pappabearbooks Chapter 534: Three Crises
Chapter 534: Three Crises
Tactile Sense.
This wasn’t the first time Ashe had encountered this term, nor did he expect it to be the last. Since arriving in this world, no matter which Kingdom he was in, the watchful eyes of the Four Pillars were ever-present, much like a follower you can’t shake off each time you move, or the welcome messages from service providers you receive every time you visit a new place.
From the depths of his soul, Ashe asked the existential question every terminal patient seems to ponder: “Why me?”
Mercury Trojan Horse replied, “You have the scent of the Tactile Sense.”
“That’s the Eternal Presence, a little gift from the Gospel region’s Four Pillars distributor,” Ashe grumbled with evident frustration. “Reaching this point in my life, I owe it all to that little gift.”
Interestingly, over time, the “Eternal Wanderer” profession not only wasn’t nerfed, but even got buffed with each new version. Back when Ashe was a two-wings sorcerer, its effect was a +5 Luck Check in normal situations and a -50 in critical moments. As he climbed to the Distant Sky Domain, it buffed to +10 Luck Check in normal situations and -100 in critical moments.
There was no doubt Ashe’s misfortune resulted from triggering the -100, and as for the +10, it probably got applied when Ashe was doing card draws-his good luck being used up on draws like the “Lunar Star Swimsuit Sword Princess” and the “Empress in the Rain Witch.”
“It’s not her.” Mercury Trojan Horse knelt down and reached out to touch Ashe, but Tamashi grabbed her wrist. Unperturbed, she continued, “Her scent is as different from yours as this bonfire is from the night-the fire’s bright, but the night is deeper.”
Ashe skeptically sniffed his own hand and then offered it to Igor, who was in the middle: “I can’t smell anything. Do you think I have a scent?”
Igor, ignoring him, focused on the Mercury Trojan Horse and asked, “You glanced at me just now. Does that mean I also have the scent of the Tactile Sense?”
“You don’t have it, but you have the potential to become a Tactile Sense,” Mercury Trojan Horse said. “Each Tactile Sense perceives the world differently. The Eternal Presence you mentioned earlier likely perceives the threads of fate, which is why she could leave such a curse. What I perceive is the truth.”
“For me, nothing in the world can hide. I can discover each person’s innate talent, unlock their potential, and guide them on their path. That’s why the Four Pillars Cult was able to defeat and assimilate countless cults and become the leading power in Senlo in just a few years.”
At this, Harvey and Igor couldn’t help but glance at Ashe-the fact that the Eternal Presence in Gospel was ultimately wiped out by the Red Hat was already impressive, considering how operating a cult in Gospel was a hell-level difficulty, and she managed to escape unscathed, even setting Ashe up a bit; Mercury Trojan Horse, on the other hand, successfully expanded the Four Pillars Cult into the number one force in Senlo, making her the star distributor of the cult.
Among the three cult leaders they had encountered, it was hard to compare the talents of Eternal Presence and Mercury Trojan Horse due to differing circumstances, but it was beyond doubt that Ashe ranked at the bottom-his performance might be the worst among all Cult Leaders in any Kingdom!
Feeling disparaged by their pitying eyes, the Cult Leader retorted with irritation, “Why are you looking at me like that! I’ll hit you!”
Igor, retracting his gaze, smiled at Mercury Trojan Horse and asked, “Besides unlocking others’ talents, you can also parasitize them, can’t you?”
Ashe found it difficult to understand. “Why do the Four Pillars need to go through such trouble? Aren’t they the Divine Sovereigns?”
“They are not the Divine Sovereigns,” Mercury Trojan Horse replied calmly. “The Divine Sovereigns are merely a group of thieves who have stolen the Virtual Realm. The Four Pillars are its true masters. They have existed long before sorcerers reached the sixth level of the Virtual Realm.”
Ashe and the others didn’t say a word, their expressions conveying a sense of resignation, as if thinking, “This fanatic is beyond reasoning, might as well go along with her.”
“Now is not the time to delve into whatever vile nonsense is cluttering the mind of this evil raven cultist,” Tamashi remarked coolly.
Ashe asked, “Why does becoming a Tactile Sense allow one to save themselves?”
Mercury Trojan Horse explained, “You currently face three crises. The first is that your bodies are parasitized by the ‘Blood Seed’ miracle. The Blood Seed corresponds with the Blood Core, continuously siphoning your life force into the Blood River. Although the Blood Core is now at a distance from you, over time, it will inevitably drain you dry.”
“Removing the Blood Seed is extremely difficult as it is a miracle sealed by a legendary sorcerer. Unless you possess the correct method of dissolution, it can only be violently unraveled by a legendary sorcerer.”
Although Ashe and the others had never heard of the term Blood Seed, the description of this ritual gave them a strong sense of déjà vu.
“The second crisis is the Choking Green creatures in the night. However, this isn’t an urgent issue because all three of you are candle peerage who can endure the Choking Green.”
Before Ashe and the others could feel relief, Mercury Trojan Horse added, “But you are not perfect candle peerage, so surviving the night will inevitably lead to contamination. If you were to spend a night in the dark, you would each acquire negative traits of ‘lust’, ‘fear of corpses’, and ‘coldness’, respectively. You can endure a maximum of 15, 30, and 8 nights before you burn out and transform into Choking Green creatures.”
Ashe mused, “Coldness is a negative trait?”
Igor pointed at Harvey. “But fear of corpses certainly is.”
Ashe paused, then understood Igor’s point-just like how for someone who loves gaming, ‘digital impotence’ is a negative trait, but it’s irrelevant to someone who doesn’t game. Traits similarly have no absolute good or bad and can affect different people in different ways.
“Besides these two crises, do we face a third?” Igor asked.
“There is,” Mercury Trojan Horse said, “The woman who will soon become a Tactile Sense is using the Blood Core that drains your life force to search for the divine treasure of the Fire Cat Divine Era.”