A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 345: Chapter 269: Soul is Currency_1

“How could such a foolish thing happen…”

Looking at the report before him, the doctor scratched his head, disbelief on his face.

Afterwards, the doctor also examined the old man, the result being that his physical state was normal– the standard of a very healthy elderly man.

However, this was exactly what the doctor found so unbelievable.

Simply praying in front of a holy statue can cure diseases?

Does such a good thing really exist in this world?

Following a rigorous attitude, the doctor conducted tests on several other patients and soon discovered a pattern.

First, praying to the holy statue indeed worked… though the reason was unclear, most patients showed varying degrees of recovery after praying.

Second, the holy statue was not omnipotent. It could only treat viral diseases; its effects on bacterial diseases were quite poor and it had no effect on injuries.

In other words, if someone’s limb was severed, praying could only temporarily stop the pain or bleeding, it couldn’t regrow limbs. In that case, doctors were still needed… well, at least they still had value.

In any case, once it was confirmed that the holy statue was effective, the doctor was relieved. Based on his observations, the holy statue not only didn’t steal the value of doctors but instead became their best assistant. Viral diseases, particularly infectious ones, were the most troublesome cases for doctors. They not only infected multiple people but also consumed a vast amount of medical resources.

More importantly, most viral diseases required medication. However, in this era of drug shortages, finding the right medication was extremely difficult. With the existence of the holy statue, they at least didn’t have to worry about infectious diseases spreading. After all, praying could apparently cure them… Schools of doctors didn’t understand it, but their reports attested their efficacy. Thus, they could only admit this miraculous phenomenon.

Currently, there are three holy statues placed in the town at the entry and exit points, the clinic, and the church, and they could be used for free. Meaning, anyone who approached them and prayed could get healed.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ƝονǤᴑ.сο

Honestly, the doctor had no idea how this was possible and even more, he wondered why the Tribunal would do such a thing.

Of course, he wouldn’t understand, because this was precisely Duanmu Huai’s intention.

The war between the Tribunal and the Evil God was never only confined to the frontline. Winning over believers was also part of it. The main purpose of winning followers was not to increase their fighting power. After all, most believers were useless cannon fodder during their lives, complete expendables, who couldn’t even hold off Astarte for a second.

Yes, during their lives.

But after death, it became a different story.

In the world of Star Ocean Online, when ordinary believers died, their souls would return to their God, similar to how one’s soul returns to the Golden Tree after death according to the Golden Law. The souls of atheists would become prey to the demons who killed them, effectively becoming spoils of the Chaos Evil God.

None of that is acceptable.

The more people you killed in the real world, the more souls you would get in the subspace, and the more powerful you would become. This was a snowball effect! If this kept going, would the others still keep playing?

Therefore, the war against the Chaos Evil God involved not only the physical realm but also the battle for souls. Now, the souls of those killed by DuanmHuai and the Tribunal would enter the Tribunal Domain, enhancing Duanmu Huai’s power. Meanwhile, those who believed in the Tribunal would join the Tribunal after death instead of being stolen by the Evil Gods and made their trophies.

Yes, this is one of the reasons why Duanmu Huai set up the holy statues. When you pray to the holy statue and receive its blessing to heal your diseases, it means your soul has made a deal with the Tribunal. You would become a believer of the Tribunal, and your soul would belong to the Tribunal after your death.

Free?

What could be more expensive than free in this world?

Life is inseparable from birth, aging, sickness, and death, with illness being a significant part. The God of Plague developed his followers this way; the lower-class citizens who couldn’t afford medicine or treatment would receive help from our compassionate father. He would cure their diseases, grant them the supreme glory of mutation, and allow them to abandon their human status and become part of the Plague Corps.

If the God of Plague could do this, why not Duanmu Huai? Despite his blessings not being able to grant immortality like the God of Plague, wasn’t it already enough for most people? As long as he could spread it in this way, he could hijack a good portion of potential followers of the God of Plague!

Souls are the currency of Gods!

When people pray to the holy statues and get cured, they’ve essentially traded their souls with the Tribunal. When they die, their souls will belong to the Tribunal!

Well, this is very fair and just. There are no issues.

After all, Duanmu Huai had clearly laid out the doctrines of the Tribunal, including the fact that their souls would belong to the Tribunal after death and they would go to the starry sky to fight against the Evil God to protect humans. He already made everything crystal clear. Whether you believe it or not, it’s your business and has nothing to do with him.

But if you think you can renege on it… that’s another matter.

Thus, the holy statues of the Tribunal quickly became famous among the wanderers.

