Chapter 174: Blessing, Enhancement, and Defence Against the Dark Arts

With the advancement of Demeter Ritual Magic, enlightenment also emerged in Ciel's mind. That's right. This ritual magic was meant to be performed at celebrations to worship Demeter, the goddess of harvest. He had only focused on the "magic" while neglecting the "ritual". Without the solemn yet joyful emotions of holding a celebration in his heart and without strong expectations for a bountiful harvest, merely reciting incantations and waving his wand like casting an ordinary spell... how could he possibly bring out its true essence? When he understood this, the bronze lustre on the Demeter Ritual Magic text became increasingly rich. A new line of text slowly extended from it, just like how the Bluebell Flames had extended from the Lumos spell on his system panel. Also emanating bronze lustre, [Demeter's Blessing] appeared after Demeter Ritual Magic. His eyes brightened. "Demeter's Blessing? Is this the change brought by the ritual magic's advancement? What effect does this have?" However, though [Demeter's Blessing] also emitted bronze lustre, the text was illusory, as if lacking necessary conditions for casting. After brief contemplation, he naturally thought of the small silver bucket... or rather, it should be called Demeter's Chalice. Previously, casting ritual magic also required Demeter's Chalice to display its mystical power. Otherwise, it would just be a prayer. This Demeter's Blessing should also need the chalice to work. Then he immediately returned to Hogwarts and touched the chalice stored in the greenhouse. Sure enough, when he held Demeter's Chalice, [Demeter's Blessing] on the system panel immediately changed from illusory to solid. He didn't rush to cast this newly acquired magic. After all, based on previous experience, because Demeter's Chalice was too damaged, its usable power was quite limited. Last time, after creating some soil with ancient magical power, it had remained dormant until now. If not for the trolls contributing some faith midway to accelerate its recovery, the recovery time would have been even longer. Casting this [Demeter's Blessing] would probably be similar... usable once, then requiring time before the next use. Couldn't waste it. It's better to research related legends first, determine its general effects, and then use it. With this thought, he went to the library, searching for detailed information about Demeter, the harvest goddess of the Olympian era. Unexpectedly, there were quite a few such legends. Perhaps because Demeter's Chalice was too famous in history, and there were successful imitations like Hufflepuff's Cup, research on Demeter hadn't ceased even in modern times. Some said Demeter was the true founder of Herbology... only after her did Herbology become a formal discipline. Others said Demeter gained infinite knowledge from a tree, thus possessing amazing magical power and herbological mastery, able to influence the earth's prosperity and decline. He flipped through these legends, shaking his head slightly. The Olympian era was already quite distant, shrouded in rich mythological colour. This research made the mythological aspects even thicker. Some materials made it hard to distinguish whether they were specific data or mythological legends. Then he focused his attention on Demeter's rituals, celebrations, and worship. To his slight relief, records in this area were much more reliable. Perhaps because even after the Olympian era passed, those worship rituals continued for a long time and became references for many later ritual magics, so records from all aspects were more academic. He carefully read through content about Demeter's ritual magic. Soon, he found references to blessings. "Harvest blessing." "Golden grain flourishing." He read through several books with similar descriptions. The effects of Demeter's blessing gradually became clear in his mind. "I initially thought the blessing effects targeted people. Like bringing good luck or something. Good thing I checked. Turns out blessings at Demeter celebrations always targeted crop seeds about to be planted. According to records, blessed seeds often grew into more robust crops. Both yield and quality would be significantly higher than unblessed ones!" His eyes brightened. Perhaps for others, this so-called blessing was quite useless. For instance, blessings of Athena or Ares mentioned in texts could substantially improve strength. But for him, nothing was more suitable than Demeter's blessing. Higher quality, higher yield plants were worth more than gold to him! His eyes were full of anticipation as he immediately returned to the greenhouse. This time, he didn't hesitate. With a solemn expression, his