Whispering Poems

Chapter 4086 The Initial Test
Shad had thought he would have to seek out even more ancient beings to learn what the First Men were, and he was even prepared to deal with "desire" again. He never expected to hear the term again from the alchemist today.

Of course, it's also possible that the "ancestral people" mentioned by the other party and the "suppose" they are referring to are not the same entity.

Mr. Mercury explained the word to Shad:
"In ancient creation myths, the ancient creator did not create all the races in the material world. Races such as humans and elves do not seem to have been created by that ancient god."

Legend has it that the earliest humans and elves existed before the 'First Children' were created. And the earliest life forms among those ancient races of unknown origin—mortals even older than the 'First Children'—are collectively referred to as the 'Ancestors' in the ancient texts passed down through the Association.

Xia Deqiang suppressed his surprise. This made him almost certain that the "earthlings" mentioned in [the original text] were likely the same concept as the "earthlings" these alchemists spoke of. They were the earliest life forms in the world, existing since the beginning of time, not created by the ancient gods. Only such life forms deserved the title "earthlings."

"Okay, please continue. So what are the stories of the 'First Men' and the 'First Children'?"

"The first children walked with the First Men on the primitive earth of the material world, and together they built the brilliant civilization of the First Age. Now, in the Sixth Age, the descendants of the First Men and the descendants of other races created by the Creator still exist, but the 'First Children' have disappeared."

Mr. Mercury looked at Shad:

"The 'First Children' did not depart like the gods; they merely fell into slumber after completing the tasks bestowed upon them by the gods. According to our ancient prophecies, these sacred beings will awaken at 'twilight'—"

"The Creator's first children were born at dawn, slumbered in the daylight, and before the final darkness descends, they will awaken again in the twilight age amidst the cries of the 'Children of the End,' giving all life in the material world its final test."

Shad blinked. Although he was prepared to hear mythology, he hadn't expected to hear this:

"What kind of test? The 'First Child' has to fight the 'Last Child' to prove who is better?"

Shad currently has two main understandings of the "First Child": one is the "eldest son's flesh and blood," and the other is that the [active metal] is part of the "First Child." Because both flesh and blood and metal are involved, Shad cannot yet imagine what the so-called "First Child" actually looks like.

Mr. Mercury shook his head:
"What exactly the test will be, no one can answer that question. But based on our speculation, the 'First Child' will test the beings of the Twilight Age to see if, after such a long period of time, they have achieved the Creator's original vision. No one knows the specific form of the test, but we believe that it will be initiated with the aim of purging those unqualified races."

The Jade Record likely contains information about the 'First Children,' and the power of that book will assist us in completing the trial.

"But humans weren't created by that ancient god, so they too must undergo trials?"

"That was a test for all life in the material world. Humans may not have been created by the ancient gods, but the first humans were able to multiply on this land thanks to the help of the first children."

Mr. Mercury said calmly, and Shad looked at him intently:
"You seem to be trying to tell me that at the same time the tenth chosen one appears, the oldest race, born from the beginning of the world, will also appear and then engage in some kind of contest with all the creatures of the material world?"

"It can be understood in this simple way. I even speculate that it may be related to the Chosen Ones ritual. That's why finding the previous generation's 'Redstone' lady and obtaining information about the [Emerald Record] from her is so important. It's for the sake of all life and all races."

"Wait a minute, does the Church of Creation also know about this myth?"

"It is obvious that the [Creation Church] is the most orthodox successor of the ancient [Creation Bishops], a fact that everyone acknowledges."

"But the church has never revealed such information."

"We have no way of knowing what the Church is thinking. In fact, the Church's split is very strange. We suspect that the Church of Creation wants to create the 'Son of the End' to fight against the 'Son of the First'. However, they know that their actions are against the rules, so they let the group led by the 'Construct Master' leave the Church temporarily."

This sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory, but Shad can't deny the possibility. Perhaps all of the above is just a lie fabricated by alchemists to get Vig to hand over more clues related to her mother and that unknowable relic, but perhaps it's all true, but most people haven't taken such prophecies seriously.

