Chapter 48

Chapter 48

The moment Moses spoke of "agreement," the sensation of power draining from his body, leaving him cold and weak, ceased.

But he did not feel any warmth returning to him, nor did any new strength rise to... cough, to support his magic core.

"Your Highness," Moses, having agreed to join, reverted to addressing Lin with respect, though his tone remained unchanged, "Can you do it again?"

Lin tilted his head.

If this were an online chat room, he would probably have replied with a question mark to Moses.

Moses saw the confusion in those heterochromatic eyes and echoed it, "It's my magic core, also known as the seed of a practitioner’s magic. It seems to have stopped deteriorating, but it’s still in shambles. Aren’t you going to help me repair it?"

"So the magic core is also called the seed of magic?" The word 'seed' seemed to carry special meanings in both mysticism and theology, Lin realized, saying, "I’m not unwilling to help you repair it, but how exactly do we go about repairing it?"

"Do I really have to start from scratch here?" Moses held his forehead.

He took a deep breath, lowered his hand, and straightened his attitude, saying, "Use your magic—"

"Sorry to interrupt, Teacher Moses," Lin raised his hand, "I don’t have magic."

This statement was like when Lin, before he crossed over, would raise his hand in class to say he hadn’t brought his homework when the teacher asked for it. Moses wore an expression that said, "Do you think I believe you?"

"How can you not have magic?" the newly appointed priest said, "All deities, whether Pillar Gods or evil gods, are powerful sources of magical radiation. Their mere existence can alter the magical ecology of an area, giving rise to various saints or monsters. Just breathing can stir up a magical storm. You’re telling me you don’t have magic?"

"Wow." Eighteen-year-old Lin showed a look of serene longing.

But this longing soon turned to seriousness. Such immense power sounded difficult to control, especially considering the rule that magic could be polluting. The existence of evil gods was almost synonymous with disaster.

The Chief Judge had no hesitation in shooting at him without listening to his defense; there was a reason for it.

"But," Lin said, "I really don’t have magic."

Moses still couldn’t believe it, "You’ve used mirror jumping many times, which should be a spell, right? You’ve used spells, yet you claim you don’t have magic!"

Lin felt helpless, saying, "I find it strange too, but all I need to do to travel through mirrors is think about it. I don’t feel anything being drained from my body."

"Even now, I can see your magic core, which is just something faintly glowing below your chest. If I were a practitioner, I’d sense the fluctuations of magic... Do I even lack the organ that senses such things?"

"...Sensing organs?" Moses looked even more puzzled than Lin, "Your Highness, why do you think so?"

"You can tell I have a genetic disorder, right?" Lin said. As a crossover, his physical structure was very different from the beasts of this world. Perhaps the inability to sense magic was due to some organ that beasts had, but he didn’t?

"What’s wrong with a deity looking a bit strange?" Moses wore an expression that suggested Lin lacked experience, "I said, your appearance alone is quite unusual. You managed to infiltrate the Tribunal under the guise of a genetic disorder."

It’s not a guise; my genes are indeed very different from yours, Lin thought.

And describing someone as having an unusual appearance, Moses wouldn’t think it meant he was born extraordinary, right?

Lin felt he should be angry, but after three years of facing discrimination based on his appearance, Moses’ words no longer affected him.

After all, Moses was genuinely worried about him.

"How can you not have magic? This is very unusual. There must be something wrong... Could it be that staying in the Tribunal for too long has affected you somehow?"

"What do you think the Tribunal is?" Lin was speechless, then paused.

Moses noticed he seemed to be listening to something. His blurred face, with only his heterochromatic eyes clearly visible, slowly blinked, then said to Moses, "Someone outside is looking for me. I’ll be going back now."

Once the authority of dreams was fully transferred to Lin, the fragment of the "conch" in the Silver Maiden’s hand would lose its effect. This darkness containing the pearl of dreams would, apart from Lin, no longer allow any other existence to enter or exit.

There was indeed nothing to worry about. After saying goodbye to Moses, Lin opened his eyes and found himself back in the Grand Sealing Ritual Chamber.

The ritual chamber was in chaos. His colleagues, who had been sleepwalking in their offices, seemed to have been awakened and finally began operating other ritual chambers in place of Chixia, whose purpose was unclear.

During wartime, the Tribunal Headquarters would activate more than just one Grand Sealing Ritual. As an official organization favored by the Six Pillar Gods, the fact that enemies had invaded their home base meant that using rituals to crush them into ashes was a sign of respect for the enemy’s courage by the judges.

However, the sudden appearance of the enemy caught everyone off guard. Apart from Hugo, Lin, and Chixia, the entire Ritual Department was wiped out.

By the time these ritualists woke up, the battle was nearly over.

Or rather, it was already over.

The ritualists: "..."

Fortunately, the new Director Hugo reacted quickly, and Lin proved reliable. Otherwise, the Ritual Department would have achieved nothing in the battle.

As for Chixia? The ritualists prayed he hadn’t hindered them too much.

