stonecrandall Page 16
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An unproven plan, or a dangerous plan of unknown origin, is no less than gambling in a minefield.
“My teacher, who was also my father.” The shopkeeper pointed to the contents of the wooden box, his voice heavy with sorrow, “died while verifying the contents inside. He had experienced a significant improvement before his death.”
But his death was so sudden, and he left no notes, so I don't know which method he was researching.
……
Back in Skarlitz, Mojang, with a grave expression, used a mobile translation app to translate the contents of the wooden box.
His thinking was simple: if what was written couldn't be translated into logical sentences even by translation software, it was either an extremely encrypted code or the recorder was in a precarious mental state. There was no need to gamble his life on whether the author had gone mad.
Then eliminate those with outrageous lists of required materials, such as the blood of the Holy Child, the eggshell from which life hatches in the sun, and the first flame of the phoenix's rebirth...
If Mojang could obtain the items mentioned above, the Cuman army would not be a threat.
What was abandoned afterward were self-harm methods, such as stabbing the third vertebra with a dagger soaked in snake venom.
Or they might carve intricate patterns onto the thighs using knives and highly toxic mixtures of pigments.
After screening, only a handful of paths truly meet the criteria of "relatively clear principles, relatively feasible materials, and relatively controllable risks."
One of the meditation methods caught Mo Jiang's attention. Judging from the writing and description, the alchemist who wrote the plan was a Catholic.
This proposal did not demand a virgin's heart or an angel's feather; it only required that "the soul sink into still waters and witness the Spirit of God walking on the surface of the waters for seven days."
"Oh ho, Catholic believers witnessed God's creation of the world in seven days, and even thought they were born before God? Your idea is somewhat heretical; you need to go to the Inquisition for tea."
Mo Jiang has read the Bible, and this thing clearly originates from the first verse of the Bible: "The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."
If this thing has been leaked, then the original author of this plan has most likely been sent to the barbecue grill by the church.
Heresy is more terrifying than paganism. Paganism is merely a matter of faith, but heresy is about vying with you for the right to interpret scriptures, which is the source of the church's power and orthodoxy.
However, this is the only one of the remaining options that does not require him to use his spine as an anvil, his thighs as a canvas, or to kidnap some holy son.
The cost is incredibly low; all you need to do is soak in still, pure water in a closed space and light a secret incense.
Mo Jiang carefully examined the incense recipe. The ingredients were extremely difficult to obtain in the Middle Ages, but not with modern logistics.
The author says:
Author's note: Thank you to [Secondary Silverwing] for the donation.
27. An Absolutely Heretical Meditation Method
When Mojiang returned to the wooden house in Skaritz from the modern world, it was already evening.
He moved an inflatable swimming pool from the warehouse, which was filled with mineral water.
The still, pure water is now ready.
The swimming pool is so large that it occupies most of the space in the cabin, enough for Mojiang to soak completely in it. As for the water, mineral water is always purer than the river water in Skalitz.
The incense has also been made; it was made using mental energy to react with the incense.
The process of meditation is not difficult. Close the doors and windows to ensure that it is a closed room, then light incense, and then take off your clothes and soak in water.
Mo Jiang rested his head on the piece of wood that served as a pillow, which would support his head so that he wouldn't fall into the water and suffocate while meditating.
The light from the oil lamp became blurred and hazy under the dual refraction of smoke and pool water, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Apart from his breathing and the occasional barking of dogs and neighing of horses, there was no other sound inside the house.
The incense in the air made him unconsciously relax his body, and his mind began to go blank.
In a hazy state, Mo Jiang's consciousness was taken to another place.
Cold and dark.
This is the chaos before all things came into being; there was no light, space had not yet appeared, and time was meaningless.
It might be a second, or it might be a year, in this place where the passage of time is imperceptible.
A sacred, enormous, indescribable silhouette walks on the water, approaching the place where the Ink River is.
Sensing the approach, Mo Jiang instinctively wanted to open his eyes to see clearly.
The silhouette was not benevolent, nor did it possess the gentle radiance of an icon. It was enormous, holy, and carried a cold, oppressive aura. With each step it took, it created silent ripples on the water's surface.
The intense sense of oppression did not come from physical weight, but from a pure mental crushing, as if it wanted to shatter his consciousness into this chaos.
