Upon hearing Klein's question, Dunn looked out the window at the corridor that led to Chanis Gate. He took out his pipe and stuffed it with tobacco and mint leaves. Then, he brought it to his nose and took a deep whiff. His voice drifted as he sighed.
"Only at home can I enjoy the wonderful smell of tobacco and peppermint … Klein, do you know the creation myth?"
"Of course, when I received enlightenment in the Church's Sunday school, I learned words from the Revelation of Evernight. The Book of Wisdom and the Saint's Letter both mentioned the creation myth." As Klein recalled the memories of the original Klein, he slowed down and said, "The Creator woke up from Chaos, broke the darkness, and created the first ray of light. He then completely merged with the universe and became all things. His body became the earth and the stars. One of his eyes became the Sun, and the other the Crimson Moon. Part of his blood surged into the sea and rivers, nourishing and nurturing life …"
At this point, Klein unconsciously paused, partly because the relevant memories were blurred, and partly because the creation myth was somewhat similar to the Pangu creation myth of the foodies …
People from different parts of the World had similar imaginations when it came to myths and legends!
Seeing that Klein had encountered a "difficult problem," Dunn smiled and helped him add,
"His lungs evolved into elves; His heart evolved into giants; His liver evolved into treants; His head evolved into dragons; His kidneys evolved into feathered serpents; His hair evolved into immortal birds; His ears evolved into demonic wolves; His mouth and teeth evolved into mutants; His remaining body fluids evolved into sea monsters, the essence of which was Naga; His stomach, His small intestines, and the evil parts of His body evolved into demons, evil spirits, and various unknown evil existences; His spirit evolved into the Eternal Sun, the Lord of Storms, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom …"
"His wisdom gave birth to human beings. That was the First Era, the Era of Chaos." Klein said the last sentence, feeling amused and ridiculous.
As a keyboard folklorist, this was the first time he had come across such a detailed creation myth. It was so detailed that every ranked race was derived from which part of the Creator was detailed.
It was as if they were eating fruits in a row …
Furthermore, it wasn't only the Evernight Goddess's canon that said so. The Churches of the Lord of Storms and the God of Steam and Machinery also had similar descriptions. They didn't elevate themselves and belittle the other deities …
This either meant that the creation myth was true, or it vaguely revealed that the major churches had finally reached an agreement after a long period of struggle and compromise before the Fifth Era …
Thinking of this, Klein suddenly had another question. He frowned and said,
"I think there's something wrong with this. Why was the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom born directly from the Creator's spirit, but not the Goddess?"
In the prehistoric records of The Revelation of Evernight, the Evernight Goddess only awoke at the end of the Second Epoch. Together with the Lord of Storms, the Eternal Blazing Sun, and other deities, they protected and helped humanity survive the Cataclysm. It was also commonly known as the Third Epoch, the Cataclysm Epoch.
Earth Mother and the God of Combat also appeared at the same time. The God of Steam and Machinery, originally known as the God of Craftsmanship, was only born in the Fourth Epoch.
In this way, the status of the gods seemed to be self-evident.
It was extremely clear who was more ancient and who was more orthodox!
This caused a certain amount of trouble among the believers of the Evernight Goddess.
Dunn Smith held his pipe in his other hand and asked a question instead of answering him,
"Describe the Goddess's honorific name in full."
Klein immediately felt like he had stabbed himself. He racked his brains and tried his best to recall.
"'She' is the Evernight Goddess who is more noble than the cosmos and more eternal than eternity. She is also the Lady of Crimson, the Mother of Concealment, the Empress of Misfortune and Horror, and the Mistress of Repose and Silence."
Thankfully, Klein's mother was a devout believer of the Evernight Goddess. When she was alive, she would recite it every evening and during meals. Even if the original Klein's memories were fragmented, he wouldn't have completely lost it.
"What does the Lady of Crimson symbolize?" Dunn asked in a guiding tone.
"The crimson moon." The moment Klein said that, he seemed to come to a realization.
"Then, which part of the Creator was the crimson moon formed from?" Dunn asked with a smile.
"A single eye!" Klein looked at him and smiled.
This was in no way inferior to the Lord of Storms, which was formed from the Creator's psyche splitting into three!
As for the Churches of Earth Mother and the God of Combat, they likely had similar theories. Only the God of Steam and Machinery was "born" too late to find a reason. Their Church had always been weak for the past thousand years until the invention of the steam engine gave them the upper hand. Only then did they truly stand on equal footing with the others.
Dunn stroked his pipe and said,
"Humans are born from the wisdom of the Creator, so we have a smart and extraordinary brain, but we lack other magical abilities. However, from the creation myth, we can draw a simple and clear conclusion, and that is, all things are born from the same source."
"Originate from the same source …" Klein repeated the last few words.
"Based on this conclusion, humans who fought against giants, devils, and mutants under the blessings of the gods gradually figured out a way to obtain Beyonder powers. That is to use evil spirits, dragons, monsters, and the corresponding parts of magical trees, flowers, or crystals, together with other ingredients to concoct a potion. Then, after consuming and absorbing them, one would grasp different abilities. This is common knowledge among all mysticism schools of thought."
