Chapter 1227: Chapter 1227: Tomb of the Church
The old man sighed softly, speaking in Randall Valley-accented Casenric, yet stood there without sitting down. Shard indeed felt the Enlightennt and Miracle Elent, his face so familiar, but he couldn’t determine the connection between this aged face and the middle-aged Miss Perry due to the significant age difference.
The Witch was still standing there; Shard tugged at her sleeve, and the two sat down together. The elderly woman in the nun’s robe smiled as she looked at Shard:
“Young ones, I don’t know why you’ve co here, but surely it’s not because you’ve lost your way or encountered danger. The Earth favors you, and indeed, it’s ti. If you desire the Power of the Earth, I… can offer you a test.”
“What is the test?”
Miss Benanis asked softly, while the old nun finally sat down by the campfire. She sat on the other side of the Unicorn, smiling as she petted the small beast, which allowed her touch willingly:
“The Earth chooses its Executors, and soil and stone will reveal everything to us.”
“Executor of the Earth…”
Shard worried she might produce a light that could transform them into Giants, but fortunately, the old woman simply picked up a small stone from the dry ground by the campfire. She clasped both hands behind her back, then extended them again, presenting them towards Shard and Miss Benanis:
“Tell , where is the stone?”
The aged eyes sparkled as she looked at them, as if joking with young people t on the street. Thinking normally, the answer to such a question surely isn’t limited to “left hand” and “right hand.”
Miss Benanis was stunned, not expecting the so-called “test” to be like this. Unable to think of an answer, she instinctively looked to Shard, but Shard did not ponder and instead asked softly:
“Are you Sister Perry?”
“That’s what they call .”
The old nun said, kindly looking at Shard, nodding slightly with a smile before he could ask:
“I died long ago, and my soul reached its end. This is rely a fragnt left by the Divine Arts, a record and mory imprinted by the Earth.”
Shard’s mouth opened slightly, wanting to ask whether she rembered him.
Miss Benanis didn’t know the complex thoughts Shard was having:
“Hamilton, do you know where the stone is?”
“I don’t know, but I can try.”
Ordinary stones lack perceptibility, and given that this is a test by a nun canonized by the Church in the Fifth Era, cheating was obviously not an option. Shard touched his pocket and took out the Silver Cube left by Mr. Thomas Granger.
This ti, as the Silver Cube ward slightly, the second segnt of the Randall Valley story finally unfolded for Shard:
[Saint Perry Cetery—
The Fifth Era’s nun, in a bid to save the Mad Land, suffered horrific pollution to her body and soul. In her final monts, she willingly allowed the Church to seal her corpse on the outskirts of Randall Valley, retaining her power to suppress the terrifying black mire. According to legend, at night, while wandering on the outskirts of the Creekland area of Randall Valley, those who are lost or face danger may receive assistance from the powers of the deceased nun if their hearts are pure. A select few have the privilege of facing the nun’s test, acquiring and inheriting the Earth’s powers.]
On one face of the cube, densely packed letters appeared, and Shard read these letters aloud, causing Miss Benanis to frown slightly:
“Is this the true story of Saint Perry Cetery? It’s a seal?”
“Indeed, it’s different from what we thought.”
Shard nodded, but the Witch still didn’t understand:
“But does this information have any relevance now?”
“Certainly it does.”
Shard already knew what he ought to do, the firelight illuminating his face:
“Since the Saint Perry Cetery is actually a Fifth Era Sun and Earth Church’s seal, it indicates the situation within is worse than we could have imagined. That Saint Perry couldn’t simply unlock the seal, so rather than selecting those who resonate with the Earth, she’s selecting those who can resolve or suppress that pollution.”
The Witch blinked:
“Makes sense.”
She didn’t know that Shard had faced countless similar situations in past and present tis:
“Thus, uncovering the stone’s truth ans we must demonstrate our power, proving we can withstand that sort of pollution. The stone isn’t vital; the thod we use to find the stone is what counts. Last night, those two from the Blood Spirit School evidently encountered sothing similar, only where they went wrong isn’t clear…”
“Your Sorcery [Power of the Earth: Healing Aura] seems only usable on polluted land. Does it apply to a single stone?”
The Witch said worriedly; Shard shook his head slightly:
“As long as we display sufficient purification power, yes, sufficient…”
He pondered for a mont and then spoke to the Unicorn:
“Close your eyes.” (Ancient Elvish Language)
So the curious little creature obediently closed its eyes.
