The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 246 The Son of God

The Moon Elf Archmage's name is Mabel, and she is 307 years old this year. She is the highest-ranking Archmage in Westwind City and even the entire province of Kuss.

She came here from Lutia nearly twenty years ago.

Eric handed her his uncle's letter. "I want to know, what exactly was that thing that my mother took away and then Eileen brought back to Archmage Agnes?"

After reading the letter, Mabel was in a daze for a while, wearing an expression of even greater disbelief than he had.

"I didn't expect Orieta to leave that thing behind..."

Eric awaited her answer.

It took Mabel quite a while to finally shift her gaze from the letter to him.

"That is a piece of bone from when the serpent god Asara and the winged god Nokot gave birth to Yera. Yera swallowed another twin god while inside her mother Nokot's body, and thus was born with infinite wisdom and endless power."

"..."

Eric was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"The part of human creation myths that is not recorded."

Mabel looked at him, “The amniotic fluid crystallized into amber, encasing that piece of bone, which remained on this earth along with us, the abandoned gods, when Yera and the other pure gods ascended.”

"The ancestors of the Moon Elves later obtained that piece of bone and discovered that it had the effect of purifying the impure energy in the body, allowing us to break through the shackles. However, only members of the tribe whose impure energy in their bodies is naturally not more than a certain level can use it."

"And your mother, Orietta, was the last member of her kind to meet this standard in hundreds of years, but she died twenty years ago, and the last hope of the moon elves was shattered."

Eric's brow furrowed even deeper. "So, the shackles the moon elves spoke of are the concentration of that tainted energy within their bodies?"

Looking at the young but actually quite old moon elf, he closed his eyes briefly, which could be considered a nod.

"What would happen if we cleared that energy and broke through the barriers?" Eric asked again.

"If it can be completely eradicated, one can become a clean moon elf, a truly pure god."

Mabel looked at him and said, “The Kingdom of God will not allow a true god to be left behind on this land. When that time comes, the gates of the Kingdom of God will open again to welcome that person to ascend to the Kingdom of God. We, the abandoned children of God, will also be saved.”

Eric fell silent.

To be honest, even after what happened in Lutia, he still didn't think that the moon elves' wishful thinking about the creation myth could truly receive a response from the divine kingdom.

But if it's true...

Will Eileen become a god and ascend to heaven?

So what is he? A half-human, half-god? Will he also receive some kind of "salvation"?

Eric's mind was racing, but he forced himself to focus on the present: "So what's happening at the Lutia Magic Academy right now is the so-called 'purification'?"

Mabel blinked slowly again.

"Was the one who was purified Eileen? Or the Archmage Agnes, or another moon elf?"

Mabel fell silent, then sighed.

"I don't know, child."

Mabel replied, "Even pure moon elves only produce one person every few hundred years who meets the purification criteria—your mother. A human-moon hybrid could never have met the requirements from the start… And Agnes herself could never have met the criteria, otherwise, your mother wouldn't have been called the last hope of the moon elves."

She slowly shook her head. "I can't understand what happened there, and I don't have much time left. Whoever it is, I just hope she acts quickly, because my body may not be able to hold out until the gates of the divine kingdom open."

"..."

Eric sighed, thought for a moment, and then asked, "So all we can do now is wait?"

Mabel looked at him. "We can only wait, child."

"How long will this process take?"

"It can take anywhere from a few days to a hundred years."

"..."

Eric resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Isn't there a way to speed it up?"

"Throughout history, the number of moon elves who truly meet the purification standards can be counted on one hand, like the children of Orieta..."

"—I have a name, Eric. My mother's other child is named Eileen."

“Well, Eric, how much experience do you think I have in this matter?” Mabel didn’t take offense, just looked at him, but the meaning was clear: asking her wouldn’t do any good.

Eric paced anxiously in the archmage's room.

Sealed within the amniotic fluid crystals of that so-called creator god's mother are not only his sister, but also his two women. If the purification process truly takes a hundred years...

He concluded by asking, "Can't this process be stopped?"

Mabel looked at him for a while before speaking:
“Even if it were possible, I wouldn’t allow you to stop, and neither would the moon elves. I can understand Agnes’s feelings now; when death is imminent, every possibility is worth trying.”

She paused, then added, "You can rest assured that within the crystal, their time is essentially frozen. They will not age, nor will they die, until purification is complete."

Eric stared at the old elf in the seat for a while, then turned and left.

Mabel lowered her gaze, about to enter a meditative state, when he returned.

Give me back the letter.

Mabel gave him the letter.

He still didn't leave.

"Please forgive my rudeness just now, Archmage Mabel, I am really worried about the safety of my sister and those two friends."

Mabel shook her head, indicating that she didn't take it seriously.

"Since this is our first meeting, and we probably won't have the chance to meet again, do you have anything to give me?"

"..."

Mabel stared at him for a while, seemingly lost in thought, before finally speaking.

“What do you want, O… Eric?”

