leave Adrang District soon. I need to clean out the laboratory first, so vagrants don't discover anything after I move out. And I need to summon the wraith as soon as possible — ideally tonight! Starting tomorrow, I'll focus on purchasing Moonlight Roses."
Moonlight Rose was a miraculous plant that assisted Knight Squires in awakening their bloodline power. It had very strict requirements for the conditions in which it could grow, so its yield was never high. On top of that, becoming a knight was the best path for commoners and ordinary folk to rise into the noble class, which meant demand for the plant was enormous. Even at its steep price, supply never kept pace — the noble families could absorb the entire production among themselves, and ordinary people could only hope to acquire it through sheer luck or outrageous mark-ups from the black market. The best approach was to become a knight's squire, earn the knight's favour, and receive the Moonlight Rose as a gift once one was capable of awakening bloodline power.
The Vorlite Principality's Moonlight Rose resources were concentrated in the hands of the Church, the Violet family, and several other great families. Their high titles and formidable family knights were reasons enough, but control over Moonlight Rose was one of the key factors that made them the most powerful clans in the principality.
This was why Lucian had turned his thoughts to Phyllis. She was a member of the Hain family — Count Hain's niece. Although her father had failed to awaken his bloodline power even with the assistance of Moonlight Roses and other miraculous drugs, and had lost the struggle for the title while maintaining a poor relationship with Count Hain, none of that diminished her standing to purchase Moonlight Roses from within the family.
In fact, Phyllis had purchased them before, but after three failed attempts to awaken her bloodline power, she had devoted herself entirely to the path of music.
"The question is how to convince her? And how to dispel any suspicion she might have about why I want Moonlight Roses!"
Lucian descended the steps of the Sacred Hymn Hall with a faint frown of worry. His previous encounter with the Night Watch still left him shaken — he had to accelerate his growth in power. If Phyllis refused, he would have no choice but to take the risk of going to Altor's black market or attending a secretive gathering of arcane magic practitioners.
At the entrance of the Sacred Hymn Hall, only two ordinary carriages remained. Joel, his face flushed with joy, was telling Elisa, John, and Elena about how he had always believed Lucian had great musical talent.
Seeing Lucian approach, Joel burst into hearty laughter, spread his arms wide, and pulled Lucian into a firm embrace. "Young Evans, your lifelong dream of becoming a musician and my dream for the Sacred Hymn Hall — both have come true tonight. It's like something out of a fairy tale. You are the pride of your father, and the pride of all of us."
Though Joel had previously only joked about Lucian harboring a musician's dream, ever since Lucian had begun studying music under Victor, Joel had come to believe that Lucian truly wanted to become a musician.
Once enveloped in the embrace, Lucian couldn't help but feel a twinge of embarrassment. Can we skip the hugging? I never got used to this custom — a handshake would be so much better!
After Joel released him, John gave Lucian a hug as well. He was visibly moved, his grip surprisingly strong. "Lucian, you really are a musical genius. I'm proud of you. I originally thought I would be the first of us to become a knight."
At those words, a thought sparked in Lucian's mind. Perhaps he could use John as a reason to approach Phyllis about purchasing Moonlight Roses. After all, someone who, upon achieving success, still wanted to help a benefactor and a good friend awaken their bloodline power — that was the kind of thing people admired.
And it wasn't merely an excuse. Lucian had genuinely intended to do this — once he had amassed enough wealth, he would strive to buy Moonlight Roses and help John become a knight. Ever since transmigrating here, Joel's family had treated him like one of their own, and after everything they had gone through together, he felt the same way. In his heart, their place meant more to him than even Victor's.
The only problem was what he could offer to persuade Phyllis — money, or something else?
"I've only just started. It'll take at least two or three years of steady work before I can truly be called a musician," Lucian replied with a smile. "Maybe you'll awaken your bloodline power and become a knight soon, John."
John shook his head and released Lucian. "I've only just become a High-level Knight Squire and started learning to read. There's no rush — the more solid the foundation, the easier the later stages will be."
Awakening bloodline power had the highest success rate on the first attempt. Each subsequent try saw a decline in the odds, and after three failures, unless one obtained several rare potions with severe side effects, success became permanently impossible.
Elena stood to one side, waiting until Lucian and John had separated before stepping forward to give Lucian a brief hug. She smiled warmly. "Congratulations on your success, Lucian — no, I should call you Mr. Evans now."
"We're friends. There's no need to be so formal, or I'll stop coaching you on your music studies," Lucian replied with a joke.
Though there were city gates between the Administrative District and Adrang District, they were generally left open, only guarded by soldiers. After seeing Elena off, Lucian returned to his small cottage with Joel's family.
…………
Lying in bed, Lucian let all his emotions settle. He drifted in and out of sleep until well past one in the morning, when he suddenly sat bolt upright. After a thorough inspection, he slipped noiselessly into his arcane magic laboratory.
Spending an hour at a table covered in specialized alchemy circles, Lucian used a pure silver dagger to inscribe several more magical traps. Only then did he retrieve a vial of dark crimson blood from a box preserved with the "Preserve Organ" spell in the corner. At the same time, he opened his Magic Notes on the adjacent table and within the Soul Library, keeping them ready for immediate recording of anything related to the wraith.
Obtaining Wraith Dust was his primary objective, but studying this type of undead creature while he was at it was perfectly natural. After all, it was a being that bordered on the nature of a soul, and researching it could help Lucian strengthen his own soul and deepen his understanding of necromantic magic.
He opened the glass tube inscribed with arcane runes, and a thick, sulfurous stench wafted out. The dark crimson blood rolled and churned like molten lava, occasionally bursting with vivid red bubbles.
Lucian began chanting the guttural, twisting incantation. His spiritual force linked with an extraplanar space, and then he flung the devil's blood forward.
The dark crimson liquid froze eerily in midair and, at an unbelievable speed, split apart into individual droplets.
Those droplets rapidly coalesced into a small Magic Circle brimming with the stench of blood and evil, and then it erupted into flame.
Within the pale crimson mist, a translucent humanoid figure materialized abruptly. Its limbs and facial features were all hazy and indistinct, but the overwhelming resentment and malice it exuded could be clearly felt — even seen.
Though Lucian still did not fully understand the spatial principles at work, apprentice-level magic had a relatively straightforward structure, and he had rehearsed the procedure countless times through simulation. The "Summon Low-Level Undead" spell succeeded without a hitch.
The moment the translucent figure — its face virtually impossible to discern — appeared, it opened its mouth as if letting out a piercing, shrill shriek, and lunged straight at Lucian, as though it had sensed the living aura it so despised and loathed.