“Miss Benanis, close your eyes. Yes, make sure to shut them tight, it’s best to cover your eyes with your hands.”
Although the Witch didn’t know what Shard intended to do, she still tightly closed her eyes. Subsequently, she heard the man’s slightly serious voice:
“Silvermoon!”
In an instant, the brilliance almost made her think soone nearby had used a Thirteen-Ring Magic like the Eternal Blazing Sun. But her body didn’t feel any heat; instead, a gentle breeze brushed against her cheeks.
“It’s done.”
She opened her eyes and was surprised to see that the surrounding earth, tents, the treetops not covered by the white mist, and even that cluster of flas were all imbued with a faint silver glow.
The silver glimr twinkled on the pure white fur of the small creature, making it curiously look at itself. Shard’s clothes and Miss Benanis’s robe were also dyed with a Holy Silver glow. She could feel how sacred that light was; it was as if soone had constructed a small sanctuary here, akin to being in the church of so Deity.
“What Arcane Technique is this?”
“Light Spell.”
Shard briefly introduced, looking around at the surrounding dotted with starlike glimrs. The old man was also dyed with the glow of Silvermoon, including, of course, his two fists. The only area nearby untouched by this silver glow was a small patch of land in front of Shard.
He dug into the hardened frozen dirt and pinched out that stone from the soil.
Touching the stone, he sensed a Power very similar to “The Mad Land,” but it was rather faint. Shard crushed it and then tossed it into the nearby campfire, watching the flas with the Power of the Primal Fire consu it:
“I think this should count as passing the test, no?”
Shard asked.
The old nun nodded with a smile:
“It is done. But are you sure you truly want to gain the Power of the Earth? Ahead, you will face terrors beyond human imagination.”
“Of course.”
Shard stood up and helped Miss Benanis up as well.
“Please follow .”
The elderly woman stood up to lead the way, once again descending into the mist. Shard picked up the Night Watchman and followed her into the fog with Miss Benanis, leaving the little creature behind. Shard instructed it to help watch over the Witch’s Sleeping followers.
This dense fog was quite complex in composition, so neither Shard nor Miss Benanis could see what lay beyond it. But they could always see the elderly woman in the fog. After leaving the camp, the three walked single file for less than ten minutes through the snowy woodland’s thick mist before stopping.
The trees ahead thinned out, and within the mist erged a small chapel standing amid the sparse Creekland woods. The churches of the five True Gods varied in architecture and decoration; the dilapidated gray stone church before them was unmistakably the Sun and Earth Church.
“There should be no such building in this area.”
Miss Benanis said softly, implying that without the elderly woman’s Guidance, no one would have found this place.
The church’s doors were tightly shut and only let out a creaky “squeak~” sound when pushed open by the nun-robed elderly woman. This building, a church from the Fifth Era, was a standard rural church, aning it had only a main hall taking up more than two-thirds of the church’s space.
Once inside, rows of stone benches were neatly arranged, and beyond the stone pillars supporting the ceiling, they saw on the wall opposite the door the Holy Emblem of the Lantern Bearer.
However, beneath the Holy Emblem, where the pulpit should have been, was now a horizontal gray stone coffin suspended mid-air and bound by eight chains. Combined with the church’s sowhat eerie decor and the cold blue candles ignited as the doors opened, it was apparent that the so-called “Saint’s Cetery” was indeed this church itself.
Upon entering, Shard imdiately sensed an issue with the land the church stood on. Although he didn’t know exactly where this was, it was evident that it, too, was “polluted,” and to a much higher degree than the two “Crazy Earth” locations he’d encountered in the Randall Valley.
The elderly woman who led them inside had sohow vanished without a trace, and Miss Benanis, with so concern, caught up to Shard after looking at the church from outside:
“The form of pollution on this land doesn’t manifest as Petrification, nor does it gather Evil Spirits.”
“The source of the Pollution is there.”
Shard looked at the stone coffin, noting that while all eight chains remained, each one was severely corroded. The Sealing was still intact but precariously so:
“I suspect the form of this land’s pollution is linked to whatever lies inside that coffin.”
“Polluted remains of a Church Saint?”
Miss Benanis asked, nodding lightly before saying:
“If we’re dealing with that, leave it to . You handle purifying the Earth, and I’ll use Maze Lock to deal with whatever’s inside.”
Under normal circumstances, an Eleventh Rank Witch was much stronger than Shard, so he didn’t refuse:
“Be careful. After all, it’s the remains of a Saint from a previous Era, now polluted.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)