Chapter 154 The Candlelighter

"Please do not move."

Without answering, the Witch of Candles extended her index finger and pressed it gently against your forehead.

You leaned back slightly, feeling a warm sensation radiating from your forehead.

The Witch of Candles told you there was no need to fear; this was merely a simple ritual to verify your aspects.

A ritual to verify aspects?

Chen Qi rested his chin in his hand. His current aspect values stood at 7 points for the Lantern aspect and 8 points for the Edge aspect.

Increasing one's aspect values required maintaining states corresponding to those aspects, which was a slow and gradual process. Once an aspect reached ten points, its effects would increase, but if it ever exceeded thirteen points, there would be a severe risk of plunging into madness.

As her index finger touched your forehead, tiny flames began to flicker and burn at her fingertips.

The Witch of Candles looked upon these flames with excitement, explaining to you that by observing the fire, she could analyze a person's aura.

Like someone admiring a precious gemstone, the Witch of Candles focused all her attention on the candle flame at the tip of her finger.
Within that flame, she did not detect an excessive amount of impurities.

A smile appeared on the face of the Witch of Candles. She told you that her recent test of your aspect values showed that you had not been tainted by any other mad aspects.
Your mental state was exceptionally stable!
This astonished her, because for a former Night Watcher, navigating the journey through the Land of Faint Light without becoming tainted by the Qi of madness was no easy feat.

This was quite impressive. The only drawback was that you had not embarked on your journey for very long, so your Lantern aspect value was not yet particularly high.

The Witch of Candles was visibly somewhat excited.
She had heard the Witch of Flowers boasting about you and had initially assumed it was just another of the Witch of Flowers' routine fits of madness, but looking at you now, you indeed possessed genuine potential.
In time, you might very well become a powerhouse as formidable as a "Witch"!

Chen Qi rested his chin on his hand and gazed at the text.

The primary objective of the Witch of Candles just now must have been to check whether his mental state was compromised.

Chen Qi continued reading.

You took a deep breath and once again asked about her purpose.

The Witch of Candles told you that having just departed from the Looming Train, your body and mind were quite likely experiencing some complications.
Her purpose here, upon the invitation of a detective friend, was to confirm whether you had been tainted by an excess of madness, and to extend an invitation to you!

A detective friend—could that be the Right-Eyed Detective?

An invitation?

Chen Qi pondered for a moment. Was she trying to poach him?

Having confirmed her findings, the Witch of Candles tilted her head slightly and said to you, "Traveler of the Lantern, would you be interested in becoming a treasure hunter traveling across the world, as well as a future Candle-Lighter?"

"As expected..."

Chen Qi muttered to himself. He was well aware of what a treasure hunter was.

On the forums, players categorized professions into various tiers.
The treasure hunter belonged to a Tier 4 profession, usually restricted to players who had reached level 15 or higher.
Even someone like Kano, whom Chen Qi had encountered earlier, was a remarkably formidable and well-known figure within the New Capital.
The treasure hunter profession offered far greater freedom than herbalist and was significantly more powerful.
According to the forum strategy guides, to pass the preliminary evaluation for a treasure hunter, one needed to reach at least level 15 and possess sufficient renown.
Compared to the guide, Chen Qi's renown was still slightly lacking.
He had never anticipated that his [Slightly Famous] reputation would actually prompt the leader of the treasure hunters in District 8 of the New Capital—the Witch of Candles herself—to seek him out personally.

Yet, what exactly was a Candle-Lighter?

You wore a look of curiosity.

The Witch of Candles perceived your confusion.
Turning a page slightly, she rested her finger on a candle and gave it a gentle wave, using the candlelight to sketch out a new scene.
Although the world was currently illuminated by daylight, the shadows of the kingdoms from bygone eras, the leakage of forbidden book powers, the projections of the four great prophetic forces, and various bizarre calamities continually played out across the various districts.
In these locales, danger and treasure coexisted side by side.

By decree of the Laws, Catastrophe Messenger Towers existed in every single district, responsible for daily patrols and monitoring surface-level calamities.
Yet, very often, the undercurrents in the shadows would already begin to converge long before a calamity was born.

Those dedicated to dealing with these hidden dangers in the dark were known as Candle-Lighters.

The Witch of Candles told you that someone who had once reached the edge of the High Heavens had brought the "Candleflame" to the New Capital. Candleflame was a power originating from the High Heavens, possessing prophetic capabilities and the ability to gather a vast array of intelligence.
However, only those attuned to the Lantern aspect could ever hope to master that Candleflame, which gave rise to their unique profession as Candle-Lighters.

