Night Journey

Chapter 51 The Path of Healing
The Colossus, the Mother of Mercy, is the ruler of healing destinies and one of the six existing Colossi.

Cillian had read about the existence of this giant in the public library, but the book did not mention any further information about him.

The term "Sorrowful Monks" is a collective term for those who have attained extraordinary destiny through healing. They are also the most devout believers and servants of Our Lady of Compassion.

After healing Cillian's wounds, Gavin bid farewell without lingering.

"Ms. Love, now that the injured person has recovered, I'll be leaving now."

Meifuni quickly followed, "Thank you so much, Brother Gavin."

“It’s not much trouble,” Gavin said in a low voice, his back to the others. “But we’ll have to trouble your father, Ms. Love.”

"The City of Wounded Cocoons needs a large amount of supplies. We request that the Centipede Merchant Guild allocate them from the surrounding city-states as soon as possible."

"Of course."

Meifuni nodded vigorously.

Having received Maefuni's approval, Gavin smiled and left.

Cillian called out to his departing figure.

"Thank you, monk!"

Gavin waved without turning his head and disappeared, as swift as the wind.

Cillian kept rubbing his wounds, and after a few minutes, he still felt a strange dreamlike sensation.

Dailin leaned closer and muttered, "Damn it, it really is a cultivator of suffering. Except for rotating to the northernmost part of the Desolate Realm, they almost never leave the City of Wounded Cocoons."

The sudden appearance of a monk suffering pain in Hel City is quite big news.

"Don't be nervous. Brother Gavin is here to see my father for a mission. He will leave after the mission is completed."

Seeing that Cillian was alright, Maefoni breathed a sigh of relief and reminded him.

"Remember to keep it a secret, don't tell anyone."

“Of course.” Dai Lin patted his chest. “I won’t let those powerful people bother him.”

Seeing that Cillian couldn't understand what the two were saying, Maefoni asked.

"Is this your first time meeting a monk of suffering?"

Cillian nodded silently.

Meifuni chuckled softly, "Hehe, actually this is my first time meeting them too. Before this, I had only heard some rumors."

She sat by Ciri's bedside, repeatedly rubbing Ciri's wounds, and sighed.

"It has completely healed, without even leaving a scar."

"Can you tell me about them?" Cillian said.

Because of her unique identity, Maefuni can learn about many things that Cillian cannot.

"As the most beloved of the six giants, you should have read about the story of Our Lady of Mercy in books."

"During the Age of Renewal, she also joined the Great Expedition of the Three Sages as part of the medical corps, healing countless extraordinary beings," Meifuni said without any hesitation.

"After the Year of Rebellion broke out, the expedition came to an end, and the civilized world changed from outward expansion to conservative defense. The Holy Mother of Mercy led her followers back to her homeland—a city built on ruins, the City of Wounds."

Mefone continued, "Since then, Our Lady of Mercy has lived in seclusion and has not appeared in the civilized world again."

Her followers and the tormented monks all returned to the City of Wounded Cocoons, and except for necessary actions, they almost never left the city.

"A monk of suffering can transfer diseases, injuries, and even curses from various forces onto himself, and through his powerful self-healing ability, completely cure these transferred ailments."

In every city-state, those suffering ascetics are the most sought-after strangers. The city-state's elite will throw lavish banquets and spend fortunes, all in exchange for a cure for their ailments.

Meifuni changed the subject, "But as I said before, after the city-state era began, the monks of agony, along with the giants they served, lived in seclusion in the city of Cocoons and rarely went out."

"But this does not mean that they refuse to heal people. On the contrary, they welcome those seeking medical help to the City of Wounded Cocoons. As a result, large numbers of strangers from afar can often be seen trying to find a glimmer of hope in the City of Wounded Cocoons."

Dailin, who was standing on the other side, chimed in.

“Not all injuries and illnesses can be cured by the Pain Monks. Once the injuries or illnesses are transferred and exceed the Pain Monks’ self-healing ability, they will also die from the injuries and illnesses.”

He then warned, "Don't think that the Pain Monks are just a group of harmless healers; they are also very capable in combat."

“A monk who suffers pain can relocate his injuries. For example, a wound that pierces the heart can be moved to the extremities to avoid death, and then the healing process can be accelerated through self-healing abilities.”

It's fair to say that, at the same level, it's very difficult to kill a cultivator suffering from pain.

Cillian then realized how lucky he was; he had just been seriously injured when he encountered a monk suffering from pain.

Looking at Maefoni again, Cillian emphasized.

"Thank you, Mafenny."

There must be many powerful and wealthy people in Hel City who hope that the Pain Monk will relieve their pain, but Mefuni brought the Pain Monk to herself without even mentioning any reward.

Mephoni accepted Cillian's thanks.

"I'd rather help my colleagues than treat fatty liver for the powerful and wealthy."

"Haha."

Everyone laughed easily.

After the laughter subsided, Cillian and Daelin's expressions turned serious simultaneously. Maefuni noticed the oppressive atmosphere, puffed out her cheeks, and said helplessly.

"Should I step aside?"

