OBS Chapter 4041 Miss Bradley's "Secret"
Chapter 4041 Miss Bradley's "Secret"
Chapter 4041 Miss Bradley's "Secret"
Mrs. Gustave earnestly advised Schade:
"Although I don't know exactly what the 'abnormal life spark' is, we shouldn't easily get involved with the power of 'withering' in order to fight it. The latter is not a good thing either, and only in the most powerful mythological era of that world could this form of life force be allowed to exist."
Miss Bradley immediately responded:
“I’ve only heard of ‘withering,’ but I’ve never come into contact with this power.”
Xia De also said:
"Now that we are in the Fifth Age, these stories can only be regarded as myths. Don't worry, Mrs. Gustav, I will be careful."
But in reality, Shad thought he could investigate what exactly this so-called "anti-life/decay" power was. If it was just dangerous and bizarre, but not another manifestation of calamity, Shad could try to understand it.
Of course, all of this happened after returning to the Sixth Age. Although the flesh-evolving mutants in the Bloodstained Factory were also bizarre and terrifying, the flesh here had normal vitality and were not a calamity, so at least here Shad didn't need to worry about these things.
Although Gina's tail was severely deformed, the treatment wasn't particularly complicated. In fact, thanks to the crimson cloak given to them by the skeleton tailor, the effects they suffered while traversing the factory had been significantly reduced.
Because this problem is more serious than the last one, Mrs. Gustave offered her own conjecture:
"Perhaps every time we turn on a furnace, the factory itself will change, and the factory will take on different forms according to the process of new life being born."
This is the most reasonable guess at the moment, but it also means that they must deal with the next two furnaces as quickly as possible, because the longer they delay, the more dangerous it will become.
"Also, there's one more thing you need to know."
Mrs. Gustav concluded by saying:
"After completing the previous forge and setting off again, we found some items left behind by our predecessors. This time, the items were left by a researcher in the field of flesh and blood, and most likely an expert in human transmutation. According to him, staying in this factory for an extended period of time will permanently enhance the physical strength of any flesh and blood life form. The flesh and blood required by the Life Forge, which are the flesh and blood organs that we see emitting red light, are the essence of flesh and blood, containing the fundamental secrets of the creation of flesh and blood."
These dangerous fleshy organs, besides being used to ignite the furnace, also allow us outsiders to deeply experience the mysteries of flesh and blood creation.
"What should we do? Eat it?"
Shad asked, and then, seeing everyone looking at him in astonishment, Shad explained:
“It was just a joke, madam, please continue.”
"The notebook mentions two methods. One method is to directly replace our existing organs with the found ones. I strongly oppose doing this. This method is extremely dangerous, and the possibility of turning oneself into a complete deformed being is almost one hundred percent."
"I have no intention of using other people's organs to replace my own."
Shad then said that the witches obviously thought the same thing.
"The second method is relatively safer, but only relatively. When you put the found flesh and organs together, they will automatically come together to form a human shape. And in this process, by observing the movement, assembly, and assimilation of the flesh, you can understand the secrets of creation."
This is somewhat like reading occult books, except this time the 'book' is made of flesh and blood.
The old witch said, and Shad then asked them:
"This doesn't sound particularly dangerous, so have you tried it?"
The three of them shook their heads together:
"No, although we don't mind gaining power, we still want to hear your opinion. Two of the four furnaces have already been lit, and now we need caution, not risk."
"Let's wait until we find the third furnace before making any further plans."
Shad exchanged a few more words with them, and then the group packed their belongings to prepare for departure. The witches didn't have much luggage to take; the most important thing was the small bucket containing various flesh and organs, which Miss Bradvi carried again.
As for the small metal shield inlaid with the demonic eye [Ghost Face Eye], the halfling girl still carried it. While everyone was packing up their belongings and dismantling the shelter to salvage useful materials, she carefully fused the [Active Metal] into the metal shield.
Seeing the curious look in Shad's eyes, Miss Bradwell explained to him:
"【Active Metal】is a very special relic. According to the knowledge I inherited from my grandfather, this relic has a very good limiting effect on the Magic Eye, and can even allow the Magic Eye to exceed its limits while ensuring its safety."
