Free Web NovelChapter 184: Chapter 126: Rot and the Undead (Part 2)
"Therefore, when the Immortal Goddess grants them immortality, she is fighting against these two laws. Who could bear such a heavy price, aside from the Seven Gods and the Great Lord?
What’s more, the Immortal Goddess is currently sealed away. She can’t even break the seal, let alone fight back."
"So, to avoid confronting those two laws while still paying the price of ’faith’ for a blessing, the Blessing of Decay and Immortality came into being.
Corpses, food, wood, and stone all decay. And things that are decaying often last longer than things that are not.
This is what allows them to remain Immortal. freeweɓnøvel.com
The reason the Undead are undying is because of decay. Though they may look glamorous on the outside, their insides have long since begun to decay under the touch of Time.
In this way, they successfully escape the Judgement of Time. And aging, for its part, symbolizes not only the passage of time but also death itself.
On the surface, an Undead’s body may have escaped the judgment of aging and thus defied death, but internally, the decay means it is still undergoing the process of aging and moving toward death.
It’s just that this process has been extended to centuries or even millennia."
"And this decay has correspondingly become another reflection of immortality. Every new Undead can use their own decay and decomposition to provide more power to the Immortal Law, until the sealed Immortal Goddess can once again break free and reappear on the Prole Continent."
Maguire listened and nodded. "They sound pretty terrifying, but what’s this about them being contagious?
Is it like how the Blood Race used to expand their clans by drinking blood?"
"Of course not. Do you still not get it? The reason the Immortal Church has been able to spread so widely isn’t just because of its immortality."
Morey said sagely, "There’s also the most important point: human nature. Or in other words, human desire."
"Human nature? Human desire?"
For some reason, Maguire’s mind subconsciously flashed to the large-chested woman he’d seen in the underground brothel that day.
"It’s a very simple principle."
This time it was Zod who spoke up. "When the poor see the rich, they want to know how to become as wealthy as them. It’s the same when the weak see the strong."
"So, imagine this: you’re on the verge of death from old age, and you see a childhood friend who is the same age as you but still looks radiant. What would you be thinking?"
"He’s very impressive," Maguire said, rubbing his chin. "A Law Enforcer who can stay looking that young must be at the Silver rank. I probably couldn’t beat him."
Zod: "..."
He sighed, deciding not to argue with the blockhead, and said directly:
"It’s the desire for immortality! When someone who is aging sees someone who is not, then no matter how unafraid of death they are, their biological survival instinct will still make them subconsciously crave immortality."
"Even if this immortality only lets them live on in misery, being alive is, in the end, better than being dead."
"If Kazela’s son wants to remain in Fude City as an Undead, even if City Lord Lewis wanted to protect him, I’m afraid the First Hunter Association would never agree."
After saying this, Zod didn’t explain further to Maguire. He shifted his gaze to the troop of men from the Guard Post who had followed Andre in.
At their head was the chief captain, the highest-ranking officer in the Guard Post below the Guard Commander and deputy commander.
The chief captain’s expression was complicated, his face still holding a dazed look as if he were lost in thought and unable to pull himself out. Facing the stares of the various important figures present, he slightly concealed the anger and fear in his eyes as he looked at Ferdinand, then said to the Guard Commander in a heavy voice:
"The results of the investigation into the Fude City missing persons case are in!"
Everyone snapped to attention. Ferdinand’s expression darkened slightly. As for Faraday, he had looked ashen ever since Kazela’s son appeared, and now his face grew even paler at the chief captain’s words. Cold sweat began to drip down his large face, which was the size of an ostrich egg.
His hand subconsciously reached for the Giant Axe on his back, but the Forbidden Magic ropes were bound too tightly. He had no Spiritual Power and no Qi Force.
He noticed a gaze and met it. Demon Hunter L was giving him an elegant, reserved, yet polite smile.
"After investigation, of the dozens of bodies discovered in the Iron Thorn Gang’s warehouse at 307 Helen Avenue, 23 have been identified by relevant personnel as the missing persons from the Fude City case!"
The words struck everyone like a thunderclap.
"Among them are Mr. Balan’s only son, Hammi Balan, and Mr. Fei’s second daughter, Shulan Defu..."
The families whose names were called stepped out from the crowd of onlookers. They were all wealthy merchants, nobles, and other upper-class individuals.
Maguire watched the red-eyed, sobbing ladies and gentlemen and grinned. ’The tears of the rich and the poor don’t look any different, do they?’ he thought.
The sounds of sobbing were like sharp-edged shards stabbing into every corner of the reception hall. As the chief captain continued his report, Lewis’s expression grew darker and darker.
’These are all upper-class people from Fude City. With something like this happening, I wonder if I can even hold onto my position as City Lord at the next decennial City Lord Council meeting.’
The Guard Commander was thinking the same thing. ’I was hoping to make a bid for the position of Fude City’s City Lord next year. Now that this has happened, if I don’t handle it well, I’ll inevitably make enemies.’
Victor and Mr. Stephen, however, frowned.
’The scale of these numbers can no longer be explained as a simple Church kidnapping case,’ they thought. And indeed, after reading the names, the chief captain continued:
"In addition, besides the bodies found at the scene, we also discovered several Undead Cultists in the middle of prayer. Ten of them were victims from the missing persons case.
They all underwent the Immortal Baptism to become Undead Cultists. Kazela’s son had already received the Blessing of Decay and Immortality and was beginning to degenerate into one of the Undead."
Mr. and Mrs. Kazela burst into tears. He was their only son.
"According to the investigation, some of the Undead Cultists have already admitted to a cooperative relationship with the Iron Thorn Gang. The contact person was a high-ranking member of the Iron Thorn Gang."
Everyone couldn’t help but look at Ferdinand Gang Leader, but he remained impassive, his expression indifferent.
It was as if the Iron Thorn Gang mentioned by the chief captain had very little to do with him.
’How can he maintain his composure even through this? You’d expect nothing less from a gang leader; they’re not to be trifled with.’
As a Dragon Knight, Baron could hear the murmurs of doubt and condemnation against Ferdinand and the Iron Thorn Gang beginning to swell through the crowd like an undercurrent.
’He has no way to escape this situation,’ Baron thought. ’Unless he denies everything and tries to kill the witnesses in a sudden outburst.’ ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Baron took a small half-step toward Kazela, who stood there dazed, his eyes still filled with terror.
’Wait, Ferdinand is close to the Silver rank. If something really happens, he might try to kill two birds with one stone.’
’I have to protect myself first before worrying about anything else.’
With an almost imperceptible frown, Baron maneuvered the others in front of him, using them to block the gaze Ferdinand had just swept over him—a gaze that made the hairs on his neck stand up, as if he were being watched by a viper.
After a moment of silence, Ferdinand said coolly, "Are you all suspecting me?"
"It’s not suspicion. We’re certain it was you."
A Demon Hunter that Baron had hired beforehand, who was mixed in with the crowd, played his part, shouting, "You’re the leader of the Iron Thorn Gang, and the victims of the missing persons case were found in your warehouse... The evidence is ironclad! What’s there to argue about!"
"While I am the leader of the Iron Thorn Gang, it is the largest gang in Fude City. I cannot decide all of its internal affairs, big and small, by myself."
"If someone was secretly cooperating with the Immortal Church without my knowledge, wouldn’t it be normal for even me to be deceived?"
Ferdinand continued, "Besides me, the gang leader, the others qualified to manage the gang’s affairs are Tate and Faraday... Tate went missing not long ago. I suspect he was the one in contact with the Immortal Church. He must have heard something was up and fled to escape punishment."
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(PS: There will be another Chapter later.)
