Chapter 44: The Parasite Path
The peaceful night passed just like that.
Sylvia looked at the sky that had yet to fully brighten, felt the not-so-fresh yet still chilly air, and casually turned her gaze toward the servants in the garden on both sides of the road who had begun their busy morning routines.
She shook her head, then walked in the direction of the Ruls District.
She didn’t use any means of mysticism to speed up her journey, but simply strolled along the early morning streets, watching the city gradually awaken from its slumber and feeling the atmosphere where silence and liveliness intertwined.
Of course, this was limited to the Eplington District.
In the Brick District, or even the Stadcon District, on a winter morning when the sky remained pitch-black, the workers had already bundled up in warm clothes and stepped out toward their workplaces.
This was the foundation on which they relied to survive.
And these were the scenes she had witnessed during her first few days in this world.
By the time she arrived at St. Ruls Cathedral, the sun had already risen into the eastern sky, casting a light that was bright yet not warm over the entire city.
"Dong..."
"Dong..."
"..."
At that moment, the cathedral bell rang eight times, announcing the time to the residents of the city.
"Just in time."
Sylvia took out the pocket watch from her pocket, and with a crisp "click," flipped it open to check the time and confirm its accuracy.
Passing by the general laborers who were sweeping the open space in front of the cathedral, the puppet girl stepped into the church and saw a few scattered worshippers seated on the pews with bowed heads in prayer.
She said nothing and walked toward the statue placed atop the altar, placing her hand upon it—
Brilliant starlight flashed by, and the statue was once again overtaken by the Authority of Envy, its form rapidly transforming.
Watching the spiritual light points, symbols of "faith," gradually gather toward her body, she couldn't help but furrow her brow.
Too slow.
Trying to elevate herself through faith—just one church was far from enough!
Hmm...
Now that the angel of the Church of Radiance had left, perhaps it was time for Loruze and the others to begin preparing for the spread of faith in the Lord of Seven Sins?
In a gradually lightened mood, Sylvia walked past the statue and headed toward the underground levels.
The ground floor of every Radiance church marked a boundary—below it belonged to the extraordinary, while above it belonged to the mundane.
A massive solidified ritual divided the upper and lower levels, keeping them from interfering with one another.
The simplest example: at night, spiritual power on the ground floor could feel the pull of the full moon and become more active, but underground, there was no such sensation at all.
Passing through a long but adequately lit underground corridor, Sylvia arrived at the door of her office.
She did not knock, simply reached out and pushed open the door, walking inside.
At this moment, the room was empty, yet unusually tidy, as if someone had come ahead of time to clean it thoroughly.
Seeing this, she nodded in satisfaction, then walked to the solid wooden chair and sat down.
Next, she raised her right hand and gently touched the socket of her right eye.
In the next second, a violet light rippled outward, penetrating one wall after another and echoing throughout all the underground spaces—except the Court of Radiance.
In that instant, a flicker of confusion appeared on the faces of all the clergy and knights who were either working or resting, then faded into sudden realization.
"Your control over your power has become more proficient."
Lakdevo tilted his head slightly and offered a compliment.
However, Sylvia ignored him, leaned back against the chair, and began counting silently in her heart:
"One, two, three..."
"Knock knock knock!"
The knock sounded at the door.
"Enter."
A smile appeared on Sylvia’s face as she looked at Loruze, who stepped through the doorway.
"Good morning, Your Grace."
Loruze bowed in greeting.
The puppet girl did not engage in any polite small talk, but went straight to the point:
"Him… hmm, did that Angel of the Sword discover anything?"
"No."
Loruze shook his head, and Sylvia nodded in satisfaction.
Then, her deep purple eyes looked into Loruze’s:
"Regarding the question I left you with before I departed—have you made up your mind?"
It was a question concerning Loruze’s future choices.
Hearing this, Loruze was silent for a moment before finally giving his answer:
"I am willing to walk the path of my Lord."
"Very good."
Sylvia nodded in satisfaction again.
"But you will need to wait for a while."
"I understand, Your Grace."
Loruze replied, then hesitantly continued:
"But I have already undergone a second metamorphosis. I wonder if the new path my Lord weaves will allow for a change?"
To this, Sylvia did not respond immediately but instead told him to wait a little longer.
Watching his departing figure and the closing door, a certain gray-haired girl couldn’t help but sigh:
"I underestimated the difficulty of weaving a new path."
After several days of effort, and with the help of the Authority of Change granted by the Faceless One, she had achieved preliminary results last night—
The extraordinary ability for the first metamorphosis had taken initial form.
It was just that...
The effect seemed somewhat unsatisfactory to her.
But this did not imply incompetence.
The main reason for this outcome was the essence of her being as an Outer God, which directly resulted in her power’s projection in the Spiritual Realm being too weak. Without the Authority of Change, she might have outright failed in the end.
"I believe that if the problem of your output efficiency in the Spiritual Realm isn’t resolved, even if you succeed in weaving a new path, it will be extremely weak."
Lakdevo added from the side.
To this, Sylvia could only agree. However, there was no trace of discouragement on her face, even though she couldn't change this situation in the short term.
Then, she began tapping her fingers on the desk, helping herself sort through the disordered thoughts.
A few seconds later, a crisp voice rang out in the room:
"I’ve come up with a new idea for weaving extraordinary paths."
"Ka?"
Faced with Lakdevo’s confusion, the puppet girl let the corners of her mouth rise:
"I believe I can go for a compound path."
"Compound… path?"
Lakdevo looked bewildered.
It understood the term. A so-called compound path meant simultaneously walking multiple different extraordinary paths to gain greater power.
But this route had long been proven unfeasible.
Not to mention that every level of extraordinary being had a limit to the extraordinary power and spirituality they could integrate, the mere conflict between different systems of extraordinary power would be enough to kill them.
"Correct."
Sylvia nodded and continued:
"But not a compound path in the traditional sense. Hmm… I think it’s more appropriate to describe my idea as a parasite path—"
"Parasitizing upon those thirty-two most stable extraordinary paths, but without fusing with them. Instead, while forming a separation, gradually absorbing and converting the extraordinary traits of the host path, until eventually the original extraordinary power is entirely replaced, thereby becoming a pure ‘Sinner’."
"What do you think of this?"