Chapter 131: Magic Separation
When they met again, Coleridge looked as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, with a pale face and floating steps.
This completely confused Miss Plump Sheep.
She had never seen her father so weak before, and what astonished her even more was that her father, who usually had almost obsessive requirements for his appearance, had actually buttoned up his coat incorrectly today.
"Mr. Coleridge."
Loria gestured for Miss Plump Sheep to calm down and took the initiative to greet him.
Coleridge nodded blankly, "I'm feeling a bit unwell, I'll go rest for a while upstairs. Yukihime, you're in charge of receiving the guests."
Loria quickly took a few steps forward to stop Coleridge, "Mr. Coleridge, I've come today to help clarify things for you."
"Confusion?"
"Did you attend the regular meeting of the Magic Exchange Association this afternoon? At the meeting, a mysterious woman showed you a very magical experiment, and you tried to reproduce that experiment..."
Loria's words were interrupted before she even finished.
"How did you know?"
Coleridge's face was covered with a layer of frost, and an invisible pressure came from all sides.
This didn't scare Loria, everything was still under her control so far.
She began to tell her newly created story, "I have been tracking and investigating the Minister of Finance for a while now, and during my investigation, I discovered a hidden connection between the Minister of Finance and a pagan group known as the Church of Goddess of Madness and Indulgence. Interestingly, the magic exchange association that Mr. Coleridge attended was secretly hosted by the Church of Goddess of Madness and Indulgence."
Coleridge stared at Loria.
Madness, indulgence...
These two words made his extremely tired heart beat a little, and he always felt like there was some key point that he hadn't grasped.
He cheered up and no longer thought about whether Loria was lying, but rather went straight to the point, "What do you want with me?"
Loria said, "I just want to remind you not to be tricked by the people from the Church of Goddess of Madness and Indulgence. They are a group of completely crazy individuals who have no hesitation in attacking even themselves."
Coleridge remained undecided, saying, "I have my own judgment."
Loria shook her head and said, "Have you ever thought about the consequences if your judgment is being guided?"
"Hmm?"
"Has that mysterious woman told you that if you feel confused, you can follow the instructions on the invitation she sent to find her?"
"That's right."
"That's how they are guiding you!"
Loria pretended to be very knowledgeable and confidently made up a story, which truly impressed Coleridge.
Coleridge said, "Words are not enough to prove something."
Loria scoffed, "I know that, so I plan to show you. If you want to see the truth, come with me. It won't take too long, maybe just an hour. Besides, you don't have much clear thinking time left. It's better to come with me."
Coleridge hesitated for a while.
He looked at Loria, then at his daughter, and finally agreed.
Loria immediately took action, leading Coleridge to a prepared experiment site.
It was late at night, and the room was brightly lit. A group of people surrounded them, with Loria standing confidently in the middle.
"Next, I will repeat the experiment you did in front of you. Pay close attention and see if I miss any key steps."
Coleridge really wanted to refuse.
He didn't want to see the experiment results again.
The small cat carries the truth of the world on its body. The cat can't bear this weight, and he can't either.
But Loria's relaxed expression made him hold back.
As long as he's still alive, he has to face it all. It doesn't make much difference if it's sooner or later.
Compared to those who consider the study of magic as their life, he, who has other concerns, has a stronger ability to endure.
The experiment begins.
Coleridge stared at Loria without blinking.
He could tell that Loria's technique was clumsy, just mechanical imitation. But this experiment is very simple, and even a slight mistake during the process won't affect the results.
However, the unexpected happened just like that.
"！"
Looking at the little white mouse lying in the glass enclosure, Coleridge's eyes widened.
"How is it possible for it to fall so plain and simple like this?"
This is completely different from the experimental results he previously obtained.
He had also questioned it before, but no matter how he checked, he didn't find anything wrong with the experimental process.
"Loria must have made a mistake somewhere!"
Technique?
The technique was not wrong.
It must be a problem with the experimental materials and the device for injecting magic.
"Let me check."
Coleridge walked over stubbornly.
"You check."
Loria felt very at ease at this moment, unlike Coleridge, because she had presented the facts.
