Chapter 56: Sacrifice Ceremony
Wes's research wasn't progressing smoothly. The Old Spring's sacrifice ceremony, while seemingly simple, was shrouded in a strange atmosphere.
Was the Old Spring's water naturally formed, or was it the work of a mysterious "god"?
Wes didn't intend to easily experiment before fully understanding it. After all, he wasn't risking just one life. He also hadn't figured out how to transform the Philosopher's Stone into pure energy through the Old Spring's sacrifice ceremony.
He shifted his attention from the Old Spring to the Holy Grail. After careful observation, he discovered a peculiar pattern inside. He speculated this might be a magic circle.
However, Wes had never seen a magic circle quite like it. "Perhaps there are books in the Hogwarts library that record this magic circle," he mused.
Wes was uncharacteristically frustrated by his limited knowledge in the field of magic.
After packing everything, Wes couldn't wait to return to Hogwarts. He practically ran to the library as soon as he arrived.
The library's lights were dim, and the air carried the musty scent of ancient books. He made his way to the restricted section, where all the creepy dark magic books were stored.
Thick dust covered the bookshelves. Some of the books here were sentient; upon sensing Wes's arrival, they began to whisper, tempting him to take them out.
Their temptations had no effect on Wes. Unmoved, he continued searching for the books he needed.
Soon, he found a book titled "Sacrifice - Taboo" in a hidden corner.
The cover of this book was damaged, its edges yellowed, clearly unread for a long time.
"This is it," Wes murmured, borrowing the book.
Back in his office, Wes eagerly sat down at his desk and gently opened the book's title page. On it was a shocking line: "Are you sure you want to open this book?" Wes was stunned. "The title page of this book is certainly unique!" His curiosity was piqued.
"Is the first page that interesting?" Wes thought, reasoning that a book stored in the restricted section must have a good reason for being there.
So, he continued to open the page with curiosity and read carefully.
The rest of the book, disappointingly, was very serious and formal, with no other interesting sentences like the first page.
As he read, he learned that the author, Olba Jeremias, was a wizard deeply interested in ancient times.
He meticulously documented how he delved into studying long-forgotten magical and sacrificial rituals.
He collected various materials from all over the world and finally reached an astonishing conclusion: the gods are real.
Evidence for this came from various sacrificial rituals and magic circles related to sacrifice.
In ancient times, ancestors prayed to the gods through sacrificial offerings.
Related records could be found worldwide.
Initially, Olba Jeremias didn't believe in the existence of gods. But by chance, he repaired an ancient magic circle and performed a sacrifice according to the ritual.
He followed the ceremony step by step. At first, there were no abnormalities. It wasn't until the final step that he suddenly heard a mysterious voice, a sound seemingly from another world.
Then, he saw the "god" with his own eyes.
However, the cost of seeing the gods was the loss of his vision, and no matter how many methods he tried, he couldn't cure his eyes.
Jeremias recorded his research and experience in detail, naming it "Sacrifice - Taboo."
At the end of the book, he solemnly warned: "Don't attempt any sacrifice ceremony! This will not only bring you unpredictable consequences but may even cost you your life."
Wes slowly closed the book, his heart churning.
Did Olba Jeremias see a real "god"? Or was it just an illusory dream, or something else entirely?
Who knows who left these sacrificial magic circles?
Unless... a thought flashed through Wes's mind. Unless he invented his own sacrifice magic circle.
Wes reopened the book and carefully studied it, word by word.
"Yes, that's it!" Wes exclaimed, excitedly slapping his hands on the table.
The core elements of sacrifice include: believers (persons who provide the sacrifice); the sacrifice itself; sacrificial rituals; and the object of the sacrifice (gods).
Wes carefully considered each element. It seemed he was close.
Believers: His house-elf, Jindy, undoubtedly treated Wes as a god.
Sacrifice: The Philosopher's Stone was a rare treasure.
God: While Wes hadn't reached that level, his unique abilities gave him infinite possibilities.
What was currently lacking was simply an exclusive sacrifice ceremony.
"This isn't a problem. I can design a unique sacrificial ritual." At that moment, Wes was incredibly excited. He couldn't wait to spread out paper and begin his creation.
He combined the magic circle in the Holy Grail and tried to construct a brand new, unique method for himself. This wasn't a simple task, as it involved "true names."
"True names" hold extraordinary significance for high-level creatures like gods and devils. If an ordinary person knows a devil's true name, they can banish it.
Wes Elwin was a name, a code name, but not a true name. This puzzled Wes. What kind of true name should he choose? Could he bear such a true name? Most importantly, could the true name be recognized by the "world"?
This was very important to Wes. He racked his brains, thinking until his head felt like it would explode, but he still couldn't decide on his true name.
After all, this wasn't something that could be decided easily.
However, Wes also knew that his life wasn't nearing its end. He still had plenty of time to think and make choices.
Moreover, designing the sacrifice ceremony would take a lot of time; it wasn't something that could be done overnight.
A few days after returning to Hogwarts, Wes was called to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore handed him a copy of the latest Daily Prophet.
Wes took the newspaper, his eyes falling on the particularly eye-catching front-page headline.
"The Most Cruel Criminal in History, Sirius, Successfully Escaped from Azkaban!"
Next to this headline was another line: "The Ministry of Magic is Seriously Negligent, Cornelius Fudge Resigns!"
The newspaper also included a photo of Sirius.
In the photo, Sirius was thin and shriveled, his black hair messy and greasy, like a tangled mass of seaweed.
His cheeks were sunken, his eyes dull, his cheekbones prominent, and his entire appearance resembled a walking corpse.
Wes knew that Sirius was a master of transfiguration, an illegal Animagus, who could transform into a large black dog.
With this ability, he avoided the Dementors' supervision and became the first prisoner in history to escape from Azkaban.
"Sirius's escape caused panic, and everyone is questioning whether the Ministry of Magic can protect them. Fudge was furious," Dumbledore said slowly.
"Professor, I don't think this has anything to do with me."
Wes didn't want to get involved in these matters. He felt there was no need to.
He stood up, about to leave. His main concern at the moment was designing his own sacrificial ritual.
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