Chapter 373: New Teammate — Tura |
Cheng Shi's mind went blank.
Because the person standing before him was not Turadin at all, but a... lady, draped in Church robes and nearly unrecognizable.
Yet when this lady performed that embarrassingly familiar gesture toward the three of them and recited the utterly unsurprising prayer in a hoarse voice, Cheng Shi narrowed his eyes.
Sure enough — no, she was indeed Turadin.
That wasn't right either. Her name now should be Tura...
Wait, dude, you too?!
Cheng Shi studied Turadin with a peculiar expression for a moment, then turned to look at Gao Ya beside him.
Gao Ya clearly understood what his gaze meant. She furrowed her brow, let out a cold huff, and deliberately looked away to avoid his teasing stare.
"Your voice..."
Turadin's voice had been ravaged by the power of Oblivion into something hoarse and grating, but she didn't seem to care about such details. Wasting no time, she pointed behind her, tossed them several Church robes, and took off running deeper into the corridor — the meaning clear: the players should hide with her first.
Cheng Shi threw the robe over himself and followed her into the room at the end of the hallway.
Only after Turadin shut the door and locked it again did she let out a breath of relief.
Cheng Shi eyed this cautious newest female member of their team with great interest. Without a word, he fired off a healing spell at her.
Gao Ya watched Cheng Shi's practiced opening move and snorted with amusement, then turned to Scorpio.
"Have you ever seen a Druid that knows healing spells?"
Scorpio was a bit dazed too. He shook his head — then quickly nodded.
"Well, I'm seeing one now, aren't I? I've heard that some high-score talents include class-switching abilities. Chosen Ones really are something else."
"..."
Gao Ya rolled her eyes so hard the contempt practically dripped off her face.
She'd never imagined that players above 2,000 points could still be this clueless. But deep down she understood — Scorpio's mind wasn't the sharpest, yet his instinct for reading people was spot-on. At the very least, he'd latched onto the right coattails.
Under Cheng Shi's healing, Turadin's voice and features gradually improved. The flesh on her face filled out and regained its vitality, her tone growing ever more melodious. Frankly, compared to Gao Ya, Turadin's transformation seemed even more successful.
When she touched her face and realized she'd been fully restored, Turadin smiled and pulled back her hood, revealing a face of breathtaking, extraordinary beauty.
Honestly, in all his time across the Land of Hope, Cheng Shi had never beheld such a magnificent face. Bright eyes shone like dazzling stars, and the curves of her nose and lips seemed like the work of a master sculptor achieving perfection.
If Hu Xuan's beauty was a blend of allure and elegance, then the Turadin before him was the embodiment of perfection and refinement.
All three were struck speechless by Turadin's stunning female form. Cheng Shi, somewhat astonished, nudged Scorpio with his elbow and whispered:
"Was Miss Moon this beautiful?"
Scorpio shook his head frantically.
"I can say with certainty — Miss Moon couldn't hold a candle to a single strand of her hair."
"..." Cheng Shi shot Scorpio a strange look, thinking, 'Who knew you were such a sucker for a pretty face.'
Hearing such sincere praise, Turadin's smile grew even more radiant. The coquettish way she laughed behind her hand was enough to make even Gao Ya, a fellow "woman," feel a flutter.
"So there really was a Miss Moon?"
"?"
"Hm?"
"..."
At those words, the expressions of all three players shifted from admiration and wonder to something strange and unsettling.
Cheng Shi fixed Turadin with a dark, searching gaze and asked with a growing headache: "It seems you went through quite a lot during the time I couldn't find you?"
"Yes, quite a lot. But don't worry, my brother — I promise you, it was all good things."
"Excellent. I like good things. Setting everything else aside for the moment, my brother — oh wait, my sister — can you tell me why you chose to become a woman?
I've already guessed part of it, but I'm afraid my guess might be wrong."
Turadin smiled, a smile brimming with allure.
"Your guess isn't wrong, my brother. It's your question that's wrong.
You shouldn't be asking me why I chose to become a woman. You should be asking why I became a man."
What?
All three froze, simultaneously bewildered.
Cheng Shi blinked rapidly. Scorpio's brain short-circuited. Gao Ya's face went rigid.
Turadin didn't leave them in confusion for long. She pointed at herself, then at the direction of the prayer room, and said with a smile:
"I was originally a woman. I simply chose to become a man a few years ago.
