I changed the world.

Page 431

"The Easterners severed the void and the sea, and the gods fell into slumber, including your Holy Lord. Clearly, he is not as omnipotent as your church proclaims..." The raven's hoarse voice seemed to carry a hint of mockery.

"Impossible... Absolutely impossible... If it's really as you say, then... then you..."

"I am also about to fall into slumber. The reason I can still speak with you now is because I am weaker than your Holy Lord, and you have gathered enough power of the dead, which allowed me to break through the barrier for a short time..."

“Alright… all you need to know is that my time is limited. So… I can give you the answer to your question for free. As for the other questions, I'll have to charge you.” Raven paused in his hoarse voice, then continued, “The root of it all lies in Bergoperi’s shortsightedness. The result of cutting off his own arm led to the resurgence of the cult…”

“Bergoperi…” The priest was clearly taken aback for a moment, then realized that this was probably not a topic he could comment on, but out of curiosity, he couldn’t help but ask, “Are you talking about… the Papal policy?”

"To be precise, it was the previous pope."

Father Rustor paused, seemingly lost in thought, while Father Simon beside him was also rapidly processing his thoughts. Having received a systematic education, he was quite knowledgeable about religious history, especially recently, in order to study the Grey Book, he had read extensively on historical materials from that era. At this moment, a name quickly flashed into his mind: "Rustor II".

He then thought of the policies and events during the reign of Lustow II. There are not many systematic records of that era, especially since Lustow II's reign was not long. However, a major event did occur during his reign.

That was the destruction of the Knights Templar. Regarding this order of knights, which had many legends surrounding the Crusades, some say it was a conspiracy by the Grand royal family that led to its destruction; however, there is also much evidence pointing to the Church at the time, especially the dishonorable role of Lustow II in the events.

According to records, in 1318, Owen Lane, then Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was invited by Pope Rossotto II to Grande to discuss important matters. However, upon his arrival, Lane was immediately arrested, thus beginning the prelude to the destruction of the Knights Templar…

Therefore, many conspiracy theorists believe that Bergoperi conspired with the Grande royal family to orchestrate this event.

"You mean... the Knights?" The priest had obviously already figured out the question and asked tentatively. After all, in his time, the destruction of the Knights was only a few decades ago, and it was perfectly normal for him to remember it, especially since his parish was affected by the event.

"The religious knights and churches scattered throughout the land are the two arms of the Church. And now, you have lost one of them..." The raven opened its beak and cawed, looking quite pleased.

Simon secretly memorized this knowledge, while the priest clearly wanted to ask more questions. However, the demon was not going to continue the conversation: "Alright, that's enough free knowledge. If you want to know more, then you'll have to pay a price."

The priest hesitated for a moment, but ultimately remained silent, clearly not intending to dwell on the matter further.

"Then tell me, what else do you want to know?" the crow continued.

"I...I want to know...how...how can we save those innocent people?" The priest hesitated slightly, perhaps remembering what the demon had just mentioned about the limited time, so he quickened his pace and asked the most important question directly.

“This is not simple… but it is not without hope.” The raven said in a hoarse voice, then paused and continued, “However, before that, you should understand that you need to pay a corresponding price for seeking knowledge from me.”

"What...what do you need?" The priest looked distressed, clearly feeling like he was making a deal with the devil. He hesitated before asking, "My soul?" After all, in the church's propaganda, the devil makes deals with people, and the reward he demands is his soul.

“Of course not, your soul means nothing to me,” the raven said in a hoarse voice. “I need you to spread my knowledge…”

"This..." Spreading the knowledge of evil gods was clearly a crime punishable by burning at the stake, and the priest's face grew increasingly distressed.

However, it was clear that the demon had no intention of changing the conditions, so after a moment of silence, the priest continued, "How do you want me to spread this?"

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History: Chapter 897 The Plague Doctor?!

“Here is a book. You can take it apart and spread it around. It won’t be difficult for you…” In the void beside the corpse, large wisps of black energy surged. These wisps gradually gathered and eventually formed pages of book-like objects, just like large decks of cards. These pages converged into a fan shape and were displayed in front of the priest.

"This..." The priest stared blankly at the pages before him, a fierce internal struggle raging within him. Clearly, according to the doctrines of the Church of Holy Revelation, such an act was undoubtedly blasphemous. However, in truth, it had been blasphemy from the moment he summoned the evil god. At this moment, he was more concerned with how to save the people in the city.

So he gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement: "Okay, I promise you!" Strangely enough, he just gave a simple reply, but his voice seemed to echo around him in layers.

