But Hitzfeld disagreed: "I thought there was only one religion in this place."
Xia Yibing nodded. The memories she inherited only concerned the Church of the Mother of Savior, and she had never heard of any other beliefs in the new god.
Alessia laughed: "How is that possible!"
"Just think about how big this piece of land is." After laughing, he frowned, "You say this is Elsa... Then just treat it as Elsa... The Elsa Continent on your map is at least three times the size of Goli, right? With such a vast territory and such a scarce population, the Corrupted Blood Kingdom's control over this land is far weaker than you think! They are simply unable to restrain the increasing number of sectarian branches!"
“So that’s why there is the Mechanical Kingdom?” Madeline drew inferences from one instance and suspected that this was how the Mechanical Kingdom came into being.
"That's another matter." Alessia curled her lips. "The power of those people is much greater than that of ordinary sects. This damn place is indeed full of ominousness... No, it should be said that every corner is full of ominousness. Anyone you meet in the countryside may be the incarnation of a ghoul, but they can't compare with those robots. Their number is endless."
Hitzfeld frowned. Perhaps because of her stance, Alessia was very wary of the Mechanical Kingdom. This gave her an illusion that the mechanical fortress she had seen before was even more terrifying than those sticky, bloody things.
"That is to say." Xia Yibing concluded and verified and confirmed: "In the current Kingdom of God, in this land, in addition to the Church of the Mother of Savior, there are many small sects. This thing on the ground is the messenger of one of the sects?"
"It can't be called a sect." Alessia murmured, "In most cases, they are not organized... Those things choose the messengers of God for other purposes."
"What purpose."
"How should I know? There are only so many memories passed down from the Blood River, and you've already asked a few questions? Am I at a disadvantage again???"
"Oh? I thought you wouldn't realize it until night."
"Ha! You're a stupid woman with nothing to show for it except a little bulge—"
"Stop arguing." Hitzfeld interrupted them and continued to discuss the topic. "So, there are indeed gods above the gray fog? For some unknown reason, they chose the gods' messengers to walk on the earth, and because I just killed one of them, I was locked by their mark?"
"You've analyzed it yourself, why are you asking me?" Alessia still felt that he had taken advantage, and his heart was bleeding - all added up was enough to restore his freedom!
Seeing that they could not get any information from the waterman, the few people discussed for a while and decided to check out and change hotels.
After packing up their things and giving Zugu Suo as compensation for cleaning the room, the three were just about to leave when they saw Sister Hashem hesitantly at the lobby door.
"Why are you here?" Xia Yibing immediately stood in front, and took out her long Xia sword. "Did you send that person just now?"
The Church of Our Lady of Savior is so arrogant... These people never hide their desire for them, it is too stupid to think of this.
"It's us, but I'm also a victim." Hasim hesitated, not knowing where to start.
Yes, we were mortal enemies before... I was even the one who reported their information, so what's the point of me saying this now?
After some thought, Hasim realized that she had no means to prove her current situation to the three men.
Tell the truth? Will they believe it? Anyway, she wouldn't dare to do that. There are so many branches on the mysterious road. Who knows if she has smeared poison powder on her body, waiting to contaminate them if they get close.
"Let her come over." Hitzfeld said suddenly, "She's not lying. I can see that."
It is true that her system is XP, but that doesn't mean the old system can't read the file.
A practitioner of the mysterious path stood in front of her. She wondered whether she had used any means on herself, whether there were any mysterious fluctuations on her body, or whether there were mysterious factors surrounding her. All these seemed too obvious to her.
Hasim had no fighting spirit. She obediently let Madeline come forward and confiscate the alchemical belt, and then left with them in the car.
In the carriage, Hitzfeld and Xia Yibing sat on one side, and she and Madeline sat on the other side, and they recounted the incident in a disjointed manner.
"In other words, you did call this person here, but this person is very ambitious and wants to kill you as well. Your boss, Sister Marianne, also agreed to it... Is that right?"
"...Yes." Hasim lowered his head and said, "Marian has traded me away. I dare not trust her anymore. My current behavior is equivalent to betraying the church, so I hope you can take me in... maybe I can do something for you."
"You're really thick-skinned." Madeline couldn't help it, "Have you ever considered getting a job in the circus?"
It was you who called these people here, and even just ten minutes ago you were planning to kill us or make our life worse than death. How could you say such words so calmly?
"How did you come up with this idea?" Xia Yibing was still alert. "You didn't run away before because you were afraid of being hunted down. So you're not afraid now that you're with us?"
