Sonia Sea, Passo Island.
The summoned " Blue Avenger " finally arrived at the headquarters of the Church of Storms and docked at one of its ports.
Alger removed the strip of cloth wrapped around his head, jumped directly off the ship from the side, and landed steadily on the dock ground, embraced by the wind.
He had already digested the " Wind-blessed " Potion he had just taken. He did this to make his behavior more in line with the other members of the church and to make them feel more comfortable.
All the things Alger has experienced over the years have taught Alger that most of the time it's best to conform to those around you and not stand out too much, especially when you're hiding a big secret!
"Haha, Alger, control your impatience." A man who had been waiting at the dock greeted him with a smile.
He had soft blond hair and wore a long robe embroidered with lightning bolts. He was Alger's former partner, but one later chose to become the captain of a ghost ship and continue to drift at sea, while the other returned to the clergy.
Alger smiled, raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and punched his left chest, saying:
" The Storm is with you."
" The Storm is with you." The blond man in his prime responded with a smile, making the same gesture.
He immediately lowered his voice and said:
"I heard you've already adapted to the ' Wind-blessed ' Potion?"
"Yes, it's very simple. Just make yourself fly every day, stay Levitation, and use the wind to travel between different places. You'll adapt quickly. I already sent a telegram back to report on this." Alger let a hint of pride show in his eyes and brows.
The blond man glanced around, then spoke in the same voice as before:
No wonder they summoned you back.
"I heard that because of the ongoing war and the shortage of manpower in various aspects, the Council of Cardinals decided to organize a group of ' Wind-blessed ' to advance to Sequence 5 as soon as possible. You should be in that group. It's really enviable. I just became a ' Wind-blessed ' and don't have this opportunity."
Organize a group of " Wind-blessed " to advance their ranks as quickly as possible... Prophet that a world war might be imminent, Alger Wilson felt no surprise; a single word spontaneously popped into his mind:
cannon fodder!
In fact, based solely on his contribution to the Bansy Harbor incident, Alger was only a " Navigator " at the time, could have risen smoothly to the rank of " Ocean Songster." Moreover, he was always busy and completed countless missions, yet he only became a " Wind-blessed " and had to wait in line for an opportunity to advance to Sequence 5.
Now, without him having to do anything, he has suddenly been placed on the reserve list and will soon be able to enter the ranks of the church's senior officials. He can't help but have doubts.
Sure enough, once all-out war begins, the order that previously hindered the rise of people like us will crack... However, the most important thing is to survive the war; only by surviving will everything we gain have meaning... As Alger's thoughts raced, he feigned surprise and asked in return:
" Sians, really?"
"I can't be sure, but that's what I heard. Come on, let's get together. If you ever have the chance to become a high deacon or cardinal, don't forget us!" The blond man named Sians patted Alger on the shoulder.
Alger subtly stepped aside, responding with a smile:
"OK."
After the exploration team brought back news of the sea on the other side of the " Giant King's Court " in City of Silver, all the people briefly entered a state of excitement.
After two days of waiting, Derrick Berg finally received a notification from the Council of Six, instructing him to collect the Potion recipe from the " Ancient Alchemist."
This means that the City of Silver leadership has agreed to exchange for that batch of peculiar mushrooms.
"The ascension ceremony involves personally crafting a ' Stone of Life '... What is a ' Stone of Life '? It's not explained here..." Derrick glanced at the parchment in his hand, then began preparing for the ceremony with little concern.
In his mind, Mr. The Fool must know what the Stone of Life is, so he doesn't need to worry about Mr. World.
After preparing the altar, he took out two thin metal tubes, one containing his blood and the other containing the blood of a " Dawn Paladin " from City of Silver.
--The " Dawn Paladin " had reached a certain age, and his body could no longer withstand the corrosive effects of the various toxins in most of his food. As everyone could foresee, he was gradually approaching the end of his life. Two days ago, his granddaughter personally stabbed him with her last sword.
Derrick obtained the chief's consent beforehand and took the opportunity to collect some blood from the deceased.
As for the Devil blood that Mr. "World" needs, City of Silver doesn't have it in its inventory for the time being. However, Chief Colin Iliad said that as long as the mushrooms can meet part of City of Silver's food needs, he will organize a small hunting party to take a trip to the areas where Devil are found.
After placing the two thin metal tubes and parchment on the altar, Derrick stepped back two paces and, facing the lit candles, began the Sacrifice and Bestowal Ritual.
After a flurry of activity, the illusory gate, formed by the fusion of flames and Spirituality materials, opened heavily, taking away the sacrificial offerings and leaving behind a dim, shimmering light.
As the radiance slowly faded, a large number of mushrooms of different shapes appeared in Derrick's eyes.
As for whether their "appearance" was strange, Derrick didn't even think about it, because he had only seen mushrooms once, and they were abnormal mushrooms, so he lacked enough reference points.
Recalling Mr. World's descriptions of the appearance and uses of different varieties of mushrooms, Derrick quickly began to classify them and put them into different leather bags.
Immediately afterwards, unable to contain his excitement, he picked up the " Unshadowed Crucifix " and prepared to head to the Round Tower.
But as soon as his hand touched the verdigris cross, he felt a slight burning and stinging sensation, as if light was seeping from the rust and shining on the mushrooms.
