Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1403: Preparing for Godfall
"Thorn Nun" Mrs. Shelly Winst, is a divine descent shell cultivated by the Church of Nature and is also an ascetic.
Her eyes have a continuous pattern of thorns, which even penetrate beneath her eyelids. Of course, during the battle of Sicarl, because of Iluna’s outstanding performance and the immediate suppression of the evil god by the summoned moon goddess, the Church of Nature did not use the divine descent ritual. After all, what people faced at the time was not a god, but an undead abomination born from a level 0 relic.
And the barefoot monk of the faded garments in front of Shard, if Shard guessed correctly, should be cultivated by the Church of the Sun, prepared as a divine descent shell for the Sun and Earth God, the Lantern Bearer. Otherwise, it cannot be explained how he can, like Shard, touch the mud flowing directly on the ground without relying on any power.
Even Iluna, who is still on the airship, cannot do this.
The shabby-bearded ascetic nodded but did not comment on Shard’s words:
"I just came to see the situation. Although I also have the power of the earth, I cannot purify the twisted and insane land. Tonight, it will still be up to you and that honorable soul to handle all this."
He used the singular here:
"On the mountain top, there are now believers of the evil god who want to use tonight’s events to prepare for the significant preparations before the arrival of the evil god. You must be ready to face the power of the evil god."
"I’ve seen the power of the evil god many times."
Shard said with a smile, then asked the other:
"If that deity indeed descends upon Randall Valley during the season when the first Randall Flower blooms, what will you do?"
The ascetic shook his head slightly:
"We will do what we can. God Summoner, the story of Randall Valley is about to reach its end, and the church has already discovered many secrets hidden by this ancient city and land. We know you’ve done a lot privately, so this time... if that deity truly descends upon Randall Valley, what will you do?"
Shard also shook his head:
"Of course, I will also do what I can."
He looked towards the mountain top, as if to the people dancing around the "Black Mud Fountain":
"Then I’m off, the Guardians might already be waiting for me."
"Please wait, the truth about the Guardians... might surprise you a little."
Upon hearing this, Shard looked inquisitively at the ascetic:
"So, the church already knows the truth about the Guardians?"
The man’s withered expression was very solemn:
"God Summoner, do not underestimate the True God Church. For nearly two thousand years before your arrival, it was always the church guarding the material world of the Sixth Era. We do know the truth about the Guardians, but that truth may be strange, hence I won’t comment."
It’s good news, even if Shard doesn’t understand the truth about the Guardians, he will know when Iluna comes here in a few days and asks.
The ascetic seemed to have come here just to say those few words to Shard. Before Shard even started walking up, he turned to walk to the hill’s base.
Shard once heard Luviya say that the sorcerers cultivated by the churches for divine descent generally have spirits that differ slightly from normal people. This is not only due to the arduous asceticism they must undergo, but also because they are closer to deities than any normal person. And now, encountering such a person again, further confirms Luviya’s statement.
After parting ways with the ascetic, Shard continued walking up the small path on the hill flowing with black mud. As fine glimmers rose from the earth, those glimmers gradually gathered around him into a soul.
A robe-clad Mr. Thomas Granger, whom he had met only once in the Emerald Dream nearly two months ago, finally appeared again. He silently walked with Shard to the hill’s crest, his dimly glowing spiritual body illuminating Shard’s curious face:
"Long time no see, Mr. Granger. Your family is still searching for your whereabouts. Once the affair in Randall Valley concludes, would you like to send a dream to inform Earl Granger of your own posthumous matters?"
The soul glanced at Shard:
"If this is your request, then so be it."
The final stretch of the path wasn’t long, and upon reaching the hilltop, five black-robed cultists were indeed dancing. More precisely, they were dancing around three black stone statues, detached from the ground, emitting silver desecration aura, and suspended in the "Black Mud Fountain".
The sculpting of the three stone statues was extremely exquisite; one depicted a lavishly clothed twelve or thirteen-year-old child, another a young man of Shard’s age wearing ordinary clothes, and the last an elderly person dressed in rags resembling a beggar, akin to Priest Augustus.
The lifelike appearance of the three statues nearly convinced Shard they were once living beings petrified into stone. Soaking in black mud was causing even stranger transformations in the statues.
