The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 142 Eating Dirt
Eric smiled as he watched the group of alchemists, who seemed to be telling a comedy routine.

"Is this your first time kidnapping someone? You're not very professional."

The group quieted down again.

The one who spoke next was the middle-aged alchemist who seemed more gentle and authoritative. Eric learned from their conversation that his name was Ferdinand and the one on the ground was called Nehm.

"Who are you, Your Excellency?"

“I already told you, I’m Molly’s friend.” Eric glanced at Molly, who had been staring at him in disbelief since earlier, clearly not expecting him to come to her rescue.

When their eyes met, her eyes quickly filled with tears. She opened her mouth as if to shout something, but paused before she could speak.

"A good person—"

This guy didn't remember his name at all.

Eric ignored her for the moment, looked at Ferdinand, and thrust his sword down a few more inches. "Release him."

"Uh!"

Nehm, lying on the ground, cried out in pain, and Ferdinand quickly ordered the students to untie Molly's ropes.

“Don’t hurt him, we’ll release him…” Ferdinand looked at his young face. “We didn’t intend to hurt Miss Molly, we just asked her to come and ask some questions.”

“If this is what you call ‘please,’ then I’ll consider this a friendly greeting.” Eric slightly twirled the sword in his hand, and Nehm immediately let out an even more painful groan.

"Stop!" Ferdinand pleaded with him to stop, worried about his companion's safety.

Eric stopped, and once Molly was freed from the ropes, she collapsed to the ground.

He lowered his head and said, "Hey."

"I can't feel my legs..." Molly looked at her legs, pounded them a few times, but still felt nothing. She looked up angrily and shouted, "What have you done to me?!"

Ferdinand was a little embarrassed. "This is one of the side effects of the Truth Potion, which also happens to prevent Miss Molly from escaping... However, the effect only lasts for one night, and there will be no aftereffects."

"Are you even human?!" Molly crawled over to him and punched him in the leg. The alchemist gasped in pain but didn't dare to fight back.

"I'm very sorry……"

Eric was speechless for a moment, then said, "You climb out first."

"Huh?" Molly looked up at him.

"I still have some questions for them."

"Then I'll wait for you. I can't climb, carry me out."

"..."

The two looked at each other for a moment, then Eric sighed and chose to ignore her. "Mr. Ferdinand, I know you're looking for Rusdy."

Ferdinand didn't know how long he had been infiltrating, nor was he surprised. "You knew his whereabouts?"

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have come looking for Molly. I’m looking for him too.” Eric looked at him. “But I’m sure she really doesn’t know where Rusdy went.”

Ferdinand frowned. "She definitely knows, she just doesn't want to tell."

"You don't trust her? Don't you even trust your own potion?" Eric asked. "Didn't you already give her the Truth Potion? If she says she doesn't know, then she really doesn't know."

Ferdinand was silent for a moment, then said, "That potion was prepared a long time ago and may have expired. We'll have to refill it..."

Eric interrupted him, "Is there anything left?"

He paused, then said, "There's more."

"Bring it here."

"..."

Ferdinand glanced at him, then turned and beckoned the students to fetch the unused potion.

The vial of potion was on the ground. Eric took it, opened it with one hand, then squatted down and poured it directly into Nehm's mouth.

"Wait!" Ferdinand exclaimed in surprise, rushing forward only to be blocked by the tip of Eric's raised sword.

"Uh...uh..."

The potion took effect quickly; Nehm on the ground twitched a few times, his body twisting, and he appeared to be delirious.

"What's your name?" Eric asked.

“Nehm…Nehm Giese…”

He continued, "What are you researching?"

The potion left Nehm in a daze, yet he was incredibly candid with any question, "Homunculus..."

Eric was startled. "What android?"

"Using alchemy... to create life..."

Although Eric had known for some time that many alchemists were researching related fields, this was the first time he had stumbled upon such a case. He guessed that they might have made a significant breakthrough, otherwise they wouldn't be in such a hurry to find the Soul Master Rusdy.

"Where are you at now?" he then asked.

Nehm writhed, his eyes tightly shut, a hint of pain flashing across his face every now and then. "We...we have created life..."

Eric opened his mouth, thinking he had misheard.

"—Just a lump of rotten flesh with only life and no consciousness."

The one who spoke next was Ferdinand, who had been silent for a long time. He sighed, and Neham's reaction made him accept the fact that the drug had not yet worn off and that Molly really knew nothing about it.

Eric looked at him. "So that's why you wanted to find Rusdy, trying to break through on a spiritual level?"

“That is the inevitable path,” Ferdinand said. “We have failed countless times and finally realized that it is impossible to create true life without a soul. Whether it is the formation of the body or the birth of consciousness, the soul must guide it and play some role... But we know nothing about this and can only turn to Rusdy.”

“But he disagreed,” Eric said.

"He just doesn't truly understand us!"

"Anyway, he doesn't agree."

"..."

Eric looked at the silent Ferdinand and said, "Anyway, you should understand now that Molly really doesn't know where Rusdy went."

