Chapter 619: Relationships
As the saying goes, "An outsider watches the fun, an insider watches the skill."
Although Wayne had a general understanding of the myths of the South New Continent in his "Preliminary Exploration of Archaeology and Cultural Relics" course at the academy, that was obviously something written from the perspective of ordinary people, and it was not the same as practical knowledge in the extraordinary world.
After a brief encounter, even though the guy who self-destructed in the small wooden house had turned into a shriveled, pus-oozing corpse that was not completely mummified, leaving no last words, Inessa and Lina quickly identified him based on their respective knowledge and extraordinary experiences.
On the carriage returning to the workshop, the three partners were routinely exchanging information. Inessa, in a sense, had a "reunion with an old acquaintance" with the Silent Sect, and her information was particularly rich:
"In the original Aztec mythology, the Feathered Serpent god, Quetzalcoatl, was one of the four creation gods, second only to the First God, and held a very high status. In their mythical epoch, He once held the esteemed position of the Sun God, becoming the ruler of the present world, only to be defeated and abdicate during the transition between two 'Old Destruction Epochs.'
"However, in their myths, the First God and several creation gods are immortal. Therefore, even though He lost His dominant position, He can still continuously transform and be reborn in their layer of the divine realm, and can project avatars of different forms into the present world. This is also one of the reasons why the Feathered Serpent has multiple forms even in the South New Continent alone."
"However, the 'Coatle' worshipped by the Silent Sect is very different from the original Feathered Serpent belief. The myths and related scriptures brought back to the Old Continent by the Franks were incomplete, and after translation into different languages, as well as misinterpretations and deliberate deletions during the spread of the myths, they are basically completely different from the original belief."
"You can consider 'Coatle' to be one of the avatar projections of 'Quetzalcoatl,' or you can consider the former to be the latter's transformation and rebirth, or even that there is no relationship between the two, simply that their images are similar. The Hunter Association does not delve into the details of these myths; it only distinguishes between 'harmful' or 'harmless' in reality."
At this point, Inessa turned to look at Wayne, who was slumped in his seat, "Did you notice what that person shouted before the curse erupted?"
Wayne nodded slightly, "I heard it at the time. But that wasn't Windsor, nor did it seem like Ireland?"
"Mm," Inessa nodded in confirmation, "That is a prayer or spell circulated within the Silent Sect, used to implore Coatle for blessings and attention. It is also one of the reasons why countless Scholars cannot determine whether 'Coatle' and Aztec mythology are actually related."
"From the perspective of transmission, that phrase was first heard by the Franks from local priests. After being recorded in Frankish, it was transliterated into Frankish in the Old Continent, and finally reached Windsor and was transliterated again, gradually giving birth to the prototype of the Silent Sect in the form of a secret cult."
"After verification by professional Scholars, that phrase no longer belongs to any language. Whether written or spoken, it is completely different from the original version. Yet, it is precisely such a seemingly imagined prayer that can indeed trigger extraordinary effects related to 'Coatle,' which many extraordinary Scholars find incomprehensible."
How the hell is this even possible...?
If the original "Quetzalcoatl" sounded like a legitimate god with gravitas, then the Silent Sect's "Coatle" seemed a bit too casual... If someone randomly shouted, He would dare to join in the fun; He was far too unpicky.
Wayne quickly understood the Hunter Association's mindset back then, and following suit, he stopped delving into it, choosing to give up on a cure, and instead focused on a more practical level: "Was that guy just now considered very powerful in the Silent Sect?"
"His own rank is estimated to be Tier 4 or Tier 5, and his combat experience seems to be quite rich, so he should be considered one of their good hands. The reason his final curse eruption had such great power was because he activated the magic circle that had been set up in advance in the small wooden house, borrowing a lot of extra extraordinary power."
"However, in many hidden organizations, the internal status of believers is not entirely dependent on their own rank and combat ability. Instead, they place more importance on the closeness of their connection with the deity they worship."
As Inessa spoke, she subconsciously glanced at Lina, then continued, "Since he could attract a projection of 'Coatle,' he couldn't be a low-level believer. He likely has his own team. Or, more seriously, he might just be a member of a high-tier team, responsible for opening up 'new parishes' in the New World."
Understood, roughly equivalent to the so-called "middle management" or "elite backbone."
Comparing them horizontally within the Detective Agency, they would probably be like Connal and Daimon McQueedy, the top tier of the Arena?
Hiss... Compared like this, Connal couldn't even beat him. While there might be factors like extraordinary abilities restraining or the other party calling upon an evil god to cheat, the other party might not even be the leader of the team. Looking at it this way, the Detective Agency doesn't seem to have the advantage right now...
Lina, on the other hand, remained relaxed, as if carrying the natural suppression of a superior on the food chain over an inferior:
"Don't worry, those people from the Silent Sect are just better at concocting rituals and planning sacrifices. They might not be that powerful in a real fight. If you're worried about casualties among the Agents, you can help me distract those Church people then. I'm not afraid of their curses—at least I should be able to escape."
Wayne pondered for a moment, "I have a question. If both that 'Coatle' and the 'Wise Sage' appear simultaneously, which one would the Church people generally prioritize attacking?"
"Hmm..."
Inessa and Lina both fell into thought. The latter quickly answered first, "They should attack 'Coatle' first."
Then Inessa also nodded in agreement, "Although They are in different domains, 'Coatle' can only be considered a niche deity in the 'death' domain, and Its believers are concentrated in the single organization of the Silent Sect."
"While the rank of the 'Wise Sage' may not be as high as a 'Holy Spirit,' He is now recognized as a representative deity who can almost exclusively occupy an entire domain. If He truly descends, the response strategy of most organizations would likely be to evacuate quickly and call for reinforcements from headquarters in a timely manner."
Holy crap?!
Wayne's gaze towards Lina instantly filled with awe, as if he were looking at a member of the Windsor Kingdom's royal family or something. It didn't matter how many people she herself could fight; if she really called, who knew what heavenly soldiers and generals would be summoned: "Uh... Lina, you haven't been wronged during your time at our Detective Agency, have you?"
Lina saw through Wayne's little scheme at a glance, "You're overreacting a bit... With my rank, even if I sacrificed myself with my blood, I couldn't make the Sage truly descend."
"Then..." Wayne tentatively raised his fist, blowing on it casually.
Lina put her hands on her hips, and Peter the Spider also climbed onto her shoulder, "If there were no Cathedral people present tonight, I'd dare to fight that guy one-on-one, would you?"
"Of course," Wayne said without hesitation.
Although his body would also be contaminated by those "short lines," he could absorb them; at worst, he'd get a bloated stomach. But that guy couldn't defend against bullets and had no chance for the Feathered Serpent to get close and bite him.
I can make thirty mistakes (that's how many bullets I have), but he probably can't withstand a few shots. The advantage is mine.
"You two stop messing around first."
It was Inessa who pulled the conversation back, "It's a pity that the magic circle in the small wooden house was also damaged while causing the curse to erupt, otherwise we would have been able to directly confirm the specific ritual they were planning. However, judging from the size of the magic circle and the types of remnants, I think the scope of this ritual should be quite large, and there are likely more magic circle points in the Dock Area."
Wayne, now in deep debt and with a bloated stomach, said, "Let everyone get a good rest tonight. We'll continue the investigation tomorrow."】}
