Chapter 565: The Weight of the Soul
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 565: The Weight of the Soul
"Ahem. Anyway, I didn't come here to chat about that. I'm here for business."
After suppressing his increasingly dangerous imagination, Muen returned to the main topic.
"That so-called Source Blood..."
"The so-called Source Blood is the ancestral blood of the beast-kin—the legendary origin of all beasts."
Mela snapped her fingers again.
The image on the curtain shifted once more. This time, however, even Muen couldn't discern the specific form of the entity reflected in the image.
It was merely a massive, hideous mass of black shadow—blurred and indescribable, yet radiating a terrifying sense of pressure that felt like a physical blow.
"I have never seen the so-called Primordial Beast myself. Even during the height of the beast-kin's prosperity, it was considered a vague, ethereal legend. Many scholars of that era debated whether the Primordial Beast even existed.
"However, it is true that a bestial bloodline can undergo atavism to the level of Source Blood, though it is an extremely rare occurrence among the beast-kin. Potent Source Blood grants a beast-kin power and potential far beyond their kin. Almost every individual who achieved Source Blood atavism was raised with the full resources of the beast-kin race, becoming one of the continent's top powerhouses. This was one of the reasons why the beast-kin remained consistently powerful despite their small numbers."
"But..."
Muen frowned, falling into deep thought.
"That little girl... she looked like a human."
He flipped open the file. It recorded the girl's hideous and terrifying appearance at the time. However, if one excluded the monster parts that had been surgically stitched onto her, her base form was still that of an ordinary little girl. She didn't just lack beast-kin characteristics; she didn't even have beast ears or a tail.
"That is precisely the problem."
Mela glanced at the photo with an indifferent look, crossing her arms.
"The bestial bloodline in her body has reached the level of Source Blood through atavism. But I suspect that before that happened, her body hadn't been strengthened much by the pitifully weak beast blood she possessed. Nowadays, beast blood is thin; most people carrying it might never awaken that lineage in their entire lives. Therefore, such a sudden awakening was actually fatal to her frail physical body."
"Fatal..."
"Yes. While the Source Blood constantly reshapes her flesh, the beast nature inherent within the blood relentlessly erodes her mind. A frail body and soul simply cannot withstand such violent modification. She should have died a painful death very quickly in that conflict."
Mela rubbed her chin. "However... using grafted magical beast limbs to strengthen the flesh, and then using those limbs to dilute and divert the flow to slow the Source Blood's erosion of the main body... the person who did this is something of a genius. The idea is quite clever.
"...It just looks a bit cruel. After stitching on so many magical beast limbs, that little girl's sanity must have been almost entirely devoured."
"...Yeah. She seemed to have no sanity left at all."
Muen secretly clenched his fist and took a deep breath.
The memory of the battle with that girl resurfaced in his mind, making his heart feel heavy once again.
"Oh?"
Mela seemed to see right through Muen. She arched an eyebrow. "It seems you lost quite badly this time? Well... if it was Source Blood, losing isn't exactly a surprise."
"I won't lose next time."
"Is that so?"
"I definitely won't lose."
"Oh my. I was going to pat my poor disciple's head to comfort him, but it seems that won't be necessary."
Mela snapped her fingers again. The curtain vanished, and the entire flower sea returned to its bright state.
"But... regarding the Source Blood, you probably want to ask more than just that."
"Correct."
Muen nodded, his expression turning solemn.
"It's still about the Source Blood, but this other question is even more important."
"Ask."
"It's not a particularly strange question, it's just... since Source Blood allowed that girl to have so many magical beast limbs stitched onto her without any side effects, then this blood...
"Could it also be used to freely stitch and transplant body parts or organs between different people?"
"Of course. You should have realized it from the fact that the beast-kin were able to fully integrate with humans. Beast blood itself is a lineage with exceptionally high compatibility, let alone Source Blood."
Mela flickered behind Muen and tapped her finger on the spot where his alchemy core was located, chuckling softly.
"If we had discovered the existence of atavistic Source Blood earlier, you might not have needed to travel all the way to the Holy City when you were suffering from rejection reactions. Well, though the purpose of going to the Holy City wasn't just to eliminate the rejection."
"...Are you admitting that what happened to me in Cantville was related to you?"
Veins throbbed on Muen's forehead at her words.
"Oh my? What are you talking about? I haven't left this place from beginning to end."
The old loli stuck out her tongue, playing dumb.
"Who would believe that... forget it... back to business."
Muen pulled the conversation back and continued, "Since that's possible, does it mean... something as incredible as a brain transplant is also achievable?"
"A brain transplant?"
Mela blinked.
"I see. It sounds incredible, but in reality, the Life Church has already mastered that technology to the point of boredom."
"The Life Church? Mastered it?"
Muen's eyes widened in shock.
