Chapter 309: A Bunch of Meaningless Bacteria

Grellina stared in astonishment at the communion before her.

As a former noble, she recognized that this communion, called Tongluoshao, was made from natural refined flour, naturally carrying the aroma of wheat—a scent she had only encountered while tasting luxurious delicacies or walking through the rice fields of the Garden World.

Beyond this aroma, Tongluoshao emitted a peculiar sweetness—not the monotonous, cloying sweetness of industrial sugar, but a natural sweetness mingled with the fragrance of legumes, faintly underscored by the rich scent of dairy.

Grellina's throat subtly produced saliva, drawn in by the fragrance.

Yet at the same time, a flicker of hesitation arose within her.

True communion, she knew, must not be food for the few, but shared among all believers.

If such precious ingredients were used to make communion, it would be nearly impossible to produce it in quantity for every believer.

But as if sensing her thoughts, the divine figure slowly spoke:

"This tablecloth is my artifact; whenever communion is needed, silently think of Tongluoshao, and a wave of your hand will summon it."

"I am the Eternal Dragon, Master of Hunger. I hate the hunger of all beings as I hate my own."

"Yet you shall hold this rite once every twenty-two days; each consumption may satisfy up to seventy percent of hunger—more is excess."

Less! Less!

Zhou Yun roared inwardly.

Every Tongluoshao exchanged cost him money! Though Zhou Yun could restrict the Food Tablecloth to produce only Tongluoshao, and though Tongluoshao was cheap, the costs accumulated over time.

Had it not been for the billions in funds already generated from Kiriman's shipments, Zhou Yun would never have dared such spending.

His current state of mind was utterly numb—Saint Guilliman urged him to manifest quickly, to guide his followers' faith.

But Zhou Yun found it embarrassing and agonizing.

So Saint Guilliman silently handed him two books, telling him to follow their instructions.

One was Luo Jia's record of the Emperor's words, The Sacred Record; the other was a scripture documenting the deeds of an ancient Terra divine child—according to Saint Guilliman, Zhou Yun, and Kiriman's analysis, that divine child was likely the Emperor's alias.

In other words, Zhou Yun was to study how the Emperor acted.

After reading both books, Zhou Yun felt utterly lost.

He could only conclude that Luo Jia and the Emperor were truly masters of religion.

The system Luo Jia used had already been played by the Emperor thirty thousand years ago.

He had picked and chosen, made minor adjustments, and turned it into his own doctrine.

But Zhou Yun now felt his experience was still shallow.

The Emperor's choice of cheap, dry flatbread as communion was brilliantly practical—he even begged five barley cakes and some fish from a street child for a meal, and didn't waste a single crumb.

By comparison, his choice of Tongluoshao was far too luxurious.

Grellina knew nothing of Zhou Yun's inner turmoil; she was only awestruck by the miracle he had displayed.

"And this is my blood."

Zhou Yun whispered softly, pulling a glass petri dish from his fourth-dimensional pocket.

He bent down slightly, picked up a fallen leaf, placed it in the dish—and instantly, it decomposed into an orange-yellow liquid.

Zhou Yun handed the petri dish to Grellina and gestured for her to taste it.

Grellina, bewildered, extended a finger, lightly dipped it into the dish, and brought it to her lips.

A burst of sweetness exploded across her tongue—she could not believe this liquid had been made from the most ordinary fallen leaf.

【Item Name: Fallen Leaf Decomposing Bacteria】

【Origin: Macragge】

【Production Date: 999. 41】

【Function: Bacteria capable of decomposing all plant leaves into sweet juice, designed and produced by Doraemon via the Bacteria Manufacturing Machine, saved as one of the machine's default settings.】

【Value: 196, 87 yuan】

"This is my blood—the sharing of my power to digest and consume all authority; it turns all fallen leaves into juice. This liquid, alongside Tongluoshao, is my communion."

Mainly because it costs nothing, is rich in sugar, and provides strong satiety—allowing believers to be full quickly, saving Zhou Yun money.

Zhou Yun winced inwardly.

He even began to think he should have used only this bacterial juice from the start.

But Saint Guilliman advised Zhou Yun to weave his communion and rituals around Doraemon.

He sighed inwardly, then handed Grellina a bag of bread printed with text.

"This is Memory Bread; it records the rituals and hymns of my worship. Consume it, and you shall remember."

"You shall perform worship only by this ritual, sing hymns only to me—no other methods allowed."

"Whoever violates this worships false idols."