“I’m sorry, Mafoni,” Dalyn said apologetically, “you know we can’t disobey your dad’s orders…we might even have to rely on him for our year-end bonuses.”

"I know, I know, sigh, this is so boring."

Meifuni covered her ears and turned to leave. "You guys talk first, I'm going back to change." She had spent the whole morning getting ready for Cillian, and she hadn't even changed out of her morning run clothes.

Cillian and Daelin exchanged a glance, and the two immediately sprang into action.

He rolled off the hospital bed, opened the closet, and found all of Cillian's clothes inside.

The uniform was burned to shreds and stained with blood, clearly unwearable.

Taking out the Boiling Sword and the Jet Revolver, Cillian, dressed in a light blue hospital gown and barefoot, followed Daelin outside.

Pedestrians on the street cast strange glances at them, but the two hurried along, completely oblivious to the problem.

"A monk suffering from agony has secretly arrived in Hel City..."

Dalin frowned. "I heard a rumor that the evil forces of Chaos are launching some unclear operation against the City of Wounded Cocoons, which has put the City of Wounded Cocoons and its surrounding city-states on high alert."

"Hel City has been affected too?" Cillian suddenly realized. "Wait... are we very close to the City of Wounded Cocoons?"

"Pretty much. The City of Wounded Cocoons is located in the Dawn Corridor, separated from Hel City only by the City of the Lonely Tower," Daelin shook his head. "Forget it, let those big shots worry about this kind of city-state-level event."

They returned to the City Guard Bureau as quickly as possible, went to Dalin's office, drew the blinds, turned on the desk lamp in the dim light, and Dalin took out a series of documents and placed them in front of Cillian.

"As an intern, you shouldn't be involved in this, but since you've already gotten involved, I won't hold back."

Daelin's tone was extremely serious: "The Chaos Cultists have reappeared in Hel City and have become increasingly active in recent years."

Cillian flipped through the documents, which detailed one horrific murder after another, with victims lying dead in the streets, their bodies adorned with blasphemous symbols.

He noticed that all the victims were wearing city guard uniforms, and that the cause of death was severe blood loss, to the point that their bodies had decomposed into mummies.

Cillian thought of the bloodthirsty mycelium.

“They were the previous batch of interns,” Dai Lin said sadly. “When the first person died, I warned them and asked them to travel in groups, but we still couldn’t avoid the accident.”

“We were in the light, they were in the dark, and we were put on the defensive from the very beginning.”

Cillian carefully reviewed the documents and asked suspiciously, "These reports are missing some information. What happened?"

The document did not record the autopsy of the deceased, but Cillian believed that strands of scarlet mycelium must have been found in that dried flesh and blood.

"A series of cases targeting City Sanitation Bureau employees led the director to believe that there was a mole within the City Sanitation Bureau, and detailed information needs to be reviewed before it can be accessed."

Dai Lin said, "You're still an intern, so please understand."

Cillian gained Daelin's trust, but to the director who controlled the city guard, Cillian was merely a pawn that could be sacrificed at any time.

An urgent knocking sound came from outside the office, interrupting the two's discussion.

“The nurse said you were discharged,” Anya said, panting as she stood outside the door. “And sure enough, you’re here.”

"What's wrong, Anya?"

Dai Lin rarely saw Anya in such a hurry.

“I investigated the location provided by Cillian,” Anya said. “I didn’t find any remnants of chaotic power there.”

Dai Lin didn't understand. "How is that possible?"

The other party reacted even faster than the city garrison, completely erasing all traces.

“There are more important things than these,” Anya said. “The director wants to see Cillian and hear his report in person.”

"Director?"

I don't understand why they switched to Cillian this time.

Having worked at the City Guard Bureau for so long, Cillian had never met this mysterious director.

It wasn't that the director was deliberately avoiding Cillian, nor was it that the intern's status was so low that even the director couldn't see him; it was simply a matter of bad timing.

Every time the director came to the City Guard Bureau, Xilian was on duty. When Xilian was off duty, the director was away from the City Guard Bureau due to various meetings.

Cillian never expected to meet that mysterious man at this time.

"Okay, I know."

Cirian pushed open the door and left, before Anya could even call out to him.

"Is there anything else?" Dai Lin asked.

“No,” Anya shook her head, “I just want him to change his hospital gown.”

Among the staff in gray uniforms, Ciri's light blue hospital gown stood out, attracting everyone's attention.

Amidst the whispers, someone mentioned that Cillian was a recently recruited, eccentric intern. This was followed by a burst of relieved laughter, and everyone went back to their own business.

Cillian was unaware that his reputation was taking a strange turn, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.

Taking a deep breath, Cillian knocked on the director's office door.

"Come in."

The man who had been working at his desk looked up, his sharp gaze sweeping over Cillian's body like a sword.

“Cillian, is it? Please have a seat.” The man continued, “I had planned to visit you in the hospital myself, but I heard that you were healed by a monk of suffering.”

"Yes."

Cillian was startled, not expecting the man to have received the news so quickly.

"Tell me what happened last night."

De Karl stopped working.

(End of this chapter)