Ferdinand nodded silently.

"Will you continue to bother her?"

“No, it won’t happen again.” Ferdinand looked at Molly. “I’m sorry about what happened today.”

"Pay me money," Molly said. "And get my leg back to normal!"

The alchemist immediately agreed to compensation, stating that it would take some time to prepare the corresponding recovery potion, and then hoped that Eric would release Nehm.

"Does he listen to you?" Eric asked. "If I treat him like this, he won't come at me and hit me as soon as he regains his senses, will he?"

Ferdinand paused for a moment, then quickly shook his head. "No, I will stop him."

"That's fine."

Eric crouched down and began to heal the wound on Nehem's shoulder.

Upon seeing the white light of the healing spell, the alchemists, who had already accepted reality and were gradually calming down, suddenly panicked.

"This must be a divine spell from the Yela sect!"

"You're from the church?!"

Molly was also a little surprised. "So you have connections with the church. That's impressive."

Eric cast a spell, glancing up at them. "Don't be nervous. I'm only representing myself today, and have nothing to do with the church. Otherwise, I wouldn't be the only one here..."

"—Something terrible has happened!"

Just then, Fred, who had been knocked unconscious, finally woke up and rushed over.

"Someone knocked me unconscious and sneaked in! There are still knights guarding the road outside!"

The alchemists were thrown into chaos, thinking that the church knights had already arrived, and fled up the stairs, only to be stopped by a loud shout from Eric, who was utterly speechless.

“The one outside is my companion, just one person, and he’s not from the church.” Eric looked at Fred, whose robes he had ripped off, and said, “Did you even see him before you started shouting?”

"..."

Fred looked at him, then at the teacher, "Uh, this person is..."

Ferdinand ignored him and looked at Eric. "Are you telling the truth?"

"Do I have any reason to lie?" Eric retorted.

Ferdinand thought about it and agreed. If a large number of church knights were to come, they could just charge straight in and be done with it. Why would he need to lie in wait here for half a day?

He wiped his sweat. "I'm sorry, we're used to being chased by people from the church."

Eric rubbed his temples. "It's a miracle you haven't been caught by the church yet, given your current state..."

He continued treating Nehm's wounds, and the latter, who had been in a daze for a while, as the effects of the medicine gradually wore off, slowly regained consciousness after their commotion. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the person who had just defeated him casting a healing spell of the Yera sect on him.

"Divine magic! People from the Church!"

He sat up abruptly, but when he tried to get up, he found his legs were too weak. He could only shout anxiously, "Run!"

The room was filled with men, women, and children, all silently watching him.

"Ferdinand?!"

He looked at his companion, who paused for a moment, then said to the person beside him, "Go and prepare a potion to remove the side effects of the Mantra Potion. Remember, use the mildest ingredients."

"I understand, teacher."

Ferdinand helped Neham up and explained the events leading up to his loss of consciousness, while Eric dragged Molly to sit on the stairs and then sent Fred, who seemed to be the lowest in rank, to call Elise, who was feeding mosquitoes outside.

"Her name is Elise. Remember to call out to her before you get close, so you don't scare her away."

Fred looked at his teacher, Ferdinand, who waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."

When Elise arrived at the mage tower with a suspicious look, she saw several people sitting together, each busy with their own things.

“It’s alright, it was just a misunderstanding.” Eric, who was also sitting on the stairs, turned to look at her. “But we’ll have to wait a little longer.”

Elise glanced at him a few times, then slowly walked down the stairs, sat behind him, and leaned closer: "What exactly happened..."

After Eric explained, the potion was ready. It was a pale blue liquid with no smell. Molly held it in her hand and looked at it for a long time, while Nehm gulped it down in one go.

Seeing him stand up again, she slowly took a small sip.

Ferdinand quickly reminded him, "You have to drink it straight down! The medicine doesn't taste very good..."

It's too late.

"Ugh! Ugh!"

Molly tilted her head back, bared her teeth, and looked miserable. She was about to throw away the rest of the potion.

Eric reacted quickly, grabbing her chin and pouring the rest into her mouth before covering it with his hand.

"..."

Molly stared wide-eyed, forced to swallow the medicine, and by the time Eric let go, she was already able to stand up.

She punched him on the shoulder. "Even if you swallow it whole, it still tastes disgusting!"

"What else can we do but wait for the side effects to pass?"

Eric then looked at the alchemists. "Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, you should send her back."

Ferdinand glanced at him, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

“We only rode one horse here,” Eric saw through his thoughts. “We can’t take her with us.”

“Alright… Fred, you take Miss Molly home in the carriage.”

“You haven’t paid me back yet!” Molly said immediately.

Ferdinand sighed. "How much money does Miss Molly want?"

"Ten thousand gold coins."

"..."

Before Ferdinand could speak, Eric said, "If I were him, I would have just killed you."

Molly glared at him. "Don't you know how to negotiate? I'm giving him room to bargain."