"You were able to defeat Clint and kill him in such a short time, which is enough to prove that you are much stronger than anyone expected." Hasim analyzed seriously, "Also... Miss Hitzfeld has gained fame for her incense-making skills. Whether you join the Blood Mage Guild or go directly to the capital, your status as a perfume maker alone can win over a lot of power, which is enough to resist the church's covetousness. I think it is safest to follow you."
Such a straightforward statement also choked the woman, and she could only mutter quietly: "You are not stupid..."
The secret police have spent their entire lives learning how to pry open people's mouths, and such suspects are rare.
"We won't take you in." Hitzfeld spoke at this time.
The tone was somewhat contemptuous, which gave Hasim great psychological pressure.
"Unless you can provide value." The next sentence made her feel relieved, "You can start with that 'Clint'."
"Okay!" Hasim nodded and started to speak directly: "Clint Fielder, he is a person favored by God... He is known as the 'Lord of the Shadow Corner', but in fact this title is more dedicated to the god behind him."
The shadowy corner... This reminded Hitzfeld of the way the other person had emerged from the room.
But this is not enough, "Please explain it in more detail."
"I...then let me start from the beginning." Hasim swallowed his saliva and raised his head suddenly as if he had made up his mind. "You must be curious about why the church tolerates such heresy."
It is indeed worth being curious about, because from the experience inherited by Xia Yibing, the Church of the Mother of Savior is a monotheistic religion, and they only believe in the drop of legendary blood of salvation.
Then all other beliefs can be said to be heresy. It is quite bizarre that they actually cooperate with the heretical gods.
"The church has changed." Hasim said with certainty, "Indeed, in those stories, the church is synonymous with mercy. The Savior Sisters who abandoned their original beauty and made their bodies bloated, ugly, and filthy are even mercy itself... But all this has changed a long time ago."
"I've noticed this since I joined them. The Sisters of Salvation do still exist, and many of them are still healing people, but the methods they use have changed."
"The original method was very primitive. They used a secret method to transform themselves into completely different species, making their bodies swell and plump, with more energy and nutrition. Then, they used that kind of... um, more direct contact to wrap people in their bodies... This is a simulation - just like how a mother provides nutrition to her baby. This process can be regarded as giving people a new birth."
"Has the method changed now?" Xia Yibing asked her.
"changed."
"Isn't this a good thing?"
"?"
Hasim frowned and leaned back slightly without revealing his expression.
"You mean... their behavior of turning to the mystic and sucking away some of a person's life energy before spitting them out is a good thing?"
"Just pretend I didn't say anything." Xia Yibing immediately changed the subject, "I thought... you continued."
"They are collecting life energy," Hasim repeated, "especially pure life energy. According to the standards I have learned, the purest life energy comes only from the outside world."
"Stranger?"
"Yes, because the outsiders don't have the blood of salvation in their bodies. You are not the descendants of those people. Your bodies are like blank paper that they can write on as they please... That's why the church wants to arrest you."
“What is life energy used for?”
"I don't know... My status is not high enough. I haven't even started to be distorted according to the standards of the Sisters of Salvation. Maybe Marianne will know this."
The air was slightly quiet for a while.
Hitzfeld, Xia Yibing, Madeline...they were all imagining the beautiful nun and her distorted appearance when she turned into a fat monster.
This sect is really disgusting...
"Then..." Hashem hesitated and said, "I think the source of the church's faith has changed."
Madeline frowned, "What do you mean changed."
"I think some people no longer believe in the blood of salvation." Hasim's voice became smaller and smaller, and he seemed more and more uneasy. "People like Clint are proof of this... They are actually raised by the church. I know he is not the only exception. Over the years, I have seen him and some other people - I don't know the details but I feel they should be the same kind - reunited together, and their beliefs do not point to the blood of salvation."
"This is also the main basis for my judgment." She raised her head and tried to stare at Hitzfeld with sincere eyes. "A church that tolerates heretical evil gods can no longer be said to be righteous. They are in contact with some weird things. Yes... They call them gods..."
"Alright! Stop!"
Xia Yibing suddenly turned up the volume.
Not only did Hasim shut up, but the carriage also stopped shaking.
This was a completely casual act. The three of them pulled Hasim and the luggage out of the car, found a hotel on this unfamiliar street, and paid Gu Suo to stay there.
Hashem - according to Hitzfeld, this person has a lower level of attainment in the mystical path, and all spells must be cast through that belt, that is, the bottles and jars hanging on it - as a triggering medium, more like a pharmacist than a spellcaster - if such a term exists.
After removing the belt, the only thing she could perform was the Blood Mud Spell. The Blood Mud Spell was the spell she used to transform into blood mud and escape that day. The principle of this thing is easy to understand, but the process is a bit disgusting to watch.
