Chapter 23 The Madonna in the Stone

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Eight hours later.

Ybur woke from meditation, his body wobbled twice as he used his tentacles to sweep away the debris that had buried itself atop him.

This time, he had managed to consolidate two hearts of Mysterious Source at once.

With a clear mind, the speed of Mysterious Source consolidation had indeed increased significantly.

Moreover, every consolidation of Mysterious Source served as a refinement and tempering of oneself. After completing this round of meditation, Ybur could distinctly feel that his body, which had become somewhat bloated and weak after assimilating the sludge monster, had improved slightly. That squishy feeling had reduced considerably, and even his crawling speed had quickened.

Good, time to eat at the buffet!

Ybur was in rather high spirits as he made his way toward the fungal creature's den.

(Twisting) (Crawling healthily in the sunshine) (Wriggling with enthusiasm)

On the way, Ybur remembered Karlo and Cherie, the sisters.

He mulled over and said, "Sherry, do you think we should be considered to have gained their trust by now?"

Sherry replied indifferently, "Even if we haven't, you single-handedly hold the advantage in information. It's not like you can't deceive them however you want..."

Sherry spoke somewhat wistfully, "Those two sisters may not be highly educated, but they are the kind of people who truly respect books, not like a certain Slime..."

Ybur ignored these self-deprecating remarks and continued to ponder the path ahead.

Once he had earned their trust... he could then make certain demands of them, such as collecting some materials and bringing them to a designated location.

He just didn't know how long the whole process would specifically take.

Mysterious Sources could only be consolidated one by one, but the fading of Mysterious Source was simultaneous across all, so the more Mysterious Source he had, the faster it dissipated, the faster it dissipated, the less Mysterious Source there was! Ybur did the math and felt that with the current pace, as long as he meditated regularly every day, he should be able to consolidate all nine Mysterious Sources before they faded away—provided he wasn't held up by the materials needed for Advancement.

The thought of the second Advancement drawing nearer and nearer did put Ybur in a bit of a hurry.

But such matters indeed couldn't be rushed.

After careful consideration, Ybur realized the distance from his buffet dining area to the city was just too far, requiring several hours for a one-way trip. It was definitely not feasible to go daily, otherwise, most of his day would be spent traveling, not to mention he still had to meditate regularly, so he couldn't effectively manage his time.

And if he really went often, he didn't have that much substance in his stomach to offer either...

A visit every few days would suffice. The frequency could tentatively be set to once a week.

Moreover, to maintain a sense of mystery, his appearances need not be too regular—if he started showing up on schedule, a missed day might lead to an unfortunate capture while laying in wait.

In any case, he would visit again in a couple of days. He had bamboozled Karlo last time, so the next target would be Cherie.

Then the following visit, which would be eight or nine days later, would be decided in due course. By then, his Mysterious Source should also have consolidated fairly well. Using the God Secret Source to Enter Dream, he would tell the sisters outright that if they wished to gain further knowledge, they would need to make a sacrifice—and then get his hands on something like a wheel.

Deceiving people and advancing two objectives at once, smoothly and perfectly, huhuhu, perfect!

A sense of satisfaction washed over Ybur, though his crawling speed gradually slowed down. More thoughts bubbled up like air from the deep sea, gurgling and filling his mind.

While he did not currently harbor any ambitions of becoming a Demon King, he was, after all, a Divine Blood Slime. How could he be content with mediocrity? No, he couldn't grope in the dark day in and day out, acting without foresight—Ybur, you must have self-discipline! You must plan! You must act like a Divine Blood Slime!

Great ambition began to ignite in Ybur's heart.

Starting today, he would write in a journal and make plans every day!

Step by step, he would enhance himself!

Bit by bit, he would develop his own influence!

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Where should I start... From where should I begin?

Ybur stared at the ground, wanting to write something, yet unsure of where to start. After a while, it felt inexplicably tired and took a deep breath. The air was sucked into its body, making it swell like a balloon. Then, the large bubble burst into countless tiny bubbles that dissipated inside its body.

Ybur yawned, expelled the air, and its body slowly deflated like a leaky balloon.

Forget it, I'll talk about it tomorrow.

I'm hungry, I'd better eat first.