Shad, of course, had not forgotten his suspicions about the witch, but he did not choose to reveal what he had learned in public:
"The information your grandfather found was really comprehensive. I've also met some experts who contain the Demon Eye, but they wouldn't say anything except that they claim to be believers of the ancient gods."
Miss Bradley's expression immediately changed; she didn't seem very scheming.
While packing a small amount of luggage, Gina, though unsure of Shad's intentions, was a skilled and perceptive dragon maid and decided to help him.
“Miss Feliana, the headmistress of St. Byron’s, takes good care of us dragon maids. She has also talked to us about the Magic Eye.”
She recalled:
"Principal Felian Anna said that because the Eye of Evil is so similar to the holy emblem of that ancient god of creation, any relic of the eye type should be treated with care, and no one knows what that eye can be traced back to."
Miss Bredwell's expression changed again, while the elderly Mrs. Gustav glanced at Shad and Gina, then at the halfling girl with a somewhat stiff expression.
Contrary to Shad's guess, this old witch from the church had actually noticed Miss Bradley's strange behavior long ago. But she had only suspected it before, and she didn't want to cause internal strife, so she hadn't shown it.
Seeing that Shad had returned after leaving, as if he knew something, Mrs. Gustav understood that Shad must have found out specific information. Elderly people often possess their own unique wisdom; she didn't continue discussing the Magic Eye, but instead said softly:
“I’ve read some documents, and the halfling god, ‘Guardian of Food and Hearth’, ‘Lord of the Hearth,’ seems to be somewhat related to the ancient god who created him.”
Miss Bradley turned pale instantly, looking like a child who had done something wrong and was caught red-handed by an adult.
Xia De had expected her to offer some explanation or at least remain silent and feign composure. But to his surprise, the short girl's eyes reddened, her nose twitched, and she suddenly knelt down, covering her face and weeping.
This made the three of them feel uncomfortable, as if they were bullying a child. The kind-hearted pink dragon girl went over to comfort her, while Mrs. Gustav and Shad exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.
However, Gina was truly adept at taking care of children—even those who appeared young but were actually adults. With her persuasion, Miss Bradley finally stopped crying and then, in a manner reminiscent of a criminal's confession, revealed the truth to everyone:
"I'm sorry everyone, I lied to you all—the information about the Magic Eye and the machine wasn't left to me by my grandfather, it was given to me by my sister. My sister told me not to tell anyone else, so I lied to you."
Shad recalled the witch's self-introduction when he last visited:
"Your sister is a witch from the Church of the Lord of the Hearthfire?"
"Yes. When I was little, I said I wanted to be a mechanic, and my sister gave me those materials. She told me to look at them secretly and not to tell anyone the source of that knowledge and power."
She sniffled; she had really been crying a lot. Halflings are a very kind-hearted race, and she probably considered lying a very serious matter.
"Later I discovered that some of the knowledge in that document required a specific faith to be transformed into power. So my sister told me that our race's god, the great [Lord of the Hearth], had a great relationship with that ancient [Creator of Twilight]."
So I gradually mastered the knowledge related to the Magic Eye and machines. I didn't mean to deceive you; I wanted to keep my promise to my sister.
Mrs. Gustav then looked at Shad, who nodded:
"After I left, I heard about a group of people who specialize in collecting Demon Eyes. They are descendants of a branch of the ancient [Creator Bishops], and they have mastered a unique technique for activating Demon Eyes mechanically, a technique that requires the user to be a believer in the ancient gods."
That's why I felt Miss Bradley wasn't telling the truth when she introduced herself.
The petite witch looked up at Shad:
“Apart from this, I didn’t lie. I don’t want to deceive you. I really just want to keep my promise to my sister. We made a pinky promise back then.”
Then she began to sob softly again. Although she was a ninth-tier witch, this halfling girl mainly worked as a baker and mechanic; her high rank was purely due to her exceptional talent. Before this adventure, although she had experienced some dangerous things, she had never actually left the halfling town where she lived.
All three could tell that Miss Bradley wasn't lying this time; although she had concealed some things, she meant no harm. Thus, the small potential problem was easily resolved. While this ensured the team's unity, Shad had hoped to learn more about this strange place, but that hope had now been dashed.