Chapter 148: How the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus Became a Tavern
A little while earlier…
After a rousing round of Celestial Jade with Qingque, Nous, and Nanook, Aha gave up his seat with a wide grin. He waved over to Qlipoth, who had been watching intently from the sidelines for some time, before grabbing Fuli and dragging them out into the city.
The two Aeons wandered aimlessly through the streets and alleys of the Exalting Sanctum, for all the world appearing like a pair of ordinary, wide-eyed tourists.
Just as they turned a secluded corner, a voice, deliberately lowered and tinged with a probing quality, slithered out from the shadows.
"Travelers from a foreign land, please wait a moment..."
The speaker was none other than Green Hibiscus, a guide for the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. For some reason, he had felt a strange unease all day, yet an inexplicable, overwhelming urge had driven him to this very spot.
And then, his eyes fell upon Aha and Fuli.
In that instant, a peculiar certainty settled in his gut. He felt, with a conviction that defied logic, that these two were not only easy to fool but were also the kind of once-in-a-thousand-years prime candidates the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus dreamed of.
As if possessed, Green Hibiscus took several quick steps forward, planting himself directly in their path.
As for Aha and Fuli… they exchanged a knowing glance, a shared smile playing on their lips, before turning their synchronized gaze upon the man before them.
Aha's eyes twinkled. 'Aha senses fun… Ahahahaha!'
[Light Cone: Do You Crave Immortality?]
The memory's artwork depicted a shadowy alley in the Exalting Sanctum. A man, Green Hibiscus, leaned in conspiratorially toward two figures, his mouth open as if asking a deep question. The two figures, rendered in the forms mortal records attributed to them, were none other than Aha and Fuli. Text captions floated near the man's head.
Green Hibiscus glanced around, ensuring they were alone, before leaning in even closer. "Do you… crave 'immortality'?"
Aha's eyes lit up, sparkling with cosmic mischief. He leaned forward, mirroring the man's posture, his voice a conspiratorial whisper that he couldn't quite keep from trembling with excitement. "No… I crave fun."
"I crave memories…" Fuli added, a serene smile gracing their features.
Hearing their replies, Green Hibiscus fell silent.
'Fun… memories…'he thought, his mind racing.'Are you two a Masked Fool and someone from the Garden of Recollection?'
This combination… was certainly strange. But was it unusable? Perhaps not. They didn't seem particularly interested in "immortality" itself, which suggested they might be more susceptible to other, more abstract ideologies.
After a brief, tense silence, Green Hibiscus decided to just follow procedure. He'd bring them back first; the Master could sort it out.
"You two, please follow me…" He made a subtle, secretive gesture with his hand and turned to lead the way.
And so, brimming with fresh curiosity, Aha and Fuli followed Green Hibiscus as he wound through a labyrinth of back alleys, eventually arriving at a secret stronghold of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
What happened next was a blur. Aha, with his infectious charisma, swiftly gained the trust of the stronghold's leader, a woman codenamed Purple Rose. Then, just as quickly, he usurped Green Hibiscus's position.
Green Hibiscus stared, dumbfounded. "Wait, brother?"
Aha simply patted him on the shoulder with a magnanimous air. "Good work. I'll take it from here."
And with that, Green Hibiscus was inexplicably shunted to the side. He could only watch in a daze as Aha naturally took his place, using his electrifying words to preach to a group of new recruits.
"...and that is why the ultimate meaning of life lies in blooming with the most brilliant, devastating laughter!"
Green Hibiscus's face was a canvas of question marks. 'Wait, what does it mean that the ultimate meaning of life lies in blooming with the most brilliant laughter?'
Was this the doctrine of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus? He was sure he'd missed that part of the orientation.
He then watched in horror as Purple Rose, his superior, nodded along, a look of deep understanding on her face as if Aha's words were the purest truth.
Green Hibiscus was reeling. "Is this right?" he whispered to her.
Purple Rose glanced at him, her expression unwavering. "Is this not right?"
"Is… is this right?" he stammered, his worldview crumbling. "…Oh. Right, right."
[Light Cone: Disciples of Sanctus Medicus? The Tavern!]
