Lin Yingqing's voice interrupted the torrent of thoughts swirling in Glenn's mind. She stepped back, creating space in front of the stone platform, and beckoned Glenn and Hermione to step forward.
"Since the original forms of the Sacred and Demonic Books are now extremely fragile, our ancestors, after much deliberation and research, devised a highly intricate soul sorcery. Through a connection of magical power and the assistance of sorcerous artifacts, the contents of the books can be directly transmitted into the memories of future generations," she explained.
"However, as directly linking souls through sorcery is exceedingly dangerous, this method of information transmission must be conducted within a comprehensive and specialized protective setup. Even I cannot fully grasp how many sorcery devices in this room were specifically designed for transmitting the contents of the Sacred and Demonic Books."
Lin Yingqing added a word of caution, "When you undergo the transmission of knowledge shortly, you must keep your mind clear and calm at all costs. Matters involving the soul are never to be taken lightly."
Although Lin Yingqing trusted these two youngsters and was confident in their temperament, she still gave an additional reminder for good measure.
Glenn and Hermione nodded and approached the stone platform, awaiting further instructions from Glenn's grandmother.
"Hermione, place your hand on the projection of the Sacred Book. Glenn, you will place your hand on the projection of the Demonic Book."
Following her instructions, Glenn placed his palm on the projection. Instantly, an almost imperceptible suction force emanated from the area around his hand on the projection, binding it to the stone platform. A warm current flowed from the point of contact between his hand and the projection, traveling up his arm and into his body.
Deep within him, his Obscurial seemed to sense a kindred power, growing restless as if it wanted to break free from Glenn's body.
A faint light flickered on the stone platform, and a force emerged, instantly suppressing the turmoil within Glenn.
Was this the power of the Sacred?
But it didn't seem to come from Hermione. Glenn glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye and found her expression calm, as if she too was sensing the resonance of the power.
Could it be coming from the stone platform itself?
Glenn pondered. That would make sense—it was likely a protective measure left by their ancestors.
Seeing that the two were ready to receive the knowledge transmission, Lin Yingqing continued, "Next, you need to recite the corresponding incantation to activate the inheritance sorcery. But don't worry, just reciting the incantation will suffice. Glenn should have no problem. Hermione, try to pronounce it as accurately as possible."
Hermione tilted her head in confusion.
"This incantation must be spoken in Longguoyu (the Dragon Language)," Lin Yingqing added, switching to English to explain to Hermione. Then, she repeated the phrase "The Passing of the Flame" in Longguoyu twice for Hermione to mimic.
"Xing huo xiang chuan?"
"Not quite. Try again—'Xin huo xiang chuan.'"
…
After a minute or two, the young girl finally managed to pronounce it correctly.
Glenn did not begin his own inheritance process immediately; instead, he waited for Hermione.
Hermione practiced a few more times, ensuring her pronunciation was entirely accurate, then nervously placed her hand back on the platform.
"Once you're ready, begin. The subsequent steps are relatively simple—you just need to accept the information from the books. Remember to stay calm," Lin Yingqing instructed, then fell silent, standing by their side and ready to handle any unexpected situations.
"Are you ready to start?" Glenn asked, noticing that Hermione was still nervously muttering the Dragon Language phrase under her breath, much like her behavior before final exams.
So, Glenn took Hermione's hand.
"It's okay."
The warmth and texture of his palm brought a sense of reassurance.
Hermione gradually calmed down, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself.
"Alright, let's begin," she said with a slight nod once her emotions were stabilized.
With Glenn by her side, there was no reason to be nervous.
Exchanging a glance, the two simultaneously uttered:
"The Passing of the Flame."
In Glenn's vision, the world vanished. It was as if he had returned to the state of blindness—his surroundings plunged into darkness.
Calmly, Glenn scanned his surroundings but found nothing.
"Tap… tap… tap…" Suddenly, the ethereal sound of footsteps echoed in the void. Glenn's vision blurred momentarily. Though his surroundings remained pitch black, he could sense a shadowy figure emerging ahead, approaching him.
