Don't disturb the sorcerer's scientific research

Chapter 176 Jia Xiu's Complete Understanding of Boxing Techniques
Chaos erupted in the ancient castle church of the Moon Mother Goddess Cult.

As night fell, the vampire clones suddenly attacked, causing panicked adventurers to scatter and flee for their lives, believers to bury their heads in prayer for the protection of the Mother Goddess, and priests and clerics who still seemed to have everything under control.

They weren't nervous at all; they had written the "script."

To be precise, it was written by the high priest.

The other priests were not involved in the writing of the script; at most, they filled in some details.

During his previous conversation with Samantha's body, Jash had inquired about the cult's future plans.

The only response they received was that more entities would be attacking the church tonight, and that at the most critical moment, the Mother Goddess would appear and save those whose lives were hanging by a thread.

They used the same last-minute rescue method they were very skilled at.

Samantha had no idea how exactly she would manifest her divine power or what effects it would produce.

This doesn't even include the core circle.

Perhaps the core circle of this entire sect consists only of the high priest herself, and everyone else is just a tool for her to play this religious game.

Knowing that the Mother Goddess would perform at this time, Jia Xiu stared intently at the scene, wanting to see what this so-called divine manifestation was all about.

Is there really such a mother goddess, or is it just a trick played by the high priest using some kind of artifact, and the whole town of Çachdis is a huge hoax?

Although this is a world where gods truly exist, there are also instances of people acting under the guise of non-existent gods.

For example, the merfolk. It is said that there are a few groups of merfolk whose minds are not quite normal. They like to create non-existent gods and believe in them.

The most outrageous thing is that because they believe so sincerely and are so devout, they actually generate the power of faith.

Pure faith cannot create a complete god, but it can give rise to a projection with a bit of divinity, perhaps a kind of super-large-scale collective illusion.

So the fish-men actually created several fictitious god projections that didn't exist before, based on their own beliefs.

From a certain perspective, it's not easy either.

Perhaps this high priest intended to use this method to gradually increase the number of believers, eventually creating a false projection of faith cohesion, which is the so-called day of awakening.

They took the projection as a true god and then proceeded with the next expansion.

Choosing such a radical and unorthodox doctrine is partly to attract attention; being extreme enough can sometimes attract some people.

On the other hand, more serious beliefs have been taken over by existing gods, leaving no room for illusory projections, and people are simply making contributions to the true God.

If this is indeed the plan, then what she is actually doing can be considered starting a business.

Starting a business through boxing sounds much more reasonable.

This stuff is good for fooling believers; you can't actually believe it yourself.

Jia Xiu's main focus was now on the High Priestess, wanting to see what she would do.

Unexpectedly, it was the statue of the Mother Goddess in the main hall that shone with light.

Before the high priest could do anything, the light shone on the female wanderer who had wanted to join the cult.

Almost instantly, the wanderer gained immense power.

She looked at her hands in disbelief, her expression one of shock as if something incredible was gushing out of her.

Seeing a clone rushing towards her, the Wanderer didn't even glance at the clone, and instead threw the short knife she carried.

That cheap dagger, which originally couldn't even break through the body's defenses and could at most leave a mark on it, and couldn't even draw blood, now seemed to have divine assistance.

The speed was so fast that it was impossible to detect with the naked eye; it was like a beam of light shooting into the head of the decoy.

Like a sharp knife piercing room-temperature butter, it goes in smoothly and silkily, even with the handle still attached.

It enters from the direction of the face and exits from the direction of the back of the head, only stopping when it hits the stone wall of the church.

Fortunately, the castles here are all made of stone; if they were wooden structures, they probably wouldn't have been able to hold them back.

The dagger was driven into the stone wall, with only the hilt sticking out.

The creature that was hit seemed not to have reacted yet, and continued to rush forward a few more steps before collapsing limply like a paper doll soaked in water.

He was lying face down.

Because the momentum generated when the short sword hits is not enough to completely stop the derivative from thrusting forward.

In other words, while the power of this strike looked terrifying, it wasn't so exaggerated as to directly send the clone flying.

When Jia Xiu saw the Wanderer draw his sword, he immediately suspected that the Mother Goddess had truly manifested herself.

After calming down, I realized that this must be the blessing that priests possess, only that it was more powerful than Samantha's.