mind filled with images of the celebration on Sprout Island... the joy of land clearing, expectations for harvest. Various emotions surged in his heart. Like a priest at a celebration, he waved his wand and recited incantations. Instantly, ancient incantations echoed in the greenhouse, and the chalice resonated accordingly. Then he lightly tapped the chalice with his wand, repeating a prayer from the ritual magic. "Cantate ovantes, seges alta viret!" "Cantate ovantes, seges alta viret!" "Harvest blessing. Sing in joy; may the crops flourish and grow!" The next moment, on the system panel, [Demeter's Blessing] flowed with rich bronze lustre, coming alive and shining brilliantly. A blurred pattern also lit up in the small silver bucket. Then, point by point, light spots accumulated in the small silver bucket. On the system panel, even though he still held the chalice, the Demeter's Blessing text became illusory again. He understood... just like before, he probably couldn't use this blessing again for some time. His gaze fell on the light spots in the small silver bucket. The power of blessing was contained within. After taking a deep breath, he waved his wand, guiding several light spots to merge with various plants in the greenhouse. Simultaneously, he closely watched for changes in the reward orbs above these plants. But after a moment, disappointment appeared on his face as he shook his head slightly. It wasn't that the blessing had no effect... the reward orbs of plants that received blessing power did expand. It was just that the magnitude was too weak. If he hadn't been watching throughout, he might have missed it entirely. At this rate, even directing all light spots from the small silver bucket into a Silver-tier reward plant wouldn't elevate its reward level to Gold. "Is it still because Demeter's Chalice is too damaged? The blessing power it can provide is too little." He sighed slightly but didn't get discouraged. He had been mentally prepared for poor effects of blessing power on Silver-tier reward plants. Moreover, these plants he was growing had already reached certain stages... some were close to maturity. The blessing power's effects would likely be further reduced. "According to records, even in the Olympian era, such blessings were generally used on seeds, almost never on mature plants. There should be similar reasons." He contemplated briefly. "Perhaps I should use this blessing power on seeds. Preferably seeds with relatively lower reward levels... this way, the blessing power's effects should be more obvious." And at this moment, he had seeds that met these requirements. He pulled out a bag of Chizpurfle grass seeds prepared for planting on Sprout Island. Mature Chizpurfle grass could provide Black Iron-tier mental enhancement rewards... perfect for enhancement with blessing power. His eyes showed anticipation as he again guided blessing power into these Chizpurfle grass seeds. This time, the magnitude of change was vastly different from before. Each blessing light spot's infusion made the Black Iron lustre in Chizpurfle grass reward information visibly richer. His eyes brightened. After brief consideration, he made his decision. One Bronze-tier reward, Chizpurfle grass, might be more effective than ten Black Iron-tier ones combined. Moreover, once reward levels accumulated higher, there would be less reduction. So naturally he wanted to concentrate blessing power to create a batch of higher-tier Chizpurfle grass seeds. Furthermore, the higher these seeds' levels, the better varieties could be selected later. From any angle, this was the better choice. Then he waved his wand, guiding more blessing light spots to infuse. Soon, the first Chizpurfle grass seed's Black Iron lustre became a dim bronze lustre. Then the second, third... After the fifteenth seed also upgraded to Bronze-tier rewards, the blessing power in the chalice was completely exhausted. His face showed lingering desire. If only there was more blessing power to upgrade this entire bag of Chizpurfle grass seeds to Bronze tier. But after a moment, he calmed his mind. "Can't be too greedy. Having these improvements is already an unexpected joy." His gaze fell on the system panel, seeing that the illusory state of the [Demeter's Blessing] text seemed to have recovered slightly compared to before. His heart stirred. At this rate, it seemed he could use the blessing again in about a month. This was much faster recovery than the ancient magical power generation last time. Though once-a-month blessings were still insufficient, it was better than nothing. He carefully put away the chalice again, valuing it even more. The chalice combined with Demeter Ritual Magic could greatly increase his