Chapter 53 of 100

Chapter 53

15 min read3,854 words

As the medicine slid down his throat, a bitter taste similar to traditional Chinese medicine surged up, but after a while, a faint medicinal fragrance emerged, making it less unpleasant. After letting out a long, deep belch, Zhao Mai felt as if his entire body was immersed in warm water, wet and warm, swaying and floating.

The scenery in his field of vision began to blur, with double images and afterimages constantly appearing. The tree of enlightenment in front of him turned into several trees, repeatedly shifting and flickering in a hazy manner. The druidic script on the tree bark emitted a faint silver-white glow, becoming clear and enormous. Just as Ziyue had said, the countless heads were flying around in the sky.

Zhao Mai seemed to have fallen into a lucid dream, where the boundary between fantasy and reality crumbled. On one side, he saw Earth: penguins from the South Pole and elephants from Africa dancing together, dolphins and eagles flying side by side. On the other side, he saw Golarion, specifically the beauty of the Ashen Lake: the shimmering lake surface, flocks of white water birds taking off, and black leopards leaping gracefully among the branches. Each scene was real, yet each was also illusory. The images kept changing, with animals, plants, algae, fungi, even microorganisms and viruses, bursting out of the dream one by one.

The druidic script turned into heads, which grew eyes and mouths. Hundreds of eyes stared at Zhao Mai, and hundreds of mouths spoke in unison: "Do you want to connect with the Force? Why?"

For nature? For balance? For truth? Zhao Mai shook his head; none of these were his true intentions. "I want to gain power to help my father, to cure his illness."

"You are unworthy of such power, you are utterly worthless!" The heads roared angrily, flames burning in their eyes. "You eat a lot, excrete a lot, learn a lot, and destroy a lot! You are merely a vessel of destruction, a tool of the apocalypse! You see but do not remember, you think but do not feel, you speak but do not achieve. Only on the path to your own destruction do you show ingenuity and determination!"

Faced with the accusations, Zhao Mai raised his hand and clapped loudly. "Well said!"

"Do you have no sense of shame?" The heads glared at Zhao Mai, circling him slowly, inspecting him carefully.

"Should I spend my time feeling ashamed, or should I seize this rare opportunity to connect with the natural Force?" Zhao Mai felt his eyelids growing heavy, making it difficult to focus on the rotating heads. A wave of drowsiness washed over him, as if he had been studying for three consecutive nights. "Why does my world have no druids, no magic, no divine power? Why is there no towering tree to guide enlightenment?"

The heads fell silent, rising like bubbles and then popping one by one. "I need to help my family before I can do other things. Have you heard the saying, 'cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world'?"

The last head stopped, cracks appearing between its eyebrows, but it did not burst. The flames in its eyes faded, turning into a sea-like blue. It spoke: "Since that is the case, we will give you the opportunity to cultivate yourself."

A bolt of lightning struck, piercing from his head to his feet. Zhao Mai was jolted upright, standing stiffly on the ground. The druidic script, no, the small seal and clerical script characters, rose into the air, forming a column and flying into Zhao Mai's eyes. He could not control his body, not even to blink, and could only watch and read.

All the adventures he experienced were within his mind, or rather, within the realm of the natural Force, the inner sea. In the vast world outside, Zhao Mai was just a pitiful figure lying on the ground, trembling, foaming at the mouth, and rolling his eyes. The reserve grain barked anxiously, jumping around helplessly.

"Teacher, how do we save him? I've never heard of such a thing happening during enlightenment," Ziyue tugged at Ms. Celine's arm, shaking it. "Should we pull him out?"

"Ziyue is right. I think we should immediately terminate the ritual, prioritizing Liang's life," Lucius said. "Overestimating one's abilities often harbors great danger. Attempting enlightenment without a foundation is inherently risky. Teacher, you must have a way to terminate the ritual, right?"

The elf Celine and the black-haired Afra did not speak but continued to stare at the convulsing Zhao Mai. Vitality continuously radiated from him, which did not seem like a bad sign. Under the continuous effects of beneficial and healing spells, how could they terminate the ritual? Would they have to drag him out, pry open his teeth, and force poison down his throat?

Even if his body suffered some damage, it should heal under the continuous treatment. The only explanation for this phenomenon was a mental cause. Celine, who specialized in teaching apprentices, had witnessed thousands of enlightenments in her long life. Although Liang's situation, like "tearing the heart and lungs," was unprecedented, there were precedents to refer to.

Elder Joseph's enlightenment in his youth was also filled with pain and torment. His psychic abilities, specifically telepathy, were forcibly broken through by the natural Force. Thousands of voices roared in his mind. According to Joseph's later description, "It was like ten thousand waves crashing against a giant rock simultaneously, yet each wave's impact could be clearly distinguished. I thought my head would explode, but after enduring it, I experienced an incomparable sense of peace and tranquility."

It was unclear what Liang was experiencing, but it was likely more intense than Joseph's. Back then, Joseph had clutched his head and screamed, but he had not lost control of his body or foamed at the mouth! In Celine's mind, a notion she hardly believed herself arose: "Could Liang's potential be better than Joseph's?"

Because of this thought, she did not step forward to terminate the ritual but waited patiently. Natural changes do not happen overnight; only patience can witness the rise and fall of the tides, the clarity of the sky.

Ziyue might have also sensed something was amiss, biting her light blue fingernails and curiously watching Liang, who was convulsing like a jumping shrimp. Lucius continued to nag, urging her to quickly "rescue" Liang. Sigh, he was too impatient. Perhaps because of his excellent bloodline and talent, he was unwilling to wait and could not calm his mind?

She decided to educate him more in this regard.

After Zhao Mai convulsed for a while, he gradually calmed down. He fumbled and placed his hand on the reserve grain's head. The puppy, feeling its owner's touch, immediately calmed down. Although Zhao Mai remained stiff, the puppy shook its head and rubbed against his palm.

The wind blew through the bodhi tree, the branches, leaves, and fruits swaying, creating a rustling melody. A beam of sunlight filtered through the thick canopy, sweeping across Zhao Mai's tightly closed eyelids. He opened his eyes, the earth brown, grass green, water blue, and blood red gradually fading from his vision, leaving only the white of light and the black of night.

A new breath of life, a gentle "ah" escaped his lips.

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