Chapter 310: Section 98: Desecration Priest Cang Xu
“I… who am I?” The Fishman with brown scales opened his eyes.
Before him was a ceiling made of metal.
He looked around and found himself lying on a thin metal bed. Other than that, there was nothing else in the room.
“Where on earth is this?”
“Who am I?”
When the brown-scaled Fishman delved into this question, he couldn’t help but hold his head with both hands, feeling a soul-deep, intense agony.
...
“I… I remember now!”
“My name is Hehehe.”
“The reason why it’s this name is that when I laugh, I make a ‘hehehe’ sound.”
“Yes, that’s right, I am the black-scaled Fishman Hehehe.”
“But why?!”
“Why are my fish scales brown?”
“No, that’s not right!”
“None of this is right!”
Bang.
A soft sound rang out, the brain of the brown-scaled Fishman exploded in a minor burst. In an instant, the fishman’s brains and blood covered the floor, walls, and ceiling of the metal room.
“Subject No. 213 is a failure,” Cang Xu said, his voice cold and expressionless.
He was standing just on the other side of the wall, using a spell to see through it, observing the state of the Fishman and witnessed the entire process of his self-explosion.
Cang Xu wasn’t discouraged in the slightest, instead, he searched for the cause of the experiment’s failure.
He channeled mana, activating the prepared Undead Array, absorbing the Fishman’s soul into the space of the Array.
The Fishman’s soul emitted a dreadful wail before vanishing into nothingness.
Cang Xu, however, obtained a wealth of memory images, most importantly the memories from just before the Fishman’s death.
He found the reason.
“In the memories I infused into him, his identity was that of the brown-scaled Fishman Gagaga, but he recalled his name being Hehehe, and also believed himself to be a black-scaled Fishman.”
“But Hehehe wasn’t his original name at all.”
Cang Xu turned around and walked over to a metal workbench, opening the box on top.
Once this metal box was opened, its mechanical structure would change, forming a three-tiered step arrangement.
On these three tiers, hundreds of Memory Crystals were neatly arranged.
Cang Xu casually picked out the Memory Crystal of the subject.
He took the Memory Crystal, walked a few steps to the side, and faced a Magic Device that was taller than a person.
It was a Memory Crystal Manufacturing Device.
Cang Xu inserted the Memory Crystal into a slot in the Magic Device and channeled mana into it.
The Memory Crystal Device began to flicker with light, conjuring up a blur of light and shadows. Within them flickered the life memories of the Fishman subject.
The memories rapidly played back, and Cang Xu found the origin of “Hehehe.”
Turns out, during his childhood, this Fishman had encountered and was saved by a Fishman with powerful black scales.
He did not know the other’s name, but the peculiar laughter of his savior left a lasting impression on him.
“Perhaps subconsciously, he wanted to become a Fishman like his life-saving benefactor.”
At this moment, footsteps came from outside the door.
Cang Xu immediately recognized it was the youth, and he opened the door proactively.
“Old Scholar, I heard you have made some encouraging progress?” the youth asked with a smile.
Now in human form, he didn’t need to expend demon energy to maintain his mutation in the absence of outsiders on the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
“Yes, my lord,” Cang Xu bowed slightly, “My research on Memory Crystals has born fruit, of course, this is also thanks to the Magic Book seized from the secret chamber at the bottom of the sea.”
The youth’s eyes gleamed, “Does this mean you can become a Desecration Priest now?”
If within the Justice Pirate Group there was a Desecration Priest, then the chances of stealing Divine Power would be much greater.
“Theoretically, I’ve thoroughly researched it, and now only a crucial experiment is missing,” said Cang Xu, “This is exactly why I invited my lord to preside over this experiment, for I am the subject.”
The youth’s expression changed slightly: “Why take the field yourself?”
“It’s indeed somewhat risky,” Cang Xu sighed, “But we have no choice. First, among the survivors from Mysterious Monster Island, there is no one else suitable other than me. Choosing someone beyond the survivors would be troublesome. Second, I need to experience it personally to grasp the key point. Third, forcibly using others for the trial, I’ve done many times already, all failed.”
The extraction of the Memory Crystal required the cooperation of the subject. If an external force tried to forcibly extract it, failure was likely, and even if the process were successful, the memories obtained would be disordered or shattered beyond repair.
“This is my primary memory, please safeguard it well,” Cang Xu said as he approached another metal box, opened it, and took out a Memory Crystal that was carefully stored within.
