Crimson Servant

The withering of the Tree Mother and the collapse of the Arcane Sun had an immeasurable impact on the third floor of the dungeon. Large areas of plants died. Weak herbaceous plants died almost the instant the red light ended. The vines entangled among the branches continued to fall from the sky. , like dead snakes.

Jurgen and others looked nervously at the crackling wooden hard walls around them. If these pillars supporting the entire heart of the tree fell down, the thousands of layers of tree crown above could bury several people alive. Fortunately, these tall plants grew tough enough, and after a few cracks appeared on their outer skin, they stopped moving.

The Sun Team did not dare to stay here any longer. A possible secondary collapse could kill them at any time. Jurgen and Lightning picked up the unconscious Karl and followed John towards the structurally stable outer wall.

Fortunately, they found an area suitable for setting up a tent before they lost strength. After the campfire was built, everyone relaxed and collapsed on the ground, enjoying a peaceful rest.

…

After the roots of the tree mother withered, the place where the roots originally grew became the passage to the next level. Jurgen first confirmed the safety of the cave and proposed to make final rest before going to the lower level.

Lightning squatted on a horizontal pipe ten meters above the ground. As the mother tree withered, many buildings covered by plants came to light. The metal pipe under the Crow Man was once tightly entangled with roots. This is the irrigation system of the plantation area, and there is enough recycled water accumulated in the pipes.

Lightning used a hook and rope to climb up the pipe, and used a pickaxe to cut several gaps of sufficient size on the side. Clean water flowed out of the gaps, and it became a simple bathroom. This is not for his own use. Although Lightning loves his feathers, he does not pursue cleanliness during the adventure. He had lived in the wilderness and could tolerate heavier smells.

The Yao Man took out the luminous solar calendar stone from his chest hair, used this stone containing the power of sunlight to move around the outer edge of the water bowl, and recited several gods' names in his mouth, and the liquid in the bowl became clear and translucent. There is some fiery and warm atmosphere in the undulating water patterns.

"The holy water you asked for is ready."

"Thanks."

Lightning flipped his wrist and turned the bowl upside down, and the holy water inside mixed with the water flow and fell together, slapping and soaking the hair and back of the person underneath.

Karl was completely naked, sitting on his knees on the wet grass, letting the water wash over his body. He put his fingers into his hair and rubbed it ferociously as if he was trying to rip off his scalp. His whole body was in a state of depressive mania.

After Jurgen's meticulous treatment and conditioning, the paladin's body has gotten rid of the sequelae of necromantic transformation. His skin has regained its firmness and regained the luster of youth. The stiff joints have disappeared after blood circulation, leaving only the silver-white head. The hair also confirms the severity of the Death Knight.

Silver hair has also become a source of irritability for Karl. The crisis was over, and the Holy Knight's mental hysteria finally broke out. He dragged Lightning here non-stop, constantly washing his body that he thought was unclean.

Shaking his hair again, Karl put his head towards the puddle of water in front of him. Water droplets fell down his hair, stirring his reflection on the liquid surface. Karl in the water widened his eyes and stared angrily at Karl's hair.

"Shave it, shave it." Karl conveyed his determination in a deep voice.

The lightning above his head continued to make holy water, and his eyes moved with the circle of the solar calendar stone.

"Wouldn't it grow back if I shave it?"

"Of course not, I turned out to be blond." Karl looked up at the Crow Man and answered firmly.

Lightning's eyes did not look down. The bowl of shining water seemed to have completely absorbed his eyeballs. Without making any sign, Lightning poured down the blessed holy water and poured it impartially on Karl's raised cheek.

"Mr. Jurgen said that silver hair is not a disease, so it cannot be cured. Karl, it is entirely possible for the body to completely change its dominant traits due to external influences. If your hair color will be silver in the future, you What to do?”

"I will never allow blasphemous hair to grow on my head!" The furious paladin decided on his future hairstyle in a rage. If his hair color did not change, he would remain bald for the rest of his life.

Lightning then lowered his head and let Karl, who had wiped his cheeks, see his eyes clearly. The arakkoa who used to ruffle feathers at the slightest sign of trouble disappeared from those eyes, leaving only a gentle and calm halo inside.