planting harvests. Currently, besides Hufflepuff's Cup, nothing else in the magical world should provide similar effects. "If there's opportunity. I should collect more legends about the harvest goddess Demeter. Also need to find out if there's a reliable way to repair Demeter's Chalice. If possible, even partial repair would be very useful." At this time, he had spent another night in the greenhouse. The weather was gradually warming, and dawn came earlier. The sky was brightening again. He hesitated slightly, wondering about today's arrangements. Just then, owl wing-flapping sounds came. Professor Sprout sent a letter. "Dear Ciel. I know you've been busy with land clearing recently. Though I've excused your absences these past days. Try not to miss castle courses." Seeing this letter, he smiled wryly. Right. He'd been skipping classes for nearly half a month. Without his aunt's excuses, he'd probably be buried under various professors' reminder letters. Since so, and the first batch of fields on Sprout Island was cleared, and Legendary Vitality and Legendary Strength had hit bottlenecks with no immediate improvement opportunities, might as well attend class after so long. "Consider it relaxation. By the way. What's today's class?" He recalled the schedule. "Seems like... Defence Against the Dark Arts?!" Strange light flashed in his eyes. Perfect opportunity to investigate what the two-faced spy had been doing. Then he headed toward the Great Hall after so long. It was breakfast time... might as well see if there were changes in Hufflepuff. Halfway there, three familiar figures came into view. The long-absent Trio. After seeing him, Harry and friends were first stunned, then quite delighted. "Ciel? We heard you were sick. Professor Sprout excused you for many days. Are you recovered?" Since he had previously told them about Nicolas Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone, obviously they firmly believed he was still on the side of justice, just being "coerced" and "bullied" by Snape. Their attitude naturally held some sympathy. After exchanging pleasantries, he remembered Harry's Invisibility Cloak had been with him for some time. Actually, the Shadow Thorns that needed the Invisibility Cloak were already planted. But he would soon land on Drear Island and try to trick Voldemort if possible. The Invisibility Cloak was a safety measure. He actively brought this up with Harry. "Can I borrow the Invisibility Cloak for a few more days, Harry? At most a week, then I'll return it intact." He'd expected Harry to hesitate somewhat. But unexpectedly, Harry agreed very readily. "Of course. After all, you've missed Defence Against the Dark Arts classes all this time. Ciel, you still need the Invisibility Cloak for protection." He paused, not quite catching on. "You just said Defence Against the Dark Arts class? What about Defence Against the Dark Arts class?" If he remembered correctly, previous Defence Against the Dark Arts content was similar to the original story. Quirrell was utterly disgraceful, successfully convincing everyone he was a timid, weak professor. He hadn't taught any proper knowledge, even reading textbooks haltingly. The Defence Against the Dark Arts class had disappointed everyone then. How did it sound like the Defence Against the Dark Arts class had changed now? After he asked this question, excited Ron couldn't wait to demonstrate. He skilfully waved his wand, reciting several spells. Several light beams whistled past him. He raised an eyebrow, his expression quite surprised. These spells Ron cast... newly learnt? They all seemed to be combat-type spells. Was this the change in the Defence Against the Dark Arts class? Quirrell started teaching young wizards how to fight? Of course, this made no difference to him. Ron's movements were still too immature in his eyes... hadn't even touched the edge of real combat. But Ron obviously didn't think so. Seeing he hadn't reacted to his spells, Ron felt somewhat superior. "Look. This is what Professor Quirrell taught us. He must have been spending energy dealing with Snape before, so he had no mind for proper teaching. Now that Snape hasn't been to the fourth floor for a long time... maybe he gave up. Professor Quirrell showed his real skills. He not only taught us combat spells but also let us practise against each other in class." Speaking of this, Ron became even more animated, elaborating on how he'd cleanly defeated a Slytherin last time. Hermione had to awkwardly interrupt him. She comforted him. "It's alright, Ciel. Your house has Defence Against the Dark Arts class today. With your foundation, you'll definitely catch up quickly." At this time, Harry suddenly remembered something, looking troubled. "Oh