Chapter 22
Contact with the Blood of the Candlemaster
The current version is still 0. The “Phantom Demon · Heavenly Candlemaster Envoy” has not yet descended and been defeated, and the highest level for the Path of Devotion is only level 50. The highest leveled person is the Eternal Pope of the Eternal Holy Kingdom.
Eivass conservatively estimated that Bishop Mathers should be at least level 39.
In Avalon, this would be top-tier for the Arbitration Hall. One level higher would be the current strongest in this World – if one were to boldly estimate, Bishop Mathers might already be above level 40 and be one of the strongest who has touched Fifth Tier power.
The Cardinals of the Eternal Holy Kingdom were no more than this.
But Eivass thought about what his foster father had told him before he left, and felt at ease.
This Bishop Mathers was the highest bishop of the Great Cathedral of the Candle Holder. In other words, he was the highest administrator of the Church of the Nine Pillar Gods within Avalon.
Such a powerful individual, if he hadn’t encountered a direct impact and died in the subsequent turmoil in Avalon…
Then he had likely changed his name and identity later.
Because Eivass truly had absolutely no impression of a person named Mathers.
The Eternal Holy Kingdom was ruled by Elves, and its pace of life was very slow. Not all Humans could adapt to that kind of life.
Two-thirds of the Church of the Nine Pillar Gods’ high-ranking officials were female, and over ninety percent were Elves. The Pope who ruled the Holy Kingdom rotated every three hundred years. The outgoing Pope automatically became a Saint and continued to walk among the earthly nations as a representative of the Holy Kingdom, bestowing blessings and mediating disputes until they grew old and could no longer walk, at which point they would return to the Holy Kingdom. Therefore, only Elves could become Pope.
Mathers was not only a man but also a Human, making him an extreme minority among the high-ranking officials of the Holy Kingdom. Eivass remembered that there shouldn’t be such a person in the church’s high command.
Because there was another rather special aspect to the Church of the Nine Pillar Gods.
That was, it depended on looks.
It didn’t necessarily require astonishing beauty, but at the very least, one could not be ugly.
Because the healing of the Path of Devotion required physical contact with others, if the other party resisted the healing, the efficiency of the healing would be greatly reduced. Coupled with the fact that “Fire Worship” had a noticeable beautifying and anti-aging effect on the body, the church’s high-ranking officials could never be ugly.
But Bishop Mathers…
Was it because he was too old?
Eivass’s expression was somewhat subtle.
“Don’t look at me, Eivass. Look at the candle.”
Noticing Eivass suddenly looking at him, Bishop Mathers, whose appearance resembled that of a stern and rigid homeroom teacher, naturally spoke in a stereotypically strict voice: “There is no light or fire on my face, looking at me is useless.”
“Yes.”
Eivass snapped back to attention and replied obediently.
—Pay experience.
He confirmed in his mind.
Bishop Mathers, seeing Eivass come back to his senses, softened his tone and continued to teach:
“You must imagine that the pain, curses, deficiencies, and other negative factors within your body are not ‘things you have decreasing,’ but rather ‘something negative has been added to a healthy and balanced state of your body.’ You need to perceive it as a flowing, dark liquid and use your spiritual power to move it to the position of your left middle finger.
“It is a substance like fuel, like smoke. It will dissipate with a sizzle when it comes into contact with flame…”
As he spoke, Bishop Mathers touched the flame with his left middle finger.
The ordinary flame suddenly brightened.
A faint flame extended from his fingertips to his entire body, as if his whole body was coated in a membrane of flame, radiating a glow.
The pain and aging on the old bishop’s body disappeared as if time were flowing backward—
The wrinkles on his face were smoothed out, his unnaturally pale hair regained its dark brown luster and elasticity, returning to its natural curly appearance. His old, turbid dark pupils, like solidified blood, became bright, resembling slightly darker amber.
His back straightened, his skin became fair, clean, and elastic.
He visibly became younger at an astonishing rate, only stopping when he appeared to be around thirty years old—
It wasn’t that lesions were burned away, nor that pain was dissolved. Rather, his body was completely restored to an “ideal state.” It was like a completely refurbished electronic product—apart from the inevitable loss of battery life, there was not the slightest trace of use.
And this Mathers could in no way be called an “old bishop.”
He pushed up his hexagonal black-rimmed glasses and revealed a self-satisfied smile. Even his voice had become younger:
“…Like this, Eivass. This is the Candlemaster’s gratitude and blessing to us who are willing to walk the Path of Devotion.
“Except for the natural loss of lifespan, we will be free from ailments for life. Our bodies will always be in peak condition, and therefore our lifespans will be much longer than normal people—because even if they die of old age, it is not because their lifespan has naturally run out, but because they have prematurely aged due to fatigue and wear, and after their bodies become fragile, they contract irreversible illnesses.
