As the seventh day dawned in this world, a special fluctuation rippled through the air. Bai Yi's mental power enveloped his mechanical eyes, and the world around him transformed once more.
The seal of the saint expanded, growing from a mere 30 centimeters to a ten-meter radius, pushing the encroaching black fog outward.
Bai Yi exhaled in relief. It was clear that something had invaded this world, and its flaws were beginning to show.
His body shifted slightly, and he gently set the two girls down.
"Eh?" they exclaimed in unison.
"Stay within ten meters of me," Bai Yi instructed as he made his way toward the royal city at a leisurely pace.
This city, the core of the human race, drew Erin and Luo Ning closely behind him. Their worries had dissipated over the past week; they had come to understand their current predicament.
In every curse doctor inheritance trial, an unknown deception lurked. Bai Yi couldn't quite fathom what this god-level entity might be—be it an evil god, an ancient deity, or a malevolent force from dimensional turbulence.
What he was certain of was that the inheritance from God paled in comparison to that of the saint, whose soul could withstand such deceptions.
As they entered the city, a peculiar energy began to emanate, heralding the spread of the epidemic.
Bai Yi summoned thousands of magnetic machines. To the astonishment of onlookers and the wary soldiers, a black structure with a diameter of 15 meters materialized in the center of the busiest street.
The soldiers' expressions shifted as they prepared to voice their concerns.
"Cough cough."
A faint cough echoed through the air, and while Bai Yi couldn't fully comprehend their language, he ignored the soldiers banging on the door of his creation. He disassembled two magnetic machines and began constructing something.
Soon, a loudspeaker emerged.
"Testing, testing…"
Bai Yi was satisfied with the loudspeaker's functionality. He casually tossed it, where it was caught by a mechanical arm, and words began to flash on the screen:
[Treatment for the epidemic: One gold coin. If you can't afford it, you're out of luck. If you're interested, come queue up!]
[No gold? Extraordinary materials accepted—first come, first served.]
Erin blinked, clearly taken aback.
Luo Ning was equally surprised.
"Boss, isn't that too expensive for ordinary people?" Erin asked, concern knitting her brow.
Bai Yi shot her a mysterious smile. "Really?"
"Yes, right?" Erin stammered.
"As you wish," Bai Yi said, slightly altering his mental energy.
[One gold coin above bronze, ten copper coins below. First come, first served for treatment. The greatest regret in life is having money while losing your life.]
Boom!
Outside, an extraordinary magic blast slammed into the structure created by the magnetic machines.
Buzz~
The machines efficiently absorbed the impact.
The loudspeaker kept broadcasting as soldiers gathered quickly, preparing for a second assault.
But just as they readied themselves, a new wave of coughing emerged among them.
"Cough cough."
The mage who had unleashed the previous attack suddenly changed expression. Before he could react, he felt an itch in his throat and internal organs.
"Cough cough."
He instinctively coughed twice, then his face paled. The magic within him was being suppressed! It felt as if it was being swallowed whole.
Shock filled his eyes as he gazed at the room he couldn't penetrate.
Anger and despair washed over him. He had openly poisoned them, only to offer a cure at a minimal cost. While the fee was low, the situation felt truly desperate.
"Cough cough."
As the coughing intensified, soldiers began to feel sharp pains in their internal organs, and cries of agony started to resonate.
Some soldiers, succumbing to the loudspeaker's persuasion, knocked on the door with trembling hands.
"Luo Ning, open the door and collect the fees."
"Oh, okay," she replied hesitantly.
Erin felt a twinge of worry. How could they still charge for eliminating this dreadful epidemic? After all, it was a disaster she had unwittingly brought upon them.
Three hours later…
"Boss, what's the gold coin count?" Erin asked, peering out the window Bai Yi had deliberately opened.
The street was a sea of coughing heads, stretching beyond the horizon. Some even attempted to force their way in, but the magnetic machines held firm.
"Your choice, bear the consequences. The doctor's benevolence can be released," Bai Yi remarked, putting away a vial of medicine. "These potions will restore spirit and physical strength. I'm counting on you, kind-hearted elf."