"They are evil and need to Purification..." Derrick was confused for a moment, but finally decided to believe Mr. "World".
He concealed the " Unshadowed Crucifix," picked up the " Roar of the God of Thunder," and made his way to the Round Tower, where he met Chief Colin Iliad.
"These are the mushrooms?" As he asked, two complex dark green symbols appeared in " Demon Hunter " Colin's eyes as his gaze swept over the different mushrooms, some white and plump, others with a fleshy appearance.
"Yes..." Derrick began to introduce the products one by one.
Colin regained his composure, paused for a few seconds, and then said:
"There is an aura of evil and impurity, but it is little and tolerable."
"This must be what settled after it devoured the flesh and blood of Monster."
He paused and then said:
"Let's test their reproductive capabilities first."
As soon as these words were spoken, some of the City of Silver personnel, who had been prepared to "welcome" the mushrooms, carried several Monster corpses into the chief's room and sprinkled a little of each of the different kinds of mushrooms on them.
The moment those mushrooms touched flesh, they immediately sprouted mycelium that seeped into the flesh.
After about twenty or thirty seconds, they began to expand rapidly and produce spores.
After a while, the Monster ' corpses were covered with mushrooms.
But the mushrooms didn't stop growing; they kept shooting upwards, and eventually, some of them were even taller than Derrick Berg, looking down at him.
"Mr. World didn't say it would grow this big... And the speed at which it reproduces and grows is too fast..." Derrick looked on somewhat blankly, but didn't think it was a problem.
Colin Iliad's expression remained unchanged until only the Monster's skeleton and remains remained, then he looked around and said:
"It's better than I expected. Next, who wants to try it and see how it goes?"
Derrick stepped forward without hesitation and said:
"Your Excellency, I'm here."
He was in charge of "importing" the mushrooms, so of course he had to personally verify their safety.
Colin Iliad nodded slightly and said:
"Good."
He then turned his head and said to another resident of City of Silver:
"Please summon Elder Lovia to guard against any unforeseen circumstances."
As an Beyonder who controls flesh and blood, Lovia can resolve most mutations based on the human body.
Of course, whether the mutants can survive is another matter entirely.
After a few minutes of waiting, the " Shepherd " Lovia, dressed in a deep purple robe, arrived at the chief's room.
As soon as she passed through the gate, her pale gray eyes narrowed slightly, and her gaze instinctively fell upon the mushrooms that occupied most of the space.
After staring for a while, Lovia looked at Colin Iliad and nodded slightly, indicating that she was ready to provide assistance.
Without further hesitation, Derrick Berg selected a mushroom that was half his height, with a black base and inlaid with blood-red threads and fat patterns. He tore off the mycelium that was wrapped around the skeleton, lit a campfire on the spot, and began to roast it.
Gradually, a fragrant aroma, seemingly capable of penetrating into the stomach, wafted out, a scent that the people of City of Silver had never smelled before.
Their Adam's apples bobbed, and they instinctively swallowed.
The campfire crackled and hissed, and then the aroma grew even stronger.
This wasn't the kind of unusual, eerie flavor that seemed to evoke longing in even the soul; it was a familiar type, the kind of flavor that people naturally craved after returning to City of Silver, having not tasted Black-faced Grass for a long time.
As the sizzling sound grew more frequent and the firelight brightened, they felt as if a hand was reaching out from their stomachs, trying to grab the food back.
Unbeknownst to them, other residents of City of Silver, who were doing other things inside the round tower, followed the scent and gathered at the entrance.
Derrick struggled to resist tasting the mushroom halfway through, waiting until its shell was completely browned before putting it away and blowing on it.
In that instant, all eyes were on him, including Colin Iliad and " The Shepherd " Lovia.
Trusting in Mr. "World" and Mr. " The Fool," Derrick remained silent, lowered his head, and took a bite of a mushroom.
"Hiss..." He made a sound as if he had been burned, then began to chew, slurping down large mouthfuls.
When nearly half of the mushrooms were gone, Derrick blushed slightly, raised his head, and mumbled through his greasy mouth:
"It's so strange... the texture... it makes me want to keep eating it..."
Colin Iliad stared intently at Derrick for a few seconds, then turned his head to look at " Shepherd " Lovia.
Lovia slowly shook her head and said:
"No problem."
The surrounding City of Silver residents cheered and rushed forward to surround Derrick, some wanting to share a piece, others asking how to prepare the other mushrooms.
Seeing this, " Demon Hunter " Colin's expression gradually relaxed, he slowly closed his eyes, and slightly raised his chin.
He took a deep, deep breath of the scent that filled the room.
A mushroom festival was held in City of Silver? Isn't that a bit strange...? Also, what is the " Stone of Life "? Hmm, the people of the Church of the Earth Mother must know, Frank is no exception... Above the Gray Fog, Klein listened to the latest report from the little " The Sun " while opening the parchment he had received earlier but hadn't had time to examine closely.
The reason he rushed back to the real world after the Sacrifice and Bestowal Ritual was because the horror stories of Backlund Hospital serialized in several newspapers had reached a critical stage, and he had received a lot of feedback in the past few days. He was just at the crucial moment when the " Bizarro Sorcerer " Potion was about to be digested.
And now, he has completed that step.
He was ready to be promoted to " Scholar of Yore ".