After witnessing the skeletal monster, Dorothy’s mind was thrown into chaos. Her thoughts became sluggish, her consciousness began to blur, and an overwhelming sense of sadness surged within her. She wanted to cry, but her sluggish mind couldn’t even figure out how to shed tears.
This state lasted for an unknown amount of time before she gradually felt her consciousness clearing up. As she held her head and steadied herself on the ground, she slowly opened her eyes. Standing before her, smiling, was Aldrich.
"Heh... To witness divine remains without any protection and not collapse immediately, only suffering a slight mental impact—Miss Mayschoss, I’m afraid my interest in you has deepened even further."
Standing in front of Dorothy, Aldrich spoke with a smile.
Dorothy shook her head, regaining her composure, and then asked, "What was that thing just now?"
"It’s the skull remnant of a divine creature. That guy found it during an expedition and incorporated it into his constructs. It’s his trump card and his symbol. That’s how he earned the title ’Deer Skull.’"
Gazing at the calm sky in the distance, Aldrich continued calmly, "Generally, ordinary people or low-ranked Beyonders who witness a divine creature suffer severe adverse effects, ranging from direct mental radiation to cognitive poisoning, and sometimes even physical mutations. Although that thing is just a remnant and its effects are much weaker, the fact that you’re still standing is indeed beyond my expectations..."
Aldrich spoke frankly, and Dorothy nodded in understanding.
“Witnessing a divine creature causes many negative effects... including a certain amount of cognitive poisoning. Since I’m immune to cognitive poison, the impact was much lighter. That’s why I could still stand after seeing that remnant. Aldrich also helped me eliminate the other negative effects.”
“Wait, if witnessing a divine creature causes negative effects on ordinary people and low-ranked Beyonders, what about Vania...”
At that moment, Dorothy turned to look at the church behind her and saw Vania lying unconscious in front of the altar. She quickly ran over to check and found that Vania was in a deep coma.
"Hey, my companion seems to have passed out after seeing that thing. What should we do now?" Dorothy immediately turned to Aldrich and asked.
Aldrich walked over, examined Vania, and then said, "It’s not a big problem. Carry her to the basement."
With that, Aldrich stood up, opened a hidden passage in the chapel leading to the basement, and walked down. Dorothy controlled her marionette to carry Vania and followed behind.
Soon after, Dorothy followed Aldrich into the familiar underground workshop. Following Aldrich’s instructions, she placed Vania on a long table in the workshop. Then, Aldrich had Dorothy administer two tubes of medicine to the unconscious Vania. After that, Aldrich lit a special incense and consumed a few spiritual storage items to perform a simple ritual for Vania. Finally, he clapped his hands to signal that the task was complete.
"Alright, now we just wait for this young lady to wake up on her own. All she needs is a bit of time."
Hearing Aldrich’s words, Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief and then joked, "You used so many things. You’re not going to charge her when she wakes up, are you? She’s just a novice nun from the Radiance Church and doesn’t have much money."
"Heh... What are you talking about, Miss Mayschoss? I’m always clear about debts and payments. You’ve helped me greatly today, and I still owe you. How could I dare to charge anything? If I really wanted money, I would’ve charged you at least a hundred pounds for the information about divine creatures I just shared."
Sitting down in a chair he often used, Aldrich chuckled as he spoke. Hearing his response, Dorothy couldn’t help but feel a bit stunned.
"Ha, so you’re saying I can ask you questions freely without paying now?"
"Of course, ask away. But for every answer I give, I consider a bit of my debt repaid. If you ask too much and I finish repaying, then you’ll have to start paying again. Of course, the favor I owe you isn’t included in this. These are extra rewards outside of that favor." Aldrich’s reply made Dorothy’s mouth twitch.
“This old man, he can even be so meticulous about this. Only he knows the standards for how much debt is owed or repaid.”
After silently judging in her mind, Dorothy continued to ask, "So, have you successfully defeated your great enemy now?"
"More or less. But to be precise, I only defeated one of his cursed bone avatars. His true body is still out there."
Aldrich spoke slowly, and Dorothy asked in confusion, "Cursed bone avatar?"
"It’s an ability of the Stone path... the Bonesmith branch, at the Red-rank Spirit Bone Warlock. They can use a piece of their own bone to create a cursed bone, which can then be grafted onto another skeleton to create an avatar. Here, take a look at this..."
As he spoke, Aldrich pulled something out from behind him. Dorothy looked closely and saw a black human bone covered in engraved runes. The bone was now broken in two, clearly severed.
"So this is... a cursed bone? Does that mean Deer Skull is a Red-rank Beyonder?" Dorothy asked, looking at the broken bone. Aldrich continued to explain.
"Yes, but with the divine creature remnant in his possession, his strength is already at the peak of the Red-rank. He’s just one step away from completing his great work and stepping into the Gold-rank. However, this time he lost a cursed bone, so his power will take a bit of a hit."
“That monster... has the strength of a Red-rank peak, just one step away from advancing to Gold...”
Dorothy thought to herself as she listened to Aldrich. Then, she continued to ask, "So, since that guy is so powerful, how did you two become enemies?"
Hearing Dorothy’s question, Aldrich paused, fell silent for a moment, and after drinking a cup of tea, slowly replied, "The grudge between him and me dates back two hundred years. At that time, we were both high-ranking members of the White Craftsmen’s Guild, both outstanding Red-rank Beyonders.”
"Back then, a vacancy appeared in the highest echelon of the White Craftsmen’s Guild—the ’Golden Triad.’ As a result, the most outstanding Red-rank member among the high-ranking members would be selected. This individual would receive a significant amount of resources from the guild to help them advance to the Gold-rank and fill the vacancy in the Golden Triad. He and I were the top contenders."