CHAPTER 361: CHAPTER 5: THE GEARHEAD WOMAN

The night passed quickly.

When Duncan stepped out the next day, Bert, who was meditating in the room not far away, instantly opened his eyes. His perception was strong, far beyond that of an ordinary person, and he couldn’t wait to follow Duncan outside.

This esoteric practitioner, suspected to be a druid, eagerly asked, "What have you decided?"

Duncan looked at the eager eyes of the other person, returned the Earth Secret Scripture in his hand, and shook his head, saying, "I’m afraid I am not suitable for the path of the esoteric sect."

Upon hearing this, the person became anxious and lowered his voice, saying, "Impossible!"

"You are an unparalleled genius among thousands, most suitable for practicing the esoteric path."

"Because you have innate primordial magic power."

Primordial magic power?

Was the person referring to Duncan’s engraving of the dragon bloodline?

Indeed.

Unlike the No. 1 human form, after Duncan engraved the dragon bloodline, the No. 3 human form started with a small section of the mana bar. The giant dragon is the embodiment of magic power; after the dragon’s bloodline completely transforms, it probably possesses a mana bar close to a Level 3-5 wizard.

Others have to toil through meditation and training, or even awaken their magical power through rituals, but Duncan can learn straight away, and some rituals can be used directly.

This even after Duncan consumed a lot of legendary level in the No. 1 world to nurture offspring. Now the No. 1 human form has promoted to the immortal heroic spirit. The subsequent legendary level will be obtained continuously over time, converting part into divinity and part into legendary level currency. To use a gaming analogy, when he left the beginner’s village, he already had a developed gold mine.

Without any special skills needing engraving, Duncan can continually strengthen his soul. His mana bar truly is a talent among thousands. As for his current spellcasting ability, it is at least equivalent to the mana level of an esoteric practitioner who has been training for more than a decade.

However, Duncan considered that the gods of the old era had been suppressed.

As esoteric practitioners serving other gods, how strong could their powers be?

Can ordinary spells compete with guns and cannons?

Not to mention, the Mechanical Divine Sect can even throw nuclear bombs. Since they have nuclear bombs, most modern weapons can be made. How many spells from the mysterious era can compare?

According to Duncan’s current understanding of technological abilities, the Mechanical Divine Sect can build giant nest cities, collect power of faith, and deploy facilities in planetary orbits. They probably overwhelm the mysterious era’s spell heritage. The Earth Secret Scripture records a lot of supernatural knowledge, like animal control and plant transformation, but against a modernly armed Defender Army of the Mechanical Divine Sect, the animals you summon would likely be riddled with bullets.

Among the recorded extraordinary abilities, the best use is probably survival abilities.

In terms of combat power, it was long eliminated by the times.

Bert reached out and took the Earth Secret Scripture, gazing solemnly at Duncan in front of him, sincerely saying, "Would you reconsider?"

"If you are willing to join us, I will personally host the promotion ceremony for you."

At this, he raised his palm, and each finger surprisingly transformed into the skin of a tree. This was a very useful ability in the mysterious era—tree skin enhancement, making it difficult for ordinary swords and weapons to harm them. Even in the early Enlightenment Era, it could defend against early matchlock guns, but later it wasn’t effective anymore as the power of firearms increased, requiring at least stone skin to withstand it directly.

Bert had a trace of divine grace, coupled with a natural ritual boost, allowing his hands to transform flesh, blood, and bones into plants. He slowly said, "Once you’ve completed the promotion ceremony, you will receive the Earth Mother Goddess’s first divine grace."

"No matter how harsh the natural environment is, you will find ways to survive."

The first promotion ceremony in the Earth Secret Scripture is ’Survival of the Fittest.’

There are animal and plant branches, and those with good talent can learn both, which is considered a transformation ability. Duncan had read carefully, feeling it quite similar to druid spellcasting abilities, though over the years, many abilities in this world had differentiated significantly.

Bert didn’t mention combat power because it was clear that no esoteric sect could match the combat power of the Mechanical Divine Sect.

Some esoteric practitioners spent more than a decade conjuring fireballs, which still couldn’t compare to a Mechanical Divine Sect apprentice crafting a modified flamethrower in an afternoon. They were the truly unfortunate ones. Entry-level electric claws, acid, and ice touch powers were about as strong as a high-power electric stick, with even a large refrigeration unit outputting greater power.

Unless reaching mid to late training stages, these abilities can basically be ignored, better off picking up a gun instead.

Duncan was about to refuse.

Footsteps suddenly came from not far away, followed by the appearance of Tassia, a woman with a tall, voluptuous figure. She cast a glance at Bert opposite and her expression changed, urgently rushing over.

Clearly, I got here first!

How can someone else snatch the business like this?

Seeing Tassia approaching with an imposing manner, Bert’s expression changed; he quickly stowed away the Earth Secret Scripture, swallowing back the words he was about to say.

Esoteric practitioners naturally act in secrecy.

If he publicly carried out missionary work and got discovered by the Mechanical Divine Sect, he might face expulsion or exile.

To adapt to the changing times, modern esoteric practitioners generally go the elite route, avoiding developing secular faith, not doing public missionary work, and completely relying on talented individuals to transmit the sect’s teachings.

Tassia came over, slinging an arm around Duncan, her heavy peaks pressing onto the young man’s shoulders. This woman was truly tall and was wearing high boots today, towering to a height of about 1.85 meters. The No. 3 human form, thin and weak, felt like a child under her arm.