The shadow was humanoid but lacked distinct limbs. Its form was unstable, trembling and twitching. Its face was obscured, with only faintly glowing red eyes visible through the shroud of darkness. It exuded a mix of negative emotions that made Glenn frown slightly.
Glenn couldn't discern what these things were. In his heightened perception, he felt nothing from them, only an intense discomfort.
Moreover, these shadowy figures were not alone. More and more of them, varying in size and shape, appeared one after another, layering upon each other and encircling Glenn.
The first shadow moved, stepping closer to Glenn. Despite the multitude of unknown entities around him, the only sound came from the footsteps of this approaching figure.
Enduring the chaotic negative emotions in his mind, Glenn silently observed as the black figure drew near.
He remained unflustered. Even with his thoughts disturbed by the negative emotions, Glenn endured and maintained his calm.
The shadow did not stop but continued forward.
Finally, it merged entirely into Glenn's body, vanishing without a trace.
Glenn's body jolted, and the negative emotions in his mind suddenly surged, as if they were about to devour him from the inside out.
His brain felt as though it was being violently churned, the intense pain stimulating his nerves.
Yet Glenn remained unmoved, keeping his mind clear and calm.
At that moment, he sensed a stream of information abruptly appearing in his memory in the form of text.
"The Demonic, a blend of black and red, neither tangible nor intangible, is a force born of emotions. For those who host demons, it is an unfortunate fate. One must learn its arts to control it and use it as one's own…"
Glenn frowned slightly. He could understand every word individually, yet the meaning of the text as a whole seemed elusive.
Wait… perhaps not entirely elusive.
Focusing his thoughts, Glenn realized that by adding certain words or rephrasing parts of the text, he might be able to make sense of it. Was the content of the Demonic Book encrypted, requiring him to decipher it himself?
Before he could delve deeper, more shadows entered his body, interrupting his train of thought.
There was no other way. Decoding the text would have to wait. For now, he focused on committing it all to memory.
Enduring the torment, Glenn maintained his calm expression, methodically recording every piece of information brought by the shadows…
…
Time lost all meaning. A day? Two days? Perhaps even longer. The entirety of the Demonic Book's contents was forcibly crammed into Glenn's mind, leaving his thoughts in complete disarray.
Glenn relied on his resilient soul and unyielding willpower to endure the negative emotions and the pain of memory infusion, staying conscious throughout.
In the past, Glenn had always used his heartbeat to keep track of time. By knowing the number of beats per minute in various states, he could calculate time with remarkable accuracy. However, with his mind overwhelmed by the influx of information, he could no longer focus on the passage of time. Surrounded by darkness, devoid of any visual references, he could only estimate.
Fortunately, the number of shadows dwindled. Glenn had nearly finished recording all the information.
Finally, when the last shadow merged into his body, Glenn felt the surrounding darkness recede, and his vision gradually brightened.
Squinting slightly, he noticed that the pain in his mind had vanished without a trace, as if none of it had ever happened.
Focusing his thoughts, Glenn confirmed that the memories he had acquired were still intact.
Having gained what he sought, he decided not to dwell on the process.
Nearby, Lin Yingqing had been closely monitoring the two youngsters, ready to intervene at the slightest sign of trouble. She noticed Glenn's previously motionless body stir slightly and realized he had awakened.
"Was the transmission process supposed to be this quick? It's been less than a minute," Lin Yingqing murmured to herself. This was her first time witnessing such a method of sorcery transmission. Most of her knowledge came from discussions with her father the previous night, after she had speculated about Glenn's condition.
Shaking her head, Lin Yingqing cast a detection spell and found no abnormalities in Glenn. Relieved, she asked if he felt alright and if the process had gone smoothly. Glenn nodded, indicating that he had successfully memorized the contents of the Demonic Book.
Now, all that remained was to wait for Hermione to complete her inheritance.
…
Why hasn't she finished yet?
Lin Yingqing felt puzzled. Several hours had passed, yet Hermione remained motionless, a blissful smile adorning her face.
Glenn's expression turned odd. He recognized that smile—it was the same one Hermione wore when she was fast asleep and dreaming of something delightful.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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