It's uncertain whether this blessing will have different effects due to the differences in the recipients themselves. After all, no matter how weak or incompetent these adventurers are, they are still extraordinary professionals, while the local priests were probably just ordinary people before.

Or perhaps the high priest's blessing to the wanderer was stronger than the version accepted by the priest, in order to create a better visual effect for this "performance".

If it's the latter, that's not fair.

The "new employee benefits" that were just announced to be for new employees are better than the "old employee benefits"—it's a complete reversal!

In other words, the Moon Mother Cult is a monopolistic religion here. If there were any competitor, they would treat their long-time employees like this.

Huh? What kind of blessings do priests in this sect receive? Are they keeping those blessings a secret from each other?

And how did this blessing come about?

Jia Xiu first ruled out the possibility that it was a manifestation of the Mother Goddess on the icon.

He had seen it; it was just a bunch of light-effect magic, pure illusion, and not even very sophisticated.

The high priest probably judged that the adventurers present were not very skilled, and that no one would be watching closely in a crisis, so the work was done very poorly.

To Jia Xiu's surprise, the blessing did not come from the high priest either.

If it was truly achieved using a magical artifact, then it should be carried around with you at all times.

It was Bubu, or more accurately, Bubu's illusion of Jia Xiu that alerted Jia Xiu.

Bubu manipulated the illusion, staring intently at the floor.

floor?

Jia Xiu looked at the movements of his illusion, and to be honest, it still felt very strange to see an exact replica of himself.

Floor...underground!
The source of the spell comes from underground.

The high priest placed the artifact underground, perhaps in a secret altar or similar place. The Blood of Losanda was also found beneath a dilapidated ancient castle.

Hidden treasures in underground chambers—a classic adventure story trope.

In other words, this high priest has some method of remotely controlling the artifact, or there is someone underground cooperating with him.

That would increase the number of people in the core circle by 1.

Now the goal is clear: while making progress within the cult, find an opportunity to sneak underground and explore. If we can find a magical artifact, that would be best, to expose this old witch's deception.

I get annoyed seeing how she always seems to be in control of everything.

Meanwhile, the Wanderer's throwing knife stunned everyone else present.

The adventurers were shocked by her sudden change. They were all weak adventurers who couldn't even beat the derivative form when ganged up on, but suddenly she started killing them instantly. This sect is really something!
The previously frenzied entities, upon witnessing this terrifyingly powerful attack, abruptly halted, turned on the spot, and fled towards the outside of the castle. The entities that had fallen to the ground, when struck from the front, only showed a knife wound; now, face down, it became clear that the back of their heads had exploded, flesh splattered everywhere, only the front half of their skulls remained, and the brain was nowhere to be found—it was completely unrecognizable as if it had never been a head at all.

Even a hammer could not create such a destructive effect after several strikes.

She threw a short knife, creating a hollow effect.

This expressiveness is probably on par with physical professions at level 10 or higher.

While spellcasters in this world tend to be superior to others, they do not completely dominate the world because physical spellcasters can also become powerful, comparable to miniature humanoid Gundams.

Although the visual effects may not be as flashy or cool as various magical effects, it's hard to say which would be more deadly when it actually hits you.

“I felt it, the power of the Mother Goddess, it is Her, the power She gave me.”

Realizing that this was the effect of his own attack, the wanderer was overjoyed.

At that moment, she became a staunch follower of the Mother Goddess.

He excitedly drew another short sword, ready to kill another clone, but just as he got into the charging stance for the attack and before he could even unleash his power, everything went black before his eyes, and he staggered and was about to fall.

At that moment, a pale hand supported her; it was the high priest.

I understand. The budget limit for this scene is one derivative body. If another one dies, it will be considered a cost overrun.

Looking at the High Priestess, Jia Xiu thought to himself, "When the original body died just now, I thought she was willing to spend a lot of money to create a buzz, but it turns out she only had the budget for one original body."

Yes, a "thrifty and hardworking" high priest.

At this moment, the high priest solemnly delivered an important speech.

“Child who has found his way,” it is said that before joining the church, they were all lost sheep, but after joining, they have found their way. “The power of the Mother Goddess has exceeded your limits, priest. Take good care of this believer chosen by the Mother Goddess.”

