Chapter 342 - 335: Enlightening the Path of the True Source

Chapter 342: Chapter 335: Enlightening the Path of the True Source

Gideon raised his head, his excitement palpable.

The Knights behind him also dropped to one knee.

"We have been waiting for the Duchy’s banner, my lord!" Gideon’s voice trembled with the relief of a survivor.

Velin helped him up.

"Your bravery is worthy of reward. I promise you, the banner of the Klein Clan will rise again in the Southern Islands, and the lands lost by the Raging Waves Knight Order will all be reclaimed."

His promise was delivered with resounding conviction, allowing the Knights to sense the depth of Velin’s confidence.

Velin turned to Kael.

"Take me to see Elias."

The air in the cave was stale and damp. Velin walked through the narrow passage with Kael leading the way.

The cavern was crowded with people. Their numb gazes turned wary and hostile upon seeing Velin’s group.

This didn’t look like a military stronghold; it was more like a refugee camp.

Passing through the crowd, they arrived at a medical area sectioned off with canvas.

A low chant drifted from within, carrying a strange rhythm.

Leg stood guard outside. Seeing the person Kael had brought, he straightened up nervously.

"Lord Elias is inside."

Velin lifted the canvas flap. The scene inside matched Kael’s report.

Seven or eight wounded people lay on dry hay, while a young man in coarse linen knelt beside one of them.

Elias was holding his palm over a wounded man’s thigh, where a mangled gash from a scimitar was visible.

The young Priest’s eyes were closed as he chanted strange syllables.

There was no Holy Light, no sacred fluctuations, only a faint breath of life flowing slowly.

A stream of data began to flow rapidly through Velin’s mind.

[Elias]

[Level: Level 4 Priest]

[Bloodline: Fountain of Life (Silver Tier) 49%, Mixed Bloodline 51%]

[Ability: Life Guidance]

[Overall Assessment: Possesses the rare "Fountain of Life" bloodline, capable of restoring the vitality of other individuals to a certain extent. Has extremely high research value.]

’A bloodline that can restore life... What’s its connection to the church’s Divine Arts?’

Velin pushed up his non-existent glasses. ’Interesting.’

In Velin’s perception, the way this power was used was remarkably similar to how he activated his Spring Messenger bloodline. Both involved using one’s will to influence and alter the life forms of the outside world.

’Except, Elias’s method... is far too crude.’

Elias completed his ritual and stopped chanting.

Physical exhaustion made him sway slightly. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, stood up, and refused the support of the person beside him, turning to the uninvited nobleman at the entrance.

"Baron." Elias spoke, by way of a greeting.

Velin nodded in response.

He then walked forward, crouched down, and observed the wounded man up close.

The bleeding had stopped and the edges of the wound were no longer everted, but the healing speed was not very fast.

"Has your ritual always been this inefficient?" Velin asked Elias directly.

The cave fell silent.

Leg and the surrounding Namiya people’s expressions all changed.

In their hearts, Lord Elias’s prayers were sacred, their only hope in a desperate situation.

Yet this foreign nobleman had spoken disrespectfully from his very first words.

This remark stung the pride of a young Warrior standing nearby.

"Baron! I don’t understand what you mean, but Chief Elias’s prayers have saved many of our lives!"

"Silence, Bach," Elias stopped him.

He could sense that the man before him wasn’t being arrogant; he seemed to have genuinely noticed something.

"I ask for the Baron’s guidance." Elias used a respectful tone.

"Your chanting rhythm is chaotic, and power is constantly being lost between the shifting syllables. You’re trying to awaken the vitality of the patient’s entire body, but ninety percent of your power is wasted on healthy flesh, becoming a meaningless drain," Velin pointed out bluntly.

"Most importantly, your shaping of the power is wrong."

"Shaping?" Elias felt as if his understanding was being challenged.

"Yes, shaping." Velin’s expression became focused. "You turn your will into a ’net,’ but life has its own channels. Your guidance must be precise, not just brute force."

He pointed at the patient. "For example, if the wound is infected, stimulate his lymphatic system for self-defense. If he’s weak from blood loss, activate his bone marrow to produce new blood. That is true shaping—guiding the body to heal itself, not a crude outpouring of energy."

