Chapter 149: Are These Disciples of Sanctus Medicus… Legit?
On Jarilo-VI, within a tavern tucked away in Belobog's Lower District, Sampo was leisurely sipping his wine.
Ding-dong.
The crisp notification chime from his phone cut through the tavern's low murmur.
Sampo pulled out the device, a lazy smile already forming as he saw the contact name flashing on the screen: Caelus. He tapped the message open, his smile widening into a genuine beam.
"Same name?"
Sampo's eyebrow arched, a flicker of amusement coloring his expression.
"In this day and age, someone else is actually named Sampo? Let me see who has such impeccable taste... Maybe they're even in the same line of work."
With a flick of his thumb, he opened the photo attached to the message.
And just like that, the smile on his face didn't just freeze; it shattered.
The background was unmistakably a street on the Xianzhou Luofu. And the man in the center—pulling a ridiculous face, striking an exaggerated pose, and even winking directly at the camera... Oh, dear Aeons! Wasn't that his very own god of mirth?
The last traces of Sampo's smile stiffened into a rictus of horror.
Hiss... He instinctively sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth.
'Wait, wait, wait,'he thought, his mind racing.'I'm not sure. Let's look again.'
Sampo blinked hard, shoving his face so close to the phone screen that his nose almost pressed against the glass.
Hiss... It really was his patron Aeon's favorite getup.
Sampo drew another ragged breath.
Logically speaking, an Aeon's disguise should be impenetrable, something even an Emanator couldn't see through. But... this wasn't the first time Aha had paraded around in this particular outfit. Sampo had witnessed the Aeon of Elation's "fun-seeking" escapades in this guise before, so he recognized it in a single, heart-stopping glance. And the moment recognition dawned, a cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
'No, wait a minute, buddy!'his inner voice screamed.'The god of mirth went to the Xianzhou Luofu to cause trouble? And... and he's roleplaying, using my name?'This was truly... far too much fun. A wicked spark of schadenfreude couldn't help but ignite in Sampo's heart.'Wait, no, that's not the point!' The point was... the Aeon of Elation was using his name! His! Sampo Koski's!
"Oh, my god..."
Sampo slapped his forehead with a resounding smack. His arm then fell limp at his side, the phone nearly slipping from his grasp. He could already envision it: the name "Sampo Koski" engraved in large, stern characters on a cold, unforgiving wanted list issued by the Xianzhou Luofu.
The charges would be damning: suspected collusion with dangerous elements, disturbing the peace of the Xianzhou, and intent to spread harmful ideologies... But then again... from a certain perspective, wasn't this a kind of honor?
"I knew there was a reason my right eyelid was twitching all day..." Sampo muttered to himself. He suddenly sat bolt upright, his fingers fumbling to switch to voice input.
"Oh, my good brother! This won't do! This absolutely will not do!" he dictated frantically.
"This 'Sampo' looks so dignified and peerless; he's clearly a man destined for great things!"
"We just happen to share a name—it's a coincidence, a total coincidence, a cosmic-level coincidence!"
"Right now... the signal here is suddenly getting bad, crackle... Hello? Hello? I can't hear you... Let's just leave it at that for now!"
[Message sent successfully.]
Sampo let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief and decisively blocked Caelus. A moment later, he reconsidered, unblocked him, and instead simply set his messages to 'Do Not Disturb.'
"Our Belobog is still the best," he sighed, slumping back in his chair.
"We're here. This is the place."
Aha led Stelle and Caelus through the twisting, narrow alleys of the Exalting Sanctum, finally coming to a halt before a residential building that looked utterly unremarkable. This was the same secret base where the Disciple named Green Hibiscus had previously brought him and Fuli.
"This is it?" Stelle and Caelus scratched their heads in unison.
The location wasn't far from the Divination Commission. It was a perfect example of hiding in plain sight—the darkest place is always under the candle.
"Allow me to reintroduce myself..." Aha turned, plastering a standard-issue 'mysterious organization member'smile onto his face. "I am a'Sower' of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Back on the streets of the Exalting Sanctum, there were far too many eyes and ears, so it wasn't convenient to reveal my identity. But here, I can safely and boldly tell you both."
Aha cleared his throat, perfectly mimicking Green Hibiscus's earlier tone as he fought to suppress a giggle. "The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus is an organization that follows Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance, as our one true faith and law. And 'Sowers' is how we followers refer to ourselves."
"If you wish to obtain the true method of longevity, you must first become a Sower. However, to become a Sower, you must undergo a few small trials. Please bear with us."
Aha made a helpless shrugging gesture. "Alas, as our organization has grown, it has also attracted the unwanted attention of those believers of 'The Abominable Bow.' If we don't act with such caution, the consequences... would be unimaginable."
He spoke with a Herculean effort to maintain a serious expression.
Meanwhile, Stelle and Caelus were only half-listening. Their attention had been captured by the girl standing silently behind Aha. It was the form Fuli was currently using—a visage derived from Elysia, so beautiful it seemed almost dreamlike, as if she were wreathed in a soft, ethereal halo.
Stelle's eyes widened. 'Wow... so pretty.'Caelus found himself staring as well.'Indeed... but why does she feel a bit familiar?'Stelle and Caelus glanced at each other, a silent question passing between them.'You have that feeling too?' 'I do too.'It wasn't her appearance that felt familiar, but her aura... a certain feeling she gave off. They looked at each other again, their brainwaves practically syncing up as the same name popped into their minds.'March 7th.'
For some inexplicable reason, they both saw a shadow of their pink-haired friend in this stunning, silent girl.
"She, like you, is still undergoing the organization's 'trials'," Aha added with a grin, following their gaze.
"Aren't Xianzhou natives... generally very hostile towards the Abundance?" Caelus asked, pulling his attention back to their guide.
"Alas, only those who have been bewitched and blinded by The Abominable Bow would be hostile towards the boundless grace of Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance," Aha replied, putting on a pained expression at just the right moment. "But unfortunately... such people are indeed many now. Far too many."
"So... what can we get from here?" Stelle asked, getting straight to the point.
"To answer your question, Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance, can cure everything you Short-Lived Species fear: aging, illness, and even... death," Aha said, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "Just as He once did for the ancestors of the Xianzhou."
Stelle and Caelus exchanged a look and nodded in unison.
"So, what kind of trial do we have to accept?" they asked together.
"Ask and you shall receive. The heart of Yaoshi is as broad as the sea of stars; He will never easily reject any sincere prayer." Aha nodded with satisfaction. He then solemnly pulled a booklet from within his robes—a booklet with an outrageously exaggerated smiling face printed on its cover.
"Therefore, our Disciples of Sanctus Medicus's introductory trial won't be too difficult."
He presented the booklet with both hands, his expression a comical mask of gravity. "As long as you carefully copy this 'Hundred-Faced Jester's Joy-Spreading Manual' five hundred times and let the brothers and sisters in the organization see your sincerity, you can officially become a proud Sower!"
Stelle: "?"
Caelus: "?"
'The Hundred-Faced Jester's Joy-Spreading Manual'???
The two of them stared at the booklet with the massive, grinning face on the cover, then back at the man calling himself Sampo. A single, unified thought echoed in their minds.
'Are these Disciples of Sanctus Medicus of yours... actually legit?'
Aha's composure finally cracked. "What are you saying! What are you saying! This manual of ours is guaranteed to be legit! Aha wrote it himself! How could it not be legit?"
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