Steam Old Days: The Extraordinary Begins with a Corpse Collector

"Giggle giggle!"

When sunlight streamed through the small window into the chicken coop, the rooster, awakened by the light, immediately crowed.

The sharp, high-pitched sound pierced through the walls and reached Lyndon's ears.

He lay on the bed, his brow furrowed, his legs kicking wildly.

"Let's go, let's go..."

Lyndon struggled to speak.

In his dream, there was a winding, narrow path.

Thick fog enveloped the surroundings, and visibility was limited to about half a meter in front of me; beyond that, it was all a hazy gray.

Lyndon walked along the path unconsciously.

He walked for a long time in his dream, but he could never reach the end.

I didn't feel that the road had changed at all; it seemed that every section of the road looked exactly the same.

In the thick fog, the occasional bird call could be heard, but Lyndon did not see any birds flying overhead.

Lyndon continued walking, and the birdsong around him grew more frequent and noisier.

For some reason, Lyndon suddenly felt that the bird calls were a bit strange, as if there was more than just bird calls in them.

Lyndon stopped and listened intently, and in a daze, he heard a person crying amidst the birdsong.

But he couldn't tell whether it was a man's voice or a woman's voice.

However, it was faintly the voice of one person.

Lyndon wanted to listen again to make sure he could hear it clearly.

But then, Lyndon realized he couldn't hear the cries anymore.

So Lyndon tried to recall what the person was saying from his memory.

Lyndon thought about it, but the more he thought about it, the more panicked he felt, because he couldn't remember the crying sound, or even a similar tone, he couldn't piece it together in his mind.

It was as if the sound had never appeared at all.

Lyndon simply stopped thinking about it and continued walking forward, hoping to see something different.

The birdsong was still in his ears, but Lyndon tried not to listen.

But strangely, the more Lyndon thought about it, the more the voice seemed to penetrate his ears, through his eardrums, and deep into his brain.

Even if Lyndon covered his ears, it wouldn't work.

Just as Lyndon was trying to plug his ears, the crying and screaming came from the birdsong again.

This time the sound was clearer than before.

"Lyndon... help me!"

"who!"

Lyndon shouted, spinning around in place, his eyes carefully scanning the depths of the thick fog, trying to find the source of the sound.

After scanning the area, Lyndon found nothing unusual, and the crying and screaming disappeared again into the birdsong.

Lyndon subconsciously touched his neck, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

Now, Lyndon just wanted to try to leave.

He continued walking forward, ignoring the birdsong.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Lyndon heard the cries hidden deep within the birdsong again.

This time, he clearly heard the source of the sound; it was right behind him.

Without hesitation, Lyndon turned around, hoping to catch them in the act.

Just as he turned around, a dark figure flashed past from the thick fog.

Lyndon also woke up at this time.

He slowly opened his eyes, put his arm on his forehead, stared at the ceiling for a long time, and then sat up from the wooden bed.

"hiss!"

As soon as he got up, Lyndon felt dizzy. He rubbed his temples and looked wearily at the semi-transparent curtains.

Outside, the rooster's crowing had not yet stopped.

The voice rose higher and higher with each sip.

Lyndon twitched the corners of his mouth and murmured, "I never thought I'd still be able to wake up to the rooster crowing at my age."

In his previous life, Lyndon lived in the city from childhood. Even after transmigrating to this world, he still lived in the foggy city and certainly had no chance of being woken up by chickens.

Besides, the world already has alarm clocks.

The habit of waking up to the sound of a rooster crowing is still a bit old-fashioned for him.

But now that he was awake, he didn't stay in bed any longer.

Lyndon got out of bed and, while getting dressed, kept thinking about the dream.

He has had the same dream for several days in a row.

It probably started with using the power of nightmares to wipe out that group of undead badgers.

And a dark shadow always appears in my dreams.

At first, the dark figure was far away from me, but as I slept more often, the dark figure got closer and closer to me.

However, Lyndon was unable to make out the appearance of the dark figure.

In the dream just now, the shadowy figure was closer to him, and Lyndon confirmed that he could see the shadowy figure clearly.

