OBS Chapter 4040 The Power of Withering
Chapter 4040 The Power of Withering
Chapter 4040 The Power of Withering
The new room wasn't large, and the stench of dirt and blood wasn't as strong as in the "blood collection workshop." The room's layout was simple: a dirty long table, about the same size as the dining table in the Xia family's house, was placed in the center, surrounded by four long benches, and there were simple metal storage cabinets along the walls.
Dried blood seeped from the cracks in some of the cabinets, and Shad forced himself not to be curious about what was inside.
Is this the workers' break room in the factory?
He was about to approach the "shelter" built under the long table when Ms. Gustave immediately stopped him:
"Please wait a moment, Mr. William, we need to verify your identity first."
"It's Hamilton, Shad Suren Hamilton."
Shad corrected him, saying that he did not doubt the witches; he had already verified last time that the ability of the "Manual of Fate" to detect races was still effective here.
The old witch nodded, and this time the question she asked was quite simple:
"What was your last form before you left?"
“Dragon. Since Gina saw me back then, she should know that although my body was silver, it was neither a silver dragon nor a white dragon. I usually call that form a ‘moonlight dragon’.”
Seeing that Shad had explained in such detail, Mrs. Gustav breathed a sigh of relief. As the highest-ranking elder here, the young women trusted her, and she also felt it was her responsibility to get everyone out of there.
“No problem. Welcome back, Mr. Hamilton. We were just talking about you.”
The way everyone was building "shelters" under the table looked like children playing house, but at least it seemed cozy. Shad bent down and went through the invisible bubble to enter, choosing to sit next to Gina again. The pink dragon girl with the big tail looked very happy.
The witches all seemed to be in good condition. After all, the environment of the Bloodstained Factory was special, and their life force could be continuously restored. The main danger here was the erosion of flesh and blood by mutation.
As before, Xia De first treated the abnormal changes that had appeared on everyone's bodies, and during this time learned about what had happened after he left.
"After you left, we thought that since the most important [Blood Essence of All Things] had been found, we should light the furnace first after finding all the furnace materials, and then wait for you on the way to the next furnace."
The halfling girl said that because she was the shortest and had the smallest contact area with her surroundings, her flesh mutation was the least severe.
The one in the most serious situation this time is Gina. As a pureblood gem dragon, she always stands at the forefront in battle to buy time for everyone to cast spells, so she has the most contact with the flesh aberrations in the factory.
While Shad was treating her, she blushed and told him that her tail also needed treatment this time.
So Shad placed Gina's tail on his leg, dug out the mutated flesh, and then filled it back in with mud. During this process, Gina's face turned red, but she still said:
"When we finished the second furnace, I hid my bubbles in every piece of flesh and blood material that was to be filled into the furnace. After the furnace forging was completed, I could sense that a very small number of bubbles were still present and had been transported to a deeper area of the factory."
Although it's impossible to track the exact location of those bubbles, I think they'll play a significant role in the end.
When the first furnace was being forged, it was Lady Gustav who sealed the "Great Disintegration" technique within the eyeball that was needed at that time. It is only for the upcoming third furnace that the [Active Metal] brought by Shad will be required.
Gina's tail was heavier than Shad had expected, probably because Mia, who often appeared on his lap, was so light. The dragon witch in human form also had scales on her tail, but very few, a fact Shad already knew from Fiona.
Gina's tail was in serious condition; Shad discovered seven areas of flesh deformity. He had to peel them off and treat them one by one, which would take much longer than treating the others.
"So now, we're on our way to the third furnace, right?"
After Gina finished speaking, Shad asked:
How long have you been gone?
Time is meaningless here, so "how long" is determined by the number of rooms passed through.
Mrs. Gustav gave Schard the answer:
"Based on our experience from the previous two times, we should have reached the next furnace area long ago. The three of us have been taking turns sleeping and listening to the crying, and we've done it three times already, but we still haven't found the source of the sound."
"Perhaps we need to find someone like that 'skull tailor' from last time."
Miss Bradley said somewhat dejectedly that they were wondering if something else had happened since they hadn't been able to find their target for so long.
At this moment, [Dark Moon Grace] had been released by Shad to help the witches recover their spirits. While he was healing, the witches also inspected the supplies he had brought, and Lady Gustav was very satisfied with the spellcasting materials Shad had brought.
