Chapter 521: Is Eivass Delicious?
Eivass, holding the Sun Scepter, followed Matilda deeper into the Ordination Department.
He walked on a deep red carpet, feeling for a moment like a celebrity walking the red carpet.
On both sides of the red carpet, spectators slowly entered. Most of them were elves. Although there were many people, they maintained a polite silence, making the atmosphere completely devoid of noise. After a while, Eivass finally spotted Sherlock, Lily, and CHUN BAI standing at the very front among the spectators.
When the crowd stopped entering, Matilda had just led Eivass to the end.
There, an embossed dark gold metal mural reflected radiance under the flames. It seemed to be made of copper, or perhaps gold. The patterns were raised, giving it a very three-dimensional appearance.
The scene was simple and easy to understand.
Two women and one man, three clearly elven beings, knelt before the Candlemaster. The crimson deer clad in Sin Thorns was too easy to identify – its immense antlers all pointed towards the sky, and each branch of the antlers looked like a candle flame, illuminating the darkness.
The entire scene was irregular… or rather, the area illuminated by the deer’s light within the mural was just a small section.
Eivass’s gaze inevitably fell upon the mural.
Matilda raised her hands as if praising the sun.
She solemnly praised the mural, “We beg the Candlemaster!”
The next moment, all the candles in the room instantly extinguished, and then were simultaneously relit.
They were no longer the silent, sticker-like red flames from before.
Instead, they were incredibly slender, pure white pure radiance—
These candle flames were exceptionally delicate, like individual vertical pupils.
The previously dim interior instantly became as bright as day.
“I solemnly call upon you, the noble Fire Stealer!
“God of Sacred Number Three, God of Sin Thorns Binding the Body, God of Burning Body and Chasing Darkness—the Deer of the Candlemaster!”
The next moment, the candle flame that Eivass was staring at, and the entire world before his eyes, suddenly zoomed in from afar like a speeding truck crashing into him!
In an instant, Eivass’s vision was swallowed by rapidly enlarging pure white flames.
The surroundings instantly became extremely quiet, and Eivass found himself in a pure white space in a trance.
After a brief hesitation, Eivass suddenly realized.
Yes, he had been here before.
The first time he learned the art of Fire Worship in St. Genevieve’s Chapel, he had seen the Candlemaster within the fire through contemplation.
Therefore, if nothing unexpected happened…
In that world of pure white light, a majestic and beautiful deer slowly walked towards him.
Its entire body was pure red, and its antlers were a deeper shade of red. At the tip of each antler, a ball of white flame burned. Even though the surrounding space was white, the color and shape of those flames were still visible—they were light within light, white within white.
And its body was entwined with black Sin Thorns. These thorns pierced its skin, causing it to bleed blood as red as fire. As it walked, blood dripped onto the ground from its hooves, causing clusters of eternally burning red footprints to rise in the pure white space.
The first time he ascended, Eivass couldn’t see the Candlemaster’s appearance clearly.
Now, Eivass was instantly struck by its breathtaking beauty and divinity.
He was robbed of his ability to speak and act, frozen in place.
The Candlemaster slowly approached and lowered its head to lick Eivass’s arm.
Eivass looked down and found that the crystal snake scales on his forearm were slowly dissipating.
These were the uncomfortable reactions that appeared on Eivass’s body when he was influenced by the power of the Ring Heavenly Envoy. Even after Eivass completed his ascension, they had not disappeared… because Eivass’s soul itself had undergone a mutation. It was like cancer in the body.
Now, under the Candlemaster’s lick, the influence of the Ring Heavenly Envoy completely receded.
As it completely disappeared, Eivass felt a sudden, inexplicable emotion—it was like the feeling after finishing the college entrance examination, as if something that had been weighing on his heart had vanished. He felt relaxed, and even the heavy schoolbag on his back didn’t feel so heavy anymore.
“You will be burned to ashes,”
A gentle, low voice echoed in Eivass’s ear.
“Or soar into the sky and illuminate the heavens.”
The Candlemaster’s voice was warm and bright, making one feel inexplicably moved and at ease.
It felt like a gentle father, a reliable elder brother, or a stern yet approachable teacher. Although, strictly speaking, Eivass no longer remembered his father’s voice, he had this feeling.
“I will… burn?”
Eivass murmured.
“This is the paradox of illumination: light reveals, but light also blinds. Those with complete eyes cannot behold the light, except for light itself. Will you burn?”
The Candlemaster replied.
—He didn’t understand.
Eivass thought wryly.
He dared not casually interpret what these riddlers meant. If he misunderstood, it would be better not to understand at all.
However, the Candlemaster seemed to sense that Eivass hadn’t understood. So, it further explained:
“There are only two paths to pursue light—become fire yourself, and do not see the light.”
“You have chosen the latter; now is the time to seal the window.”
Eivass understood.
Because among the advanced professions of Torchbearer or Illuminator, Eivass had chosen the latter. Now it was time for physical modification.