The memory showed the interior of the stronghold, now transformed. Recruits were no longer listening to sermons on longevity but were instead engaged in games, telling jokes, and laughing uproariously. Aha stood on a crate, juggling brightly colored balls, while Fuli sat quietly in a corner, a small, fond smile on their face as they observed the joyous chaos. In the background, Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance, could be seen peeking through a window, a single thought bubble above their head: "That's impressive, truly impressive."
…Time returned to the present.
Aha spotted Stelle and Caelus emerging from the Divination Commission, fresh from accepting their undercover mission. A huge, brilliant smile bloomed across his face.
He quickly ducked around a corner. The moment Stelle and Caelus passed by, he leaped out, blocking their path.
Then, perfectly mimicking Green Hibiscus's original mysterious tone, he asked, "Do you crave immortality?"
[Light Cone: Do You Crave Immortality? 2]
The composition of this new memory formed a wonderful echo of the previous one. The central "preacher" was no longer Green Hibiscus but a winking, smirking Aha. And in the place where Aha and Fuli had once stood, there were now Stelle and Caelus, their faces plastered with identical expressions of utter confusion.
'This… this is inheritance,' Fuli noted with deep satisfaction.
Stelle and Caelus, however, were less than impressed. "Wait, brother?" they both thought simultaneously.
'Is the business expansion of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus this arrogant now?'Caelus wondered.'This isn't even that far from the Divination Commission!''Has their infiltration become so rampant that they're recruiting people in broad daylight, right next to the government offices?' Stelle silently fumed.
Their inner thoughts churned, but their physical reactions were faster.
"No, I crave power!" Caelus answered almost by reflex, his tone firm and resonant.
"No, I crave tiddies!" Stelle shot back, half a second slower but with an answer that carried far more impact.
Caelus snapped his head around, looking at Stelle in disbelief.
'Dammit,'he lamented internally.'Even though I answered first, my answer was nowhere near as good as hers. I lost. In the end, I was the one who lost.'
"Ahahahaha!" Aha clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he doubled over, tears welling in his eyes. "As expected of you two! This is truly too much fun!"
He wiped a tear from his eye, struggling to regain a sliver of a missionary's seriousness, and failing completely. "It's… it's okay! Immortality itself is a kind of powerful strength!" he gasped between chuckles. "Think about it! Only by living long enough can you see more and more magnificent scenery… and of course, more tiddies, right?"
Aha finally straightened up, composing himself with a theatrical flourish. "My name is Sampo. Coming to the Exalting Sanctum this time, I hoped to encounter destined souls like you to ascend the immortal path with me. How about it? Come with me to a place better suited for… discussing these matters."
'No, your name is Sampo too?'Hearing that name, both Stelle and Caelus were once again covered in question marks. If they didn't know for a fact that the real Sampo Koski was most likely still running his "small business" across the snowfields of Jarilo-VI, they might have actually believed him.'I really would have fallen for your nonsense,'Stelle thought dryly.'Is Sampo such a common name?'
Caelus couldn't resist. He pulled out his phone and quickly sent a message to the genuine article: `Hey, Sampo, you there? Look, there's someone here with the same name as you.`
After sending it, he even held up his jade abacus, aiming the camera to take a photo of this 'Sampo' as evidence.
Unexpectedly, the fake 'Sampo' didn't just allow it; he struck a flamboyant pose, one hand on his hip, and even gave the camera a cheeky wink.
Caelus stared at the image, then silently lowered his phone.
Stelle silently looked away.
'Is he really from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and not a Masked Fool?'she wondered.'He's actually more flamboyant than they are.'Stelle and Caelus looked at each other. Though not a word was spoken, they understood the meaning in each other's eyes perfectly.'Whatever, forget it.''Let's follow him and see what other tricks this guy can pull.'The two of them tacitly schooled their features, putting away their expressions of internal roasting. They nodded at Aha, their faces now conveying a look of,'You're highly suspicious, but we'll believe you for now.'"Lead the way, Mr.'Sampo'."
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters (plus an Ad-Free experience) to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Official Website: elysianreads[.]com
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]