The Witch of Candles stated that this was an unpublicized special profession, serving as an advanced class for the treasure hunters of District 8 in the New Capital. She believed you potentially possessed the aptitude to become a Candle-Lighter.

The Witch of Candles reached out her hand toward you, saying that although your current strength fell just a tiny bit short, you possessed the potential of the Lantern.
You could embark on a path of greater strength; a treasure hunter was a profession far more suited to you. You should stop messing around as some mere herbalist—the brews of the Witch of Flowers were something she could provide as well.

Chen Qi looked at the text. This was an invitation to be poached, and it meant he might potentially gain access to a hidden class in the future.

However, he was quite curious about what he could learn and what he could gain by becoming a Candle-Lighter.

Amidst the candlelight, a flash of curiosity crossed your eyes as you asked what one could obtain by becoming a treasure hunter or a Candle-Lighter.

The Witch of Candles raised a blazing finger, telling you that there were three distinct benefits to becoming a Candle-Lighter.

First, during the early days of the New Capital's establishment, the Gates of Candleflame were constructed. By passing through the corresponding gates, one could travel freely across the various districts of the New Capital.
The Lantern embodied the power of "travel," and only those with the Lantern aspect could pass through these gates.

Gates...

Chen Qi was startled. Such a wonderful convenience existed within the New Capital.
Unlike most games, traveling to another location in the New Capital usually relied entirely on long and arduous journeys.

Because of this, many players rarely encountered one another in the game and found it extremely difficult to travel to other districts.
The vast majority of players simply kept playing within their own respective districts.

The Witch of Candles raised a second finger. Second, she was the current head of the Treasure Hunter Association; if you joined her, you would gain knowledge of the whereabouts of numerous treasures scattered across the world.

Chen Qi rubbed his chin. That wasn't bad either, as it would synergize well with his innate talent.

The Witch of Candles continued, Third, she could impart certain taboo rituals to you—rituals that only those of the Lantern aspect could master.
She could also assist you in completing the study of powerful, destructive rituals, such as the study of Black Prison rituals...

Black Prison rituals!

Chen Qi bit his finger. For her to say this meant she was well aware that he possessed *The Book of the Black Prison*.
This must have been exposed aboard the Looming Train.
Although to the majority of players, his rituals were easily mistaken for "ice-fire" or "blazing-fire" type abilities, in the eyes of knowledgeable witches, they were exceedingly easy to identify.
Previously, this very ritual of his had been recognized by the Witch of Cocoons.

The Witch of Candles made a "shh" gesture, telling you that there was no need to be afraid; when she was eight years old, the forbidden book *Fire of Fate* that she mastered had also been stolen.
To memorize the contents of the forbidden book, her mad self had once unhesitatingly hidden herself in the lightless abyss of a sewer, using a single match to threaten a group of elderly knowledge hunters, forcibly memorizing the entire book right before the eyes of those knowledge hunters.
Within the New Capital, although knowledge hunters would track the scent of forbidden books, as long as the physical books were not brought out into the open, they would never target you and could do nothing to you.

Knowledge hunters were a profession dedicated to preventing the spread of forbidden books. As long as *The Book of the Black Prison* did not appear within the New Capital, they would never be able to track him down.

Chen Qi glanced sideways at *The Book of the Black Prison* resting on his bookshelf. Kept safely inside his Traveler's Box, the book carried no risk of being hunted down by knowledge hunters.

The Witch of Candles eyed you up and down, sensing that you must have already memorized the contents of that book.

The Witch of Candles indicated that she bore no ill will. To walk the path of the strong, one had to master powerful rituals, yet these very powerful rituals were prone to causing irreversible catastrophes.
Moreover, she had just tested you; although you possessed a forbidden book, there was no risk of you losing control.

The Witch of Candles told you that if you were willing to become a member of their treasure hunters and a future Candle-Lighter,
she could help you acquire some forbidden books of the Lantern aspect. With a proud pat on her chest, she declared that she was, after all, the natural enemy of the knowledge hunters.
She could provide you with forbidden book rituals of the Lantern aspect and also assist you in studying the Black Prison rituals.

She could help him study Black Prison rituals?

Chen Qi felt a stirring of temptation and clicked to inquire further.

The Witch of Candles stated that although she had not mastered the power of *The Book of the Black Prison*, she had stolen quite a few forbidden books in her youth and still retained a certain understanding of that dangerous world known as the Black Prison.

Reaching into the candle flame, the Witch of Candles withdrew an item from the fire:
"I imagine you will have need of this, former Night Watcher and herbalist..."