The sin of Gluttony manifested fully at this moment. With the Phoenix Fire as its root, blood and flame spread throughout the entire hall. Blood seeped from beneath Shade's hands, and the black tablecloth was gradually stained crimson.
Clad in blood-red robes, Shade sat upright at one end of the empty long table. As he shifted from leaning forward to standing, gold and silver cutlery fell one by one from the air. Within the firelight, foods emitting an alluring fragrance transformed from illusions into reality. Polished platters reflected the light of golden candelabras ignited by the Phoenix Fire. No snow fell from above; instead, the power of sin linked Shade to more of the foul energies he had once devoured.
Much like the Divine Banquet, rows of fangs descended amidst the blood-light. The heavy scent of gore was so potent that even the statues hiding in the shadows, their faces twisted in terror, were stained red.
The blood-light and firelight mirrored each other, making the currently dim banquet hall appear increasingly surreal. Shade, within the [Fishbone Pirate Ship], used the [Little Match Girl] as a foundation to manifest the power of the [Lord of the Blood Banquet]. Now, through his increasingly proficient application of that gluttonous power, he had recreated that eerie crimson feast using only the Phoenix Fire.
"The Phoenix has awakened?"
Mr. Armand Beinhart, the vampire, was not surprised by the power Shade displayed, but instead attributed it to the Ancient One atop the mountain. Meanwhile, Sister Devlin, her silver eyepatch reflecting the blood-light, turned her head slightly toward Shade, appearing to have encountered a problem she could not comprehend.
"A Blood Banquet..."
The master of the manor, that decrepit old man, showed a look of astonishment for the first time. He gripped the table, attempting to stand, but failed. He could only stare with wide eyes at the young man in blood-red robes at the other end of the table.
"What do you intend to do?"
Though somewhat panicked, he still maintained his composure.
"You only need to answer one question of mine."
Even with the support of the Phoenix Fire, the Spirit within Shade's body was flowing rapidly. Only by relying on the power of "Gluttony" precipitated within his divinity could he recreate this scene repeatedly, but the consumption of such a spectacle was even greater than that of a Maze Lock.
"When you were playing cards with us just now, did you cheat?"
Shade asked in a deep voice.
The old man's lips, pale and bluish like a corpse, twitched.
"Leave. This gamble... consider it my loss."
"Do you admit to your sin?"
"Yes, I cheated. This is the sin of lies and deception; I will not deny it."
"Hand over the pearl earrings I want, the Fire of Sin the Sister wants, and the Blood Cup this gentleman wants."
"I can give them to you, but you must also answer one question of mine."
He pressed both hands onto the tabletop and lunged forward. Simultaneously, all the human figurines around them turned toward Shade, glaring at him with fury. The diffusing blood-mist seemed to be struck by an invisible wind, and the fangs hanging from the ceiling swayed and collided.
Pure black patterns representing the power of Sin began to invade the Blood Banquet. Red and black forces collided in an invisible, distorted void. The violent clash between blood and sin, fire and malice, caused all the surrounding glass to shatter.
Mr. Beinhart hurriedly covered his head and dodged. The Sister folded her hands upon her lap; firelight and blood-red hues reflected on her flawless eyepatch as she continued to "gaze" at Shade.
Clearly, although Shade held the upper hand, the master of the manor was not entirely without the power to fight back.
"You are borrowing someone else's power to temporarily suppress the [Sin Manor], but this power does not belong to you."
In a suppressed voice, he described Shade's current state. With his hands pressed to the table, the black patterns representing the power of Great Sins resisted the spread of the crimson.
"Gluttony, Greed, Sloth—you now possess the power of three Original Sins, but I can see that this is not your deepest sin. Tell me—
Outsider, what exactly is your Great Sin? I admit I committed the sin of deception and lies. What about you, Outsider? Do you admit to your own sin?"
"My sin?"
Shade frowned.
"God loves mankind, I..."
Mr. Beinhart, shocked by the scene, looked at Shade. Sister Devlin lowered her head, organizing the cards before her amidst the shimmering gold and silver cutlery; she seemed to have fully understood what was happening.
"...I..."
[God loves mankind, and you love them?]
"She" suddenly whispered in Shade's ear, nearly causing his serious expression to collapse.
"God loves mankind. I am not a god, but I aspire to that state."
Perhaps to Sister Devlin and Mr. Beinhart, it sounded as if Shade intended to hold goodwill toward everyone like a god, but in reality, he was referring to his intention to become a god.
"No, that is not your Great Sin," the master of the manor said softly.
"Do you not even have the courage to face your own heart, Outsider? Carrying such heavy power as you move forward, do you truly not know your own sin?"
Resisting the power of the Blood Banquet derived from a deity, his entire body began to deform. The image of the dying old man was merely a facade; the true master of the manor, who had been devoured while excavating the power of sin in the Ancient Era, had long since become a monster.
Shade recalled the many events of the nearly four months since he arrived in this world.
