Chapter 216: You Are the Immortal God, I Am the Stubborn Bone Rock

"Uh, my lord, shouldn't we prepare first?" Seeing Seeing Ange grab his child and recklessly pull out a knife, ready to act, Brand's scalp went numb. Just act like this? No preparation needed?

He had previously watched some high-ranking priests perform advanced healing; they would always burn incense, bathe, calm their minds, and dismiss everyone before daring to begin. Sometimes they would even fail due to various disturbances.

Seeing Ange had made no preparations at all, starting with a huge move. Looking at his posture, was he preparing to chop off his son's foot?

Seeing Ange shook his head: "No need."

He pulled little Brand's foot, gesturing as if to chop it down. Brand grabbed Seeing Ange, his face grim: "How about we don't treat it? Let's not treat it."

In these times, a single chop was no joke. A large wound bleeding could drain a person dry. Plus, with poor hygiene conditions, even small wounds could become infected, ulcerate, and cause death from blood poisoning, let alone chopping off a leg.

He had agreed too quickly at the start without considering everything thoroughly. Now, thinking about it, if they did nothing, his son was living just fine. If they treated him and something went wrong, his son would likely die. The risk was too great, especially with Seeing Ange's unreliable demeanor, which made Brand even more anxious.

Rather than take such a huge risk, it was better not to treat it.

"Oh." Seeing Ange replied indifferently, but was interrupted by Lord Nai Ge. Lord Nai Ge spoke in his soul: "No, it must be treated. He has already lost trust in you. You cannot let it go. You must cure him and break this distrust."

So Seeing Ange's words became: "Oh, it must be treated."

Brand's son, little Brand, was very brave. He firmly said to his father: "Treat it!"

Brand thought a lame leg was better than taking risks, but his son didn't think so. Little Brand felt that rather than being lame forever, it was better to just die.

Little Brand knew very clearly that this divine spellcaster, far stronger than his father, was treating him. Such an opportunity couldn't be begged for. Even if you went to the City of the Holy Wall, without hundreds of magic crystals to grease the wheels, you couldn't even meet a divine spellcaster qualified to perform the treatment.

This was a god-given opportunity; it must be cherished.

Seeing his son's determined expression, Brand's face turned grim. Finally, he struggled to say: "How about... how about we clean the knife first?"

Actually, under the Purification Art, whether the knife was clean or not didn't matter; infection and ulceration wouldn't happen anyway. But since the client had this request, and it caused no harm, Seeing Ange summoned holy light and casually wiped the knife.

Only then did the old, rusty knife, its rust and blood stains wiped away by the holy light, instantly disappear almost entirely.

For traces that had already seeped into the iron, Seeing Ange pointed his finger at them. The Spot-Removal Art buzzed and hummed, making it clean again.

This move at least gave Brand a bit more confidence. Just as he was about to grit his teeth and turn his face away, Seeing Ange swung the knife, and little Brand's lame leg flew up before his eyes.

Even if someone else were chopped into seventeen or eighteen pieces, Brand could keep his eyes unblinking. But this was his son. His legs went weak, and he almost sat down on the ground. Fortunately, a companion behind him supported him.

Everyone was actually quite curious, peeking and poking their heads out. Without Brand's anxiety, they could see more things.

"Eh, little Brand didn't move a bit, nor did he scream. Doesn't it hurt?"

"I guess the holy light is soothing him."

Seeing Ange had experience treating lame legs for others. He had long ago severed little Brand's nerves. Feeling no pain, naturally, he didn't scream.

Throwing away the chopped-off lame foot, Seeing Ange opened the Essence Liquid, poured it on the severed end, and cast the Purification Art. A miracle unfolded right before the eyes of many Paladins.

With Seeing Ange's ability, growing a severed limb back from below the ankle would also take about an hour. Throughout the entire process, he needed to continuously cast the Purification Art to ensure this growth process didn't stop.

If it stopped, the wound would scab over. Then the scar would have to be shaved off and started again, wasting time and effort, increasing consumption, and causing more pain to the injured.

So this is why a dignified eighth-level Paladin couldn't find anyone to treat his son. Who could cast a healing spell non-stop for an hour like Seeing Ange?

To achieve the same effect as Seeing Ange, it would require more than ten priests, plus the Holy Essence Liquid worth over a thousand magic crystals. Mobilizing such power would be impossible without three or five thousand magic crystals.

Just like that, after Seeing Ange continuously cast the Purification Art for twenty minutes, Brand had already knelt down, looking at Seeing Ange's back with reverence, murmuring prayers. Forty minutes later, all the Paladins knelt down because little Brand's foot had already grown a heel.

Just like that, under the gaze of more than twenty Paladins, Seeing Ange effortlessly displayed the miracle of limb regeneration.

Until little Brand climbed up, hopped a few times on his newly grown foot, and shouted excitedly: "Father!"