"The sun will not abandon anyone, only the heart hidden in the shadows rejects Him. My friend, if you don't allow blasphemy to grow on your head, do you want it to grow in your heart?"

Karl said nothing, and the confusion on his expression was clearly visible.

The Crow Man laughed twice, put down the water bowl, and moved the solar calendar stone to his left shoulder. The gentle light shone into the lightning-shaped scar. Not a single feather grew there, and the rough and scabbed scar became even more serious under the light. Clear.

"When I was still in the egg, a bolt of lightning struck the bird's nest where I was born. The destructive force left me with this. My father named me 'Lightning' because he believed that those who survived the lightning strike The chicks are a good omen that I will do great things in the future.”

"Protected by my parents and siblings, I never felt any different from other arakkoa until I began my training as an Acolyte of the Sun."

"When selecting acolytes, the arakkoa will give priority to chicks with black feathers and darker colors to please the gods with the black color that can best absorb the sun's rays. Normally, my scar has long cut off my ability to become an acolyte. Possibly, but my father and grandfather were sun priests.”

"The feeling of rejection is very obvious, like a pungent smell permeating my body. When I was studying in the temple and walking among a group of pure black crows, I always had to face many strange looks. I Unable to be as calm as my father, this sense of alienation gradually interfered with my reading and prayer, and took control of my life. I truly realized how 'ugly' this scar was, and how far I was from 'normal'. "

"At that time, I couldn't listen to advice and regarded the tenderness of my family as a kind of twisted pity. I became disgusted with the scar that contributed to my name, and hated the humble self with this scar."

"The actions I took were the same as you are now, Carl. I spent half a year taking off a tail feather from my tail every week. It was a growth period. Now I am really glad that I don't have a bald tail. . I made myself a black feather shawl. Although it has some flaws, it can cover my scars perfectly."

"I was very happy at the time. I was happy for several days. It was really effective. After that, I really devoted myself to studying and other aspects, and won praise in front of many people."

"It wasn't until my father took me into the temple that I prayed facing the complete statue of Loti for the first time."

…

The stained glass windows project magnificent colors onto the wooden statue, which is a large carved crow with wings close to its body and standing on a forked branch. The young chick looked at the brightly colored statue and exclaimed in admiration. The older arakkoa who led him in was wearing a purple priest's robe with a gold ribbon. Hearing the chick's exclamation, he also opened his mouth with pride. beak.

"Is this the statue of the Lord God? Father."

"'Loti', the Lord prefers us to call him by his first name. There are many existences representing the sun. Chanting his name helps Loti find us believers."

The young bird recited it silently in his mind, looking at the arakkoa in front of him with some excitement and fear.

“Can I really touch His idol?”

The Sun Priest nodded and stroked the statue's back demonstratively.

"Of course, Lightning, this is your reward for being the first in reciting the sun scriptures. Loti likes to be touched, so it is not too soon to contact the next generation of sun priests like this."

The arakkoa took the chick's hand and slowly scratched the lines of the statue with the tips of its small lightning claws. As it moves, the colors reflected in the flower window flow on the lightning black feathers, which is really beautiful.

When the arakkoa moved his son who was immersed in it, Lightning's expression was a little silly as he was still thinking about it. The sun priest shook his head in amusement, as if looking at the shadow of his past.

"How the gods feel, my son."

"It's a bit rough." Lightning replied subconsciously. He quickly reacted, and the panic of offending the Lord appeared on his face. This caused the arakkoa to laugh even louder.

"There's no way. Your grandfather's wood carving skills are indeed not good. When this statue ages, I will carve a stone one for you to show you my exquisite craftsmanship." The statues of the Crows can only be carved by the Sun Priest. The statues of one generation are inherited from the previous generation and carved for the next generation. The material and craftsmanship are not critical. What is more important is the continuation of the inheritance. There is a beginning and an end, and sincerity leads to spiritual success.

Lightning felt reassured by the way the Sun Priest spoke like he was at home, and he soon shed his timid state and regained the cheerfulness of a normal fledgling.

