Chapter 87: Eye of Wisdom (Part Twelve)
Splash…
Splash…
The dim little chapel hall regained its eerie silence once again.
Just the sound of someone breathing and the rustling of paper flipping.
[Year 1189, January 1.]
[A new year has arrived.]
[I stand atop the high walls, looking at the flickering candle flames inside and outside the fortress, those lights casting an ethereal glow on the deep night. The angry, irrational crowd was shouting and weaving through the chaos. I saw a group of people running towards the inner fortress with torches, clashing with the knights stationed outside. In all the confusion, they ignited the church banner, drenching themselves in oil, screaming as they charged at the knights standing in their way.]
[People have gone insane.]
[A few days ago, those knights with shining blades rode their horned horses over the desperate souls outside the fortress, and now they too have lost it. Everyone seems to be losing their sanity, and this has devolved into pure chaos. I warned Cardinal Michel, hoping he would make the call to temporarily seal the “Dream Power” of the Eye of Wisdom; we can’t continue like this! But it was futile, and deep down, I knew that well.]
[The total annihilation of the third batch of test subjects left all of us researchers in a state of panic and anxiety. The Holy City has provided us with maximum support and assistance; however, that “filth” awakening and reconfiguring is now on borrowed time. Six months at the least, a year at the most. If we can’t produce a satisfactory result… well, then…]
[January 3, the sky was overcast.]
[Last night, I stood before the Eye of Wisdom, on the verge of destroying it. But it was as if I were under a spell; in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I heard a whisper in my ear, understanding that I, like those knight clerics, was beginning to be infected by the “Dream Power.” Late at night, I often heard the nightmarish cries and struggles of the test subjects.]
[May the Holy protect us, the agony of those who died haunts my mind, robbing me of sleep. I hope our actions do not provoke divine retribution… (scribbles obscured by heavier ink strokes here).]
[I understood the consequences of continuing this way, but I couldn’t bring myself to take action. It wasn’t because I was tempted or feared the consequences of destroying the Eye of Wisdom. The fourth phase of our experiment is now bogged down, and if we lose the Eye of Wisdom, we won’t be able to efficiently obtain suitable test subjects. Then everything… would be completely over…]
[On January 4, Cardinal Michel, myself, and members of my choir, along with the Romani Doctor and Doctor Chris from the Holy City, and Miss Saint Margaret, the high-ranking church members, hardly slept as we debated the next experimental plan for two days and nights.]
[The first two relatively successful test subjects ultimately succumbed to the chaotic power of flesh and the power of sin from the flower clusters, both being crushed by the overwhelming wills of Gidales—no exceptions. This dealt a heavy blow to us; we were at a loss. Therefore, I had no choice but to consult Miss Margaret about Silvya’s merging with the power of sin.]
[This was a disgraceful situation for the fourth-phase experiment. We had sworn and believed we would create an existence surpassing hers, but now we had to admit that Silvya was still the closest special case to our goal. Despite the fact that we could hardly replicate her merging process.]
[However, Miss Margaret seemed quite resistant to this—everyone in the room could see that from the moment she entered the inner fortress, her dissent toward the church’s grand cause and the sacrifices we made was almost written on her face.]
[Our glorious Saint actually told us that she hadn’t interacted much with Silvya and had no idea whether she had successfully merged with the power of sin. d*mn, she looks down on all of us! She wouldn’t even think twice before lying! Does she assume we don’t know anything?! Leaning on the Pope’s favor, she doesn’t even respect Cardinal Michel!]
[The irony is she ended up sharing key information: Silvya had consumed a divine relic in the Royal City. We finally figured that out, and that was enough. Honestly, I can’t stand such people! If you think what we’re doing is wrong, then rather than half-heartedly cooperating, just step down as Saint already! Otherwise, you’re just making things more troublesome for everyone—those who can’t make up their minds are the most annoying! I strongly condemn this!!]
After this entry, there were several torn pages, but one was not torn properly, leaving some jumbled lines.
I furrowed my brow, straining to decipher the words.
[Gidales… Rabishixemos… late at night… I can’t sleep… headache… excruciating…]
[I can hear those voices… I see my dead wife… she scolds me for doing something only a demon would do…]
[I can hear the screams in my dreams… chaos makes them suffer, yet they can’t d*e immediately… the intense pain lingers… for two days… or even three… I keep hearing those voices…]
[I heard their crying…]
[Eye of Wisdom… release it…]
Fragmented, messy, and jagged writing. The notes flew wildly across the page, resembling someone who wasn’t quite in their right mind.
But as I turned the page, the handwriting returned to normal.
[Cardinal Michel urgently dispatched black fragments of the power of sin from the Holy City. Those are the remains of the deity’s bones from Woodward Forest. I think they can substitute for the divine relic; they’re essentially the same thing.]
[The fourth batch of test subjects has arrived at the little chapel, but that’s no longer important. In the meeting, we made the decision to use the last bloodline of House Alanst—the already-delusional Miss Tilia Alanst, who has largely escaped the overwhelming divine power of the Eye of Wisdom, as the patient for our experiment.]
[We conducted a preliminary analysis of her situation. The girl’s mind seems to have fractured, creating an escapist persona hiding deep within her, while another aggressive, insane persona has an intense wariness of everything. Her state is similar to that of Silvya back then. I hope she can withstand the corruption of filth. Even though she is the last descendant of House Alanst, using her for the experiment is a bit troublesome, but Cardinal Michel should be able to handle it.]
[Of course, making such a decision wasn’t easy. But it’s almost our last hope. If there’s any opposition, we’ve resolved to suppress those voices with force—after all, the fortress is already in chaos.]
[I still remember the glorious expression on Miss Margaret’s face in that moment of decision. Perhaps she will also take some targeted action afterward; we all understand this, but so what? We have no other choice.]
[January 12, 1189… or maybe January 19? I’ve been a bit hazy on the dates lately. Cardinal Michel also seems out of sorts, and the ruckus outside has left all of us feeling somewhat drained, but I don’t think that’s the Eye of Wisdom’s fault. Cardinal Michel agrees with me on this point; we’ve removed all choir members guarding the Eye of Wisdom. I remember we did that… We’re all just so tired lately.]
[Regardless, the experiment is about to begin.]
