Chapter 37: The Forgotten

If there's something worth mentioning in the imperial capital recently, it would be the thirty-six-meter-long Yamani White Crown King Snake with a waist as thick as a grown elephant!

The colossal creature's corpse, resembling a prehistoric monster, was dragged around half of the imperial capital by the adjudicators of the Sacred Affairs Department, with sixteen sturdy horses. To appease the lower class citizens, the Titans Empire's royal family even declared that this was the corpse of the "Bloody Strangler" - Harald.

Upon hearing this news, the first thing that came out of Felix's mouth was: "The Sacred Affairs Department is full of idiots!"

A pregnant Yamani White Crown King Snake's corpse was already enticing enough, yet they insisted on parading it around. Wasn't this just like stripping naked, provocatively teasing the nerves of the dark creatures?

The Yamani White Crown King Snake, weakened due to pregnancy and ultimately meeting a tragic end, was undoubtedly the best material for dark alchemy. Its resentful soul, unwilling to pass on, could be said to be the best catalyst for fusing dark energy! And the snake's hatred for the church from when it was alive could become the dark creatures' trump card against the church.

With so many factors coming into play, the Sacred Affairs Department still chose to show off, leading Felix to two conclusions: either the Sacred Affairs Department has some hidden cards under their sleeves, or the adjudicators in the department are all brain-dead.

Given the crazy style of the Sacred Affairs Department, Felix preferred to believe in the latter.

If there's something else worth mentioning in the imperial capital, it would be that the Saint Erde Cathedral had reopened after being closed for half a month. Even the current Empress of the Empire, Angelina, had heard that the church's deacon priest had been replaced by an exceptionally handsome young man.

This was undoubtedly an exciting matter for the noble ladies in the capital.

Just think about it, a handsome, slightly naive-looking, white-robed priest and a mature, voluptuous, and desire-filled noble lady seeking "redemption," engaging in the most primal exchange of spirit and flesh under the watchful eyes of the Lord in the sacred and solemn cathedral…

Just the thought of this made many noble ladies, filled with longing for blasphemy, taboo, and redemption, become aroused…

...............

The Saint Erde Cathedral was located in a rather secluded area. After all, it wasn't a prayer-style church open to everyone like the ones run by the church. The Saint Erde Cathedral was only open to women, specifically those of high status and nobility. In Felix's eyes, this was very likely due to Lady Ireland's personal interests, believing that graceful and luxurious young wives could be just as delicious as virgins.

The church's income mainly came from the donations of the believers. The Titans Empire, after all, was not a religious nation, and the royal family never bestowed large tracts of land to the clergy as rewards. This effectively curbed the development of the church within the Titans Empire. After all, believers are human too, and they need to eat.

Conquering a military empire with force was almost an impossible task for the church. As the "Faith of the Lord" crumbled, the conflict between the divine and royal powers grew increasingly intense. With the significant loss of faith from the knights, the church's secular combat strength had fallen to the point where they could only suppress the dark species to a certain extent.

Leaving the Saint Erde Cathedral, Felix turned and headed towards the Marquis of Elizabeth's residence.

These crazy times had left him utterly exhausted. He longed to be bathed in the warm embrace of Lady Elizabeth, craving her softness and warmth.

Since Felix had decided to close his doors to visitors, "Light Ranger" - Aurelia rarely disturbed him. This quiet woman, who had left a deep impression on Felix in a very short time, had pride in her bones.

She shouldn't be a caged canary, and she shouldn't be bound by anyone, just like the legends about her…

No one could guess what "Light Ranger" - Aurelia was thinking, what she wanted - not even the gods, and certainly not Felix.

Passing by the "Judgment Ground" - Saint Elouan, Felix once again encountered the Gamma Master, shrouded in a black cloak, the legendary spellcaster said to bless this land. He stood quietly, his gaze fixed on the holy cross marked by the passage of time, as serene as an old man frozen in a painting.

Felix hesitated for a long time, but eventually, he slowly approached the legendary figure from behind. He humbly bowed his head in silence and respect.

"Child, your growth has astonished me." Gamma, hidden in the shadows, did not turn around; he continued to gaze at the marred image of the Holy Cross, adorned with sacred stigmas engraved by generations of ascetic monks, a miraculous type of magic pattern found nowhere else in the world.

A harsh voice, reminiscent of metal grinding, rang out, carrying a sharp edge of exasperation. It reverberated by Felix's ears. Gamma, still veiled in shadows, turned around slowly and removed his black cloak. The dark mist swirling around him gradually dissipated, revealing a silver, bald head to Felix's eyes…

Felix's pupils shrank suddenly, and his face uncontrollably displayed shock and horror!

Before him was a silver, bald head, its features crafted after refining with Dead Sea Sand. This soft metal could express human emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, just like flesh and blood. The purple pupils—if Felix was not mistaken—were the legendary Purple Star, a forbidden object comparable to "God's Blood!"

Gamma's body, apart from his head, was made entirely from a mixture of high-purity "Mithril" and some extremely rare "Golden Substance." Almost countless magic patterns were engraved on his skin, emitting faint blue light when magic power flowed through them.

This Gamma had actually transformed himself into an elemental being for the sake of power!

If one were to ask which form of Gamma was the strongest, without a doubt, it would be—elemental life! Before ascending to divinity, becoming an elemental was the pinnacle for a Gamma. Only the most insane and power-hungry Gammas would transform themselves into elementals—a lifeform without life, requiring no food, no air, devoid of all senses, existing solely for the pursuit of greater power…

Gamma crafted a body for himself using rare metals, a body with terrifying capabilities. If Gamma wished, he could even carve a "Judgment Day" on this elemental body!

To merge his soul with this non-flesh body, Gamma had to sign a contract with the Dark Queen Christie and submit to the Elemental Lord. Only then could he gain the recognition of the Elemental Lord and completely merge his soul with the metallic substance, becoming a new elemental life!

In his elemental form, Gamma could even slay a Legendary Sword Saint with pure physical strength, without relying on magic!

"Do not be surprised, child." The harsh voice sounded again, and perhaps because Felix had come to an understanding, the metallic grinding noise seemed less piercing. Gamma, who had lived through countless years, looked down upon this land known as Saint Elouan, the place of judgment. A stiff smile appeared on his silver face, and his harsh voice unexpectedly took on a touch of melancholy.

"When a person makes a mistake, they must pay the price."

"This is my price…"