Chapter 147: The Naturist Sect

Chapter 147: The Naturist Sect

Within the sacred pillar of light, the tumors and flesh that had lost the support of an external power rapidly collapsed, like snow meeting a red-hot iron ball.

Amid an indescribable sizzling sound, Cynthia’s face twisted, filled with abnormal pain.

She moved with difficulty, turning left and right, looking up and down. Her expression gradually filled with terror and confusion, as though she had finally realized that something was wrong with her condition.

“General…” Her voice trembled as she looked ahead in fear and despair, only to find an unfamiliar face.

Klein could have used Cynthia’s remaining flesh and spirit body to feed Creeping Hunger, but at that moment, he merely sighed and said in a calm voice, “In the future, don’t come into contact with strange objects or religions.”

In his view, Cynthia’s current state had to involve either a cult or some dangerous object that had formed a connection with an existence that could not be looked upon directly. Only that could explain such a response.

Cynthia seemed to vaguely understand something. Left with only a head and a little flesh, she suddenly began to shed tears.

“It—it was the Mother Tree of Desire. It was the Naturist Sect…

“General, General, I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die!

“Save me! Save me!”

The Mother Tree of Desire… the Naturist Sect… Those aren’t within the scope of my mysticism knowledge… Klein’s expression did not change. He looked at Cynthia, who was collapsing and pleading for help, with pity. Once again, he spread his arms and said in a low voice, “Death is not the end. You will find redemption at the side of the gods.”

Another clear and pure pillar of light descended. Cynthia’s beautiful face, streaked with tears and mucus, froze completely.

Her gaze was suddenly filled with despair, yet a few traces of hope for a heavenly kingdom after death still remained.

Under the radiance of the “Sun,” her head and remaining body melted and vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, receiving their final purification.

Klein appeared calm as he watched this scene. For a long while, his expression did not change, nor did he move.

Only after everything had settled did the corners of his mouth lift slightly. Unable to conceal his bitterness, he gave a low laugh.

“What a mad and chaotic world…”

The experience just now made him unwilling to perform spirit channeling directly. The many bizarre aspects of the matter also made him abandon the idea of bringing Cynthia’s spirit body above the gray fog to “question” her. Facing a situation where that evil sensation could not be dispersed and its corruption was growing more and more serious, he had no choice but to let Cynthia be purified in time. After all, this was a world with true gods. Perhaps there really was a heavenly kingdom after death.

As for Creeping Hunger’s backlash, Klein was not worried for the time being. After so long together, this mystical item, which was still sealed to a certain extent, had become increasingly compatible with him. It no longer had to be fed immediately after being used once. It had returned to its original state: once activated, it only needed to eat once every twenty-four hours, regardless of how many times it was used. Naturally, on days when it was not used, there was no need to feed it.

Therefore, Klein still had enough time to search for food for Creeping Hunger without harming innocents.

If there really is no other way, I can just throw it above the gray fog… Klein looked around and discovered that the members of the general’s guards and the male and female servants inside the house had all escaped the influence of their magnified desires and fallen unconscious. Among them were the maid at the door who had been strangling her companion in pursuit of praise and recognition, and the blond secretary, Luan.

“Indeed, only by resolving the root of the problem can things truly come to an end…

“According to Admiral Amyrius’s description, Luan is at least a Sequence 6 Beyonder. He is likely a Corrupt Baron, and may even have secretly reached Sequence 5… Yet even he was so easily controlled by magnified desire. That means the essence of the power that descended through Cynthia is extremely high. But why did I merely have an erotic dream?

“Without taking mystical items into account, Luan and I should be at roughly the same level…

“Was it because the portion of the gray fog intertwined with reality helped me? Was it because of the restrictions from Admiral Amyrius’s temporary contract? Or both?

“Mm. Without them, as Cynthia’s primary target, the desire in that aspect would definitely have been amplified to the extreme. It wouldn’t have been just a charming dream…” Klein habitually raised his right hand and brushed his face, once again turning back into Amyrius Leavitt.

Since no one else was temporarily in danger, he carefully examined the room, and his spiritual intuition was suddenly touched.

Taking a few steps forward, Klein arrived at the place where Cynthia had vanished. He bent down and picked up a necklace from the pile of torn clothes on the bed.

The necklace carried a pendant the size of a finger joint. It was entirely black, shaped like a miniature rhinoceros horn. Its surface was exceptionally dim and covered in numerous cracks. Apart from a faint evil sensation, it had no spiritual radiance at all.

“Is this the dangerous object that caused Cynthia’s mutation? Because it had already connected with that existence that cannot be looked upon directly, it completed its mission and poured all its power into Cynthia’s body?” Klein made an initial guess based on the state of the pendant and his earlier experience.

After examining it for a while and finding nothing more, he took out a paper figurine, dealt with the traces at the scene, and removed the charm’s restriction. Then he walked to the blond secretary, Luan, who had been briefly swallowed by flowers and still bore traces of corrosion. Klein raised his knee and nudged him several times with the tip of his shoe.

