Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 459 - [Vibration]
The ruins on the ground that served to deceive onlookers, were established by the then-thriving Worm Cult at the beginning of the current Era, when this place was the residence of the Order's priests and the believers who came for worship. Later, as the Order declined, the ruins were abandoned and turned into the large manor ruins that now lay before Shard's eyes.
Time had destroyed most things, leaving only the vague patterns on several pillars as testimony to the grandeur that once was. The pillars were etched with ancient languages from the Third Era, all the characters resembling squirming worms, a creation of races that cohabited with worms during the Third Era. In the modern Sixth Era, aside from Shard, there are but a few who could understand it.
The entrance to the underground temple was hidden beneath the floor to the side of the ruins. To open the passageway leading downward, an arcane incantation and a key were required. The meaning of the incantation, once translated by Shard, approximately read, "Praise the great Earth-shaking Worm, may your vibrations be with us."
As for the key to open the entrance, it was not an inanimate object but a worm that dwelt within the body of Old Mrs. Ilal, the last priest of the Order. The worm was pitch black, about a fifth the length of Shard's arm, with a distinctly prominent mouthpart.
It writhed out of Old Mrs. Ilal's mouth, hundreds of prolegs squirming. The sight was disturbing not just for Shard, but even Miss Aphrola found it hard to bear. The cat on Shard's shoulder tensed as if wanting to rush forward to protect Shard from the worm... Mia felt the creature was no threat as it was much smaller than her.
As the arcane incantation was recited, the pitch-black worm burrowed into the ground. Accompanying the trembling of the floor, a stone staircase leading to the deeps appeared beneath the pitch-dark entrance.
[Outlander, you have felt both the "Miracle" and the "Desecration."]
This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.
Most miracles originate from True Gods, while desecration comes solely from Evil Gods. This was Shard's first encounter with a deity characterized by both miracle and desecration.
Gazing upon the staircase before him, Shard handed Mia over to the care of the Miss Maid, as Old Mrs. Ilal had permitted only Shard and Miss Aphrola to enter the temple.
They waited a while for ventilation, then descended the staircase. The black worm crept along the wall, igniting the kerosene lamps along the stairs before anyone else, casting light on numerous horrific murals depicting living sacrifices and religious penal rites.
Once again, Shard confirmed that the Earth-shaking Worm, despite having departed long ago, was indeed an Evil God.
Perhaps due to the weakening of the Order during its construction, the underground temple was not the grand structure Shard had imagined.
The staircase was short, and at its end was a temple with the Holy Emblem and Divine Statue placed upon it. The dim lighting rendered the underground space somewhat narrow and shabby. On either side of the temple, there were dark rooms, one serving as a library to house the Order's scriptures, and the other for rest.
It seemed that all churches held the Holy Emblem in higher regard than the Divine Statue. Thus, the statue representing the Earthly form of the Earth-shaking Worm was simply positioned on a pedestal, whereas the Holy Emblem, which gave Shard the feeling as if dozens of worms were crawling on his back at a mere glance, was hung in the most conspicuous place of the temple.
The Holy Emblem was made of stone, mainly round in shape. Its pattern featured a coiled worm, and aside from some runes filled in the gaps, this primitive emblem instilled a sense of unsteadiness with just one look.
Old Mrs. Ilal swallowed the pitch-black worm and then slowly proceeded to light the candles in the space, while Shard and the Witch surveyed their surroundings. Before coming here, Shard had held some anticipation, a hope for traces of Divinity, but to his disappointment, there was none.
However, other Divine essences must still exist in the material world. Rather than confront an Evil God directly, Shard preferred to seek traces of Divinity in myths and legends. Although as long as he didn't run into greater trouble, his current Divinity should suffice until he reached the level of Four Rings, it wasn't advisable to wait until reaching Four Rings before starting the search.
After lighting the candles, the elderly lady knelt on one knee on the cushion beneath the Holy Emblem, praying for a good while before leading Shard up to the pedestal to stand in front of the Divine Statue.
