Chapter 113

A white-robed priest wearing a white turban hurried down the corridor. A sudden howl from outside the window startled him into halting. He followed the sound and looked through the stained glass. Suddenly, a sharp pain struck the back of his neck, and he lost consciousness.

His limp body was dragged into a small room at the corner. After a while, another taller figure clad in white robes emerged.

The white turban and loose white robe effectively concealed the overly long black hair. Unless someone scrutinized the face carefully, to every hurried passerby, the person brushing past appeared merely to be a tall, slender priest.

Occasional strange noises drifted from afar, rendering most people within the base uneasy and fearful. Personnel were constantly dispatched to various areas. Nearly everyone was frantically occupied.

Ye Zheng paused briefly before the floor-to-ceiling window in the corridor. Outside lay the central courtyard garden. The flowers and plants swayed quietly. Yet she knew that farther beyond, the base was enduring relentless assaults.

Why had Zhou Yun sent her here? Was it to let her confront the truth?

Was she waiting… to see what decision Saintess Ye Zheng would make after learning everything?

Ye Zheng withdrew her gaze and continued forward with her head lowered.

Relying on her rough recollection of the map, Ye Zheng turned into a narrow passageway. She followed it all the way until a heavy iron door barred her path.

She retrieved the metal card taken from the corpse. It bore the identity “Nursery Supervisor.” The lower edge of the card was irregularly serrated. Ye Zheng’s eyes carefully examined the area around the iron door. Her hand detected a slightly uneven indentation.

She aligned the metal card with the depression and pressed it in. After a muffled click, the door opened.

Ye Zheng slipped inside and shut the door behind her. Her dark eyes widened abruptly as she took in the scene within.

A row of glass tanks stood tightly arranged against the white wall. Each tank was approximately two meters tall and one meter wide. Three of them contained floating black creatures.

The black creature in the central tank was the largest. Its soft, inky body nearly filled the entire glass enclosure, as though it would burst forth at any moment. Tentacle-like appendages clung viscously to the inner wall of the tank.

Ye Zheng stepped closer. She hadn’t been mistaken. Embedded within the clay-like black mass were indistinct human facial features, as though imprinted upon soft mud. They distorted in rhythm with the body’s undulations.

This was the nursery.

She approached the other two tanks. One smaller black creature appeared already dead, drifting motionlessly in the center of the water. The other resembled a small lizard in outward appearance. Its body rose and fell rhythmically within the liquid, as though asleep.

Ye Zheng gazed at the tanks and stepped backward until her body struck an experimental table.

At one end of the table lay syringes and test tubes filled with various liquids. At the other end were slender chains, black ropes, glass covers, and other instruments of restraint and control.

She continued searching the room for some time. Occasionally, she sensed something and turned to stare at the glass tanks, as though something within was staring back at her.

All the experiment record sheets were laid out upon the table by her. The handwriting varied wildly and was exceedingly messy. Many technical terms were unfamiliar to her. Ye Zheng found a blank sheet of paper and a black pen. While reviewing the experiment records, she made notes.

After roughly ten minutes, she organized the records of the three creatures in the tanks according to her understanding.

D-3823, dragon bone dosage 20 grams, survived 27 days, not yet transferred into a blessed reliquary, cause of death suspected to be insufficient dragon bone dosage, unable to sustain complete life.

Note: Has the power of 【Mother of All Things】 weakened drastically, or did Wen Jian secretly slack off? Don’t tell me it weakened due to jostling during transport.

D-3822, dragon bone dosage 50 grams, has survived 30 days, current condition stable, may be implanted into a blessed reliquary for the next experimental stage.

Note: Dragon bone scrap rate is increasing steadily. Must select sufficiently robust and healthy blessed reliquaries.

X-305, material derived from S-Class aberrant realm creature Colus, dosage one tentacle, has survived 178 days, once implanted into a blessed reliquary for one month of gestation, failed and returned to nursery, current condition stable, growth rate rapid.

Note: After all that, it only developed a human face. Horrifying. Instruct the Security Department to carry out destruction immediately.