Given Amyrius’s personality, he shouldn’t crouch down and shake his secretary awake… Heh, the way this fellow looked down on everyone with such arrogance earlier was truly annoying. I really want to punch him… Klein stopped, his expression grave and solemn as he watched Luan slowly wake.

“Your Excellency…” Luan appeared somewhat lost for a moment, as though he could not tell whether he was in a dream or reality.

As a person of high status, there is no obligation to explain… Klein looked down at him and said in a low voice, “Wake everyone here who has only minor injuries. Have some treat the remaining victims, and have the rest immediately investigate the Naturist Sect on Olavi Island. They worship an evil god called the Mother Tree of Desire. Mm… start with the people around Cynthia.

“I will wait in the study for the report.”

With that, he gripped the cracked miniature rhinoceros-horn pendant, turned, left the master bedroom, and entered the quiet study that had not been affected.

As a major figure in the military, Amyrius had to show a certain degree of helplessness when facing the kingdom’s upper levels and selectively ignore certain matters. For example, the telegram relieving Auston of his post as governor had only just arrived, yet the new governor had already reached Olavi—which meant the other party had set out long in advance, while Amyrius Leavitt, the highest commander of the Central Sonia Navy, had received no information at all. However, on Olavi Island, when facing Secretary Luan, the local police system, and the members of the naval base, he still possessed absolute authority. He did not need to investigate personally; there were plenty of people he could dispatch.

A demigod only needed to guard against accidents and wait for news. There was no need to run about busily.

Inside the study, Klein listened to the chaotic footsteps outside, along with panicked screams, questions, and exchanges. The brilliant starry sky and the bright, blooming star involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

“What exactly does that symbolize?” Klein frowned and sat down in the high-backed chair behind the desk, his figure sinking into the darkness cast by the curtains.

He soon made a certain association. From Silver City’s myths and some of Emlyn White’s descriptions of the Sanguine, he had confirmed that the Moon pathway held a portion of authority over reproduction and propagation. This matched Cynthia’s intent and performance rather well.

“A brilliant starry sky… Mr. Door told Emperor Roselle that the Tarot card corresponding to the Goddess is The Star, not The Moon. Could that illusory starry sky symbolize Her? Mm, the Primordial Moon is suspected to be an alias of some god, angel, or high-level devil, while the Goddess has the honorific title of the Crimson Moon. Could She have impersonated the Primordial Moon, occupied the corresponding position, and grasped the necessary authority?” Although Klein knew that such thoughts were extremely blasphemous, he still could not help suspecting the Evernight Goddess.

But he quickly denied this guess, because whether it was the Sanguine Ancestor Lilith or the Primordial Moon, what they manifested was pure reproduction and propagation. It did not involve appetite, arrogance, or the desire for recognition. This contradicted the performance of some of the earlier victims. The other honorific titles of the Evernight Goddess also did not include the relevant domains.

“This actually fits the traits of the Devil pathway. An Apostle of Desire is an expert in that area… Could the one replacing the Primordial Moon really be a high-level devil, or even the King of Devils who calls himself the Dark Side of the Universe, the Sequence 0 Abyss? That possibility is quite high. But the problem is, the scene shouldn’t present an illusory starry sky and a bright star. Neither the Moon nor the Abyss is connected to such symbols…” The more Klein considered it, the more he felt that this guess had problems.

As his thoughts tumbled, he suddenly associated it with a concept.

It was a concept that often appeared as important content in the mysticism knowledge he had come into contact with, but which had never been described or explained in detail.

That was the astral world.

Apart from a few organizations like the School of Life, which believed in more niche concepts such as the World of Absolute Rationality, most schools of mysticism divided the world into reality, the spirit world, and the astral world.

There was no need to explain reality. Knowledge of the spirit world formed the basis of many ritual magics and Beyonder powers. Only the astral world remained almost entirely blank in Klein’s understanding.

“So the illusory starry sky represents the astral world, and the bright star is some existence within it? I’ve always suspected that the astral world is the dwelling place of true gods. If that symbolic picture indicates the Primordial Moon, then it isn’t completely unacceptable…” Klein stopped thinking too deeply. He recalled the details of the past few days while waiting for his subordinates’ investigation results.

Time passed second by second. At last, Klein heard familiar footsteps ascend the stairs and approach.

The blond secretary, Luan, knocked and entered, lowering his head as he calmly reported, “Your Excellency, we have located the Naturist Sect and captured their leader.

“The clue was provided by Miss Cynthia’s parents.

“This sect has been rather active on Olavi in recent years. Its doctrine is to wear no clothing, return to nature, and indulge one’s instincts, believing that humans can achieve the liberation of spirituality in that state.

“Reproduction is a secondary product of this doctrine.”

After a brief pause, Luan added, “Their leader is a Beyonder, a Sequence 8 Lunatic.”

A Lunatic? The Prisoner pathway’s Lunatic? Connected to the Rose School of Thought? Mm, the Rose School of Thought has two factions: temperance and indulgence. The latter’s philosophy fits the situation at the scene quite well… Klein’s heart stirred, but his face remained unmoved.

“Bring him here,” he said.