When the plot-skips players into the game world

The Shedding Skin ritual was somewhat troublesome... but after all, the Serpent Celestial Marshal and Butterfly Celestial Marshal were still Celestial Marshals, not Pillar Gods.

The ritual to summon Them for now didn't require selecting various precise objects like incense, crystals, or statues. It only needed a "get to the point, don't ask if it's there" approach—simply write all the requests in one breath on the message board and that would suffice.

Under Aiwass's command and assistance, Miss Meg chose a large, circular ritual array.

In the inner circle of the circle, she used the Elvish Language to write down her demands in detail and with precision: I now need the power of the Butterfly Celestial Marshal to complete the Shedding Skin ritual against aging, and if You are willing to help me with this, I shall henceforth embark on the endless path of transcendence, and my chosen route of transcendence is "Transcend Self".

Then, she drew another internal ritual circle to isolate that text from the outer circle.

Afterward, she carved out a perfectly twisted pattern of a snake, essentially the "∞" symbol, in the center. A huge standing mirror had to be placed in the center of the symbol, precisely dividing the infinite design into two halves without severing the external ritual circle.

Subsequently, in the periphery of ∞, within the second ritual circle, the names of thirty-six Angel Envoys must be inscribed, using their names as witnesses to the ritual. Above each name, a different butterfly or butterfly specimen was to be placed. Experience tales with empire

Following that, according to the order in which the ∞ symbol was carved, starting from the beginning point of drawing, seven special items had to be arranged along the perimeter of the symbol.

"—They must be seven items that represent the entirety of your life so far, each imbued with some meaning, symbolizing your past, and cherished and loved by you. The more importance they hold for you, the higher the success rate of the ritual will be."

Aiwass reminded, "It's best if they are things like the turning points in your life... but be prepared mentally, as the ritual will destroy these items."

"Yes, I've brought them. I just made a special trip home to find these things."

Miss Meg sighed, that usually loud and deafening voice unusually softening to a conversational level.

Her words, therefore, became much clearer: "Fortunately, I'm quite nostalgic; I didn't throw those things away..."

As she spoke, she walked outside the circle. From the bag she brought with her, she took out the items one by one.

"I can't find anything from too far back. They might have been lost during one of the moves."

Miss Meg said with some nostalgia, "This is the earliest thing I could find..."

As she spoke, she pulled out a copper pocket watch that bore some rust, but not conspicuously so.

"What is this?"

Aiwass asked with some confusion.

"...This should count as my first love, I suppose."

Miss Meg sighed: "I wasn't born on Glass Island like you, I grew up in a small rural village, only moving to town when I went to high school."

It sounded somewhat similar to Senior Hayna. Aiwass thought to himself.

She, too, seemed to have lived in Eagle Cape Village until she moved to town during her middle school years.

"Later, I graduated and was admitted to Royal Law University. My boyfriend at the time gave me a pocket watch, his grandfather was a craftsman at a watch shop. It was a gift from his grandfather to him, and he then gave it to me.

"He said that once I got to Glass Island, the watches there would surely be expensive... but once I arrived at Glass Island, I discovered that clocks were everywhere."

Miss Meg spoke softly, placing it at the starting point of the array.

"It represents me leaving the place that birthed me, leaving the people who loved me, and coming to Glass Island all by myself."

The elderly woman's eyes softened, her voice becoming as steady and gentle as that of a normal elderly person.

The second item was a diploma from Royal Law University.

Seeing the curious look on Aiwass's face, Miss Meg generously flipped open the diploma for him to see.

Department of Personal Tactics, School of Law and Public Safety, Inspector Specialty.

Meg Danai. Graduated in 1828.

It was the first time Aiwass knew Miss Meg's full name—he had also just learned that Meg was not a surname, but her first name.

It's now 1898, so... this was a diploma from seventy years ago. At that time, perhaps even Her Majesty the Queen was still learning to speak.

Could it be that Miss Meg was about ninety years old this year?

She appeared so young and vibrant, yet she was more than a decade older than Her Majesty the Queen who lay ill in bed...

The third item was a beautiful pure gold ring, inlaid with a piece of ruby the size of a fingernail.

"This is my wedding ring... it is also an Extraordinary Item that can rapidly heal my injuries."

Miss Meg spoke quietly, "At the same time, it's the last thing my husband left for me.