The ancient statue that had witnessed the vicissitudes of numerous Eras was not large, about the size of a standard bust. As Shard approached, he immediately felt an increasing sense of Desecration, and the illusion of the ground's vibration grew more pronounced.
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The reason it was considered an illusion was that if an earthquake had truly occurred, the flames of those candles could not have remained so stable.
In the common knowledge of Circle Sorcerers, there is a rule that one must never approach a Divine Statue of an unfamiliar Deity. Even if it's for the sake of acquiring knowledge, one should confirm the consequences and write a will before approaching it.
But this time, with Miss Aphrola by his side, Shard had no hesitations. Seeing Old Mrs. Ilal kneel on the cushion beneath the statue once more and pray softly, he followed and took a step closer.
His eyes quickly scanned the Divine Statue, and those bumps on the Worm's body surface turned out not to be decorative runes but faces twisted in pain. As Shard looked at them, those faces seemed to come alive, writhing to express their torment, even transmitting their suffering to Shard.
But with a blink, the illusion disappeared. The impact of this scene, along with the influence of the Divine Statue itself, caused Shard to immediately close his eyes and bow his head.
This statue was different from the one of Vampire Duke Lowell – it was a Holy Relic of the Order, still receiving worship to this day. Its influence on mortals was far greater than the former.
He felt someone come up behind him:
"I didn't expect your spiritual power to be so great. You got so close and still managed to look up at the Divine Statue."
It was Miss Aphrola; she had also come over.
"Do those ghastly faces on the statue's surface have some significant meaning?"
Shard wanted to take a moment to recuperate and restore himself to his best mental state before looking directly at the Divine Statue to feel the Desecration.
Miss Aphrola didn't seem concerned about Old Mrs. Ilal's feelings, and she laughed slightly as she explained:
"In ancient times, to appease what was called the Earth's Rage, believers of the Old God, the Earth-shaking Worm, would conduct living sacrifices, offering fresh blood and souls to the Deity for peace. It is said that the souls of those who were sacrificed would be devoured by the Old God and trapped forever within the deity's shell, enduring constant extraction, wear, and torment day and night."
"It was their honor," said the old woman who was praying with her head bowed. Though she didn't look up, Shard thought she probably still wore that kind expression.
Miss Aphrola laughed again without contradicting her, but instead asked:
"Shard, haven't you ever been curious? Why do we differentiate miracles and desecrations based on human concepts of good and evil?"
"I have thought about it, but can't figure it out. Perhaps, the distinction between Evil Gods and Benevolent Gods just happens to align with good and evil, but the actual division between miracles and desecrations is for other reasons."
"Exactly, which is why there exist deities with miracles but also with Desecration. The Council has debated this, and we believe that miracles are what should inherently exist; desecration, although seemingly opposed, is actually a derivative of miracles."
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Miss Aphrola said, extending her hand behind Shard and grasping his right hand:
"I can't explain this any better to you either, you have to discover it yourself. Feel it carefully, Shard, let me help you feel the power of the Old God. If the power you've gained is related to the Earth and not to the vibrations, I'll have to think of some other way."
Her fingers slipped through the gaps of Shard's fingers, pushing his hand forward. Shard certainly understood that this posture was quite improper, but the Divine Statue was before him, and he had no time to refuse.
A strange glow spread from Miss Aphrola's body, passing through her arm into Shard. Behind them, the Second Ring Sorcerer and Twelve-Ring Sorcerer's Rings of Fate appeared in the steam mist, the twelve-sided shape of the Brass Ring seeming to aid the rotation of planar rings:
"Shard, even for a Witch, one couldn't often do this, so please be sure to feel this power carefully."
And so, the hands of both were tightly pressed against the surface of the Divine Statue.
Touching the Divine Statue, Shard was unconcerned with the cold sensation and the light sting as though being nibbled by insects. He gazed at the Divine Statue, more concerned that the stone likeness of a Worm seemed to have come alive at that moment, its body squirming, making his hand feel the roughness of the stone surface.
