Who hid My Corpse!

Kelsay said there "might be two fingers," but he wasn't certain, he simply mentioned that Lu Ji was missing two fingers now, specifically the middle finger of his left hand and the thumb of his right hand.

That is to say, it's indeed possible that there are two fingers, but it's also possible that the person who took the fingers left a smoke bomb to distract them.

The only certainty is that at least one of the fingers is real.

The one sold by that black market dealer was genuine; otherwise, the Wildfire Sect would not have gotten involved.

But the one who took the fingers was Lu Ji?

Bishop Corey was somewhat surprised, he was quite familiar with Lu Ji. Knowing that this fellow was about to retire, they had corresponded by letter just days ago. Logically speaking, it made no sense for Lu Ji to involve himself with such a dangerous thing.

However, there was no need to be too shocked; after all, it was a part of Visas's corpse. It wouldn't be strange for anyone to go mad over it.

Now the most important thing was to ascertain the specific whereabouts of that finger, since the heretics from the Wildfire Sect were already involved. The news couldn't be hidden any longer, and if they didn't make an effort to retrieve the finger that was lost, things would only become more troublesome.

In Corey's view, the probability of two fingers appearing at the same time was too small. This was almost certainly a smoke bomb released by the other party, intended to confuse them.

But this also indicated that the person who snatched the finger was an insider, for they wouldn't have such knowledge about Visas's corpse blocks otherwise.

There were still many of Visas's corpse blocks scattered among the mortals, and this was no secret. Any drunkard in a tavern in any city could tell you this.

But the secret lay in the fact that the vast majority of people had no clue which specific parts those lost corpse blocks were.

The gods' handling of Visas's body was not haphazard. They decomposed and sealed not only his corpse but also his power.

Each of the decomposed corpse blocks carried Visas's characteristics and... Rule from his lifetime.

And this information was classified even within the various churches.

Bishop Corey took a chain-locked, untitled ancient book off the shelf, and with a light touch on its spine, he infused it with the power of Rhein.

Then with a "click," the chain on the book broke, and its contents gradually unfolded before Bishop Corey's eyes.

This book, compiled by the Four Orthodox Churches, even had contributions from the four True Gods in the early days. It carried the power of all gods. Merely glancing at it could cause an individual with a weak will to go insane.

The purpose of this book was to record various "Taboo Items" that had appeared in the world.

These "Taboo Items" had often brought trouble to the world, either in the form of natural disasters or man-made calamities, each appearance accompanied by a heavy toll of bloodshed.

Some of these "Taboo Items" had been secured by the Four Orthodox Churches, but others remained unaccounted for. They might be in the hands of the Four Great Secret Religions or still lost among the common folk. Regardless, the Four Orthodox Churches had the obligation to secure them whenever they emerged.

These "Taboo Items" were of a wide variety and differed in degree of danger. The less harmful could bewitch a few souls, while the more dangerous could plunge an entire city-state into abnormality. Consequently, the Four Orthodox Churches ranked them based on their overall peril, placing the lesser ones at the beginning of the book and the stronger ones toward the end.

Furthermore, they ranked the hundred most dangerous "Taboo Items," recording them on the last ten pages of this ancient tome.

And all of Visas's corpse blocks were among these hundred "Taboo Items."

Relying on his memory, Bishop Corey turned the book to the third-to-last page, which detailed the two lost fingers of Visas.

"[Taboo Item Twenty-Nine—Visas's Finger (Left Middle Finger)]"

"[Taboo Item Twenty-Four—Visas's Finger (Right Thumb)]"

For taboo items like these, ranked in the top hundred, containment and sealing must be handled with extreme caution, and different preparations must be made according to their unique characteristics.

Take these two fingers, for instance; the properties and rules they embody are entirely different.

"[Taboo Item Twenty-Nine—Visas's Finger (Left Middle Finger)]: The last sighting was in the year 201, when a wandering poet used it to snap his fingers, terminating the 'Heavenly Realm Suspension' Divine Art of the Lyra Sect's Archbishop, at the cost of the poet's entire body turning to ashes. Since then, the finger has been missing. Speculation: The finger contains the rule of [Termination], able to interrupt the incantations of all magicians, including Divine Arts, and negate all boosts from magicians, including Divine Arts. However, it possesses no additional offensive capabilities and causes irreversible damage to the user's body."

"[Taboo Item Twenty-Four—Visas's Finger (Right Thumb)]: The last sighting was in the year 178 by a follower of the shadow sect, who conducted different experiments in two taverns on the same street. In one tavern, the follower gave a thumbs-up to patrons; in another, a thumbs-down. These actions produced distinctly different outcomes. Patrons who received the thumbs-up were inspired and lived proactive, successful lives in the days that followed. Those who received the thumbs-down fell into deep depression and committed suicide within a month. Speculation: The finger contains the rule of [Disturbance], able to effortlessly unsettle human hearts. The most terrifying aspect is that this process requires no magic power or divine power, and it is still unknown what price the user must pay. Therefore, anyone on the street giving you a thumbs-up or thumbs-down could potentially be Visas's power approaching you. (Note: Recorded in the year 188, to this day, the patrons who received positive encouragement ten years ago have also all died. They strived for spiritual progress and positivity, but their bodies couldn't keep up, and most died from overwork.)"

Bishop Corey had read the descriptions of these two fingers too many times to count, but with each reading, he couldn't help but marvel at such powerful and magical forces, and then he would imagine what kind of being this legendary figure must have been when alive.

No wonder even All Gods had joined hands to kill him.

After all, just reading about these powers and rules in this ancient book was enough to make one yearn.

...It seems like a digression.

Bishop Corey was perusing this ancient text, still, in search of that finger. The reason he was certain that the person who had taken the finger must be knowledgeable about Visas's Corpse was that the smoke bomb thrown by this individual was not released randomly.

The rules and powers of the two fingers were completely different, so the strategies for dealing with them differed. For example, the middle finger could disrupt a magician's casting, but it had no offensive power of its own, so physical countermeasures were more effective. The thumb, on the other hand, affected more the mental and spiritual realms, so protection on that level was more crucial in combatting it.

The smoke bomb thrown by the thief made it unclear which preparations were necessary.

It was after Kelsay realized this that he contacted Bishop Corey with Holy Fire in urgency.

For in Bishop Corey's possession was something that could resolve this quandary: the so-called "Eye of Truth," Visas's left eye.

"Only Corpse Blocks can truly counteract Corpse Blocks," Bishop Corey murmured with a light chuckle, gently touching his left eye, in which a peculiar light seemed to flicker.

That finger, whether it be the middle or the thumb, I will reclaim it.

Bishop Corey thought to himself.

And as he was about to close the ancient book, he glanced subconsciously at the last page, which contained only one line.

"[Taboo Item Zero Zero Zero—Visas's Soul: Has he truly died?]"

With a snap.

The ancient book closed, and chains wrapped around it layer by layer,

As if that last sentence had never existed.