Chapter 520 Clear Soup Aiwass

Under Matilda's guidance, Aiwass once again passed through a green light curtain.

He once again felt that strange sensation, like running his fingers through soap bubbles.

Taking advantage of the presence of a cardinal beside him, Aiwass asked curiously, "Excuse me... what is this, Cardinal Matilda?"

"The Veil of Temperance?"

Matilda glanced at it and replied, "This is a blessing of the Twin Mirror... Simply put, anything that's too fast can't pass through it. The faster it goes, the more force it bounces back."

"The fast ones can't get through, but the slow ones can..."

Aiwass murmured.

...So isn't this actually equivalent to a speed bump?

"Exactly. This way, people won't run down the corridor and bump into each other. And if someone were to invade, their attack wouldn't be able to penetrate this light curtain."

Matilda said gently, "If you can learn advanced divine arts, you can also set up your own Curtain of Temperance."

It was obvious that Cardinal Matilda knew what Aiwass was doing here.

She led Aiwass through twists and turns and finally arrived at a building that looked like a palace... or rather a bathhouse.

The surroundings were decorated with plants and trees, but in the center of the room stood a bathtub, filled with a golden liquid emitting white smoke—a pool that now shone with a gentle light. This was clearly consecrated holy water, exuding the aroma of citrus and the strong smell of alcohol. And within it hung knotted vines, one knot after another… It looked like a pot of soup.

"This is holy water made from marigolds and orange blossoms picked at noon."

Cardinal Matilda smiled gently and extended her hand to Aiwass, introducing the wine. "It's a mixture of grain wine that's been stored for over thirty years, ginseng, blackberry leaves, holly, and grapevines. It's heated and boiled with burning pine bark and bishop's grass."

Are you going to boil me in there?

Aiwass looked at the female elf with long blue hair and was hesitant to speak for a moment.

This pool is clearly still boiling!

As Aiwass watched, Matilda reached out and operated the water, and the pool stopped boiling.

She instructed Aiwass, "Take off your clothes, including your underwear. Go in and soak first, and I'll get you the rest. The temperature should be suitable, and there's no need to worry about contamination... This pool is for only one person."

"You can leave your clothes here for now. I'll take them with you when you leave."

As she spoke, she pointed to the wooden basin beside her and left considerately.

Aiwass breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Matilda's age was probably several times older than his own with a zero added to the end... but if she was staring at him, Aiwass would feel embarrassed to take off his clothes.

Because he didn't know when Matilda would come back, he quickly took off his clothes and jumped into the hot spring.

The strong scent of orange blossom mixed with the smell of alcohol made Aiwass moan in comfort.

The water in this pool is over 80 degrees Celsius, equivalent to freshly brewed hot tea, and can instantly burn an average person's skin.

But to Aiwass, it was just like ordinary warm water. He didn't even need to adjust to the temperature before diving right in—something that surprised Aiwass himself.

He observed that even his skin hadn't turned red. He closed his eyes and soaked for a long time, feeling his mind relax. But Matilda still hadn't returned. So he opened his eyes out of boredom, shrank under the water with interest, and blew bubbles like a child.

After completing this advancement ritual and undergoing a transformation, Aiwass's excess hair was completely removed, and his skin became whiter and smoother than before. However, it actually became more resilient.

Nowadays, let alone ordinary people, even extraordinary people with ordinary daggers or swords would find it difficult to cut through Aiwas's skin.

Although he hadn't been attacked yet, Aiwass was extremely confident. Most current bullets wouldn't be able to penetrate his skin's defenses. Even if he were burned by flames, Aiwass wouldn't be burned... Even if he were tied to a stake, he wouldn't be killed. Suffocation was more likely than burning to death.

He is currently unable to be without oxygen, so it is still very dangerous if he is sunk at sea.

However, with Aiwas' current physical condition, he could probably swim directly back to the nearest land.

From this moment on, he truly transcended mortals - he would no longer be killed by mortals with weapons due to chance or conspiracy.

No wonder, the extraordinary people in various countries basically only hold high positions after reaching the fourth energy level...

Now Aiwass fully understands why.

Aiwass soaked for a while longer.

Cardinal Matilda finally arrived when the water temperature dropped to around 40 or 50 degrees.

