My bloodline yearns for progress.

Chapter 19 A Flexible Bottom Line

Micah was already eager to carry out the commission.

But just as Otto was about to catch up with his captain, he felt a wave of dizziness.

[The Black Sheep senses that your magic is fading.]

The monkey keenly sensed something amiss. You used the Eye of Light twice in succession, but failed to offer the deity the proper sacrifice; the side effects of the blessing are intensifying.

Otto wasn't surprised when he saw the monkey's diagnosis.

Originally, he planned to test the limits and precautions related to the sacrificial ritual, but after he only used the Eye of the Lamp twice, the goddess came to collect the debt.

Seeing this, Otto had no choice but to reveal that he needed to find offerings for the goddess.

Eileen wasn't surprised by this; she simply instructed Phyllis to fetch the small box from the corner, while she herself checked on Otto's condition.

"Generally speaking, each time one uses the blessings of the gods, it is necessary to offer sacrifices to the gods in a timely manner."

The blessing cannot be used again before the sacrifice is performed.

I have some small samples of offerings corresponding to the six gods of the kingdom; you can take them and use them first.

As a priestess, Eileen naturally understood this situation very well.

But her doubts were not about the sacrifice itself.

"From what I understand, the goddess Felicity is a very forgiving deity. Even if you forget to offer a sacrifice for a short period of time, you can make up for it when you use the blessing next time."

"Such a lack of magic as you have is quite rare."

Eileen assumed that Otto had forgotten to perform the sacrifice after using the Eye of the Light once, which is why she spoke up to remind him.

But Otto keenly sensed something was amiss with Eileen's words.

It is said that ordinary people cannot continuously use the blessing of the Goddess of Light before the sacrifice.

So why did I only develop symptoms after the blessing was cast twice?

"Is there such a thing as aptitude in this?"

Otto learned from Micah and the others that there is such a thing as adaptability in extraordinary professions.

So, does the blessing of the gods also follow a similar pattern?

Otto looked at Eileen, hesitated, and then did not say anything.

After all, judging from Eileen's performance, it seems that very few people can be chased by the gods only after casting two blessings.

Otto didn't want to be seen as an "outcast" by Eileen.

Moreover, Otto's test of the gods should be considered a great act of treason in the eyes of these people, so it's best not to speak.

Just as Otto was pondering, Phyllis had already brought the box over.

Eileen skillfully opened the box, but what she took out left Otto completely bewildered.

"These are... teeth?"

Otto wondered if such a thing could really be offered as a sacrifice to the true god.

But Eileen simply explained.

"This is the child's first baby tooth."

Followers of the Goddess of Light often throw their children's milk teeth into the holy water pool of the Order of Light or give them directly to the priests of the Order for storage.

This act is not about asking for anything, but about entrusting the earliest imprints of life's growth to the goddess for safekeeping.

The hope is that when the children grow up and eventually reach the goddess Felicity, the goddess will remember them as they were at their earliest and purest.

However, it is precisely because of this custom that those who have received the blessing of the Goddess of Light will occasionally buy children's baby teeth.

As Eileen spoke, she placed the baby tooth into Otto's hand and immediately taught him the words of prayer and sacrifice.

Immediately afterwards, Eileen pulled the others out of the house, leaving Otto to perform his technique alone.

Otto sat cross-legged on the floor and began his sacrifice as instructed by Eileen.

"The lamplighter on the Styx journey."

The ruler of the lost fog.

A feather of compassion to dispel fear from the lost.

Thank you for your generosity that helped me through this difficult time. I offer you this small gift, hoping you will accept my sacrifice.

As Otto chanted, he felt his body lighten, and the situation of his magic dissipating finally improved a lot.

He slowly opened his hand, only to find that the child's baby tooth was nowhere to be found.

Clearly, the goddess accepted her offering.

"Does this mean I'll have to buy and sell teeth from now on?"

Otto thought to himself with frustration that these gods had far too much agency.

I should talk to Eileen again and make preparations as soon as possible.

But just as Otto was about to get up and leave the room to meet up with Micah, he noticed something strange about the "Kemono Friends".

[Through multiple opportunities to sense Felicity's presence, the black cat approached the underworld, feeling the call of misfortune and calamity.]

Taking advantage of the other animals' inattention, the black cat devoured the goblins' bloodline imprints and, with the help of the underworld's aura, awakened its own bloodline magic.

You have obtained a zero-ring bloodline spell of the Illusion type.

[Bloodline Spell: Shadow Step (LV1)]

[Quality: Zero Rating]

[Effect: After consuming mana to cast, Shadowstep will eliminate your footsteps and presence. When cast at night, there is a chance to sense the presence of the underworld and dark elements.]

With the appearance of the prompt, Otto was pleasantly surprised to find that it seemed that as he came into contact with the aura of the gods, his "animal friends" also received many benefits.

But watching the black cat approach the so-called misfortune and disaster made Otto somewhat emotional.

"You've never been very lucky."

This unexpected breakthrough reminded Otto of his first encounter with the black cat.

At that time, he had just obtained the bloodline mark of the eagle and was planning to become a hunter to find more bloodline marks.

What happened next was a chance encounter at the village entrance with a black kitten whose belly had been torn apart by hunting dogs, and lying next to it was a white dog on the verge of death.

Seeing that the black cat and white dog were about to die, Otto decided to give them a final send-off and unexpectedly obtained two bloodline marks in the process.

Otto later learned that a fox from the mountains had almost killed the white dog, but the hunting dogs had mistakenly thought it was a wild cat from the village that had done it, and they had started fighting each other.

As for the black cat, it was unlucky enough to be abandoned by its parents and become a sacrifice to delay the enemy.

No wonder it doesn't get along well with the white dog.

Just as Otto was pondering, the black cat had already given the white dog a good beating by using the trick of disappearing without a trace.

The black cat declared its victory and challenged the brown bear.

Seeing this, Otto thought that these "animal friends" were always as warlike as ever.

Seeing that their antics wouldn't end anytime soon, he simply pushed open the door and dealt with the tasks at hand first.

"Alright, Micah, we can go now."

Otto simply said goodbye to Eileen and Phyllis before leaving the Adventurers' Guild.

Before Otto left, Eileen made a list of offerings and asked him to collect them if he had time, just in case.

After leaving the Adventurers' Guild, Otto immediately began to verify.