In the end, Shad accepted the blasphemous cross, but he felt that Miss Swift had been looking at him with strange eyes after lunch.
After lunch, Shade left the auction house and took a carriage to the Blind House in Luffy Lane. Even though the weather had turned cold recently, Sister Defulin, who was waiting, was still wearing the dark gray silk nun's robe.
According to the agreement the two made last Wednesday, Sister Devlin will take Shad to the headquarters of the Spiritual Order today and inform him of more information about the order and the First Flame.
After confirming that Shade was free for the whole afternoon, the two boarded the carriage at the back door of the Blind House and drove out of the city.
Even Grandma Cassandra was not sure where the cult's headquarters was. She only knew that it was in the area from the old town to the mountainous area in the south of Midhill Castle. Eventually, Sister Devlin brought Shad to the Snake Heart Hospital at the foot of Mount Sikar.
"Snake Heart Hospital" is a very old chain hospital in the Old World. It is very famous among civilians and is particularly good at pediatrics and gynecology. It even became the charity organization Snake Heart Hospital on the Rhodes card because of its semi-charitable profit-making method. This Rhodes card is now in the hands of the owner of the Sin Mansion.
The Ringwitch Organization has its own way of making profits. After all, even the extraordinary cannot print gold pounds out of thin air. The Spiritual Cult relies on operating a hospital of similar nature and cooperating with universities to obtain profit income and policy funding.
Although it doesn't sound as profitable as businesses like auction houses, it is more than enough to support an organization of ring sorcerers that focuses on asceticism.
The Snake Heart Hospital in Middlesbrough is located on the edge of the slums in the old city in the south of the city. The hospital is a three-story building that occupies most of the street. The building itself is like the gradually declining old city. Although there are still shadows of the glory of the old times, it is inconspicuous compared with the buildings in other parts of Middlesbrough.
Although it was large, it was not well-known because it was located in the old city and only treated a few types of patients. Before this, Shad didn't even know that there was such a hospital in Midhill Castle.
"Sister, if your base is here, how could Granny Cassandra not know?"
As he got off the carriage holding an umbrella, Shade asked curiously. The old town looked even more dilapidated in the rain, as if a dirty oil painting had been splashed with water. The air smelled of damp earth, and there were almost no people on the streets.
The nun wearing a silver eye mask shook her head slightly, and under the guidance of the nun who hurried out to greet her from the hospital, she led Xia De up the stairs, through two open wooden doors and into the hospital.
The gas lamps were dim, but they could barely illuminate the corridors of the hospital on rainy days. There were wet marks on the floor, and I didn't know if it had just been mopped. Inside the hospital, there were poor people from the area wearing black or gray coarse clothes. When walking on the stairs, you could hear the crying of babies, which indicated the arrival of new life.
So, although it looks a bit eerie on a rainy day, there is no scary atmosphere here.
The structure of the hospital is very interesting. If you want to reach the east side of the first floor of the hospital, you cannot go directly from the first floor of the hospital. Instead, you need to reach the second floor, go to the east side from the second floor and then go down the stairs.
As Xia De walked, he observed the internal conditions of the hospital, and then he realized that he seemed to have never been sick since he came into this world.
On the way, a red bird flew from nowhere and landed on Sister Defulin's shoulder. The nun smiled rarely on her delicate face under her eye mask and said hello to the bird. Then it flew out of the window and flew to the distant Sikar Mountain.
Xia De looked hesitantly at the gold at the bottom of the red bird's wings and asked in a low voice:
"Could this be..."
"Yes, it has been reborn, and intends to stay by my side for the next hundred years. This is also a rebirth for it, and it needs my flame to restore its strength as soon as possible."
The final destination of the two was the basement of the Snake Heart Hospital, but there was no passage leading to the deeper underground. At the end of the basement, there was a small room hidden by an illusion. The room was about the same size as the master bedroom where Shade was currently living. It was empty with almost no furniture, but the floor and walls were covered with runes of various styles.
This is not a rune commonly used by ring sorcerers in this era, but should be a supernatural system from an older era.
In the center of the room was a three-tiered platform, on top of which an iron frame displayed a huge oil painting. Even if Shade's bed was upright, it was not as big as the painting.
The painting was framed in a huge square metal frame, the thickness of which was longer than Xia De's waist. From one side, the width of the frame itself was about the size of Xia De's palm. The metal surface was not smooth, as if a worm had drilled into the metal, leaving a series of raised marks on the surface.
As for the content of the painting, it is an old sacrificial site built with gray stones on the top of the mountains. The background is mountains and clouds, and the background is very dark, which looks a bit depressing.
“I feel the power of space.”
Shade said, pausing and adding:
“But this is not a relic.”
"Yes, please follow me."
The nun climbed the steps, reached out and touched the surface of the painting, and then disappeared.
"Space teleportation? No, space teleportation in the material world is extremely dangerous. This is not space teleportation, but two spatial anomalies that have long been connected."