"'Blood, flesh, bone marrow, nerves, fibers... all these tissues are convergent and regular. The key to blood mud magic is to break up one's own cell structure, abandon the shackles of the original form, integrate into those environments with similar properties, and then recover according to needs..."
In Hitzfeld's room, Xia Yibing was reading the spell manuscript written by Hasim, her face full of disgust.
"Oh, this is too disgusting... Oh my God, why are the people in this damn place more disgusting than each other... How can they be so disgusting?"
"Otherwise why is it called the Corrupted Blood Kingdom?"
Hitzfeld was still sitting on the bed studying the medicine bag, and smiled at her when he heard it.
She had already read the manuscript and confirmed that the Blood Mud Technique did not come from the mysterious spell - it was not the same as the Mysterious Lord, but was created by the Blood Mage.
The blood mage's spells...those spells don't require any faith. According to the Blood Mage Guild, anyone can learn them, and as long as they have the talent, they can put them into practice.
But outsiders cannot, as if they do not have the blood of salvation in their bodies.
Hitzfeld was personally skeptical about this restriction because the woman holding a spear in the illusion that Xia Yibing had taken her through before - the one with the giant blood tree - was Zachariah.
The name was strange, but she had heard it before. It was back during the expedition to Dragon Country. Based on her subsequent understanding and investigation, she roughly knew that he was the King of Mimics, who was theoretically the most knowledgeable person in the world at that time.
So the logical chain gradually becomes clear.
The "flesh and blood magic" of these blood mages does sound very similar to mimicry and shapeshifting. They both explore potential through the study of life forms - the essence, and should be a special path native to this world.
Because the disappearance of the mythical particles cut off this path, Namiia's "spiritual vein" was cut off. All "spells" and "immortal arts" were invalidated, and only the Dragon God's treasure - that living treasure house - had the long steps for transformation.
Then the continent of Aisha was swallowed by the gray fog. This is another time and space, where another, or even multiple, kinds of energy are active. They are enough to drive the further development of these technologies, transforming from the initial mimicry and deformation into various flesh and blood spells.
Based on this deduction, who was the first person to create the art of mimicry and deformation?
If it wasn't Zachariah, then it meant that the difficulty in learning this spell lies in the understanding of knowledge rather than blood talent - it is indeed an extremely difficult knowledge, but now almost all Aisha people have the blood of salvation - that is, they speculated, the blood inherited by the oldest Latadians, the oldest Mimics - so it seems easy.
"So Xia."
Hitzfeld picked up a medicine packet and sniffed it.
"You are the most promising among us."
Because Xia Yibing is from Latadia.
When Sina said she was the last Latadian, she might have to add a prefix here - "the last of Namiya".
But in Aisha, this title may not be worth much, because the descendants of the Latadia Kingdom are everywhere here, and all Aisha people may have the same ancestors as Xia Yibing.
In other words, she was born with the blood of salvation in her body, and the inheritance of this bloodline is even more advanced and mysterious, because the sea of time is also very picky, and not everyone can see that kind of illusion.
Hitzfeld suspected that Xia Yibing was the direct descendant of the Shapeshifting Queen Zacharia...that is, the one with purer bloodline, but she had no evidence, so it was just a guess.
"Forget it." Xia Yibing just felt a toothache.
"If I have to learn this kind of thing... I would rather die..."
From an angle she couldn't see, the corners of the girl's mouth curled up wildly.
So Xia is still very cute...
She looks like a strong sister, but she really loves beauty and cares about the integrity of her body.
This is probably the so-called beauty of contrast.
"Then what do we do next."
Xia Yibing looked at her.
"Knock on the door?"
"Or slip away?"
Hitzfeld had already told her how powerful she was here. If she wasn't worried about being too reckless and being targeted by the evil god, she could basically take over Port Inian.
Therefore, the "big attack" is completely feasible. No matter whether the opponent is Sister Marian or the Lizardman Governor, they are no match for us.
Coincidentally, Hitzfeld has now been targeted.
That black mark is now covered by a pair of black spider silk gloves, but it always reminds them that time is running out.
According to Hasim, they will definitely be hunted down by more people like Clint in the future.
That's equivalent to being exposed, isn't it?
Now that it has been exposed, there is no need to cover it up anymore.
"No." Hitzfeld shook his head, "It's not the right time yet."
"…What did you discover?"
"Strength is not the secret of our survival, Xia." The girl said softly, "You are being a little too arrogant."
"I admit."
Xia Yibing pondered for a while, walked over and sat down beside the bed.
"Maybe I care about you too much."
