Lord: I have built a witch's sanctuary.

Chapter 11 The Sacrifice of the Flame

Olivia suddenly opened her eyes and stared at Lorraine as if she were a madwoman: "What did you say?"

Lorraine leaned back in his chair, toying with the "Heart of Frost" that had burst from the living Snowflake, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips.

"I mean, what if I could take down those three level-two witch towers?"

"impossible!"

Olivia retorted without hesitation, "I can tell that your little maid is only at the first rank!"

"Without the spiritual guidance of a second-tier witch, the level two tower simply cannot be activated! And where did you get the blueprints? Where did you find out the runes that need to be inscribed for the level two witch tower?"

"We can't overcome any of these stringent requirements!"

"Miss Olivia, you seem to have forgotten something."

Lorraine leaned forward slightly, her dark eyes unfathomable, as if concealing some chilling secret.

"I am an illegitimate child. An illegitimate child who is feared, ostracized, and even exiled to this godforsaken place by my family."

He began to lie without batting an eye, his tone carrying three parts mystery and seven parts arrogance:

"Do you really think I was kicked out because I was 'incompetent'?"

Olivia was stunned.

Yes, she learned a lot of rumors about this man from the housekeeper, and they were mostly negative.

—纨绔 (spoiled brat), 懦弱 (cowardly), 不认恩 (ungrateful), 对主母 (disrespectful to the mistress).

But after getting to know him, his methods and insights were nothing like those of a spoiled brat.

"I have a mentor."

Lorraine lowered his voice, as if sharing a shocking secret, "A truly hidden being who doesn't belong to this mortal world. He taught me a special secret technique that can ignore the level restrictions of witches and forcibly elevate my rank."

"Of course, this secret technique requires an extremely large amount of resources."

Lorraine spread his hands, revealing an expression that said, "I'm helpless too. I have the skills and the talent, but I lack money."

"As you can see, when I first arrived here, I was dirt poor."

This statement is full of loopholes.

But in such a desperate situation, it's like a straw to a drowning person.

Olivia stared into Lorraine's eyes, trying to find a trace of panic within them.

But she failed.

The man was so calm, as if the apocalyptic demonic tide outside was just a trivial drizzle.

Take a gamble?

Either way, we're going to die.

Olivia gritted her teeth, and that ruthless spirit that belonged to the pioneer lord resurfaced.

How much do you want?

"All of it." Lorraine said without any politeness, "Give me all the magic crystals you have, and all the usable resources in your camp."

Without saying a word, Olivia took off the heavy leather bag from her waist and slammed it heavily on the table.

wow-

The bag opened, and more than a hundred crystal-clear magic crystals rolled out, shimmering with a mesmerizing luster in the candlelight.

"Here are 120 magic crystals, all the wealth I have with me. There are some more at Snow Eagle Outpost. Once this moment of turmoil has passed and I return to my territory, I will give them all to you."

Olivia stood up, her gaze resolute. "If you can truly lead us through this snow season, from this day forward, Snow Eagle Territory will follow your lead. I, Olivia, am selling my life to you!"

Lorraine reached out and pressed the bag of magic crystals, feeling the cool touch on his fingertips, and the smile on his lips finally widened a bit.

"make a deal."

Magic crystals that Olivia and Lorraine had saved up.

More than two hundred pieces.

The pile of crystals, emitting a faint blue light, sat on the rough wooden table, almost blinding one.

This was Olivia's life and fortune, a desperate gamble.

"That's all we have," Olivia stared intently at Lorraine. "What exactly is that secret technique you mentioned... the one that can bypass the rules and increase levels?"

Lorraine did not answer. With a solemn expression, he took out the "Witch's Codex" from his pocket, a book that no one but him could see.

He picked up a magic crystal and gently placed it on the page of the book.

He silently asked himself: "With the current resources, how can I help Anna, the first-tier Flame Witch, advance to the second tier within one hour?"

The pages moved without wind, and the magic crystal instantly turned to ashes.

Immediately afterwards, lines of intricate, scarlet characters appeared on the paper like flowing blood.

[Option: Sacrifice of the Flame (Critically Dangerous)]

[Core Logic: Utilizing extremely cold substances to stimulate the source of fire, forcibly breaking the threshold of the magic circuit while in a near-death state.]

[Required Materials: 80 Standard Magic Crystals, 1 Tier 1 Ice Core, Molten Potion, 1 Dagger]

[Warning: This ritual has a pain level of six and a failure rate of 40%. The person performing the ritual will experience extreme pain. Giving up due to the pain will result in failure and death.]

Lorraine looked at the words and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

All the materials are ready.

