Chapter 522: Taking the Pill
After the other elves left, Sherlock and Lily came over with the Grey Saint.
Sherlock saw the bunch of fruit in Aiwass's hand and immediately raised his eyebrows: "Interesting."
Although he didn't know what happened exactly, he had a rough idea of what had just happened.
Cardinal Matilda carefully picked up a fruit and put it into her mouth.
She chewed slowly and carefully, frowning subconsciously.
"Is it very sour?"
Aiwass looked at her expression and asked.
Out of a subtle psychological reason, he was very concerned about the taste of the fruit growing on his body.
I never thought that one day I would have the self-awareness of a hen laying eggs... This was something Aiwass had never expected before.
"……fine."
Matilda opened her eyes in surprise. "It tastes pretty good... or rather, quite good. A bit sour at first, followed by a slightly astringent sweetness. There's also a strange aroma... After eating it, the fragrance lingers on my lips and teeth."
She always squinted her eyes, and although she looked very gentle and like she was always smiling, Aiwass had never been able to tell what color her eyes were before. Only now could Aiwass see that she had a deep blue eye color similar to her hair.
“I don’t think it’s going to be bad.”
Aiwass breathed a sigh of relief, chuckled and nodded.
However, this also confirmed to Aiwass that this thing should be used to trigger the art of shepherding. Because it has already triggered the entry of flesh and blood dedication, it can be considered a sacrifice.
[Blood and Blood Devotion (Purple): You have mastered the art of self-sacrifice. And now you will be even more proficient.]
It's fair to call it a sacrifice. After all, when Aiwass ripped it from his eye socket, he felt a momentary, soul-shattering pain. It felt like a budding flesh had grown deep into his bones, and then he ripped it off... It grew by absorbing the soul as nourishment.
Fortunately, Aiwass has the [Dissolved Soul] attribute, which allows his soul to regenerate, and because it is no longer in a fixed shape, the damage caused to himself when it is torn off will be less.
"Let me try it too."
Sherlock unceremoniously picked up a fruit and put it in his mouth, somewhat surprised at how good it tasted.
"You said it was a date? The taste is vaguely similar, but the texture is not. It's too soft, a bit like a cherry."
Sherlock pondered, "As for the taste, it's only slightly sour when you first put it in your mouth. It's probably because of the skin. The flesh inside is cloyingly sweet. As for the texture..."
As he spoke, he picked up another pill and ate it.
"…A bit like blood?"
He added uncertainly, "It seems to sting the mouth a bit."
"No nuclear?"
Aiwass was a little surprised that Sherlock didn't even vomit.
He asked, "Are there any other reactions? For example, vitality being replenished, or desire being strengthened..."
The black air wrapped around the fruit made him a little concerned.
But Sherlock shook his head: "It's just an ordinary fruit. I don't have any reaction."
——That’s not right.
How could this be an ordinary fruit? A sinful fruit nourished by the soul, grown from dreams...
"Neither have I."
Cardinal Matilda also replied.
But she was clearly interested. "For the first time in a thousand years, a bishop wasn't engulfed in flames during his ordination ceremony, but instead received a handful of strange dates. I've been in charge of the Congregation for Holy Orders for a long time, and this is the first time I've witnessed such a vision."
"...Can I take some and keep it?"
"It's okay."
As Aiwass spoke, he distributed a dozen red fruits that looked like pills to Cardinal Matilda.
He warned, "Although I don't know if this thing has any special effects, it probably shouldn't be eaten too much. After all, it's a fruit that grew from the thorn of sin."
"...Sinthorn?"
The most surprising thing was Saint Pure White.
After all, she has more contact with the Eternal Pope, and the Eternal Pope is full of sins.
She looked at Aiwass: "So... Sinthorn can also bear fruit?"
"I don't know."
Aiwass shook his head innocently. He really didn't know—he didn't even know what a sinthorn was.
He could only confirm one thing at the moment: the "paradox of illumination" that Sizhu had told him at the time was actually asking him whether he should turn back into a torchbearer.
Because Aiwass met the job requirements for both Torch Burner and Illuminator, and he chose Illuminator. Once he reached the fifth level, there was no turning back... So Sizhu made a special effort to confirm whether Aiwass had chosen this path, or whether he had chosen the wrong one due to a lack of understanding.
——Boss Sizhu gave me another chance to regret, I really cried.
Aiwass felt a little touched.
According to this theory, all future Illuminators will likely grow fruit during their promotion ceremony... but that's not certain. Aiwass was just being impulsive, so when his eyes started itching, he simply pulled the Sinthorn off.