“I will go into the room next door and attempt to become a Desecration Priest.”
“First, I’ll manipulate the Memory Crystal Device to store all my memories in a single Memory Crystal. This way, my memories will be erased. After that, I will fall into a deep sleep. Please then instill into me another set of memories.”
At this point, Cang Xu took another Memory Crystal from the metal box.
“The memories stored in this crystal are about the faithful believers of the Fish God. I’ve modified them to be very coherent, with no errors.”
“Afterward, please isolate me and monitor my condition through the Magic Device.”
“If I clutch my head in unbearable pain, please intervene in a timely manner and knock me unconscious.”
“However, the likelihood of that scenario is quite small. If the experiment is successful, it means I will have completely become a believer of the Fish God, with absolutely no doubts about myself and my memories.”
“Three hours after I wake up, if I seem stable, activate the Magic Device to knock me unconscious again. Then, using the Memory Crystal you hold, transplant those memories back into me.”
The youth listened intently to Cang Xu’s instructions, committing them to heart. He repeated them several times, receiving Cang Xu’s correct confirmation each time.
Then, the two sprang into action.
Cang Xu opened the door to the adjacent cabin, where the sight of bloodstains and mutilated Fishman corpses caused the youth to flinch slightly.
Cang Xu pointed to the Fishman corpses and explained, “This is why I must erase all my memories.”
“When it comes to memory modification, the techniques are extremely delicate, and my understanding of them is very limited.”
“Sometimes, even when all memories related to identity have been erased, the subjects still refuse to accept the new identity that is instilled into them. Self-awareness can undergo uncontrollable and unimaginable deviations for a variety of reasons.”
“If the experiment fails and something unexpected happens…”
Cang Xu hesitated for a moment: “If possible, please pass my cultivation notes to that person.”
“Understood,” the youth nodded.
The experiment began.
Following the steps outlined by Cang Xu, the youth executed them strictly and methodically.
Cang Xu, newly implanted with memories, slowly came to consciousness.
“Who… am I?”
“I am… I am Yigu.”
“I am a Mage, of the Black Iron Level, but I worship the God of Fish.”
“Yes, I am a cultist, imprisoned. Who the enemy is, I have no idea. I was ambushed!”
The youth calmly observed as Cang Xu struggled to free himself but failed to unlock the Magic Ban shackles on him.
The Magic Ban shackles, produced by the War Merchant, were of decent quality.
After hundreds of attempts by Cang Xu, all unsuccessful, his emotions collapsed, and he began to pray to the Fish God time and again.
Three hours later, the youth knocked out Cang Xu and transferred back his original memories.
Cang Xu awoke once more.
“Sir, it was a success!” Even after being altered by the Undead Magic, he couldn’t hide his excitement.
“I have a doubt,” the youth said, furrowing his brow.
“The Silver Mage from New Moon Town, how did he become a Desecration Priest? If we use the same method as we did, how could he recover his true identity afterward?”
Cang Xu replied, “There might be two scenarios. First, he might not be alone and had an accomplice. However, I’m more inclined toward the second possibility – he had set up a specific awakening mechanism. He likely modified a Memory Crystal to act as a personal item. Upon meeting a certain condition, this item would activate and instill memories into him.”
The youth pondered further, “So, is it possible that we could remove him before he reawakens to his true identity?”
“There is such a possibility. But how shall we find him?” asked Cang Xu.
“It’s simple. When he infiltrated the cultists, his identity was that of an ordinary person. If we find a Silver Mage among the cultists, it is likely him.”
However, Cang Xu shook his head, “That Undead Mage has hidden his true Cultivation, and whatever method he used, we do not know. But since he is confident enough to desecrate Mei Lan, it proves he is very confident in his disguise. It’s very likely we won’t be able to detect him.”
“You make a sound analysis,” the youth nodded with a sigh of resignation.
This was an unstable factor.
During the commotion in Sea Eye City, the Fishman youth had considered targeting the Undead Mage but had never managed to pinpoint him.
“Let’s hope he doesn’t become an obstruction during our temple journey.”
As the youth was pondering, the Tower Spirit’s warning suddenly rang out.
Something was amiss at sea!
Transforming into a Dragon-man, the youth, together with Cang Xu, dived back to the Justice.
The Justice Pirate Group was involved in a tense stand-off with a troop of Sea Giants.
The leader of the Sea Giants was of the Golden Level, and there were no fewer than six Silver Level Sea Giants in their ranks!