But when Lyndon opened his eyes, he found that he could not describe what the dark figure looked like.

It was as if I hadn't seen it clearly.

But Lyndon was convinced he should have seen things clearly.

Furthermore, his mental state became increasingly abnormal each time he woke up.

Even now, after sleeping all night, Lyndon still feels incredibly tired.

Lyndon knew this was the effect of the nightmare within him.

That dark figure was probably the embodiment of the nightmare.

Perhaps the moment the shadowy figure appears before Lyndon will be the moment of his death.

"I need to hurry."

Lyndon thought to himself.

Therefore, he had discussed it with Alastor before he came.

He infiltrated the sanctuary under the guise of Philip, while Alastor and his companions followed the clues to find the hunter and prepare the necessary supplies.

Once he obtains a way to enter Dark Oak Forest, regardless of whether Lyndon has learned the secret technique to purify the remains of the alien species, he will leave this place.

After all, obtaining the Dream-Clearing Moth Powder was the most important thing for him on this trip.

The purification technique was merely an extra bonus along the way.

Lyndon left the room and went to the main section of the sanctuary, where a statue of the god of light and glory was enshrined.

It is a place for believers and pastors to worship and recite scriptures.

Cecilia was now fully dressed, kneeling on the cushion, her hands clasped in prayer before the statue.

This is a daily essential task for a pastor.

Seeing this, Lyndon did not disturb her, but slowed down and knelt down next to Cecilia.

Even so, Cecilia seemed to sense the movement beside her.

After she finished reciting that classic passage, Cecilia opened her eyes and turned to see Lyndon.

"Mr. Philip, you're awake."

"Um."

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"I'm used to it; the blanket is very soft."

Lyndon said sincerely.

At this point, he inquired about Herbert's existence.

"Where's your brother?"

Cecilia sighed and said, "Sigh! They're probably still sleeping."

Lyndon nodded, then said, "Miss Cecilia, after the prayers are over, I'd like to go to the library on the second floor."

"Are you here to study?"

Seeing Lyndon nod in agreement, Cecilia couldn't help but exclaim, "You've really tried hard, Mr. Philip. Well, after the prayers are over, I'll take you to the library."

After saying this, Cecilia turned around, closed her eyes again, and continued reciting the scriptures while her lips moved.

As for Lyndon, he didn't know any classics, so he could only sit next to Cecilia and wait quietly.

While waiting, Lyndon felt sleepy again.

He knew it was a nightmare affecting him; he couldn't sleep, couldn't go back to that place, and couldn't see that dark figure again.

So, Lyndon gripped his inner thigh tightly, forcing himself to stay awake.

"I can manage for now, but what if the nightmares get worse and worse as time goes on...?"

Linden thought with a heavy heart.

After an unknown amount of time, probably until Lyndon had pinched his thigh until it was bruised, Cecilia, who had been praying, slowly opened her eyes.

She said to Lyndon with a sigh of relief, "Let's go."

"it is good."

Upon hearing this, Lyndon quickly moved his hand away, then stood up and followed behind Cecilia.

The two went up to the second floor, where there was a door.

There was a large padlock on the door.

Cecilia took out the key and turned the lock.

She pushed open the door and went inside.

The library's four walls are lined with tall oak bookshelves, crammed with books and scrolls of all shapes and sizes.

Sunlight streamed in through a small lattice window high up.

"This is the Sanctuary's library," Cecilia said softly.

Lyndon walked into the room, his gaze sweeping over the bookshelves, his eyes filled with excitement.

He couldn't help but wonder, "What exactly are these records?"

Cecilia explained to Lyndon, "You can find historical, classical, and theological works here, as well as some pamphlets that aren't for the average person."

"Thank you so much, Miss Cecilia, this is exactly what I needed," Lyndon said excitedly.

"Just call me Cecilia, Mr. Philip." Cecilia smiled and corrected him, "So, Mr. Philip, where would you like to begin? Basic theology? Or the innovation of esoteric arts? I think you must have learned some esoteric arts during your introductory period."

"Yes, but I'd like to learn more about the Xenomorphs, especially how to properly...deal with them?"

