Chapter 189: Aroma

Chapter 189: Aroma

The Sonia Sea, Pasu Island.

The Blue Avenger, having been summoned, finally arrived at the headquarters of the Church of Storms and docked at one of its harbors.

Alger removed the cloth strip wrapped around his head, leaped straight off the side of the ship, and, borne by the wind, landed steadily on the pier.

The Wind-blessed potion he had recently taken had long since been digested. The reason he acted this way now was to bring his behavior closer to the style of the Church’s other members, making them feel a sense of familiarity and closeness.

The countless experiences he had encountered over the years had taught Alger that, most of the time, it was best to remain consistent with those around him and not appear overly unconventional. This was even more true when one carried no small number of secrets.

“Haha, Alger, restrain your impatience.” A man who had long been waiting on the pier came forward with a laugh.

He had soft yellow hair and wore a robe embroidered with lightning patterns. He had once been Alger’s partner, but later one of them had chosen to become the captain of a ghost ship, continuing to drift upon the sea, while the other had returned to the clerical system.

Alger smiled. He raised his right hand, made a fist, and struck his left chest.

“May the Storm be with you.”

“May the Storm be with you.” The yellow-haired man in the prime of life returned the same gesture with a smile.

He then lowered his voice and said, “I heard you’ve already adapted to the Wind-blessed potion?”

“That’s right. It’s very simple. As long as you make yourself fly every day, keep yourself hovering, and frequently use the wind to move back and forth between different places, you adapt quickly. I already sent a telegram back reporting this matter.” Alger let a hint of pride show in his brows and eyes.

The yellow-haired man glanced left and right, keeping his voice at the same low volume.

“No wonder they summoned you back.

“I heard that because the war is continuing and manpower is tight on every front, the Cardinal Council has decided to organize a batch of Wind-blessed to advance to Sequence 5 as quickly as possible. You should be among them. I’m truly envious. I only just became a Wind-blessed and won’t have this chance.”

Organize a batch of Wind-blessed to advance as quickly as possible… Having known in advance that a world war might break out, Alger Wilson did not feel surprise. A single word surfaced naturally in his mind:

Cannon fodder!

In truth, based purely on his contribution during the Bansy Harbor incident, Alger, who had only been a Navigator at the time, should have been able to advance all the way to Ocean Songster without obstruction. Moreover, in ordinary times, he had been constantly traveling and working hard, completing who knew how many missions. In the end, he had merely become a Wind-blessed. He had to line up and wait for an opportunity before he could possibly advance to Sequence 5.

Yet now, without him needing to do anything, he had suddenly been placed on the reserve list and would soon step into the quasi-upper ranks of the Church. He could not help feeling suspicion.

As expected, once total war begins, the old order that blocked people like us from rising cracks open a gap… But most importantly, I have to survive the war. Only if I survive will everything I gain have meaning… As Alger’s thoughts raced, he showed pleasant surprise on the surface and asked in return, “Sainz, is that true?”

“I can’t be certain. In any case, that’s what I heard. Come on, let’s gather for a bit. If you get the chance to become a high-ranking deacon or a cardinal in the future, don’t forget us!” The yellow-haired man named Sainz reached out and patted Alger on the shoulder.

Alger moved away without leaving a trace and responded with a smile.

“Of course.”

…

In the City of Silver, after the exploration team brought back the news that there was a sea on the other side of the Giant King’s Court, all the residents entered a brief state of excitement.

After waiting two days, Derrick Berg finally received notice from the six-member council, instructing him to collect the Classical Alchemist potion formula.

This meant that the upper ranks of the City of Silver had agreed to exchange for that batch of peculiar mushrooms.

“The advancement ritual is to personally refine a Life Stone… What is a Life Stone? There’s no explanation here…” Derrick glanced at the parchment in his hand and began preparing the ritual without paying it much mind.

In his view, Mr. Fool certainly knew what a Life Stone was. There was no need for him to worry on Mr. World’s behalf.

After preparing the altar, he took out two thin metal tubes. One contained his own blood; the other contained the blood of a Dawn Paladin from the City of Silver.

That Dawn Paladin had reached a certain age. His body had become unable to withstand the corrosion of the various toxins in most foods. In a manner everyone could foresee, he had gradually reached the end of his life. Two days earlier, his granddaughter had personally delivered the final sword strike.

Beforehand, Derrick had obtained the Chief’s approval and found an opportunity to take some of the deceased man’s blood.

As for the demon blood Mr. World needed, the City of Silver’s stores currently had none. However, Chief Colin Iliad had said that if those mushrooms could satisfy part of the City of Silver’s need for food, he would organize a small hunting team to circle around areas where demons appeared.

After placing the two metal tubes and the parchment on the altar, Derrick retreated two steps, faced the lit candles, and began the sacrifice-and-bestowment ritual.

After a series of steps, the illusory door created by the fusion of flame and spiritual materials opened heavily. It took away the sacrificed items and left behind a cluster of dim radiance.

The glow slowly receded, and many mushrooms of different shapes appeared before Derrick.

As for whether their appearance was strange, Derrick did not consider the issue at all, because he had only seen mushrooms once before, and those had been abnormal mushrooms. He lacked sufficient points of comparison.

Recalling Mr. World’s descriptions of the appearance and functions of the different mushroom varieties, Derrick quickly sorted them, placing them into separate leather pouches.

Immediately afterward, he could not hide his excitement. He picked up the Unshadowed Crucifix and prepared to head to the round tower.

