Looking at the gray parasites on his chest and abdomen, rising and falling with his breath, Alfonso said, "In the centuries-long history of the Inquisition, the 'Successors of Sutherland' have appeared no less than a hundred times. Each time they appeared, they brought immeasurable losses to the Church and secular nations."
Todd was a little surprised: "It's happened so many times?"
"Do you think that's a lot? Of the people who have actually come into contact with the 'Sutherland Relics,' maybe only one in a thousand will survive. And of those who survived, there are over a hundred people with written records. You should be able to imagine how many people have actually tried this."
Todd suddenly remembered an important question: "Wait a minute, 'Sutherland's Relics' should refer to the ashes of the alchemist Sutherland, right? Logically speaking, there's only so much ashes, and after being used dozens of times, they should be gone long ago! How could so many people in history have used them?"
The knight took the water bottle from Leslie, took a sip, and continued, "The term 'Sutherland's Relics' is a broad one; it doesn't specifically refer to the remains of the alchemist Sutherland from a thousand years ago. The remnants formed after the 'Inheritors' died and their bodies were burned have the same effect as the 'Original Relics' (the remains of the alchemist Sutherland)."
Upon careful consideration, Todd realized that this explanation was plausible, because the Sutherland archaea themselves are heat-resistant, and theoretically, the ashes of these "inheritors" could indeed act as pathogens to infect the next person.
He then raised a crucial question: "Why would you say that killing me would relieve my suffering and lessen my pain?"
Alfonso gave Todd a deep look and asked a question in return: "As an inheritor, where did you get your alien abilities?"
Unable to explain the biochemical theories behind bacterial culture and subcutaneous injection in detail, Todd could only give a vague answer, saying that it was discovered gradually.
The questioner didn't seem to believe this claim: "The fastest way for an 'inheritor' to acquire alien abilities is..." He made a gesture that sent chills down everyone's spine—he made a gesture of eating with his hands.
Todd was somewhat incredulous: "You mean... the Heirs will eat the aliens?"
"They will choose their targets to devour. Some alien species with higher value will be attacked first; while the abilities of some alien species that cannot be absorbed will be ignored."
Todd stood there, frozen in place.
Oh my god!
Cannibalism!
To gain superpowers by resorting to cannibalism! This is utterly depraved and outrageous!
Just as he was still feeling uneasy, he passed through the stone wall of the room, and the sounds of battle and shouts from the city walls gradually subsided, replaced by the cheers of the defenders.
Having secured the drawbridge and halted the barbarian invasion, Todd breathed a sigh of relief. But Alfonso's next words shocked him beyond measure: "You think the 'Inheritors' can live forever? No matter how many superpowers they absorb, the end result is only one: they will become mindless monsters."
The priest's eyes widened, and his hands unconsciously gripped the knight's shoulders: "What do you mean by that?"
"According to the Inquisition's historical records, most of the 'successors' who were recorded in writing, except for a few who were ultimately judged to have disappeared, transformed into terrifying monsters."
Upon hearing Alfonso's words, Todd urgently pressed, "Are you telling the truth? Why would this happen?!"
The knight placed his greatsword on his lap, looked into the eyes of the person before him, and slowly said, "I have no reason to deceive you. I am telling the truth. As for the reason, no one knows for all these years."
If you have Sutherland bacteria in your body, you'll eventually turn into a monster.
Upon hearing this news, cold sweat trickled down Todd's forehead.
On the one hand, the knight had no reason to lie to him, and what he said should be true; on the other hand, since it was an internal record in church history, it must have been repeatedly verified, and its authenticity should be guaranteed.
Todd's mind was racing; he knew he couldn't be impatient, especially at times like these. His body showed no abnormalities yet, which meant the transformation hadn't begun.
I still have time.
The priest sat cross-legged in front of the knight and asked, "Generally speaking, how long does it take for an 'inheritor' to go from coming into contact with the relic to transforming into a monster?"
Reaching up to touch his chin, Alfonso recalled as he spoke, "The duration varies from person to person. But in my experience, it can be as long as six months, or as short as less than three months..."
Three to six months? Just that short a time?!
Todd's face turned pale, and he swayed precariously.
The knight continued, "Unlike in the past, in recent decades, due to many human factors, such as the sabotage and experimental activities of the 'Relief Society,' the number of successors has increased, and the intervals between them have become shorter..."
Hearing this, Karin could no longer contain herself and spoke up: "All the blame is placed on the 'Relief Society'! And what about you? You are clearly of a different race, yet you chose to be accomplices of the church, slaughtering your brothers and sisters like yourselves!"
Leslie blushed and immediately retorted, "Don't compare us to those murderous madmen from the 'Relief Society'! Me, the captain, Walton, Adelina, and I may be mutants, but the ones who killed our loved ones weren't the Church, but those 'Relief Society' members who keep talking about brothers and sisters! And every time we hunt mutants, we never harm innocent and kind people; we only hunt the scum of the earth who do evil!"
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