Luo Wei watched from afar as the headmaster, his features indistinct, swung his arm back and forth like an unfeeling sprinkler robot.

His figure appeared diminutive against the backdrop of the divine statue. He continuously dipped his hand into the holy chalice, then gently spread his five fingers, flicking fine droplets of water onto the students' heads.

The headmaster moved swiftly, and the bishop poured water from the long-necked bottle into the holy chalice with equal speed.

This was because after completing the baptism ceremony at Siria Magic Academy, the bishop still had to preside over the holy water baptism for the citizens in the temple square.

Witnessing this scene, the weight on Luo Wei's heart lightened considerably.

Just sprinkling a little water, rather than drenching them completely, was the best news she could have hoped for.

Even if the holy water were concentrated sulfuric acid, sprinkling it like this wouldn't cause large-scale burns.

It was fortunate that she had been cautious and applied a thick layer of grease to her scalp as well.

During the wait, the people behind finally couldn't bear the prolonged silence and began to whisper.

The freshmen were lined up at the front, intermediate apprentices in the middle, and advanced apprentices at the back. Consequently, Luo Wei heard the whispers of the intermediate students.

"When did Headmaster Morrison grow a beard? He doesn't look as handsome as before."

"Yeah, he looks much older too. Life in the wild must be really tough."

"That's why taking students on field trips is such a grueling job!"

"Haha, who says it isn't? During our field trip, we burned Professor Pence's hair bald. He said he never wants to be a team leader for students again."

"Professor Pence is so gentle. I can't believe he didn't kill you all."

Luo Wei had heard of this Professor Pence in the cafeteria. He was a male professor facing a mid-life crisis—the risk of baldness—and he treasured his few remaining hairs dearly.

It was said that a student had carelessly waved their magic wand in class, cutting off two of his hairs, and he deducted all of that student's credits for the entire academic year!

As for the field trip they mentioned, it referred to the three-month outdoor learning period for magic apprentices from mid-June to mid-September each year. The team leaders would take students to dangerous places to collect magic materials and hone their combat skills, spending a wonderful time in the wilderness.

Come next June, she would also go on a field trip with her classmates, following a teacher to experience the outside world.

The queue gradually shortened, and the voices behind quieted down.

Luo Wei glanced forward and saw that there were only a dozen or so students left. It would soon be her turn.

Her heart, which had just calmed down, started pounding again, and she felt her cheeks burning.

No, she couldn't be nervous. Too high a facial temperature would cause the beeswax to melt!

Luo Wei pressed firmly on the Neiguan acupoint on her wrist, trying to alleviate her nervous emotions.

As the people in front walked away one by one, her distance from the holy water grew shorter and shorter.

By the time there was only one person left in front of her, her heart was in her throat.

The holy water sprinkled down. The person in front was too short, and the splashing liquid seemed to fall on the back of her hand. Her nerve endings felt a slight coolness.

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Luo Wei lowered her head. The droplet slid off the back of her hand, leaving only a faint water mark—no burn.

There was no feeling of pain at all.

The heart that had been in her throat fell back down. She didn't know if it was the beeswax she had applied that worked, or if this holy water simply had no effect, but it was good news either way.

The person in front moved on, and she stepped forward. Her gaze only caught the headmaster's pristine white robe and the soft leather boots beneath it.

Holy water sprinkled down from above, droplets falling on her forehead like March spring rain—moist, cool, and full of boundless vitality.

Headmaster Morrison was indeed fast. Almost at the same second she stepped forward with her right foot, the water from his fingertips had already flicked down. She didn't even need to pause and could directly turn to leave the statue.

A droplet of water hung on her temple, which she caught with the back of her finger.

Luo Wei stared at that drop of water, took out a white porcelain bottle from under her skirt, and poured it in.

The students who had completed the baptism all left the school, riding horses and galloping wildly outside. She also quickly walked out of the school gate, got into a carriage, and returned to her small courtyard.

The demon-banishing ceremony would be held at two o'clock in the afternoon. She still had six hours to prepare the scene.

Luo Wei checked her battle equipment: a pair of ceramic-fired bone wings, a scythe shaped like bone joints, a waterproof raincoat, two boxes of dry ice, a box of white phosphorus, a pair of contact lenses, and a set of false teeth.

This amount of dry ice wouldn't last long; she had to be quick.

There were also more than a dozen hydrogen balloons tied with ropes in the room. The hydrogen was a by-product when she made hydrochloric acid, and the balloon skin was made of sheepskin, thick and long-burning.

Luo Wei handed these hydrogen balloons to Troy: "Remember, light the balloons as soon as I wave the scythe. When I snatch Lidia and fly up, release the ropes immediately."

Troy nodded gravely: "Understood."

"Also, this is crushed dry ice. As soon as I appear, scatter it around the execution platform to shroud it in white mist."

Troy silently took the dry ice box, gripping the iron box so tightly that the color of his finger bones was visible.

"Let me go," he suddenly looked up and said hoarsely, "Luo Wei, let me go instead."

He knew Luo Wei planned to disguise herself as an evil god to rescue Lidia, so no one would suspect them. But in his view, this plan was fraught with danger. One misstep and she could be discovered and captured by the temple people.

Her future was so bright, unlike his. He was burdened with numerous evil deeds and a criminal record. It wouldn't matter if he became a fugitive again.

"At this point, you're still talking nonsense!" Luo Wei frowned at him. "There's no such thing as a perfect plan in this world. Any action carries risks. If you don't want me to die, just follow my plan strictly."

Troy's eyes revealed deep concern.

"Alright, if you're really worried, have your griffin wait outside the city. If I really fail, you can take us and flee together."

"Now go out, I need to change my clothes."

Luo Wei shut Troy out of the room.

Every year on the Day of Descent, it had always been a bright sunny day, and this year was no exception.

The sky was clear and cloudless, with no wind or rain on the ground.

The usually tightly closed main gate of the temple was opened by two monks in yellow robes, revealing the golden and resplendent statues and walls inside.

The circular square in front of the temple was packed with people. Several prison carts swayed in from the other end of the square. These condemned prisoners had already been paraded around Siria City, followed by a long procession of onlookers.

Soldiers opened the prison carts and escorted seven or eight condemned prisoners down, leading them to the execution platform.

The execution platform was located in the center of the square, with a circle of iron pillars in the middle. The condemned prisoners were tied to these pillars, facing the citizens below the platform.

Monks carried bundles of firewood and piled them at the feet of the condemned, then poured fuel all over their bodies before retreating to the bottom of the platform, holding blazing torches.

They were just waiting for two o'clock in the afternoon. Once the temple's sacrificial bell rang, their torches would leave their hands and be thrown onto the bundles of wood.

The people on the execution platform looked numb, as if they had accepted their impending death well. Most of them had their eyes closed and heads lowered. Only their dry, cracked lips covered in dead skin and trembling uncontrollably betrayed their current inner thoughts.

Fear, despair, and a last glimmer of struggle.

Among these condemned prisoners were an old woman over seventy, a little girl not yet ten, a farm woman with a face full of worry, and a young man as thin as a stick. Out of the seven people, surprisingly, six were women.

Lidia was among these seven people. She was the only one who hadn't closed her eyes.

TBC