Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Plague and Curse
Upon hearing the words "church relatives," Ebert’s face noticeably twitched.
He hurriedly lowered his head to pretend to check the letter, preventing Wu Chang from noticing more changes on his face.
Seeing that Ebert was flustered, Wu Chang didn’t give him any time to calm down and immediately pressed, "Professor Ebert, I really need your help."
The word "church" was like a nightmare to Ebert. Being confronted with it by Wu Chang was akin to being caught cheating on the spot.
If Ebert were still calm, he would have easily spotted something fishy by simply asking Wu Chang what his relative’s name was or how they were acquainted.
But now, all his energy was focused on not revealing too many flaws, leaving him with no time to ponder the truth in Wu Chang’s words.
Of course, if Ebert had been that calm, Wu Chang’s questioning method would have shifted from psychology to physics.
"Beware of the Divine Envoy," Ebert hastily blurted out under duress.
Seeing Ebert relent, Wu Chang immediately launched into a rapid series of questions.
"The Divine Envoy, what is that?"
"Is it connected to the church?"
"Why should I be wary of it? Will it harm me? Why would it harm me?"
"How should I be careful of it?"
Ebert was overwhelmed by Wu Chang’s barrage of questions and anxiously replied, "Briff is a place under the shelter of the gods. The gods will send Divine Envoys to punish those who break the rules. You mustn’t become a sinner."
"What if I encounter one?"
"Then you better pray that the sins you’ve committed aren’t severe. In the presence of the Divine Envoy, a sinner is powerless to resist, powerless to struggle, and even powerless to escape."
Wu Chang: "Can I shake off the Divine Envoy?"
"No, unless..." Ebert was about to say something but realized he’d misspoken and quickly covered his mouth.
"I’m tired; let’s stop here for today."
Ebert turned and fled into the house, afraid of being entangled by Wu Chang again and accidentally revealing more than he should.
Watching Ebert’s retreating figure, Wu Chang narrowed his eyes.
This old man certainly has something to hide.
The Divine Envoy Ebert mentioned should refer to the changes in Matty’s body when he killed the former postman.
The battle situation recalled from the grudge aligns with Ebert’s claim that if the crime is severe, one is powerless to resist or struggle in the face of the Divine Envoy.
Given Ebert’s term that "Briff is a place under the shelter of the gods," it’s deduced that everyone on Briver Island possesses a hidden "Good and Evil Value."
By following island rules and working diligently, the Good and Evil Value increases, gaining the townsfolk’s favor and making it easy to integrate into the town.
Breaking the island’s rules, working passively, or going on strike decreases the Good and Evil Value, leading to a higher risk of being pulled into the Inner World.
If the Good and Evil Value falls below a certain threshold, just like the previous postman, the Divine Envoy will come knocking.
Based on intelligence gathered from the grudge, the Divine Envoy is incorporeal and must possess a townsfolk to manifest.
However, based on Ebert’s implication, if the Good and Evil Value hasn’t dropped significantly, there’s not only a chance to escape from the Divine Envoy but also a way to avoid its targeting.
Yet the method is too hidden to disclose.
That’s quite enough.
Sometimes, not revealing the answer to a secret is itself revealing the secret.
Merely showing that you know the answer exists reveals a lot.
The concept of the Divine Envoy is intelligence that veterans haven’t discovered, yet Ebert talks about it as if it’s second nature.
This indicates that he not only knows about the island’s insider information but is also involved in it to a considerable extent.
With the Saintess’s disappearance, the church thinks to ask for his help, indicating his close ties with them, possibly even being part of their upper echelons.
His non-rejection of Wu Chang’s questions, instead giving a hesitant answer, suggests he hasn’t fully severed ties with the church.
This old scholar is likely in a period of hesitating betrayal, or perhaps someone has leverage on him, forcing his involvement.
Regardless of the reason, he’s certainly aware of the Saintess’s disappearance near Briver!
Otherwise, he wouldn’t proactively seek the church’s request letter, nor display relief after not finding it.
With someone like this, he doesn’t have the time to gently convince with love and justice.
A swift resolution is necessary!
As an old scholar, Ebert’s physique isn’t as robust as the native residents’, and he’s now mentally vulnerable.
Wu Chang prepared to intensify the pressure on Ebert both mentally and physically.
When one’s body and spirit are tormented, nearing death, mental vulnerabilities are magnified, and one doesn’t need anyone external to severely scrutinize their own conscience.
When a person is about to die, their last words will be kind, and what should be said or not, he should say it all.
Wu Chang dragged his cart to a secluded spot and activated his Talent Skill.
Calamity.
"Skill Name: Calamity."
"Skill Description: When activated, the user enters Calamity state. In this state, the user becomes a Spirit Body and directly attacks the target’s soul. If the sum of the target’s Inspiration Will Attribute is less than 80% of the user’s attribute sum, one of ’Plague,’ ’Inviting Calamity,’ or ’Curse’ will trigger randomly; if less than 50%, two will trigger randomly; if less than 20%, all will trigger, along with an additional special status."
With the activation of Calamity, he entered a state similar to an Out-of-Body Experience, his consciousness turning into a Spirit Body entering Ebert’s home.
He saw Ebert setting up a small altar for god worship to calm himself.
Being a dual doctor in archaeology and theology, Ebert’s home held many mystical objects that could partially shield against mystical harm.
But in front of Wu Chang, with an Inspiration Value as high as 90 points, those Protective Talismans and small statues were no different from ordinary ornaments.
In Calamity state, he saw a white flame of Life within Ebert’s body.
He reached into the void to point at the flame, and a black mist erupted from his fingertip, merging into Ebert’s body.
With a whooshing sound, all the candles surrounding the altar were extinguished. Ebert tried to turn and relight them but was overtaken by dizziness, his vision darkened, and he fell to the ground.
Ebert didn’t withstand the Calamity Attribute check.
"The sum of the target’s Inspiration Will Attribute is less than 50% of the user’s attribute sum, triggering effects: ’Plague,’ ’Curse.’"
Wu Chang was somewhat surprised; he had expected all three effects to trigger but found Ebert had some capability.
But it made sense. In a world with mysticism as its backdrop, archaeology and theology rank in the T1 tier for courting death. For Ebert to have survived this long, his Inspiration Value must not be low.
"Plague: When the target is affected by Plague, they randomly contract 1-5 major diseases. The lower their current Life Value, the more severe the ailments; the greater the difference in Inspiration Attribute between target and user, the more types of illness occur."
"Curse: When the target is affected by Curse, they experience hallucinations and suffer Spiritual Shock, the effect depending on the difference in the Inspiration Attribute between the target and the user."
Although Wu Chang couldn’t control which effects Plague and Curse triggered, once the effects occurred, he could control their intensity.
Afraid of killing Ebert outright, leaving no time for self-contemplation, he significantly weakened the two effects.
The weakened Plague would merely cause Ebert severe diarrhea, relentless fever, and blurry vision.
The weakened Curse would cause Ebert to have relentless nightmares about the church and the Saintess, leaving him extremely exhausted upon waking, unable to concentrate, and experiencing hallucinations.
To handle an enemy so cautiously, he was showing great moral conduct, truly respecting the old and cherishing the young.
Releasing from Spirit Body state, he dragged the empty cart back towards the post office.
Halfway there, as he passed a shipyard, he saw five or six workers inside working fervently, while under a tree outside, a familiar figure lay down, lazily crossing their legs.
Raising an eyebrow, Wu Chang was previously fretting about how to verify the gathered intelligence, but now here comes a guinea pig.