Even though she wasn't sure why things had ended up this way, as long as her experimental results were different from Coleridge's, she would be victorious.
Coleridge checked again and again, more than a dozen times, and the final conclusion left him speechless.
The materials, no problem.
The equipment, also no problem.
"I'll do it myself!"
He clenched his teeth and personally took action, and as a result, the little white mouse that participated in the experiment mutated.
Then he had Loria and Miss Plump Sheep try it again, but neither of the two little white mice mutated; instead, they died midway through the experiment.
After comparing, Coleridge reached a conclusion that was difficult for people to accept.
"If there must be a problem somewhere, then the only one with a problem can only be me."
What is real and what is imaginary?
Coleridge's mind became increasingly confused, and at this moment, he wished more than anything that he was an ordinary person who knew absolutely nothing about magic. The less he understood, the less he would be bothered by troubles like he was experiencing now.
Loria hesitated and said, "Is there a possibility, I mean, just a possibility, that the reason for this difference is the different magic injected into the bodies of the little white mice?"
"Different magic? Wait a moment."
Coleridge was momentarily startled.
He suddenly realized something.
"You, come with me to my laboratory."
Coleridge said hurriedly, without giving Loria and Miss Plump Sheep a chance to argue back.
The three of them arrived at the laboratory.
Coleridge took out three magical storage devices and collected the magical powers of himself, Loria, and Miss Plump Sheep.
Then he began separating the spirits from the magical powers using a method he had recently discovered. This process was extremely dull and exhausting.
But at this moment, Coleridge was completely engrossed, not even aware that his feet had gone numb.
After a while, he finally completed all the separation work.
"What are the results?"
Loria walked forward.
Coleridge shook his head and sighed, "The separation was a success."
What happened next?
Coleridge didn't hurry to speak, he took several breaths, and as he continued to breathe, he suddenly started laughing.
"They completely fooled me."
Are you trying to be a riddle person, damn it?
Loria shook with anger.
Luckily, Coleridge didn't have the riddles for too long. He said, "I separated freedom and boundlessness from Yukihime's magic, madness, greed, and wild growth from my own magic, and joy, passion, and pleasure from your magic."
"Madness?"
"The properties of my magic match well with what you said, the Goddess of Madness and Indulgence."
Loria didn't understand, "How did it turn out like this? You're not a follower of the Goddess of Madness and Indulgence, are you?"
Coleridge sighed, "The problem likely lies with the exam given by the Magic Communication Association. If you study that exam in depth, you'll be unconsciously influenced to the point where your magic abilities change. That woman took advantage of the fact that we were unaware of this beforehand and purposely used a difficult basic magic experiment to deceive our understanding. It's hard for you to imagine how devastating it is for a magic researcher's beliefs to collapse, worse than drowning. At this moment, if that woman extends a helping hand, she can become our savior in our eyes."
Loria nodded.
This she could understand, but there was one thing she didn't get.
"This isn't right. If the spirits separated from me and Yukihime have the same magical qualities, and only you are different, then you can still claim to be special. But now, all three of our magic is different. Doesn't that mean your conclusion doesn't hold up?"
Loria didn't think the usually careful Coleridge would make this kind of mistake.
Coleridge answered, "Usually, that's correct, but specific problems require specific analysis. The properties of magic are likely to be connected to one's own beliefs. The spirit separated from Yukihime's magic aligns perfectly with the Goddess of Dawn, Wind, and Sky, while the spirit separated from my magic corresponds to the Goddess of Madness and Indulgence. As for you..."
"？"
"What is your belief? You should understand it better than me."
I don't know.
Loria was a bit confused, "I am not an atheist, but I don't believe in anyone. According to your theory, shouldn't my magic have no attributes at all?"
Watching Loria's lack of self-belief, Coleridge decided to write more to prove his point.
"Just wait a moment."
He got up and left the laboratory, and soon came back with two vials of magic.
Still patiently separating, the final result was that one vial of magic contained openness and freedom, while the other vial had nothing.
"One of them is a famous follower of goddesses, and the other, like you, doesn't believe in any gods. Although the sample size is small, these results are enough to explain some things."
