"As a former backbone of the religious order, is it really appropriate for you to say this?"
"Every clergyman who reaches the bishop level must understand one truth: it is enough to leave faith to believers, there is no need to use it to deceive yourself."
Shi Dong smiled strangely: "Besides, I am already old. When people get old, they like to think wildly. They don't even have the freedom to say stupid things, right?"
"You like to say that you can do anything."
Ye Qingxuan shook his head: "Go on, I'm very curious about what secrets the Inquisition holds."
"It's naturally impossible to know too much about tools. If you want to find out, I'm afraid you have to ask His Majesty the Pope yourself."
"In fact, I asked."
Ye Qingxuan shrugged, "He won't say."
"Then there's no way."
Shi Dong shook his head regretfully: "If your majesties don't speak, there is nothing anyone can do."
He used the plural to refer to the Pope, obviously knowing the nature of the Red King, but for Stone, who was once the top knight leader, this was not surprising.
"Are the forbidden techniques you just mentioned coming from the cult?" Ye Qingxuan asked.
"I can only say that it is partly true."
Stone replied: "The other part comes from natural disasters... To describe it barely, it's like some kind of puzzle: humans have mastered one part, and the other part seems to have been taken away by natural disasters. Because of this, as a tool that once dealt with natural disasters, That’s all we can know.”
While Shi Dong led the way, Ye Qingxuan walked behind, thinking silently.
The Holy City has always led the development of other countries with technology that is decades ahead of the rest of the world. The Order has always mastered the source of technology in various countries. Even the Chainsaw Monks, who split from the Order, have mastered technology in military industry and war weapons that exceeds most people's imagination.
A lighthouse for ether density detection and information transmission, a church that exists in every human settlement, as well as shelters and ether balancers erected in them, numerous achievements in materials science, various achievements in mechanical engineering...
The church's annual budget for the R&D Bureau is far lower than any research institute in various countries, but at the same time it can maintain such an incredible lead. This has always been a puzzling mystery.
But now it seems that what is hidden is not what others imagined.
Compared with research and development from scratch, technological blockade is actually simpler. If you just maintain what you already have and then gradually open it up, you won't need to spend too much money.
only…
"To what extent can the technology mastered by the cult reach?"
"have no idea."
Shi Dong shook his head: "In addition to the water tank, there are more files and achievements that have not been announced or even leaked at all. For us, they are also urgent and must not be touched. They contain not only weapons, but also some The priority of the files is even higher than the 'Purgatory' once established by Gaius - most of those things were obtained from natural disasters. Compared with the small human world, the secrets they contain are too terrifying and huge. If you're not careful, you'll be destroyed by that deformed thing. That's why it was ordered to be sealed."
At this point, he paused and smiled mockingly:
"After all, it's all about preserving the 'correct' history."
Obtained from natural disasters...
Ye Qingxuan frowned: "Aside from the Three Sages and the Three Pillar Gods, what other natural disasters can communicate with humans?"
"of course not."
Stone shook his head: "Do you expect those things that can't even speak to negotiate with humans? Besides, sometimes you don't have to make a deal to get something. You can also get it from the enemy's corpse. For example, like Like the Crystal Snake..."
Naika Crystal Nest.
Ye Qingxuan once again recalled the ruins he went to before going to Romulus—the land that had been permanently crystallized and the bottomless cave.
That is proof that humans once fought against natural disasters.
But what have humans ever obtained from the body of the Crystal Serpent
The body of the natural disaster is composed of pure ether, with music theory as the cycle, and is definitely not a body of flesh and blood. Death represents the collapse of the core music theory, and the body naturally cannot survive for a long time.
They will disintegrate into the ether, disappear, and then return to this world after a long sleep.
Therefore, it is definitely not like a hunter hunting, killing a tiger, peeling off the skin and bones, carefully processing them, and making them into leather robes and medicinal wine.
So, how did the Order obtain those forbidden technologies from the dead Scourge
In silence, the two walked down the stairs from the fortress wall and strolled into the inner courtyard.
Surrounded by high walls, there is a cold atmosphere, and the flat inner courtyard is empty. Not even a single grass or tree has been transplanted, let alone a nursery or garden.
It can be said that there is nothing to see at a glance.
But Shi Dong's footsteps stopped in the middle, turned around, and looked at Ye Qingxuan.
"Your Excellency, please step aside."
He said softly: "This may be the best place in the entire fortress to talk about something."
After hearing what he said, Ye Qingxuan went to look at the inner court again, but he understood what Shi Dong meant.
Compared with a narrow and cramped secret room that is easily placed with various monitoring equipment and surveillance, this kind of open space is safer and more private to a certain extent, and there is no hiding place for anyone.
With Ye Qingxuan's Long Mian Barrier there, no one expected to use music to eavesdrop.
Ye Qingxuan pondered for a moment, nodded, glanced behind him, and heard footsteps disappearing.
Then, with a snap of his fingers, he laid down two layers of sound insulation barriers, and then opened a two-meter-wide dragon sleep barrier on the inside.
"As you wish, Elder Stone."
Ye Qingxuan said calmly: "If you have something to say, there is no need to hide it. If you want to assassinate, now is the best time."
"What I want to tell you next is what the first Grand Master of the Hammer of Witches and the first Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition said to me before he died."
Stone's eyes were lowered, "That is the secret he has been keeping all his life. If it is exposed, even the Inquisition will undergo a thorough cleansing and will not be tolerated by the religious order. - The true nature of the natural disaster."
