Chapter 437
If possible, the required number of destiny points would likely be astronomical...
"Is it possible to replicate one myself?"
What exactly is the structure within the node? If, as Henry said, the route is fixed each time, then how could Xiao Zuo retrieve the feather quill after entering?
After all, the feather quill was something that Shaer had discarded in Boleun City... It’s hard to believe that in those few seconds, Xiao Zuo dashed to Boleun City and then instantly teleported back to Ansu City, right?
While Shaer was still pondering the node before her, the Pope, glancing at the red-haired girl beside her, seemed to fall into deep thought as well.
The scarlet light of blood illuminated the red-haired Shaer, making her pupils and long hair appear to glow, as if her strands were merging with the swirling blood before her.
What astonished the Pope the most was the title that the Archbishop of the Holy Ascendancy had just used for Shaer.
Mother Goddess...
Is that for real?
If that second-tier Archbishop might have been deceived, there was still a fourth-tier Cardinal waiting above... Clearly, that Cardinal also recognized the identity of the girl before her.
If Shaer were some third or fourth-tier extraordinary being, or a "Subverter" capable of disturbing minds, the Pope would never believe the term "Mother Goddess"... But the girl beside her was clearly an ordinary person, devoid of any magical power...
This, in fact, made the Pope believe just a little.
Perhaps stunned by her own inner speculations, the Pope instinctively took a step back, distancing herself from the girl before her.
The retreat was merely a reflex, but reason told her she should stay and see what the other party intended to do.
"Can you tell me about your research on this node?" Shaer turned to the Pope and asked.
"Only those with exceptional mental gifts, those who can become Saints, have the right to briefly step into the Otherworld," the Pope began slowly. "Moreover, each time before entering, a portion of a sacrifice is required to activate the node before us..."
"Mm..." Shaer nodded slightly, beginning to grasp the operational logic of this node.
It was a semi-dormant blood array, connecting to a gate of the Otherworld. Normally, like now, it remained in a semi-dormant state, only expanding enough for someone to enter when sufficient sacrifices were consumed.
The blood and flesh offered as sacrifices were likely partially diverted to sustain and stabilize this node.
"Do you have any records of your previous explorations inside?" Shaer asked the Pope.
"Yes," the Pope nodded slightly, placing her hand on her abdomen. The iron armor in front of her melted, revealing a hole, and she reached inside to retrieve a record.
"This is a copy," she said, handing the notes to Shaer.
The Pope didn’t mind sharing this information; she even hoped the other party could learn more to assist her in further exploring the depths of this node.
At that moment, Xiao Zuo, who had been resting on Shaer’s shoulder, seemed to be losing energy. After waving its little fingers in front of Shaer, it leaped into the Otherworld node like a jumping bead, disappearing from sight.
Without more blood to sustain it, Xiao Zuo could no longer endure the consumption outside the Otherworld.
Shaer had no intention of continuing to feed Xiao Zuo blood, as it couldn’t help her explore the Otherworld.
Though it could instinctively assist Shaer with some tasks and engage in very simple communication, its intelligence was still too low to converse normally like an Anworm.
Shaer reached out and took the notebook from the Pope, opening it directly.
It was a sort of exploration journal, written in the first person, documenting the sights and sounds of the Otherworld... From the varying narrative styles and signatures, it was clear that every two or three pages, a different person had contributed.
Shaer quickly flipped through the pages and soon paused on one.
She saw the name of the explorer—Niya.
Most of the content was vague, much like the first-person accounts of others, filled with descriptions of pain and oppression in the Otherworld, along with the hallucinations seen after mental breakdowns.
However, most records mentioned a black ancient castle... This proved that they had all entered the same Otherworld space through this node, and through the trial and error of different individuals, they had gradually discovered a relatively safe route to the castle's entrance.
It was a path paved with lives.
But in the first-person account following Niya's, Shaer finally found some useful information.
That person had brought something out from the Otherworld—a polluted brain.
So it wasn’t just written materials that were brought out? It seemed Lafayette was also unaware of the truth...
"You studied that brain and obtained information on the 'Artificial Divine Essence' from it?" Shaer continued flipping through the pages, casually asking.
"Exactly," the Pope replied without hesitation. "This is our main research direction so far... There are more similar items inside, but the subsequent Saints can no longer approach them."
Their mental powers were ultimately limited; even if they had discovered a relatively safe path, they could not delve deeper... Continuing forward would likely lead to getting lost inside.
Even the previous Saintess who had lost herself and succumbed to madness would become an obstacle for those who followed.
It was clear that the Pope hoped someone could bring back another sample of that brain.
Shaer flipped back in the notebook to the page where the brain was found.
【I can’t believe what I saw... A deep green brain, connected like a tumor, clinging to the drawbridge in front of the castle. Just getting close, terrifying illusions and phantoms appeared before me...】
【I crawled over with all my might, using a spirit blade to carve out a piece... The entire castle seemed to boil, and my ears were filled with piercing howls and screams, nearly driving me to the brink of mental collapse...】
【I ran back like a madman, my mind filled only with fear and the instinct to escape... The brain was already in my possession... Please, don’t make me go back in there...】
This was the last entry left by that person, with the concluding remark "lost," likely indicating they were thrown back into the Otherworld, completely lost within, unable to find their way back.
Shaer gazed at the notebook, deep in thought.
Seemingly casually, she asked, "Has Qiangyin seen this notebook?"
The Pope paused at Shaer’s question but chose to answer, "No, this notebook is only for my eyes; Qiangyin has only seen the part you’re looking at now."
Qiangyin hasn’t seen the whole thing?
That opens up a lot of possibilities...
This could be the starting point to deceive Qiangyin; the complete "uniqueness" lies within, and he could be lured to retrieve it himself, giving him a reason to enter the Otherworld node.
Previously, Qiangyin wouldn’t have actively ventured deeper into the Otherworld, so he could choose to escape when sensing danger.
But if he were truly tempted by the "uniqueness" to go deeper, as long as Shaer could endure longer than him, what awaited Qiangyin would be nothing but getting lost inside.
However, in reality, Shaer wasn’t sure if engaging with the Order of the Divine was a good choice—it wasn’t as easily controlled as the Church of the Savior or the Holy Ascendancy.
Shaer closed the notebook and handed it back to the Pope, simultaneously asking one last question.
"One final question," Shaer looked at the Pope of the Order of the Divine and asked, "Has Qiangyin seen this Otherworld node?"
"He has," the Pope nodded. "Every qualified collaborator can see it."
As long as he has seen it...
Daring to let Qiangyin see this, it seems the Pope is quite confident that even he can’t take this Otherworld node away.
As long as Shaer can perfectly replicate this Otherworld node, she would possess the final piece to topple Qiangyin.
Driving others mad in the Otherworld, making them lose their sanity in reality... For some reason, this method reminded Shaer of a familiar system skill.
【Nemesis】.
The ability of the Nemesis seems to have a similar effect to the pollution of the Otherworld, except that the trigger for 【Nemesis】 requires eye contact with Shaer, while the Otherworld needs no such conditions.
"Can I borrow a knife?" Shaer raised her hand towards the Pope.
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