Also, have you all been working diligently lately? Don’t grow complacent merely because of the success of D-3633 and X-366. D-3633 exhibits obvious defects. X-366’s abilities are questionable and its performance mediocre. They’re still far from our expectations.

Based on the materials she had compiled, Ye Zheng had already deduced the experimental procedure.

Wen Jian, far away in the Upper District, used the hereditary ability passed down through generations of Popes, 【Mother of All Things】, to bestow life upon dragon bone and certain other substances. These aberrant lives were transported to this nursery for observation and cultivation, then implanted into the wombs of carefully selected women for gestation, in an attempt to transform these monstrosities into genuine human births.

“D-3633, X-366.”

These two experiment numbers seized Ye Zheng’s attention. She surmised that D represented raw material originating from dragon bone, while X denoted materials derived from creatures other than dragon bone. As for the numbers, they likely corresponded to the sequential designation of each experimental subject.

Nearly four thousand experimental subjects. Behind them stood at least four thousand women chosen as blessed reliquaries, and an unknown number of women who became what they called the fallen...

Ye Zheng forced her eyes shut. When she opened them again, her dark pupils were utterly calm.

"One with evident defects, one with questionable ability and mediocre performance... Sykes and Pei Xi?"

Ye Zheng slowly drew her brows together. If Pei Xi was X-366, then he wasn’t a life created from dragon bone, but from something else. Then what, exactly, was Pei Xi?

Suddenly, her grip on the documents slackened. The papers fluttered down one after another. A flicker of disbelief crossed her face.

The ability of 【Mother of All Things】 could bestow life. What if, back then, the God of Hope had also left behind a fragment of himself? A bone, a strand of hair. Anything could’ve become an experimental subject.

"Ha... no wonder."

Ye Zheng let out a low laugh. One hand propped beneath her chin. A strange gleam flickered within her black eyes. "In a sense, he truly is the heir of the God of Hope."

"And I, an ordinary human with no connection whatsoever to the God of Hope, am undoubtedly a detestable usurper."

『Hey, you...』

The system, silent for a long while, couldn’t help but want to speak and offer comfort upon hearing those words. Yet after seeing Ye Zheng’s expression, it understood she didn’t need consolation.

The youth’s face bore a cold smile. She was mocking, enraged, without the slightest trace of vulnerability or self-reflection.

"Let’s proceed to the next location."

Beneath the watchful gaze of the black creature within the glass tank, Ye Zheng pushed open the heavy iron door.

She knew where Lu Qi would be. According to these people, every woman would be "willingly" guided to accept the dragon bone implantation experiment and become either a fallen one or a blessed reliquary.

Then the place of this so-called guidance, unsurprisingly, was the Sacred Academy marked upon the map.

✧✧✧✧✧

"Bishop Kieran, why are we heading in this direction?"

Pei Xi studied the map in his hand, his brows knitted in confusion.

To reach the Hope Project base Kieran had mentioned as swiftly as possible, they’d risked boarding a train through the dense fog. Within half a day, they’d arrived in Lan Xia County from Platinum County without major incident.

Kieran had marked the base’s location in the southwest of Lan Xia County. Yet according to their present route, they were making a wide detour to approach the base from the back mountain. Why go to such lengths?

Along this path, buildings were sparse and the terrain remote. Aside from them, not a single soul could be seen.

"Because Zhou Yun will certainly guard the necessary routes to hunt us. A detour is safer."

Kieran walked at the front. The thick fog seemed to have no effect on him. He discerned the path with ease.

Pei Xi shook his head. "If she can freely manipulate space within the fog, even taking this road won’t prevent us from walking into her ambush."

A faint laugh drifted through the mist. Kieran replied with patient composure, "To be honest, Zhou Yun’s ability to endure until now has already impressed me. Maintaining a complete lockdown for three full weeks is enough to place her among the empire’s top three powerhouses."

"Unfortunately, she’s too obsessed and chose the wrong path."

Sykes’s mocking voice sounded from behind. "Is becoming your blessed reliquary the correct path?"

"She could’ve refused. We never force anyone. Sykes, back then your mother also..."

