CHAPTER 402: CHAPTER 325: PROFANE! THE FORBIDDEN BOOK: GOSPEL OF HEAVEN_2

It was like the chosen fruit, destined for a lover’s secret rendezvous. Naturally, it garnered the fervent pursuit of noblewomen and dignitaries from across the Continent. Especially those eccentrics who went their entire lives without bathing; they revered it as a Sacred Artifact bestowed by the Creator. It was usually captured first by Herbal Medicine Hunters, then preserved by Famine Hunters, before being transported back to the Old Continent over great distances. The price of Shampoo Fruit skyrocketed year after year. Fruit merchants needed only three egg-sized Shampoo Fruits to exchange for a Gold Coin from the wealthy. Considering a farmer’s annual income was less than ten pounds, spending over a month’s salary on three fruits was simply madness. Yet, even with such inflated prices, Shampoo Fruit was often unavailable despite the demand.

Beyond its demanding growing conditions, scarce production, and the extremely dangerous environment where it grew, few knew that this magical fruit’s place of origin, Shampoo Island, had already been quietly occupied by a Black Wizard Organization, the Bloodthirsty Cult. Hidden beneath the aura of the Shampoo Fruit’s production area was the location of the cult’s sacred ground, the Blood Source Secret Realm!

On a secluded pier on the side of the Sea of Monsters, near the Ekdna Triangle, The Golden Deer slowly docked and dropped its anchor.

Grand Wizard Swarm disembarked first, followed closely by Byron. His Spirituality had grown from the original 12.5 to 13.6, placing him among the seasoned ranks even among all Third Order practitioners, his gaze sharper than ever. Behind him followed Violet, Jacqueline, and sixty Death’s Wing Marine Corps Members led by Honest Man Eight Fingers and Blood Red Whiskey Alfred. They gathered tightly around Byron, preventing any further accidents.

Especially Alfred, who was already a member of the Bloodthirsty Cult’s Bloody Mary Faction and had spent a long time living on this island. Despite concerns that a Gourmet mustn’t consume their own kind, and never having held the appropriate Holy Grail of Blood ceremony, he was exceedingly familiar with every blade of grass and tree here. If Byron were not here to openly borrow the Secret Realm for his ascension, Alfred could easily have led them in secret.

A Third-order Great Wizard known as Mosquito Mage Stuart, from whose robes a faint buzzing sound emanated, had been waiting for them at the dock for a long time. After exchanging pleasantries, he nodded at Byron and, in a thin, reedy voice, confirmed one last time, "BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ. Your Excellency the Governor, Grand Priest Leech Lady has ordered that you and your people may enter the Blood Source Secret Realm to conduct the ceremony. However, before entering, you must sign a contract. Any forbidden knowledge obtained during the bloodline ascension ceremony must be replicated for the Cult. This aligns with the original purpose of us like-minded individuals uniting to form this Cult. There should be no issue, right? BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ..."

As he looked at Byron, his tiny crimson eyes revealed, deep within, the same greed as Swarm’s. The Beast Tamers of the Book of Giant Insects sect, after seizing power, were more aggressive in their actions than the Gourmets of the Bloody Mary Faction. They did not hesitate to use extreme methods to extract the knowledge from Lilith’s corpse. To acquire the next step, the Crimson Holy Grail, they would spare no expense. And this cost was any person other than themselves!

Byron nodded. "My teacher has already informed me of this matter, and of course, there is no problem."

This practice of sharing knowledge was within his expectations, even part of his plans. He was prepared to inject the Genetics lessons he had prepared in advance into whatever forbidden knowledge he might gain from Lilith: "Molecular Genetics," "Developmental Biology," "Neurobiology," "Evolutionary Genetics," "Gene Expression"... Isn’t the source of the Bloodthirsty Cult’s forbidden knowledge supposed to be Mother of Creation, Lilith, who is said to have created all life in the world? Perhaps not all living beings are her creations, but with the Rank, knowledge, and Authority of an Old God, true creation isn’t impossible. Naturally, the core of that would be biological genetics. When I present this set of tailored theories, how will you respond, Your Excellency? This knowledge is sufficient to establish a new school of thought and lay the theoretical foundation for biological sciences for centuries to come. If I claim it is the authentic scripture, who other than Lilith herself could possibly refute me?

In his previous life, Byron had become quite knowledgeable about medicine due to chronic illness and a lack of funds for treatment, compelling him to read numerous medical texts in an attempt to save himself. It was similar to the medical textbooks he had prepared for The Skinners’ Church. In his view, the forbidden knowledge of these two Churches inherently shared common ground, and as the Father of Healing, he could certainly integrate them. He could then logically transform them into a Church of his own making. Byron even had his Three-part Honorable Title ready.

With the Golden Law and the theoretical Aztec Divine King position in hand, how could his plan for a ’reverse takeover’ possibly overlook the domain of colonial faith? He wanted both body and soul! Thanks to the ’buy’ effect of The First Stock Certificate, it certainly wouldn’t be him who lost out, no matter what. As a ’great, selfless, and dedicated’ individual, he would disseminate this groundbreaking knowledge, effectively gaining a technological stake in both Cults. It shouldn’t take long before he could claim that the true orthodoxies of both the Bloodthirsty Cult and the Skinning Cult resided in Torrentfort.

Mosquito Mage was quite pleased with Byron’s demeanor and complimented him in his distinctive, reedy voice, "Excellent. Please follow me."

The buzzing from within his robes intensified, and he floated off the ground, leading the way.