Chapter 243: Scholar (Extra update, please vote for monthly tickets!)

"Where did this 'key' come from? I can feel that it is full of ominousness, as if it is haunted by a curse... No, even cursed objects are brighter than it."

'Witch' Luosi trembled slightly.

"It came from a ruin. Later, after my investigation, I confirmed that the ruin should belong to an ancient cult that was once glorious—the Ethereal Sect!"

The 'Professor' said with a hint of fanaticism: "And I have read a paper on the study of the Ethereal Sect. The researcher believes that the Ethereal Sect originated directly from the Spirit World, and within the Spirit World, there is its source... And that source is located in Diate!"

"Once that true source is found in Diate, I can even prove whether that existence who cannot prove its own existence—the Spirit of Delusion—is real. This will be a great discovery that will shock the Occultism world!"

Aaron, standing to the side, almost rolled his eyes again, but he tried hard to hold it back.

'Has a brand-new Occultism connection been established? It is gradually becoming weak... It seems this "key" is a one-time item.'

The Professor's voice gradually became calm: "Then... let us begin."

This time interval is very strange; sometimes it is only one minute, sometimes it is five minutes, or even ten minutes.

"For example, if your heart is filled with emptiness and nothingness, then you need to use realistic thoughts to maintain Balance. If an Extraordinary is filled with fear, then we need to let them feel more hope..."

Aaron pretended to take out a silver Talisman and threw it into the air.

A mist appeared before Aaron's eyes, and when the mist gradually dissipated, he saw the outline of a city in ruins.

He chanted incantations and threw the mirror fragments in his hand into mid-air.

Looking at the vaguely familiar area, Aaron muttered to himself: 'A thousand years ago, I walked here in the form of the Spirit of Delusion; a thousand years later, I have arrived here in the form of a Spirit Body as well.'

He thought for a moment, moved closer to the Professor, walked side by side with him, and while admiring the corrupt, fallen, and dark scenery around them, he found an excuse to chat: "Professor, are you an Extraordinary who purely cultivates the 'Tower'? I rarely see people related to it."

Aaron asked along the way; he was indeed quite curious about this.

"Diate..."

The five of them were in the suburbs, and from the suburbs to the urban area of Diat City, there was obviously still a long way to go.

"Knowledge! Knowledge and truth are the meaning of everything!" the Professor said, waving his hands.

He looked at the fanatical Professor and finally said: "Even if it is proven that that Hidden Existence is real, it is meaningless, right?"

'It was the same before, walking from the Great Wetland to Diate in one step. Space-time is so chaotic; no wonder the Spirit World is extremely dangerous...'

"Hehe... Gelin, you still don't know, the Professor is a 'Tower' Extraordinary who can gain influence by publishing research papers..."

The chimpanzee Alexander pounded his chest. He was a full two heads taller than Aaron and looked very oppressive: "As long as the promised reward is enough."

Aaron noticed that the Professor had to check his pocket watch from time to time, and then let him perform 'Purification' or use Talismans to dispel the surrounding darkness and shadows.

"No problem."

"Yes, I am determined to pursue knowledge and truth, and I will never stop my steps." The Professor answered very sincerely: "And I am currently at the 'Scholar' stage; this is the name of the Third Primordial Substance."

"Introduce a kind of paranoia to neutralize another kind of paranoia?" Aaron widened his eyes: "In other words... if a person has mysophobia, then let them actively develop another 'slovenliness'? To neutralize the mental influence? If it is in Occultism, it is to actively exert influence on the Extraordinary's spirit, or even introduce pollution! Fighting pollution with pollution?"

The Professor muttered, and suddenly his voice became a little louder: "The void here is constantly entangled with polluted information... Gelin, every time I ask you to perform a Talisman, use 'Purification' on the surroundings once!"

The Professor chose a direction at random and started walking, and the other four followed one after another.

"Besides, this old man has always had mental problems, or rather, Extraordinaries have mental problems to a greater or lesser extent... I have always felt that he has 'knowledge-seeking mania', fanatically seeking knowledge and truth." Luosi added immediately.

And when this was mentioned, the Professor became excited: "My school believes that everything needs Balance, and pollution and madness can also be subdivided... They can also be encompassed and neutralized by contradictory theories..."

Aaron immediately felt an invisible suction force on his body, wanting to pull him in a certain direction.

Bang!

The mirror shattered into countless dust, falling on the five people.

"Then, what does your school use to counter the influence of madness and pollution?"

'As expected... has our sense of time already become different?'

"I have always heard that Sages who purely cultivate the 'Tower' can help people counter mental pollution and influence?"

Aaron began to discuss academic questions regarding pollution.

Lanli finally breathed a sigh of relief and said with lingering fear: "The feeling this place gives me is very bad..."

"Let's go."

A burst of dazzling Light exploded, enveloping the five people.

"Reason is only temporary, madness is eternal... As for the means to reduce madness, in fact, every secret Cult, as long as the heritage is deep enough, can find some, it's just that our 'Tower' path can achieve it at the initial stage... And, if it could really be cured, do you think I would still have symptoms of 'knowledge-seeking mania'?" The Professor spread his hands, and the face under the mask seemed to be smiling helplessly.

Fallen City Diate—arrived!

'What a wonderful feeling...'

"I don't care about these..."

The group disappeared into the Great Wetland.

The original high-rise buildings had turned into wreckage and ruins, and the surface was covered with a layer of shadow.

The entire city was wrapped in a weird pitch-black tone, making people feel inexplicably depressed and desperate.

Lanli laughed: "Once the Professor proves it successfully and publishes the paper, the waves and influence caused will probably be enough for the Professor to advance to a Non-human Existence..."

"Sorry, I lost my composure a bit. Seekers of knowledge are always like this when approaching the truth."

"That is what it means, because there are many types of mental fanaticism and paranoia, and even symptoms of madness, and the severity varies, so it is necessary to analyze the Extraordinary specifically in order to formulate the most effective 'intervention plan'... Even so, it can only maintain an unstable, dynamic, and fragile Balance..."

The Professor sighed: "And every time a Primordial Substance is opened, the Extraordinary's mental state will undergo huge changes, requiring the introduction of more 'variables', which makes it easier to make mistakes. Therefore, sometimes, I would rather endure the negative effects of advancement than actively intervene... because the madness traits introduced actively may cause more troublesome consequences!"

(End of chapter)