Chapter 176: The Former Earth Shrine Maiden Princess and a Method to Block "Resurrection Magic"
A Demon God from two hundred years ago?
Tang Zheng was somewhat surprised. These demi-human sisters actually had such a background.
The so-called "Demon Gods," it was speculated, were a large number of monsters, elite monsters, and even bosses that had descended from the game, bringing a calamitous disaster upon the entire otherworld. This was also the reason for the emergence of the Thirteen Heroes.
The power of these Demon Gods varied. The strong ones included the Demon Tree, around Level 85 and currently sealed in the depths of the Touv Great Forest, and the Demon King, who was called a natural disaster and nearly destroyed the world.
The weaker ones could be eliminated by humans using their own strength. But even at their lowest, the Demon Gods were all above Level 36, surpassing the Heroic Realm.
Tang Zheng recalled the information about "Demon Gods" in his mind.
He sized up the Twin Witches, who were currently shrinking back, trembling in fear.
Their skin was pale and gaunt. Their faces were recognizably female, but their pointed ears and somewhat savage features did not conform to human aesthetics.
Of course, compared to their appearance, what truly concerned Tang Zheng was that these monsters, who had descended from the game, had actually managed to leave behind their bloodline.
Since the Six Great Gods, the Eight Greed Kings, and others also had descendants, it wasn't incomprehensible that monsters could leave a bloodline.
However!
If this wasn't an isolated case, then the waters of this world were likely deeper than he imagined.
A glint flashed in Tang Zheng's eyes. He suddenly thought of Forest Sage King Hamusuke, whom he had killed. Its physical characteristics also didn't quite resemble a monster from this world. Could it also be a descendant of those Demon Gods?
Under the Gray-robed Mage's unreserved explanation, the method for creating the "Frogman's Egg" was detailed.
Just as Tang Zheng had initially guessed, the method to create a complete "Frogman's Egg" was extremely tedious, and the failure rate was frighteningly high.
It not only required the special refining method that the Gray-robed Mage had mastered but also the cooperation of the Twin Witches' alchemy.
The Gray-robed Mage's fundamental goal in creating the "Frogman's Egg" was simply to lure out Quinn Esai, kill her, and take revenge on the Slane Theocracy.
As for the excuse of using Quinn Esai's Innate Ability, it was just false information deliberately leaked to mislead her.
From the Gray-robed Mage's answers, Tang Zheng also learned about Quinn Esai's "Innate Ability"—the power to increase a monster's affinity, and even to forcibly control them.
"No wonder she could control the evil spirit hounds." A flash of understanding crossed Tang Zheng's eyes.
Compared to the skills or abilities provided by a Job, some powerful "Innate Abilities" were truly unreasonable.
Tang Zheng speculated that all members who could join the Black Scripture, besides their own formidable power and talent, must also possess exceptionally outstanding Innate Abilities.
As for the grudge between the Gray-robed Mage and Quinn Esai or the Slane Theocracy, Tang Zheng was not originally interested, but he unexpectedly learned of a hidden matter.
The Gray-robed Mage's younger sister was actually the previous Earth Shrine Maiden Princess!
Within the Slane Theocracy, aside from the relatively famous Six Scriptures, there were also six Shrine Maiden Princesses belonging to the Six Great Temples.
Each Shrine Maiden Princess, with the aid of a special magic item, could perform grand ritual magic, enabling them to use magic of a much higher tier than their own level would allow.
However, this special magic item could not be used by just anyone. It required a special talent or even an "Innate Ability."
And the Slane Theocracy itself possessed magic that could detect the "Innate Abilities" of others. Finding suitable candidates among its population of over fifteen million was not considered very difficult.
How fortunate!
The Gray-robed Mage's sister was one such candidate, and that was what she had thought at first as well.
But the result...
Tang Zheng gazed at the controlled, dazed Gray-robed Mage and shook his head slightly.
A pie falling from the sky always comes at a price.
To leap from an ordinary person to one of the noble Shrine Maiden Princesses of the Six Great Temples—how could that not come at a price?
If Tang Zheng remembered correctly, the future Clementine would steal the "Crown of Wisdom" from the Dark Shrine Maiden Princess and defect from the Slane Theocracy.
And the Dark Shrine Maiden Princess who lost the "Crown of Wisdom" went completely insane—and "insane" here meant literally insane.
