Chapter 897
The Sun is a Wound in the Sky
“You should be completely recovered. I’ve also cured your high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gout, myopia, cervical spondylosis, and arthritis,” said the demi-human, half-deer god, examining Sain’s condition with concern. “I’ve also adjusted the excess fat and visceral fat in your abdomen to a healthy state… you might need to re-adjust your center of gravity.”
“The Extraordinary Power of the Path of Wisdom offers very little physical enhancement. Remember to protect your body. Even though you’re a Fourth Tier Extraordinary, it doesn’t mean you won’t get sick. After all, you’re a Mage, not a Priest…” The deer-man shook his head. “However, your mage robes and staff… and your glasses, there’s nothing I can do about those.”
“Uh, I have a spare pair… would you like them?” Professor Bard said in a low voice from behind, holding a glasses case.
But no one paid him any attention at that moment. It wasn’t a matter of rudeness, but their minds had simply shut down. Everyone was amazed by the miracle unfolding before their eyes, uttering unspeakable praises and exclamations— a miracle of resurrection happening right before them! This wasn’t a ‘feigned death’ where breathing and heartbeat had stopped and then resumed, but rather that the upper half of the body, including the brain and heart, had completely turned to ash, only to regenerate entirely! This was something only gods could do… no, even gods couldn’t do it!
Of the many people who had died in the world, how many could be brought back by praying to a god? One? Two? The answer was none! Even monarchs, after accidental deaths, had no precedent of being resurrected. The notion that the dead cannot return to life had become common sense, and those who clamored about resurrection were instead ridiculed as superstitious by Extraordinary beings. Even when the “Pope” and Amber had spoken of resurrection before, everyone had assumed it was a form of soul manipulation. For instance, using gems that stored souls or something similar… drawing a person’s soul out of their corpse. Afterwards, remodeling the body into machinery or an undead, and then animating it with the gem. A cold, intelligent undead being— this was the most reasonable, feasible, and best form of “resurrection” they could imagine.
“My heavens…” Zhu Tang blurted out, then realizing where he was, repeated it in Star Antimony Language, “Father Serpent, forgive me… No, is this truly resurrection?”
“Zhu Tang,” Eivass’s deified voice echoed.
“Yes, your minister… no…” The familiar sense of authority made Zhu Tang respond subconsciously. But then he realized that the antlers did not belong to his own emperor, but to the god outside. And he himself was no longer a Taichang, so he could only smile bitterly. “I am here.”
“You should understand runes and totems very well. Please help me see what this means on my body.” He finally walked over, cautiously opened his eyes, and examined the runes on Eivass’s chest and abdomen. “This is…” he asked uncertainly, “May I… touch it?”
“Of course, please examine me.” Eivass’s latter half of the sentence switched to Taichu language. “Thank you, Mr. Zhu. I don’t understand much about this.”
Deconstructing totems is very troublesome, even more complex than heraldry. It requires a vast amount of professional knowledge, otherwise, it’s easy to misinterpret motifs with special meanings—like inversions or emphasis—as mere decorative patterns, or to mistake one totem for another. Elves are not skilled in rituals, so even Eivass had not learned much about rituals in the Church. Even the Cardinal among elves who was most skilled in rituals had learned it during his studies in the Taichu Empire. Zhu Tang, who managed to be exiled three times as an official, must have received a proper education—honestly speaking, a normal person wouldn’t be exiled three times; most would have been executed or imprisoned by the second time. This must be because he had some unique skills that they couldn’t bear to kill him but were furious with him. So they repeatedly exiled him to official posts in distant places, recalled him after a few years to ask if he had repented, and if he angered them again, they would send him even farther away… Yet, even so, they couldn’t bring themselves to kill him. It seemed Zhu Tang possessed some genuine knowledge. Taking advantage of his current display of his mythical form, Eivass intended to inquire. And Zhu Tang did not disappoint. After lightly touching the wound, he gave a very clear answer: “This is a totem of the Sun lineage, sir.”
“Elaborate,” Eivass, unable to understand “Sun lineage,” calmly prompted him to explain in detail. “The totem at the very top is a sun, specifically the sun at noon. It is a fresh wound, bleeding slightly when touched, and the color used is black. Black is the color of embers, and also the color of water. Therefore, the water here signifies a ‘bleeding place’… Taken together, it means ‘the sun is a wound in the sky,’ comparing oneself to the heavens and the wounds suffered to the sun. And this… the rune below means thorns, vines, weeds. That is, the parts that occupy the land but are inedible, apart from grains. However, below this is not a wound, but a hard scar. A scar signifies an old wound, and the black arc shape here refers to a river—thorns and weeds growing where there is a river. Weeds under the scorching sun, the concept I associate with is a kind of wasteland. Because the sun is too intense, the land becomes parched and cracked. People leave… and then water comes, and the land recovers. Without anyone to cultivate it, weeds and thorns grow there, which is ‘evil growing from old wounds.’ As far as I know, some people who have been betrayed like to use this totem to solidify their hatred and resolve.” Zhu Tang analyzed seriously. “But look at the sides here—around the position of the kidneys, there are subtle changes, do you see? Here, the totem is no longer weeds, but wheat. This means that some of the former weeds have turned into wheat; or rather, some of the wheat has not turned into weeds. Both interpretations are possible, and their meanings are opposite. The former means, ‘the forsaken have gained new vitality, gained their own power, and everything has healed.’ The latter implies, ‘even under the scorching sun, the unattended wheat field perseveres. This is about sticking to one’s path in the face of despair, even if that despair could destroy you at any moment…'”
“…Sounds like a Tarot reading,” Eivass, in his Sin Eater Beast form, quipped. “It has interpretations both forward and backward.”
“About that,” Zhu Tang nodded. “For this very reason, it’s best not to engrave totems on your body. If you’re not a professional, you can’t possibly analyze what these totems foretell and what power they bring…”
“Then what if I say these thorns are actually ‘Sin Thorns’?” Eivass retorted, and simultaneously activated the Sin Thorns within his body, causing them to swell from the wound.
Seeing this terrifying sight, Zhu Tang subconsciously took two steps back. He wiped his fingers on his clothes, then looked down carefully. Confirming that there were no wounds on his fingertips, he breathed a sigh of relief and said in a low voice, “Then the meaning becomes much clearer… It roughly means ‘the sun is a wound in the sky, and all celestial radiance is the blood of the sky,’ and ‘Sin Thorns are the old scars of the earth, they are the kindred brothers of all beings.'”
“…Scars of the earth,” Eivass murmured, lost in thought. “Kindred brothers…” Suddenly, Eivass thought of the place where he was. “The Sky-Piercing Tower…” These Winged Ones can already fly. What sky are they reaching for? The Sky-Eating Behemoth Nibiru, if its name is not just an exaggerated title… what sky does it eat? The second sun had burst into countless stars, plunging the world into eternal darkness, until the third sun was born from the Three-legged Golden Crow… But if the sun is a wound in the sky, how can a wound “burst”?
“If you’re interested,” Cardinal Galatea said softly, “then let’s go up further. We’re almost there… when we reach the ninth floor, you’ll see it.”
(End of Chapter)