Today, I've merely returned to what I was before."
At this, Cheng Shi was all but certain his suspicion was correct. He looked at Turadin with a complicated expression and asked:
"Was it worth it?"
Hearing that, Turadin dropped all traces of her smile and answered with grave solemnity:
"My brother, you shouldn't say such things to me. You are the one who revealed His name to me. You are the one who brought me closer to His will. You are the one who wrote down His vision for me.
You are my evangelist. You...
should be even more devout than I am!"
Cheng Shi had no retort. For the sake of continuing the trial, he could only resort to his usual sophistry:
"Your path is wrong, my... sister.
Your obsession runs too deep. What we should pursue is freedom — doing as our hearts desire. Following Him isn't about being devout or not. He won't choose to watch over someone based on their devotion. What He wants is for everyone to find liberation, to embrace their desires.
So as long as I live according to my own ways, I am always a practitioner of His will."
Turadin's eyes shone brighter with every word Cheng Shi spoke. She adored this kind of philosophy, especially her evangelist's interpretation of His will.
Every fresh, rebellious statement like this sent her spirits soaring and her soul resonating.
"Yes, you're right. But I've always felt that spontaneous devotion is itself a form of following one's heart, isn't it?"
"..."
'Right, right, everything you say is right, bro — no, sis. Your comprehension is off the charts. Truly worthy of the Head of Church's daughter.'
Cheng Shi shook his head with a rueful laugh, then continued:
"Never mind all that. What's your plan now?
The library's been destroyed. I don't know what happened inside, or what your maniacal father is up to. What I'm saying is — the Descent Technique we were looking for has probably already been reduced to ashes. Even if you've changed back into a woman, you've likely lost your chance...
Actually, fine, I'll be honest. I might still have an opportunity in my hands, but you need to decide.
Are you prepared to become the mother of Corruption's Holy Infant?"
That's right — a mother!
Cheng Shi had seen through it. This fervent new follower of Corruption, whom he'd basically conned into the faith, intended to use her own body to carry and birth a so-called Corruption Holy Infant!
Such god-worshipping behavior couldn't exactly be called insane — it was far too common in the Life Era. Of the patients Cheng Shi had treated, nine out of ten had reasons for having children that were more outrageous than Turadin's. The remaining one was roughly on par.
So Cheng Shi wasn't particularly shocked. It was just that his mind still held the image of Turadin from that afternoon — cold, rational, contemptuous of faith — and he couldn't quite reconcile it with the fanatically devout figure standing before him. It left him somewhat dazed and wistful.
Then, linking it to the "Miss Moon" that Turadin herself had mentioned earlier, Cheng Shi wondered: had the Aph Ros from the future already found the person Scorpio had been looking for? And was that person none other than the Turadin standing right in front of him?
Wasn't this all a bit too convenient? When exactly was the temporal baseline Scorpio had used for his deduction?
Just as he voiced this question and fell into contemplation, before Turadin could respond, Gao Ya beside him let out a scornful laugh and shook her head.
"Time's unexpected influence has dulled your observation, Cheng Shi.
She doesn't need your opportunity at all. Because...
she's already a mother."
"???"
What?
Cheng Shi was stunned. He whipped his head toward Gao Ya, then quickly back to Turadin — and noticed that Turadin's hand had indeed been resting at her waist, occasionally caressing her abdomen.
Cheng Shi had assumed it was a nervous habit. He never expected...
'Hang on, sis — aren't you moving a little too fast?'
'Where did the child come from?'
'Did you just conjure it?'
Wait — the Descent Technique?!
A flash of insight crossed Cheng Shi's eyes as he recalled the Church library that had just been obliterated.
"You stole it? And escaped unscathed?" He stared at Turadin in disbelief.
Turadin nodded with a smile — but within that smile lingered a trace of sadness that Cheng Shi couldn't quite comprehend.
Cheng Shi furrowed his brow, and his expression turned uncharacteristically solemn. For the sake of the trial ahead, he needed to understand exactly what had happened inside the Church during his absence.
He pricked up his ears and listened for a moment to the activity outside. Hearing that the congregation was still gathering in the front hall, he spoke in a low voice:
"We don't have much time. Tell me about what you've been through, Lady Turadin."
Turadin gave a small nod and held nothing back, pouring out every detail of everything she'd experienced that night.
First and foremost — the Descent Technique of the Uma Sinners, sealed within the library.
...
Comments 1