Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 225 Weak, pitiful, and helpless

In theory, an extraordinary individual can only advance from Sequence 9, progressing step by step towards a higher sequence. Advancement can only be considered after the potion for the current sequence has been fully digested. The reason for this is to minimize the risk of things going out of control.

The existence of things like concocting extraordinary properties into potions and ascension rituals is also to further reduce the risk of getting out of control.

Just like building a house, you must first lay a solid foundation before you can build a skyscraper on top of it. Without a foundation, if a skyscraper were to fall directly down, it would only smash the ground to pieces.

However, in the 'budding era' before the Desecration Slate was even created, chaos and madness were the dominant themes. After all, the extraordinary beings of this era had no idea what pathways or sequences were, and it was common for low-sequence extraordinary beings to consume mid-sequence or even high-sequence extraordinary characteristics.

Although these extraordinary beings often end up losing control or even exploding due to the immense energy they cannot withstand, there are always exceptions who survive—the progenitors of various extraordinary races most likely came from this.

Although these creatures will inevitably descend into madness even if they manage to survive, they can gradually regain their senses over time, provided they have enough offspring.

What Ember is doing now is something similar: he wants Ornia, who is an ordinary person, to directly absorb the extraordinary characteristics of Sequence 7.

Normally, doing this will only lead to two outcomes—

They either lose their reason to madness and mutate into a hideous and twisted monster, or their bodies are burst apart by the enormous energy, leaving not even ashes.

Ember will choose the third path:

He wanted to ensure that Olnia could become a Sequence 7 Extraordinary while preserving her sanity intact.

To do this is not difficult; all you need to do is add a little fire.

Under the expectant yet fearful gaze of the silver-haired, red-eyed girl, Yu Jin slowly took out the magnificent, pagoda-like Yu'ershika Sacred Bell.

Ring ring!

Amidst the crisp sound of bells, a golden magic circle emerged from beneath Ember's feet, its warm light slowly spreading outwards.

Tears of farewell

Archbishop Karim's Apostle

The miracle taught by Moen.

When your health reaches 0, you can escape death this once and for all.

This is for the dying.

A miracle born from a time sufficient for farewell.

Tears are shed for the living, far more so for the dead.

Let's bid farewell first, to ensure that Olnia doesn't die because of it.

Yu Jin suddenly looked up at the window, and Lilith subconsciously looked over as well, but there was nothing there.

Lilith was somewhat puzzled and was about to ask if something was wrong when Ember suddenly withdrew his gaze, looked at Olnia beside him who housed the golden teardrop, and, clutching a powerfully beating, blood-red heart, said:

Open your mouth.

The silver-haired, red-eyed little girl looked a little confused, but she still obediently opened her small mouth, revealing her soft, pink oral cavity.

Snapped!

Flames suddenly erupted from Ember's hand, enveloping the crimson heart in his palm and burning it into a pool of bright red liquid. Before Olnia could react, the flames, as if possessing their own will, propelled the crimson liquid within into the young girl's mouth.

Olnia was startled when a foreign object entered her mouth. She closed her eyes in fear, but her body did not feel any discomfort. This was because the bright red liquid, the moment it entered her body, transformed into an invisible force that rushed towards Olnia's limbs and bones.

"Hmm~"

Olya opened her eyes somewhat blankly. She had thought it would be painful, but now she only felt a warm sensation in her body... She could easily feel the power surging within her, and she could feel the frenzy in its bones, but this frenzy was firmly bound by some force, making it as docile as a little lamb, only able to enter her body step by step at a predetermined speed and frequency, until her body could fully accept the infusion of this power.

"It went even more smoothly than I expected."

Ember nodded slightly. Everything was as he had expected. Under the influence of the flames, the power of the 'Extraordinary Trait' did not leak out at all. This modification experiment was quite successful.

Ornia is now a Sequence 7 vampire with the Pharmacist pathway, and by vampire classification standards, she is a standard adult vampire, although she is still a minor...

Just then, Olnia suddenly closed her eyes again. A large amount of mysterious knowledge corresponding to the sequence was injected into her mind along with the power. The swelling in her head made her frown in pain.

