novelonline Chapter 3988 Life and Death
Chapter 3988 Life and Death
Chapter 3988 Life and Death
"It sounds like the corpse you mentioned is very similar to the machine that Shad encountered in Arcadia and the out-of-control machine from the explosion at the Royal Academy of Sciences in Tobesk, only the materials are different."
Luvia said what everyone had thought of, and Iluna nodded:
"Yes, and this matter wasn't handled solely by the [Church of Creation]. I summoned the leaders of three churches, and sure enough, we discovered that only a power with the nature of 'destruction' could completely annihilate them. Now, apart from one complete corpse sealed by a divine ritual for research purposes, all the other corpses have been thoroughly destroyed, and as expected, crimson 'life sparks' appeared during their destruction."
I even made a point of observing the expression of the 'Iron Right Hand' of the [Church of Creation], but unfortunately I didn't find any useful clues.
Besides coming for a free meal, Iluna's main purpose in arriving early in the morning was to inform Shad of this news:
"In other words, besides mechanical creations, the spark that symbolizes 'twisted life' can also appear on the dead, resulting in the birth of a group of 'undead' without any undead characteristics."
After she finished speaking, she noticed that the others at the table didn't seem particularly surprised. Having witnessed the artifacts go out of control in front of the ancient god statue last night, Shad had already guessed that the "Spark of Life" would reappear in an even more troublesome way.
So, as Winnie served breakfast, Shad, Luvia, and Megan told Iluna about what happened the previous night. During breakfast, Shad also explained to Iluna what he had experienced in Arcadia these past few days—
Mr. Bernhardt proposed the emergence of "New Humans," the "Alliance of the Holy Sons," and "Abomination," as well as the appearance of traces of the "Blood Spirit School."
"So much happened in just one weekend?"
Out of curiosity, Iluna also examined the "source of the flame." When an eye formed of flame floated in Iluna's palm, the eighteen-year-old girl understood the essence of the "spark of life":
"This is truly remarkable, but the fact that it can be crafted into such a stable form is even more astonishing. So, do you believe that a similar 'Spark' might exist within the [Church of Creation]?"
She asked again, and Luvia nodded:
“Iluna, I hope you can investigate this matter thoroughly and find out exactly what the Church of Creation is doing. What Shad and I are most worried about right now is that the entire Church of Creation is using this kind of thing, but that is only the worst-case scenario.”
"If Iluna really finds out that the entire [Church of Creation] is problematic, then she can call on all the chosen ones to put pressure on them together."
Megan then suggested, but also reminded Iluna to be careful if she investigated the matter further.
Iluna was aware of the risks involved, but she was not afraid of such a challenge:
“Then leave the matters of the Holy Son Alliance and the Church to me. Luvia, you just said that the ‘Spark Source’ needs to devour more sparks to become stronger. In that case, the Church of Creation will definitely continue to pay attention to and collect those abnormal activated machines, just like in the Tobesk incident last Saturday. This will be a good breakthrough, but it seems that the Church of Creation does not know that sparks can appear in corpses.”
"I was thinking of something else."
Shad patted Mia, who was drinking goat milk with her head down, and asked when the girls all looked over:
“Since the ‘spark of life’ can appear in machines and corpses, can it appear in living people? The biggest difference between a corpse and a living person is whether or not they have a soul, but based on my feelings, a soul does not have the ability to resist the spark of life.”
No one could answer this question, but Iluna thought of the "snake-like plague" that occurred because of Mr. Snake during the Fatummont Island incident:
"Will it cause bodily deformities?"
Luvia wasn't so optimistic:
"If Shad's conjecture is correct, bodily deformation is probably the mildest form. The flesh-and-blood deformities Shad saw in the 'Blood Factory' are probably the most likely scenario. Moreover, according to Iluna, those who possess the Fire Seed can also corrupt the life force of other life forms. Doesn't this resemble a calamity of the undead? Except, this time the corpses are alive."
Xia De had even more ideas:
"The spark of life seems to give inanimate objects almost unlimited kinetic energy, but if people dare to use them as an energy source, steam engines or other equipment will eventually become living things."
In my view, the final form of the calamity created will also involve the earth and mountains coming to life, transforming the entire world into a writhing, twisted, and frenzied life form. After all, although only machinery and flesh currently possess life, no one knows whether this is the limit of the spark.
Meghan imagined it:
"That scene must have been spectacular, right?"
Shad still wanted to know more about the "Spark of Life." So, after breakfast, Shad went to Mitchell on Monday morning to find Grace and Helen. The Red Butterfly girls also came from the Fifth Age. Although they had lost some of their memories due to soul damage, they might know something about it.
