A full blue moon and a crescent white moon shone in the sky. Night had fallen in Briele.

The dark streets were lit up by lanterns. Soldiers patrolled the streets.

People had returned to their homes. The major preparations for the Spirit Summoning Festival had been completed. Kids who would summon spirits tomorrow were excited. Others were looking forward to the various festivities too.

Leo was sitting in his room with his legs crossed and eyes closed. He was meditating, eager to advance his strength.

Meanwhile, in the Cold Pine Clan's mansion, Irene was talking to her father. She told him about Commander Leo's visit during the day.

He asked her with worry, “Are you alright? He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”

Town Chief Lyde had hesitated in letting Commander Leo meet his daughter. He was unsure of the man's intentions. As a father, he was a bit overprotective towards his daughter.

Irene was his only daughter. He had named her after the Goddess of Longevity, Lady Eir. Lady Eir was a God-level expert of the Heaven era. Her divine blessing protected one from getting sick. Giving his daughter such a meaningful name, his care for her was evident.

He was worried that Commander Leo might have wicked thoughts about his daughter. The commander had a reputation for having weird quirks. He was ready to stand against an official of the Resurgent Army for his daughter.

“He didn't do anything to me,” Irene assured her father “His visit was just to examine the children's home.”

Irene didn't share her father's worries. Commander Leo was one of the strongest officers of the Resurgent Army. It was unlikely he had bad intentions towards her. If he did, he would probably not have to be so indirect.

Still, she had been somewhat scared at the thought of meeting Commander Leo. She had the potential to be a great researcher. She had decent management skills. But she was still a sixteen year old child.

“He seemed like a nice person.” said Irene, thinking back on her brief meeting with him during the daytime.

“Irene, you should never depend on how you "feel" when dealing with a strong person. Someone of my strength could easily fool you, let alone a person like Commander Leo.”

Irene nodded her head. She took her father's warning seriously. It was no secret that strong warriors could affect the emotions of a weaker person. Inexperienced warriors were very susceptible to such manipulation.

Strong beasts would also cause them to feel dread. Such a person was likely to be a burden in battle. So soldiers needed to be trained to increase their mental fortitude. But with practice, they could get better at controlling their emotions.

After talking for a few more minutes, they both retired to their own rooms. It would be the Spirit Summoning Festival tomorrow. They would both be busy for the whole day.

...

The sky was clear and the sun was bright. The day of the festival had finally arrived.

The whole town had been decorated. Small stalls were being set up. They would be selling special delicacies. There were some gaming stalls too.

There were many cultural activities related to the festival. Young adults would have their first alcoholic drinks. Proposals and confessions by lovers were common during the festival. There would be a bonfire at night-time too.

All the people of town would get to eat desolate beast meat. This treat was funded by the Cold Pine Clan. Although the size of a serving was small, people were still happy to eat it. After all, desolate beast meat was very costly. It was also extremely savory and delicious. The taste of the small dish would remain fresh in everyone's memory till the next festival.

The most important event was of course the Spirit Summoning Ritual. All the kids who had turned twelve would be given the chance to enter God's Valley and perform the ritual.

The kids living in the children's home, Briele's Nest, would get this opportunity free. The parents of other kids of Briele had to pay a subsidized fee.

However, anyone else who wanted to perform the summoning ritual had to pay a high fee. This group included warriors who wanted to work in God's Valley.

The spirits were very helpful in God's Valley. So the warriors working within would also seek to form a contract with them. There was no maximum age to form contract with a spirit. But the longer one interacted with their spirit, the better their control would be.

Currently, at the town center, a group of people had gathered. Forty-seven kids were taking part in this year's rituals. The ritual was held every year, so there were not a lot of kids. Over twenty warriors had also applied to participate in the ritual. They were present on the scene too.

There were many members of the Cold Pine Clan here as well. Some of these clan members managed its various businesses. Others were a part of the clan's armed force.

Briele was a fully affiliated settlement, so its security was managed by the army. But the clan had its own private force too. The clan's soldiers were mostly for their personal use. Like for hunting and gathering material in the God's Valley.

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The location of the ritual was inside the God's Valley. It was not deep in the valley. There was not really any major threat of getting attacked. But caution was still important. So, some soldiers would be traveling with the kids and others.

The town chief was present as well. With him were his two younger sons and his daughter. Chief Lyde would be personally venturing inside the God's Valley.

Soon, Commander Leo joined this group of people as well. He had been awake for the whole night, but was not tired at all. He was excited about increasing his strength.

He was a bit frustrated though. He was sure his advancement was near. But the way ahead felt like a dead-end to him. He had no clue what he was lacking. He felt as if the most valued treasure in the world was in his sight, but he couldn't touch it.

He looked at the people waiting near the town hall. About fifty kids and forty adults would be going for the ritual. With these numbers, the safety of the children was ensured.

He was welcomed by the town chief who introduced his two younger sons. The two young men had very similar features; they were clearly twins. They were named Fynn and Frode.

Fynn, Frode and Irene greeted the commander. The three would be managing the town festival until Chief Lyde returned. The return journey shouldn't take him more than a few hours.