The "Frostheart" that was previously dropped from those living snow creatures was the key ice core.

"Anna, go and get the biggest stone pot and put it on the fireplace."

Lorraine put away the secret manual and said in a calm tone, "Make the fire burn as brightly as possible."

Although she didn't understand why, Anna did as she was told.

What happened next was something Olivia would never forget.

With a blank expression, Lorraine grabbed the magic crystals from the table and threw them one by one into the red-hot stone pot.

The hard crystals did not melt under the high temperature, but instead crackled and popped.

Followed by.

Lorraine pulled out the Frostheart, which radiated a chilling aura, and the Molten Potion from his pocket and threw them into the boiling pot.

Sizzle—!

When extreme cold meets extreme heat, a wondrous chemical reaction occurs instantly.

The originally solid magic crystal began to dissolve rapidly under the catalysis of the Frost Heart and the Molten Potion, turning into a pot of viscous, purplish-red liquid that emitted terrifying energy fluctuations.

Without refined extraction or gentle additives, this is a pot of violent, pure energy bombs.

"This is the secret method."

Lorraine scooped up a bowl of the still-bubbling liquid with an iron spoon, turned around and handed it to Anna.

Tiny blue flames were even flickering on the surface of the liquid, and you could feel the energy that could tear a person apart just by getting close.

"Young master, is it time to take your medicine?" She leaned closer and sniffed, her little face scrunched up. "It smells so strange, like rotten blood."

"This is not for drinking."

Lorraine placed the stone bowl on the table, then drew the short sword he used for self-defense from his waist.

The blade gleamed coldly in the firelight.

Olivia stood to the side, watching this scene, her brows gradually furrowing: "Lorraine, what are you trying to do? While a witch's ascension requires a ritual, I've never heard of it involving knives."

"Normally, this isn't necessary for promotions," Lorraine said, wiping the sword with a clean cloth. "But a normal promotion requires Anna to meditate for three years, refining her magical energy pathways little by little."

"But we didn't have three years, not even three hours."

He turned around and looked directly into Anna's eyes.

"Anna, this ritual is called the 'Sacrifice of the Flame'."

Lorraine's voice was soft, but every word was like a nail.

"I'm going to cut open your chest, pierce your heart, and then pour this bowl of medicine directly into it."

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Olivia gasped, instinctively gripping the hilt of her sword: "Are you insane? This isn't a promotion, this is murder! A damaged heart would kill a witch instantly!"

Lorraine ignored Olivia's roar and simply looked at Anna.

"The core of this ritual is not the medicine, but trust."

"If you feel even the slightest fear of me the moment the sword tip pierces you, or even the slightest thought of 'Will the young master kill me?' your heart will truly stop beating."

"You will die."

Lorraine handed the dagger to Anna, its tip pointing downwards. "Are you afraid?"

For any normal human being, facing someone who is about to stab them in the heart would be an act of unimaginable terror.

This is a biological instinct.

Anna looked at the sword.

Then she laughed, a carefree and relaxed laugh, as if Lorraine had simply asked her if she wanted an egg tonight.

"Young master, this coat is quite warm, could you please not tear it?"

As she spoke, she deftly unbuttoned her blouse, revealing her fair and slender chest.

Her heart was beating strongly, each beat clearly visible.

Without hesitation, without trembling.

Even her delicate skin didn't get goosebumps from the cold or fear.

"I'm not afraid of death," Anna said, tilting her head back, her eyes reflecting Lorraine's image. "I'm only afraid that my life will remain as worthless as a weed."

"I'm just afraid that I'll never be able to stay by the young master's side again and live a human life like this."

Lorraine tightened his grip on the sword.

That's why he dared to gamble on this ceremony.

This silly girl, her world is pitifully small, so small that it can only hold him alone.

"Bear with it, it'll be very hot."

Lorraine stopped talking nonsense, placed her left hand on Anna's shoulder, and held the sword in her right hand, the tip of the sword pressed against the throbbing skin.

puff.

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was particularly jarring in the quiet wooden cabin.

Olivia abruptly turned her head away, unable to bear watching any longer.

Blood gushed out from the blood groove, but Anna didn't utter a sound.

She clung tightly to Lorraine's clothes, her knuckles white, but her eyes remained wide open, stubbornly staring at Lorraine's face, as if the pain would disappear as long as she looked at him.

The blade precisely sliced ​​open the ventricle.

Without pausing, Lorraine grabbed the stone bowl on the table with his left hand and poured the purplish-red energy soup into the wound!

Sizzle—!

Anna's body stiffened abruptly, her rosy complexion turning deathly pale before flushing bright red again.

