Hearing Klein's question, Dunn glanced at the corridor outside the window that led to Chanis Gate. He took out his pipe, packed it with tobacco and mint leaves, then held it beneath his nose and inhaled deeply. With a slightly distant voice, he sighed.
"Only at home can I indulge freely in the wonderful scent of tobacco mixed with mint leaves... Klein, you know the creation myth, don't you?"
"Of course. When I received my early education at the Church's Sunday school, I learned words from the Revelation of Evernight. Both the Book of Wisdom and Epistles of the Saints chapters mentioned the creation myth." Recalling the original owner's fragmented memories, Klein slowed his speech. "The Creator awoke from chaos, broke through the darkness, and created the first ray of light. He then merged completely with the universe, becoming all things. His body became the earth and the stars. One of His eyes became the sun, the other the crimson moon. Some of His blood surged into seas and rivers, nourishing and nurturing life..."
At this point, Klein paused involuntarily, partly because the relevant memories that followed were hazy, and partly because this creation myth bore some resemblance to the tale of Pangu creating the world from the nation of foodies...
People from different worlds had something in common when imagining myths and legends!
Seeing that Klein had run into a "difficult question," Dunn smiled and supplied the rest.
"His lungs evolved into elves; His heart evolved into giants; His liver evolved into treants; His head evolved into dragons; His kidneys evolved into feathered serpents; His hair evolved into phoenixes; His ears evolved into demonic wolves; His mouth and teeth evolved into mutants; His remaining bodily fluids evolved into sea monsters, whose essence became the nagas. His stomach, His small and large intestines, and the evil parts of His body evolved into devils, evil spirits, and all manner of unknown evil beings. His spirit became the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom..."
"Humanity was born from His wisdom. This was the First Epoch, the Chaos Epoch." Klein supplied the final sentence, feeling both amused and struck by its absurdity.
As an armchair folklorist, this was the first time he had encountered a creation myth with such detailed "arrangements." It went so far as to list, in precise detail, which part of the Creator every race of note had evolved from.
It really was like lining everyone up to hand out fruit...
And it wasn't just the Evernight Goddess's scriptures that said this. The Churches of the Lord of Storms and the God of Steam and Machinery had similar descriptions, without elevating themselves alone or belittling the other deities...
Either the creation myth was true, or it hinted that, in prehistoric times, before the Fifth Epoch, the major Churches had finally reached an agreement after a long period of struggle and compromise...
Thinking of this, Klein suddenly had another question. He frowned slightly and said,
"I think there's a problem here. Why were the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom born directly from the Creator's spirit, but not the Goddess?"
In the prehistoric accounts of the Revelation of Evernight, the Evernight Goddess had only awakened at the end of the Second Epoch. Alongside the Lord of Storms, the Eternal Blazing Sun, and other deities, she had protected and helped humanity survive the great cataclysm, commonly known as the Third Epoch, the "Cataclysm Epoch."
The Earth Mother and the God of Combat had also only appeared during that period, while the God of Steam and Machinery, originally called the God of Craftsmanship, had not been born until the Fourth Epoch.
This seemed to make the hierarchy among the gods self-evident.
The older one was, the more orthodox one was. It was perfectly clear!
This had also caused some distress among the Evernight Goddess's believers.
Dunn Smith supported his pipe with his other hand and answered with a question.
"Recite the Goddess's full honorific name."
Klein immediately felt as though he had stabbed himself. He hurriedly racked his brains, trying his hardest to remember.
"She is the Evernight Goddess, higher than the stars and more ancient than eternity. She is also the Lady of Crimson, the Mother of Concealment, the Empress of Misfortune and Horror, and the Mistress of Repose and Silence."
Fortunately, Klein's mother had been a devout believer in the Evernight Goddess. While she had been alive, she had recited it every evening and at mealtimes. Even though the original owner's memories had shattered into fragments, they had not all been lost.
"What does the Lady of Crimson symbolize?" Dunn asked in a guiding tone.
"The crimson moon." As soon as Klein said it, he seemed to understand.
"And which part of the Creator did the crimson moon evolve from?" Dunn asked again with a smile.
"One whole eye!" Klein and Dunn exchanged a smile.
That was no less impressive than the Lord of Storms and the others, who had formed from the Creator's spirit splitting into three!
As for the Churches of the Earth Mother and the God of Combat, they probably had similar explanations. Only the God of Steam and Machinery had been "born" too late to find a reason-their Church had remained weak for over a thousand years, until the invention of the steam engine gave them the initiative and allowed them to truly stand alongside the others.
Stroking his pipe, Dunn said,
"Humans were born from the Creator's wisdom, so they possess intelligent, extraordinary minds but lack other magical abilities. However, we can draw a simple and clear conclusion from the creation myth: all things share a common origin."
"A common origin..." Klein repeated the last few words.
"Based on that conclusion, humanity, which fought against giants, devils, mutants, and the like under the protection of the gods, gradually worked out a way to obtain Beyonder powers. They used the corresponding parts of evil spirits, dragons, monsters, magical trees, flowers, or crystals, combined them with other ingredients, and concocted potions. They then drank and absorbed them to gain different abilities. This is common knowledge shared by all schools of mysticism."