"Shut up!"

Kieran blinked and made a gesture as though sealing his lips.

The group continued forward in silence through the white fog. Pei Xi abruptly halted. Kieran’s figure paused as well. He turned his head sharply to look at him.

Pei Xi’s blue eyes were icy. His expression was devoid of warmth. "Kieran, let me make this clear. We won’t help you deal with Zhou Yun."

He’d agreed to travel alongside Kieran only because Lu Qi’s hometown lay near the base, and he’d wanted to return and see it once more.

"Even if I was born from the Hope Project, I absolutely don’t approve of your inhuman actions."

"Zhou Yun seeks revenge against you. It’s what you deserve. I’ll never forget the pain and darkness you once inflicted upon me. I’ll never forgive."

Within his memory, the nun whose features had grown blurred had carried the tiny version of him out of endless darkness and quietly hidden him aboard a train. At four years old, he’d thus begun a new life.

Was that nun safe? Had she been punished? And his birth mother? Pei Xi didn’t dare to ask. Too many intangible sins weighed upon him. The surrounding fog pressed against his lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

The hand hanging at his side unconsciously shifted form, gleaming with cold metallic luster.

Sensing the killing intent, Kieran turned fully around. His gaze rested calmly and gently upon Pei Xi, whose eyes had reddened. Without warning, he drew a small knife and drove it violently into his own left eye.

A drop of blood splattered across Pei Xi’s stunned face. His blue eyes reflected Kieran’s resolute yet pained expression.

Sykes frowned at the man who’d suddenly harmed himself.

Kieran breathed with difficulty. Slowly, he pulled the blade from his left eye. Fresh blood streamed down, covering half his handsome face.

"When, when this matter ends, I’ll submit to your judgment. I know everything I’ve done is enough to send me to hell. But I must do this."

Sykes slowly smiled. A frigid mockery surfaced within his golden eyes. "Do you think doing this will make us hesitate to act against you?"

"Just as well. You’ve reminded me. I already know the base’s location. You no longer need to exist."

The black glove was casually cast aside. His right hand, brimming with killing intent, tore through the dense fog and struck toward the man bent in agony.

"Zhou Yun has kidnapped five hundred thousand people."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, are you certain you wish to kill me now?"

Kieran gradually straightened despite the pain. One hand covered his bleeding eye. The other eye, intact, held no fear. It curved gently as he regarded the golden-haired Crown Prince.

Pei Xi stepped forward swiftly. "What did you say?" he asked in disbelief.

"Are you not curious why, in the Western District’s most prosperous Platinum County, so few people were visible?"

"Because Zhou Yun transferred five hundred thousand people to Lan Xia County, where the base is located."

"She threatened us. If the empire doesn’t hand over Pei Xi, Sykes, Ye Zheng, and the entire Hope base, she’ll execute five hundred thousand innocent civilians before the base, directly before our eyes."

"In addition, she released more than a hundred fallen ones. You saw them outside the church. It required the deaths of over a dozen knights merely to drive a single one away."

Kieran’s expression settled into calm composure. He looked at Pei Xi and spoke softly. "Now, can you still remain indifferent to Zhou Yun’s revenge, Pei Xi?"

Pei Xi supported his spinning head. His pupils trembled with turmoil. How had everything come to this?

He and Zhou Yun were both victims of the Hope Project. They could’ve destroyed this evil enterprise together. Perhaps there’d still been room for negotiation.

Sykes pressed his lips into a tight line. His golden eyes fixed darkly upon Kieran. Compared to the five hundred thousand abducted civilians, he cared more about another matter.

"It isn’t Zhou Yun. It’s you who severed communication between the Western District and the empire."

Confronted by the Crown Prince’s firm accusation, the man covering one eye laughed softly. He neither confirmed nor denied it.

No matter how sudden the catastrophe, there should’ve been time to notify higher authorities. Moreover, special communication channels had always existed between central and regional administrations. Kieran was intelligent. How could he have delayed matters until the imperial family only now realized disaster had struck the Western District?

