When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 739: Chapter 124 The Vicar Pope’s Conception Chapter 739: Chapter 124 The Vicar Pope’s Conception “`

“…Here, I can offer you some extended reading.

The man referred to here who ‘degraded high sorcery’ actually also created a new profession, that is the Transcendent’s ‘Demon’…”

The Pure White Saintess continued to explain patiently to Aiwass.

However, at this moment, Aiwass’s pupils suddenly became hollow for an instant.

She was taken aback and then saw a shocking true red—pure to the point of being startling—suddenly ignite at the bottom of Aiwass’s originally deep blue eyes.

It was like the sun rising at dawn, leaping from where the sky met the sea.

That deep red, accompanied by a ring of gold, made one feel as if light were shining on their face in a moment of reverie.

…What was happening?

The Pure White Saintess widened her eyes suddenly.

In that instant, an unbelievable thought crossed her mind.

Aiwass couldn’t possibly be…

Watching Aiwass’s focus return and the light in her eyes slowly fade, the Pure White Saintess temporarily suppressed the terrifying thought in her heart.

“…From this perspective, Cardinal Hekate of High Sorcery actually had a speculation.

She believed that a precondition for mastering high sorcery is ‘the potential to become a Phantom Demon Egg’.”

She resumed her narration.

Aiwass, acting as if nothing unusual had happened, asked, “Does that mean to think this: To be able to become a Phantom Demon Egg is actually to possess a certain special qualification?”

“Exactly.”

The Pure White Saintess nodded.

She went on explaining patiently, and Aiwass listened attentively.

—For the abilities directly acquired through the system do not come with related knowledge.

High-level sorcery and abilities like ‘Dawnfire’ are different.

It’s not a skill, but a complete system…

similar to ‘divination’ or ‘alchemy.’ Even if one has the ability to use it, without the corresponding knowledge, it’s hard to use it to its fullest.

By the time the Pure White Saintess roughly finished explaining the first book, Aiwass had already pulled out the second one.

This one was called “High-Level Divine Art: The Container of the Soul.”

Without waiting for Aiwass to ask, the Pure White Saintess started explaining directly, “To talk about this, we need to delve into the connection between the Material Realm and the Dream Realm.

It’s not just that humans enter the Dream Realm after death, and the Phantom Demons of the Dream Realm enter the Material Realm upon their death; the gods of the Dream Realm can directly influence and transform the Material Realm, and the varying thoughts and changes of an era in the Material Realm also reflect and influence the Dream Realm.

“In these two processes, the only thing that actually communicates between both realms is the soul.

The power that Transcendents obtain from the Dream Realm, whether they become Phantom Demons or not after death, will ultimately return to the Dream Realm, so the things of the Dream Realm will always belong to the Dream Realm; and no matter how the Material Realm changes, matter is always conserved, so the things of the Material Realm will always belong to the Material Realm…@@novelbin@@

Only the soul, or rather the will, can travel back and forth between the two realms, belonging to neither.

The fundamental theory of high-level sorcery lies here.

“From this angle, we believe that the physical body in the Material Realm is actually the soul’s temporary container, and humans are like gods in their youth.

The essence of high-level sorcery is to turn the soul into another vessel for will.

In other words, to transform the body into ‘a container’s container.’ If we say the original body is a bowl holding water, which is our own soul, then we now want to make the body into a cabinet for bowls, allowing the water-like soul to condense into individual ice bowls in response to different divine wills…”

And it was at this point that Aiwass finally saw the pop-up:

[Grey Eternity is teaching you “Advanced Divine Art (2/11),” do you want to pay 112 public experience points to master this mysterious skill?]

This time it requires less experience!

Aiwass rejoiced in his heart.

His total accumulated experience was only 5,214 points, and if the experience required kept increasing, it might not be enough to continue studying.

In that case, he probably needed to find a way to earn more experience.

And the Pure White Saintess clearly saw that Aiwass’s pupils were hollow once again.

Beneath his pupils, the brilliance of the sunrise shone once more—brighter than before, like the sun had moved up about ten minutes in the process of sunrise.

Although it wasn’t very noticeable, with the memory of the Pure White Saintess, the difference was evident.

—Indeed.

The Pure White Saintess felt a chill in her heart, convinced of her previous guess.

A memory fragment suddenly came to her mind—a time when the Eternal Pope was still lucid, he had spoken to her.

The Pope had told her that Bishop Mathers had written in his letter…

That Aiwass mastered the ‘Fire Rite Skill’ even faster than the Pope did.

He hadn’t even finished explaining all the essentials when Aiwass had already fully grasped them—to a depth even greater than many who had studied for three or four years.

