Chapter 14: The Four Elements

The two arrived on the second floor, which was similarly covered in dust. Instead of heading to the third floor, they looked down the corridor. One side of the hallway was lined with windows, while the other was a row of rooms. The main building of the sanatorium was shaped like the character "凹" (concave), and the two were currently positioned in the center of the long side.

The doctor said

"Miracle. If you are able to engrave a [Miracle] spirit rune, it will inevitably be a golden one. All [Miracles] originate from the stories and power of the gods. Remember, the five Great Orthodox Gods are the only remaining benevolent deities."

"The only remaining?"

Shade was good at catching key points, and he understood why this was his first contact with "Miracles."

"Yes. In past eras, many gods existed. If you join the Academy, this will be covered in the basic courses of the Divinity School. But most of the powerful deities from the past have disappeared—perhaps they fell, perhaps they departed, or perhaps they were sealed. In any case, only five benevolent gods remain here to be called Orthodox Gods, and gods can interfere with the material world; they are not merely symbols. Do not mistake them for powerful Circle Practitioners; they are truly high-dimensional existences... I hope you understand what I mean."

Shade's lip twitched. Of course he understood.

"Circle Practitioners of the Orthodox Churches mostly specialize in the [Miracle] element. However, besides the Orthodox Gods, the Old Gods of the past left many traces in the world. By contacting those traces and learning the stories of the Old Gods, one can also extract [Miracle] spirit runes with the help of the 'other self'."

The doctor finally mentioned the "voice in the head," a necessity for Circle Practitioners.

"The voice in your head is actually another you—not your true self, but indeed you."

The doctor emphasized this concept once more, and the woman's laughter echoed in Shade's mind again.

"This is a [Miracle] spirit rune I engraved when I was at the First Circle."

White mist appeared behind the doctor once more. A portion of a brass Fate Ring was revealed, and a golden spirit rune emerged.

Shade endured the throbbing pain in his temples to decipher the rune; its meaning was [Dust]. He had seen it once before.

"A miracle left behind by the Old God of [Dust], also known as the [Dusty Python]. I learned of His story through the Academy, and thus obtained the spirit rune."

The golden light flickered, illuminating the ground before them, and a trail of footprints appeared

"But I am not suited for this miracle; I only developed such simple thaumaturgy. The power used to develop spirit runes is called Thaumaturgy, while the universal power used by Circle Practitioners is called Sorcery. This will be introduced in your coursework."

The two followed the footprints forward; it seemed their target was on the second floor.

"But you must remember, gods are dangerous. It is not that they harbor malice toward humanity, but rather that their very status is too high. Contacting any information related to a god can cause self-harm due to the pressure of the god's essence. It is much like how looking directly at the sun can damage your eyes."

The doctor warned, then continued

"Profanity. If you are able to engrave a [Profanity] spirit rune, it will inevitably be a silver one. All [Profanity] originates from filthy concepts and evil gods. But remember, it is not the five Great Orthodox Gods, nor the vanished Old Gods, but the *existing* Old Gods.

Among the deities of the old days that have survived to the present, besides the five powerful benevolent gods, there are a small number of evil gods. These deities are relatively weak; they are terrifying things born from concepts and profanity. They are truly gods, recognized as such by the Orthodox Churches. It is just that their power is far weaker than that of the Orthodox Gods.

This is not the self-praise of the Orthodox Churches, but a fact."

"In other words, the Orthodox Gods are recognized, existing, and powerful benevolent gods; the Old Gods consist of the vanished benevolent and evil gods, as well as the currently existing evil gods. Are the evil gods very terrifying?" Shade summarized.

"Of course they are terrifying. Although they are relatively weak compared to the five Orthodox Gods, for an ordinary person, even knowing of their power can lead to madness. The primary mission of the Churches is to suppress the occasionally appearing evil gods and the ever-present cultists. However, [Profanity] spirit runes are not shunned. Aside from evil gods, some knowledge from the Fourth Epoch can also extract [Profanity]; secret books record those terrifying stories. This is the mainstream way to extract the [Profanity] element. Both [Miracle] and [Profanity] are related to gods—and they are *certainly* related to gods."

It was currently the Sixth Epoch. Shade had not seen this recorded in any of the books he had read; books and calendars only recorded the years. But Shade knew it was the Sixth Epoch because the voice in his head had stated it when it first appeared.

This seemed to prove the uniqueness of the entity once again.

"It is now the Sixth Epoch, whereas the Fourth Epoch was an era of darkness and chaos. It was very terrifying, exceptionally terrifying..."

The doctor spoke in a low voice, as if afraid of disturbing some existence. In the mist behind him, a silver spirit rune flickered, still only revealing a portion of the Fate Ring. Shade interpreted that beautiful rune as [Emotion].