Shade found the answer from what he had learned in Saint Byrons. He knew that this solidified space channel was equivalent to a top-level alchemical item and could no longer be reproduced in the modern era of the Sixth Epoch. It was not that the alchemical craft had been lost, but that the space of the material world was very different from that of previous epochs.
He followed, carefully touching the painting, feeling as if his body was passing through a layer of transparent water film, and then he found himself standing at the entrance of the gray stone sacrificial site in the painting. The sky was a little gloomy, but it was not raining. Looking outside, there was a steep and rugged stone mountain road, with only a man-made path leading up, and Shade was standing at the end of the path.
Compared to the painting, the sacrificial site in front of us is not very dilapidated. The area is about three or four times the size of St. Teresa's Square. At first glance, it is clear that this is definitely not a building built in the Sixth Era.
This should be the peak of a high mountain somewhere. Looking further away, you can see rolling hills:
"Is this... deep in the Rommel Mountains?"
Xia De could only roughly estimate that the Rommel Mountains were located in the central and eastern part of the Old World, and the Sikar Mountains were only part of the mountains, but only in the northern periphery. The terrain of the mountains in the mountains was extremely complex, and even in the steam age, civilization did not completely cover every corner of the mountains.
In other words, even in the age of steam, civilization had not yet set foot in most of the forests. If the spiritual cult was stationed here, the Witch Council would probably not be able to find it even if they tried to find it.
"Yes, this is deep in the Rommel Mountains, which belongs to the Principality of Set. If you walk here from Midhill Castle, even if you know the way, it will take at least three days and three nights of sleepless journey. The cult's illusion hides the nearby roads, and the nuns and monks of the cult usually don't walk in and out of here. The most convenient way at present is through the painting. In addition, we can also go to a few cities in the Old World, but we need to perform complex rituals to activate the passages left over from the previous era inside the sacrificial site. Therefore, it is no problem to identify the cult's headquarters as Midhill Castle."
Sister Defulyn said this, leading Shad into the ancient sacrificial site.
The Spiritual Cult is an organization of ring sorcerers that has been passed down from the Fourth Age, but the cult was formerly part of the ancient Death Cult, so the history of this sacrificial site is probably even older than the Fourth Age.
Although Shade saw only one building, in addition to the sacrificial site, there were towers, cemeteries and abandoned ruins around it. The ruins were once the church of the ancient god - the ancient god of death, but the church was completely destroyed in a great earthquake in the Fourth Era.
The main body of the sacrificial site is built with gray stone materials and is divided into three layers: upper, middle and lower. The lower layer is inside the mountain, so the one you enter from the entrance is the middle layer.
Although the sect is active in the civilized world, a quarter of its members still stay here all year round to practice and study. Although it looks deserted, there are actually many people here.
Compared to the exterior that looked like an ancient building, the interior of the sacrificial site looked like it was from the Steam Age. The ground was paved with a fairly flat floor, and the walls were painted. There were even steam engines and gas storage tanks underground to supply the nuns and monks living here.
If Shade had appeared inside the sacrificial site at the beginning, he would never have guessed how ancient its history was.
“We also need to keep up with the times.”
Sister Defulin, who was leading Shade through the corridor, said:
“If you don’t adapt to the times, you will be eliminated by the world. Only with this wisdom can you move from the past to the present.”
Shad has begun to imagine whether Saint Byrons, who is also very wise, is also a combination of "modernization" and "mysticism".
The stranger was very curious about this place. Strictly speaking, this was the first gathering place for ring sorcerers that he had officially visited—Saint Byron’s did not count. He was only in the library and all he saw were bookshelves.
Sister Devlin introduced Shad as they walked, and after she turned the corridor with Shad, a young nun immediately came over.
The spiritual sect did not have a very clear hierarchy, but generally speaking, those with normal eyes were the most common members, those with linen blindfolded were formal members, and those with silver eye patches were core members. At this time, two nuns who looked about the same age as Leicia and had normal eyes came over.
They greeted Sister Defulin quietly, and then talked about some matters that needed her attention.
Most of the high-level sorcerers of the cult, Shade, had seen him before, especially the three high-level nuns who helped him open the narrow passage on Wednesday night. No one was puzzled by Shade's appearance here, and any decision made by Sister Defulin would not be questioned.
The interior of the sacrificial site is divided into several areas, including accommodation and libraries. Most of the other areas are related to the daily prayer, stargazing, moon worship, and ring magic research activities of the cult. Sister Defulin took Shade on a tour and even used a crystal ball to tell fortunes for Shade, but she could only "see" a cloud of white mist.
There are many ancient murals on the stone walls of the corridors in various places of the sacrificial site. Because someone has maintained them, they are still clear. Through those murals, Shade roughly knows the origin and development of the spiritual practice group. He even saw a mural depicting the battle of Mount Xikar on the wall, which is also a content worth recording in the development of the group.