The twins excused themselves as they had matters to attend to. Chief Lyde also left to make final preparations for departure. Leo was left alone with Irene and the group.

These people had already learned about the commander joining them. No one had any objections to his presence. Rather, they felt safer with him when entering the dreadful valley.

Leo examined the group of people. He noticed something bizarre. The kids weren't as excited as they ought to be. He could also feel that somehow, he was the reason for their weird behavior.

He asked Irene, “The kids seem to be extremely scared of me? Do I look so fierce?”

He was confident that he didn't look that ferocious. Listening to his question, Irene avoided meeting his gaze. She was rather reluctant to answer his question. Leo saw through her reluctance.

After his reassurance, she replied, “Commander... people often use your name to scare children. Parents tell their kids that if they don't finish their meals, or don't sleep at time, then Commander Leo will come and take them away.”

“Commander, you are like the boogeyman for these children.”

Leo's eyes opened wide after she finished speaking. This explained why the kids seemed scared of him. But... what the hell was up with this explanation. He was the boogeyman?! How the hell did he get such a reputation?

He realized that staying on the frontlines too long had its demerits. After a moment, he calmed down and shook his head. He couldn't explain to each kid that he wasn't someone scary. That would probably scare them even more. He chose not to think about this matter anymore.

All preparations for the small excursion were complete. Irene and others were left behind. The rest of the group moved towards the town wall. They soon reached a huge gate. Beyond the gate was the God's Valley. Without wasting any time, they exited through the gate.

In front of their eyes lay a huge and dense forest. The trees were towering and lush green. Thick foliage was present on the ground of the forest too. There was no road in the forest. They moved through the dense forest on foot.

The town chief led the group as they moved forward. Everyone arranged in a formation. The kids were protected on all sides. Chief Lyde was at the front and Commander Leo at the rear. Everyone moved at a uniform speed.

The kids participating in the ritual were healthy and in their best conditions. They had begun light training since they were much younger. They were not fast like adult warriors, but wouldn't get tired just by walking.

The adults matched their speed when moving forward. They also paid attention to their surroundings. The area was considered the very exterior of God's Valley. No one expected to meet any desolate beasts here.

Leo was moving at the very rear. No one was worried about his safety. So no one noticed when a dark shady figure ran out of his robe towards the forest. Even Chief Lyde was unable to detect it. Leo continued to move with the group.

They moved in this manner for over an hour. As they had expected, they didn't encounter any desolate beasts. They reached their destination without any incident.

This area was the place that Briele traditionally used for spirit summoning rituals. Here, besides the tall trees, some smaller trees were present too. These smaller trees had berry-like fruits of various colors growing on them. They looked very juicy. The children couldn't help but salivate at their sight.

“Make sure to stay away from the hundred-color berries. They are poisonous to humans.” Chief Lyde reminded everyone. The kids came to their senses.

A few soldiers checked the surroundings and created a temporary perimeter. The rest prepared for the summoning ritual. Those who would be summoning a spirit to form a contract . They were given a writing brush, a page, a blood lancet, and a vial of special ink.

This special ink was also a product of God's Valley. It was made with the viscera of desolate beasts, among other ingredients.

No part of the desolate beast's bodies was wasted. Their meat was useful for consumption. Their blood was necessary for humans to cultivate. Their waste acted as an excellent fertilizer. The internal organs were used to make this special ink.

The bones used by Irene to make cement were in fact one of the lesser used materials. They were too tough to process. They were mostly used to make some armor. But such armor would be too heavy to be used by weaker soldiers.

This special ink was a relic of the Heaven era. The recipe for the ink was recreated with a lot of effort over several years. It was then refined over several generations. It also had other uses like fighting mutant beasts and for divine blessings.

The kids and the warriors used the ink and brushes. They drew a diagram on their respective papers. It was a complex circular diagram. It had some ancient characters. No one knew what these characters meant.

It was not necessary to know their meaning. They just had to draw the diagram well. Everyone had already practiced drawing it with regular ink before. Carefully, they drew the diagram at their own pace.

Some warriors soon finished drawing. They let the more experienced warriors verify that the diagram was correct. Then, they moved some distance away from the ones still drawing their diagrams.

After doing so, they all pricked one of their fingers with the lancet. Then, they placed a drop of their blood at the center of the diagram. Their diagrams began to glow white. Bright light emitted from the diagrams.

A little ball of light came out of each diagram. The spirits had been summoned successfully! They floated in the air, hovering around their summoners. Only a few had succeeded yet, most kids and warriors were still drawing their diagrams slowly.

At this time, the town chief spoke, “Let the spirits feed on the berries to complete the contract-forming ritual.”

The Hundred-color berries were poisonous to humans, but not to spirits. This made them excellent fruits for feeding the spirits. Though any fruit could be used to form the contract.

The summoners communicated with the spirits. Some communicated with their thoughts while others tried to do so verbally. The spirits understood their intentions.

The balls of light started to consume the colorful berries. These spirits had now been successfully contracted.

As the spirits were being summoned, Leo watched the scene with interest. When the spirits began appearing, his pupils dilated with excitement. It was not due to the scene in front of him.

His gift of intuition was acting up! It was telling him to go ahead and summon a spirit!