Blood began to run from Shard's eyes, but the trembling power and the terrifying might left behind by The Great One were truly felt by him.
His body wanted to shudder, but the Witch behind him fixed Shard's hand, and in the bizarre glow from the Witch, the fearsome maw of the stone Worm bit directly at Shard's hand. As the unreal pain emerged, Shard seemed to feel something in his head explode.
He saw, in an instant, the bloody sacrifices of a Primal Tribe in ancient times, he saw the horrifying swarms of Worms meandering deep within the Earth, he saw, through eras, in that most ancient of times, the Worm swallow something amidst a trembling, weeping Earth.
In the midst of these chaotic illusions, a voice finally emerged in his ears:
[You have touched the Divine Statue of the Old God "Earth-Shaking Worm."]
[Wandering the endless depths of the Earth, vibrating the land, drawing power from disaster and destruction. In the twilight of the Bygone Days, it left in frenzy, willingly returning that might back to the Earth.]
[You have heard the tale of the Old God "Earth-Shaking Worm," you have learned of the Old God "Earth-Shaking Worm's" Desecration.]
On Shard's back... behind Shard and Miss Aphrola, the Twelve-Ring Sorcerer's Ring of Fate vanished, the Ring of the Second Ring Sorcerer spinning swiftly. Both the old man and the Witch turned to look, as four-color Auras as dazzling as Shard using an Arcane Technique lit up, though this was just the ordinary state of Shard's Spirit Rune.
The ground vibrated, and this time there was truly a minor earthquake. Along with this tremor, silver Spiritual Light gathered on the surface of the Ring of Fate. The bell tolled, the steam whistle blared long, and the dazzling silver light illuminated the entire underground Temple space.
This was the first time anyone had witnessed up close Shard inscribing a Spirit Rune, only the Low Ring Sorcerer old man thought it was magical, but the Witch frowned in surprise.
Even a High Ring Sorcerer inscribing a Spirit Rune shouldn't have created such a commotion. After all, obtaining a Spirit Rune is a purely individual matter for Circle Sorcerers, and it didn't make sense for it to so strongly affect the environment.
[Outlander, you have inscribed the silver Desecration Spirit Rune - Vibration.]
The swiftly spinning Ring of Fate began to slow down, all the Spiritual Light gathering on its surface to form a new Rune. The flickering light gradually stabilized until it was nearly on the same level as [Kiss of the Tree][Greed].
"Miss Aphrola, it's done," said Shard, breathing deeply as he lifted his hand from the Divine Statue. The Divine Statue remained as it was, the scene of the worm devouring Shard's arm was indeed just an illusion.
There was still a stinging sensation on his arm, but having received a great deal of information and felt the close proximity of Divine Power, Shard staggered back a step, feeling something soft against his back. His face flushed, he was embarrassed to immediately turn and look at his Ring of Fate, but he had already felt that power.
The Witch withdrew her astonished expression, chuckled lightly, and drew her slender fingers from between Shard's. Shard exhaled slowly, his gaze finally moving away from the Divine Statue that had pressured him so greatly. Only then did he realize that, unbeknownst to him, his entire back was soaked with sweat.
"Was there an earthquake just now?" he asked weakly, half pretending, half truly not in a good mental state.
"A very minor earthquake," said the Witch with long wavy brown hair, looking doubtfully at Shard's profile.
"Don't tell me, the Spirit Rune you acquired is [Earthquake]."
"No, it's [Vibration]. This journey has reached its goal," said Shard, sighing softly.
"Miss Aphrola, you really helped me a lot this time."
"No need to be so polite, I only helped you pay the travel expenses," said the Witch casually, glancing at Shard and then towards the still silent Divine Statue. The Deity had long since departed, but the statue remained frightening:
"Alright, let's go back then."
She was unwilling to evaluate this place too much, unwilling to confront the statue of an Evil God for too long. Even a Witch is still mortal, after all.
And so, this short journey ended smoothly.
