Night Journey

Chapter 80 Preparation for Promotion
The controversy surrounding the reverse falcon intensified over time.

Many elderly people who had lived through the era of the Reverse Falcon took to the streets, cheering the name of the Reverse Falcon and hoping that his return would once again change the city of Hull.

The young people, who were not familiar with the history, were also given a fresh education on the past. They went to libraries and archives, trying to find clues about the rebellious falcon.

All of this was unexpected by Cillian, but he felt it wasn't so bad that it had turned out this way.

In the following days, Ciri lived a quiet life as a city guard officer and did not take any further action under the name of the Reverse Falcon.

At the same time, he also took out his salary saved up over the past few months and purchased the extraordinary materials needed for his promotion from the Centipede Merchant Guild.

“Dark Sand, Nightmare Vine…”

Cillian laid out the extraordinary materials he had purchased one by one on the table.

Hel City is, after all, a large city-state, and materials for advancing to the second rank of extraordinary beings are not rare, not to mention that Cirian is advancing to the Torch-Guiding Fate Path.

If Ciri comes from an ancient path that is gradually declining, then collecting the extraordinary materials for advancement will definitely be a major challenge.

Many lost destinies, due to similar problems, enter a vicious cycle and gradually disappear from the world's sight, vanishing without a trace.

"Then comes the last one."

Cillian took out a glass container containing smoldering ashes.

"Burning ash".

Only a very small amount of soul essence will turn into residual ash after burning and adhere to the torch array.

After burning all night, they are purified to a certain extent and endowed with extraordinary properties, becoming a necessary part of the torchbearer's path to advancement.

Cillian shook the ashes, and sparks flew everywhere.

Advancing to the second rank is relatively easy. Ciri has heard that when a torchbearer wants to advance to a higher rank, they need to arrive at the Holy City of the Sun and receive the baptism of the second blazing sun.

This is not a ridiculous religious ritual; it is merely an advancement to that rank that requires an extremely pure and high-temperature environment. Looking across the entire civilized world, only the Second Sun can create such a place.

When do you plan to get promoted?

Bruce sneakily approached.

"I'm still thinking about it."

To ensure a safe ascension, most extraordinary individuals would begin their ascension ceremony at midday under the blazing sun, or seek the protection of scholars, letting their songs safeguard their progress.

As an employee of the City Guard Bureau, Cirien was entitled to corresponding promotions and benefits within the Bureau, but he didn't really want to attract attention, let alone the Ouroboros Seal he carried.

He wasn't sure if the Ouroboros Seal would cause any anomalies during his promotion, and if it were noticed, who knew what kind of trouble it might lead to.

Recalling his experiences when he first stepped into the Sea of ​​Origin, Cillian was confident that he could advance on his own.

"By the way, Bruce, what rank are you?"

Cillian looked at Bruce with a puzzled expression.

"Didn't I already say that I can't remember?"

Bruce scratched his ear with his hind leg. "I can still communicate with the Source, but the power I can use is inconsistent, and most importantly, the Web of Harmony refuses my access."

Its dog brain was already lacking in substance, and having lost the assistance of the Network of Laws, it had to start all over again.

During his time working at Cillian, Bruce read day and night, browsing various design drawings and memorizing them one by one.

The two heavy machine guns that helped Cillian hunt down the Claws were the result of his recent training.

“I have a bunch of broken design blueprints in my head that just take up space and aren’t even useful.”

Bruce shook his head. "I need to optimize my brain's memory."

"come on."

Cillian offered a word of encouragement and began studying the promotion ceremony.

Several eons ago, before the giants forged the Bound Source Long Staircase, advancement on the Path of Destiny was fraught with risk and difficulty.

Until the Golden Age arrived, the Bound Source Long Staircase rose from the Sea of ​​Origin, and after it took over the destiny paths of all the giants, the path advancement had a formal system.

However, with the outbreak of the Dayless Catastrophe, all the past glories were shattered. Even though the Mystic of Secrets is repairing it day and night, the Bound Source Long Staircase is no longer as glorious as it once was.

"Fortunately, I have embarked on the path of the Three Sages."

The paths of the giants of the old era were more or less tainted and damaged, but the Three Sages were different.

The Three Sages are the only great sages who have embarked on their own paths of destiny since the Great Calamity of No Day. Their new paths of destiny rise from the Bound Source Long Staircase, unpolluted and undamaged, making them the most suitable paths for mortals to advance.