"The contract is established!" The raven's hoarse voice carried a hint of satisfaction. Then, it added in a sinister tone, "A contract made with God is irrevocable. If you refuse to comply, you will suffer a fate more terrifying than death..."

The young man watching from afar was trembling like a leaf, as if he could see the sinners in the Hadith who were tempted by the devil, and he was constantly reciting the scriptures of the Holy Revelation Church.

Father Simon, from his perspective, focused his attention on the pages floating in the air. He vaguely felt that these pages looked familiar, as if... he had seen similar pages in the Grey Book before...

At that moment, the pages in the air flew towards the priest like birds with wings, forming a stack of books in his hands.

The priest held the other stack of books in Meng's hand as if it were a hot potato, but he dared not throw them away. He then looked at the huge raven perched on the corpse's shoulder: "Then, please tell me, how can we save those innocent people?"

“Of course, I will keep my promise,” the raven said in a hoarse voice. “Do you know why these people died?”

"You just said it's because cultists have resurfaced..." the priest hesitated before asking, "Could it be... that they are you..."

"Don't look at me like that. Those cultists aren't my followers. They worship extraterrestrial gods from the stars..." The raven's tone seemed to hold a hint of displeasure, then it continued, "Time is running out, so I'll just tell you directly..."

"This is a disease that originated from a comet that appeared over a hundred years ago..."

"You mean... the curse of the Holy Lord?!" The priest asked immediately upon hearing the word "comet".

Father Simon, who was secretly watching from a distance, suddenly recalled some information he had seen in documents before, but whose veracity he was unsure of. Legend has it that before the widespread outbreak of the Black Death, someone had observed a comet hitting the Earth, but for some reason, such accounts were mostly found in unofficial histories and rarely in official historical records.

Secondly, in the society at that time, people generally regarded comets as a source of disaster, and some even called them "the curse of the Holy Lord." While the names differed between the East and the West, the view that comets brought disaster was surprisingly similar. In the East, people called them "broom stars," which also meant stars that brought calamity.

He hadn't given this much thought before, but now it seems there might be some truth to it...

"The Holy Lord's curse? No, no, no... This has little to do with your Lord..." The crow cawed with laughter, "However... he did indeed bring about the birth of your Lord..."

Then, He interrupted the priest, who seemed about to retort: ​​"My time is running out. If you want to hear the rest, don't interrupt me..."

He glanced at the silent priest: "Accompanying the comet is an outer god from the depths of the starry sky, the object of worship for those cultists."

"The Outer God delights in death and chaos; it is what He desires. Although the Outer God's physical form is sealed away, those cultists are still active. They have used the remnants of a comet to cultivate this plague..."

"It is an extremely tiny creature, like an insect, but countless times smaller..." the crow said in a hoarse voice.

"They are ubiquitous, and the most important thing to control this disease is to prevent them from invading your body..."

"Then... then what should we do?" the priest asked instinctively.

"First, you need to isolate the sick from the healthy... But that alone is far from enough; you need to use specific protective equipment. You can soak your clothes and hats in wax to prevent them from being penetrated. In addition, you need to wear special masks containing medication that can filter gases..."

As the crow spoke, it flapped its wings, and black smoke gathered to the side, gradually outlining a strange yet remarkably clear human figure in the void beside it.

From Father Simon's perspective, the figure in the void was quite similar to a 3D projection in later times. Then, he realized that the figure in the void was strangely familiar to him!

It was clearly a person, wearing a black cloak, a wide-brimmed black hat, and a bird-beak-shaped mask resembling a crow's head. His eyes were protected by transparent glass, and he wore black gloves and held a black wooden stick.

That's... a plague doctor?!

As a native of the Western Continent, Father Simon undoubtedly had a deep impression of this classic character who had appeared in countless films and television dramas.

Also known as the "bird-beak doctor" or "plague doctor," these doctors were frequently seen in the Middle Ages, especially in the Western Continent where epidemics were rampant. Many towns would hire these physicians to slow the spread of the plague. Due to the nature of their profession, plague doctors were usually not allowed to have contact with the general public, and in some cases, they were even isolated.

These doctors wore highly distinctive clothing, especially the bird-beak-shaped mask, which became a classic design element in countless horror novels.

Because they always appear in areas ravaged by plague, and spend their days surrounded by disease, patients, and death, plague doctors, who are supposed to heal others, seem to be shrouded in an ominous aura.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind the History Books: Chapter 898 The Necronomicon

Especially the iconic bird-beak mask! Because its shape resembles the head of a crow, it is also known as the crow mask in many places, and in fact, it is the ancestor of later gas masks. In the eyes of many ordinary people, it looks like the head of a crow, and since crows always circle above the dead, they are generally regarded as an ominous sign in the Western Continent. Therefore, plague doctors in the Western Continent have always been people that others avoid like the plague, and were even once regarded as the image of the Grim Reaper.