The three floors of the sacrificial field were connected not by stairs but by a huge stone elevator powered by steam. When you stepped on the elevator, it would automatically move, and the hinges made a rattling sound, which made Xia De very worried about the safety of this elevator.
Their destination was the library on the lower level of the sacrificial field, where the murals depicted the origin of the cult. Shade saw a symbol representing the "primordial fire" in it, which meant that the fire had been passed down in the cult long ago.
"It is said that in the early days of the Fifth Era, the scale of the flames in my hands could cover the entire sacrificial site."
The nun said, before inviting Shade to follow her deeper into the sacrificial grounds.
There is only one passage leading to that place, which is also the real sacrificial site:
"Yes, this sacrificial site was originally used to worship the First Fire. But that was in the ancient times. People at that time not only believed in gods, but also worshipped all things."
There was no door at the end of the corridor, and no lights inside. The nun stood there holding up the flame in her hand, and as the fire flowed into the dark space at the end, the fire was lit up little by little.
It was a circular sacrificial site, with a corridor connected to the bottom. There was nothing in the center except an old brazier. There were stairs spreading upwards all around, indicating that this was a space in the belly of the mountain. Judging from the style, this place was very similar to the Witch Council, except that there was no round table in the center.
Xia De told Sister Defulin his idea, and the nun nodded slightly:
"Yes, last weekend I accepted the invitation and officially entered the Witch Council. It is indeed similar to this place. This kind of architectural style should have been popular in the ancient era."
The fire rushed into the central brazier, and the vigorous flames jumped in the brazier. The fuel for igniting the first fire was some golden bones. There was also a long sword with a blade wrapped in gray stone in the brazier. It was an angel-level relic, and it was a weapon commonly used by Sister Defulin:
"Every generation of nuns who inherit the flame have speculated that the weakness of the First Flame represents the decline of civilization and the world. Although the strength of this flame is not the key factor affecting the strength of civilization and the world, we believe that finding more fire and firewood can delay the arrival of the end of the world."
The nun walked to the dancing flame, clasped her hands together and hung them in front of her, lowering her head slightly as if observing the flame. The flames danced on her delicate silver eye mask, reflecting a fiery red on her fair face.
Xia De also came over:
"Besides the weakening of the First Flame, does the Spiritual Cult have any other evidence that the world is about to come to an end?"
"Not really. But something has to be done."
The nun said softly, bending down and picking up the kerosene lamp from the mansion that could hold any kind of fire, which she had obtained from the sinner's mansion, from the brazier:
"Relying on our own to search for fire and firewood, the speed is not ideal, but it is really difficult to find a ring sorcerer who can bear the power of the First Fire. Only by bathing in the power of fire can we know which fire is suitable and which items are sufficient to serve as firewood. Mr. Hamilton, the flame of the First Fire is still in my hands, and I hope you can help me collect the flame."
The kerosene lamp was handed to Shad.
"Bring it to me. Find firewood..."
After a pause he added:
"It is more efficient to burn with the fire in my hand. Those ancient and powerful souls are the best fuel."
"I can help with all these."
Xia De nodded:
"But I would like to get more information about the end of the world."
Even Sister Defulin couldn't be sure whether this would really happen or when it would happen, so Shade was skeptical:
"We are the most unbreakable allies, especially when it comes to the issue of the Chosen. Therefore, I hope that you can find a way to communicate with my friend Luvia Annat through projection rituals or something like that. In fact, she knows the most about the Chosen, and I am just an executor."
"No problem. Please take this fire back and throw it into the fireplace or brazier, and we can meet in the fire."
The nun pointed to the portable kerosene lamp, and the flame from her fingertips lit the wick.
"Tonight at ten o'clock."
Xia De booked the time, looked at the flames in front of the two people and asked:
"Also, you have invited me here many times. It shouldn't just be for me to take a look at the history of the cult and the situation of the First Flame, right?"
"Granny Cassandra said that you know a lot of ancient characters."
Xia De nodded. This was probably what Miss Carina and the old witch mentioned:
"Yes, you want me to help decipher the text? No problem."
"The First Flame was once split into many parts, and the Order has been working to reunite those split flames. We once found a stone tablet that recorded the situation when the First Flame split, but the text on it is very old."
As the nun spoke, she led Shad to the bottom of the rows of stairs that led upwards. A dark passage led from here to the bottom of the stairs, which was the space the sect used to store valuables.
Passing through the doorway, a giant stone tablet was erected in the darkness. It was about as high as two Shades stacked together. Shade raised the kerosene lamp in his hand and found that the upper left corner of the stone tablet was missing, as if it was broken by external force. There were many marks of sharp weapons on the surface, but fortunately the letters were still clear.
After reading it carefully, he asked Sister Defulin who was waiting behind him suspiciously:
"Are you sure that this is really the stone tablet that records the splitting of the First Flame?"
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"If I'm not mistaken, what's recorded above is clearly an ancient fairy tale."