"I also have three prophets: one is Leina, the first believer, commander of Cadia; the second is Belisarius Cawl, Grand Sage of the Mechanicum, the most virtuous among my followers; the third is Inquisitor Greyfax, who once disbelieved but converted after witnessing my miracles."

"If you have doubts about your faith, you must seek approval from one of these three."

Zhou Yun solemnly declared to the believers before him.

This was to prevent their faith from straying—every doctrinal question must be reviewed by Leina, Belisarius Cawl, and Greyfax.

Leina knew Zhou Yun best, understood his thoughts, and possessed strong warp resistance.

The Grand Sage was virtuous and wise, best suited to prevent doctrinal deviation.

Greyfax, as an Inquisitor, excelled at detecting hidden corruption within faith.

Grellina's eyes brightened slightly.

So Inquisitor Greyfax was a prophet of the Saint Doraemon Sect! No wonder she stood with them!

Clutching the Memory Bread, she devoutly recited twenty-two prayers to the divine voice, her vision nearly blurred by tears.

"Lastly, I am not a god." The divine voice spoke before Grellina.

Grellina froze in confusion, then looked up—only to see the divine figure had vanished.

"Finally."

At midnight, after visiting all twenty-two temples where he had manifested, Zhou Yun leaned exhausted against a wall of the Hera Fortress, his composure completely shattered.

Accepting worship was still too embarrassing for him—if not for Saint Guilliman's urging, he would never have done this.

But it seemed to actually work.

After completing the twenty-two manifestations, Zhou Yun strangely sensed his power within the three warp realms slowly strengthening.

Both his own body and the Fat Tiger Demon's body were slowly growing stronger. This, no doubt, was the effect of faith.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Yun pulled a machine from his fourth-dimensional pocket.

It was a large, orange machine covered in dials, with a small cabinet on its side.

【Item Name: Random Bacteria Manufacturing Machine (Bonus: Lamp to Eliminate Useless Bacteria)】

【Origin: 22nd Century Earth—Future Department Store】

【Production Date: 231. 3】

【Function: A machine capable of manufacturing any bacteria, with infinite possible effects—but outcomes are entirely random and unpredictable. Manufactured bacteria may be erased using the included Lamp to Eliminate Useless Bacteria.】

【Rental Price: 177, 77, 77 yuan per ten uses】

【Status: Used five times】

【Item Name: Lamp to Eliminate Useless Bacteria】

【Origin: 22nd Century Earth—Future Department Store】

【Production Date: 231. 3】

【Function: A bonus item for the Random Bacteria Manufacturing Machine; its light eliminates any strain of bacteria.】

【Price: Free gift】

The "Random Bacteria Manufacturing Machine," costing 177 million for ten uses, Zhou Yun called it a high-end Nurglite experience card.

It could generate ten different bacteria, but their effects were pure luck.

Aside from the first, which Zhou Yun had experimentally produced as the default "Fallen Leaf Decomposing Bacteria," his other four attempts yielded bacteria that seemed utterly useless:

"Bacteria that causes two-centimeter hair growth," "Bacteria that causes all-day diarrhea when stuck to the abdomen," "Bacteria that makes one intensely thirsty for a day after contact," "Bacteria that wakes one up for one hour from sleep."

All meaningless nonsense. Zhou Yun hoped this time he'd get something useful.

He idly pulled the machine's control lever and pressed the manufacture button. The machine hummed, then the side cabinet opened, revealing a petri dish containing a cluster of bacteria.

Zhou Yun shoved the bacteria into his fourth-dimensional pocket.

【Item Name: Bacteria That Eats Knowledge from Books】

【Origin: Macragge】

【Production Date: 999. 41】

【Function: Bacteria capable of consuming knowledge from a book; any book infected by this bacteria has its contents digested into meaningless gibberish.】

【Value: 336, 00 yuan】

Zhou Yun's face twitched slightly.

Still a meaningless bacterium.

It could eat knowledge—but only from books, and only one book at a time.

The effect was absurdly pointless.

He shook his head, thinking faith might have improved his luck.

Whatever. He'd originally acquired this machine solely for the bonus "Lamp to Eliminate Useless Bacteria"; the ten bacterial draws were just a bonus.

After all, the lamp could eliminate any bacteria—meaning even Nurglite strains would become inert. Too bad it didn't work on viruses.

Zhou Yun sighed and stuffed all the items into his fourth-dimensional pocket—he still had one more task to complete.

Kiriman wanted him to meet that Astartes Chapter.

The heir of Sigismund, the offspring of Roge Dorn, the Black Chapter

(End of Chapter)