This was because the "Crown of Wisdom" could strip the user of their consciousness, turning them into a mere tool that only cast magic. The effects of the other Shrine Maiden Princesses' "Crown of Wisdom" were likely similar.
What to do with a Shrine Maiden Princess who went insane after losing her "Crown of Wisdom"?
Or rather, when it was time to replace a Shrine Maiden Princess, what happened to the previous one?
Simple. This involved one of the main tasks of the Black Scripture: to send these insane Shrine Maiden Princesses to the side of the Gods.
The Gray-robed Mage naturally didn't know about the existence of the Black Scripture, nor did he know that Quinn Esai was one of its members.
The most important reason he sought out Quinn Esai was that his sister had been taken away by Quinn Esai's Father back then.
"Tell me everything you know about your 'Zuranon'," Tang Zheng said after a brief silence, continuing his questioning.
It was difficult to pass judgment on the Gray-robed Mage's situation.
When he first mentioned the Slane Theocracy's "human supremacy," his tone was full of scorn. Tang Zheng couldn't quite understand it then, but now he had some clarity.
Many things look different from a collective perspective versus an individual one.
Tang Zheng had always felt he was just an ordinary person who had gained power, but everything he had experienced recently had made his perspective on certain things no longer confined to the simple concepts of right and wrong, good and evil, as seen by an ordinary person.
In his previous life, whether in novels or anime, the powerful always mentioned the phrase "staying true to oneself." He had thought little of it at the time, but now, Tang Zheng felt its importance more and more.
Especially in the otherworld, with its complex environment of various races and humans, if one became excessively bogged down in simple concepts like "right and wrong, good and evil," they would quickly fall into confusion.
"Our Zuranon has twelve members..."
The Gray-robed Mage's emotionless voice sounded.
Tang Zheng frowned slightly as he listened, not because he had learned any incredible information, but because the man knew only slightly more than he did.
According to him, the identity of each of the twelve members was highly mysterious. Besides the Alliance Leader, it was likely that no one knew the former identity of any other member.
The only somewhat useful piece of information was about Zuranon's Alliance Leader. The Gray-robed Mage speculated that he might have come from the Slane Theocracy and even held a relatively high position there in the past.
"Forget it. Although the information is limited, at least I won't be completely in the dark when facing Zuranon."
After committing this information to memory, Tang Zheng gestured for the Gray-robed Mage to list all the magic he had mastered.
He had already learned about the Jobs the Gray-robed Mage possessed: the basic mana-based job of Mage, the Warlock class, and the holy-type Cleric class.
Three basic job classes, and of the kind that didn't form a proper build. No wonder he was no match for Quinn Esai.
*Om—*
[Skill Points: 68→67]
...
Skill: Magic Imprint (Second Tier)
Cost: 10 MP
Description: Consumes magic power to leave a special magic imprint on a target, allowing you to sense their location.
...
Tang Zheng ultimately chose a second-tier "Warlock" spell, thereby acquiring that basic Job.
Although the Gray-robed Mage was a magic caster in the Heroic Realm, due to the structure of his classes, the highest he could use was fourth-tier mana-based magic.
Among the spells he had mastered, quite a few caught Tang Zheng's eye, but none were worth learning. This second-tier magic seemed of little use.
However, it was related to the method of creating the "Frogman's Egg."
He glanced at the information on his stat panel.
[Attribute Sheet]
Player: Tang Zheng
Karma Value: 23 [Neutral]
HP: 373→388 (30%)
MP: 173→188 (16%)
Physical Attack: 373 (29%)
Physical Defense: 248 (19%)
Agility: 213 (16%)
Magic Attack: 218→233 (18%)
Magic Defense: 188→203 (14%)
Overall Resistance: 255 (20%)
Specialty: 230→260 (20%)
Total: 182%
...
Tang Zheng just gave the normal changes in his basic stats a simple glance. What caught his attention was the change in his Specialty, which had increased by 30 points.
An increase of this magnitude was clearly related to taking up the "Mad Mage" Job.
"Is it a passive skill?" Tang Zheng mused thoughtfully.
He didn't dwell on this issue for too long.
What truly gave him a headache right now was how to deal with the Gray-robed Mage and Quinn Esai.
"You two should have heard our conversation just now. Now..." Tang Zheng turned his head to look at the Twin Witches beside him, but before he could finish his sentence.
