Chapter 197: Suppressing Erosion
“This, this is an angel?” I asked, utterly shocked and dumbfounded. It was so different from the angels I had imagined. If the Sacred Beast from before had a hint of divinity, this creature before me was a complete freak.
Moreover, I recognized this face. I had seen his portrait in historical records before. In the portrait, he exuded a benevolent and wise demeanor, appearing as a kind and wise old man. Now, seeing that venerable face on a deformed monster’s head was just bizarre no matter how I looked at it.
“More specifically, this should be a Cherubim. In essence, angels are the same as Sacred Beasts. However, transformed from Clerics, their strength is even greater. It’s also said that the Church has methods to preserve their divinity even when they mutate, and even revert them to human form. That’s why the Church used to promote them as angels,” Old Golden Tooth said.
“Wait a minute, you just said the Church has a way to keep them conscious?” I asked urgently. If that were true, then Jayad would have a chance.
“All the major Churches have ways to make people mutate without losing their sanity. Otherwise, with so many divine positions in the Church, if they mutated and went berserk that often, it would have been exposed long ago. How could they have kept it hidden for so long?” Old Golden Tooth chuckled.
“After the Angel Calamity, countries launched investigations, forcing the Church to reveal this absolute secret. They maintain people’s sanity through a series of methods, such as Repentance, Sed, Indulgences, and self-flagellation.”
“So these are methods to prevent loss of control,” I asked. “Do you know how to use these methods? Or do you have any related items for sale?”
Old Golden Tooth showed a somewhat ashamed expression. “I apologize, I don’t know much about this. I’m just a merchant, and I don’t understand the ways of Clerics very well. Such items are also tightly controlled by the Church.”
Then he thought for a moment and said, “However, Doctors might also have ways. You know, Nobles wouldn’t just stand by and let the solutions be monopolized by the Church. They’ve researched some methods over the years. It’s said they can concoct Sed and even surgically remove mutated parts.”
“Thank you for telling me this.” If what Old Golden Tooth said was true, then my next step would be to find these methods.
Although these methods were definitely not foolproof, otherwise, the Angel Calamity wouldn’t have happened. There must be a threshold or a time limit; exceeding it would still lead to loss of control.
Moreover, I suspected that within the Church, there were people who purged those angels who had completely lost their minds, just like Ludwig V, who was hunted down after going berserk. Normally, they would deceive their believers, calling it a blessing from the gods.
If it weren’t for the Angel Calamity causing such a huge disturbance, even destroying the Holy City and releasing so many Sacred Beasts, this matter might have been covered up by the Church for a longer time. That was too terrifying.
I finally understood why the mainstream Church’s prestige had plummeted. After an event like this, how could they still gain people’s trust?
“The main impact of the Angel Calamity was the exposure of lies and the shattering of faith. Previously, mainstream Churches always slandered other Sects, calling them cults. In the end, everyone was the same. Of course, the collapse of mainstream belief is also good for us,” Old Golden Tooth added.
“Are the other Churches the same? Do they all cause Erosion? Do they all turn into monsters?” I asked again. This bug leg on my body is probably a product of the same thing.
“That’s right, all beliefs are essentially the same. Some Churches are still secretly researching how to control mutations. Although this is forbidden on the surface, everyone is doing it,” Old Golden Tooth said.
“Isn’t this all the work of Evil Gods? The Church has caused such serious problems, why aren’t they banned? And what’s with this balancing act? Isn’t that making the problem even worse?” I was indignant. This was the part that puzzled me the most.
“It’s very simple, it can’t be done. Humans still rely on the power of Gods. Those who don’t will lose to those who do. Moreover, even without the Church, belief will still spread in the shadows. If the Erosion isn’t kept within controllable limits by Imperial Authority, it will spread everywhere.”
“Imperial Authority? To suppress?” This was where I stopped understanding again. Today, there were countless things I didn’t understand. Only now did I realize my lack of knowledge.
“It is said that after discovering that Divine Power could cause Erosion, the high-levels of humanity found a way. Within the towns they ruled, they could suppress Erosion using some method, which is said to be related to Imperial Authority. But I don’t understand the specific method,” Old Golden Tooth spread his hands, acting as if he was just a merchant after all.
I recalled that when I was looking at the map, the countries in this world maintained a strangely unified state. And they all had emperors, or supreme rulers equivalent to emperors. Was it for this reason?
I had a rough understanding of the cause and effect. Fortunately, I asked Old Golden Tooth today; otherwise, I would still be in the dark about all of this. It seemed that the potion was well worth the cost.
After thanking Big Gold Tooth again, I turned to leave. I was absentmindedly thinking about things on the way. Today’s events had a tremendous impact on my worldview, almost shattering all my perceptions.
Gods and fishponds, loss of control and mutation, Divine Power Erosion, and so on. Various problems tangled back and forth in my mind. Most importantly, even though I knew these things, I had no solution.
By the time I walked out of the underground market, someone patted my shoulder, and an annoyed voice rang out, “Hey!”
“What? My name isn’t ‘Hey’,” I replied irritably, turning around. I was already upset, and anyone’s thoughts interrupted would feel annoyed.
Unexpectedly, when I turned around, I saw a familiar and petite figure. Silver hair, white skin, a cute little face peeking out from under a black robe. Wasn’t this the thief?
“It’s you?” I was surprised. I didn’t expect her to come find me herself.
“It’s me, got a problem?” the thief girl replied grumpily.
“What do you want with me?” I asked, puzzled. Although we knew each other, our previous two encounters hadn’t been pleasant.
“Still asking me what I want? Why don’t you check if your belt pouch is still there?” She extended her hand from her black robe, holding a bulging money bag.
“Ah, this!” I quickly patted my waist and indeed, my waist was now empty.
“You, when did you do it?” I asked, confused. I could have detected her movements before. And the first time I was robbed, my bag was just cut open. This time, the entire money bag was stolen.
“Still asking me when I did it? You were so cautious and alert when you went in, but why do you look so dazed now?” She was actually too curious, which is why she came to ask.
