OBS Chapter 3744 The Nun and the Ashes
Chapter 3744 The Nun and the Ashes
Chapter 3744 The Nun and the Ashes
However, the meeting between Shad and Larousse III was scheduled for Monday, so there was no rush. The night passed and it was Saturday; today was the 28th of the Starless Moon, the last day of February 1855.
In a normal year, winter should be coming to an end by now, but when Xia De went downstairs to get the newspaper and goat's milk in the morning, he felt that the temperature was still so low.
Another thing happened this morning: when Shad opened the milk box with his key, took away today's goat milk, and put yesterday's empty bottles back into the box, the sound of orderly footsteps came from the east side of No. 6 St. Teresa's Place.
He turned to look and saw soldiers in army uniforms marching in neat formation across the square toward the west side. He roughly estimated their numbers at around fifty, and they were all armed.
"The time has finally come."
Mr. Smith's sigh came from the door next door. The old man, still in his bathrobe, came to the door to get something and said to Shad:
"Have you heard that this year's city cycling competition has been cancelled?"
"It hasn't been cancelled yet because of the war, right?"
"Yes, just like the soldiers we just saw, this is a temporary adjustment for this year. In normal years, apart from the Royal Guard, other troops are not allowed to be in the area so close to the Yodl Palace."
But things are different now. My old friends in parliament told me that Tobesk's city defenses need to be adjusted. A portion of the Royal Guard will be sent out to oversee operations, and trustworthy troops will be transferred from the army to the defense system of Tobesk's central city.
The old man shook his head, said nothing more, and returned to his house. Looking at the fountain in the empty center of the square, where a girl held up a water bottle, Xia De somehow thought that his title of "last champion of the city's equestrian competition" might remain for many years to come.
"war."
He smiled again. Since it was the end of the month, he would soon be able to see Adele again in that square covered in yellow sand.
Although it's Saturday, since the doctor said the group meeting was canceled this week, Shad doesn't have to think about going to the east of the city.
After having breakfast, he lingered at home for a while before finally grabbing Mia for a pre-springtime cat-washing session. Although Shad had improved considerably since officially deciding to foster Mia at home two years ago, he found that catching the cat wasn't much easier than before.
He even wanted Dorothy, who was at home, to help, but the writer smiled and declined:
"This is an activity between you and Mia, so I won't participate. But would you like to use my secret hair conditioner recipe? Mix two egg yolks with a teaspoon of honey, apply it to the ends of your hair after washing, leave it for five minutes, and then rinse with warm water. Your hair will become soft and bouncy. Maybe this is a good way to care for Mia's cat hair."
"Meow~"
The cat seems to disagree.
After the cat bath time, it was nine o'clock in the morning. Shad took Mia, who clearly disliked baths but looked quite spirited afterward, to the Dawn Church. After finding Priest Augustus, Shad retrieved the sealed blood from the priest's secret potion workshop located outside the church.
“This is truly extraordinary. Although you told the doctor that it was a very evil force, it still exceeds my imagination. After coming into contact with this thing, I must pray for a while before returning to the church.”
The old priest sighed, shifting his gaze from the blood to Shad:
"I won't ask what this is, but are you sure you don't want to absorb it?"
“Priest, why are you asking the same question as the doctor?”
Shad asked doubtfully, knowing that the drop of blood might further strengthen his chains of sin, but he would absolutely not touch it until he figured out what the "Primal Demon" really was.
The old priest sat on the high stool and smiled:
"It's good that you're so cautious."
He took the thirteen-faceted crystal, examined it briefly, and then set it aside.
"I will handle this carefully afterward, but you can come to me anytime if you change your mind. Even if you purify it in holy water, it probably won't be able to dissolve it completely in a short time."
You can rest assured that I'm keeping this; you can come back to check on it anytime. But since you're here, I'd like to discuss the angel's remains with you further.
Shad sat up straight on the bar stool, holding the cat. The basement was a little stuffy, and the priest was cooking something.
“Priest, the power you displayed yesterday was truly astonishing. This piece of wreckage is different from the ones we’ve seen before, isn’t it?”
The priest nodded:
"Your white snake friend brought this coffin. The remains inside correspond to the parts you described. When I touched them, I saw the god of the tomb."
This ancient god not only safeguards the remains, but also preserves a portion of the power of the Angel of Death. It was through that power that I briefly revealed the angel's original form yesterday. Although this power is one-time use, its existence signifies many things. During the group mission before the year-end holiday, I mentioned in the carriage that the current state of the remains' integrity was…
"47%. And you said that as long as the integrity of the remains reaches 75%, and the [Heart of the Evil Angel] returns, it's equivalent to the deceased becoming whole again."
Shad said, and the priest nodded:
"Although only the foot bone of the left leg and the shin bone connected to it were returned this time, the integrity rate increased directly from 47% to 59%."