“We’ve heard of mechanical plagues, but we’ve never seen one before; it’s a very rare occurrence. As for Mr. Spark, this Flame Eye is truly beautiful. Its twisted and disordered life force reminds us of the days when we were just simple relics.”
Next, Shad went to the sacrificial site atop the mountains, where Sister Daphne was indeed located at the deepest part of the sacrificial site.
As usual, she knelt by the brazier, her head bowed, listening quietly as Shad recounted his recent experiences as the firelight danced on his mithril eyepatch.
“No, I have never heard of ‘the spark of life’. Perhaps it is recorded in the ancient texts of the Order; I need time to look it up.”
But what Xia De was most concerned about was something else:
"Can the Primordial Flame devour this 'spark'?"
As he spoke, Shad handed the silver metal eye to the nun. The nun took it but did not activate it. Instead, she created flames in her palm and enveloped the metal eye within them.
After a moment she shook her head:
"The spark of life is not a spark; its essence remains life force. Before the primordial flame is complete, I do not recommend using flames to devour this calamity of the world."
"Then, Sister, can a predetermined death erase this twisted life force? Death is a force opposed to life, isn't it?"
Shad asked again, and the nun paused for a moment:
"We need to try it to determine."
This "spark" will be used to collect and contain more sparks for research, and Xia De doesn't have a second "breeding mark," so he can't bear to destroy it here.
He rummaged through his pocket and quickly found the card containing the spare pocket watch. After restoring the watch to its original position on the ground, Shad activated the "Spark" in his palm, directing the burning eye towards the pocket watch.
Although the power in the "Spark Source" currently comes entirely from the out-of-control [Active Metal], it is more than enough to activate a pocket watch, with only about one percent of the power being lost.
As Shad held the "Spark" aloft in his right hand, he truly felt as if he had gained a third eye. After less than ten seconds of this "gaze," with a series of cracking sounds, the pocket watch sprouted four pairs of spider legs, then rapidly moved towards...
With a flash of black light, before Shad could even see the details of Sister Daphne's attack, the pocket watch shattered into four pieces. It wasn't completely destroyed, but it had lost all its life force, and even the flame had been completely extinguished.
“The power of death can completely extinguish the ‘spark,’ but it requires an extremely high quality ‘death,’ which is no different from destruction.”
The nun spoke softly, and Shad nodded in understanding:
"It's simpler than dealing with the Infinite Serpent. With your power, the Mystic Art: Black Moon Mark, and the Relic: One-Hit Kill Gun, we now have so many ways to deal with the 'Spark of Life.' In that case, shouldn't the ancient god who created [Twilight Creator] also be called the 'God of Life'? After all, the calamities created are more manifested in the aspect of life."
"Life itself is creation. Machines can be seen as creations of intelligent life, and life itself is also a creation of intelligent life."
The nun answered, but did not elaborate further; she changed the subject:
"The Spiritual Order had contact with the Holy Son Alliance a long, long time ago. The nuns of that generation left us, their descendants, with these words—a sinful life will surely be consumed in the fire. This is beneficial to the world, and to the First Flame."
If it comes to dealing with this organization and the 'container' they created, I will go and help.
"Of course, no problem. I'm relieved to have you here, Sister. Of the seven surviving chosen ones, you're the most suitable to help. The Earth Guardians can't easily leave the Heart of the Earth, and the others have their own circumstances. For example, Mr. Albert is still sealed, and Emilia and Ellie, who are a bit more free, aren't strong enough."
"Sister, have you ever been to Arcadia? It's a very beautiful city, and the spring night view of the Upper Town Park is simply breathtaking."
Normally, Shad would leave after finishing his business, but ever since that kiss after the Battle of Destiny, he would always come and chat about trivial things before leaving. Daveline never said anything about this; she simply remained silent when Shad talked about these "trivial" matters.
But this didn't mean Sister Daphne didn't respond; Shad was certain she was listening attentively each time. Shad had different ways of interacting with different girls, and he never expected Sister Daphne to interact with him like Lacey did. Perhaps the nun's charm, in the eyes of outsiders, lay in her silent listening.
Shad actually liked it this way.
I left the spiritual community at 10 a.m., and the next stop was Arcadia.
Although he wanted to talk to old Mr. Leberi about the Baron's theft and the manuscript's disappearance in a short time, Shade first took a carriage to the "Finch Gear Workshop" in the outer city, wanting to share his information with old Mr. Finch.
The old inventor actually spent most of his time in the outer city, only visiting the "Miracle Tower" in the upper city when necessary. On this gloomy but rainless morning, Shad successfully found him in the workshop.
Instead of discussing business with Shad in his shop, Mr. Finch led Shad through the backyard into his factory. The old man's factory mainly produced metal parts for steam engines; although small, he said business was quite good.