Therefore, despite being giants, they called themselves sages.

"It looks pretty simple."

Cillian flipped through the booklet, which contained circles of ritual formations.

The booklet was a gift from the staff when Cillian went to the official institution to purify his soul essence.

"Oh, your soul essence concentration is quite good. You're about to advance, right? Here, take this. If you need it, we offer a full range of services for advancement."

While drawing Ciri's blood, the staff kindly handed him a booklet containing various details about advancing to the second rank.

"It truly lives up to its reputation as a great city-state; it's incredibly modern and civilized."

Cillian exclaimed sincerely.

As for why Ciri would accept a high share of the profits to have his soul essence extracted by the official institution, it stemmed from another reason. In order to resist the Night of the Tide, the Lighthouse was overloaded, consuming far more soul essence than its rated capacity.

In order to urgently replenish the soul essence, the city-state council mercifully reduced the purification commission and also provided additional subsidies to the torchbearers.

Although Cillian's financial pressure has been relieved a lot, no one can ever have too much money.

After tidying up the necessary items, Cillian sat upright on the sofa, lost in thought.

Even though he had rehearsed many times beforehand, Cillian still couldn't help but feel nervous as the promotion approached.

"Bruce, the book says that after the ascension begins, I will return to the Sea of ​​Origin and continue upwards along the Bound Source Long Staircase... Is it really that simple?"

Cillian flipped through the booklet and asked in confusion.

"With my brain, do you think I would remember those things?"

Bruce put on that oddly shaped skull fixator again and carefully turned the bolts.

"Moreover, different paths to destiny have slightly different ways of advancement."

It recalled certain fragmented details.

"For example, every time we advance to the next level in our mechanical destiny, we will make certain modifications to our physical bodies. The most common modifications are replacing the spine and prostheticizing the limbs."

Just like you torchbearers, you will completely transform your blood into soul essence, shedding your mortal nature and ascending to a higher existence.

Ciri seemed thoughtful. "Is that so..."

"Oh, it's true."

Bruce grumbled as he tightened the bolts.

For some unknown reason, Bruce rolled his eyes and his hind legs twitched uncontrollably.

A faint source of energy surged within its mind, its vision suddenly blurred, and then slowly brightened again.

Bruce saw it.

Countless intersecting synapses form a deep space, and the points where the synapses converge form huge nodules. Within each nodule, a design blueprint is recorded.

However, by now, the vast majority of tumors have ruptured and had broken synapses.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing."

Bruce muttered to himself, "At least it makes room for my brain."

It controls several synapses to become entangled, providing a carrier for the design blueprints to be recorded next.

Bruce soon discovered that he had difficulty controlling the formation of synaptic lumps.

It's like... it's like my brain doesn't have any extra space left to record.

"what happened?"

Bruce suspiciously destroyed the damaged tumors to make more space in his brain.

It felt a sense of relief, but then a strange pressure descended, as if something was gradually taking over the space it was clearing while it was cleaning it up.

Bruce vaguely sensed something and, as if possessed, looked up.

"Wow……"

Thousands upon thousands of synapses came from all directions, intertwining and blotting out the sky, forming a cocoon like a mountain range in Bruce's mind.

It was so huge that it almost filled Bruce's entire brain, squeezing other tumors out in all directions and leaving no room for them.

"This is……"

Bruce stared directly at the callus.

In an instant, the sharp, excruciating pain nearly shattered Bruce's consciousness.

Bruce closed his eyes in pain, and when he opened them again, he was back in the apartment's living room.

The cranial fixation device on her head was thrown aside, and the coffee table, which she had just managed to clean, was knocked askew again as it rolled over.

Bruce stuck out his tongue and gasped for breath.

It wanted to say something, but when the words reached its lips, it couldn't say anything, like a child clumsily describing something they'd never seen before.

“Cillian!”

Bruce shouted, only to see that Cillian also had a livid expression.

It wasn't sure what had just happened, and asked in a low voice.

"What...what happened?"

Ciri slowly raised the object in his hand. It was a communicator issued by the City Guard Bureau. Although its use was limited to within the City Guard Bureau, it was sufficient for emergency communication with staff.

"Dailin just sent me a message."

Cillian clenched his fists instinctively.

Valerie is dead.

(End of this chapter)