The active metal had already been given to Miss Bradley by Shad. When she opened the box, she was slightly surprised to see that the relic was contained in a bone container. However, she then began to professionally check the quantity of the relic.
Mrs. Gustav also asked Shad if the treatment she had provided last time had been effective for his friend. Shad gave an affirmative answer, and then, while continuing to treat the large tail on his leg, asked again:
"I have a very important question I'd like to ask."
So the old witch who was deep in thought, the halfling girl who was examining the relics, and the somewhat shy dragon maid all looked at him.
Do you know what the spark of life is?
The last time he came was on a Wednesday, and Shad first came into contact with the Fire Seed on a Friday at the Tower of Wonders, so he hadn't mentioned it last time. The three witches each had a different expression, but to Shad's surprise, all three nodded.
"I know a little."
The witches were also surprised that everyone knew this mysterious and ancient term. Gina, whose tail was being touched by Shad, spoke first, even though Shad had thought she was the least likely to know.
"This term appeared in the book 'The Book of Dragons: Breeding and Growth' that Head Maid Fiona brought back. I remember that in some chapters of this book, 'Life Spark' was used instead of 'Life Strength'."
When discussing dragon eggs that are extremely difficult to hatch, the book mentions a very complex ritual. By infusing them with a life-giving flame, a dying dragon egg can be given a chance to hatch again.
Gina thought for a moment, her tail twitching unconsciously, the tip accidentally hitting Shad's arm. She immediately wanted to apologize, but then realized that Shad didn't seem to care at all.
So the pink dragon girl concentrated on controlling her tail:
"In a very obscure and difficult chapter of that book, it is mentioned that the life force can be extracted from the eggs of dead dragons, but this ritual is extremely complicated, and the extracted life force can only be poured into the eggs of the same species."
Miss Orlando commented on the ceremony, saying it violated taboos about life and that I should not watch or learn from it.
Indeed, there were methods in ancient times similar to Shad's spells for converting life force into "fire seeds," but it seems that the ancient dragons' methods were not as convenient as Shad's.
Mrs. Gustave nodded:
"The librarian of St. Byrons is right. It is indeed a great taboo to extract life as a spark. Life should appear in a physical form, and life in its natural form should not take the life force of other lives through means other than eating."
I have also seen the term 'Spark of Life' in some books in the Vatican Library that record stories from ancient times. It is only mentioned in those ancient texts from the Second Age.
According to ancient texts, the original and oldest Creator used the 'Spark of Life' to give life to all creations when creating them. Therefore, the predecessors of the [Church of Creation] believed that using the Spark of Life was divine authority, and that mortals who touched this special conceptual energy would be considered blasphemers.
Gina and Mrs. Gustav were talking about normal fire. Shad even thought of trying to hatch the moon egg with normal fire because of Gina's words. He planned to go to Daniste on Saturday morning to try it out.
Miss Bradley's information differed from theirs:
“I have also read some ancient books, which mention a disaster called ‘mechanical plague’ caused by abnormal life sparks.”
Shad looked at her:
"So, does that ancient book say how to deal with this abnormal life force?"
Shad had expected the other party to say she didn't know, or to reveal information about the "vessel," but to his surprise, the halfling girl thought for a moment longer:
"It seems like it mentioned... sealing? No, life withers! Yes, life withers."
She said to Shad:
"'Withering' is not a force related to death, but the opposite of life. The original god of life is actually the ancient god of creation, and creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin."
This sounds like there's an overlap in the functions of the [Twilight Creator] and the [Ancient Death God].
Xia De hesitated and said:
"So, the withering of life is..."
"It can be called 'anti-life'. 'Withering' is also a form of vitality, and the power of 'withering' can suppress the activity of 'abnormal life sparks' to the greatest extent. Although it cannot completely eliminate them, the suppressed abnormal sparks can be easily sealed."
Miss Bradley nodded:
That's what the book says.
But Mrs. Gustave immediately warned:
“I am aware of the power of ‘decay’ that you mentioned, but it is not a power that can be easily acquired. If death and life are like fire and water, then the relationship between life and decay is like water and ‘water that can annihilate water’.”
While the Wither is also a life force, it is classified as heretical within the Church of Creation. Since the end of the Mythical Era, beings capable of wielding the power of the Wither have become extremely rare in the material world. Monsters that manipulate the Wither are far more troublesome to deal with than the undead.