Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 244: An Unexpected Path

Unconventional methods of resurrection are something the four priests have been researching recently.

As for the initial motivation for the research, it was naturally due to the flaws in the resurrection technology itself—a complete corpse is required for resurrection, which is too much of a limitation. It should be noted that many people die because their bodies are not complete.

For example, the Chosen Warriors who suddenly went out to challenge the Chosen Champions half a month ago and were hacked to pieces. Although many of their bodies could be pieced back together, many of them were missing their heads.

Even if you're missing your head, what should you do if you still want to live a second life?

It was precisely because of this problem that the four priests had to start thinking about solutions. After all, the current situation was still manageable; the only ones who couldn't be resurrected were the warriors of the Blood Chapter. If one day they couldn't live a second life, they might become the core designers of some key project...

They were somewhat afraid to think about the terrible consequences.

"There is a way, why not just turn them into babies and reborn?"

This was a method proposed by Melk of Libra, one of the four priests. It sounded quite reliable, and this cycle of life and death did indeed coincide with the power that the Serpent God currently controlled.

However, this seemingly reliable method has been met with skepticism.

"Even if a baby is born and learns to speak immediately, how many years will it take before they learn to walk and move normally?"

The one who uttered these words was Sathek the Greatsword. Possessing the divinely bestowed blade, he instinctively applied the mindset of a warrior—after all, many things are indeed like this; even if it's not combat but manual labor, a sufficiently strong physique is required to sustain it.

Starting from infancy and rebuilding takes at least a decade or more, which is far too long.

"It's not that your method won't work, but we need to have other methods. We need ways to allow the deceased to live a second life even without a body, and at least be able to perform the most basic normal functions."

After hearing what he said, the other three priests had to admit that Sathek the Greatsword made a lot of sense, but how to put it into practice was much more difficult than the previous one.

So they simply gathered together the immortals from all walks of life to try to come up with a solution.

This was originally just an experiment, but who could have imagined that those immortals would actually come up with a solution?

"This isn't my method; it's the work of the previous carpenter sage... Can I mention his name?"

After glancing at everyone present and receiving a definite answer, Beskey took out a roll of papyrus and began to draw on the spot.

"Although the carpenter Nutba met with an accident in the end, some of the designs he left behind are still quite reasonable..."

As Beske drew, a huge wooden machine appeared on the blueprints.

Satek the Greatsword was the first to recognize the thing on the blueprint, after all, it was the thing he had cleaved in two with a single blow—it was clearly the shape of a chariot, except that this chariot could stand up like a person.

After Beskey made some minor modifications to the graphics, the originally upright chariot gradually transformed into a heavy suit of armor.

"It doesn't have to be hollow; it can be solid too. And it doesn't have to be made of wood; other materials can be used as well."

After finishing a few drafts, Beskey put down his pen.

"As long as they look like humans, it's fine; they don't have to look like humans either. The point is to provide a temporary place for souls to reside, and it won't even prevent them from becoming flesh and blood again."

At this point, Beskey paused.

"The only problem is probably how to put the soul in it; I don't know anything about that."

As a carpenter fairy, Beskay certainly didn't understand the soul well enough, but the four priests, after performing numerous resurrection rituals, had gained a relatively profound understanding of the soul—and after exchanging glances, they confirmed that this method seemed to be feasible. "But it can't be used for too long, nor can it be too bizarre, after all, the serpent god also said that the body determines the shape of the soul."

After a brief discussion, the four priests agreed on this provisional solution.

And now, these members of the Blood Warband have become the first batch of test subjects.

Even the most suitable group of test subjects.

Their souls were already damaged, and now that they were put back into humanoid bodies, there might be a chance to repair them. Besides, they didn't care whether the bodies were made of flesh or not. After all, for the Blood Donation Corps at present, it would be good enough to live a second life.

So, under the direction of the four priests, hundreds of iron golems that had been lying on the ground stood up.

Yes, this was the first prototype body. For the sake of sturdiness, the four priests simply had someone forge a solid body out of steel. Although the weight was indeed a bit excessive, it was certainly durable enough.

And the souls of those warriors were placed in the chests of these steel-clad bodies.

This was also for ease of manipulation. They had considered whether placing it on the head would be better, but obviously, compared to the chest, the head is farther from the limbs, which means that the manipulation of the body would be somewhat delayed.

"But... what happened?"

The first legion commander of the Blood Warband, who was also the first law enforcement officer to step forward, tried his best to clench his fist.

"My body... feels so heavy."

"It's normal for it to be heavy, after all, it's all steel."

Sarthaker the Giant's eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Shall we take a walk and see?"

The steel golems all tried to take a couple of steps, and then they all collapsed to the ground.

Clearly, the first attempt failed. The reason was simple: although the steel bodies carried the souls of the warriors, the power that the souls provided to their consciousness was not enough for them to drive these steel bodies.

Simply put, it means the consciousness is too weak to move.

"This……"

The first attempt failed, which was a huge blow to the four priests, so they had to resort to their backup methods.

Those were a batch of clay bodies, which, being hollow, were even lighter than wood. Of course, due to their structure and material, these clay bodies were also quite fragile, and could even be said to shatter at the slightest touch.

But the warriors of the Blood Warband seemed quite satisfied; at least, judging from their agile movements, they were virtually indistinguishable from real human bodies.

"Is this really okay?"

The four priests were still immersed in the feeling of failure, and they were still thinking about how to create better bodies to carry the souls, so they didn't take these terracotta figures too seriously.

The newly acquired Blood Warband warriors, having just received their new bodies, were already eagerly rushing onto the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)