Chapter Six
Karl let out a long sigh, slowly closed the book in his hands, and stood there with his eyes closed, trying to calm himself. After a long while, he opened his eyes again.
His eyes were golden, as if they could sparkle. He looked to be a young man around twenty years old, his brown hair standing out starkly against his white priest's robe.
However, what was even more conspicuous was the scripture in front of him.
It was a really big book; it was a bit difficult to tuck it under one's arm. The cover seemed to be carved from some kind of unknown black wood, with golden patterns flowing slowly, like countless exposed blood vessels converging in the center to form a huge cross.
“Your Excellency, High Priest.” A man with a coat draped over his elbow stepped forward hastily: “According to the forecast, there may be a blizzard tonight.”
"Okay." Carl nodded, opened his arms, and let him put the leather jacket on him. "Then I'll head back now."
That person was right; a heavy snowfall was coming. He could feel the temperature dropping rapidly, and he estimated it would soon fall below freezing.
"Here you go." The man handed over a large cloth bag: "Just heated up."
Carl glanced at it, nodded to him, and said as he tucked it into his pocket, "Thank you very much."
This brio was holding a large, heated stone, and nothing was more welcome on a cold night than a fireplace and roast meat.
“It’s what I should do.” The person next to him bowed, and Karl waved goodbye.
Then, he picked up the box next to him and prepared to leave.
The building he was in was a church, which looked rather simple and made of piled stones, but judging from the decoration, it was indeed a church.
However, it is indeed a very simple place; even the chairs in the church are simply cut stones, and sitting on them is quite cold. From the outside, the top of the church appears to have been struck by lightning once, and one spire has been shattered. The rubble has just been cleared, and reconstruction work is underway.
At this hour, the entire church was deserted, except for him and the cleaning and maintenance worker. His footsteps echoed through the stone walls, sounding particularly lonely.
There weren't even any candles lit except where he had just stood; the huge church was dark and gloomy, and one could imagine how pitch black it must be on dark days.
Because candles are not cheap, and they cannot be produced locally, they have to be bought from outside, so every effort is made to save money.
If someone in need comes to help, or if someone needs to pray, the candles won't be spared. However, since there are only priests here, one candle is enough for reading scriptures.
The choir usually consists of the same group, but this morning there was a severely infected wounded person. They are currently busy treating him behind the church and don't have time to sing here.
The empty church makes those familiar with the place happy, because it means that everything has been peaceful lately.
For a time, this place was overflowing with people. That was more than 20 years ago when a large-scale undead invasion, known as the Tide of the Dead, almost turned the city into a ghost town.
Well... it was more than twenty years ago that Karl participated in the defense. Although he looked so young, it's hard to say whether he's even been alive for twenty years.
That's because he was a priest, one of the people favored by the gods.
Therefore, he does not age, and as long as he is not killed, his lifespan is close to infinite. Although his appearance remains unchanged year after year, he is actually quite old.
In this world, anyone injured and exposed to unprotected environments will be corrupted. This is common sense, whether in protected cities or chaotic regions; the only difference is the speed of infection. Chaotic elements enter the body through wounds, turning people into monster-like creatures.
Carl's work awaits here; if there are corrupted people, he will drive them away... or he will eliminate them, using the power God has given him to remove the defilement.
People like him are called clergy, which is a broad category with many classes and classifications. People like him are generally referred to as priests.
Carl stopped just before leaving and straightened his hat and clothes.
This has been his habit for many years, because if he walks too hastily, he might miss out on people who need his help.
Actually, this was a redundant action, because if that situation really occurred, they would definitely go directly to his home to find him. Although the conditions there weren't as good as in the church, they would be sufficient for an emergency.
But today, his unnecessary movement did indeed come in handy.
Are you a clergyman here?
He turned his head to look at the guy who had somehow appeared next to him on his right, and frowned slightly.
He was an expressionless man, dressed in a slightly worn but impeccably groomed suit. Judging by his attire, he was likely a businessman.
Carl didn't like businessmen; those profit-driven guys disgusted him.
But now his attention was more focused on the girl behind him who had fainted from the pain, her cloak stained with black blood. A rather large patch of blood, almost half of her robe was dirty.
Looks like I'll have to work overtime today. Carl thought to himself, then slammed his hand on the padlock on the door, intending the loud noise to echo throughout the church and remind those inside to prepare to care for the new, wounded man.
However, he was taken aback, because the knocking sound was not as loud as he had expected, but was blocked by a faint gray barrier.
Karl turned his head and saw that Ark was making a shushing gesture at him.
"Are you a demon?" The priest raised an eyebrow, which made him even more annoyed with this guy.
It seems that it has magically shielded the sound here, which is a very clever way of using it.
"Monster ID N.6324, registered in Saint Kirnovas. Name: Ark, race: Other, no race. Safety level is marked in green." Ark handed over a sign with densely written text: "It sounds strange, but can you heal her on your own?"
Carl glanced at the sign; it was his identification. Having this proved that this guy was a verified, trustworthy monster.
Monsters that can be identified will be considered friends by humans until their danger level is raised.
However, Karl still looked at Ark with some suspicion: "But I need someone to help me."
“I’m familiar with these things, I can handle it.” Ark pointed to himself and said, “Will this be alright?”
......
Following Karl's instructions, Ark placed Lady on a stone platform, removed her cloak, revealing bandages underneath and a stench of rotting flesh.
“The corruption is deep-seated. Why didn’t you come sooner?” Karl frowned as he looked at the bandages wrapped around Lady’s back.
The blood vessels near the wound had all turned black, and the muscles were a pale purple, appearing jarring and grotesque against the girl's fair skin.