At first, everyone was skeptical, but led by “Just try, it’s free” and “Everyone says it’s good,” most of them tried praying and were pleasantly surprised by the result. Soon, those who were sick and had no anti-biotics to treat themselves also began to try praying to relieve their pain and ailments.

The patients were overjoyed to be relieved of their sickness, and the Tribunal was equally delighted to gain new followers’ souls.

This was a win-win situation.

However, compared to the Tribunal, the scene in Jasindu, thousands of miles away, was completely different.

Earlier, the Wei’an Government Alliance launched a light-quality raid. They used their light-quality bombs to attack the Beast Race in the underground area near Jasindu, wiping out a large number of them. This allowed the Wei’an Government Alliance to breathe a sigh of relief. Although many of their soldiers were injured or killed during this operation, they were able to prove to their citizens that they also had the ability to strike the Beast Race in the subterranean.

Next was their planned proposal to the Tribunal, asking for both sides to ally and strike against the Beast Race underground, to completely eliminate them!

Well… that was the original plan.

However, plans cannot keep up with changes. Before the Wei’an Government Alliance could contact the Tribunal, the epidemic had already spread throughout their city. The Alliance initially didn’t notice it, but soon they realized something was wrong. They immediately quarantined parts of the city, rounding up all those infected and putting them under strict supervision.

People initially cooperated with the actions of the Wei’an Government Alliance, especially since there was the victorious aura of the Light Quality assault operation. At first, everyone was quite obedient.

But, as time passed, the condition of those infected with the plague worsened, and they eventually turned into monsters attacking others. People could no longer sit idly by. Rumors circulated that the Wei’an Government Alliance had no way to cure the plague. They could only isolate the infected and kill the transformed monsters. There were even rumors that the Alliance planned to exterminate all those who were infected!

Under such circumstances, the isolated infected people refused to sit and wait for their deaths. They too were trying to escape from here.

However, it was not an easy task for them.

“Have you heard?”

In an abandoned house, several people were huddled together, whispering.

“Another isolation facility has been destroyed…”

“Really?”

“COG has no way to cure the plague. They’ve locked us here waiting to die!”

Saying this, one person clenched his fist angrily and waved it forcefully.

“If we don’t leave here, we will all die!”

“But… how do we leave?”

Another person coughed twice and asked. The man who seemed to be the leader confidently spoke.

“We just need to pass through the underground pipes. I overheard the guards talking. COG has lifted the blockade on some of the underground pipes. Obviously, they too want us to leave here!”

“But… after leaving here, where can we go?”

At this point, a timid girl spoke up.

“We can’t survive outside, and this plague is incurable. We only have one way out – death… If we’re going to die anyway, I’d rather die at home…”

“How do you know it can’t be cured?!”

Upon hearing the girl’s defeatist words, the man raised his eyebrows and glared at her.

“The COG can’t cure it, but what about the Tribunal? If we can find the Tribunal, they might be able to save us!”

“The Tribunal? Do you really think the Tribunal exists?”

Seeing the man’s confident expression, the others were a bit skeptical. Because of the COG’s strict information blockade, most of the people living in Jasindu city believe that the Tribunal is just a rumour created by the nomads. They didn’t believe the Tribunal either. The content of the rumor was too exaggerated, claiming that the Tribunal had invincible Steel Warriors, impervious to the attacks of the Beast Race. They had supposedly easily annihilated the Beast Race nest in the tunnels, claiming they were deities descended…

Truthfully, almost every citizen in Jasindu doesn’t believe this organization truly exists. Even the COG’s Light Quality assault operation had lost so many soldiers. How could a nomadic tribe exterminate the Beast Race without a scratch?

Claiming they have the protection of a deity?

How is that possible?

To the citizens of Jasindu, the so-called Tribunal seemed more like a mythical utopia or Shangri-La, not actual reality.

“Of course.”

While speaking, the man looked around vigilantly and then took out a piece of rag from his bosom.

“This is a map I got from a nomadic friend. They’re heading to the Tribunal, so they gave me this map. As long as we follow this map, we can find the Tribunal!”

“It’s so far…”

Looking at the location on the map, everyone turned pale.

“Can we make it?”

“If we can’t make it, there’s only death!”

The man folded up the rag, coldly glaring at the others.

“You all can feel it too, this plague is currently eroding our bodies, becoming more and more severe. If we stay here, there’s only death. It’s better to head to the Tribunal. There may be hope for survival. Do you want to stay here waiting for death? Or will you leave with me?”

“…”

Faced with the man’s question, everyone fell silent.

They didn’t want to leave this city. After all, many had abandoned everything to get into Jasindu.

And now, they had to leave?

For most of them, it was a difficult choice.