There was only one possibility. Someone had deliberately concealed the calamity. That person couldn’t be Zhou Yun, who sought to negotiate with five hundred thousand lives as leverage. It could only be the mad bishop standing before them.

Sykes rotated his right wrist. He truly wished to kill this man at once.

"Once the empire learns of this, there’s a chance reinforcements will be dispatched. I can’t allow anything to happen to you. So many have been sacrificed in the experiment. If you die, those sacrifices become meaningless."

"My decision is correct. Zhou Yun’s ability can’t be sustained indefinitely. Compared to the beginning, this fog has already thinned considerably. Your arrival is perfectly timed."

"Next, as long as you accompany me to the base, I’ve the authority to activate the highest-level defense mode. After we resolve Zhou Yun, you may dispose of me as you wish."

Kieran lowered the hand covering his eye. Half his face remained handsome. The other half resembled a blood-smeared demon. He spread his arms, his voice trembling with fervor.

"Children, is this not the most appropriate solution at present?"

"Go save those innocent five hundred thousand people, you two young heroes, the empire’s greatest hope."

Pei Xi felt faint. He gazed at Kieran within the white fog, who resembled a benevolent yet tempting demon. Powerless, he stepped back.

At that moment, he inexplicably found himself missing Zhao Mei.

He longed for someone to gently stroke his bewildered head and tell him he didn’t have to bear everything alone.

A gentle mountain breeze swept past. The fog thinned slightly. Pei Xi forced his eyes wide open, attempting to steady his thoughts.

He couldn’t continue being a coward. He couldn’t alter his painful and shadowed origins, but there was still a chance to welcome a radiant and glorious future for this world and for himself.

✧✧✧✧✧

"God says darkness accompanies light, and hope walks beside despair. If we cannot endure darkness and despair, how can we welcome true light and hope?"

A middle-aged man in white robes, his features plain and unremarkable, stood upon the platform and opened a copy of 《Divine Revelation》. Below the steps sat four rows of girls in loose white robes. Nearly every one of them had a copy of 《Divine Revelation》 resting upon her desk, reading with solemn attention.

The middle-aged man’s gaze swept across them one by one. He nodded with satisfaction until his eyes fell upon a girl in the fifth row who was slumped over her desk, seemingly drifting into sleep.

"Fifth row. Yes, you. Stand up."

"I understand that knowledge may seem tedious, but it’s also exceedingly precious. If not for you fortunate children coming here, perhaps you would never have had the opportunity in your lifetime to read the contents of 《Divine Revelation》."

Hearing the priest’s earnest instruction, a girl seated in the front row immediately clasped the book’s spine as though it were a treasure, her face filled with unwavering resolve.

《Divine Revelation》 is a book that only members of the clergy are permitted to access. It records the deeds and sayings of the God of Hope and is written in an elegant, literary style that ordinary people cannot easily understand.

Of course, the girls could only grasp fragments of it with the priest’s help. Most of them were orphans, and before coming here, very few of them had even known how to read.

The brown-haired girl sitting in the front row gazed at the knowledgeable priest with shining eyes. If she had never come here, she would’ve remained an ignorant and pitiful girl for her entire life!

Here, not only could they learn to read, they could also gain access to a wealth of knowledge and grand ideas. She now realized how narrow-minded she had been back at the orphanage, scheming against other children over nothing more than a piece of bread! Now she was ready to devote herself to the great cause, just like the great God of Hope!

"Fifth row, are you new here? The opportunity to come to this place is extremely precious. Tell me, where did I just leave off?"

The middle-aged man adjusted his glasses. This new girl was quite eye-catching, although she didn’t seem particularly fond of studying.

Not long ago, a priest had kindly offered private tutoring to a girl, only to be killed by the ungrateful student. Since then, he hadn’t dared to give any student extra lessons in private.

The girl in the fifth row still hadn’t stood up to answer. The middle-aged man’s face showed embarrassment, and a flash of anger crossed his eyes. Fortunately, another considerate student stepped in to rescue him.

"You were talking about the first volume of 《Divine Revelation》, page 36, paragraph four of 'New Birth': 'If we cannot endure darkness and despair, how can we welcome true light and hope? I shall dedicate myself to darkness and despair, burning away completely until I bring new life to all.'"

