"It's impossible," said Maha. "We are losing our magic power. Can't you feel it? The connection to the magic net is declining and winter is getting colder. How can we close the road to the abyss?"

"Have you ever thought about it," said the Saint, "totally losing magic is not a bad thing - people always realize that the magic they originally meant to be as indispensable as air is not a so-called necessity."

"I don't understand what you mean," said Maha. "Didn't the temple use magic? Doesn't the temple need to communicate with the magic net? Has the temple not been inspired by God from the illusory elemental power? - All of this comes from magic and is the gift of the magic net."

"You are right," said the Saint, "It is because of this that the pain of loss is so unacceptable."

"We didn't lose anything," said Maha. "I can still communicate with the magic net, you can, the tower of the wizards, the order of knights, the temples - and countless spellcasters, they can all."

This time it was the Saint's turn to speak without saying anything.

But from his silence, Maha felt a silent resistance—and then she recalled the silent anger she had once left the temple.

"You always do this," said Maha, "you always say that the abyss is ominous, and teach us to learn to purify filth and eliminate all evil-but the fact is that you never really sent the Knights to really wipe out the roots of what you call evil and eradicate everything that is ominous. Your ambivalent attitude always makes me feel..."

"What?"

"It makes me feel like you are in the abyss of mercy." Mahad paused for a moment, and said, "I have noticed a long time ago that the temple never accepts donations of any other abyss biological products except crystals, whether it is bones, fur, or blood."

"The abyss is ominous," he said, "and it is dangerous - we need to be wary of everything from there."

However, an era has passed, and no one has ever seen the so-called danger from the abyss. However, Angelia has some bad symptoms.

Maha laughed slightly in his heart.

But for this kind of teaching that she had heard countless times, she just nodded and did not intend to have a face-to-face conflict.

"So what do you think should be done?" she asked.

"Maha," the Saint did not answer her question directly, but asked a question that he didn't want to close, "Do you still remember how this era began?"

His name always made her feel like she was back to the time she had received teaching.

This also made her attitude somewhat gentler.

"It all started with chaos," she said. "The last chaotic era made Angelia unbearable, and the shadow brought by the tentacles of the abyss enveloped our plane. So all the countries and races of Angelia united, and they sent their respective heroes, the king, under the leadership of Nathan Fredman, the most outstanding teacher of the two epochs, to follow the guidance of the oracle, and to initiate a war against the abyss, cut off all the tentacles of the abyss, exiled it to the other end of the astral realm, and to use Fredman's rules as a constraint to prevent it from making a comeback."

"Very right," said the Saint, "and what is this exiled abyss in your eyes?"

"Hunting ground." Maha replied without hesitation, "Mine, collection site - whatever is good, although it is dangerous, there is at least what we need and resources."

"Yes," the Saint exhaled a long breath, "Yes. We always feel that way-so I just think we should be more cautious..."

As I have been countless times, Maha sensitively realized that something else was meant in the Saint's words.

It seems to be emotion, or it seems to be... regret?

But she couldn't ask where that strange feeling came from.

She knew a long time ago that things like history will always be distorted beyond recognition over time. Many times, even if you experience them personally, let alone the previous generation, or even the things from more than ten years ago, you may not be able to remember clearly and explain them clearly. What's more, what's left and recorded after countless smears and modifications?

She did not doubt the memory of the saint, nor did she care what he had hidden - she took a step back, no matter what he had hidden or what he felt, Angelia had always escaped the influence of the abyss. And in this difficult time, they needed resources from the abyss.

What else is there to avoid?

Maha even felt that it was this kind of stagnation and looking forward to the front that would lead to the current situation of lack of magic. As early as the beginning of the magic power decline, as the temple was still bathed in grace, the casters of the Mage Tower still had the ability to destroy the world, and the magic technology was still flourishing, they should devote their own abilities to conquer the abyss to prepare for the cold winter, rather than waiting until now to start giving away those meager and unnecessary alms.

Perhaps because her disapproving look was too obvious, the saint didn't say anything after all, but changed the topic: "You have really worked hard this trip - if you have time, you can actually go back to Wangdu. Your father contacted me a while ago, he..."

"He is addicted to astrology and has something in common with the prophecy of the temple - I guess he hopes to share his experience of astrology in the snowy sky with you."

Maha was very sarcastic.

The saint obviously had no intention of calculating her, but just smiled: "The old man always needs some spiritual sustenance, and he will be happy to see you."

Maha realized that his emotions were too exposed, so he lowered his eyes again and changed into a calmer tone: "Let's go back in a while... I should be back."

"It's great," said the Holy One, "Oh, the time for prayer is almost here-what is it that you come to me today?"

Maha originally wanted to ask about her brother, and even about Igna's situation, and even explore the connection between what had happened between the two.

But in this regard, she had realized something she had realized a long time ago: she could never beg for answers from others.

The so-called answer is always to find it yourself.