The cultists’ dance was an ancient ritualistic dance, which, far from being comical, carried an eerie solemnity. As Shard and Mr. Thomas Granger reached the hilltop, with even the splashing black mud striking them, the dance ceased, and the cultists gathered together.
The two High Ring and three Inner Ring cultists, considering the power of cultists in this era, this should already be the backbone of their Order. Among them, the bearded Inner Ring Sorcerer, Shard had seen once at Worsent Manor, and the other party apparently recognized Shard as well.
"You’re here."
Sounding as muffled as if he had a cold, the High Ring Sorcerer said.
Shard looked at the three stone statues suspended behind them:
"I still don’t understand what benefit summoning your deity to destroy the world brings to you?"
The High Ring Sorcerer replied: 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
"When everything reaches its end, humans will no longer be able to survive. Only by the world turning into unchanging eternal stone can it lead us to a new world."
The followers of the [Lord of the Blood Feast] once believed they would become the food for the God and thereby coexist with the God, as a way to survive the apocalypse termination. It’s been more than half a year since the first encounter with a cultist, and now hearing similar arguments, Shard has a different perspective.
Of course, he still thinks such talk is no different from venting waste gases.
"Guardian, our purpose is actually no different from yours. When Our Lord descends, Our Lord’s power will rebalance the earth of Randall Valley, and your mission will then end."
The High Ring Sorcerer said to Mr. Granger, who shook his head:
"The balance you speak of is not the same as the balance I believe in. Although your deity also respects the earth, it is not the Earth I protect."
"Since that’s the case, may you rest here. The radiance of Our God will shine upon you."
The High Ring Sorcerer nodded and gestured to the space behind him. Three stone statues flew out of the "Black Mud Fountain," leaving the black mud. With their dirty exteriors, the spiritual light on the stone statues looked even more dazzling, and the oppressiveness of the desecration element was even more shocking. When they left the black mud, Shard saw more details: all the statues wore faces, but each one was in a state of closed eyes.
These three stone statues are very likely the divine descent shells prepared by the cultists for the Evil God, otherwise, it cannot explain this terrifying sense of power.
It wasn’t just Shard; even the spirit face of Mr. Granger showed a solemn expression.
The two stepped back, and after the three stone statues landed, the one representing youth and the one representing old age were respectfully covered with black cloth by the cultists and then carried on the backs of the two High Ring Sorcerers:
"Then we’ll see you next time."
Among the five, the two Inner Ring sorcerers and the two High Ring Sorcerers quickly withdrew from the other side of the hill, leaving Shard and Mr. Granger to confront the familiar bearded middle-aged man.
He solemnly said to Shard:
"Last time you spared me, I should be grateful."
"No need to thank me, you gave me intelligence about Worsent Manor, which was a fair trade. But I also said, the next time I meet you, I will not let you go."
Shard drew the amber longsword from the air, while the bearded man’s face, half-illuminated by the desecration aura, slightly shook his head:
"I know you are a good person, so I want to remind you one last time, sometimes, people really shouldn’t meddle in things that don’t belong to them."
He finished speaking and, without waiting for Shard and Granger to react, reached out and pierced his own chest, then forcibly dug out his own heart.
He did not die immediately; instead, as Shard waved and slashed out a Moonlight Slash, he handed the heart to the child statue beside him:
"Praise be to Our Lord [Stone Heart Demon], may the Heart of the Earth be with you."
The corpse fell into the filthy mud on the ground, and Shard’s attack was blocked by the child stone statue raising its left hand. That not-so-large stone palm actually pinched the amber Moonlight Slash and crushed it into moonlight shards.
Simultaneously, the stone statue’s right hand deftly caught the still-bleeding heart, then pressed it to its chest position.
A jagged rift, like the mouth of a ferocious beast, opened on the surface of the stone, and the willingly offered heart was placed inside.
For an instant, Shard thought the Evil God would immediately descend, but then realized that according to the investigation, the God Summoning Ritual for the [Stone Heart Demon] was definitely not this simple.
Yet, even so, the spreading silver desecration aura still formed a tangible energy impact that sent Shard flying. For a moment, the world spun, seeming to turn upside down. And next to his ear, "she" softly reminded him:
[Outlander, you have touched "Desecration," you have gained insight into the "Heart."]
[Note, due to the influence of the Divine Arts’ power, any vigorous activity you undertake next will cause your heart rate to far exceed the normal range. For your health, please try to maintain physical and mental calm.]