After handing the wanderer over to the other two priests, the high priest looked at the adventurers again.

She first sighed, seemingly worried, but secretly she was overjoyed.

"Alas... a child finding direction has its limits; the Mother Goddess still needs..."

Before the words were even finished, the adventurers present immediately began shouting in unison.

“I, I, I can throw myself into the embrace of the Mother Goddess.”

"Pick me, pick me, I've always been the most devout."

"I can believe, I can join a religion..."

After seeing that the Mother Goddess's power was truly effective, even the adventurers who were initially most opposed to joining this dubious cult changed their allegiance.

Regardless of whether it will cause any trouble in the future, it can at least save lives in the present.

The high priest was very satisfied with the adventurers' attitude.

"The Mother Goddess welcomes all children who come into her embrace, but her power can only be bestowed upon women who are born with maternal radiance."

Upon hearing this, the female adventurers present became even more excited, while the male adventurers immediately fell silent.

This sounds absurd, but in this context, whatever the high priest says is right.

"However, as you can see, the power of the Mother Goddess will deplete the strength of the chosen ones, who will need care. In this moment of life and death, the existence of you men is also valuable. You should care for, serve, and unconditionally obey the children chosen by the Mother Goddess, for this is your hope for life."

Jia Xiu, hidden in the shadows, curled his lip.

They're about to start showing their claws.

The terms "care" and "service" are somewhat plausible, but what's with the "unconditional obedience" part?

Even though they sensed something was off about what he was saying, none of the adventurers raised any objections.

They've made it very clear: "This is your hope for life." Anyone who opposes it is simply asking for trouble.

If anyone were to object at this point, even without the High Priest doing anything, their teammates who still wanted to live would probably take action.

The high priest continued, “At the same time, the power of the Mother Goddess cannot be bestowed upon so many people. Therefore, those who receive Her blessings also need to be selected. Children who have found their way, you need to pass the Mother Goddess’s test and become believers who are truly worthy of Her blessings.”

"The priests present will guide you. In the coming days, you need to follow their guidance. Women should learn the teachings of the Mother Goddess well, and men should obey and fulfill their duties. Ultimately, you will gain the approval of the Mother Goddess and receive her blessings."

This is what they call a trial.

Jia Xiu stretched his legs, which had been a little numb from standing for so long, and finally got to the point where he felt a bit stiff.

The so-called trial turned out to be the "Annual Selection of Advanced Groups of the Moon Mother Goddess Cult".

"Priest, how can we gain the Mother Goddess's approval?"

"An adventurer asked."

This is a question that everyone is concerned about.

“As I said, everyone should do their job, follow guidance, and learn the doctrines well. Ultimately, the scales representing the will of the Mother Goddess will judge whether your actions are those of a qualified believer in the Mother Goddess.”

The high priest pointed to an inconspicuous scale on the altar as he spoke.

"Time is of the essence. Now, priests, begin to choose the children you wish to guide. May we overcome this difficult time."

Jia Xiu looked at the scales.

I didn't pay much attention earlier, but it's covered in all sorts of demonic things, it doesn't seem like something that carries the will of the Mother Goddess.

Upon closer inspection, it is indeed vampire runes, but they are completely unsystematic, as if they were just copied from vampire magic and randomly pasted on without any regard for what they were.

Fortunately, he had studied vampire magic.

After looking at it for a while, I finally found the only useful spell inside, which controls which way it deflects.

It's a scale, but it's not fair at all.

I guess that bunch of messy runes were just to cover this up.

This is not carrying the will of the Mother Goddess, but rather the will of the High Priest himself.

The so-called trial was nothing more than a competition to see who could please the high priest more.

So, how does one become a "qualified believer in the Mother Goddess" who satisfies the High Priest?

Comparing doctrines is definitely not an option.

He's only been here for a day.

How can anyone compare to someone who has been brainwashed for who knows how many years?

Or, Jia Xiu thought about what a real boxer would do in this situation.

It's definitely not done according to the rules.

If you follow the rules, can you be called a boxer?

In this situation, if none of the opponents are qualified, then he becomes the only qualified one.

It's time to report, falsely accuse, and spread rumors...

He will study all the cases he has encountered over the years and fully demonstrate his complete understanding of boxing!
(End of this chapter)