But she quickly adapted, and the pain was nothing compared to the loss of control over the extraordinary nature itself.

Having done all this, Ember turned his gaze to Aleka and suddenly asked:

"Where are the others hidden?"

Aleka breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Olnia was safe and sound. But upon hearing Ember's question, she hesitated. She knew Ember was asking about the whereabouts of the Guardians' other descendants, but they were, after all, still just children…

Lilith narrowed her eyes slightly, showing considerable disdain for Aleka's naiveté:

"Even if they used Olnia as a sacrifice, you still wanted to protect them?"

"Ah, yes, after all, they're just children. No matter how cruel the struggles between adults may be, the children are innocent..."

Lilith scoffed:

"What a naive idea. Have you forgotten that Olnia was just a child too? When she was abandoned, did those people even consider her feelings? Or are you trying to trade Olnia's life for the lives of those other children?"

"No, no..." Aleka's face was deathly pale, but her explanation sounded so weak...

Just as Lilith was putting pressure on Aleka step by step, a clear, childlike voice suddenly rang in their ears:

"I know where they're hiding."

"Olnia..."

Aleka looked at Olnia in astonishment, somewhat incredulous.

"Lilith".

Ember withdrew his gaze from Aleka and gave the order:

"You and Olnia are going to find someone, you know what to do, right?"

Lilith nodded seriously, then said matter-of-factly:

"no."

Dorothy always said things like that to her subordinates, saying things like, "You know what's going on, right?" But even if the other person's actions pleased her, they would often be criticized afterward... I'm not falling for that. Lilith snorted inwardly.

Ember raised an eyebrow slightly, but still gave specific instructions:

"They're still just children..."

Lilith puffed out her cheeks, almost clicking her tongue in frustration, while a glimmer of hope seemed to appear in Aleka's eyes.

"So never let them get away."

Hearing Ember calmly utter the next sentence, Lilith's lips curled up slightly, and she smiled, saying:

"Now I know what to do."

Aleka's expression turned pale, while the silver-haired girl beside her remained remarkably calm, seemingly indifferent to what was about to happen, a stark contrast to her initial appearance of weakness, pitifulness, and helplessness.

-

"Her name is Karula."

"Justice," Audrey whispered.

"She calls herself the Fallen Child of Darkness, and is also a member of the Psychological Alchemy Council's council, codenamed 'Lust'."

Klein's expression was subtle. If the name "Kalura" was just something he suspected, then "Dark Child" was solid proof, since there was no such thing as a "Dark Child" in this world...

And indeed, that was the case. Other members of the Tarot Club had no idea what the words "Child of Darkness" meant, but they all had different reactions when they heard the words "Member of the Psychological Alchemy Council".

A Saint of Sequence 4 or higher is an absolute high-ranking member in any organization. As for angels, they are the strongest beings below the gods, and in ancient times they could even be called subordinates of the gods, making them incomparable.

However, the Psychological Alchemy Society is a relatively new organization that has only emerged in the last one or two hundred years. Does this mean that this demigod was also born in the last one or two hundred years?

Perhaps sensing what the others were thinking, Audrey took the initiative to explain:

"The members of the Psychological Alchemy Council are all codenamed after the Seven Deadly Sins. For example, Herwin Lambis, the former royal advisor of the Kingdom of Rune, was codenamed 'Pride.' That means the Psychological Alchemy Council may have a total of seven members at the Saint level..."

Of course, that was in the past.

The Psychological Alchemy Society now probably only has three saints left.

Audrey silently added a sentence in her mind.

"..."

Cattleya remained silent. Judging from the reactions of the other members of the Tarot Club, most of them had reached the middle sequence level, but were far from the high sequence level. So why were they focusing their discussions on saints and angels?

It's important to understand that even the four pirate kings, the rulers of the high seas, were only at the Saint level. And even when several pirate generals met, they wouldn't casually discuss those figures…

Most members of the Tarot Club were deep in thought to varying degrees, but Emlyn "The Moon" seemed unconcerned, speaking with barely suppressed excitement:

"Mr. 'The Hanged Man,' I'm ready. When will you be able to obtain the vampire baron's inheritance? You mentioned last time that it was in the hands of a great pirate?"

