Chapter 7, Harvest and Temptation

The desk immediately became empty, but strangely, apart from the spots where the three books were located, there were no signs of corrosion elsewhere. After a brief moment of confusion, Lucien understood the key point: "It seems to be another magical trap. When the concentration of the red mist reaches a certain level, the magical traps on those few magical notes activate on their own, destroying themselves to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy"

Lucien finally understood that both Haosen's disappearance and Gary's sudden attack were influenced by illusions, which likely began with the killing of the first red-eyed mouse. By the time the senses were completely obscured, it became difficult to distinguish reality. Only Lucien, having later received the protection of the Holy Light Shield and made some mental progress, was able to break free from the illusions

Paul's astonishment: "There is the Holy Emblem of Truth, yet there could still be unforeseen changes? Could there be other formal magicians?"

Unable to make a decision, Lucien temporarily set it aside. After all, he and the others were still in the secret chamber and had not completely escaped danger. Therefore, Lucien began to gather strength.

Such an attitude stems from Benjamin's background and his experiences throughout his life

The magic notes are in my mind anyway, let me take a look first, yes, this should be fine

Benjamin relaxed, letting fine white dust slip from his hands, uttering strange syllables. A strong wind swept through, carrying away the faint red mist without a trace

Wait, an illusion?! As Lucien thought of this, a rough conjecture formed in his mind. He concentrated his attention, allowing that feeling of mental tide to spread, and thus the scene no longer changed, the red mist no longer distorted, everything stabilized. The life-and-death struggle was indeed between Corea and Haosen, both of them bearing multiple wounds with blood flowing out, and their movements appeared very slow and laborious, as if they had reached their limit

Hearing these discussions, Lucien felt slightly dazed: "I cannot become a priest?"

Lucien nodded: "It has already been purified by Lord Benjamin and several guards"

To attain extraordinary power, one must likely resort to the study of magic

Such an attitude has directly influenced every young person who has become a pastor over the past several hundred years, including Benjamin

"Little Evans, have you purified the ghost?" Aunt Eliza asked from a distance

Breathing in the faint red mist of blood, Lucien felt his limbs go weak, his head throbbing and swelling. The scene of Koreya and Haosen fighting in his eyes suddenly transformed into Koreya and a giant rat, then back to the two of them engaged in mutual slaughter, as if hallucination and reality were overlapping.

What to do if one cannot read or write

As one of the most powerful families in the Principality of Vaulet, the Rafati family relies on the bloodline power known as "Divine Grace." However, unlike the knights, they wield this bloodline power to cast spells, making them true spellcasters. Benjamin, as a member of the Rafati family, despite having a diluted bloodline that prevents him from fully unleashing his inherent power, distinguished himself after entering the monastery at a young age. He successfully became a priest and steadfastly pursued the path of a spellcaster.

In Benjamin's mind, he harbored a deep prejudice against knights who relied on the strength of blood and flesh, considering them crude and base, far inferior to the noble spellcasters who sought the mysteries of the world, even if the latter were evil sorcerers. Therefore, he believed they were unworthy of wielding divine artifacts, and instinctively entrusted the Holy Emblem of Truth to Lucien, whose mental prowess surpassed that of ordinary individuals.

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Hesitant and struggling, Lucien decided to first take a look at the magical notes, thus entering the library in spirit and opening the magical notes.

Originally, if Lucien had succeeded smoothly this time, Benjamin would not have hesitated to reward him financially. If given the opportunity, he might even have secretly attempted to cultivate him. However, given the dangerous situation, Benjamin naturally lost the inclination to encourage Lucien. After confirming that Lucien was not hiding anything, he sent him away early. After all, while Corea and Housen were manageable, Gary, who had lost his right hand, posed a greater problem. Regenerating severed limbs was not a divine skill he could master.

Benjamin on the ground let out a muffled sound as Lucien activated the "Holy Emblem of Truth" with his mental touch, triggering the "Holy Light Strike". He lowered his right hand and looked at the secret passage with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty

Looking at these three magical notebooks, Lucien, who had just felt quite regretful, began to hesitate: "If I were to learn magic, in this world where divine arts are powerful enough to openly burn wizards to death, would it be too dangerous?"

Lucien had many concerns and indeed needed some quiet time. He nodded slightly, returned to his small room, sat by the bed, listening to Benjamin and the others coming out and then leaving, listening to the onlooking poor people departing, listening to the tranquility of the deep night returning, suppressing his longing for his parents deep within his heart

By casting healing spells at intervals of one to two seconds, Benjamin revived both Correa and Housen, and also healed Lucien's injuries

When Lucien saw Benjamin's white, holy robe, he felt a slight sense of relief, yet he still dared not relax. The secret chamber was such an excellent place for murder and silencing.