"God loves mankind; I love myself."
Accompanied by a light laugh in his ear, the old man across the table also burst into frantic laughter. Shade almost thought he would laugh himself to death.
"I see! To think there is still a lunatic like you in this world. Go, all of you go! A lunatic like you existing in the world is far more interesting than staying here. Great Sin! Desire! Very good, very good. You shall be my companion; you are even more insane than I am."
The figurines in the shadows of the firelight delivered a pair of pearl earrings and an ancient blood-red metal goblet into the hands of Shade and Beinhart, respectively. Shade looked at the earrings, which were clearly relics, knowing they were the culprits behind the current situation. Beinhart's face wore an expression of ecstasy; the foreign noble could no longer control his emotions.
Then, a foul flame, as if collected from the abyss, was tossed by the old man to Sister Devlin. She was instantly engulfed in black fire; even Beinhart across the table could feel the terror of those flames. However, that spark was immediately covered by another kind of flame and vanished without a trace in an instant.
"Craving the Fire of Sin only leads to self-immolation. Sister, I do not know which deity you believe in, but your end has surely been foreseen by your god. Because I... because I excavated the Fire of Sin underground, I became like this... Leave, all of you leave."
Shade stood up and with a wave of his hand, his Rhode cards departed from the hands of Sister Devlin and Mr. Beinhart. As he rose, the Blood Banquet absorbed the power representing sin from the surroundings into Shade's body, though it had no immediate effect on him.
Sister Devlin and Mr. Beinhart also stood up, while the old man continued to laugh frantically. The crimson gradually faded, and the vessels holding the lavish food disappeared one by one.
Shade led the way, with the Sister and Mr. Beinhart following closely behind. They left the banquet hall, guided by an old man holding a kerosene lamp who had appeared at the door at some unknown point. Yet, the mocking laughter still lingered in their ears.
"Am I really that stupid?"
Shade asked in his heart and immediately received an answer. She replied softly, the ancient language spoken in a whisper, like a breeze brushing past his ear. That voice was in his ear, in his heart; she was always like this
[There is no need to belittle yourself.]
"Why?"
[Because...]
The group passed through the corridor. The hallway that had been destroyed by Sister Devlin's flames had returned to its original state at some unknown point. The vampire walking behind was still mesmerized by the blood cup in his hand, while the Sister's eyepatch was aimed at Shade's back.
[...Because I am you.]
He once again remembered the memory of a smooth, silver-glowing arm wrapped around his neck before that Gate of Death.
"Will you be with me forever?"
[Yes.]
She chuckled.
[My dear, outsider.]
Having moved away from the third floor, a sense of hunger still clung to Shade. However, because the master of the manor had personally promised to let everyone leave, the group safely descended from the third floor to the first. Upon reaching the massive foyer, Shade hesitated and stopped.
"You all leave first. I promised someone I would return this."
Shade shook the pair of pearl earrings in his hand. Jewelry demanded by [Desire] was naturally no ordinary object; it was a relic with significant Whisper elements. The exit was right ahead, and Shade didn't actually need to return to the wine cellar, as he no longer needed to leave through it. But after careful consideration, Shade did not want to deceive a Level 0 relic.
Shade could even imagine that if he left now, he might return home only to see a woman's head popping out of the bathtub in the bathroom of No. 6 St. Delan Square, with all the gas lamps extinguished.
"I will go with you," the Sister said softly.
Mr. Beinhart hesitated, looked down at the goblet in his hand, and gritted his teeth.
"Then I shall go with you as well."
He did this to thank Shade for his help.
"There's no need. It's just a quick trip, and the danger in the basement is actually greater than that of the Sin Manor itself."
He didn't know if the Sister or the vampire understood his meaning, but he turned and walked left along the corridor.
"Wait for me outside. I'll be out soon."
Behind him, Armand Beinhart looked hesitantly at the Sister.
"May I ask, are you the leader of the Spirit Cult? Actually, there are some things I would like your help with—for a fee, of course."
"We can discuss it outside," the Sister replied. Beside them, the old man with the oil lamp had laboriously pushed open the manor's main doors.
"Is the oil lamp in your hand for sale?" the Sister asked softly.
(Mia is running...)
There was no one left in the manor to obstruct Shade, so after bidding his companions a temporary farewell, he successfully returned to the underground wine cellar.
After taking the elevator to the bottom of the cellar, the light from the gurgling pool cast shimmering ripples across Shade's face.
"Very fast. And you have the scent of fire on you. Was it the Phoenix underground?"
[Desire] let out a delighted laugh.
It seemed that after arriving at the Sin Manor, everyone knew there was a Phoenix on Mount Sicar.
"Yes."
He opened his hand to reveal the pair of golden pearl earrings. Under the effect of the [Move Object] spell, they slowly floated toward the pool.
"I thought you would just walk over," the woman's head emerging from the edge of the pool said with a smile. Shade felt that after the earrings floated a certain distance, he lost control over them. The earrings separated, flying left and right toward the ears of the beautiful woman's head and fixing themselves there.