“Anything is fine,” Eric said. He was already here, and although he had received news that the three were not in immediate danger, he couldn’t go back empty-handed. His uncles and aunts at Xingyuan Academy had already given him quite a few gifts.

Mabel thought for a moment, then turned her head and beckoned to the bookshelf behind her. A dozen scrolls flew towards her like pigeons that had been suddenly awakened.

“You know nothing about magic.”

She looked at the flustered Eric and continued, "But even someone like you who has no affinity for magic can use these scrolls. I made them myself, originally for... well, let's not dwell on the past. In short, the most powerful scroll among them is equivalent to a tenth-tier spell, which is enough for you to deal with most dangers."

She talked for a while, but Eric only listened to the last sentence.

Its power is equivalent to a tenth-tier spell...

"Thank you for your generosity, Archmage Mabel."

Eric bowed to her, carrying a pile of scrolls.

“Don’t use them incorrectly,” Mabel cautioned. “Otherwise, the energy released from those scrolls will tear you apart as easily as you unroll them.”

“I understand, Archmage.”

Mabel looked at him for a while, then suddenly said, "If Agnes fails, you can inherit my entire estate after I die."

Eric paused, put down the pile of scrolls, and bowed again.

"I only hope that Eileen and the others can get out of that state as soon as possible, but if Eileen's success can free the Archmage from the shackles of the mortal world, I will pray for it day and night."

Mabel smiled for the first time since he came in.

She then waved her hand, and Eric tactfully left the room on the top floor of the tower.

Carrying a pile of scrolls, Eric took the magical elevator downstairs, but his sense of relief didn't last long.

"Really?...A truly pure race of gods, and even ascended to a divine realm..."

He didn't doubt that the moon elves were indeed descendants of the ancient gods, but the idea that removing the so-called impure energy could open the gate to the divine kingdom was probably less credible than the patriotism of the governor who owned the city.

Eric could only lament that he died young in his previous life, before "The Thorn Soul Crown" could release any related content, which made him feel that this matter was more like the Moon Elf race's arrogance.

How should I explain this to my uncle?
As for Lutia, his uncle must be very anxious. He needs to reassure him and tell him that at least for now, Eileen is not in danger.

As Eric suffered a headache, the magical floating elevator continued to descend, soon landing on the ground.

Upon arriving at the ground-level hall of the Mage Guild, Natalia and Kasha were still waiting for him. Seeing him emerge carrying a stack of scrolls, Natalia paused, then asked, "What did the Moon Elf Archmage say? Is Miss Eileen in danger?"

“There’s no immediate danger,” Eric said, taking a breath.

She then asked him about the pile of scrolls he was carrying.

"It was a gift from that archmage," Eric said, too embarrassed to admit that he had insisted on it. "Even someone like me, who knows nothing about magic, can use it."

As he spoke, he slipped two scrolls to her and Kasha respectively, saying, "Keep these safe; they can be used for self-defense in a pinch."

Natalia looked down at it, but still accepted it.

The middle-aged human mage who had just informed him in the hall immediately noticed what was in his hand and craned his neck to stare at it.

Eric thought for a moment, then took the scroll and went over.

"This is a scroll given to me by the Archmage Mabel."

"...Just as I thought!" The middle-aged monk clenched his fists, unable to tell whether he was excited or jealous.

“But I know nothing about magic. Could you identify what these scrolls are?” Eric asked again.

The middle-aged monk paused for a moment, then immediately said, "No problem."

He picked up a scroll at random. "However, identifying spell scrolls requires almost no knowledge. As long as you know a little about spells, you can easily identify them."

Eric remained expressionless. "I told you, I know nothing about magic."

"I apologize, Your Highness, I meant no offense... This is a high-level Flame Cloud Spell scroll. Once cast, it can summon a large area of flames, continuously creating a fire elemental impact on a region."

The middle-aged monk quickly recognized the scroll in his hand. "You see, the Archmage Mabel also left a mark here when he made this scroll."

Eric glanced at the corner of the scroll and sure enough, there was a flame-shaped mark, though it was only the size of a fingernail.

The middle-aged mage then identified the other dozen or so scrolls for him, including those held by Natalia and Kasha. It was unclear whether Mabel had intentionally selected them when giving them to him, as there were roughly half offensive and half defensive scrolls.

Eric redistributed the scrolls, giving Natalia and Kasha two defensive scrolls that could summon shields each, and also giving them an attack scroll that was less likely to affect themselves.

"However, the fact that a tenth-tier spell like 'Annihilation Blade' can be made into a scroll that allows for casting from scratch shows that Archmage Mabel is truly unfathomable... although the power or duration will be somewhat reduced."

Clutching the remaining spell scrolls, Eric, along with Natalia and Kasha, left the Mage Guild amidst the middle-aged mage's reluctant gaze.

Once inside the carriage, Natalia said, "I thought His Highness would also give that mage a scroll. He probably thought so too. When His Highness finally gave me this scroll, he was practically standing on tiptoe."

Eric was taken aback. "Really? I didn't notice. But he's a mage, what would he need this for?"