Erin felt a pang in her heart as despair filled her eyes while she gazed at the throngs outside.
Bai Yi smiled. "Luo Ning, next!"
Luo Ning nodded obediently, a smile lighting her face. She could feel Erin transforming back into the carefree elf she once was, rather than the saintly figure she had become.
This was a welcome change.
Twenty Days Later…
"Luo Ning, next!" Bai Yi called.
Erin, exhausted, protested, "No, no, no more!"
She flipped over the operating table, bloodshot eyes filled with frustration. "Damn capitalist! I'm not a skeleton! Doctors need rest too! I'm done!"
Bai Yi quietly retrieved a small black orb, within which a weak voice murmured, [But… they will really die.]
"Continue," he commanded.
"No!" Erin shouted, panic rising.
Bang!
"Oh~" she cried, "I'll die suddenly!"
"There's medicine, though."
"Ah! Damn capitalist! You really should go to hell!"
"I'd like to, but hell doesn't want me. They think this is hell. If you don't believe me, I can connect you with a few devils."
"Ah! Damn capitalist! You really should go to heaven!"
Bai Yi glanced at Luo Ning, who wore a bemused expression. He sensed the outside world shifting; they were almost there.
"Rest for three days. Now, keep going!" he ordered.
Erin's anger flared, and the air around her crackled with tension.
She slammed down a vial of mental recovery potion and another of physical recovery potion, grumbling, "Next!"
Luo Ning shrank back, offering a moment of sympathy for the next patient, then opened the door to admit a frail man clutching a gold coin.
Luo Ning expertly collected the coin, and the man was transported to the automatically repaired operating table of the magnetic machine.
"There's no disease in this kidney, but there are others."
Jing~
Erin's hands moved swiftly, her scalpel glistening with blood. After treating the epidemic, the man's organs remained intact, needing only a few tiny stitches.
Her technique had evolved; she could now slice through muscle fibers without damaging them, allowing for quick healing.
It was a benevolent skill, though it couldn't shield against overwhelming resentment. After a few spasms, the patient fainted, and the machine transported him outside.
As time dragged on, Erin's frustration grew. If players had seen her, they would have recognized that her current state mirrored the one she had experienced after being killed and respawning.
A smile crept onto Bai Yi's face. As long as he shielded against the continuous influence of deception, they could navigate this together.
The perfection of the elf? The curse of the curse doctor? Pure goodness? Could it withstand the resentment of the workers?
Initially, Erin had borrowed 140,000 gold coins; now she still owed 120 million. This might just be enough to neutralize the influence of the cursed doctor.
Once the mark was cleansed, everything would fall into place.
Three Days Later…
As the sun rose, Erin declared, "I'm done! No more! Damn this medicine! Damn capitalists! Damn patients! Damn curse doctors! I refuse to do anything!"
Bai Yi patted Luo Ning's head. The little girl had fallen asleep but was now awake.
Ignoring Erin's fury, he gazed at the sky, sensing a shift, a smile forming on his lips.
The second stage was upon them.
"Get some rest."
As Bai Yi spoke, the anti-magnetic machine began to rise, and the crowd below descended into despair. Watching the structure ascend, they felt their chance at survival slipping away.
But Bai Yi paid them no mind; the crowd lacked the strength to rise up against him.
If saving the masses could cultivate the benevolence of doctors and enhance swordsmanship, then what was needed to shatter that benevolence was a sense of powerlessness. Transitioning from savior to helplessness could crush a doctor already burdened with guilt.
And thus, the curse would transform.
Bai Yi waited patiently for the moment to arrive.
When the time came…
Buzz~
A circular shape resembling a rotating imprint materialized, and the world trembled. A mark rose within the saint's seal, resembling a human face—grotesque and unnerving, evoking both madness and kindness.
Bai Yi frowned. This was not a god!
Grotesque!
Dimensional turbulence!
A prompt appeared on the panel.
Simultaneously, the saint's mark glowed, as if confronting a formidable foe.
Understanding surged within him, revealing why every curse doctor possessed the potential for greatness.