However, now that he is a formal pastor in charge of the church and the books, such a minor oversight has led to significant errors, which will inevitably affect his standing within the church. Therefore, Benjamin hurriedly went down.

After inquiring about the events from Lucien, Correa, Haussen, Gary, and others, Benjamin glanced at the desk and, having confirmed that they were not lying, instructed, "Move all the items from the secret room to the church, including the bodies of these mice."

The "Holy Emblem of Truth" can no longer activate any divine arts aside from the two bright spells, leaving it without its greatest reliance. Even the strength of its own physical body has become extremely feeble due to the paralyzing effect contained within the faint red mist

Lucien saw that Benjamin had no intention of silencing anyone, and with his mind preoccupied, he hurriedly made his way out of the secret room. Upon reaching the outside sewer, Lucien, whose spirit had crossed a certain threshold, suddenly heard a remark from Korea inside, which weighed heavily on his heart. He whispered to Housen: "Gary has lost his right hand; I fear he will no longer be able to become a knight, and he will likely be dismissed from the guard team"

Suddenly, Lucien saw the strange plant swaying unsteadily amidst the rustling debris that had fallen.

The gravel and dust dispersed, dissipating the faint red mist of blood, allowing Lucien's weakened limbs to regain some strength

Is it possible that this library still has the ability to collect books? But where does the content come from? Lucien was very surprised, or do I need to see the content with my own eyes? Well, although these three books were corroded very quickly just now, if the entire process were slowed down, they should still be corroded page by page. Could it be that this strange library is able to record the content from beginning to end, which is why there are projections of these three books? Otherwise, it would be impossible to fabricate content out of thin air

Suddenly, Lucien was taken aback as he noticed a strange glow emanating from the library within his soul

Is it the blood of the red-eyed mouse that possesses hallucinogenic properties, or is it the transformation of the blood after being absorbed by that strange plant that induces hallucinations? What a clever magical trap

Without breaking free, Lucien continued to exert force, while the strange plant emitted a mournful cry and extended its branches and leaves, wrapping them around Lucien's body.

It seems that Lucien has received the Lord's blessing this time, as he is able to wield the Holy Emblem of Truth

As this plant was torn in two by Lucien, the pale red mist in the surrounding air became increasingly dense, almost condensing into liquid

The sound of crying abruptly ceased, and Lucien was splashed with a pale red liquid from within the plant, the smell of blood overwhelming his senses. This, along with the imagery from the book, made Lucien's limbs feel increasingly weak, and he could only lean against the nearby stone wall to avoid collapsing to the ground

Lucien walked very slowly, his legs weak and unsteady. He stumbled several times on the gravel, sustaining numerous cuts and bruises, enduring excruciating pain, and even bleeding profusely from several wounds.

Out of curiosity, Lucien probed with his mind and then, with wide eyes, saw a brand new bookshelf appear in the library, on which were inscribed the words "Magic (Arcane)". On the shelf, there were already three books, which were precisely the three magic notes Lucien had seen earlier.

A damp, slimy, and disgusting sensation emanated from the skin, as countless tiny barbs pierced into his body. Lucien forcibly suppressed his fear and dread, pulling again with all his strength.

"Lapland Blood Vine?" Benjamin glanced at the condition of the secret room and quickly deduced the general process from his knowledge of magic and botany. He understood why Lucien, who was moving slowly against the wall, and Gary, who was on the brink of death on the ground, had ended up in such a situation. "Fortunately, they are all still alive"

Then, without reciting any incantations or casting any spell materials, he simply pointed at Gary, and a faint white light descended upon him, causing the charred skin to fall away, the wounds to heal, and lifting him from the brink of death to a state of ordinary severe injury

The strange plants had vanished, and the pale red mist grew fainter. Korya and Housen gradually freed themselves from the illusion, staring at each other in shock, but it was already too late; both were on the brink of death

Although Lucien had never considered becoming a priest due to his identity as a traveler, having just experienced the extraordinary and inhuman power of divine magic, being told that he could not pursue this path inevitably left him feeling a bit dejected

After a series of encounters, Lucien's naivety and confusion diminished significantly. Without hesitation, he held his breath and cautiously yet resolutely extended his right hand to grasp the trunk of that peculiar plant

At the same time, he caught the holy emblem that Lucien had brought over: "Your sins have been cleansed, go back and rest, may the Lord bless you"

Lucien's strength had recovered a bit, and just as he was about to lean against the stone wall and walk out of the secret chamber, he suddenly heard a sound of footsteps approaching. His heart immediately raced, and he felt tense; if it were a magical creature left behind by the witch or one of her companions, he feared he would have little chance of escape.