Man must not look directly at God!
Mo Jiang's consciousness had nowhere to hide, because "He" was born from Mo Jiang's consciousness, and Mo Jiang's consciousness could not contain "He's" existence, and was on the verge of being completely shattered.
Suddenly, an angry female voice reached my ears.
"Mo!! Jiang!!!"
Mo Jiang, who was soaking in the pool, suddenly opened his eyes. His body moved faster than his mind, and he stood up, muttering, "Coming, coming, I'm doing my homework. I'm not playing on the computer or watching TV..."
When he stepped out of the pool, Mo Jiang realized that he had been meditating.
Experimenting with a meditation method created by an alchemist of Catholic origin.
The complete method of meditation involves simulating the original surface of water with calm, pure water, using incense to bring consciousness into the original dark surface of water, and then observing the appearance of "He".
Next is the most important point, which is that my own intention (one) must not be crushed afterward.
[To live after seeing the appearance of God] This is the core of the first half of this meditation method, or rather, the complete content.
In the notebook recording meditation methods, there were three or four different handwritings writing down various solutions that seemed feasible at key points, bringing them back to the body before one's consciousness was crushed.
Some practitioners are required to have a firm will, while others are required to downplay or even abandon their ego.
What he chose was the one that seemed most feasible—using his own fear to bring his consciousness back to his body.
Mo Jiang retrieved his phone, which he had placed not far from the pool, and turned off the alarm he had set.
After all, no one likes to hear their mother call out their full name a second time in a short period of time. If it weren't for the need for a source of fear to pull him out of his confusion during meditation, Mo Jiang would definitely not have dared to use this accidental recording.
When I was half asleep, I suddenly heard my mom calling my full name, which was quite frightening!
Although he was completely submerged in water, he was certain that cold sweat was seeping from his back.
"Thanks, Mom! I'll give you a gold bracelet after this blows over."
No matter what you're doing, when you hear your mom calling out your full name, word by word, and you can hear the sound of a feather duster cutting through the air, you'll jump up as fast as you can.
It had nothing to do with anything else; it was purely out of biological instinct and fear. It was telling itself that if it continued to lie there, the lash of "motherly love" would soon befall it.
"This meditation method works!"
Mo Jiang's mind was completely blank at this moment, and his mental strength directly increased to a value of 1.8.
Before the relevant instruments were available for precise testing, Mo Jiang could only obtain vague values through his own senses, but at this point, the vague perception was sufficient.
Take out the materials to refine the Archer's Potion. This time, the finished product is no longer of "weak" quality, but of "normal" quality. Occasionally, a bottle of "strong" quality will appear, but the appearance is unstable.
After his mental strength improved, Mo Jiang was able to stably produce [normal] level archer potions. If he wanted to produce [potent] level potions, he estimated that he would need 1.9-2.0 mental strength.
"This meditation method is very effective. Should I try it again sometime?"
While meditating, he lost track of how much time had passed, but Mo Jiang had set an alarm for two hours after he lay down.
Two hours of meditation directly increased Mo Jiang's mental strength by about 0.2, which was undoubtedly a huge temptation for him.
However, recalling the feeling that his consciousness was almost crushed, Mo Jiang rationally gave up the idea of doing it again.
[Mom's Roar] People will develop resistance to hearing it a second time in a short period of time, and Mo Jiang can't guarantee that he can be pulled back the second time.
Fortunately, after the process of "looking directly at God and surviving," this meditation method can continue in two ways.
One option is to continue courting death, persistently resisting the pressure that crushes consciousness, and watch the entire Seven Days of Creation.
Another method is to visualize the appearance of "He" as seen, and in one's own mind, replace "He" to continue the creation of the world for seven days.
After reading the entire meditation method, Mo Jiang realized that the author must have been an alchemist who had infiltrated the church; medieval believers would never have had such thoughts.
“Looking directly at God, creating an image of God in one’s mind, contacting God beyond the church, proclaiming that one’s own existence precedes God, proclaiming that one can contain God’s divinity, and even intending to exercise God’s seven-day creation authority…”
Even though Mo Jiang considered himself not a law-abiding fellow, he couldn't help but sigh, "Brother, you're not a heretic, you're planning to uproot the church."