The Crow Man then asked him: "After touching the statue, will you still respect and love the Lord of God? Lightning."

"Yeah!" Lightning replied briskly.

"Do you really love God? Just like you love the sun, life, and your family?"

"Um!"

"You respect and love the Lord of God, so why do you hide your 'lightning' from the Lord of God?"

The chick heard what his father meant, and he reflexively covered his left shoulder, where the scar was hidden in the dark feathers. The chick looked carefully into his father's eyes, trying to find a hint of anger in them.

There was nothing, his eyes seemed to hide an all-encompassing sea.

"Remember my words, son. Hiding is the beginning of infidelity. The sun will shine on everyone. Those dark hearts are the ones who choose to hide in the shadows. Don't let negative thoughts become the shadow in your heart. I hope You look the same on the outside and stay true to yourself.”

"...I'm sorry, father."

"No, there is nothing to apologize for." The Sun Priest squatted down and stretched out his fingers to wipe the little pearl that his son had dropped. "I know you have been absent-minded recently, and you cleverly found a solution. Number one, son, this is you. Proof of becoming better.”

"It's just that you are still immature and still have a lot to learn. For example, majority does not mean correct... correct does not mean good... correct is not absolute. Life is so complicated, and this is what we mean by your side. What we mean is, Loti and I, the gods are also your teachers. By the way, does your wound hurt?"

Lightning shook his head. The scar on his shoulder has been numb since he can remember.

"Look, Lottie doesn't have any scars that dislike you. Even in the eyes of the Lord, you are a perfect fledgling number one."

Lightning's face was red, and he tried his best to think about the bad things he encountered in the temple, so as not to let his body jump with joy in response to his joyful heart.

"Father, I want to touch Loti again." Lightning took off his shawl, revealing the lightning scar he was born with.

The arakkoa shook his head seriously.

"According to the rules, no. But who wants you to have a father who is a sun priest? I don't dare to provoke him."

The second time he touched it, Lightning felt calm, as if his body and mind had been washed by the sunshine, and a comfortable warmth spread through his body.

Lightning opened his eyes and saw that the shawl in his palm was burned to ashes, but his hand felt nothing.

The older arakkoa said mysteriously: "The gods of the sun usually have the ability to purify the unclean."

"Didn't I say that?"

"This is not just a statue..."

…

Lightning successfully convinced Carl with his story, and the paladin bowed humbly to his companion, while at the same time a little envious that he had a good and reasonable father who was in a high position.

"Your father was an excellent parent."

Lightning shrugged.

"He was also a great charlatan. I was the third in the family, and he said this to every kid, 'You are my chosen next generation sun priest.' He taught me well, maybe too well." , I started to be my truest self. The truth was that when I grew up, I hated being a sun priest, so he found an old hunter to teach me hunting for a year and threw me into the wilderness. Then..."

"Then you became an outstanding ranger, overcame many obstacles and joined my Sun Team to adventure with me!" The plot was so familiar that Carl learned to answer it. No wonder he was very fond of the Crow People at first.

After finishing grooming, Karl put on clean clothes and put on his armor again. The arakkoa came down from the pipe, still holding his water bowl.

"There's still some left, do you still want to use it?"

Karl shook his head, nodded again and put the holy water into the bottle.

"You want to use holy water to deal with resentful spirits?" Lightning is very aware of the efficacy of holy water and can have a slight impact on resentful spirits.

"No, I want to leave a little for John. Maybe you can't feel it. The evil aura on the warlock's body is getting stronger." Many battles have made Karl regard John as a comrade. He is no longer hostile to John and intends to relax. The relationship between the two uses the brain circuit of the Paladin.

"I don't think John will accept your holy water, or the rest." Provoking John is obviously much more dangerous than facing the evil spirit.

"You're right." Karl gave up the idea, and then a new idea came to his mind. The paladin's eyes turned back to the solar calendar stone, and he watched helplessly as the arakkoa stuffed the stone full of solar energy into his own chest hair.

Karl brought up the old story again, "By the way, is this stone really not for sale?"

Lightning laughed and cursed.

"Repaying kindness with hatred, right? Paladin."