Loria was astonished and speechless.
She always thought she didn't believe in any gods, and in fact she really didn't believe in them, but just recently she insincerely went to the Goddess Church to worship.
The separateable result showed that she had faith/belief.
"What a joke, this can't give strength and peace."
Joyful, scorching, and pleasure piled up together, making Loria unconsciously think of pornography.
"Could it be that my body is so strange that it affects my magical attributes?"
Don't do it.
A pornographic body can now affect magical attributes, and in the future it might force her to become someone who is never satisfied and provokes trouble.
Loria felt that this speculation was unreliable, so the question is, if it's not because of the body, then which gods does she believe in?
Loria was puzzled/thought hard but couldn't figure it out.
Over there, Coleridge became active and interrupted her thoughts.
"In just two more days, those ignorant wizards will willingly walk into the trap set by the Church of Goddess of Madness and Indulgence. We can't ignore this matter, we must stop them as soon as possible."
Loria agreed deeply.
She felt that she was very close to completing the "Where is God?" event, and what she needed to do next was to completely destroy the plan of the Church of Goddess of Madness and Indulgence.
If the operation was successful, perhaps she wouldn't have to wait anymore and could also kill the Minister of Finance on her way.
"With Mr. Coleridge's influence, it should be easy to tell them the truth. Just be careful when revealing the truth, avoiding the Church of Goddess of Madness and Indulgence's surveillance."
Coleridge shook his head, "It's not that simple."
In the beginning, Loria didn't understand where the difficulty lay in what Coleridge said.
But when they truly took action, she understood the true meaning.
The magicians who have done that experiment all fell ill. People like Coleridge, who have a relatively milder form of the illness, can still exchange a few words, but those with a very severe form of the illness simply don't receive visitors.
They are like empty shells lying in bed, looking completely worn out as if they have been wandering outside for a month. But unlike wanderers, they don't eat, it seems like they want to starve themselves to death.
"What should we do about this?"
Loria counted and realized she couldn't find any helpers.
In this way, trying to deal with the Church of Goddess of Madness and Indulgence is like talking nonsense.
Moreover, just yesterday she was telling Liya that this was an opportunity for change, but today it seems impossible to make any progress. How should she explain it to Liya?
"Damn it, we should hit these people on the head with a big hammer!"
In the end, Liya took the initiative to stand up.
"As long as we show them normal experimental results, it should be fine, right?"
"Hmm, they are all smart people, as long as they see normal experiment results, they can quickly understand."
"Then leave it to me."
Liya's efficiency is terrifyingly high.
That same evening, she successfully convinced two "sick" magicians to join her cause.
Loria was astonished, "How did you do it?"
Liya said, "It's simple, our people went directly to their home with the experiment materials and equipment, and conducted an experiment right in front of them."
"..."
Loria's mouth hung open, unable to say a word.
Whether it's rough or not, a useful method is a good method.
When she really needed to satisfy herself, she wouldn't even be picky about the style of props.
"I'll get in touch with Coleridge right away."
Loria immediately found Coleridge.
The Magic Exchange Association has already sent out invitations one after another. Time is running out, and they must quickly come up with a response plan.
And so.
At midnight, with Loria as the host, a discussion conference involving numerous magicians began.
The recovered magicians were all excited. The tricks played by the Church of Goddess of Madness and Indulgence almost destroyed their research careers, which was unforgivable to them.
Considering what those people are currently doing, even if the Hidden Leader doesn't attack, Claren City will soon be plunged into chaos.
This is unacceptable for them, as they need a stable environment to continue their research.
"First, we need to come up with a plan and figure out more about this strange religion. If they are not very strong, then..."
Coleridge clenched his right fist tightly, making his intentions clear without saying a word.
Seeing this outcome, Loria let out a sigh of relief.
With so many helpers around, it appeared that she would be able to finish the task quickly.
Through these practice sessions, she successfully increased her endurance to 88 points. With just a little more progress, she would truly become a Class C adventurer.
The future looks promising!
"Let me see how capable you really are!"
Loria opened the simulator.
