Miss Shepherd does not die in the Mysterious World

Chapter 17: Praying to the Red Moon

Morning.

The morning light streamed through the gaps in the curtains, plating the small kitchen in a soft golden hue.

The lingering aroma of breakfast filled the air, mixed with the fresh scent of herbs.

Mel stood before the sink, her hands immersed in warm, soapy water, mechanically scrubbing a plate.

The sound of Veronica's departing footsteps still echoed in her ears, accompanied by the sound of the main door closing, heralding the start of a new day.

“Whoosh——”

The sound of water rinsing the dishes was exceptionally clear in the quiet kitchen.

Mel's gaze went past the window, looking out at the gradually awakening city.

Under the sunlight, pedestrians hurried along the streets, beginning an ordinary day.

“I should be able to start”

Mel dried her hands, placed the clean dishes aside, then squatted down, opened the kitchen cabinet, and reached into its deepest part.

After taking out the packet of herbs purchased last night, the young girl carefully placed it on the kitchen counter.

Next, she started to boil a pot of water, and while the water was boiling, she began to cut the herbs.

With the experience from last time, Mel was noticeably more skilled this time, no longer having any unnecessary hesitation or delay.

The water in the copper pot began to boil, the rising steam forming hazy curtains in the morning light.

Mel threw in the first medicinal ingredient, Silverleaf, and watched the silver-white leaves unfurl in the hot water.

“This batch.... should be enough for ten bottles.”

Mel muttered to herself, the movements of her hands not stopping for a moment.

Three leaves of St. John's Wort were torn into uniform pieces, scattered onto the boiling water's surface, releasing a sweet and clear fragrance.

“Next is Gentian....”

Mel gently crushed the purple flowers and threw them into the pot.

The clear liquid gradually turned into a deep purple as it boiled, and a bitter smell also began to spread, overpowering the original sweet fragrance.

“Sizzle——”

The potion began to bubble violently, making a strange sound.

Mel quickly threw in the blue butterfly wings.

Blue and purple intertwined in the liquid, forming a mysterious vortex.

Next was the Moonstone Powder.

The silver powder traced a graceful trajectory on the surface of the liquid before disappearing.

“Splash——”

Seventeen hawthorn berries that had been soaked in holy water were thrown into the pot, more than double the amount from last time.

With a crisp sound, the color of the potion began to undergo a subtle change, like the gradually changing sky at dawn.

Finally, Mel picked up the spoon and scraped all the holy water into the pot.

The originally mixed colors began to merge, finally forming a pure sky blue, like a cloudless clear sky.

The volume of the potion was significantly reduced, but the remaining liquid emitted a soul-stirring glow.

Mel carefully inspected the finished product, comparing it with her memory of the last experience.

“Color, smell, concentration, everything is just right.”

Mel nodded in satisfaction, then carefully bottled the potion.

A total of ten bottles, just right.

“Dong——dong——dong——”

The church bells rang, reminding her of the passage of time.

Mel cleaned the used utensils, wiping away all traces.

Then, she wrapped the potions in a cloth, held it in her arms, and set out for the post office.

At the post office entrance.

Sunlight streamed through the glass windows onto the wooden counter.

The air was filled with the characteristic smell of ink and paper.

Mel stood before the counter, holding the cloth bundle containing the potions in her arms.

Her gaze fell on the old postman with glasses behind the counter, noticing that the filth entwined around him was much fainter than that of an ordinary person.

“Hello, I'd like to mail a package.”

Mel gently placed the cloth bundle on the counter, then took out the address slip.

The old postman took the address slip, carefully examining the contents through his lenses.

“Tap, tap, tap....”

His fingers tapped rhythmically on the counter.

“Is this a fragile item?”

He suddenly asked.

“Mm....”

Mel nodded.

“Then, that will be four pence in total, miss.”

The old post, old postman said, If it were just an ordinary letter, it would only be one pence.

“Okay.”

Mel took four pence from her pocket and placed them on the counter.

The old postman collected them along with the package, then affixed a stamp and wrote something in the register.

Throughout the entire process, his movements were precise and fluid, as if he had repeated them countless times.

“It will be delivered around this evening.”

The old postman said, handing the receipt to Mel.

“Okay, thank you.”

Mel took the receipt, then turned and walked in the direction of Saint Margaret's Church.

Arriving at the church, she did as Oliver had said last time and did not linger in the prayer room.

When the priests in the church saw Mel, they had no intention of stopping her, but only nodded slightly towards her and greeted her with the rite of the Red Moon.

Mel responded with the same etiquette, then walked straight to the reception room where Oliver was.

After arriving at the reception room, Mel saw Bishop Oliver sitting behind the desk.

“Good afternoon, Bishop.”

“Good afternoon, Miss Mel.”

Oliver responded with a smile.

“It seems you had a great harvest last night?”

“I earned twenty-six pounds in total.”

Mel smiled, then placed ten of those pounds on the table.

“I can pay the final installment now.”

Seeing this, Oliver raised his eyebrows slightly, completely surprised that in just one night, Mel had managed to earn twenty-six pounds at the gathering.

This could be considered a huge sum of money.

“Your ability is truly impressive, Miss Mel.”

Oliver praised sincerely, then pushed the ten pounds back.

“But please take it back for now.”

“Why?”

Mel was puzzled.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No, you did nothing wrong.”

Oliver shook his head, “Our deal is complete, it's just that I hope you can put these ten pounds into the donation box when you leave.”

Mel was stunned for a moment, then nodded gently.

“I understand.”

She said, then put the ten pounds away.

“Then, as agreed, I will teach you the Mystical Art of (Void Walk).”

Oliver stood up, took out a sheepskin scroll from the desk and handed it to Mel.

Mel unrolled it; on it were incantations written with Quintessence.

“How do I learn it?”

Mel looked at the scroll in her hand, then at Oliver.

“There are two ways. One is to comprehend its mysteries on your own.”

Oliver said, “But this is a bit too demanding for anyone other than a scholar. So I recommend you use the second method——pray directly to the Red Moon.”

“Pray... to the Red Moon?”

Mel did not understand what he meant.

“Can one pray to the Red Moon... I always thought it was only for believers to offer sacrifices to it.”

“Of course not, the Red Moon is generous.”

Oliver smiled, “You can proactively offer sacrifices to It, and It will grant you boons according to your offerings. Similarly, you can also pray to It for boons, and in exchange, you need to offer sacrifices to It. There is giving and receiving, this is the kind of sacrifice the Red Moon favors.”

“But... where should I prepare the sacrifice?”

Mel asked again, “What if the Red Moon is not satisfied?”

“The Red Moon is generous.”

Oliver said gently, “Moreover, you have actually already prepared the sacrifice, you just don't know it.”

“Hmm?”

Looking at the young girl's confused face, Oliver smiled.

“Weren't those ten pounds just now it?”