Brand finally came to his senses, stood up, adjusted his armor, knelt on one knee again, propped his long sword on the ground, and solemnly said: "Eighth-level Paladin, Brand August, pledges loyalty to you. Your sword's guidance is the direction of my advance."

The village where Brand lived was at the bottom of a cliff, in the naturally formed concave corner where the ground met the cliff wall.

Living here, the cliff could block part of the wind and rain. Adding some vertical scaffolding and the like could form an enclosed space, saving a large amount of building materials.

The village had a total population of five or six hundred people. Most had gone out to work. The remaining elderly, weak, women, and children were playing around, while the old people chatted and gossiped. Many were half-naked. As soon as they saw a stranger like Seeing Ange, they all rushed into their houses in a flurry.

Brand said awkwardly: "The village is poor, and resources are scarce. So many families only have one or two sets of clothes, which they take turns wearing."

"Too hard. With your living conditions, why don't you try to improve them?" Lord Nai Ge asked.

Brand felt ashamed: "Your subordinate is incompetent. All our economic lifelines and resources are concentrated in the City of the Holy Wall. Other places are barren. Just surviving is already difficult. The village is now worried about what to do with food during the Eternal Night."

"Eternal Night? If there's a food shortage, won't the City of the Holy Wall allocate grain?" Lord Nai Ge asked.

"Who knows? When the undead knock on the gates, all hands will be concentrated on the defense line. Who will have the leisure to care about the rations for us stationed troops? If we don't prepare in advance, it's no surprise that the whole village could starve to death after the Eternal Night."

"Do you have your own farming?" Lord Nai Ge asked.

"Yes, and it just happens to be harvest time. Others have already gone to..." As he spoke, a muffled thunder sound suddenly rang out in the sky.

Brand's face changed drastically: "No good, it's going to rain. We haven't finished harvesting our crops yet. Sorry, my lord, we need to leave for a while."

After speaking, Brand turned to look at the other Paladins. Upon his order, the rest of the Paladins rushed in a swarm towards a certain direction.

"Let's go and see too." Lord Nai Ge said.

But before he could finish, Seeing Ange couldn't hold back. As long as it was about farming and harvesting, he was very interested. However, looking at those Paladins running at full speed, Seeing Ange asked in confusion: "They have no horses. Why are they called Holy Knights?"

"..." Lord Nai Ge was speechless: "Holy Knight is a profession. It means their training includes horsemanship and techniques for exerting force on horseback, etc. They have no horses, probably because they are poor."

Seeing Ange followed them to the area where the farmland was located. The entire area had fallen into chaos. Everyone was holding wooden stone sickles, desperately harvesting the crops in the fields. From time to time, they looked up at the sky with aching hearts. As the dark clouds in the sky grew denser, the expressions on everyone's faces became more and more anxious.

However, how efficient could harvesting with stone sickles be? Exhausted, sweating profusely, and with weak hands and feet, they stopped to check. Less than half had been harvested.

According to past experience, harvesting all the crops would take a whole day. Even if they worked desperately now, it would be impossible to finish harvesting all the crops before the rain came down.

The addition of Brand and the other Paladins couldn't speed up the progress much. The long swords in their hands were not as efficient at harvesting crops as the stone sickles.

Seeing Ange was eager to try. Lord Nai Ge, who had foreseen this, quickly stopped him: "Don't do anything rash. You are an Ascetic now. Don't use anything that doesn't fit your status. Don't even think about the Scythe of Death."

"Oh." Seeing Ange tilted his head. With both hands loosely clasped, a holy light extended along his hands, condensing into a holy... scythe.

Holding this Scythe of Holy Light upside down, Seeing Ange ran quickly through the farmland. Wherever he passed, the crops fell neatly, saving the need for secondary processing. They could be picked up and pulled away immediately.

Lord Nai Ge didn't know what to say. Only after Seeing Ange finished harvesting all the crops did he speak with a bitter smile: "You can already shape the Holy Light, yet what you thought of was making a scythe."

Shaping the Holy Light could do so many things. The Sword of the Holy Spirit, the Staff of the Archangel, the Pope's Scepter, and so on, all required Holy Light Shaping to create. Well, unprecedented, a Scythe of Holy Light comparable to legendary divine artifacts like the Sword of the Holy Spirit and the Staff of the Archangel has been born.

Everyone stopped their actions, staring dumbfounded at Seeing Ange running back and forth in the field. Villagers who didn't know Seeing Ange turned their gaze towards Brand.

Brand was moved to tears: "My lord is helping us harvest. My lord is so approachable and kind. Waaaaah... Hurry up and gather the crops. Don't waste my lord's kindness."

With Seeing Ange acting as such an efficient harvester, the villagers only needed to bundle the crops and carry them off. Working together, they managed to haul everything into the warehouse just before the first drop of rain fell.

"We're so grateful to you, my lord. Without your help, we would have lost at least forty percent of our grain, and after the Long Night it would have been unbearable." Brandu offered tea and refreshments, speaking through tears of gratitude.

