Chapter 865: Half Deer, Half Human Aiwass (asking for monthly ticket)

When the Pure White Saint headed for the 22nd ring, she had no idea what she would see.

Gray also knew, of course, that this was the day when Aiwass held his promotion ceremony.

Rather, Gray heaved a sigh of relief when she received the news.

——At least our Pope came out alive, didn’t he?

While the fifth-to-sixth level promotion ritual was merely a legend, the fourth-to-fifth level promotion ritual was essentially the world's ultimate level. The New Moon Ritual further increased its difficulty and became detrimental to those on the path of devotion.

Gray was even mentally prepared to take over the Holy Crown in an emergency.

After all, she herself is a candidate for the Eternal Pope and has the ability to wear the Holy Crown.

The reason why he was not elected Pope was simply because of political reasons.

An amber elf succeeded the Eternal Pope - this is still too sensitive for the current theocracy.

This is like the Prince of Avalon rebuilding Lloyd's; Star Antimony repudiating the declaration of "the competent shall prevail" made when the country was founded; the mages in Narcissus Territory who were guarding and imprisoning the Moon Children themselves becoming Moon Children; the Iris, a symbol of freedom, beginning to rebuild the aristocracy and secret police; the Black Hawk mercenary corps openly betraying their employer; and the slaves of the ancient Parthian Empire launching their fourth large-scale uprising...

What, all these things happened?

Ah, that's okay.

As expected, the Church is still too traditional, unlike other countries that are brave enough to boldly accept challenges to tradition...

But anyway... Gray, who could have been the Pope, gave the Holy Crown to Aiwass, just to prevent the Church from internal strife or even division.

If Aiwass met with an accident, she would definitely put on the Holy Crown to continue to maintain the survival of the Theocracy, even at the risk of the division of the Theocracy.

Even if she was criticized, it would not hinder her determination. This is also one aspect of the principle of dedication.

But it was good that Aiwass survived. Therefore, after receiving Aiwass's communication, Gray's first reaction was to strongly urge Aiwass to inform the other cardinals that he was safe.

but……

"...A solution to the amber problem? Is there really such a thing?"

Gray was very worried about Aiwass.

Could it be that this child chose a path characteristic that would help cure the amber disease during the promotion ceremony?

If that's the case, then it's truly a favor I can't repay...

But all these thoughts disappeared when Gray actually saw Aiwass.

She looked at Aiwass now, and her eyes suddenly widened.

As the most outstanding candidate for the Eternal Saint, Gray has certainly learned a great deal of historical knowledge.

Of course, she also knew that the first Pope of the Eternal Kingdom was not a woman, but a man... Not only that, he was a little different from all the subsequent Eternal Popes.

——The first Pope “Ann Eternal” himself was the son of the Candlelighter!

His relationship with the Pillar God is closer than that of any Pope!

Although he was an elf, he had antlers on his head. After entering the Dream World, he first became an apostle of the Candlestick... and soon after, he became independent and became the Celestial Master. By then, he had become half-man, half-deer, making anyone who saw him think he was quite similar to the Candlestick. Even in some remote areas beyond the reach of the Nine Pillars Church, people would confuse the Candlestick with the Celestial Master, believing that the Celestial Master was an incarnation of the Candlestick.

This is undoubtedly a crime of usurpation.

As the "Zhu Tiansi", all of his abilities basically come from the Zhu Tiansi.

But Sizhu didn't harbor any hostility towards him... You have to know that Sizhu was never a kind and gentle person. Sizhu's apostle, the "Eternal Vanguard" Carsten Ning, always led Sizhu's apostle army to fight in various places.

——Only when one has the strength to do so can one truly be called a devotee. Otherwise, it is merely an excuse for the loser who has been plundered to comfort himself.

But as for Zhu Tiansi, Sizhu never attacked him.

Not only that, Sizhu's other apostles were also quite polite and friendly to Zhu Tiansi.

Even within the secret knowledge of the higher divine arts, there was no mention of the truth behind this situation. The only understanding was that Zhu Tiansi's independence from Sizhu was Sizhu's own will.

Then who can say that Zhu Tiansi and Sizhu have no relationship?

However... according to the basic rules of the source river of "creation", gods and mortals cannot have offspring. Otherwise, they will commit the "unforgivable sin".

How could Sizhu, who existed from ancient times and opened up the nine source rivers, have mortal descendants? Who could have fathered Zhu Tiansi with Sizhu? Or was Zhu Tiansi's mother another deity or apostle?

To this day, this remains an unsolved mystery even in the Theocracy.

And now...

Gray clearly saw a small bump appear on Aiwas's head.

It looked only two or three centimeters across. It had a texture similar to jade or emerald… the lower part was a jade-white, while the upper part was a translucent, crystal-clear red. Because Aiwass's skin was naturally very fair, if one had poor eyesight from a distance, one might have mistaken him for having two bumps on his head.

But Gray immediately realized...

Those are deer antlers!

——It’s the deer antlers on “An”’s head!

"Your Holiness!"

In an instant, the clever Saint Gray realized the truth: "Have you... become the Son of the Candlelighter?"

It turns out that being the son of Sizhu is not a bloodline, but a special identity that can be granted!

"Yes."