At that moment, Father Simon suddenly realized that, to some extent, one thing seemed to be true: the Plague Doctor's mask might indeed be a replica of the Raven's head...

So... this kind of clothing was actually suggested by the demon god Bergenhag... Father Simon understood. Bergenhag's appearance in mythology was that of a raven, so a mask that looked like a raven was quite reasonable!

Just as Father Simon was pondering, the raven on the other side had finished explaining the details. Just as the priest opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to ask something else, the raven flapped its wings and said, "The time has come. So... Father, do not forget your promise."

"Wait..." The priest was clearly taken aback, reaching out his hand as if to stop him. But at that moment, the crow flapped its wings and soared into the sky...

As he soared into the sky, a massive whirlwind seemed to rise around him, whipping up sand and stones, and thick black mist scattered in all directions...

The priest instinctively covered his eyes with his hands and backed away repeatedly...

Just then, Father Simon suddenly felt a burning sensation in his hand, and then he felt a daze as if he had touched something scalding hot. When he looked around again, he found himself slumped over in his office in the Bergopelli Department of Human Development building. He seemed to have just fallen asleep, and there was even a trace of saliva on the corner of his mouth...

He coughed lightly, wiped his saliva with the back of his hand, rubbed his temples, and sat up straight. His mind was still a bit confused, and the scenes from just now seemed to be echoing in his mind... He glanced at it and saw that the Gray Book was open on the table. He had just been sleeping on the Gray Book.

After calming down, those scenes resurfaced in his mind. Was it a dream, or reality?!

Father Simon then seemed to realize something. He rolled up his sleeve and looked at the tattoo on his arm. His eyes narrowed. The crown-shaped tattoo on his arm was noticeably fainter than it had been that morning. Compared to its original state, it was much less prominent. At this moment, the tattoo was just a faint mark, as if it might disappear at any moment.

Everything I just saw was real!!!

Father Simon immediately realized this. Clearly, what he had just witnessed wasn't a dream, but rather a hallucination or some kind of supernatural event he couldn't explain. And this time, it was probably his tattoo that had pulled him out again!

That means the scenes I saw could very well have actually happened in history?!

Thinking of this, Father Simon suddenly recalled a scene he had witnessed earlier...

He remembered the raven making a condition to the priest: that he be allowed to spread His knowledge. He also saw pages like playing cards, and thinking of those pages, he recalled seeing similar pages in the Grey Book!

He couldn't resist picking up the Gray Book from the side, turning the page to one he had read before. That page was distinctly different from the others, especially with its depiction of complex, mysterious runes, including some spells whose purpose he didn't know.

These runes seem to have a powerful influence on one's mind; if you stare at them, you can see that they seem to come alive, writhing like worms...

Later pages of the book describe how Father Depoliniac attempted to summon a demon using these runes, but failed the first time for some unknown reason.

However, when Father Simon examined the complex and rhythmic runes again, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. He dared not look anymore, abruptly closed the book, and gasped for breath.

He suddenly had a hunch that the page he had just seen was not drawn by Father Depoliniac himself, but rather a page provided by a demon, which Father Depoliniac had then bound into his own "Gray Book"!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but open the Gray Book again and try to turn the pages. However, the book seemed to have some kind of mysterious power that prevented him from reading the pages he had already read and from skipping to the next page.

Even so, Father Simon speculated that there might be more similar pages in the later pages of the book than just the one in front of him…

He tried to continue flipping through the pages, and the next chapter described exactly the scene he had just experienced: Father Depoliniac summoned the demon Bergenhag from the clay tablet, thus obtaining the pages, which he named "The Necronomicon," a total of 24 pages, each containing illustrations of mysterious knowledge.

Sure enough, upon reaching this point, Father Simon came across another page from the Necronomicon. This page contained information completely different from the previous one; it depicted numerous piled-up corpses. Upon seeing this, Father Simon suddenly recalled the method Father Depoliniac had used to summon demons in the cemetery…

Looking at the lifelike depictions of piled-up corpses on the pages, Father Simon felt uneasy. He seemed to smell the stench of decay again, his throat tightened, and he dared not look any further, quickly closing the book...

The knowledge of the demon god... is truly evil... he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Only then did he notice that the sky outside the window had turned dark sometime earlier.

Has it really been that long already?

Father Simon sat blankly at his desk. The room was dimly lit. He turned on the desk lamp, checked the time, and realized it was 19:23 PM. That meant he had unknowingly spent more than four hours there.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 899 Paying Homage to the Mountain