Panel:
[Your will has been invaded by grotesque power; you lose 300% of your sense every second.]
[The Holy Soul is immune to 80% of will attacks. Your soul is too strong, immune to 100% in this world.]
[You are injured by will; will damage in this world decreases by 1% per second.]
[Detected: You have super high soul resistance, will resistance, and mental resistance, making you immune to will damage.]
The enlightenment of the saint's imprint lacked explicit explanation, yet it allowed Bai Yi to grasp its essence, translating these insights into clear understanding—far more detailed than what the panel conveyed.
[You are under attack by an unknown force, breaching the saint's inheritance defense. You are immune; dimensional turbulence grotesque: the grotesque doctor's mark invades, and the saint's mark erases the grotesque mark.]
Name: Grotesque Doctor
Level: Great Divine Power
Saint's Record: The uncertain and grotesque embodies the duality of good and evil in the world. Do not accept any of His gifts; He disregards fate and luck.
You may receive the gift of world destruction from what He perceives as kindness or acquire all the treasures you desire from His malice.
Warning: Before reaching the peak of this era, if you encounter any turbulence or grotesque, distance yourself immediately. They can always stand at the pinnacle of the new era, ancient and beyond imagination.
Bai Yi regarded the sky with calm determination, silently witnessing the clash of two inheritances.
One was the grotesque imprint from the cursed doctor's inheritance, while the other embodied the immense fate of the saint's lineage.
This invisible yet profoundly impactful battle unfolded before him.
Saints and grotesques shared uncanny similarities.
Saints represented the pinnacle of the previous era, transitioning into the next while growing stronger. They were among the elite of each era.
Grotesques emerging from dimensional turbulence mirrored this trend.
With each world's end, grotesques suffered the least and gained the most, as all matter—including spatial turbulence—originated from dimensional chaos.
Thus, the collapse of worlds was also a manifestation of dimensional turbulence; the current turbulence was no different from that of the past ten eras—it merely grew stronger.
No being that could survive in this torrent of destruction could be deemed weak.
This was the collision of the two apex inheritances of the entire era.
Bai Yi observed as the saint's mark casually suppressed the grotesque face, gradually eroding it, disregarding all resistance.
Thoughtfully, Bai Yi sensed something.
As less than one-tenth of the grotesque face remained, he extended his hand.
In the sky, the mark of the saint suddenly emerged, radiating pure white light.
Buzz~
A wave of terror surged. At that moment, people across the world looked up at the shimmering mark in the sky.
Powerful!
Incredibly powerful!
Kneeling in reverence, the populace prayed, and the world began to tremble anew.
A beam of dark light cascaded down, and the top of the mechanical house opened swiftly, allowing the light to flow toward Erin.
Bai Yi, satisfied, remarked, "Well, it's time. Remember to emerge soon."
He gently stroked Luo Ning's head.
Suddenly, he took flight, soaring toward the heavenly mark. As he grasped the last remnants of regret, the white epidemic's mechanical body burst forth in a blinding light, disintegrating instantly.
Luo Ning watched Erin, still asleep, then turned to the vanishing vision in the sky, confusion etched on her face.
[You have modified some curse doctor inheritance and have been marked by the Grotesque Doctor. Favorability with the Grotesque Doctor is -10%.]
[You gained Grotesque Power ×1 and the Totem of the Grotesque Doctor ×1.]
[The Grotesque Doctor (evil) granted you a gift of strength.]
[The soul of the saint blocked the gift. Do you accept the gift?]
[Checking the gift.]
[Name: The Gift of the Grotesque Doctor.]
[Attribute: Dimensional Gift.]
[Effect: 90% chance of obtaining ultra-high-level curse, 10% chance of acquiring ultra-high-value items.]
[Warning: This curse will result in 100% death. Avoid accepting any gifts of Grotesque Power.]
[Introduction: The fusion of good and evil. Can good and evil coexist? I will commit evil acts with good intentions while performing good deeds with disdain. Why can't I be compatible?]
[The gift has been received and will be sealed within the saint's mark.]