"[Emotion] is a quite powerful spirit rune, originating from a terrifying story in the Fourth Epoch that I have never forgotten... I have developed various thaumaturgies from this element, the simplest being to detect nearby creatures possessing emotions."

Silver light flickered on the brass Fate Ring, and the doctor found his answer

"He is inside. He is afraid; it seems he knows we have arrived."

The enemy could not possibly be unaware; the doctor had no intention of hiding his voice.

"If the voice in your head continuously warns you that [Profanity] is nearby, do not think—turn around and run immediately. This element is extremely lethal."

The doctor continued to impart basic knowledge as they moved forward with Shade. Shade also understood why he had only encountered "Profanity" and nothing else.

"Enlightenment. If you are able to engrave an [Enlightenment] spirit rune, it will inevitably be a brass one. All [Enlightenment] originates from civilization itself. Yes, civilization—historical legends, religions, hero stories, and even fictional tales of knightly adventures. Through certain mediums, one can extract [Enlightenment]. This is the element of civilization, symbolizing the light of our world."

Though it sounded easy, it certainly wasn't as simple as just reading a knightly novel.

The spark produced the moment the Outsider observed the world was precisely the result of contacting the [Enlightenment] element at his doorstep.

"And it is not just our civilization, nor even just human civilization; the civilizations of past eras work as well. [Enlightenment] can coexist with [Profanity] and [Miracle]. After all, it is impossible for the history of civilization to be devoid of the power of gods; the gods have never turned their gaze away from civilization."

In the mist behind the doctor, a corner of the Fate Ring appeared once more, revealing the brass rune [Sweet Dream]

"This is the spirit rune [Sweet Dream]. It is inconvenient to explain its origin for now. My affinity with it is very high. Now, I shall use thaumaturgy to send the opponent into a dream."

A faint light spilled out. Shade could not see its specific effect, but he believed the doctor would not fail.

They finally stopped their forward progress and turned into a room with no markings. The room was very clean, but no one was in sight.

The doctor remained unhurried

"Finally, there is Whispering. If you are able to engrave a [Whispering] spirit rune, it will inevitably be a black iron one. [Whispering] has wide origins. The common view is that if [Enlightenment] is the light of civilization, then [Whispering] is the darkness of the world. Whispering is almost a natural phenomenon, echoing throughout the entire material world. It is obtained through contact with the knowledge of evil gods or by contacting [Relics]."

The detective had died due to a certain [Relic], which was why Shade was able to contact the [Whispering] element upon his death.

A black iron rune appeared, its meaning being [False Truth]. It was the most complex of the four runes the doctor had shown.

"This spirit rune was a harvest from resolving a Keeper-level—that is, a Grade 3 [Relic]—incident a year ago. I do not fully understand its power; currently, it is mainly used to dispel illusions."

Under the radiance of the black iron rune, the clean room gradually revealed its true form. Newspapers and wooden planks had sealed the drafty windows, and the floor and walls looked as if they had been coated in a layer of blood pulp, emitting a foul stench. The floor was filled with glass containers holding human organs, arranged haphazardly as if for an exhibition.

Once the disguise vanished, the bloody scent hit them. Shade's stomach churned; he finally understood why the doctor had deliberately prevented him from eating breakfast.

Enduring intense discomfort and mental pressure, Shade's eyes swept across the room, which had turned almost blood-red, and he spotted a young man sleeping soundly in a corner.

He did not look like a vagrant, but rather a student; his clothes were clean, his appearance refined, and his attire decent. He sat slumped there, holding a handgun in one hand and a brass box in the other.

"Baid Beaudelaire, 19 years old, a student at the Lorax Mechanical Academy in Tobesk City. A year ago, after occasionally coming into contact with a Grade 5—that is, a Poet-level—[Relic], he fell into madness under the influence of the [Whispering] element within the relic. Consequently, his temperament changed drastically, and he gradually devolved into a murderer who kidnaps and kills young women. This world is, after all, far too dangerous for ordinary people."

"Then, what exactly is a [Relic]?"

Shade controlled his fear of the scene and suppressed the urge to vomit. The doctor, however, appeared very calm, whether due to excellent emotional control or because he had grown accustomed to such scenes. Neither of them had any intention of stepping into the room.

"[Relics] are remnants of the past, originating from the curses of the first five epochs. Some are naturally formed, while others were created by powerful existences of the past.

Remember, only the first five epochs can give birth to [Relics]. So far, there are no records of [Relics] being born in the Sixth Epoch where we reside. But if you can discover one, perhaps an entire academic year's worth of practical credits would be secured. [Relics] are very easy to distinguish from other alchemical items; only they can potentially be attached with the [Whispering] element. There is no way for humans to manually attach the [Whispering] element to an object."

Both looked toward the metal box held in the young Morod's hands; that was the [Relic].