Eric rolled his eyes, ignored her, got up, and pulled Elise away, ready to leave first.

“Sir…” Ferdinand called out to him, “I don’t know your name yet.”

"Eric."

“Mr. Eric,” Ferdinand looked up at him, “you just said that you are also looking for Rusdy’s whereabouts. Can you tell me why?”

“I’m just interested in his research and want to talk to him,” Eric said.

“If you find Rusdy, please let me know. I won’t force him to help; I just want to talk to him again,” Ferdinand said sincerely.

Eric thought for a moment, “I’d like to know exactly where your research has progressed… I mean, is there anything I can see that you’ve achieved?”

Ferdinand was silent for a moment, exchanged glances with the alchemists, and finally spoke up: "Mr. Eric is, after all, a member of the Church. I'm worried that after you see this, you'll have to lock us up in the Church's prison."

“I am only speaking for myself now,” Eric said. “And if you say that, I might not be able to contain my curiosity and will ask some church knights to make you confess.”

"..."

This was a threat. Ferdinand sighed, “We have the right to explore the truth of this world! ...But we also acknowledge that Yera is the supreme deity who created this world. We have no intention of challenging her authority; we merely wish to glimpse a corner of the truth that the gods disdain to reveal to humanity…”

Eric clicked his tongue.

"I already told you, it's not that complicated. I'm just curious. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. At worst, I won't tell you where Rusdy is."

This was much more effective than threatening them with the church, and after much hesitation, Ferdinand had no choice but to agree.

He asked Eric to come with him to another building, to the underground space where the alchemists' latest research results were located.

"Perfect timing... You're from the church, maybe you can help us solve that problem."

Eric asked, puzzled, "Trouble?"

"You'll see when you see it."

Ferdinand led the way, and Eric and his two companions followed him through the suspended corridor, back to the other side of the building, and then down a passageway to a spacious underground space.

It was pitch black inside. Just as Eric was about to cast a light spell, Ferdinand waved his staff and threw out a ball of white, cold flame.

As soon as the flame flew out, it actively adhered to the lamp holders on the wall, igniting all the lamp holders around it. Only then did Eric realize that the underground space here was like a huge well, and they were currently standing around the edge of the well. The bottom was dark and looked quite deep.

"You guys actually dug such a deep well underground...are you mining?" he said casually, peering into the darkness below.

“We didn’t dig this up.” Ferdinand sighed, then took out another scroll, unrolled it, and threw it down.

As the scroll fell, it spontaneously combusted, transforming into a larger and brighter cold flame that illuminated the entire space below.

"..."

Not only Eric, but also Elise and Molly beside him gasped at the same time.

"What monster!" Molly stared wide-eyed at what was below.

Elise instinctively moved closer to Eric, and then heard him curse.

"So you guys were the ones who made this?"

She paused, and Ferdinand was also taken aback. "You know what this is?"

Looking at the giant slime below, Eric finally understood what he meant by "a pile of rotten flesh" earlier.

He looked at Ferdinand and said, "This thing you've created should have a name."

Ferdinand nodded. "Card..."

“—Kaeros.” Eric spoke first, naming the monster below.

Ferdinand was stunned. "You...how did you know? No one else has ever seen this thing except us!"

That's now.

In another timeline, much later in time, countless people have seen this thing.

Cairoth, a level 100 world boss, spawns once a week in a random area of ​​the Castelfel map.

According to the backstory, this thing was created by a group of alchemists who, unable to deal with it or even kill it, had no choice but to leave it alone.

As a result, it grew larger and larger, eventually devouring the entire mage tower and the alchemists who created it, breaking free of its restraints and wreaking havoc in the area.

This thing is one of the easiest world bosses for ranged classes to kill because its attack methods are very simple and its speed is slow. You don't need to worry about aggro, just go all out on the damage.
This thing is one of the hardest bosses for melee classes to kill because its attack range is extremely wide; if you get hit, you die, and if you don't dodge, a whole bunch of people will die.

Eric looked at the slime-like mass of flesh below. At present, this BOSS should still be in its juvenile form, just lying there with almost no movement.

Ferdinand said that Cairo was the most successful artificial life form they had created according to their theory. Its lifespan not only exceeded the original limit of one day, but it was also able to grow on its own and even had extremely strong regenerative abilities.

Although we are still far from achieving the ultimate goal of creating artificial humans, he believes that this is simply a result of a lack of spiritual guidance, and that they have already reached their limit in terms of what they can do.

The birth and growth of Cairo verified many theories, but they gradually discovered that it was growing too fast.

Ferdinand told Eric that it was originally contained in a glass bottle.

Initially, the alchemists didn't want to kill it for long-term observation, but now they can't kill it anymore and can only watch helplessly as it devours the original underground laboratory, sinking deeper and deeper underground and growing bigger and bigger.

"...Did it grow up eating dirt?" Eric suddenly noticed a question.

Ferdinand wore a mysterious smile.

"Don't underestimate the soil; you and I both come from the soil."

(End of this chapter)