"Linden said."

"Hmm...dealing with the aliens?" Cecilia tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Many young superhumans like Mr. Philip want to deal with the aliens as soon as they enter the church, but I still suggest you learn some basic theology first."

As she spoke, Cecilia walked to a bookshelf, stood on tiptoe, and took a booklet from it.

She dusted off the booklet and asked Lyndon a question.

"Mr. Philip, do you know about the Six Gods?"

"Of course," Lyndon replied.

"Could you tell me?"

Lyndon thought for a moment: "The land we are on is part of the continent of Veroria, where legends of six great gods have always been passed down. They are the Mother of All Sources, the God of Light and Glory, the God of the Moon and Compassion, the God of Earth and Fertility, the God of Tides and Wisdom, and the God of the Sky and Stars. People believe that this world was created by these gods."

"That's absolutely right, Mr. Philip."

Cecilia clapped approvingly, then asked, "Do you know how many major categories there are in the currently known supernatural arts?"

Upon hearing this question, Lyndon's face immediately froze.

He genuinely didn't know that extraordinary techniques were categorized.

Lyndon wanted to shake his head and say he didn't know, but seeing Cecilia's increasingly puzzled look, he realized that if he couldn't answer, it might arouse her suspicion.

Perhaps this problem is quite simple.

Linden, feeling flustered, looked around at the bookshelves, when suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed into his mind.

For these priests, all human knowledge was disseminated by these six gods, which of course included supernatural arts.

Therefore, the classification of extraordinary secret techniques must also be related to these six great gods.

"So..." Lyndon thought of this, and bravely raised his head to look Cecilia in the eye, "There are six categories in total."

Cecilia remained silent after hearing Lyndon's answer.

Lyndon felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

His breathing also became heavy.

Just as the atmosphere in the library was about to explode with tension, Cecilia parted her lips slightly: "That's right!"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Lyndon, who had been tense, immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Cecilia opened the booklet in her hand, pointed to a page, and said happily to Lyndon, "All the existing arcane arts are incredibly diverse, but when you break them down, there are only six types, each corresponding to one of the six gods. Therefore, we are going to introduce an important concept next: [Extension]!"

"All gods have their own unique status, but their abilities are not as simple as they are recorded in writing."

"Take Nicholas, the god of light and glory, for example. His primary persona is light and glory, but if we extend this further, these two primary personas can be broken down into even more abilities."

"For example, light can be extended to flame, heat, and justice. And glory can be extended to battle, conquest, and victory."

"Therefore, all fire-based secret arts and secret arts that can enhance one's own strength or strengthen others belong to the Niko category of secret arts."

After listening to Cecilia's explanation, Lyndon frowned slightly. He silently digested these theories and seemed to have indeed understood the logic of the hierarchy based on the six major gods.

But then a question arose in his mind.

Lyndon carefully considered his words before speaking: "Cecilia, I understand what you're saying, but why are the divisions so detailed? Is it because there's some kind of restraint relationship between these secret arts?"

Cecilia shook her head with a smile: "On the contrary, not at all! The only difference between extraordinary individuals is their strength."

"Then why...?"

Before Lyndon could speak, Cecilia held up the pamphlet in front of him.

"Look, Mr. Philip."

"Because our fellow countrymen are never the targets of our attacks, but rather the alien species that constantly threaten us."

"And the power of the alien species, like ours, follows the same law and also originates from the six gods."

"This means that when we need to deal with the corpse of a dead alien, because there will be some spiritual energy left around its body, we need to use the corresponding purification spell to eliminate the influence."

"so……"

Cecilia stepped forward, placed her hand on Lyndon's shoulder, and said with a sincere expression, like a teacher, "You need to memorize six purification spells. Good luck!"

Lyndon nodded upon hearing this.

"I understand, Cecilia."

Then, his gaze fell on the books on the shelf.

"Please teach me how to perfectly cast the purification spell; I really want to learn!"

With that, Lyndon bowed deeply to Cecilia.

Cecilia was startled by Lyndon's action.

She blushed immediately: "No, it's okay, I, I'll definitely teach you..."