That violent energy pumped into her entire body through her bloodstream, and her veins bulged under her skin, like countless crimson-gold fire snakes writhing wildly within her.

"Well……"

A muffled groan, suppressed to the extreme, escaped from her throat.

"Look at me!" Lorraine hissed, not drawing his sword but using the blade as a conductor to guide the energy. "Don't close your eyes! Absorb this power! It's your fuel!"

Anna's pupils began to dilate, but upon hearing Lorraine's voice, she forced them to focus again.

trust.

Absolute trust.

Even if my chest is pierced, even if my heart is cut open, even if...

She still believed that the man in front of her was saving her, not killing her.

This willpower, which goes against the biological instinct for survival, becomes the best catalyst.

The purplish-red liquid that had been rampaging through her body became obediently absorbed into every drop of her blood the moment it came into contact with this pure will.

boom!

A burst of crimson-gold flame exploded from Anna's chest without warning, instantly engulfing her entire body.

Lorraine released his grip and took two steps back.

The short sword embedded in Anna's chest melted at a visible speed under the high temperature, turning into molten iron that dripped to the ground.

The wound healed in the flames, and the magic that was originally just in the form of ordinary flames underwent a qualitative change.

The flames became even deeper in color, with a hint of noble purple at their center.

That was no longer ordinary fire, but the "Heart of Flames" that could melt steel and burn everything.

Anna slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, which immediately ignited in the air.

She opened her eyes, and her originally black pupils had turned into a flowing lava color.

Anna, the Flame Witch

[Level: Tier 2]

【Trait 1: Heart of Flame (Increases mana regeneration speed by 300%, and the flames have armor-piercing and high-temperature properties)】

【Feature 2: Ritual of the Flame (Increases the area covered by the camp's magical fire; each level increases the area by twice the normal range)】

It became.

Olivia was forced to retreat to a corner, watching in horror as the figure was reborn from the flames.

This promotion method... is simply unheard of! It's too barbaric! It's too insane!

But...it's too powerful!

I don't know how much time passed; maybe a minute, maybe a century.

The flames on Anna's body suddenly receded, shrinking back into her body.

She slowly stood up from the ground.

Her hair, which had been soaked with sweat, was now dry and flowing, with golden flames burning at the ends.

Her eyes became deep and bright, as if they held two volcanoes about to erupt.

Second-tier Flame Witch, successfully advanced.

"Young Master..." Anna looked at her hands, feeling the power within her body growing stronger, her voice trembling slightly, "I...I'm not dead."

Lorraine let out a long sigh of relief; his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

He stepped forward and ruffled the girl's hair: "Good job. Now, let's get down to business."

He turned to look at Olivia, who was already dumbfounded, and pointed to the dozens of magic crystals remaining on the table.

"The arcane spell is complete. Now, we have a second-tier witch."

Lorraine opened "The Witch's Codex" again; this time, he wanted knowledge.

[Question: What are the blueprints and rune arrangements for the Tier 2 building "Lava Watchtower"?]

As several magic crystals disappeared, complex three-dimensional geometric shapes were directly imprinted into Lorraine's mind.

Lorraine grabbed the remaining magic crystals, strode open the door, and walked into the snow-covered night.

"Anna, keep up! Olivia, watch closely, this is the miracle you've been waiting for!"

In the wind and snow, Lorraine passed by the two remaining level-one witch towers in the camp, and a clearing that had been automatically expanded due to Anna's upgrade.

Using his mental energy as a pen and magic crystal powder as ink, he swiftly sketched out an array of mysterious runes on the snow and the remaining Witch Tower.

"Anna! Infuse with magic! Maximum power!"

"yes!"

Anna hovered in mid-air, unleashing the full power of a second-tier witch, her crimson-gold magic cascading into the magic circle drawn by Lorraine like a waterfall.

"rise--!"

Lorraine let out an angry shout.

The earth roared, and the frozen soil churned.

To Olivia's utter astonishment, three towering, jet-black towers with dark red magma patterns flowing across their surfaces rose from the ground amidst the wind and snow!

They are twice as tall as the previous level one towers, and the tops are no longer crystal balls, but burning "lava eyes" that seem to come from the abyss.

Three Tier 2 Lava Watchtowers stand tall on the wasteland.

The terrifying heatwave it emitted even instantly evaporated the snow within a radius of 100 meters.

Lorraine stood at the foot of the tower, turned around, and gave Olivia, who was staring blankly, her signature smile—slightly tired but full of confidence.

"Three secondary towers, delivered."

"Now, let the blizzard rage even harder!"