"Probably for research purposes, after all, it was made by the Moon Elf Archmage."

“If it’s a regular scroll, I wouldn’t mind giving him one.”

Natalia didn't say anything, and looked at the three scrolls in her hand again, seemingly considering where to put these personal items.

“When I’m with Your Highness, these scrolls can be put away. Or I can hide a self-defense scroll in my sleeve.”

"……Um."

Eric didn't stay in the mage tower for long, so he returned to the governor's mansion relatively early.

Back in his room, he took out stationery and a quill pen, pondered for a long time, and then began to write a reply to his uncle.

After much deliberation, he decided not to hide what the moon spirit had told him; whether his uncle believed it or not was up to him to decide.

Eric offered only one suggestion: Eileen was not in immediate danger within the amber crystal seal, so he could observe for the time being and make a more risky decision, at least until he returned to Lutia.

After finishing his letter to his uncle, Eric sighed and also replied to the letters to Sophie and the others.

He didn't close the door, and only after he finished writing the letter did he realize that Natalia was standing at the door.

"Your Highness?"

"Finished writing?"

"Ah."

She came in. "I also have a few letters to send to Lutia. Let's send them together."

Eric nodded and handed the letter to her. Natalia then gave the letter to a maid outside, asking her to take it to the cathedral and ask the church messenger to send it out as soon as possible.

After the maid left, Eric asked Natalia, "I wasn't paying attention earlier. Has anything major happened recently?"

Natalia shook her head, her gaze passing over his shoulder and landing on the desk behind him.

"I haven't finished reading it either. But judging from the news before and after, the front line is stable. Support is arriving one after another, and even in places we haven't been to yet, people are voluntarily helping Lutia."

“Good news,” Eric said. “It seems His Highness and I can relax a bit.”

Natalia smiled, but quickly realized that his attention was not on what was in front of her.

She didn't say anything, sat down at her desk, and continued reading the remaining intelligence.

Although Eric sat down opposite her, he picked up a piece of intelligence and didn't put it down, clearly not paying attention to it at all, still thinking about things in the distance.

Natalia ignored him for the time being, and after reviewing all the important information, she said, "It turns out we overlooked something."

Eric looked at her.

Natalia handed him the intelligence report, "A demon force crossed the Qifeng Mountains and clashed head-on with the Papacy's army on the border of Tebunet. Both sides suffered considerable casualties. This happened five days ago. Because it occurred in Tebunet, Lutia's intelligence reports didn't specifically mention it afterward."

Eric snapped out of his reverie. "The Papacy's army also suffered considerable casualties? Shouldn't they have been prepared long ago?"

"Your Highness, please take a look for yourself."

He took the intelligence report, which did not provide details of the battle between the two sides, only that both sides suffered heavy losses. The Holy See had failed to completely defeat the demons, but the demons had also failed to break through the defenses, and the two sides remained locked in a stalemate.

Eric frowned. The great victory he knew of in defeating the demons was the final result of the entire battle, and at the start of the battle, the Papacy might not have been ready to face the demons directly.

"The most elite church knights are mostly concentrated in Leslie, and with so many clergymen also there, the outcome was inevitable."

Eric put down the intelligence report in his hand. "It's only a matter of time before the demons attacking Tebuniti are repelled."

Natalia nodded. "I just don't know if the Holy See will press their advantage and completely annihilate that demon army."

Eric pursed his lips, said nothing, and picked up the next intelligence report.

This little incident brought his attention back to the present, allowing him to get a general overview of recent intelligence from all sides. It was almost time for the banquet to begin.

The two changed into different dresses, while Kasha stayed in her original outfit, since no one would pay attention to her anyway.

Descending downstairs to the courtyard of the governor's mansion, one finds that many nobles and wealthy merchants have already arrived.

"Let's not talk about supporting the front lines today, unless the other party brings it up themselves."

Eric took two glasses of wine from the waiter's tray, handing one to Natalia. "So there's no need to drink that much. Just a little something for those people is enough."

Their experience in Sunset City had taught them a profound lesson. Their attitude at the banquet didn't tell the whole story, especially since these people were now preoccupied with the upcoming Sea Spirit Festival.

“I understand.” Natalia nodded, took the glass, hesitated for a moment, and then clinked glasses with him first.

Regardless of who he likes or who he sleeps with, at least for now, he is her most steadfast companion.

She drank it all in one gulp.

Eric took only a small sip, looked at the empty glass in her hand, and said speechlessly, "I just finished speaking."

"Is Your Highness also one of 'those people'?" Natalia asked, looking at him.

"...Alright, we should enjoy ourselves to the fullest with our own people."

Eric finished his drink in one gulp.

"This wine tastes really good, it already has a southern flavor."

What does it feel like to be in the South?

"Hmm... I need another drink to describe it."

"...Your Highness, please don't get drunk first."

Eric smiled, beckoned to the waiter not far away, and took down two more glasses of wine, whether as a reminder to her or to himself, it was unclear.