She looked at Aiwass in the pool, completely unresponsive. She simply reached out her hand to test the water temperature and breathed a sigh of relief. "No problem, the water's warm enough..."

As she spoke, she took out a box of strange things and said, "Drink it."

"……What's this?"

From a distance, Aiwas looked like a bowl of watery beans in tomato sauce.

He immediately felt resistance.

It's not that I'm worried about it being poisoned, it's mainly because it doesn't look tasty...

"It's kidney beans in pomegranate juice."

Matilda explained to Aiwass gently and carefully, like a kindergarten teacher. "We compare pomegranate juice to the blood of a candle, and kidney beans can be considered the seeds of the sinthorn. It's not fully cooked, so it's slightly poisonous. But it's okay for you... Hurry, drink it while it's hot."

Aiwass grimaced and drank it.

The undercooked beans had a bitter taste, and the boiled pomegranate juice was not sweet but rather agonizingly sour. Aiwass drank them like medicine—an experience he hadn't had in a long time.

Then, Matilda stuffed a dried date into Aiwass's mouth. Aiwass chewed it subconsciously, feeling the sweetness flowing down his throat, and his frown eased a little.

"Come out, Aiwass."

She pointed to the open space with a red carpet and motioned for Aiwass to come out of the pool.

Although a little shy, Aiwass pretended nothing had happened and came out of the swimming pool.

Without Matilda doing anything, the water on Aiwass's body was completely evaporated. His skin was steaming with visible white smoke and exuding an intoxicating scent of orange blossom.

Matilda quickly took out a plate of ointment and applied it skillfully on Aiwass.

If Matilda looked older, Aiwass wouldn't be so shy. But she looked so young, and it made Aiwass feel like he was being taken care of like a child.

Fortunately, Matilda was still explaining to Aiwass, "This is a special consecrated oil made from cinnamon essential oil mixed with coconut oil. It's only used during the 'Ceremony of the Initiation'... It symbolizes the shared protection of the sun and moon, and can also be extended to represent the shared protection of the Ennead Gods."

[The Ceremony of Induction] refers to the ceremony of promotion to the holy order of bishop and above, which is why Cardinal Matilda is called Bishop.

Soon, she finished applying the ointment on Aiwass's body.

Then she brought out a complete set of bishop's robes. They radiated a burning heat, as if they had just been heated. Every time Aiwas put on a piece, he felt a burning sensation at the junction of the clothes and his skin—as if he had just been soaked in pepper water or smeared with chili oil.

Aiwass looked down and found that there was something wrong with the style of the clothes.

He had already worn the bishop's robes once during his previous ordination ceremony.

But now, the style of clothes he wears seems a little different...

"Wait, Cardinal Matilda."

Aiwass reminded: "Did you take the wrong clothes?"

Although this dress is generally red, it has many golden decorations.

The biggest difference from the bishop's surplice is that its vestment is gold instead of crimson.

—These are not the clothes of a bishop, but of an archbishop.

This was the same level as Bishop Mathers, responsible for the capital church of a particular country or region. This was the highest level a human could normally reach.

Although it is true that only those at the fourth level can be promoted to Archbishop, not all those at the fourth level are Archbishops. The advancement speed of the Holy Order is usually slower than that of the level of extraordinary ability.

In other words, it will be much slower.

Because promotion to Archbishop meant becoming the spokesperson for the Nine Pillars Church in that region, a variety of factors had to be considered, including merit, character, qualifications, faith, and influence. However, the Immortals were so slow in holding meetings... that in some places, even though the bishops had already met the qualifications for promotion, they still held off on the promotion.

It wasn't intentional, or like that back-and-forth thing at a roundtable meeting. It was just pure procrastination.

——There’s no rush anyway, let’s talk about it in a few years.

"You got it right."

Cardinal Matilda looked at Aiwass deeply and replied, "His Holiness the Pope wants you to be promoted directly to Archbishop."

As a student at the seminary, Aiwass can be considered as a deacon.

From deacon to priest, from priest to bishop, from bishop to archbishop... Aiwass can be said to have been promoted three levels in a row.

Aiwass was not pleased.

It's quite the opposite.

——He just felt a chill down his spine.

When things are out of the ordinary, there must be something wrong. This is totally against the rules and traditions of the church!

Something's wrong, this is definitely not right!

(End of this chapter)