But the moment his hand touched the verdigris-covered cross, he felt a faint heat and stinging pain, as though light were seeping out from within the rust, shining toward the mushrooms.

“They are evil and need to be purified…” Derrick was bewildered for a moment, but ultimately chose to trust Mr. World.

He hid the Unshadowed Crucifix, carried Thunder God’s Roar, and hurried all the way to the round tower, where he met Chief Colin Iliad.

“These are the mushrooms?” As he asked, two complicated dark-green symbols surfaced in the Demon Hunter’s eyes. His gaze swept across the various mushrooms, some white and plump, some with the texture of flesh and blood.

“Yes…” Derrick introduced them one by one.

Colin returned to normal. After a few seconds of silence, he said, “There is an evil and unclean aura, but it is very slight and bearable.

“It should be sediment left after devouring the flesh and blood of monsters.”

He paused, then said, “First, test their reproductive ability.”

With that order, some members of the City of Silver who had long since prepared to “receive” the mushrooms carried several monster corpses into the Chief’s room, sprinkling a little of each mushroom variety onto them separately.

The moment those mushrooms touched flesh and blood, they immediately sprouted strand after strand of mycelia, piercing into the corpses.

Roughly twenty or thirty seconds later, they began swelling madly and releasing spores.

After a while, the monsters’ corpses were densely covered in mushrooms.

Yet the mushrooms’ growth did not stop. They kept shooting upward until, in the end, some were actually taller than Derrick Berg, facing him from a position of “looking down.”

…Mr. World didn’t say they would grow this large… And their speed of growth and reproduction is far too fast… Derrick stared at them somewhat blankly, though he did not feel this counted as any serious problem.

Colin Iliad’s expression did not change. Only after the monsters had been reduced to skeletons and scraps did he look around and say, “Better than I expected. Next, who will test the effects of eating them?”

Derrick stepped forward without hesitation.

“Your Excellency Chief, I will.”

Since he was responsible for “introducing” the mushrooms, he naturally had to confirm their safety personally.

Colin Iliad nodded gently.

“Good.”

He then turned his head toward another resident of the City of Silver.

“Invite Elder Lovia here, to guard against accidents.”

As a Beyonder who controlled flesh, Lovia could resolve most mutations involving the human body.

Of course, whether the mutated person could survive was another matter entirely.

Everyone waited several minutes before Shepherd Lovia, dressed in a deep purple robe, arrived at the Chief’s room.

The instant she passed through the doorway, her pale gray eyes narrowed. Her gaze instinctively shifted to the mushrooms occupying most of the space.

After staring for quite a while, Lovia looked toward Colin Iliad and nodded very slightly, indicating that she was ready to provide aid.

Derrick Berg hesitated no longer. He chose a mushroom with a black base, inlaid with bloody threads and fatty patterns, half as tall as he was. He tore apart the mycelia twined around the skeleton, lit a small bonfire on the spot, and began roasting it.

Gradually, waves of aroma that seemed capable of drilling straight into the stomach began spreading through the room. It was a scent the residents of the City of Silver present had never smelled before.

Their Adam’s apples bobbed, and by instinct, they swallowed.

A sizzling sound came from the bonfire. Then the aroma grew even richer.

This was not an unusual, uncanny smell that seemed capable of rousing desire from the depths of the soul. Rather, it was a familiar type of aroma, similar to the natural craving they felt when they had gone a long time without eating black-faced grass food and returned to the City of Silver.

As the sizzling grew denser and the firelight brightened slightly, they felt as though a hand had stretched out from inside their stomachs, wanting to reach over and snatch the food back.

Without realizing it, other residents of the City of Silver who had been doing different tasks inside the round tower followed the aroma and gathered at the doorway.

It took Derrick enormous effort to stop himself from tasting the mushroom halfway through. He waited until the outer shell had completely browned before taking it back and blowing on it.

In that instant, everyone’s gaze fell upon him, including Colin Iliad and Shepherd Lovia.

Out of trust in Mr. World and Mr. Fool, Derrick said nothing. He lowered his head and bit into the mushroom.

“Hiss…” He made a sound from being scalded, then began chewing, swallowing in great mouthfuls.

Only after nearly half the mushroom was gone did Derrick raise his head, somewhat embarrassed. His mouth was covered in oil as he said indistinctly, “Such a strange… texture… It makes me unable to stop… I just keep wanting to eat…”

Colin Iliad stared deeply at Derrick for several seconds, then turned his head and looked toward Shepherd Lovia.

Lovia slowly shook her head.

“No problem.”

The surrounding residents of the City of Silver instantly burst into cheers. They rushed forward and surrounded Derrick, some wanting to share a piece, while others asked how the other mushrooms should be prepared.

Seeing this, Demon Hunter Colin’s expression gradually relaxed. He slowly closed his eyes, lifting his chin slightly.

He inhaled, deeply—very deeply—breathing in the fragrance that filled the room.

…

The City of Silver held a mushroom festival? Doesn’t that sound a little strange… And what is a Life Stone? Mm. The people of the Earth Mother Church definitely know. Frank is no exception… Above the gray fog, as Klein listened to Little Sun’s latest report, he opened the parchment he had received earlier but had not had time to examine closely.

The reason he had hurriedly returned to the real world after the sacrifice-and-bestowment ritual was that the Backlund hospital horror stories serialized in several newspapers had reached their climactic stages. Over the past few days, he had received a large amount of feedback, and just now, he had been at the critical moment when his Bizarro Sorcerer potion was about to fully digest.

And now, he had already completed that step.

He was already prepared to advance to Scholar of Yore.