"Do I look beautiful?"
The "woman" with wet hair asked Shade shyly from the edge of the pool. Rather than feeling romantic, this scene filled Shade with a hint of dread. A mere smile from her possessed the power to charm the mind; she truly was Desire itself.
"Beautiful, of course. To be honest, I have yet to see a face more beautiful than yours."
"Though you are a bit timid, you are at least honest."
A shy blush appeared on that beautiful face.
"Sloth... so the new sin is this. See, I told you, sin travels with you."
"But I believe this is a sin you induced me to obtain," Shade corrected. The woman only chuckled, and the sound was truly exquisite.
"Of course, it's nothing compared to you," he added in his heart.
[Thank you.]
"This is the gift I promised you. I think you'll like it."
With a soft splash of water, a fair right hand reached out from the pool, clutching a rolled-up piece of parchment. Judging by its thickness, the length of the parchment once unfolded would likely be no less than five feet. Despite being taken from the water, the parchment was not wet at all.
Knowing Shade would not approach, the ancient roll of parchment flew automatically toward him. Shade reached out to catch it; he felt not a single trace of Whisper elements, meaning this item was not a relic.
"This is knowledge. More accurately, this is a book."
"What book?"
Shade looked up and down at the heavy parchment tube; the edges of the parchment were slightly scorched.
"The Pink Book."
"Hmm?"
He looked up at her, then quickly averted his gaze. Now, both fair hands had emerged, resting side by side on the ledge of the pool in front of her head. Strangely, her shoulders and neck were still invisible.
"I know of the Pink Book. It's..."
"Not the copies you know. This is a transcription of the original *Pink Book*, and I transcribed it myself."
The woman's slightly raspy voice was exceptionally pleasant.
"The original *Pink Book* dates back to an ancient era—yes, very ancient. While transcribing it, I altered the content to be knowledge suitable for the Sixth Epoch's supernatural system. If you read it a few times, obtaining Spirit Runes will not be difficult. I think you will find it interesting."
When Shade first visited the library of St. Byron, he had seen a copy of the *Pink Book* on the shelves. He later learned from the well-read Dorothy that the book was... a manual for assisting reproduction. Although the content sounded indecent, the knowledge regarding spells, oddities, and rituals within it was actually very useful, though mostly applied to indecent purposes in the book.
For example, the famous Grease spell and Partial Petrification; these ancient spells still radiated vitality in the Sixth Epoch. Because of the diversity of his own oddities, the advantage of oddities over spells, and his rapid leveling, Shade hadn't had time to spend money picking useful spells from the academy's massive list, but that didn't mean he lacked interest in such knowledge.
For a typical Ring Caster, it was normal for the number of spells to be three to four times the number of oddities, but for Shade, it was almost the opposite.
"Then... thank you?"
He said hesitantly, accepting the parchment and deciding that to prevent accidents, he would open it at home before the statue behind the hidden wall.
"No need for thanks, Shade Hamilton."
She stated Shade's name with perfect accuracy, then let out that pleasant laugh again.
"This chance encounter was likely an arrangement of fate. I suspect this will not be our last meeting."
Shade very much wanted this meeting to be the last.
"Then, we... uh, see you next time?"
He just wanted to leave now.
"Sin is also your power. I hope that the next time we meet, you can bring me more surprises—at least more surprising than that lunatic Phoenix this time."
"Sin is not my power," Shade corrected. Then he heard the sound of water, as if something massive was stirring the pool from below.
"Oh, so young, so naive."
The two arms retracted into the water. The woman's head drifted away from the edge, smiling at Shade.
"Answer one question for me."
As she spoke, the head had already returned to the center of the pool.
"Please."
Shade noticed the head was slowly sinking into the water, but those beautiful eyes, which seemed capable of absorbing human souls, still gazed at him.
"When the final moment arrives, and all things step into the ultimate demise, will the power of sin not still be power?"
She gave Shade no chance to answer. Her beautiful face submerged completely, but no trace of hair floated on the surface.
The gurgling sound of water gradually vanished, and the light at the bottom extinguished bit by bit. Looking at the square pool again, it was clearly filled with red wine.
The underground cellar returned to silence, and the Whisper elements returned to their original state within the [Sin Manor]. Shade knew that [Desire] had departed.
"It's a good thing it didn't stay in Midhill Castle; otherwise, the future of this city would be truly pessimistic."
Glancing down at the parchment in his hand, he turned it into a toy and put it away before turning to leave.
But he did not know that in the dim wine pool behind him, that beautiful human head quietly "rose" once more. Eyelashes clung with wine, and red droplets slid down her cheeks. Her purple eyes narrowed, and a slender tongue licked her lips, her pupils reflecting the colors of the silver moon.
In the end, she had done nothing. Something huge seemed to be stirring the liquid in the wine pool, yet it was silent.
The woman's head sank back into the pool.
"Until next time, interesting soul."