Dunn did not elaborate much, offering only a brief introduction. "During this process, our ancestors learned through painful lessons that directly consuming high-grade potions beyond the normal progression could easily end in tragedy. There were only three possible outcomes."
"Which three?" Klein asked curiously.
"First, the mind dies and the body collapses, with every piece of flesh turning into a terrifying monster. Second, the power contained in the potion instantly alters the personality, making the person cold, sensitive, irritable, cruel, and indifferent to everything. As for the third..." Dunn set down his pipe, picked up the porcelain cup beside him, and took a sip. "Fermo coffee from the Paz Valley. Very bitter, but also very fragrant, with a wonderful aftertaste. Would you like a cup?"
"I prefer highland coffee from Feynapotter, though I've only had it a few times at Welch's house." Klein politely declined. "What's the third?"
"Mental derangement. Going mad on the spot, becoming more devilish than a devil. This is losing control." Dunn emphasized the words "losing control."
Before Klein could speak, he set down his coffee cup and continued.
"After lengthy experimentation and exploration, along with the appearance of the Blasphemy Slate, humanity finally perfected the potion system, forming several Sequence chains that allow step-by-step advancement and steady growth. The lower the Sequence number, the higher the potion's grade. Today, each of the seven major Churches possesses at least one complete Sequence, as well as other, less complete 'pathways' collected over hundreds or thousands of years."
"The Blasphemy Slate?" Klein keenly picked up on the term.
During the "gathering," The Hanged Man had mentioned it too!
According to The Hanged Man, the Blasphemy Slate was the most crucial factor in the formation and completion of the potion system!
That was somewhat different from what Dunn had just said.
"It's something created by some evil gods. I'm not too clear on exactly when it appeared, what it recorded, or what makes it special. If you discover any clues, you must report them to me immediately. It has the highest response priority." Dunn gave a vague explanation. "I mentioned one form of losing control just now. Now I'll explain the other four."
"All right." Klein put aside his questions about the Blasphemy Slate and listened intently.
"Although humans only have intelligent minds and no other extraordinary abilities, this isn't absolute. There are always some fortunate people-or unfortunate ones-born with heightened spiritual perception. That is, the ability to sense spirits. They can hear sounds others cannot hear, see things others cannot see, and possess some Beyonder characteristics."
As Dunn spoke, he looked around at the empty space surrounding them, making Klein's hair stand on end. "In other words, they're equivalent to half a Sequence 9 Beyonder, with fixed characteristics. Uh, Sequence 9 is the lowest grade in a 'chain'... In short, they can only choose the corresponding, fixed Sequence pathway. If they consume another potion, mild cases result in mental abnormalities, severe cases in loss of control, and even worse cases in immediate death."
"I understand." Klein slowly nodded.
"The third form of losing control is similar to the second. Once you've chosen a Sequence chain, you can only proceed along that 'pathway.' There's no turning back. If you consume a potion of a suitable Sequence from another 'pathway,' although you'll most likely acquire blended, strange, and twisted abilities, you'll almost certainly be half-mad-sensitive and irritable, cruel and bloodthirsty, or silent and depressed."
"And you only get one such chance. After that, whether you consume a potion from your original 'pathway' or from your current Sequence, the only outcome is losing control. The only question is whether your mind dies and your body collapses into a monster, or you transform into an evil spirit." As Dunn spoke, he picked up his coffee cup and took another sip.
Somewhat frightened by what he had heard, Klein fell silent for a few seconds before asking,
"What about the fourth form of losing control?"
"The fourth, heh, this is one of the most common problems. We consume potions to obtain abilities that originally belonged to supernatural species. This is an unnatural evolution, and we'll be affected to some degree by lingering mental influences. There may be no outward symptoms for others to notice, but something is certainly lurking within. Before fully mastering the Beyonder powers granted by a potion and eliminating those subtle traces, rashly consuming the corresponding potion of a higher Sequence will cause madness and loss of control to accumulate..." Dunn suddenly fell silent.
After a pause, he sighed. "Our Nighthawks' internal regulations state that even if a member has rendered great service, they must wait three years after consuming their last potion and pass the corresponding examinations before they can advance. Yet even so, quite a few people lose control because of this every year."
How terrifying... Klein drew a breath and said,
"And the last one?"
The corners of Dunn's mouth rose, but there was no trace of a smile.
"The fifth is also a common cause of losing control. A Beyonder's spiritual perception improves to some extent, and the lower the Sequence number, the greater the improvement. As a result, they can hear sounds others cannot hear, see things others cannot see, and encounter things others will not encounter. They're constantly subjected to mysterious temptations and illusory enticements. Once some other stimulus occurs, or a greedy desire arises, they'll move step by step toward losing control."
As he spoke, Dunn turned to face Klein directly. His gray eyes reflected Klein's figure.
His tone grew desolate.
"Archbishop Chanis, the founder of the modern Nighthawk system, once said:"
"'We are guardians, but also a bunch of miserable wretches constantly fighting against danger and madness.'"
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