While I need a temporary rest to fully utilize my power, more knowledge and ancient secrets are opening up to me. Before your final battle with the island's enemies, you can come here to see the potions I've prepared. There's also holy water; I can now mass-produce second-grade holy water concentrate, though the first batch will take half a week to prepare.
These are all very good news, but the most important news from the priest is not these:
"Finally, I'd like to talk to you about the mission of the Angel of Death."
The priest's expression was very serious, and Shad recalled it again:
“During the last group mission, Priest, you and I discussed this topic. The Deathbringers have the duty to sound the horn and announce the coming of the end. During my adventure in the Tombstone Wasteland, I also learned that killing the Deathbringers is one of the ways the Old Gods postponed the end of the world.”
The priest let out a long sigh:
"But when the 'Mr. Snake' you mentioned walked out of the temple, the Deathbringer briefly returned. I don't know if this was also an arrangement by that ancient god of fate."
After returning to Tobeskoye yesterday, I've been thinking about this. In short, it's not advisable for me to go back to that island anytime soon. However, this incident has given me some other thoughts: the connection between the angel's trumpet and the coming of the apocalypse is a fact already written by fate. In that case, perhaps I can use this connection to help you.
I will try to make a horn that will forcibly attract the Doomsday Serpent when it is blown, but once it appears, its power will be enhanced for a period of time. So whether or not to use it is up to you.
This was indeed a very useful item, and Shad thanked the priest. Before leaving with Mia, he mentioned that he had given the [Ring of Fate - Death] to Sister Daphne, to which the priest said nothing.
“Destined death is not a force that can be easily accepted, so it is a good thing for fate to be handed over to the chosen one who dies.”
The next stop was the sacrificial site atop the mountain. When Shad arrived at the lowest level of the sacrificial site, Sister Daphne had once again returned to her kneeling position in front of the brazier.
After Shad sat down by the brazier, the nun handed him the things beside her:
"It will be useful to you."
It wasn't the longsword Shad had imagined, but a dull, gray fragment. Even as just a fragment, seeing it gave Shad a feeling that he might be cut by it. Touching it made him feel as if he were touching the very concept of a weapon.
"These are the ashes from the burning remains of the weapon's demon, the fragments of a versatile weapon. Although it is a physical entity, it can also be seen as a personification of the concept of a 'weapon.' It can be used to enhance any kind and form of weapon."
Including the fragment of the demon sword, Shad now had two longsword fragments in his possession. He wrapped the fragment in silk and put it away.
"So, Sister Daphne, are you going to complete your ascension now?"
Sister Daphne nodded gently:
"I've already made arrangements for the [Spiritual Order]. If you need the nuns' help, you can go to Sister Anna. I'll see you as soon as I'm ordained."
The eyes beneath the silver eyepatch seemed to be looking at Shad at that moment, and then the nun stood up and drew the [Ashes] greatsword from the brazier.
She and Shad left from the lower level of the sacrificial site, and the two took an elevator back to the ground level, where all the other nuns were already waiting for them.
Sister Anna was a newly promoted eleventh-circle sorceress, the highest-ranking nun in the [Spiritual Order] besides Sister Daphne. Sister Daphne gave her a few more words of advice, and then left the sacrificial site with Shad amidst the nuns' silent farewell.
The two walked down the stone steps outside the sacrificial site and arrived at the nuns' cemetery.
In that circular plaza, with a cliff on one side and a precipice on the other, the rift of death opened towards Sister Daphne. She nodded gently to Shad as a farewell, then walked straight into the black rift and disappeared.
Shad sighed and stood there for a while before walking back the way he came. He needed to confirm with Sister Anna that the Spiritual Order could support Fatummist Island this time.
As Shad turned to leave, the cat, perched on his shoulder, looked back. As the stone gate leading to the cemetery slowly closed, its amber eyes clearly saw ashes, tinged with flickering flames, drifting from the distant tombstones before disappearing where the crack had vanished.
In the midst of death, before the dark moon, when the silent Sister Daphne left the mudflats and stepped onto the calm, black water, the ashes that had followed her there also fell onto the water.
As the water surface lit up like a starry sky, each spirit emitted a white light of soul, yet on each spirit were the silhouettes of Martians, their backs turned to the moon as they straightened up.
Silence fell as everyone looked toward Sister Daphne, who was bathed in the light of the dark moon. Their attire was similar to Sister Daphne's, and they all wore silver eye patches that resembled crowns.
"ash."
Sister Daphne's voice could only be heard by herself before the Moon, while the nuns manifested from the ashes remained silent.
She gazed at them, flames igniting upon her as well. At the same time, the black Ring of Death floated up before her. The light of the dark moon illuminated the fire-wielding nun and the ashes; the path to the thirteenth ring for the chosen ones was indeed vastly different from that of the others.