Lord of The Mysterious Realms-Chapter 31: A Plea for Your Gaze, Part Two
The gaze was overwhelmingly majestic, pinning Jenkins in place, yet it was also so loving and vast that when it finally vanished, he remained stunned for a long while before finding the strength to stand.
For the first time, he realized this world truly had gods in the traditional sense. They were not merely humans of immense power, but fundamentally different, higher beings.
'It didn't find anything wrong with me? Did I actually get away with it?'
Praying to one's god was the simplest of rituals, but for the faithful of a true god, it was an act of profound significance.
On one hand, it was a way to make offerings, like the small piece of silver that vanished after the ritual. If one could win the deity's favor through such sacrifices, an increase in worldly power was the most basic of rewards. In special circumstances, a god could even bestow Abilities, Bestowals, or even Spirit directly.
On the other hand, to be seen by a god was a special form of purification. Curses that weren't overly complex, along with other strange influences, would be instantly annihilated under the gaze of a Righteous God. Of course, if purification was the goal, it was best to prepare a more substantial offering. It wasn't strictly required, but expecting aid from a great being for a mere sliver of metal was, in a way, blasphemous. A true believer would never be so presumptuous.
Although Jenkins had already conducted a ritual to gain an ability on his own, Papa Oliver still insisted on this method to formally prove his initiation.
"This initiation test has been practiced since ancient times. We're better off keeping with tradition."
So how were the followers of pseudo-gods tested? Did they pray to their gods? Were those pseudo-gods also great, unknowable beings?
Jenkins had asked this very question, only to receive a cryptic look from Papa Oliver.
He had once tried to research the difference between Righteous Gods and pseudo-gods in the library, hoping to understand the significance of their corresponding months, but all the theological texts he found were uniformly evasive on the subject.
Jenkins hadn't given up; he was simply waiting patiently to advance to a level 1 Enchanter. Once he did, he would gain permission to access the Church's private archives. For instance, while he currently couldn't view the records on Mysterious Objects, a level 1 Enchanter could read files with a danger classification of '04' and below.
The most surprising event of the new week came on Wednesday afternoon, when Papa Oliver suddenly sent Jenkins to the church disguised as an ordinary believer. The weather that day was especially grim, the sky stained a sickly yellow by factory pollution. Captain Bincy silently led him out a side door, and together they took a carriage to Nolan Public Hospital No. 5—a place rumored to be haunted.
Despite having "Public" in its name, anyone who could afford treatment here undoubtedly had far more gold pounds in their pockets than Jenkins did.
The inpatient wards resembled aristocratic villas, their steam pipes concealed directly within the walls.
They soon entered a room on the first-floor corner. A man in leather shoes standing guard at the entrance, pretending to read a newspaper, gave them a nod and opened the door.
The moment he stepped inside, a putrid stench assaulted him, so overpowering it nearly knocked him off his feet.
"Papa Oliver must have mentioned what happened here, didn't he?"
Captain Bincy whispered, as if worried about disturbing the man in the bed.
"He told me a little,"
Jenkins answered cautiously.
"Good. To be honest, we still don't know exactly what happened here. Between the incident offshore, that octopus in the harbor, the Mysterious Object you ran into, and now these malevolent spirits... Nolan has been anything but peaceful lately."
"Anyway, enough of that. See what you can do. Can you treat this wound?"
As he spoke, Captain Bincy gently pulled back the curtain on the bed nearest the door, revealing the patient to Jenkins.
It was a young man, his eyes squeezed shut and his face deathly pale. On his bedside table, next to a bowl of fruit, a small metallic badge rested on a wooden stand. Engraved upon it was the holy symbol of the Legacy Sage.
To Jenkins's eyes, the badge radiated a golden-green light.
"A divine artifact with healing properties?"
Jenkins surmised, his brow furrowing as he looked toward the source of the stench—the man's right arm, wrapped in white gauze.
A doctor, dressed in white with a thick mask over his face, had been standing in the room since they arrived. He stepped forward and unwrapped the gauze, revealing a wound about a finger's width to Jenkins and the captain.
The exposed flesh was a sickly green, but eerily, it didn't bleed. It was obvious that the corrupted tissue was already starting to spread outward from the wound.
"The wound won't heal, neither by natural nor supernatural means. All we can do is periodically cut away the corrupted flesh."
The doctor's muffled voice came from behind the mask. Jenkins's mouth twitched. While his ability was useless against curses or poisons, it was specifically designed to mend cuts and gashes.
He gave Bincy a nod and gently touched his finger to the healthy skin near the wound. A moment later, a cold current flowed from his fingertip, and the wound began to close at a visible speed.
But it lasted only a second. The sickly green flesh seemed to squirm, and the wound tore open once more.
Jenkins increased the output of his Spirit, but the healing couldn't keep pace with how fast the wound was reopening.
"That's enough."
Watching the wound continuously tear open and heal over, Captain Bincy couldn't help but call a stop to it.
But just as Jenkins was about to give up, his finger slipped, accidentally brushing the edge of the corrupted flesh.
The spiritual candle deep within him suddenly flared. Jenkins stared, dumbfounded, as a faint yellow flame erupted from his fingertip.
Before anyone could react, the flame swept over the patient's entire right arm.
Jenkins stumbled back, nearly falling over as the flames slowly died down. The bed and the patient's sleeve were completely untouched. The gash was still there, but the flesh had returned to its normal color.
The commotion brought the guard from the door rushing in, only to be met with good news.
No one attributed the event to Jenkins possessing a Bestowal; they seemed to assume it was simply a hidden aspect of his existing ability.
"Looks like you're going to be busy for the next few days."
Captain Bincy examined the patient's arm, then turned to Jenkins, his face breaking into a wide grin.
They had only meant to test his ability, never expecting it to actually work. Overjoyed, Bincy immediately ed the success to the Church. The end result was that Jenkins had to take two days off from Papa Oliver's shop to treat the other patients suffering from the same bizarre injury.
His Spirit reserves were still quite low, so he spent most of the time resting and recovering.
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Chapter 31: A Plea for Your Gaze, Part Two
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