Aiwass nodded happily and admitted, "I have obtained the power bestowed by the candle... With this power, I can heal almost all injuries. This naturally includes the amber disease."

"...But haven't we already verified that amber is not a disease, but a blessing that has gone out of control?"

"Then make it manageable again."

Aiwass said firmly without hesitation: "There is no such thing as 'out of control' in this world that must exist."

Gray closed her mouth and didn't continue speaking.

But she felt a strange sense of familiarity in her heart——

Compared with Pope Aiwass, who was as selfless as a saint, the current Aiwass made her feel as if she saw the human boy she first met.

Optimistic, enthusiastic, cheerful, indomitable... as dazzling as the sun.

Ever since he came to the Eternal Kingdom, he has made this quiet and boring land lively.

"How is the research on the Fruit of Sinthorn?"

Aiwass asked.

Gray calmed herself down and looked up, saying, "There's good news... but in a sense, it's also bad news."

"oh?"

Aiwass was very interested: "Tell me more about it?"

"According to Freya's analysis, the power contained within the Sinthorn Fruit is similar to that of the Sinthorn. The Sinthorn possesses a power capable of inflicting damage despite almost any obstacle, similar to the power of equilibrium, yet completely different. The power of the Sinthorn Fruit, on the other hand, is more akin to 'the power of the digested Sinthorn.'

"It's gentler, yet much less aggressive, and can weaken the uncontrolled blessings within the body. For elves that have already developed amber, the Sinthorn Fruit can only alleviate their amber symptoms. But it can't completely eliminate them... In other words, it can only suppress them, not cure them."

At this point, Gray glanced at Aiwass. "However, we have already begun to advance more priests to become Illuminators, and the production of Sinthorn Fruit we obtain for research has also increased significantly. Therefore, there is no need to trouble you.

"But it still can't be mass-produced or widely used. Currently, there are two main research directions. One is to analyze more Sinthorn Fruits and find a way to obtain the alchemical formula to transform Sinthorns into Sinthorn Fruits, thereby significantly reducing costs. The other is something I proposed.

"Since the Sinthorn Fruit can weaken the blessings in the body, can it be used as a weaker preventative potion?"

"...Use the extract from the Sinthorn Fruit to synthesize a vaccine for 'Amber Disease'?"

Aiwass thought about it carefully and felt that Gray was a genius. "I feel like it might work."

Compared to overdosing, simply eliminating the power of the Amber Celestial Master... and transforming the Amber Elves into short-lived humans, both approaches were far more gentle. Whether suppressing the pain of the late stages of Amber Disease or preventing its onset, their significance was clearly greater than "completely curing Amber Disease and simultaneously dispelling the blessing of longevity."

"so……"

Gray said this, looked at Aiwass, and hesitated: "Your Majesty... do you still want to cure my amber disease in advance?

"But if you have become the Son of the Candlelighter... then what right do I have to become the Eternal Pope?"

But she did not forget that the Eternal Pope was originally the successor of "Zhu Tiansi"; and Zhu Tiansi himself was the spokesperson of Sizhu.

Now that a new "Son of the Candlelighter" has appeared again, how could her legitimacy be higher than that of Aiwass?

“So there’s no need to make it public.”

Aiwass nodded and said: "After I heal you, I will give you the Holy Crown.

"And now... you are the Acting Pope. How about keeping the Holy Crown for me?"

Aiwass said gently.

He took off the Holy Crown on his head and gently placed it on Gray's head.

Then he took off his clothes as the Eternal Pope and put them on Gray.

Under Gray's gaze, blood suddenly seeped out of Aiwass's body.

His body seemed to be cracking, and streams of blood were dripping out.

Immediately, light condensed from the two young horns on Aiwass's head. They extended and formed a pair of gleaming white deer antlers, and Aiwass's body gradually transformed into a half-human, half-deer posture.

Only his upper body was human, and on his head, a pair of glowing antlers, far smaller than those of Sizhu and Zhu Tiansi, appeared. They appeared to be less than twenty centimeters long, and much more pronounced than the two small protrusions he had previously seen. At the tips of each antler, a cluster of pure white flames burned.

Below the waist, Aiwass's body became a nimble and streamlined white deer.

His abdomen, the chest of his half-deer, half-human form, was covered in black lines resembling a sun disk. The previously broken and bleeding areas on his body had also solidified into mysterious yet ominous black lines. These lines connected the human and deer torsos, resembling either sutures or totems painted on the body.

And Aiwass's pupils turned into a strange and sacred light.

It looked like a cluster of golden-red flames burning in an almost transparent light purple crystal.

The firelight formed the shape of vertical pupils, so beautiful that it was impossible to take your eyes off.

Originally shorter than Gray, Aiwass was now almost as tall as Gray. If his antlers were included, he was even a head taller than her.

This is……

"Like Zhu Tiansi..."

Gray murmured, "Is this... the legendary mythical gesture?"

Indeed... it's as sacred and inviolable as if it came out of an ancient myth.

Update!

Asking for monthly tickets at the beginning of the month!

After watching the first episode of New Kamen Rider, I feel like we can pop the champagne this time!

Drink now! If you don’t open the champagne now, it may be too late!

(End of this chapter)