"We ran into some trouble on the way." Ark had already removed the headdress from his head, his expressionless face perfect for lying: "It's a bit complicated to explain, can we get treatment first?"
Carl nodded; indeed, now was not the time to dwell on such matters.
He unwrapped the bandages, then paused, stunned: "You have a Holy Stone?"
“I bought it before.” Yak knew he was referring to the small stone he had bandaged up with it. “I told you I’m very familiar with this process.”
Carl had initially thought the girl was beyond saving, as she had already fallen unconscious, but it now seemed that the situation wasn't as serious as he had imagined.
The most terrifying aspect of corruption is that it doesn't give any warning before it erupts; it's as if it's always been there. The corrupted areas have no tactile sensation; you won't even feel pain if you're cut open by a sword.
It first forms black sores, making it easier for the dark elements to take root more quickly. After accumulating to a certain level, it erupts in full force, causing the person to fall into a coma. When they wake up, they have transformed into a disgusting monster.
Therefore, he assumed that Lady had entered the penultimate stage, which meant she had obvious black wounds on her body.
At that moment, he wasn't sure if he could save her.
But when Carl saw the wound, he saw a slightly pinkish liquid mixed with black liquid, which looked like a mixture of blood plasma and mud.
This is because inside the wound, there was a very dirty and disgusting stone, as if it were covered in mud, but you could still see that it was emitting a reddish-gold glow.
This is an extremely valuable stone called the Holy Stone. Its preciousness stems from its ability to dispel corruption. Once dispelled, rotting flesh causes excruciating pain, almost causing fainting... Of course, for a girl like this, she would likely have fainted immediately.
However, she is in much better condition than she appears, so there is no need to be too nervous.
Carl carefully took the stone out and threw it into the basin of water beside him. The water immediately became murky, as if a clod of mud had been thrown in.
“You treated the wound very well,” Karl said to Ark. He looked up in shock to see Ark using a brush dipped in a golden liquid to write something, while also holding a book.
"You actually know the corresponding incantation for this divine spell?" Karl frowned, noticing the scripture it was holding.
These incantations are very difficult to memorize, and no one can guarantee that they can remember them perfectly. To be on the safe side, they will copy them from the scriptures.
“I had a clergy friend before, and she taught me.” Ark looked up, waving the somewhat old scripture in his hand, and said, “Can we begin the treatment?”
Karl paused for a moment, then nodded, opened the huge Bible and stood with a white staff, while Ark wisely moved away.
“You’re very familiar with this process, you’re almost too familiar with it. Is it because you’ve been injured quite a few times?” Karl looked at Ark and asked, “Where are you from?”
Ark did not answer, because he had wandered around and was examining the murals of gods and angels carved on the walls.
Looking out the window beside him, he saw that it was now dark, and large snowflakes were beginning to fall. Although the city was protected by a massive barrier, it was still affected by the chaotic regions outside. Right now, what should have been icicles or something similar falling from the sky was being weakened by the barrier and turned into heavy snow.
It seems he has excellent night vision, considering the church is almost completely dark now, making it virtually impossible to see anything... Of course, if it's not a person, that's another story.
Carl took a deep breath. This expressionless guy was really annoying, but he had things to do right now, and he could ask him later.
He held a slender white staff, drew a perfect circle in the air, and then paused above the wound.
Lady groaned unconsciously in her unconscious state. This was the first sound she had made since she came in. She had been unconscious until now, but it seemed like she was about to wake up.
The next moment, golden light erupted from the end of the white staff, filling the entire room almost instantly. At the same time, the scripture in Karl's hand snapped open, the huge parchment fluttering, its surface displaying a fiery gold hue in incantations of unknown script.
Yak didn't even turn his head, silently looking at the mural.
This is the only mural here. You can tell that the painter was very skilled. The painting on the wall is grand and detailed. It looks like it took a long time to paint, probably half a lifetime.
However, in the darkness, no matter how superb the painting skills, they could not be displayed. But in the instant the light burst forth, the entire painting seemed to come alive. The Holy Spirit was surrounded by angels, looking majestic and awe-inspiring. Golden radiance seemed to gather behind God, illuminating the entire church as if the sun were within it.
The principle of dispelling corruption is extremely simple and brutal. Holy light can expel the filth that has already taken root in the body, but any exposed wound will be corroded. Therefore, you need to use holy light to completely fill the surrounding environment, and then use divine magic to heal the wound in this environment.
In other words, once injured, other methods can only alleviate the symptoms. To fully heal, a priest is required to assist.
"Are you a priest?" Ark seemed to realize something and turned to look at Karl.
"What's wrong?" Karl said irritably.
“I just didn’t expect to meet a high-ranking clergyman in a small town.” Ark walked to his side, looked at his face, and said, “You’re so young. God is really looking after you. I thought you were a missionary.”
Missionaries are a basic rank of clergy; God merely endowed them with the ability to use holy light to dispel corruption and heal wounds. Priests, on the other hand, were granted the right to use holy magic. Their bodies were strengthened, they could wield all the divine arts recorded in the scriptures, and they gained immortality.
Almost every city has many missionaries, but perhaps not even a single priest. So Ark was quite surprised that there was a priest here.
However, in most cases, missionaries can solve the problem. Although priests are endowed with divine magic, they usually do the same work as missionaries.
"The ceremony is still ongoing, please keep your distance."
"Oh, it's my fault." Ark then remembered to check on the girl he had brought. A trace of black energy was mixed with the golden light on her back, the dark element lurking in her wounds. If left unchecked, it would soon take over her entire body. "But she's doing well, isn't she? There's no need to be so worried."
Karl glared at Ark, who immediately shut up and gestured that he would leave without disturbing him.
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