NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Old Neil!!!
"We don't need it for now."
Dunn waved his hand calmly, "Ashen One has already treated us. This is just a misunderstanding."
Leonard looked at his team captain, somewhat speechless.
"So, no treatment is needed?"
Old Neil spread his hands, looking somewhat bewildered.
"Is it possible..."
Dunn was about to nod when Ashen One suddenly spoke, "You need treatment yourself."
"Me?"
Old Neil looked at Ashen One in surprise; he had never seen this young man before.
"What do you mean, Ashen One?"
Al Harsen asked in a deep voice.
He didn't think Ashen One would speak without reason; in fact, he was rather quiet. For him to suddenly say something like this meant there was likely an issue with Old Neil.
"I smell the scent of Pus of man."
Ashen One said succinctly.
He didn't know if such a thing existed in this world.
But just as he said, he had indeed smelled something similar.
And how did he recognize it?
Heh.
Anyone tortured by pus of man multiple times would become extremely familiar with it.
Even if it was burned to ashes, the scent would be etched in their memory, just like combat instincts such as parrying and rolling!
"Pus of man? What's that?"
Dunn and the others showed confusion but were more wary of Old Neil and Ashen One.
One of them definitely had a problem.
Either Old Neil had an issue that Ashen One had discovered, or seemingly normal Ashen One had been "corrupted" by reading the Antigonus family's notebook.
Neither scenario was good news.
Of course, there was a possibility this was just a misunderstanding—
But everyone knew that possibility was slim.
"I..."
Old Neil opened his mouth, but his expression became panicked, as if trying to hide something.
His reaction immediately darkened Dunn's expression.
There was no doubt.
The problem lay with Old Neil.
"Old Neil, what happened?"
Dunn took a deep breath and asked in a serious tone.
Al and the others exchanged glances and subtly blocked Old Neil's escape route.
They weren't Tingen's NightHawks and had no deep emotional ties with Old Neil.
If the locals couldn't act against him, they would.
"I... I just..."
Old Neil looked at their actions, his old face showing bitterness, "I just gained some knowledge, it's nothing serious..."
"What kind of knowledge? Where did you get it?!"
Dunn's expression grew more severe, pressing Old Neil as if interrogating him.
"He... He..."
Old Neil opened his mouth but couldn't speak, as if something was preventing him.
"The Hidden Sage?"
Leonard suddenly spoke, guessing correctly.
Dunn glanced at Leonard, then looked at Old Neil, whose expression became even more flustered.
Clearly, Leonard had guessed right.
But this made everyone present even more somber.
The Hidden Sage.
A true evil god!
"Didn't you remember not to pray to any gods other than the Seven?"
Dunn's voice became hoarse, his eyes filled with deep sorrow.
Old Neil's expression shifted from panic to shame.
Of course he knew. Of course he knew.
As a NightHawk of the Church of the EverNight, how could he not know?
But... but...
"What did He 'teach' you to write?!"
Dunn gritted his teeth and asked, "Tell me, Old Neil! Tell me!"
"He taught me the secret of life creation. He can bring Celeste back to life..."
Old Neil's voice trembled with tears, "You know, Dunn, I can't give her up again."
Dunn's heart sank.
He knew.
He hadn't witnessed it firsthand but had seen Old Neil's file.
Though he often "forgot," he never forgot important things.
In his youth, Old Neil had a fiancée who fell gravely ill. Desperate to save her, he risked exposing the secrets of Beyonders by attempting ritual magic, but he failed.
Back then, Old Neil was just beginning his journey in the occult.
The NightHawks had been vigilant, fearing he might lose control.
Fortunately, he regained his sanity and showed no signs of anomaly.
He became Tingen's leader and worked with Old Neil for years without incident.
Now it seemed they had all missed something.
Dunn closed his eyes in pain.
Old Neil was undoubtedly corrupted; the question was how deeply.
Everyone knew the Hidden Sage was an evil god. Everyone knew not to pray to evil gods.
But how many could resist their deepest desires? "Old Neil."
Dunn's voice was hoarse, "Go inside the Chanis Gate. Do it yourself, I don't want to force you."
The Chanis Gate, besides storing Sealed Artifacts, also temporarily detained heretics, mutants, cultists, and members of secret organizations. The Night's power within would suppress any evil god's influence.
Old Neil had reached the point where the Chanis Gate was necessary.
Old Neil managed a bitter smile.
He nodded and walked towards the passage leading to the Chanis Gate.
Throughout, the others kept a vigilant watch.
Until the Chanis Gate opened, and they personally "escorted" him inside.
"Leonard, what happened?"
Klein emerged from the armory, seeing them escorting Old Neil to the Chanis Gate, and couldn't help asking.
"Old Neil was 'corrupted'."
Leonard explained briefly, "If we don't deal with it, he could lose control at any moment. The Chanis Gate will prevent that."
"How did he lose control suddenly?"
Klein was in disbelief, feeling lost.
Old Neil had seemed perfectly normal.
"To resurrect his late wife, he listened to the Hidden Sage's whispers."
Leonard explained, then laughed self-deprecatingly, "Even I didn't notice. If it weren't for Ashen One, we might have only realized when Old Neil lost control."
"What's the Hidden Sage?"
Klein was full of questions, instinctively looking at Ashen One, "How did you discover it?"
"Just a coincidence."
Ashen One replied calmly.
"He said it was pus of man."
Leonard added, "I don't know what that means, but it led him to reveal Old Neil's corruption."
"Pus of man?!"
Klein's pupils contracted.
Ashen One, the Soulmass, pus of man—could all this be mere coincidence?
How could it be?
(End of this chapter)
50 power stones = extra chapter