Chapter 1239
“What’s the price, Protino?”
“…A mission to stop an Abyss Heavenly Envoy?”
Eivass suddenly understood.
The power to stop an Abyss Heavenly Envoy from descending was impossible without a price.
Even the Benevolent Lords who had already reached the Sixth Tier were prepared for death. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so few Benevolent Lords here. The Benevolent Lords who were willing to participate in the battle against the Abyss Heavenly Envoy, no matter how greedy, absurd, or tyrannical they were, at least did not lack the resolve and courage to confront gods.
And in this situation…
A Dream Traveling Monk of the Fifth Tier had stepped forward, claiming he could help solve this problem.
“Yes.”
Protino smiled as he said this.
It wasn’t quite a bitter smile, but it wasn’t a very happy one either. It was like a cup of clear tea, light yet lingering with flavor.
“According to the Akasha Records,” Protino said without reservation, revealing top-secret knowledge and information, “the essence of the Abyss Heavenly Envoy is formed from the remains of a Samsara Heavenly Envoy. It’s quite similar to the essence of the Amber Heavenly Envoy… In other words, although He appears to be a sea monster, He is actually an undead.
“Since He is undead, He shares the common weakness of all undead – purification by the power of the sun.”
—Akasha Records.
This was the mental knowledge base shared by Dream Traveling Monks and Dream Walker apprentices without a “professor title.”
In other words, this was a piece of knowledge that some Dream Traveling Monk had found in the Dream Realm.
Normally, Dream Traveling Monks did not like to share their knowledge with others.
On one hand, their knowledge was hard-won. The recording and preservation of this precious lost knowledge often involved risking their lives; there was no reason to give it away for free. On the other hand, they were not entirely sure if this knowledge was correct.
Although they could glean fragments of truth, a statement being true did not mean the truth it described was complete or correct. Sometimes, in a historical event, only one aspect or the memory of one firsthand witness was known, making it difficult to ascertain the truth.
Gaining truth out of context made it easier for them to negate other possibilities…
As for the Dream Traveling Monks themselves, it was alright.
Because they could always obtain the latest information, if new fragments of truth were discovered in a certain field or new progress was made, they could update their understanding in time.
But if they told this to others, and were unable to inform them of the correction in time, it was highly likely that the false knowledge, “The Dream Traveling Monk told me,” would be considered the truth by people and be passed down rigorously.
Since he dared to speak now, it meant that the truthfulness of this historical record had been fully confirmed.
“I am sealed with the blessing of the Xi Tian Si and carry the fragment of the Xi Tian Si’s reason with me. When the fight begins, I can seize the consciousness of the Abyss Heavenly Envoy and have it fight the Xi Tian Si in my consciousness.”
Protino said slowly, “This way, a high and mighty god will be reduced to a ‘beast’—an empty shell without a soul will indeed go mad, but without the combat intelligence, some ritualistic methods targeting undead will be more effective. Moreover, He won’t be able to use those most terrifying forbidden spells that can instantly obliterate people, stop or reverse time, drive mortals mad and turn them into twisted monsters, or descend an Outer God. I have already mentioned this to the Benevolent Lord here, and he is already preparing a grand ritual.
The fragment of the Xi Tian Si’s reason alone cannot directly defeat the Abyss Heavenly Envoy’s soul. However, the sun itself possesses the ability to restrain the undead… so I can hold him back for a long time on my own.”
“…What’s the price, Protino?”
Eivass asked seriously.
—Although he already knew the answer when he asked the question.
“The price is just my death… Of course, if I’m lucky, I might not die, and will just be turned into an idiot by the battle between the two gods in my brain.”
Protino smiled and said casually, “When that time comes, Your Majesty the Pope, please remember to see if you can cure me after I become an idiot.”
At this moment, the old Ibn, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up and asked sternly, “Was it the monarch of Horus who forced you?”
“No, who can force me? I am a high priest of Amon. Even the Pharaoh cannot force me,” Protino replied frankly. “I did it willingly. Because I have a problem here…”
He gestured to his head.
“What problem?”
Eivass, while asking, walked over and placed his hand on Protino’s head, injecting light-attribute mana into it and using the most traditional Illuminate Spell to check and treat him.
But he frowned slightly.
It wasn’t a difficult case—it was that he couldn’t find any problem.
“After I woke up from a ‘dream walk,’ I lost a piece of memory. Since then, I suddenly lost the ability to dream.”
Protino said somewhat helplessly, “Perhaps it was due to a curse, or an injury received during an Ascension Ritual, or perhaps I came into contact with some Forbidden knowledge… Although my soul is completely normal and my body shows no issues, I just can’t dream anymore.
“Do you know what this means for a Dream Traveling Monk?”
“…Even if not for a Dream Traveling Monk, it’s bad enough for an Extraordinary,” Zhu Tang muttered.
Losing the ability to dream meant losing the possibility of participating in an Ascension Ritual. It might even mean losing the means to recover mana. In this World, dreaming was essentially the consciousness diving into the sea of collective subconsciousness and unconsciously contacting the shallow Dream Realm. During this process, the mana of an Extraordinary would be restored.
“Indeed,” Protino said frankly, “my current mana is even replenished externally through rituals; it can no longer recover naturally. To conserve strength, I dare not use any spells now. That’s why those two are accompanying me… On one hand, it’s to reclaim my ‘Dream Walker’s Heart,’ and on the other hand, it’s to protect me closely and prevent me from using any mana.”
“Then… are you willing to accept this fate yourself?”
Old Ibn suddenly spoke, looking directly at Protino, and said strange words, “Not because the Pharaoh requested it, nor because of morality or… something else.”
Ever since Aziz died, he had become somewhat strange.
“Of course,” Protino replied without hesitation, “every person of Horus yearns to become the sun!”
“…In that case,” Old Ibn slowly stood up, “you two, follow me. I have a gift for you.”
“Could it be…”
Even Haina suddenly realized something.
Therefore, Old Ibn did not hide anything.
“It’s quite a coincidence… although I don’t know if it’s the coincidence of fate or the guidance of a god…”
The old Ritualist said slowly, “This house… is my former home.
“And obviously… neither Aziz nor the subsequent laborers who renovated it found the places where valuables were hidden.
“I have no descendants, and my family is about to die out. Since you sincerely wish to become the sun, young man… I will give this to you. It might save your life.”
