The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 284

This was the first time Ciel had received information about an Ascender… or rather, an Ascended One.

For the preceding information, from Tier 1 “Knight” to Tier 4 “Lord,” the Pure White Knight had only provided normally descriptive information.

But when it came to Tier 5 “Dominion,” the Pure White Knight switched to a self-narrated form.

It was the Pure White Knight itself, recounting its own understanding of Tier 5 “Dominion.”

It completed the Tier 5 reconstitution ritual entirely according to its own understanding, achieving its own ascension…

It could be said that this was an ascension path the Pure White Knight forged itself, and it was also the most suitable for it…

Others could naturally perform the Pure White Knight’s self-created ritual, but the worse the reconstitution effect, the worse the potion’s digestion would be…

Suddenly, Ciel understood what reconstitution rituals were truly reconstituting.

Reconstitution is copying rituals created by others…

If ascension is creating paths…

Then, the moment she creates a path in the Old Days, would she already be an Ascended One?

No, ascension has another condition: breaking free from the original physical body and completing the metamorphosis of life——

Thud——

A sudden sensation of falling instantly detached Ciel from her immersed state of thinking, and she quickly regained her perception of her surroundings.

She felt that she was lying on something warm and soft.

Ciel rolled over and looked at the “thing” she had just been pressing on. She saw Tara lying on the floor, her lips pursed in a pout.

Ciel stood up, about to say “sorry.” Before she could speak, Tara immediately scrambled up, lowering her head and saying:

“I am very sorry, Lord Ciel… I truly had no strength left… I apologize…”

Tara lowered her head, her expression showing grievance and regret. She regretted not exercising her muscles more, so she could have supported Ciel for a bit longer in that situation.

“Ascetic” and “Missionary” paths inherently don’t increase physical strength. Coupled with Tara’s small physique, there was little hope for her in terms of physical power.

“My apologies, I was distracted.” Ciel said with a hint of apology on her face, asking with concern, “Does it hurt?”

“No pain, no pain. It is Tara’s honor to be a cushion beneath Lord Ciel.” Tara shook her head repeatedly, seemingly unable to accept Ciel’s apology.

But what she said was indeed the truth. She didn’t mind at all being a cushion beneath Ciel; in fact, she considered it her good fortune.

Although Ciel had obtained information about the new path, she was not in a hurry to research how to complete its reconstitution ritual.

After all, she still wasn’t clear whether the system’s so-called 16 save files included the Pure White Knight’s “Knight” path.

The safest approach would definitely be to first save the “Listener” and “Ascetic” paths, and then conduct trial and error on the No. 16 save file. As long as one succeeds, the system’s objective would be met.

Another point was that the CEO of the Deton Group might be visiting next. Ciel wanted to first hear what top-secret intelligence the CEO would reveal.

However, Lucy’s efficiency seemed to exceed Ciel’s imagination. Just as Ciel was still researching how to quickly acquire the “Listener” and “Ascetic” paths, Lucy had already arrived at Ciel’s doorstep again, bringing with her a piece of information.

The CEO had accepted Ciel’s invitation and was prepared to visit tonight.

And the agreed visiting time was now less than two hours away.

Tara, using the excuse of having matters to attend to, temporarily left Ciel’s home. In reality, Tara returned to the Church of the Savior Goddess’s See, called Eleanor and Percy, and had them stand guard around Ciel’s house.

To have two Cardinals, two Tier 4 powerhouses, serve as her bodyguards, Ciel was probably unique.

Meanwhile, Ciel was still at home, continuing to ponder the connections between the paths. She flipped through a large number of books and listed out all the paths she knew, contemplating the meaning and relationship of each one.

She vaguely felt that she had grasped something, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt that she had only scratched the surface.

Like everyone else, she had previously believed that “reconstitution rituals” were rituals for becoming a god, a re-tracing of the path a deity once walked… At least the Church of the Savior Goddess firmly believed this.

Almost all paths within organizations were continuously improved over generations, forming a standard answer that suited most people, as if they had found the right path.

But from the Pure White Knight’s performance, continued advancement seemed not to rely on “reconstitution rituals.” One could even create one’s own rituals… The only commonality was the need for potions.

Potions are also limited. Although a transcendent’s body will form potion materials after death, those materials come with the transcendent’s mental pollution, and it’s basically impossible to actively remove this pollution.

For example, the quite chaotic “Avenger” potion Ciel first consumed was probably not a first-hand product. After all, it truly greatly affected Ciel’s mental state, making her irritable, and causing a large amount of whispers in her mind.

Perhaps… there is no such thing as an adjacent path at all. They are merely different derivations produced by different rituals of the same prime path.

Such a guess arose inexplicably in Ciel’s mind.

However, to verify this guess, Ciel currently did not have enough samples to reference…

As Ciel pondered the paths and planned for the future, time passed minute by minute. Soon, a soft knock at the door interrupted Ciel’s thoughts.

Knock knock knock——

Opening it, the maid standing at the door subtly bowed to Ciel and said:

“Lord Ciel, Ms. Cora Blood-Chip has arrived. When would you like dinner to begin?”

Cora Blood-Chip…

What a peculiar name.

This naming has quite a medieval feel, using professions or tools like “Blacksmith,” “Hammer,” or even names of rivers or trees as surnames.

“Blood-Chip” is an Old Ansu language term. It literally translates to “blood-colored chip,” but in Old Ansu language, it means “bloody transaction.”

Whichever meaning it was, it wasn’t a good one.

Since the guest had arrived, Ciel had no reason to remain in the study. She immediately stood up and walked towards the door.

She wanted to see what kind of top-secret intelligence this CEO had brought her.

And whether this intelligence could give her a delightful surprise, like the information the Pure White Knight had given her.

Ciel followed the maid out of the study, walking down the stairs. Finally, at the entrance, she saw the CEO from the Deton Group.