Lord Nai Ge Li Si reprimanded: "If the harvest is so critical, then why were your twenty-odd able-bodied men still running about everywhere instead of coming back to help?"

Brandu said sheepishly: "We originally would have made it back in time, but you see, we happened to run into you, my lord."

Apparently it was because Seeing Ange had caught them, so they didn't make it back in time.

At this moment, among the villagers watching from afar, a one-eyed old woman, holding something in her hands, waved Brandu over.

Brandu went over to ask, then came back carrying what the old woman had been holding: "My lord, the villagers are grateful for your help and have specially prepared a precious heirloom passed down from their ancestors to offer you."

"Ah? An heirloom passed down from your ancestors? That's far too precious—I can't accept it, I really can't. Please have this Miss take it back." Lord Nai Ge Li Si hurriedly refused.

"Uh, Miss?" Brandu choked, glancing at the old woman whose face had wrinkles deep enough to pinch a bug to death. He really couldn't connect her with the word 'Miss.'

Never mind, forget it. Brandu simply opened the box in his hands, revealing a bone artifact carved from a silver-white skull bone, its surface inscribed with exquisite magical runes, shrouded in black mist, gleaming like silver yet smooth as jade.

Brandu was so startled he slammed the box shut, his whole body trembling: "I... I... we didn't... we wouldn't dare..."

Seeing Ange tilted his head, watching him in confusion. Seeing him stutter for the longest time without finishing his sentence, Seeing Ange simply snatched it over, glanced at it a few times, and casually stuffed it into the Palace of Eternal Rest.

"My lord, this isn't our property. We don't worship the undead." Brandu finally managed to speak coherently.

Only then did Lord Nai Ge Li Si understand what had him so panicked. Seeing Ange's current identity was an ascetic monk sent from the main plane to investigate corruption, yet in a village guarded by holy knights, an undead bone artifact had been discovered. What crime was this?

Privately harboring heretical items—that was a crime punishable by burning at the stake.

Lord Nai Ge Li Si said: "I believe you. As it happens, this can count as my spoils of war. I'll take it. Have that Miss come over."

The old woman crept over timidly. She hadn't dared to come over herself when presenting the gift earlier; now that she had to come on her own, she was even more frightened, not daring to lift her head.

Seeing Ange didn't mind, summoning Holy Light and slamming it right onto her.

Seeing Ange had only happily harvested a few fields, which couldn't equal the value of this bone artifact. Seeing Ange, who was used to fair exchange, naturally wanted to pull out money, but was stopped by Lord Nai Ge Li Si.

"If you pull out money, she has nowhere to spend it. Better to heal her eye and take care of the little ailments on her body. Look how the people beside her are keeping their distance—probably because of some strange smell or something."

"Oh." A few Cleansing Charms later, the old woman raised her head in shock.

The healing of the Cleansing Charm was all-encompassing. Especially since Seeing Ange had slammed down over a dozen in one breath—setting aside the efficacy, the dosage was certainly more than enough.

Given the living conditions here, an elderly woman would surely have a pile of ailments—rheumatism, gynecological issues, skin diseases, cardiovascular problems. As long as it wasn't bacterial, fungal, or hereditary, the Cleansing Charm could treat it.

The old woman only felt her whole body relax. The joints that used to torment her on overcast and rainy days, keeping her from sleeping, now felt as light as if they had been cut away.

Heavens, a miracle! The old woman couldn't help but kneel. She had believed in the Light her whole life, but this was the first time she had truly felt its wonder.

Then, Seeing Ange pried open her eyelid, dripped a few drops of essence in, and restored the eye that had lost its eyeball. All the villagers erupted: "Amazing, what incredible divine magic!"

"Little Brandu's foot is healed too—it must have been the lord who fixed it. So the Church isn't entirely made up of those evil types who only know how to collect taxes."

"The lord is an ascetic monk—I want to be an ascetic monk too!"

"I heard ascetic monks can't live in houses, can't eat fine food, can't have married life..."

"Then I want to be a divine official—the kind that specifically collects taxes."

After Seeing Ange finished treating the old woman's ailments, Lord Nai Ge Li Si had already finished studying the bone artifact inside the Palace of Eternal Rest: "This is a device used by undead creatures from different soul networks to communicate with one another."

"Different soul networks?" Seeing Ange tilted his head in confusion.

"Right. For example, Jian Gu Luo Ke and Du Luo Ken—if their subjects want to contact each other, they can't do it through the soul network. They have to rely on instruments and equipment."

"Can it still be used?" Seeing Ange asked.

"Yes, it just has no energy left. Inject soul energy and it'll work. You try it."

Seeing Ange first left the village, then took out the bone artifact, injected soul energy, and activated it.

"Hello, hello, hello..."

"Received, received. This is the frontline relay station. Who are you, and who are you looking for?"

Seeing Ange tilted his head and answered truthfully: "I am the God of the Undead..."

"Heh, if you're the God of the Undead, then I'm Jian Gu Luo Ke. Lunatic." Click—the communication cut off.