"Original body?"
Ye Qingxuan was stunned.
"That's right, the original body."
Stone said: "It can be called the 'source', where the power and essence of natural disasters lie. That is the real reason for their immortality. All along, what we call natural disasters are just icebergs. A corner exposed on the sea. If the roots truly buried in the darkness are not cut off, no matter how many times they are killed, they can continue to regenerate. Only by completely destroying their bodies can they be completely destroyed. Eradication—the location of the body and source is the biggest secret of every natural disaster, and it is also their only weakness."
He said, "The technology and secrets mastered by the sect are also obtained from the bodies of natural disasters. So far, humans have completely eliminated six natural disasters. The recovered bodies are kept secretly by the sect, and they are also kept secretly by the sect. It has brought many technologies and powers beyond human imagination. - Weapons, energy, music, medicine... Every natural disaster is a huge treasure. Even the body that has long been damaged also contains huge value. Angelou and Wasn't Burgundy's 'Hundred Years War' launched just to seize the ruins where the natural disaster's body is buried?"
silence.
In the long silence, Ye Qingxuan reached out and took out the pipe in his arms. The fingers holding the tobacco shivered slightly, indicating the turmoil in his heart. He filled the pipe, lit it, and took a deep breath.
He exhaled thick smoke, and the defeated concepts were finally reorganized in his heart, but they were completely changed beyond recognition.
"Every natural disaster has an 'origin'?" he asked.
Shi Dong nodded, "Except for the special status of the three pillar gods, which flow from the great source and cannot be determined, according to the sect's past observations and secret files, every one of them exists. Three sages, four living creatures, and eight major phenomena. , and even others...each one has its own source."
"What is their identity?"
"have no idea."
Stone shook his head neatly: "Of the three natural disaster wars I have experienced, only the closing phase after the war was carried out by a mysterious force that I have never seen before. I have never directly seen the actual body of the natural disaster, but I saw their outlines twice from a long distance... During the confidential station escort mission, I saw from the outside that they were transporting something onto a rail carriage, putting it in a huge container, covered with dust-proof Thick felt cloth. Maybe I saw it wrong, but the size of that thing should not be fixed. The first time it was loaded, it took a month, six trains back and forth. The second time, I only escorted a few people and left with a box. .Perhaps the essence of each natural disaster is completely different, not even on the same level. The musician told me that I can't feel anything strange at all. If you don't know it in advance and just look at the appearance, you may not notice anything special about them, right? "
For some reason, Ye Qingxuan couldn't help but ask after hearing this:
"What will happen to the natural disaster if the body is abandoned?"
Shi Dong was stunned for a long time and slowly shook his head: "I don't know. But I guess: if you are alive, you will probably lose your power. If you die, there will be no possibility of resurrection. However, if the source is not destroyed, the power will be It will not disappear, and new natural disasters will definitely arise from it again.”
"Is that so?" Ye Qingxuan murmured softly.
Stone glanced at him: "As far as I know, no natural disaster has ever tried this. Leaving aside the eight major phenomena of thoughtlessness and ignorance, what creature would be stupid enough to give up eternal life?"
Ye Qingxuan couldn't help but laugh, as if he was laughing at himself, but also as if he was relieved.
Inexplicably, I felt a lot happier and then a little sad.
"yes."
He lowered his eyes and murmured softly: "I'm afraid it's only humans who can commit suicide, right?"
Boss, it seems you are really dead.
…
…
The conversation went on for a long time and didn't stop until six o'clock in the morning.
It was dawn, but there was no light in the dark night sky.
Shi Dong's fatigue showed that for his life, which was now like a candle in the wind, a night of suffering was already a torture like hell.
"Thank you for telling me this, Elder Stone."
Ye Qingxuan removed the Dragon Sleep Barrier and the soundproof barrier, and injected the music theory derived from the Philosopher's Stone into his body. A steady stream of ether flowed in his blood, transforming into majestic vitality and spreading.
In severe pain, Shi Dong bent over and vomited out a large amount of dark purple viscous liquid with a rancid smell. Carol and several apprentices who were waiting in the distance turned pale with fear and rushed forward, only to see Stone raise his hand and wave them away.
Shi Dong looked much more haggard, but his eyes gradually brightened.
"Is this considered a benefit for following you? How generous, Your Excellency."
"Just think of it as a thank you for those secrets just now."
Ye Qingxuan glanced at him and seemed to understand what he was thinking: "You can't die yet. Keep living, Shi Dong, until I allow you to die."
"As you command, Your Excellency."
Shi Dong smiled bitterly and sighed softly.
"I'm afraid you have understood that the meaning of the fall of the Hundred-Eyed Man is not that simple. Next, the Holy City will lose its restraint on the world. The arrival of the Abyss will not only bring darkness and war, but also unlock the final clues of mankind. The bondage of... From then on, more and more humans will turn to natural disasters for power, right? Even if all countries are already in a state of distress, they will still be ready to take action when faced with the secrets represented by natural disasters. Determine where this world truly belongs. The war is about to begin. Your Excellency, that day will come soon."
"Do you expect such a war?" Ye Qingxuan asked.
"I am old, Your Excellency, and have been abandoned by the times."
Shi Dong shook his head regretfully, "The future will be a stage where talents like you are qualified to appear."
"future?"
"right."
Shi Dong smiled and couldn't help but look at the dark sky.
-future.