Velin walked over to the wounded man.

He was a middle-aged man with a gash on his calf so deep the bone was visible. Due to a lack of medicine, it had begun to show signs of infection, emitting a faint, putrid smell.

"Let me try?" Velin looked at Elias.

Elias hesitated.

"Lord Elias, you can’t trust him!"

"He’s a nobleman! He’ll just use us as experiments!"

The surrounding Namiya people spoke out in opposition.

Velin ignored them, his gaze fixed only on Elias.

"How many times a day can you perform a prayer like that?"

"...Three times," Elias answered honestly. "Three times at most, and my mental energy will be exhausted."

"Use my method, and you’ll perform the operation. Your consumption will be cut in half, and the effect will be even better." Velin presented an offer he couldn’t refuse. "You can think of it as... guidance for improving your ability."

’Guidance?’ Elias fell silent.

He looked at his kinsman whose condition was worsening, then at Velin’s confident gaze.

Finally, he whispered a few words to the wounded man, who, though weak, still nodded.

Elias took a deep breath and turned to Velin. "What should I do?"

"First, step back," Velin said. "Further from the wound. Your power originates from your will, not your hands..."

Under Velin’s guidance, Elias abandoned his old habit of casting a wide net and, following Velin’s instructions, attempted a point-to-point output of his Spiritual Power.

Five minutes later, Elias opened his eyes and staggered slightly.

His face was a little pale, but he was far from having exhausted his mental energy.

Although the wound on the patient’s calf hadn’t healed completely, it had already shrunk by a third.

The rotten tissue was pushed out by new flesh, leaving the wound pristine.

The effect was several times better than when he performed a prayer with all his might!

Elias stared blankly at his own hands, then looked back at the man.

He suddenly recalled the most ancient texts of his sect.

It was recorded in them that the ancient sages used their power as they pleased, as naturally as breathing.

But at some unknown point in time, the sect’s texts had become increasingly convoluted, and the rituals more and more rigid.

He had always thought that was out of reverence for the "True Origin," the only path to power.

Only now did he have a sudden awakening.

Mindlessly following the texts was the greatest betrayal of the doctrine.

Elias took a step forward and gave Velin a deep bow—the kind of bow a scholar gives a teacher, or a seeker gives a trailblazer.

"Elias, on behalf of all believers of the True Origin Sect, thanks you for your guidance."

His posture quieted the surrounding Namiya people.

They might not have understood the complex techniques, but they understood the result: under the outsider’s guidance, their leader had performed an unprecedented miracle.

"Are you... a blessed one sent by the True Origin Sect?" Elias asked in an almost devout tone. "An emissary sent to guide us onto the right path?"

"I am not an emissary. I am a lord, a pioneer," Velin corrected him. "I came here for cooperation."

"Cooperation..." Elias repeated the word, then nodded emphatically. "Yes, cooperation! Elias and all the Namiya people are willing to cooperate with your every action!"

Velin nodded in satisfaction.

’This went even more smoothly than I expected.’

’Science truly is a universal truth, no matter the world.’

The subsequent negotiations became exceptionally simple.

Elias laid out everything he knew, including the number of their remaining combatants, their supply reserves, their knowledge of the nearby waters, and detailed intelligence on the various leaders of the Bloodsail Brotherhood.

"The ’Blood-Red Festival’ Kael mentioned is located at ’The Sea Siren’s Song,’ the largest tavern in Peace Bay. That’s Barbossa’s den. There’s a secret passage in the basement, and it’s heavily guarded." Elias pointed to the location on a crude animal-hide map.

Velin looked at the map, his brain rapidly constructing an attack plan.

Inside the cave, the atmosphere shifted from tense opposition to eager hope.

The Namiya people looked at Velin as if they were looking at their savior.

However, deep within the cavern, in the shadows of the crowd, a woman leaning against the rock wall and holding a child slowly raised her head.

Unlike the others, she was not excited. Her eyes, hidden beneath messy hair, were fixed motionlessly on Velin, who was surrounded by the crowd.

There was no reverence in her gaze, nor was there any gratitude—only a bottomless, icy cold.