His seemingly casual and adventurous behavior actually had a purpose. Because Si Zhu was right in front of him at the time, if there was any danger, Si Zhu would definitely not watch him get into trouble.
——If you don’t take risks in front of adults, do you have to take risks when you are alone?
But if it hadn't been pulled off at that time, thorns might have grown out of the eyes, or even flowers might have grown out of them.
"Grow flowers..."
Thinking of this, Aiwass was stunned for a moment, and suddenly realized.
He remembered.
The Illuminator's character portrait in the game depicts a white-haired girl with side bangs covering one eye. Between her clenched fingers, like brass knuckles, are two white flowers.
Originally, Aiwass thought it was simply an artistic composition. After all, none of the Illuminator's skills involved flowers.
Another possibility is that because Aiwass gave Isabel a third of his soul, it didn't get enough nutrients to turn into a white flower...
So Aiwass made up his mind - next time he would not tear it off, but let the sinthorn grow for the time being and see what it would become if it continued to develop.
"I want to try it."
The Gray Saint made up her mind, came over, pinched a pill and put it in her mouth.
But after just chewing twice, she suddenly froze.
As if feeling some kind of pain, she suddenly covered her eyes, which were bound by the white ribbon, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Ai Hua's heart suddenly tightened: "Your Highness the Saint?"
——Did something happen between the Sinthorn Fruit and the Amber?
Others didn't know, but he knew that Gray's eyes had become amber and she had lost her normal vision.
"...No, I'm fine."
Gray immediately raised her hand, enduring the pain and soothing him, but Aiwass could hear that her voice was trembling.
However, before she could calm herself down, she immediately pleaded with Aiwass, "Archbishop Moriarty... no, Aiwass. If you have similar fruits in the future, could you please give them to me first? I will do my best to help you with anything you ask for."
For the first time, Aiwass heard a hint of urgency in her flat voice.
Upon hearing this, Ai Huashi paused and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
...It seems there's indeed a reaction. But it sounds like it's a good thing.
This thing seems to have a special therapeutic effect on amber.
I told you, this thing can’t be ineffective…
"Of course," Aiwass said with a smile, "I'll give it all to you."
No one else can use them anyway. Rather, the effects of these things are not suitable for being discovered by other elves.
To produce this "Sinthorn Fruit," one must first be a Level 4 Illuminator. Furthermore, one must possess the Soul Dissolving ability, otherwise the first time one rips it from the body, their soul will be damaged... Furthermore, Aiwass didn't know if [Blood Offering] was needed to concentrate and enhance the potency.
At present, the only company that can continue to produce it is Aiwass.
And in the Theocracy, there are too many elves undergoing amber condensation.
Judging from Chunbai's reaction, it wasn't a panacea that would cure him instantly. Even throwing Aiwass into a juicer wouldn't save many people.
Revealing this secret would inevitably be dangerous. While elves generally possess a desire for self-sacrifice, that's not all; and even those who possess a desire for self-sacrifice don't necessarily mean they're 100% good. Sacrificing others for their own sake is also an expression of this desire for self-sacrifice.
To be safe, it's better to give them all to Pure White.
If Pure White can eliminate the symptoms of Amber before the Pope's succession ceremony in March, perhaps the disaster of the Theocracy can be averted?
Even if it's just a temporary solution...it's a good thing if it can be a temporary solution.
Matilda was also thoughtful.
She obviously knew the secret of Gray Ningpo, so she immediately realized something from the saint's reaction.
"Then I'll share these with you first, Pure White."
As she spoke, she carefully handed the handful of fruit in her hand to the saint.
Gray expressed her gratitude, "Thank you, Cardinal Matilda."
She then looked at Aiwass and bowed slightly. "Thank you very much, Aiwass... If you have any trouble in the Theocracy in the future, please be sure to come to me."
The Gray Saint's attitude towards Aiwass has changed significantly.
Cardinal Matilda's expression also became serious.
She narrowed her eyes and said solemnly to Aiwass, "Aiwass, it's best to keep this confidential. I will contact the Cardinal Hall immediately. Don't tell anyone else about this before then..."
"If my predictions are correct, you might become the benefactor of the entire Theocracy, or even all the elves."
But looking at the cardinal's reaction, Sherlock frowned.
He looked at Aiwass with some concern, feeling that his friend, the newly appointed archbishop, seemed to be involved in some troublesome situation.
He clearly only came here to learn divine arts...
...Or rather, the trouble had always been here, just waiting for him to arrive.
(End of this chapter)
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