In the end, the awakened ritualists stubbornly activated a slow healing ritual for the entire area and a large-scale purification ritual to show they had done something.

Some colleagues also came to check on Lin.

"Lin," a female rabbit colleague squatted in front of Lin, observing him with concern, "Your face is so red. Are you running a fever?"

Lin, who had just returned, opened his eyes blankly. His left eye, which did not have a ritual array, was covered by a bandage and could see nothing; his right eye, which had the ritual array, could still see clearly but was very blurry.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

His throat felt as if a stone were stuck in it, causing pain even when swallowing saliva, making him frown. A tickling sensation made him want to cough.

Lin held back, as his colleague was squatting right in front of him, and coughing wouldn’t be good.

He wanted to speak to his colleague but found himself unable to make a sound. The female rabbit colleague quickly handed him a cup of hot water, which Lin took a sip of, tasting a faint saltiness.

Given this situation, there was no need for Lin to confirm whether he had a fever or not.

The rabbit girl colleague got up to call for help, and soon two male colleagues came over—one of them was Chixia, who had to assist—carrying Lin to the rest room and letting him lean against his usual bed.

A while later, a flesh doctor came to examine him. However, while there were specific spells for viral colds, it was difficult to treat a fever with magic. After taking Lin’s temperature, the doctor could only prescribe some medicine and instruct Lin to take it.

Shivering, Lin covered himself with a blanket and sat on the bed, drinking the medicine.

Even he found it hard to comprehend his current predicament.

Not long ago, he had snatched the power of dreams from the projection of the Silver Moon Maiden and was still lively under the gun of the Chief Judge.

But now, he was half-dead from a fever, coughing so hard that he felt he might collapse at any moment.

…Could it be that the Black Sun did something?

Just kidding, but Lin did indeed sober up from the slight high brought by his previous victory and gains, realizing that he was essentially a weak mortal.

A mortal who could die.

Of course, gods could die too, but certainly not from a fever.

After finishing the medicine, Lin quickly fell into a dazed state due to its effects and the dizziness caused by the high fever.

He seemed to hear someone shouting that the Chief Judge had arrived, and then heard about stopping the Grand Sealing Ritual. He saw many strange and chaotic scenes—the sky with holes through which starlight poured down; everything red, everywhere corpses; he and the Chief Judge walking on a quiet street, smiling and talking, gunshots, bullets, blood, hands grasping and then letting go.

That hand lightly touched Lin’s forehead.

Lin suddenly opened his eyes, realizing he had been dreaming.

But the owner of the hand, his superior, Chief Judge Hui Cui Dover, was indeed standing in front of him, leaning over.

The words “I can just purify you” still echoed in his ears. Seeing the Chief Judge, Lin's fever-dulled brain couldn’t determine if he had shown any unusual expression.

Hui Cui withdrew his hand, which had been sensing Lin’s temperature, and looked at him with a furrowed brow.

“Did you have a nightmare?” he asked. “You were groaning just now.”

“…Maybe?” Lin, who clearly remembered the dream, wondered if the repeated confrontations with the Chief Judge’s gun had put too much pressure on him. He replied in a hoarse voice almost inaudible, “It’s just that the fever is really uncomfortable.”

“Don’t talk anymore, just nod or shake your head,” Hui Cui said, examining Lin. “Lin, can I take another look at your left eye?”

Left eye?

The pink conch pearl representing the power of dreams was now in Lin’s left eye. Because he hadn’t fully digested this power, the left eye of the Mirror Pupil had turned pink.

Would Lin’s left eye in reality also change color?

In the past, Lin couldn’t have determined this, but now, with some experience, he believed it wouldn’t.

He raised his hand, untied the bandage, and removed the gauze.

A pair of deep black eyes, as complete and clear as before, appeared, looking even more watery due to the fever.

The ritual array on the surface of his right eye, with its intricate golden lines, was faintly glowing. The left eye, which had yet to receive the ritual array, though teary, no longer trembled as it used to.

“Does it still hurt?” Hui Cui asked.

As he spoke, his fingertips gently touched the corner of Lin’s eye, an action so careful and gentle, almost surpassing the tenderness of a conch blower.

The Chief Judge truly had no complaints when it came to treating his own people.

Lin thought this and shook his head, indicating it didn’t hurt anymore.

“Really?” Hui Cui said, his brows still furrowed, but the corners of his mouth curved into a shallow smile.

Lin was momentarily stunned.

“That’s good,” Hui Cui said.

“That’s good,” he repeated, his voice incredibly soft, his eyes crinkling as he looked at Lin. “Even in such a terrible situation, something good can happen.”

Lin didn’t speak, just looked at him, feeling even more dizzy for some reason.

The light from the bedside lamp, reflected in Hui Cui’s slightly squinted eyes, reminded Lin of the pink conch pearl he had recently examined.

The velvet-like flame patterns illuminated by the light were beautiful.

…The Chief Judge’s eyes were even more beautiful than the conch pearl.