The brown-haired girl in the first row recited it loudly. She didn’t even glance at the text. She had already memorized the sentence by heart.

The middle-aged man nodded reluctantly. "Well done, Annie."

Even though Annie had helped him out of that awkward moment, he wouldn’t tolerate anyone ignoring him during class. He strode toward the fifth row. Seeing this, the girl finally stood up as if she had decided to give in.

"You got it wrong, Annie."

All eyes turned toward the back row. The tall girl let her long black braid hang down the front of her wide white robe, her face wearing a friendly expression.

"I couldn’t possibly have gotten it wrong! Open the book. It’s written exactly like that!"

Annie, the brown-haired girl, retorted unwillingly. Together with the middle-aged man, she frowned at the unfamiliar girl in the last row.

"Child, open the book. Annie quoted it word for word."

The middle-aged man walked amiably to the last row, only to realize the girl didn’t even have a book. His expression immediately changed.

"If we cannot endure darkness and despair, how can we welcome true light and hope? I shall remain undefeated forever in darkness and despair. I burn the old to embrace the new!"

"This is the original text."

The girl leaned forward slightly. Her round black eyes stared at the man’s incredulous expression like some curious creature studying something fascinating.

She asked, "Did they deliberately print this newly edited version of 《Divine Revelation》 just to brainwash you more effectively?"

"You... who exactly are you?"

The middle-aged man first froze in place with wide eyes as he shouted. Then, as if realizing something, he suddenly turned and ran. His glasses even fell off in the process. The surrounding girls watched in panic.

Ye Zheng pulled a gun from beneath her wide white robe and fired three shots at the fleeing figure. The middle-aged man collapsed in a messy heap in front of the podium, his body twitching a few times.

The classroom fell into a deathly silence. Some girls covered their mouths, staring in terror at the only girl still standing.

She looked about the same age as them, yet she carried an extremely dangerous and strangely alluring aura.

Ye Zheng looked around. Not a single girl had screamed, which pleased her. She gave them a reassuring smile.

Unexpectedly, their expressions became even more frightened. The girl sitting in front of her looked as if she was about to scream.

Ye Zheng quickly put the gun away and raised both hands. "Sorry for interrupting your class. Perhaps you can study on your own for a while?"

Under the girls’ watchful gazes, Ye Zheng walked toward the classroom door. Just as she stepped over the now thoroughly dead middle-aged man’s body, a voice suddenly called out to her.

"The sentence you said, 'I shall remain undefeated forever in darkness and despair. I burn the old to embrace the new.' Is that really the original wording?"

"'I shall dedicate myself to darkness and despair, burning away completely until I bring new life to all.' That isn’t something the God of Hope ever said. Did they make it up?"

The brown-haired girl stood up. Her eyes carried a timid sadness, and the confrontational spirit she had shown earlier was gone.

At the doorway, the girl with the long black braid turned around. As she looked at them, a trace of helplessness and sorrow passed through her black eyes.

"I'm very sorry. Knowledge has redeemed you, but it has also betrayed you."

"But please remember this. I shall remain undefeated forever in darkness and despair. I burn the old to embrace the new. This sentence will not betray you."

The black-haired girl pushed the door open and walked out. An urgent question followed from behind her.

"Who are you? What’s your name!"

"Ye Zheng."

The door closed gently, and the mysterious girl’s figure disappeared completely. The girls remaining in the classroom exchanged looks. They murmured that name in disbelief and no longer paid any attention to the teacher collapsed at the podium.

Ye Zhen? Ye Zhen? Or... Saintess Ye Zheng!

Ye Zheng left the Holy Academy. Since Lu Qi wasn’t in the academy either, there was only one place left.

The underground laboratory.

That was the place where they implanted dragon bones into women. Those who successfully retained their sanity became Blessed Reliquaries. The failures turned into mindless dragon-bodied beings known as the Fallen Ones.

Recalling the spoiler scene from the manga, those lunatics had definitely used Lu Qi for a dragon bone experiment!