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"When we got married, we had nothing on us. But he insisted on giving me a token to prove our relationship... So, he gave me his best extraordinary item.

"Sometimes I would think... Did they fail to slay the dragon just because they lacked this ring? I often tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, and when I did fall asleep, it was always nightmares. Sometimes when I was alone, I would cry like a little girl. Looking back now, it truly is nostalgic.

"I was twenty-five then. I became a widow on the first day of our marriage."

The fourth item was an elf-style broken sword. Aiwass could tell at a glance that it was identical to the one Hayna carried.

The fifth item was a necklace. Engraved around the outside of the necklace were the words "Heber Danai."

"This is the collar of my gryphon. It symbolizes both my joining and departure from the Supervisory Bureau."

Meg said softly, "After it died in the line of duty, I rejected the chance to be knighted and leave the Supervisory Bureau... and went to the University of Law. After all, even though I was not a true Legal Mage, I could still use Law Magic. And I used it much better than the recent university graduates.

"At that time, I was thirty-six years old. I thought that the most glorious, healthiest, and strongest days of my life were behind me, all that remained was a slow burnout. Like a cigarette, smoked down to the butt. If not discarded, it would burn my fingers.

"I was very confused for a long time, but eventually, I came to think... Everything that happened was because I was not strong enough.

"If I had been strong enough, he would not have died; if I had been strong, Heber would not have perished. So I…"

She said this, laughed out loud, and admitted honestly: "I used my position to sneak a read of the Codex Book."

"It was very dangerous, I nearly died several times. But I always felt it was better to die on the path of pursuing strength than to rot in the archives. Eventually, I made it through."

The sixth item was a green dragon scale.

It was emerald green and pure, like jade, but its withered appearance resembled a sliced and dried melon skin.

"This is proof of my dragon-slaying endeavor. That year, I was 45."

And the last item—

Meg took off the necklace she was wearing around her neck.

It was an unremarkable silver necklace, except for the triangular pattern of Avalon on it.

"I originally wanted to become the Grand Guardian. But to be one, you needed your own gryphon, otherwise it would be hard to get to the scene in time. Moreover, I'm too capricious and restless, not suited to daily scrutiny through the Eye of Avalon... So, in the end, I became the Grand Arbitrator.

"After I succeeded as Grand Arbitrator, Sofia gave me this gift. It looks a lot like the Eye of Avalon, but its most precious aspect is…"

At this point, Meg paused for a moment: "It was personally crafted by Sofia."

She placed the last item in the final position of the Infinity Ring, right next to the first position.

Finally, Meg stood steadily within one of the circles of the infinity symbol, looking at herself in the mirror, and cut open her wrists, letting her blood soak into the grooves of the infinity-shaped indentation.

As the blood slowly filled the indentations, Aiwass outside the ritual array began the incantation:

"Sacrifice seven memories, bid farewell to the past!

"We call upon the Serpent Celestial Marshal, the Ouroboros Celestial Marshal, the Infinite Celestial Marshal to descend—"

With Aiwass's incantation, the seven items ignited one by one, turning into seven tufts of a ghostly purple flame.

They rose up and entered the mirror, forming a circular pattern. When the last tuft of flame entered the mirror, it turned purple, and Meg, along with the flames, disappeared from view.

In the deep purple sea, a giant eternal ring of gold and black colors emerged.

From this side, it seemed to be still. But if you focused your gaze on one spot, you would see that it was always spinning.

And Meg began to declare her wish: "I seek the power of metamorphosis and ascension, the miracle of Shedding Skin!

"I will Transcend Self, my steps never ceasing—"

After she spoke, the Elvish Language caught between the two layers of the ritual array lit up, casting a faint glow.

Immediately after, the ouroboros shook violently as it underwent a transformation—twisting its body, it also formed an infinity-like ∞ symbol.

Meg felt a searing pain on her tongue. The symbol ∞ was branded on it, signifying that the contract was made.

Power from the Serpent Celestial Marshal poured out ceaselessly from the mirror, the blood on the ground transformed into a purple transparent liquid. And on the other side of the mirror, within the other circle of the ∞ symbol, that liquid surged and solidified into a massive egg.

At this moment, Aiwass aptly continued the chant: "We call upon the Butterfly Celestial Marshal!

"The Celestial Marshal of transformation and rebirth, of old death and new life—"

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