Chapter 700: He Polluted the Pollution
Although her condition had improved somewhat, Beatrice’s body was still far too fragile. She could only half-recline within the Furnace Chamber, breathing weakly as she slowly recovered.
There was nothing else she could do, so she began to think.
“If I think about it carefully, something is definitely wrong. Just now, I was shaken by the Celestial Behemoth, my mind unstable. My 【Anchor】 began to shift, and even the nearby Sea of Unawareness started to surge. Yet everything suddenly stopped, without the slightest warning.”
“Why was that? It was almost as if some existence helped me stabilize my state.”
“Come to think of it, my recent improvement also began after I heard that strange whisper.”
Beatrice’s body trembled.
An eerie whisper—she knew full well what that meant in the Supernatural world.
All Transcendents knew that the only beings capable of whispering and influencing their surroundings were Heretical Gods.
Heretical Gods—bizarre and twisted. Their mere existence affected the world itself. Any Church would attempt to destroy them immediately upon discovery.
But that did not mean they could not be used.
Some Heretical Gods could be utilized. The most classic example was the Life Mother Church. As long as one was willing to believe and offer sacrifice, one could gain Transcendence power. Anyone could—though the power obtained was meager.
Another example was the archenemy of the Church of Candlelight, the Moths Chasing Fire. They raised a Heretical God named 【Lord of Moths】, which helped them extract Pollution from their bodies. When driven into a corner, they could even sacrifice everything to force Its Descent and perish together with their enemies.
And now—could she borrow the power of that unknown Heretical God?
Beatrice swallowed with difficulty.
This was an extremely dangerous course of action. She did not intend to take such a risk—but she could at least consider the possibility.
After all, it was better to be prepared. Perhaps one day she would be driven to a dead end and forced to use this power?
Yes, she was an extremely cautious Transcendent. She would never use it recklessly.
A trace of excitement stirred in her heart. A Heretical God was not necessarily dangerous—but It was certainly powerful. The Descent of any Heretical God would be a catastrophe.
If such power could be used by her—
No. She could not let her thoughts run wild. She should first study this Heretical God.
Beatrice began to analyze.
To use the power of a Heretical God, she first had to understand what that power was. From what she currently knew, It could help stabilize one’s state.
“State” was a broad concept—it included the condition of the Sea of Unawareness, as well as the state of the body and even the mind.
Of course, the specifics required further experimentation. But even this alone was immensely valuable.
After all, beings capable of directly influencing the Sea of Unawareness were exceedingly rare. The High Wall of Reality was not unbreakable—but breaking through another’s wall and breaking through one’s own were entirely different levels of difficulty.
It was like overturning one’s own carriage—it only required a reckless turn of the wheel. But to make someone else’s carriage overturn, one would need to trigger an earthquake.
“So, this is a very powerful Heretical God. From It, I can obtain the power to stabilize my own state!”
Beatrice pondered carefully, then slowly shook her head.
“No. Not necessarily stabilization. That may only be the surface. It could be healing—or mental reconstruction. None of this is certain.”
“All right. Now that I know Its power, how should I use it? Or rather, how do I establish a connection with It?”
She carefully reviewed her recent actions. She must have inadvertently fulfilled certain conditions, done something that caused this power to descend.
But what had she done?
Randomly spewing Pollution? Sleeping inside a Steam Engine?
No. It should have nothing to do with those. It must have been something closer to Its essence—
Beatrice thought for a long time, then slowly raised her head.
“It seems… the only thing was listening to Its whisper.”
“At that time, my state was terrible. I instinctively listened to Its whisper, completely unguarded, even following the line of thought It suggested. That should have been extremely dangerous.”
“But not only was I not eroded—my internal Pollution was suppressed, even reduced.”
“Can Its whisper suppress Pollution?”
Beatrice shook her head. Recalling her condition at the time, a far more terrifying conjecture arose in her heart.
“That Pollution was not suppressed. It was… dissolved. Even its nature changed!”
“It seems to be able to erode Pollution.”
“Erosion” usually referred to being polluted. But to erode Pollution itself meant to pollute Pollution.
Yet Pollution was already madness—chaotic, twisted to the extreme. What kind of existence could pollute something like that?
How powerful, how twisted would that have to be—
Beatrice shuddered.
“No, no. This is too dangerous. I must never borrow the power of that Heretical God again.”
To borrow the power of such a Heretical God might mean being controlled by It, becoming a part of It, enslaved forever.
She had struggled so hard to obtain freedom. To put on shackles again?
She would rather die.
Having understood this, Beatrice’s gaze grew resolute.
“No matter what, I must never borrow the power of that strange existence again. Even if I die, I will die free!”
While Beatrice explored matters of Transcendence on her side, Gaia and Zoe wore troubled expressions.
“What should we do? If she doesn’t go to Castel, she’ll surely die. If she does go to Castel, she’ll go mad on the spot.”
Gaia sighed. “It’s a dead end.”
“Can we invite the Doctor out and treat her aboard the airship?”
“We can invite the Doctor—but how do we invite the Hospital? Honestly, I think those people’s medical skills are average at best. What truly matters is Castel itself.”
“You mean—”
“Do you remember how bombs had greater explosive power in Castel? Later, the Testing Ground conducted dedicated tests. It wasn’t an illusion. In terms of Explosive Yield, explosions in Castel were a full 13% stronger than in Blood Harbor. And Transcendents generally believe they’re less likely to lose control on the island.”
“Less likely to lose control? Isn’t it easier to lose control? Galahad went mad and charged at the train. His statue is still standing on the Platform.”
“No—it really is less likely. Yes, Castel Syndrome can cause Cognitive Deviation and carries the risk of descending into madness. But as long as one endures it, one’s state becomes more stable on the island, and one becomes less susceptible to influence from the Sea of Unawareness.”
Zoe’s eyes widened. “You’re saying that in Castel, reality itself is more stable, and Supernatural influence is weakened?”
“There’s that tendency. We once thought it was Cognitive Interference—but it never led to the Descent of Pollution. You know what Cognitive Interference is, right?”
“Of course. An individual’s will affecting the world, causing instability.”
Gaia gazed deeply at Castel and spoke softly:
“Then what if it’s the will of a collective affecting the world—and that will has remained stable all along?”