An Illuminator did not need to burn his life to become a torch. As one who illuminates, he also could not gaze at the light for too long.
If Eivass understood correctly, he needed to sacrifice at least one eye to continue his advancement.
“I choose… the right eye.”
Eivass replied.
—If one didn’t care about the convenience of daily life, sacrificing both eyes would undoubtedly grant immense buffs. The Path of Devotion was like this; the more you gave up, the more you gained.
The Candlemaster gently licked Eivass’s right eye.
There was no pain—he just felt a warmth, and Eivass felt his right eye’s vision disappear.
The next moment, Eivass felt a damp sensation.
He reached out to touch it but was suddenly pricked.
Eivass hissed softly, feeling blood flowing from his right eye. He forcefully pulled it out, only to find it was a black Sin Thorn.
—The beans he had eaten earlier had indeed turned into Sin Thorns.
After being pulled out by Eivass, the black Sin Thorn quickly withered. As it withered, it condensed into small red fruits. Finally, the black Sin Thorn turned into ashes, leaving behind only a small handful of red fruits, about the size of thirty pomegranate seeds, in Eivass’s palm.
“Are these… wild dates?”
Eivass asked in astonishment.
He knew that thorny branches could bear dates.
…But now he could also grow dates?
He instinctively felt that the Sin Thorns growing from his eyes during his dream might not disappear anytime soon. This meant he could grow a small handful of these wild dates periodically.
—So, can this be eaten? Is it delicious? How is it eaten?
Eivass clutched the wild dates, and these thoughts entered his mind.
He subconsciously opened his eyes, only to find that his right eye was not completely blind—his right eye clearly saw these dates shimmering with red devotionary light and faint black energy.
It seemed like a true sight.
As Eivass thought this, the surrounding white space rapidly receded.
He found himself back at the consecration ceremony in a daze.
The ceremony was now nearing its end. The Sun Scepter in his hand had been surrendered and was now in Cardinal Matilda’s hands. Eivass stood with his hands clasped, holding a handful of red fruits.
Blood slowly flowed from his right eye, his originally bright blue pupil turning an amber, dim yellow.
Cardinal Matilda was solemnly placing the Episcopal Crown, complete with lit candles, onto her head, along with two smaller candles. These candles, made from the Giant Tree, were capable of prolonged burning and emitted a stable light, similar in scale to Bishop Mathers.
Immediately after, Cardinal Matilda placed the Episcopal Crown on Eivass’s head and lightly touched it with the Sun Scepter in her hand.
Golden radiance rippled through the space like waves.
Eivass’s two mismatched eyes simultaneously ignited with bright crimson radiance.
The golden ceremonial robe on his body moved as if no wind was blowing. The inscriptions on the scarf-like golden shoulder strap lit up one by one, shining with radiance. Even the “Offering the Wings of Freedom” on Eivass’s back was activated and ignited with radiance.
As the flame on Eivass’s Episcopal Crown ignited and extinguished, the light on Eivass’s body gradually dissipated.
Certification complete.
All the surrounding spectators bowed respectfully to Eivass and then dispersed in small groups.
They had personally witnessed the ascension of the new Archbishop and were clearly satisfied. CHUN BAI also nodded at Eivass, and Sherlock and Lily clapped happily.
“Archbishop Moriarty, congratulations.”
Cardinal Matilda smiled and nodded at Eivass. “The ceremony is all over. I’ll take you to your rooms later. When the study of High-Tier Divine Art officially begins in some time, we’ll meet again.”
She looked at the fruits that had suddenly appeared in Eivass’s hand with some curiosity and politely asked, “By the way… what are these?”
“These should be dates,” Eivass replied.
—Dates that grew on my body. It seems you might not grow these.
Strange, right?
Eivass said to himself.
“Forgive my impudence… may I try one?”
Cardinal Matilda seemed curious. “Of course, it’s okay if you can’t. I can help you find a container to store them.”
It was the first time she had seen a bishop holding a handful of dates after their ascension.
Typically, one would ignite directly, leaving a few scars. The holy oil applied beforehand was to prevent excessive damage to the body and to protect the clothes—to avoid completely burning them off in public.
In the end, Eivass didn’t burn at all, but instead lost an eye and had a handful of dates in his hand.
…Is this a gift or compensation from the Candlemaster?
“—Please, go ahead.”
Eivass unhesitatingly offered the dates he held in his hands.
Besides, he wanted to find someone to test their effect on.
Matilda was a Cardinal of the Fifth Tier. If these things couldn’t be eaten, then perhaps Extraordinary beings on the Path of Devotion, with their tough skin and high resistance, wouldn’t be killed by poison.
“Please, feel free to try them, don’t be polite.”
Eivass said enthusiastically.
Update complete, meow!
The update is no longer at noon, so don’t wait to time it… However, the cat should still finish writing before 6 p.m., so you can wait until the evening, meow.
Getting ready to play Last Epoch, long-awaited! (Rubbing paws)
(End of this chapter)