Lord Benjamin is indeed a formal pastor

The strange plant suddenly retracted all its branches and leaves, emitting a sharp and mournful scream, as if it were a dying person

Unfortunately, Lucien is no longer a child and cannot be sent to the monastery for nurturing; otherwise, it would be a great honor for our district to produce a Lord Lucien

"It has no other ability to protect itself besides creating illusions?" Lucien immediately realized this, forcing his weak and powerless limbs to stand up and walk towards that strange plant

This young man is quite fortunate; his mental strength has actually increased somewhat, reaching the level of a low-tier apprentice priest. It seems that the impact during his breakthrough has triggered my spiritual imprint. Unfortunately, we are no longer in the era over three hundred years ago when the church was immensely powerful, and one could learn divine arts solely based on talent. Without a solid foundation and systematic study of divine arts from a young age, one will never be able to become a formal priest. It must be said that it was indeed that 'Arcane Emperor' who initiated nearly four hundred years of rapid advancement in the development of divine arts and magic.

The three books on the nearby desk, which were shimmering with a faint glow, quickly corroded upon sensing the dense, pale red mist. From the first page to the last, it took only two or three seconds for them to completely vanish, so swiftly that Lucien and those nearby could not discern the contents written within.

Certainly, given Lucien's current state of paralysis, it is undoubtedly too late to intervene, and even taking a single step is a challenge.

Ah!

It is precisely because of the existence of the spiritual mark within the Holy Emblem that Benjamin felt at ease entrusting the Holy Emblem of Truth to Lucien for use. Otherwise, even though this emblem, as a standard divine artifact allocated to him, is significantly weaker than Benjamin's own strength and other divine artifacts, he would not casually hand it over to someone else. Who would have known that his spiritual mark would be triggered, failing to prevent the inappropriate activation of the divine art at a critical moment

The meridians in his subordinate throbbed, and the stream-like blood flowed vigorously. Lucien felt that what he was holding was not a plant, but a living organism, and then he suddenly yanked it to the side.

The "Holy Light Strike" that just shot from the Holy Emblem of Truth not only vaporized Gary's right hand and part of his shoulder, but also penetrated upwards, directly hitting the stone ceiling above the secret chamber, creating a deep hole. Fragments of stone fell like rain, as if the entire secret chamber could collapse at any moment

After a long while, a low, bemused voice of Lucien echoed in the room

However, once one chooses magic, one must become an enemy of the church and an adversary to the vast majority of ordinary people, including Aunt Eliza and her companions

"Poor little Evans, looking at your face, you must be exhausted. Hurry back and get some rest," Aunt Eliza said, noticing Lucien's pale complexion.

Unfortunately, these magical notes at https://m.hetushu.com are quite regrettable. Lucien sighed inwardly, for they were notes that could teach extraordinary powers

More importantly, over three hundred years ago, after the "Supreme Theological Conference," the Church split into two factions, one in the south and the other in the north, each accusing the other of heresy. However, despite this division, the acquisition of divine powers was not affected on either side. This led many bishops and cardinals to silently question the existence of God and whether this was a test for the faithful

Under the illumination of the silver moon, Benjamin's expression turned very grim. He whispered, "A change has occurred below; my spiritual mark within the holy emblem has been triggered. Damn it, just a mere magic apprentice has managed to bring this about. Truly useless! Paul, wait for me here. If I am not out within five minutes, you must seek assistance from the bishop."

Everyone became more relaxed and began to eagerly ask and communicate: "Lucien, what do ghosts look like? Are they scary?"

As a member of the Rafati family, Benjamin is more aware of global affairs than most clergymen, and his devotion to his faith seems less fervent. To be precise, Benjamin, as a member of the nobility, holds a position that is somewhat contradictory to that of Benjamin as a member of the church

Lucien, unsure of his own feelings, emerged from the secret passage and was immediately met with inquiries from the surrounding impoverished people

Lucien was unaware if there were any other sequential magical traps behind him, so even though he was temporarily safe, he did not dare to relax at all and quickly began to think of a solution

Lucien can only speculate at present; he will need to conduct several experiments with other books in the future to be certain

Lucien took a deep breath, suppressing the pain. Drawing on the temporary clarity and strength brought by the pain of his wound, he struggled to walk over to the strange plant.

Moreover, in order to adapt to the rapidly developing era, several popes have introduced knowledge obtained from the exploration of the great archmages to reform the theological foundations. Although this has similarly accelerated the development of divine arts and produced numerous powerful individuals, allowing the Southern Church to maintain its position of greatest influence, it has also further exacerbated the existing fractures in its already unstable internal faith, standing firm against the watchful eyes of many formidable enemies such as heretics, evil sorcerers, and dark creatures.

***

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I cannot become a priest, and it seems that due to not being trained from a young age, I also have little hope of becoming a knight and awakening my bloodline powers

Negligence and carelessness have always been the concomitants of arrogance and prejudice

Perhaps there are other paths

"Lord Benjamin?" The guard Paul, noticing Benjamin's strange behavior, hurriedly inquired