The Green Leaf Witch and the Dense Fog Witch simultaneously bowed and prostrated on the ground, their voices trembling as they spoke: "We are willing to submit."
"Good."
Tang Zheng nodded with a stoic expression. "Clean up this damaged area. With the abilities of you two, you should be able to restore it to its original state."
The Twin Witches both possessed the Forest Priest Job, so manipulating plant growth was not a complicated matter.
After speaking, Tang Zheng raised his hand and used "Magic Imprint" on each of the Twin Witches. With this spell in place, even if they tried to escape, he could pinpoint their location.
As the terrified Twin Witches departed, Tang Zheng's gaze fell back upon the unconscious Quinn Esai.
*Thump!*
He knocked the Gray-robed Mage out with a single karate chop.
Next, Tang Zheng woke Quinn Esai from her stupor and used the "Charm Species" spell again to control her.
"Is there any way in the Slane Theocracy to block 'Resurrection Magic'?" Tang Zheng asked seriously, looking at the controlled, blank-eyed Quinn Esai.
Since a special means like resurrection magic had existed for so long, Tang Zheng didn't believe that the various factions of this world wouldn't have conducted corresponding research.
Even the Alliance Leader of Zuranon could research and modify the "Raise Dead" spell.
Tang Zheng refused to believe that the Slane Theocracy hadn't done similar research.
"To prevent 'Raise Dead,' you just need to severely damage the corpse," Quinn Esai said stiffly.
"Anything else?" Hearing this piece of nonsense, Tang Zheng took a deep breath and asked again.
This time, however, Quinn Esai did not answer immediately. Even under the effect of "Charm Species," she became hesitant.
This, in turn, made Tang Zheng's eyes light up.
"Magic Insulation."
"You only need to insulate against the influence of magic to counter resurrection magic... The simplest way to do this... is to have a powerful monster devour the living being."
"The power inherent in the monster itself will further obstruct and insu...late the influence of 'Resurrection Magic,' but the monster's strength must be high, at least sur...passing the Heroic... Realm."
A trace of struggle appeared on Quinn Esai's dazed face, to the point that her speech became intermittent.
Seeing Quinn Esai's current state, Tang Zheng's pupils constricted. This was a clear sign that she was about to forcibly break free from the "Charm Species" state.
"She can break free from the charm's influence through sheer willpower alone?" Surprise showed on Tang Zheng's face as he swiftly swung his arm, knocking Quinn Esai unconscious again.
"Using a powerful monster to insulate against resurrection magic... so there's such a method." Looking at the unconscious Quinn Esai, Tang Zheng fell into deep thought.
Finding a powerful monster wasn't difficult.
In the Angelicisia Mountain Range, there was a giant, fish-like monster about Level 47 and over 50 meters long, the Lava Dominator, Sun Anglerfish.
The question was, would this method really work?
It might work against ordinary resurrection magic, but what about higher-grade resurrection magic?
Furthermore, Quinn Esai's state just now was also suspicious. In her extremely weakened physical condition, she was actually able to break free from the influence of "Charm Species" through willpower.
This was clearly abnormal.
Wait!
Tang Zheng's eyes narrowed. He suddenly recalled that the Slane Theocracy seemed to have implanted some kind of special magic in the minds of its Scripture members.
Under specific circumstances, after answering three of the interrogator's questions, they would die instantly.
Captain Nigun and most of the Sunlight Scripture members captured by the Bone King had died under the influence of such magic.
His question to Quinn Esai just now was already the second one. If he asked one more, Quinn Esai would likely trigger this magic.
The "Charm Species" ability makes the target see you as a friend, but once their own life is threatened, the charm's influence can no longer hold.
This was probably the real reason for Quinn Esai's struggle.
"If that's the case, then this is going to be troublesome."
At this thought, an ugly look flashed across Tang Zheng's face.
He had originally planned to extract more information from Quinn Esai. If this magic was in effect, he wouldn't be able to easily obtain information about the Slane Theocracy like he did from the Gray-robed Mage.
"It's not like there are no options. If I use resurrection methods, I should be able to ask a new set of three questions each time she is revived."
Looking at the unconscious Quinn Esai, this thought crossed Tang Zheng's mind.
Of course, this also meant facing a thorny problem!
(end of chapter)