You don't need to add that last sentence... Alger's body suddenly stiffened.

The great pirate… "Hermit" Cattleya's gaze swept over "The Hanged Man" again, and she had already vaguely guessed his identity.

Alger's expression remained unchanged as he turned his head to reply to "the moon":

"Did you get the cash?"

"Of course!" Emlyn said, raising his head.

As a 'reward' for risking his life to join the Tarot Club, Duke Nibess gave him a banker's bill of exchange worth 7000 pounds, which gave him enough confidence to buy the vampire baron's inheritance!

Alger said calmly:

"I'll get it for you this week. Finally, let's confirm the price again: £4500, is that alright?"

"Can you make it cheaper?"

Under Emlyn's shifty gaze and aggressive haggling, the two quickly finalized the details of the deal, agreeing on a price of 4300 pounds and a commission of 300 pounds—Emlyn demanded that Alger, upon receiving the vampire baron's inheritance, must immediately sacrifice himself to the Fool.

Alger, who was willing to endure the pain and earn a net profit of 1400 pounds, naturally agreed without hesitation.

"It must be a vampire who has just come of age..."

"The Hermit" Cattleya observed silently, making her own judgment in her heart.

It's not surprising that the other party mentioned "sacrifice".

When a true deity exists and witnesses the gathering, sacrifice and bestowal are the most convenient and safest forms of exchange... and communication at the spiritual level can directly resolve the exchange of knowledge.

The Hanged Man looked around and slowly spoke:

Does anyone know where to find wild Orbniz?

When he asked this question, his gaze fell on the 'hermit' intentionally or unintentionally.

The other party's features were quite distinctive, and their identity wasn't hard to guess; they were most likely the "Star Admiral" Cattleya. The other members of the Tarot Club primarily operated in the Northern Continent, and their combined understanding of the seas couldn't compare to Alger's own, which was why he hadn't previously raised this need.

Now, the addition of the "Hermit" has given him hope—and only the "Hermit," as a pirate general, is most likely to know the answer to this question.

"Is he preparing for the ceremony to advance to Sequence 5?"

The Hermit, Cattleya, immediately made the connection:

The other party should be a 'Sailor' who has passed through Sequence 6 Wind Favorite and has already obtained the Ocean Singer's potion recipe, so they need to find Obnis to prepare for the ascension ceremony!

Obnis is an ancient sea monster that can swallow a sailboat whole. It has a huge, twisted body, up to three heads, and tangled tentacles, and is the protagonist of many sea legends.

The hermit remained silent for a while, but finally decided to participate and spoke:

"Most of these sea monsters have been tamed by the Church of Storms and are mostly concentrated near Pasu Island."

"I know."

"That's why I need to find wild Orbness," the Hanged Man said calmly.

The Hermit gave the Hanged Man a deep look. The man was likely a member of the Church of Storms, but his potion recipes might not have originated from them, and he might even have kept his advancement a secret. Undoubtedly, the man harbored a great secret…

The hermit paused for two seconds, then continued:

"Vice Admiral Deepsea has an Orbness, and I can try to contact him. Of course, the price might not be low."

"No problem," the Hanged Man replied without hesitation.

Thanks to the income he earned as a middleman during this period, he had saved up a considerable amount of money, enough to pay the price.

"It's a bit deserted..." Klein sighed. At this stage, the Tarot Club members have very little need for 'material things'.

For example, Miss Justice has extraordinary traits that can be promoted all the way to Sequence 4, while Miss Magician, who is backed by the Abraham family, also has no shortage of extraordinary traits and potion recipes.

The others were in similar situations; most had already obtained the necessary potion recipes from the embers and were preparing for their advancement. This meant the Tarot Club was now primarily focused on information exchange, with less emphasis on material and monetary transactions.

Of course, "justice" is an exception.

To date, Miss Justice has not even spent a tenth of the one million pounds she promised.

Klein couldn't help but reveal a subtle and complex expression. One million gold pounds!

How many pirates would you have to kill to make that much?

(End of this chapter)