Chapter 193: Chapter 132: Interrogation, Near God's Domain, Mutative Disease, Tree-man Syndrome (4K)_2
He perfunctorily said, "Sort of... Don't interrupt, what exactly is mutation about."
Qin glanced at him, "We, the people of this world, try to obtain powers not of this world, naturally there must be a price."
"Like implanting an Alien Implant or your Martial Artists taking Banned Drugs and practicing Forbidden Skills, all will contaminate the body and cause mutation... The Blessed Ones who received the power of the Heretic God that is not of this world are naturally the same."
"The contamination and mutation caused by Alien Implants and Banned Drugs, mostly just bodily mutations, can be suppressed through a variety of Anti-Mutation Agents and surgeries... but the contamination and mutation the Blessed Ones suffer from are of the mind."
"During the blessing ceremony, we touch the divine with our Spirit Consciousness, the God's Power naturally seeps in and contaminates the Spirit Consciousness, and because its Rank is far above mundane beings, nothing external can intervene. Aside from resisting the contamination with our own will, there's hardly any other way."
Xue Jing frowned, "What are the consequences of mutation?"
"Based on the Mutation Rate," Qin said in a deep voice.
"A Mutation Rate below 10% has no effect, below 30% the effects are minimal, most Blessed Ones keep their Mutation Rate suppressed below 30%."
"Once it exceeds 50%... all sorts of 'Mutative Diseases' begin to manifest."
"Such as Aging Disease, Berserk Syndrome, Undying Disease, Self-Dissolving Disease, Phantom Face Disease... Different Blessed Ones exhibit different symptoms.
Our Flower God Society's Blessed One would develop 'Tree-man Syndrome,' with their skin turning into bark and growing flowers, branches, and leaves, etc., as body traits continuously transform towards plant-like, and their mind also becomes more and more dull, disinclined to move."
"The higher the Mutation Rate, the more severe the Mutative Disease symptoms become, until 100%, completely losing all traces of being human and transforming into another kind of existence... which to the person concerned is no different than death."
Xue Jing's brows were tightly knit as he asked, "Is it difficult to suppress mutation?"
Qin nodded, "Very difficult."
"Different people have different suppression methods, like meditation and so on, but generally speaking, the purer the Spirit, the simpler it is to suppress. The more attachments, the more complicated a person is, the more difficult it is to suppress mutation, hence many Blessed Ones try to keep themselves free of attachments."
She gave Xue Jing a meaningful look.
"Your sister values family greatly, values you."
"She is to go to the Merciful Mother... Your attachment will become an obstacle in her path."
"I think, Professor Lü's idea was, since it's impossible for your sister to sever mortal kinship, might as well have you always by her side... that's why he sent me to invite you into the society."
Xue Jing's lips curled into a mocking smile:
"Or a failure in receiving the blessing could also solve the problem, couldn't it."
Qin shook her head, "That I don't know."
Xue Jing held the colorful eyeball in his hand, twirling it as though it were a walnut, and said:
"You Blessed Ones, rather than saying you've obtained the power of the gods, it feels more like you've been cursed by them."
Qin smiled, but her face showed a trace of devotion.
"No, this is the blessing of the gods, not a curse. If one cannot bear it, it's merely that mortals are not fortunate enough to enjoy it, not a fault of the gods."
"He just bestows the power; how we use it is our affair, and if we use it poorly, that too is our mistake."
Xue Jing was noncommittal, "I have no intention of arguing these points with you..."
After some thought, he said, "Right, that plant you control, that thing called what was it... Nagussium something something Chalatos."
Qin pursed her lips in dissatisfaction, "Nagussium Chalatos! Are you even a high school student, at the time when your brain should be at its best, yet you can't even remember a name!"
Sounds from the electric kettle indicated the water was boiling; Xue Jing looked at her, twisting the eyeball in his hand, raising an eyebrow.
Qin immediately corrected herself, "The name is a bit complex, it's normal to not remember it after a short while..."
Xue Jing chuckled and said, "Too complicated, let's just call it 'Oxygen-Absorbing Tree'... Give me one of those, or even a seed will do."
The remaining brightness in Qin's right eye suddenly lit up.
"Then give me back my Stigmata, so I can summon it..."
Xue Jing touched his chin, "If you get your hands on this thing, you should be able to use it for some strange tricks, right?"
He remembered how the woman had reached toward her eye at the end of their last fight.
"Eh... no way, I've just got that one ability, and you totally blew it up, didn't you?" muttered Qin, somewhat sheepishly.
Xue Jing said nothing, went straight over to the kettle, opened it, and steam billowed out. He pretended to be about to throw the eyeball inside.
Qin turned pale with fright, "Wait! Big brother, good big brother!"
Xue Jing had no intention of paying attention to her, but his movements still halted.
Because his phone rang.
He took out his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen.
It was from Wu Youqing.
Xue Jing returned to his seat, answered the phone, and began, "Hello, BOSS."
"I found out, the Flower God Society said it was an act of someone lower down acting on their own," Wu Youqing's serene and ethereal voice came through the receiver.
"The person you caught, you can dispose of them as you wish; they won't pursue it."
Xue Jing nodded and replied, "I understand."
"Thanks, good sister."
After chatting for a few more sentences, Xue Jing hung up the phone, his gaze turned toward Qin, his eyes devoid of any fluctuations, making it impossible to read his emotions.
Qin felt uncomfortable under his gaze, and stuttered:
"What... What now?"
Xue Jing did not respond immediately, but waited for a moment, then slowly said:
"Actually, between you and me, there's no significant conflict."
"Letting you go just like that, it's not impossible."
Qin nodded repeatedly, nearly moved to tears, "You're absolutely right..."
"However…" Xue Jing's tone suddenly changed.
"Letting you go without any consequences, it makes me look kind of easy to bully, which is somewhat irritating to me."
Upon hearing this, Qin's face suddenly flushed, and she said hesitantly:
"Then, if worse comes to worst, I can give you… that,"
Xue Jing: "..."
He said exasperatedly, "What are you thinking about, shrimp-head girl really is clueless."
Qin retorted dissatisfied, "What now, I, a beauty like me, have taken the initiative, what else could you be dissatisfied with!"
"Wake up, look at me, then look at yourself in the mirror, and tell me, who would be at a disadvantage in doing this?" Xue Jing chuckled.
Qin: "..."
She wanted to retort with conviction that it would definitely be her loss.
But looking at Xue Jing's face… she really found it hard to say it out loud.
She asked angrily, "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Xue Jing thought for a moment, then said, "You need to give me one of those Nagussium Chalatos, a seed will also do."
Qin quickly nodded, "That's no problem."
"Additionally…" as Xue Jing spoke, he suddenly changed his mind, "No, never mind."
He stood up, walked in front of Qin, and holding the colorful eyeball said:
"This eye, I can just stuff it back in for you, right?"
Qin was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "No problem… As long as the Stigmata and my body are in contact, I can use the Merciful Mother's power to heal myself, and the nerve connections in the eye can also be repaired quickly."
"That's good then." Xue Jing directly pulled back her left eyelid, aimed for a moment, and with a plop, stuffed the colorful eyeball into the empty eye socket.
"…You could at least wash it first." Qin said reluctantly.
Considering that Xue Jing not only had put her eye in his pocket but had also been playing with it... she felt particularly uncomfortable.
But the feeling of the Stigmata returning and the ability to use God's Power again relieved her, and she quickly activated it, a pale green glow beginning to emanate from her left eye.
After a short while, she blinked, and her vision fully recovered.
Then, as if offhandedly, Xue Jing asked, "How does it feel, is there anything wrong?"
...