"The Inquisition has definitely used every trick in the book against you. If they let you die a quick death, their chief will be on the barbecue grill."
This meditation method can be described as using the church's list of taboos as a raw material list, adding anything that is on the raw material list into the meditation method.
This made Mo Jiang wonder what the original author had gone through to look like he was either going to get himself grilled or his church's ancestral graves being dug up.
With content like this, you couldn't write the first paragraph without a naturally rebellious streak and a deep-seated grudge.
But despite the claims, this stuff is really useful, and the effects are quite potent.
In two hours, his mental strength was raised from 1.6 to 1.8. If Mo Jiang dares to continue, he could probably raise his mental strength to 2.8 or even 3.0 in one night.
Mo Jiang then used his mobile phone to photograph all the text and patterns inside the wooden box, and then sent the items to a modern warehouse.
If that meditation method is discovered by the church, then Mo Jiang himself will be in for a full Inquisition.
After all, he himself had already looked directly at God and made the first cut into the very foundation of the church's existence.
Therefore, Mo Jiang wisely placed the "evidence" in a modern warehouse that the church could not access, while he kept the contents on his phone to view them at any time.
After the mental strength is increased to 1.8, the Archer's Potion will be produced at a stable level of [Normal], while the production of Stag's Blood Potion and Night Hawk Potion will also be stable at [Strong].
Neither of them reached the extraordinary [Henry level]. According to Mo Jiang's estimation, the [Henry level] of the Stag's Blood Potion and the Night Hawk Potion should only be produced when the mental strength reaches 2.0.
28. Mental strength value breaks through 1.9
Mental Strength 2.0 is not only the standard for producing [Henry-level] potions from Stag's Blood and Nighthawk Potions.
It is also a kind of barrier; only when one's mental strength reaches this level can one refine the [Lazarus Potion].
Lazarus Potion, a nearly perfect potion, capable of even bringing the dead back to life!
It can pull someone back from the brink of death and infuse them with new strength.
It treats various wounds, even fractures.
But remember, this medication alone is not enough; you still need medical treatment.
According to the pharmacy owner, Lazarus is not as magical as Mo Jiang imagined; it cannot bring people back to life.
All it can do is keep a person alive while they are dying, so that they can quickly find a doctor for treatment before that last breath dissipates.
If the medicine wears off before the patient is cured, then they will still die.
In Mo Jiang's inventory, there were two bottles of Lazarus potion of the "weak" level, which were left behind by his father, the pharmacy owner and teacher.
The pharmacy owner himself did not have the ability to concoct Lazarus potions, and when Mo Jiang asked about it, he mentioned a common view in the alchemist circle.
Being able to concoct Lazarus potions symbolizes taking the first step towards becoming an Alchemist Master.
"Fortunately, this meditation method has some less reckless follow-up improvements."
Continuing to confront God directly is definitely not an option, and Mo Jiang isn't very confident that he can be pulled back by his mother's roar next time.
Therefore, he only had one path to choose: to visualize the image of "He" that he had memorized in his mind.
He replaced the burnt-out incense with a new one, and as he inhaled the fragrance, Mo Jiang's mind slowly settled down.
This is boundless darkness, where the size of the space is imperceptible and the passage of time is nonexistent; all things and phenomena have yet to be born at this moment.
Light was born.
In the deepest darkness, a ray of light was born.
The light began to gather, revealing the outline of a human figure, whose facial features were constantly adjusting.
Mo Jiang's consciousness reshaped that terrifying outline in the chaotic void.
Every adjustment is like carving into the depths of the soul with an invisible sculptor's knife.
The blurry yet majestic face gradually became clear.
It is not a benevolent and kind-looking saintly image, but a cold, grand presence that contains the power of creation, carrying an invisible scrutiny and oppression.
This "divinity" is not a warm light, but rather a merciless radiance refracted by ancient glaciers, enough to scorch the soul.
This "divinity" that Mo Jiang forcibly contemplated was by no means a warm light of life, but rather a merciless celestial glow refracted from an ancient ice plain, enough to burn away the consciousness of mortals.
It is so vast that it defies description, yet it is forcibly compressed within the limited spiritual framework of Mojiang.
During the visualization process, Mo Jiang's spiritual power was like ore thrown into a furnace, repeatedly tempered and hammered under the immense pressure of the giant statue.