Dunn didn't go into too much detail as he gave a brief introduction. "In this process, our ancestors learned a painful lesson. If one directly consumed a high-grade and extraordinary potion, it would easily lead to a tragic outcome. There are only three possibilities."
"Which three?" Klein pressed curiously.
"First, the mind dies, and the body collapses. Every piece of flesh and blood turns into a terrifying monster. Second, the power contained in the potion instantly changes your personality. You become cold, sensitive, easily angered, cruel, and indifferent to everything. Third …" Dunn put down his pipe, picked up the porcelain cup beside him, and took a sip. "Fermo coffee from the Paz Valley. It's very bitter, but also very fragrant. The aftertaste is great. Do you want a cup?"
"I prefer Feynapotter's highland coffee. Of course, I've only had it at Welch's a few times," Klein declined politely. "What's the third?"
"Mental disorder, going crazy on the spot, more demonic than a demon. This is what it means to lose control." Dunn emphasized the word "lose control."
Without waiting for Klein to speak, he put down the coffee cup and continued.
"After a long period of experimentation and exploration, together with the birth of the Blasphemy Slate, humans finally perfected the potion system and formed a Sequence chain that progressively increases. The lower the Sequence number, the higher the grade of the potion. To this day, the seven Churches each have at least one complete Sequence. In addition, there are also incomplete paths that were gathered over the past few centuries or millennia."
"Blasphemy Slate?" Klein acutely caught onto the term.
At the Gathering, The Hanging Man had also mentioned it!
According to The Hanging Man, the Blasphemy Slate was the most crucial factor in the formation and completion of the potion system!
This was different from what Dunn had said.
"This is something created by some evil gods. As for which era it appeared in, what's recorded on it, and what's special about it, I'm not too sure. If you discover any clues, you have to report it to me immediately. It has the highest level of response." Dunn vaguely explained, "I just mentioned one type of loss of control. Now, I'll talk about the remaining four."
"Okay." Klein threw the question of the Blasphemy Slate to the back of his mind and focused on listening.
"Although humans only have smart brains and no other Beyonder powers, this isn't absolute. There are always some lucky ones, or should I say unlucky ones, who are born with relatively high spiritual perception. Yes, it's also the ability to sense spirits. They can hear sounds that others can't hear, see things that others can't see, and have some Beyonder characteristics."
As Dunn spoke, he looked at the emptiness around him, leaving Klein shuddering. "In other words, they are equivalent to half a Sequence 9 Beyonder. They have fixed characteristics. Uh, Sequence 9 is the lowest level in the 'chain' … In short, they can only choose the corresponding, fixed Sequence pathway. If they consume other potions, there will be mild mental abnormalities, serious loss of control, and even more serious death."
"Got it." Klein nodded slowly.
"The third type of loss of control is similar to the second. Once you choose a Sequence chain, you can only follow that 'path' to the end. There's no way of regretting it. If you consume another 'path,' with a suitable Sequence potion, although there's a high chance that you will obtain blended, strange, and warped powers, it's almost certain that you will be in a half-mad state. You might be sensitive and easily angered, cruel and bloodthirsty, or silent and melancholic."
"And there's only one such opportunity. In the future, be it consuming the potion from the original 'path,' or the current Sequence potion, there's only one outcome: loss of control. It depends on whether you die mentally, your body collapses into a monster, or become an evil spirit." As Dunn spoke, he picked up his coffee cup and took a sip.
Klein, who was trembling in fear, fell silent for a few seconds.
Then, he asked, "What about the fourth type of loss of control?"
"The fourth type. Heh heh, that's one of the most common problems. When we consume potions, we will obtain powers that originally belonged to Beyonder species. It's considered an unnatural evolution, and we will more or less be affected by remnant mental effects. Perhaps there won't be any symptoms, and outsiders won't be able to detect it, but there will definitely be some hidden in our hearts. Before we fully grasp the extraordinary powers brought about by the potion and eliminate those subtle traces, recklessly consuming the corresponding potion of a higher Sequence will result in the accumulation of madness and loss of control …" Dunn suddenly fell silent.
After pausing for a moment, he sighed and said, "We Nighthawks have an internal rule that even if a member has made great contributions, he has to consume the previous potion for three years and pass the corresponding examination before he can be promoted. But even so, there are many people who lose control because of this every year."
How terrifying … Klein drew a breath and said, "What about the last type?"
"What about the last type?"
The corners of Dunn's mouth curled up, but there was no hint of a smile.
"The fifth type is also the most common reason for losing control. For Beyonders, their spiritual perception is more or less enhanced. The smaller the Sequence number, the greater the enhancement. Therefore, they can hear sounds that others can't hear, see things that others can't see, and encounter things that others can't. They are constantly under the temptation of mysteries and illusions. Once there's any other stimulation, or greed, they will slowly lose control."
As he spoke, Dunn turned to look straight at him. His gray eyes reflected Klein's figure.
His tone turned bleak.
"The founder of the modern Nighthawks, Archbishop Chanis, once said:
"We are guardians, but also a bunch of pitiful wretches who are constantly fighting against danger and madness."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