no. Today Hufflepuff has Defence Against the Dark Arts with Slytherin. Ciel, you gave Slytherin so much trouble before. If they know you're coming to class, they'll definitely use practical combat training to retaliate. Maybe you should keep pretending to be sick and skip today?" To Harry's suggestion, he just smiled. "Thanks for your concern, Harry. I'll consider it myself. I'll return the Invisibility Cloak later." The trio then checked the time and couldn't help exclaiming. "Oh no. Today is Potions class. We need to hurry over, or Snape will punish us again!" Then the trio hurried toward the Potions classroom. Along the way, Hermione kept glancing at Ron. Ron asked puzzledly, "Hermione, why do you keep looking at me?" Hermione frowned slightly. "Ron. Why are you in such a good mood today? When we just left the common room, you said having Potions class first thing in the morning was a life disaster. But now you look like you're going on a picnic?" Ron snorted lightly, showing some self-satisfaction. "That's because I thought about tomorrow's Defence Against the Dark Arts. Hermione, last class Professor Quirrell praised me as a Defence Against the Dark Arts genius. And did you see? The spells I just cast... he didn't react at all. This proves my Defence Against the Dark Arts is better than his. Can't I be happy about having something I'm better at than others?" Hermione snorted coldly. For some reason, her mood suddenly soured. "He will catch up soon. Don't be smug too long." Then the trio's conversation was drowned in the oppressive atmosphere of the Potions classroom. At this moment, he didn't care at all about Defence Against the Dark Arts class content or so-called practical combat training. A few classes of perfunctory practical training... thinking this could catch up to the strength he'd honed through countless blood, sweat, and pain? Then his efforts and the cultivation system's help would be too worthless. He was thinking about Quirrell's intentions. Why suddenly stop pretending and reveal himself? After a moment, his eyes showed contemplation. "Quirrell suddenly becoming high-profile... could it be to divert attention from my 'exploration'?" Simultaneously, he noticed something else. Ron seemed quite respectful toward Quirrell. Because Quirrell had given recognition-lacking Ron a "genius" compliment? This made his expression slightly darken. Quirrell had inherited some of Voldemort's ability to bewitch people. He'd witnessed this. Using class opportunities to contact students and subtly influence them would be effortless for Quirrell. Ron should have been somewhat affected. But after a moment, his expression returned to calm. The Trio's affairs were for Dumbledore to guide. Nothing to do with him. He only cared about Hufflepuff badgers. But given Quirrell's nature, he probably couldn't respect little badgers enough to deliberately approach them. Thinking this, he exhaled softly and continued toward the Great Hall. Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, Slytherin's table was slightly agitated, as if having received some news. Someone whispered, "Did you hear? Ciel Sprout is back for classes." Mentioning his name, the little snakes showed various expressions. Some still showed wariness. But some were already eager to try. The shadow he left on Slytherin was quite strong. Repeatedly making Slytherin suffer. Not to mention the previous Quidditch match, directly crushing the Slytherin team and leaving a record that might never be broken. This practically nailed them to the pillar of shame. Now his level of hostility in Slytherin far exceeded Gryffindor. He was practically Slytherin's public enemy! With Slytherin having Defence Against the Dark Arts with Hufflepuff today and him returning, many little snakes saw this as an opportunity. He, who'd been absent so long, hadn't experienced previous Defence Against the Dark Arts learning and practical combat. How could he match them? Wasn't practical combat training a good chance to deal with him? At the fifth-year section, Marcus Flint's gaze moved from a letter his father, Bacon Flint, had sent. He viciously tore at his bloody steak, saying to a third-year snake. "You're the Defence Against the Dark Arts teaching assistant today, right? Don't go... say you have a stomachache. I'll be the teaching assistant for this class." The third-year snake looked strangely at Marcus Flint. "What do you want to do?" Marcus Flint cracked his thick knuckles menacingly, showing a sinister grin. "Of course, properly guide the little badger who's been absent so long. Help him catch up on progress. But practical guidance... Getting hurt, breaking a dozen bones, staying in the hospital wing for a month... that's normal, right?"