Rachel lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said to Todd, "This speculation could indeed become a reality, but there's still something I don't understand."
"What?"
"If either Eleanor or Sutherland possessed the power to imprison souls, logically speaking, that person could disrupt the balance of power within the Council of Elders and subsequently control the surrounding forces..."
"However, according to the information from the Heterogeneous Association, the south remains calm so far, and there are no unusual phenomena."
Todd said, "Perhaps this ability is still unstable, or perhaps this power still needs training. In any case, whatever the reason, once this person masters this ability, the world will never have a day of peace again."
Rachel looked at Todd and asked, "Do you want to wage war against the South now?"
"No, the Battle of Tayro has just ended. Both logistics and manpower need time to recover. At this time, it would be the stupidest idea to launch a military campaign against the South."
Rachel smiled and said, "Then there's only one way left."
Todd nodded slightly: "I plan to negotiate with the Southern Empire to make peace temporarily and join forces to nip the Elders' Council in the bud."
"Currently, although the nominal ruler of the Southern Empire is Caliph Saladin, due to his poor health, many sects and clans are amassing military power, and it would not be an exaggeration to describe the entire empire as a mess..."
When Rachel saw a large number of black parasites flowing from Little Jerry's body, she stopped discussing the Southern Empire and asked, "Is that the culprit behind the black plague?"
Todd nodded: "A completely new parasite. Scholars at Twilight University have detected the Tyrant virus in them."
Are you sure?
"The Tyrant Virus endows this black parasite with a peculiar property: it can record the host's DNA sequence and extract high-quality fragments from it for recombination and reconstruction."
Rachel frowned and said, "Could you explain it simply?"
"Regarding the Tyrant Virus, you can focus on the Crusaders. They were originally human. By using methods such as inflammation to temporarily reduce the immune function, and then having the alien bacteria, Sutherland archaea, and the Tyrant Virus work together to extract hidden genes from their bodies. This gene may be from orcs or elves. This gene is then continuously replicated, eventually replacing the original sequence and causing a change in species."
"That's right," Rachel said. "That's exactly how the Crusaders' conversion ritual is done."
"Then, if the host who is inoculated with the Tyrant Virus is a corpse, the situation is completely different."
"Is the host a corpse?"
A black parasite swam to the perimeter of the iron cage, only to be forced back by the hot coals at the edge.
Todd pointed to the black parasite and said, "In the natural world of another world, there is a parasite called acanthocephalan. They parasitize animals (such as zombie deer), destroy their central nervous system, and replace these nerves with information stress cavities, eventually turning the host into a zombie-like being."
Rachel's eyes widened: "Such a thing exists in the world?"
"Not only spiny worms, but also unilateral cordyceps fungus, mud bee venom bacteria, and β-triester rabies virus can all turn organisms into zombie-like beings."
Todd paused for a moment, then shifted his gaze back to the black parasite: "However, once this parasite encounters the Tyrant Virus, it will form an extremely powerful and terrifying creature."
"First, the parasite damages the organism's central nervous system and replaces nerve fibers with information stress cavities."
"Then, the parasite releases the Tyrant Virus, which begins to extract genetic sequences from the host and extract the best parts to replicate and replace them."
"Ultimately, a new, enhanced zombie-like creature emerged."
Todd looked at Rachel and said, "However, the most terrible thing is not these, but the other two serious consequences."
"The scariest place?"
"First, these black parasites are excreted from the host's body to the outside. When they come into contact with the outside world, they will actively seek out other parasites of the same kind to exchange information and share genes."
Rachel shuddered.
"To put it bluntly, a black parasite can pass on the superior gene fragments of its host to other parasites, and it can also receive gene fragments from other parasites."
"This leads to a consequence: after countless transmissions and sharing, a genetic fragment that has been modified tens of thousands or even hundreds of millions of times will form inside the black parasite. When this fragment is injected into a host, you can imagine what kind of monster that host will be transformed into."
Rachel closed her eyes and said, "This modified host will eventually become an invincible... thing."
Todd said in a deep voice, "Therefore, when I retreated from Tero City, I specifically ordered the army to cooperate with the scholars to retrieve the bodies of all the Crusader soldiers who died on the battlefield."
“Even if these bodies were buried deep underground, or even burned to ashes, I ordered that they be recovered as much as possible, leaving no trace.”
Todd said helplessly, "Even so, I dare not imagine how many gene fragments these black parasites have already recovered."
Rachel shook her head vigorously, as if trying to banish the horrific image from her mind.
"You just said that this black parasite causes two serious consequences. What is the second one?"
Todd said, "It's the soul."
Todd explained, "Based on what I know, souls are actually a kind of dark matter, containing dark energy that can reshape matter and alter the energy balance of nature."
“The most obvious example is myself. Through the continuous strengthening of my soul space, I am now gradually able to master the operation and aggregation of dark energy.” Todd looked at Rachel and said, “Given time, I may even be able to use this power to create objects, tear apart space, and even…code life.”
"However, now, if these black parasites can transfer a large number of souls to their owners in a short period of time, and if that person has mastered the method of using soul power, then what will happen next is something you can guess without me saying more."
After listening to Todd's words, Rachel lowered her head and began to ponder for a long time.
Just then, a knight walked up behind Todd and whispered, "Your Majesty, something has happened at the Grand Theatre."
Todd was taken aback.
Then he closed his eyes.
A few seconds later, Todd opened his eyes and slowly said, "I understand."
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