“It felt less like ‘learning’ and more like ‘remembering’.”

At the time, the Pope sighed and said, “If Aiwass were not human…

I would even consider letting him succeed as the Pope.

Perhaps he could just as easily ‘remember’ high-level divine arts.”

Before meeting Aiwass, the Pure White Saintess, of course, scoffed at these words.

“`

Indeed, she held the Pope in the highest esteem and yearning.

As the Eternal Saintess, she shared the legacy known as “eternity” with the Eternal Pope.

In a certain sense, their relationship was akin to that of mother and daughter…

even though the Pope’s current body appeared much younger than hers.

But that was the price to pay for bearing The Holy Crown.

As a top divine artifact of this world, capable of forcefully pushing a brink-level transcendent to the next energy level, The Holy Crown naturally demanded a price.

And that price was the wearer’s “years.”

In the eyes of ordinary people, it seemed to be a divine artifact with rejuvenative powers.

However, in reality, this rejuvenation did not extend life, but rather, it burned life at a doubled pace—during its wear, “years” were consumed both in the “forward” and “backward” direction.

The visible effect was the wearer’s body becoming increasingly youthful.

A typical Holy Maiden would assume the papacy around the golden age of three to four hundred years, retiring at the completion of a three-hundred-year term to become a saint—the so-called saints, being “church contributors outside of the cardinalate” who possess the strength of the Fifth Power Level but have not become cardinal archbishops.

An elf of four hundred years, if serving a full term of three hundred years as Pope, would appear only a hundred years old, much like a twelve or thirteen-year-old human child, but in reality, she would be a thousand years old, ancient even by elven standards.

Following that, her body would visibly age rapidly, swiftly reverting to its original state.

The speed of aging could even surpass the growth rate of humans.

It’s possible that in just twenty years, one would age from the appearance of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl to that of an eighty or ninety-year-old crone.

This remaining time is the retired saints’ “retirement vacation” as they travel the world.

The prospective Holy Maiden cannot leave the twenty-first Ring, and once she becomes Pope, she can’t simply leave the twenty-second Ring.

On the other hand, as a Holy Maiden, one can freely roam the Holy Nation…

but they cannot leave the nation just the same.

Only after retirement is one free to leave the Holy Nation and travel abroad.

This remaining short span of life is the very limited freedom these retired Popes have.

From this perspective, becoming Pope is not necessarily a “good thing.” In actuality, it is a sacrifice, as well as a dedication.

Precisely because of this, only the most devoted would be willing to sacrifice their lives in this ritual.

Over two hundred years of arduous cultivation, the prodigies who could communicate with the Nine Pillar Gods in their youth…

have to endure over three hundred years of solitude, then sacrifice another three hundred years of life for those last twenty years of freedom.

—Even if Aiwass could barely learn the advanced divine arts, he would never become Pope.

Pure White believed so firmly back then.

Because for short-lived species, this is an unbearable agony.

Not to mention, just learning advanced divine arts would nearly consume all of their lifespan.

And tampering with one’s own soul might even affect the post-mortem judgement…

those who might have become angels might become impure as a result.

Stopping them from continuing their studies was also for their own good.

However, Aiwass has…

There was only one thought in her mind.

Everything that Bishop Mathers said back then was true, the Pope’s reinterpretation then was so precise and error-free.

That there truly was someone who “learned” as if “recalling”…

This is a miracle in itself.

If there exists such a first miracle, why can’t there be a second one?

…

Could it be that Aiwass really has a chance to become Pope?

Even if it were only for a brief ten years, or even less, as “Vicar Pope,” it could alter the problems facing the Holy Nation—any cardinal archbishop would appear too extreme for the current Holy Nation.

Because unlike the Eternal Saintess, who receives the most peaceful and balanced moderation education from the beginning, they have their own convictions.

If they attain the authority of the Pope, they might change the eternal neutrality of the Nine Pillars Divine Church in various countries…

No, not might, but definitely.

But perhaps if Aiwass, the Avalonian who hasn’t reached the Fifth Power Level, became the “Vicar Pope,” it might be much better!

If he can just delay for ten years, or even shorter…

perhaps in just one or two years, the medicine for his Amberficate would be developed!

By then, I could take over…

…

No, it’s still not right.

Pure White shook her head, suppressing her own temptation.

This would amount to burning Aiwass’s lifespan…

she couldn’t do such a thing; it would be harming Aiwass.

To short-lived species whose lifespans are already brief, every single year is precious.

Pure White sighed inwardly, gathering her thoughts to continue explaining the intricacies of advanced divine arts to Aiwass.

Meanwhile, she still held onto hope—

—Anyway, let me witness a miracle, Aiwass.

Pure White silently prayed.