"Deep Web Spider Queen..."
Sitting at her desk, Dorothy stares at the term in the mystical text, lost in thought. Clearly, the name reminds her of the spider-headed stone statue used by the Eight-Spired Nest. During their blasphemous ritual, they had also invoked the name of the Spider Queen.
“It seems that this Deep Web Spider Queen might be the deity worshipped by the Eight-Spired Nest. A deity symbolized by a spider, associated with the Shadow domain, and possibly even touching on aspects of Chalice.”
Realizing that the Spider Queen might be the deity revered by the Eight-Spired Nest, Dorothy becomes even more intrigued. She carefully read the poems in the mystical text that described the Spider Queen, deepening her understanding.
“This Deep Web Spider Queen is also known as the Tormentor, the Schemer, and the Queen of Pain... In the poems related to Her, themes of torture, fear, and suffering are ever-present. Just as the poems about the Gluttonous Wolf are filled with hunting and gluttony, the Wolfblood Sect of the Afterbirth Cult practices the Blood Feast Method, while the Eight-Spired Nest practices the Punishment and Torture Method. Could these practices be connected to the deities they worship?”
“Also, the Eight-Spired Nest has been searching for Mirror Moon statues and desecrating the unnamed goddess with spider heads. Could these actions be driven by the will of the Spider Queen?”
Sitting at her desk, Dorothy ponders these questions. However, due to the lack of sufficient information, she doesn’t delve deeper. Instead, she closes the Poem of Suffering and picks up the second mystical text to read.
This is a Silence-themed mystical text titled ’Eternal Life of the Dead’. Since Dorothy has a limited reserve of Silence spirituality, she had asked Beverly to select a Silence-themed text for her.
’Eternal Life of the Dead’ is a theoretical mystical text. The author believes that the existence of the undead is superior to that of the living. He envies the "eternal life" state of the undead, free from the constraints of mortality. He views death as an evolution, with the undead being the ultimate form of human existence. He argues that life is merely preparation for death, and everyone should prepare themselves during their lifetime to ensure they become undead after death.
“The author believes that the undead are the ultimate form of humanity? It seems like the people who write these mystical texts all have some kind of mental issue. I wonder who the author of this book is? Did he achieve his wish and become an undead?” After finishing the text, Dorothy closes it and begins extracting spirituality.
In the end, Dorothy extracts 3 points of Shadow, 1 point of Chalice, and 1 point of Revelation from The Poem of Suffering. From Eternal Life of the Dead, she extracts 3 points of Silence and 1 point of Revelation. Combined with her existing spirituality, her current spiritual reserves are:
- Chalice: 6
- Stone: 7
- Shadow: 6
- Lantern: 1
- Silence: 4
- Revelation: 7
“Hmm... Only 7 points of Revelation? I’m still far from reaching 30 points. It seems that mystical texts not focused on Revelation provide limited amounts of it. Next time, I’ll have to look for Revelation-themed texts.”
With this thought, Dorothy puts away the mystical texts on her desk. Instead of resting, she takes out a stack of new books from her magic box.
Upon closer inspection, these books are not mystical texts but rather mundane medical books such as ’First Aid’, ’Common Diseases of the New Continent’, ’Anatomy’, and ’Human Skeletal Structure’. These are books Dorothy borrowed from the university library earlier in the day.
The reason she brought these books back is that Dorothy, in her identity as the Scholar, had promised Kapak to provide him with some medical knowledge from the colonizers. Now, Dorothy needs to first master this knowledge herself before transmitting it to him.
“Hmm... Although these books seem like a lot, with the Scholar’s abilities, it shouldn’t take too long to finish them. So, let’s get started. I hope Kapak still has enough space in his Soul Codex.”
With this thought, Dorothy begins to diligently read through the medical books.
As she reads... a new idea begins to form in her mind.
…
A few days later, New Continent, Tupa Tribe Camp.
In the morning, a large crowd has gathered in front of an ordinary tent in the Tupa Tribe camp.
Tribe members of various attire are gathered around a man sitting on the ground, his face twisted in pain. His arm is unnaturally twisted, with a visible deformity in his forearm.
Beside the man, Kapak is also sitting on the ground. He takes the man’s twisted forearm, examining it with his hands and eyes. Around them, a circle of onlookers watches curiously, whispering among themselves.
"Ah... It hurts, it hurts... Kapak, can my arm be saved?"
The man, named Chichiru, asks with a pained expression. Kapak quickly responds.
"Don’t worry, Chichiru. It’s just a fracture. It can definitely be treated. You’ll just need to endure a bit of pain."
After assessing the man’s condition, Kapak confidently declares. He then grips a specific area of the twisted forearm with both hands and presses down firmly.
With a sharp crack, Chichiru cries out in pain. But as the pain subsides, the twisted forearm returns to its normal shape.
"Alright, Chichiru. Your bone is back in place. Now, you just need a splint and some rest. Make sure not to use this arm while it heals. Just rest quietly."
Kapak smiles as he examines the now-straightened forearm. Chichiru, recovering from the intense pain, looks at his arm and feels the pain gradually fade.
"Ah... Hah... Hah... Hey, it’s not twisted anymore, and the pain is fading too. That’s amazing, Kapak... When did you learn to do this?"
With a mix of surprise and gratitude, Chichiru looks at Kapak, who smiles and replies.
"I told you before. An old shaman I met in the wilderness taught me this. His tribe was very skilled in healing. Now, don’t move. Let me make a splint to keep your arm stable. You can’t use this arm for the next few days."
As he speaks, Kapak begins crafting a splint from nearby materials. After securing the splint, Chichiru thanks him and leaves. Meanwhile, the onlookers gaze at Kapak with newfound admiration.