"Those guys are actually performing human experiments like that in secret? I knew it. That old man, the Pope, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes—he never looked like a good person. Could it be that he's lived this long because..."
"Calm down. While I agree that the old boy isn't anything good, the Life Church wouldn't be so classless. Have you forgotten which deity they serve?"
"The Goddess of Life?"
Muen paused, then it clicked.
The fusion properties of Source Blood were merely a lower-tier substitute for a fraction of the Goddess of Life's power. There was no reason the Goddess of Life couldn't do what Source Blood could.
"Yes. With the deity who governs life in charge, the Church's understanding of human life naturally exceeds that of any person or organization. After all, if one is willing to pay a sufficient price and the soul is intact, they can even reconstruct an entire body. Replacing a mere body part is no difficult task. As for why the Church hasn't made this technology public: first, it could drive people mad—like the person who prompted you to ask this question—and second, compared to the massive amount of Power of Faith it consumes, the results are completely disproportionate to the cost."
"I see."
Muen nodded in understanding.
The ability to replace organs at will would naturally lead to madness in some.
On the other hand, just to eliminate the rejection of his alchemy core, he had to undergo a Holy Light Baptism. Even with the Life Church's vast resources, a Holy Light Baptism wasn't something they could hand out like candy.
"As for what you just said—that one could live as long as that old fox the Pope by swapping brains—that's impossible."
"Eh? Why?"
"The reason is simple. You've killed so many evil believers with tenacious vitality by now; haven't you noticed? For humans, or rather, for high-level lifeforms with sapience, what is more important than the physical body is..."
"The soul," Muen murmured.
"Exactly. The soul. That is the barrier that even the Life Church cannot breach."
Mela casually flipped through the file again before tossing it aside. She looked at the pensive Muen and said meaningfully:
"Since you're my cute disciple, I'll give you one more hint. If someone actually did something as stupid as a brain transplant and succeeded, it would definitely have to be based on soul transfer."
"Soul transfer..."
"Yes. And the soul's connection to its original body isn't that easy to sever—especially when that original body is still in good condition."
Mela gave a cryptic smile. "Do you understand what that means?"
"The connection..."
Muen's mind raced as he began to rapidly process the deeper meaning behind Teacher Mela's words.
If the Lord Speaker really did undergo a brain transplant, it meant his original body was actually still in good condition. This could be confirmed through Celicia. As for...
"Alright!"
Mela suddenly clapped her hands, interrupting Muen's thoughts.
"You can think about those minor issues later. Right now, there's something much more important to do."
"Something more important?"
Muen was startled. "What could be more important than—"
"Ta-da! Look at this!"
Mela suddenly stepped aside, showing Muen what she had been tinkering with.
Muen craned his neck to look, and his expression instantly froze. A bad premonition began to dance wildly in his heart.
Because... what Teacher Mela was showing him was a pot—one that looked very exquisite, very expensive, and very high-end.
"Since you've finally come back for a visit, the most important thing is, of course, the customary body tempering! While the body isn't as important as the soul, it's indispensable for you."
Mela gave him a thumbs up.
"Don't worry. This pot... I mean, bathtub, has been fully upgraded by me. It can improve medicinal absorption by a full thirty percent!"
"Thirty percent... the side effect isn't going to be boiling me alive, is it?"
Looking at the giant pot, its base pulsing with blinding magical lusters as if it were mounted on a planetary engine, Muen's mouth twitched.
"Can I refuse?"
"Refuse?"
Mela retracted her thumb. With a creak, her five fingers snapped into a fist. she smiled sweetly.
"What do you think, my cute disciple?"
"..."
...
...
"The soul's connection to the original body... is it?"
Looking at the letter that had just been delivered, and ignoring the messy handwriting that looked like it was written by a dying man, Celicia also fell into slight contemplation.
However, she didn't think for long before waving Wei'er over.
"Go immediately to..."
Celicia leaned over and whispered into Wei'er's ear.
"Oh, oh... I see. I'll go... Huh?"
Wei'er was nodding in agreement when her round eyes suddenly bulged.
"Is... is this okay, President? Isn't it a bit... unsportsmanlike?"
"The opponent is already using these kinds of methods, and you're asking about sportsmanship?"
Celicia remained expressionless. "Are you going or not? If not, I'll have someone else—"
"I'm going! Of course I'm going!"
Wei'er puffed out her chest, speaking with righteous conviction. "As long as it's the President's order, I'll go through fire and water without a second thought!"
"Good. Pick the timing yourself. Safety first."
"Understood!"
Wei'er gave a clumsy, makeshift military salute and hurried out to prepare.
After watching Wei'er's back disappear, Celicia turned her head again, looking in the opposite direction of the Lower District.
"Alright. Next... I shall go once more to see my father, the Emperor, who has remained silent until now."