Chapter 52: The Evening Bell of the Shadowed Vale

After the priest left, the ward quieted down.

Silas looked around through the bed curtains. The ward wasn't large, about forty square meters. It only had his sickbed; it seemed to be a private room.

"Is the treatment this good?" Silas curiously parted the bed curtains and then noticed, not far away, an all-metal operating table, with an unlit lamp above it.

On the nearby wall and table, there seemed to be some very steampunk-style machines, full of gears and gauges.

These machines were connected to various tubes or needles, currently neatly placed on the wall.

"I thought it was a luxurious private room. Turns out it's an intensive care unit!" Silas pouted and lowered the bed curtains.

Although he didn't understand the principles behind these machines, he could generally understand some of their uses.

"Ah!"

Seeing these instruments, Silas suddenly remembered something and reached out to touch his heart. "These guys examined my body. They didn't discover the secret of my heart, did they?"

At this thought, Silas's heart first trembled, then he recalled Father Hank's attitude towards him just now. "Hmm, it seems they haven't found any problems."

"Yes, that's right. If they had really found something, I wouldn't be lying here receiving treatment, but would have been sent directly to a laboratory." Silas gradually calmed down.

"To be safe, after the injection is finished, I'll subtly inquire with Father Hank."

After clarifying the situation, Silas turned his gaze to the large, black-covered book in his hand.

The cover of the book was very plain, with nothing but the title written in five runic characters.

"A book describing a legendary assassin was actually banned by the Assassin's League? How fantastical must it be?"

With curiosity in his heart, Silas opened the book.

The flyleaf of the book had a large blank space. On the yellowish-brown paper, two short lines were written:

"Every toll of the evening bell signifies that some souls have found release and liberation. The bell, which only rings at funerals, represents sanctity and purification. In many places, the sound of the evening bell symbolizes the Grim Reaper's robes."

Turning to the second page, the style and layout were similar to the first.

"The Shadowed Vale is connected to the realm beyond, where the concepts of life and death have long been blurred. Those who walk within are either inhuman monsters or bewildered undead. However, those who have long stood above the realm and achieved great deeds have already become one with that Shadowed Vale, both living and dead, ever-changing and unpredictable."

The third page of the book was slightly longer.

"When filth fills the mortal world, the bell will toll from the Shadowed Vale. Its distant ripples will spread throughout the world. All who hear the sound of the evening bell will greet death on the third day. Do not resist; release your soul. This is your glory. Thy death is the world's salvation."

Fourth page.

"He has been accompanied by the evening bell for countless ages. There is nothing left for Him to learn, nothing left for Him to comprehend. The bell toll is His body, the ripples His blade, death His attire."

Fifth page.

"I… finally saw Him… Bathed in the sound waves of the evening bell, the Shadowed Vale is so profound and sacred."

After that, the long main text began.

Silas didn't read the main text. He silently closed the book, his mind in turmoil, thinking intensely.

"'The bell toll is His body, the ripples His blade…'" These two sentences were like bombs thrown into a lake, completely blowing apart Silas's understanding of sound knowledge.

These two sentences represented a completely new direction, even a completely new realm.

"'He' is a term for a saint, or a deity. This means He might have already become a part of sound, a body that can be transmitted through sound? Wait, this isn't impossible. Sound is just the vibrational waves produced by the vibration of matter. If, through some other knowledge, one can analyze the way sound vibrates, understand the laws of vibration of different substances, then by mastering these laws, one can easily stimulate these vibrational waves, thereby forming invisible blades."

At this moment, Silas seemed to have figured something out.

Clack!

At this moment, he seemed to hear a strange sound. The next second, a large amount of sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, and his face, which had just regained some color, turned deathly pale.

His hand, clutching the book, trembled slightly. He thought with fear, "What exactly did I see!?"

In that instant, Silas discovered that his Spirit Vision had suddenly increased by another three points.

A full three points! This was even more than the increase the priests had gained from killing a Giant Resentful Spirit.

Looking down at the book in his hand, Silas's eyes were filled with terror, and his spirit began to tremble uncontrollably.

"This is definitely no ordinary book. The previous clergyman going mad was most likely because of this book."

With that, Silas grabbed the book and raised his hand, about to throw it away.

However, as he raised it, Silas's face was filled with struggle. His tensed arm hesitated to extend.

"The Church doesn't know this book is extraordinary because they don't have professions related to sound waves. Plus, this book has been left in the hospital among ordinary medical personnel, so it hasn't been recovered."

"This book is very dangerous. It even contains many other things. But…"

Silas gulped, his eyes looking at the black book with a hint of greed. "If I can decipher the knowledge in this book, can I master more power? Can I even glimpse a corner of His power?"

At this thought, the greed in his heart grew stronger.

"I'll keep it for now. I won't read it yet, won't read it yet. I'll read it when I'm ready!" Silas thought, as if possessed, placing the book by his pillow. Then, he recited the Mantra of Serenity again, and his violently fluctuating spirit gradually calmed down.

For the rest of the time, Silas didn't continue reading, nor did he sleep. Instead, he entered meditation.

Previously, he had delivered 29 souls. After delivering these souls, some pure thoughts remained in his mind.

This was a special substance that could only be obtained by delivering souls. They were not energy, nor any kind of power, but the gratitude and blessings expressed to Silas by those souls on the verge of death when they obtained release.

These pure thoughts would linger in Silas's heart, making him feel happy and content. When these thoughts were completely consumed, Silas's heart and spirit would become firmer and stronger.

This was like when one's efforts were recognized; one would become more adept and confident in doing things.

Closing his eyes, amidst a purple expanse of Spiritual Energy, Silas saw twenty-nine golden points of light.

Sensing Silas's consciousness, these points of light gathered, carrying emotions of joy and happiness, and merged into Silas's consciousness.

This warm, gentle light instantly made Silas very comfortable. His spirit, which had been violently trembling due to the increase in Spirit Vision, gradually calmed down.