Ybur's stomach growled with hunger as it headed for its buffet, crawling faster and faster, creating quite a stir as it went.

...

Karlo and the other two left Madam Mina's divination shop. Pan's face was lit with a relaxed smile—the Nightmare Crystals had indeed earned them a tidy sum. After a brief discussion, the trio decided to rest for a bit before setting out again in half a month.

After dividing the money, Pan waved goodbye—he was craving a drink.

The inherent slow-wittedness of dwarves prevented this gentle elder from noticing the hint of seriousness hidden behind the smiling faces of the Karlo sisters.

Karlo and Cherie stood at the entrance of the divination shop, watching him leave.

"Karlo..."

Cherie asked softly, "Why didn't you tell Pan or Madam Mina about those weird incidents before? Madam Mina is a bona fide Transcendent, maybe she knows something."

Karlo opened her mouth to speak, "I..."

Why hadn't she? She couldn't quite explain it herself. She just vaguely didn't want to share her secrets with others. Uncle Pan actually had an aversion to Transcendent Knowledge, and if he knew, he would surely make a fuss and try to dissuade her, wouldn't he? And Madam Mina... Madam Mina's divinations weren't free.

Karlo became inexplicably irritable, her feelings tangled in knots.

Cherie hesitated for a moment, then said, "Why don't we go to the church? The Holy Water there is quite effective, and I think if what you dreamed about was really some evil entity, a trip to the church might just resolve it, right?"

After a moment of contemplation, Karlo's brow gradually relaxed, "That might work."

Although there were churches for all six Righteous Gods in Xinlandon City, the main deities worshipped were [The Scale] and [The Madonna of the Rock]—The Scale symbolized justice, equality, and order, and was often regarded as the God of Law and God of Order. The Madonna of the Rock was said to have emerged from the earth, a goddess of soil, fertility, and compassion. After the sun fell, the city moved underground, and the faith in the Sun God [Radiant Daylight] gradually shifted towards the Madonna of the Rock, who subtly became regarded as the "First God."

Karlo and Cherie were believers of the Madonna of the Rock.

In the eyes of commoners, The Scale was somewhat of an "Evil God"—distant and unapproachable. Although The Scale itself was just and unbiased, because enforcers were generally devotees of The Scale, in today's environment of tense relations between social strata, people's fear and dislike of enforcers also led to a disdain for The Scale.

The two arrived at the church of the Madonna of the Rock.

Since the city was built underground, the church of the Madonna of the Rock was directly carved into the stone, resembling a cave with a raw and simple nature. At the entrance, two massive stone slabs leaned against each other to form a triangle, and all worshippers had to walk underneath this triangle to enter.

Inside, the church's atmosphere was solemn and mysterious, with huge candelabras on either side lit with thousands of candles. The flickering orange flames cast light on the thick, ancient stones, and the walls were adorned with religious murals full of symbolism.

In the center of the church, there was a shallow pond, with the statue of the Madonna of the Rock standing in the middle. It was an irregularly shaped, roughly ovular boulder, split down the front as if opening like a scallop, and from within the stone, the Madonna emerged, draped in a veil with a smile on her face, reaching out a compassionate hand towards the faithful, with a spring flowing at her feet.

It was evident that the sculptor who carved the statue possessed skills that could be described as nothing short of miraculous, managing to create a sense of softness out of hard rock. The veil on the Madonna seemed as smooth as silk and gave the impression that it would cascade down like rippling water with the slightest movement.

There were no seats in the church, only neatly arranged cushions. Karlo and Cherie knelt on them, prayed silently to the statue for a moment, and then received two handfuls of Holy Water—the silent monk scooped the water from the Madonna's footbath and poured it over their heads.

The Holy Water they had used to kill nightmare creatures had come from this very place. Karlo had always been skeptical about the effectiveness of Holy Water, but after witnessing the nightmare creatures reduced to ashes by Holy Water, she was convinced of its extraordinary power, which contained transcendent forces beyond mortal understanding. Whether it was psychological or not, she felt her mind clear up immediately after the cool touch of the Holy Water.

Karlo instinctively looked up.

Under the candlelight, the Madonna of the Rock looked down upon the faithful with a gentle expression and a compassionate smile.

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