"Nothing," she said, "I just miss you a little, so come and visit...if you don't mind me surfing around?"

She asked directly, which was also a test.

"Of course." The Saint still looked gentle and trustworthy, "This is your home."

Although this sentence is somewhat polite, it is undeniable that Maha feels much better. Even when she walks around the temple, the feeling of restraint and unfamiliarity has been relieved a lot.

She walked past the prayer hall and heard the buzzing and low prayer sounds inside; walked past the Templar Hall and heard the metallic striking sounds from inside; walked past the large blank cemetery and woods behind the temple, and listened to the meshing sounds of gears from the towering bell tower of the temple, and slowly regained some of the familiar and intimate feelings that had been felt, and the originally irritable and restless mood gradually calmed down.

It's almost noon.

She thought, Igna should have finished her meal, right?

No, if she moves fast enough, she should be able to catch up.

However, just as she was about to leave, a little noise suddenly came from the depths of the woods - like crying and wailing.

She suddenly remembered that at that location, behind the woods, there was a complex hidden in the shadows for people to clear away filth and torture the evil.

Courthouse.

She was instinctively uncomfortable and immediately planned to leave.

But at this moment, something seemed to break free from the constraints and rushed out, causing a lot of noise.

Perhaps out of curiosity, or some unspeakable premonition, she stopped and waited for the thing to rush into her.

He was too thin to be human, like a monster, but his eyes were scarlet and frenzy.

"Yi..." the humanoid monster shouted, stretching out his hand at her, "Yi..."

[avinculislucehostis](Holy Light binds my enemies)

The chain of light penetrated the monster's shoulder blades and dragged it back into the shadows.

Soon, several priests wearing black robes and thorns came forward.

The person in the lead was an extremely young woman. Her face was as beautiful as a flower, but because of her outfit, she was covered with a dark and cold atmosphere - unlike Maha's coldness like snow, which was only a long time of living in darkness, almost a shadowy atmosphere.

"I am Vivian, the head of the house here," said the woman, "a little accident just happened... I hope His Highness Maha won't mind."

"What is that?" she asked.

"That." The woman named Vivian smiled slightly, "It's just something polluted by the abyss."

"oh?"

"Some people—especially people who go down in their bodies, will experience some contamination symptoms after they come into contact with species in the abyss. Those symptoms may lurk when they pass through the star gate, but they may burst after returning to Angelia to contact the Holy Light - His Highness Maha should have heard of it...ah, if you have nothing to do with it, then I will take it away."

Maha did not stop it.

Looking at the group of things that had re-evaded into the shadows, she suddenly lost the mood to eat.

...

Hal discovered that his great lord seemed to bring back some strange local specialties every time he went out.

At first it was a pile of shabby pieces.

Later there were a group of half-dead humans.

This time there were a bunch of dwarfs - although Lin explained that these guys were selling themselves to pay off their debts, and Hal did have an impression of the debt, but looking at the miserable appearance of these guys, it was like the kind of smelly fish left after the human morning market in the book - it was dirty and broken, even the lich who was used to dealing with various organs and tissues was extremely disgusted.

"Can you tell me how you brought back such a bunch of trash and then made your 'big tentacle' like this?" he asked.

"Don't say that when you meet later, you will ruin their enthusiasm for selling themselves." The great lord reminded, "If you want a horse to run, even if you don't give it to grass, you will always need comfort? - What's more, the king I brought back!"

"Ha... the king who even his pants are about to run away. Let's discuss this issue later - what are you going to do if you hunter?"

"I plan to take his hand on it," Lin said.

Lich Hal felt a headache.

"You said you want to repair this broken hand?" he asked.

"Yes, no?" Lin asked. "Aren't you trying to add my body to Hendrick's?"

"But that was just a small-scale organ and part of the tissue transformation. The specific part involving limb transplants is actually still in the experiment. Those samples - forget it... In short, the conclusions of the experiment are not very mature yet."

"ah?"

"You can try," said Hal. "According to the current results, it should be feasible and can pass the star gate, but from the current experiment, there is a high probability that there will be a rejection reaction. Even if you pass the body's identification, you can pass the evil detection and other side. There is no time to verify whether you can pass the evil detection on the other side. After all, I have added at most two eyeballs - you are almost the whole hand."

Lin looked at the hunter, and the other person's face had already revealed a faint blue color.

Under the crude treatment technique, Hendrick was already tenacious in his will to survive until now.

"I have no problem," he said, "can start anytime."

He didn't dare to speak too loudly, for fear of revealing the faint excitement and expectation in his voice.

When the Lich once asked to try to connect him with "this person", he felt supreme happiness.

And now, "this person" will split a tentacle and become a part of him.

——For believers, this is a gift that is almost like "God's grace".

Even the temple can only guarantee that the broken limbs will be connected, and it will never be a "repair" - because both the ** and the soul are gifts and creations of "God". Once lost, there is no possibility of regaining it except the gods.
To be continued...