“But we will not encounter such a situation. The Fire Worship Magic, once skillfully mastered, can grant health and longevity—the Candlemaster has said, ‘Those who live for others need not suffer.’ And health is the most important thing, something others on other Paths cannot obtain. We cannot share this blessing with them.
“I am already forty-six years old this year, yet my appearance can be restored to even less than thirty years old after using ‘Fire Worship’ to recuperate my body. My bones, muscles, nerves, and organs can all be restored to this extent.
“If a person undergoes sufficient training and takes good care of their body and spirit, then at my age, it is theoretically possible for them to be this young. This is the ‘positive’ change that ‘Fire Worship’ can bring—of course, ordinary priests still cannot achieve this level. They can only turn negative numbers into zero, but they cannot yet turn zero into positive numbers.”
Seeing Samuel Mathers’ skillful use of Fire Worship Magic, which had resulted in an effect akin to rejuvenation, even Oswald looked astonished and full of admiration.
The rejuvenated Bishop Mathers smiled smugly at this.
Bishop Mathers had a good impression of Eivass and was full of expectations for his future.
Therefore, he desperately wanted Eivass to firmly walk the Path of Devotion.
Before, he had deliberately consumed his lifespan to become extremely old—and that was precisely to perform such a demonstration at this moment. Only when his own appearance was old and weak could this “rejuvenation” leave a deeply memorable impression.
“Of course,” Bishop Mathers quickly added, so as not to dampen Eivass’s confidence, “you don’t need to rush. For priests who have just come into contact with ‘Fire Worship,’ being able to slightly replenish their body’s deficiencies is already good. You were just sacrificed by a demon, and your life force must be somewhat depleted, which is why I am teaching you ‘Fire Worship’ first. This way, you can slowly replenish the life force, blood, and lifespan lost due to the sacrifice.
“The Sacred Skills are all easy to master, but they cannot be mastered immediately. Generally speaking, mastering ‘Fire Worship’ within five days is normal. I feel you should be able to preliminarily learn it within two days. The Illuminate Spell is much simpler and can be learned immediately, so we will cover it last. The Blessing is the most difficult, usually taking about a week to learn.
“So, this time I will only teach you how to practice. After you return home…”
Bishop Mathers’ words suddenly got stuck halfway.
Because he saw Eivass’s pupils suddenly become hollow.
A trace of sunset-like deep red seeped out of his sea-deep blue pupils. It was like the sea surface at dusk, the closer to the top it was, the deeper blue it became, and the closer to the bottom, it resembled the setting sun half-submerged below the horizon, shining with an almost golden red halo.
Eivass opened his left hand, aimed it at the candle flame, and touched the flame with his middle finger.
The flame instantly ignited and flowed into his blood vessels from his fingertips.
Eivass suddenly felt a sense of warm relaxation.
It was like after a long day of work, listening to soft music while soaking in a hot spring filled with fragrant herbs and flower petals. He felt the warmth soothing his entire body, and a strong sense of drowsiness and contentment washed over him.
In the world of pure white light that he envisioned, a deer slowly walked by.
The deer was transparent, with a pure and dazzling red color, like the finest ruby. The moment it appeared, Eivass’s gaze was irresistibly drawn to it.
—That was the Candlemaster! The Supreme Being of the Path of Devotion, the God of Devotion!
Unlike the immense pressure Eivass felt from the Silver Crown Dragon of the Path of Authority, gazing at the Candlemaster did not cause Eivass to hallucinate or feel pressure. This was because He had bound His divinity, allowing Him to interact with mortals—
His body was entwined with black thorns. These thorns pierced His skin, causing Him to bleed red blood. As He walked, blood dripped onto the ground, causing eternal red flames to rise from the footprints.
And His giant crystal-red antlers were like candelabras pointing in all directions, with dozens of clusters of pure white flames burning.
The deer slowly walked towards Eivass, who stood still like a statue, and gently licked his outstretched left hand.
Then, He raised His head and gently brought a wound on His neck, pierced by black thorns, to Eivass’s palm.
A drop of blood fell into Eivass’s hand and turned into a teardrop-shaped ruby.
Three lines of text appeared in Eivass’s mind.
These were the three choices of titles obtained each time he advanced on a Path—
[Flame Affinity LV1 (Blue): You crushed the Candlemaster’s blood and comprehended a bit of the essence of flame.]
[Eternal Health (White): You were cleansed by the Candlemaster’s blood, and can better resist diseases.]
[Flame Vessel LV1 (Blue): You consumed the Candlemaster’s blood, and your soul has been expanded.]