Xia De considered it for a moment:
"We can continue to exchange information about the previous generation of 'Redstone' in this way. I have no fundamental conflict with you, otherwise I wouldn't have let those two who attacked me last week off so easily."

"Of course, the fact that they returned unharmed is enough to prove that you and we are not mortal enemies."

"But the [Holy Son Alliance]..."

“We did not have any further contact with them, and we did not recognize the group of people when we first started working together.”

"And there's the Blood Spirit School and the Truth Society."

"These are all illegal ring sorcerer organizations; we will keep our distance from them."

Shad could clearly hear Viggo snort behind him, clearly still distrustful of these alchemists. Shad, of course, wouldn't believe everything they said, especially their claim that they had no further connection with those illegal organizations.

Because the previous conversation had been very pleasant, the two sides then exchanged views on what was happening in the city.

Shad could sense that Mr. Mercury wanted to test his identity, so when they talked about the "Giant Warrior" at the charity gala two weeks ago, the great battle at the Church of Creation last week, and the battle between the two 13th-circle warlocks above the sewage treatment plant the night before last, Shad shared his views as a firsthand witness.

This made the alchemist somewhat hesitant to test the waters, but the vice president did ask a very important question:
“Mr. Redstone, may I ask which organization you belong to now? I know you probably don’t want to join the Alchemy Guild like the previous Mrs. Redstone, but I think we can maintain the friendship that came from the previous generation.”

Shad did not mention the [Witch Council]:
"I'm basically all alone now, without any power or organization, but I have many friends. The two ladies from Gaohuan behind me are my very good friends."

Mr. Mercury nodded:
"Actually, we've come here with a small problem we'd like your help with. Since you've inherited some of the research findings from the previous generation's Lady Redstone, I wonder how much you know about flesh creation and flesh decay?"

"My achievements in alchemy are very limited, probably only at the level of a seventh or eighth-year student in one of the three major academies. In terms of flesh and blood research, I have only just begun to understand it."

“Mr. Redstone, you are too modest. Please take a look at this.”

Then the 12th-ring sorceress standing behind him took out a briefcase that she had prepared beforehand. When the briefcase was opened on the table, there was a glass flask inside, and inside the flask was a bright red mass of flesh that was constantly hitting the sides of the flask.

The mass of flesh was spherical, its surface covered with grooves resembling the cerebral cortex, from which tiny buds grew. It possessed normal vitality, yet also exhibited distinct whispering characteristics; Shad knew almost instinctively what it was.
"The flesh and blood of a fake man?"

Mr. Mercury was slightly surprised, but still nodded and explained:

"Yes, I didn't expect you to recognize it at a glance. This is an experimental subject we obtained from an external organization during our previous exchanges. The camouflage characteristics of the fake people also represent the adaptability of their flesh and blood."

This mass of flesh underwent some complex experiments, but instead of having its peculiar adaptability activated, it transformed into a separate life form. This thing possesses extremely vigorous vitality; once parasitized by it, one is almost immediately transformed into a pseudo-human.

We didn't want to create more fakes, so we tried to destroy this experimental subject, but its vitality was too strong. In addition, it was a derivative of a relic, which is almost indestructible. So we were worried that even if we crushed it, the powder would have a huge impact later.

Mr. Redstone, do you have any way to destroy it?

Shad looked at him:

"Mr. Mercury, may I consider this some kind of test?"

The twelve-ring warlock laughed:
“Mr. Redstone, you can interpret it however you like, but we are indeed curious to know how much knowledge you inherited from the previous Lady Redstone. You have already proven your strength, but when the Jade Alchemy Guild assesses a person's worth, it doesn't just look at their Ring Sorcerer rank.”

Viggo didn't really want Shad to deal with what was in the bottle, even though she had many ways to destroy it herself, but she didn't want to do it.

However, Xia De's idea this time is different from Wei Ge's:

“I’ll handle this, but I want more of Lady Redstone’s alchemy notes, not this pile of things that can only be considered records of failed experiments.”

Mr. Mercury then gestured "please," and Shad leaned forward slightly, gently tapping the flask's body with his right index finger. As the sound rang out, the fleshy mass inside the flask began to violently pound against the glass, sensing a higher being of the same origin as it.