Chapter 550: New-Style Techniques

On the way to Jade City.

Rod and the others had once stopped midway at a place called Blazing City.

Although the city lord there had now openly rebelled.

Before that, however, it belonged to the borderlands of the Aethelon Kingdom, the main object of defense being a fire-lizard tribe called the Koae.

The reason, as it turned out, was the usual territorial dispute, which had gone on for over a hundred years.

And so.

Inside Blazing City there were quite a few native-born fire-lizard people; as for how the ideas and thoughts of the fire-lizard people inside and outside the city differed, no detailed account will be given here.

The main thing was that the fire-lizard people brought with them a worship of the "Holy Fire."

Originally.

From Rod's communications with the local fire-lizard people, this was a primitive belief in natural phenomena and the local summer-like climate throughout the seasons.

For them as primitive believers, the Holy Fire was an omnipresent, tolerant, and selfless existence.

Sacrificial food was shared together in the heat; coming into contact with sunlight was itself an invisible prayer.

There was almost no such thing as taboo or prohibition.

But.

Until they absorbed a portion of humans.

It was at this point that the faith changed and split.

Due to differences in constitution and bodily race, humans, who had difficulty resisting the heat, began to distort the worship of the Holy Fire.

They even went so far as to start preaching fusion with and self-sacrifice to the Holy Fire.

When Rod was in Blazing City, he had even come into conflict with the Holy Fire Brigade, and was forced to leave early.

"Oh? Mr. Rod knows about it?"

Cliff looked surprised, then gave an exaggerated sigh of admiration: "As expected of Mr. Rod, so knowledgeable and well-traveled!"

"I traveled to Blazing City once before."

There was nothing to hide; he didn't believe those few people could have learned about that little incident.

Tally, who had turned into a delicate, pretty beastfolk beside him, secretly tugged at his sleeve.

Casting him a puzzled look.

Rod patted her cheek to soothe her — soft and fleshy, with a nice feel.

"I see! These special individuals do indeed come from Blazing City, but the difference is, they're not called the Holy Fire Brigade — they're a splinter group called the Holy Fire Sect."

Cliff walked to the front of the Holy Fire Sect members.

He introduced the slightly tall man in a yellow robe at the very front.

"This is Bishop Arturo. Not long ago, a strange plague broke out in Gale City, and Bishop Arturo and his followers happened to pass through doing good works and preaching. With their help, we got through the crisis; otherwise—"

As he spoke, he still wore a look of lingering fear, clearly quite frightened by that strange plague.

Rod had indeed heard about the strange plague breaking out in Gale City, it just hadn't spread around much.

Previously, because of this, the Snow Hill Evening News had changed from one issue per day to the current one issue every three days.

Then Bishop Arturo bowed slightly: "May the Holy Fire protect you; suffering will pass, and faith brings hope and healing."

"May the Holy Fire protect us."

The believers behind him also chanted in unison.

The witch Dimia stepped forward with a smile: "A healing method that doesn't use magical power or spirituality — I'd very much like to see it."

Cliff was somewhat excited; he must have seen it with his own eyes: "That's exactly the idea. Are there any unhealed wounded?"

The old gentleman Humbert nodded: "As it happens, the son of the manager of the vineyard next door had his leg slashed and is recuperating. I've already had someone carry him over."

Not long after.

Two guards came sprinting from the manor gate all the way here, carrying a young man.

The young man had his leg suspended in the air and was still looking completely bewildered.

The moment he spotted Rod, he grew excited and agitated at once.

"Mr. Rod! It's Mr. Rod!!"

Rod smiled: "Long time no see, Hyram. Give my regards to your father; I'll have to come by your place again in a while to buy some wine."

As a winery situated next to the Argyle Estate, it mainly brewed wine for the upper echelons and the nobility, but could also use that name to sell outward and stay profitable.

The quality was far better than the watered-down wine at the tavern in town, so naturally it had some reputation in Shi Ying town as well.

In the forest, Tally, Amy, Lady Kali, and Pan Ni — Rod included — all loved drinking.

So Rod had bought from them several times; you could call him a regular, and thus they knew each other.

Although Lady Kali generally only drank her own homebrew.

"Yes! I mean, good! Thank you!"

The young man Hyram was so excited that the guardian deity of Shi Ying town actually remembered his name, his face flushed red.

After briefly explaining the situation.

In front of Rod, this young man was more than willing to serve as a guinea pig.

He sprawled out boldly on the stretcher that had carried him over.

And Bishop Arturo also formally began his healing performance.

First he raised a three-meter-tall torch and waved it about, accompanied by dancing.

His mouth was also mumbling away — no telling what he was saying.

Rod guessed it was most likely some prayer of praise to the Holy Fire.

He kept at it like this for about five minutes.

Bishop Arturo extended a pair of large hands from the sleeves of his stiff leather robe; the hands bore pale scars with a reddish tint, uneven and clearly marks left by fire.

The large hand pressed down upon the young Hiram's injured thigh.

Soldiers injured in the Coral Bay Campaign had all been treated by mages, but due to the large number of casualties and issues with mana efficiency.

The treatment would not heal the wounds instantly; once the danger of infection and severe bleeding had passed for the wounded, they would be transferred to ordinary medical methods.

Within the manor, orange-red light flickered.

Then it quickly extinguished.

That scar, which had already scabbed over by more than half, suddenly compressed at a speed visible to the naked eye, became covered by flesh buds, and in the blink of an eye contracted and healed by more than half.

Although it did not heal immediately.

The effect of accelerated healing was nonetheless real.

"Oh."

Rod could not help but feel surprised.

There truly was no fluctuation of mana or spiritual energy.

He saw Daphne's expression turn even more shocked; it seemed this was somewhat overturning the Young Lady Witch's three views on magic.

He then asked in a low voice, "Did you see anything?"

Daphne's expression was not good; she shook her head: "I cannot see any problem; he indeed did not use mana or spiritual energy. If Kalist and Sharon were here, perhaps I could ask them on the 【Chain of Far Speech】."

The Young Lady Witch was not a mage specializing in research.

She was more skilled at casting spells.

Over there, Bishop Arturo made an exaggerated "concluding the work" gesture.

Then he lifted his hood, revealing an aged yet gentle face, looking peacefully at Rod.

As if waiting for them to inspect the results.

Cliff became even more excited: "Look, Mr. Rod, this is technology that overturns modern magic! The Holy Fire Sect can actually perform healing without using any mana!"

Bishop Arturo waved his hand to stop this Baroness's lover from praising him.

He gazed calmly and directly at Rod, as if holding certain victory: "Perhaps looking is not direct enough, Mr. Rod. I heard you also suffered some injuries when dealing with the Duke of Purgatory; why not come and try?"

Rod smiled; there was no objection.

This old bishop possessed only about one rank of spiritual energy accumulation; even with external means, it was unlikely he could affect Rod.

He strode forward and extended his left hand toward Bishop Arturo.

There was a wound piercing through the arm; Rod had intentionally left this wound, mainly to take the opportunity to get close to and tease Miss Xiao Ke, the half-centaur, when seeking her treatment.

Bishop Arturo's smile was warm and pleasant.

Like before, he danced and chanted, then his hands shone with orange light.

They covered the wound once more.

Then the light did not extinguish as it had just now; instead, it transformed into a dim, eerie green evil light, and immediately after, violently erupted into a cruel, bloody crimson.

Bishop Arturo's face changed drastically; he hurriedly stepped back several paces, thumping thumping thumping.

Pointing at Rod, he shouted, "Ke Yin?! Quick! Quick! Kill this person!"

(End of this chapter)