The Witcher: Start with the Lord Marrying a Wife.

Chapter 386 Cognitive Pollution
Lucia was swept up by the strong energy, her long silver hair moved without wind, emitting a dazzling light as if she was electrocuted.

In the misty light, she suddenly felt a scene that was erased but existed in her memory.

The first Pope was standing where they were at this moment, inserting a key carved from his ribs into the void, at that moment!

The scene was like a dream, yet as clear as the Vermillion Bird and deeply rooted in her heart.

"Here is the key!" exclaimed Lucia.

"This is a method to open up another state of existence. It is also an important tool that the first Pope used to open a door and pass on power and knowledge!"

However, it is not that simple.

As the two stared at the key in the void, they also felt the energy in the surrounding space fluctuate dramatically, and an indescribable uneasiness spread throughout their bodies.

“We must find this source of power,” David clenched his fists, “otherwise we will not be able to move forward, nor will we be able to uncover the true intentions of the first Pope.”

“Perhaps this key has another meaning,” Lucia added.

“If it leads us to a higher level, then perhaps it will ultimately reveal more about the true nature of the church and faith.”

The two of them once again focused their attention on the key in the void and tried to find a way to connect to it.

However, amidst the ever-changing world, they feel like they are standing in front of a huge wave, and everything in the future depends on how they explore further.

“Let’s focus and resonate this space with our faith,” David whispered.

He reached out his hand and held Lucia's. It was a flow of information that transcended the physical connection, binding them more tightly with every heartbeat.

In an instant, they felt the aura around them change. There was no longer any fear, but an upward attraction pulling them towards the location that was shining with a faint golden light.

They closed their eyes and devoted all their energy to the depths of their hearts, searching for the unknown truth in the hope hidden in the endless darkness.

As time went by, they gradually heard a new, low but pleasant melody. That melody was like a trickle of water or the echo of an ancient civilization, guiding them to continue to sublimate.

At this moment, a new picture emerged: the immortal memories formed by the faith of the pilgrims were constantly interweaving and colliding, making the entire universe seem to be revitalized.

“This is… history!”

At this moment, the two people's consciousness were connected like an electric current, and countless historical fragments appeared before their eyes.

From ancient human civilization, to the most primitive mysterious sacrifices, to the struggle behind today's society's understanding of faith...

Each episode is a vital inquiry into the eternal struggle between life, death, redemption and hope.

At this moment, the two of them were under the surge of incredible information, and their bodies glowed with bright golden light, just like the morning light warming the earth.

A powerful energy surged into their chests from a hidden place, leading them to break through the obstacles. When the last seal collapsed, they finally saw a huge door slowly opening...

"There's a secret room here!"

Lucia's voice was tinged with excitement as she pressed the holy emblem against the emerging keyhole. The wall retreated like water, revealing a mysterious secret room.

A bronze astrolabe was suspended in the center of the secret room, with ancient and mysterious runes flashing on its surface and emitting a faint light.

When David and Lucia approached, they found that the positions of the twelve constellations had all been replaced by reliefs of suffering human bodies. Those twisted and desperate human bodies showed all kinds of pain and struggle, which was chilling.

David felt his heart tighten, and he suddenly realized that this might be related to the pain the church inflicted on its believers.

"These people...were they sacrificed?" he asked in a low voice.

At this moment, he felt a sudden burning pain from the silver moon mark on his body, and a strong sense of discomfort came over him.

At the same time, the bronze star disk burst out with a dazzling light, and the shadow of the first Pope appeared in the light.

It was a man with a flaming beard and a stern and tragic face.

He was stripping away his own nerves.

Streams of bright red, colorful consciousness seemed to flow out of his body and were injected into the skulls of the twelve disciples who were kneeling at his feet with respectful yet painful expressions.

"He uses pain to convey oracles." Lucia whispered, she tightened the moonlight dagger in her hand and looked firmly at the core of the star disk.

"This is how the first pope tried to influence believers through body and soul. He turned his pain into strength to make them accept his will."

She stabbed the dagger into the core of the star disk without hesitation. At that moment, a deafening roar sounded!
As the dagger penetrated deeper, the dome of the secret room suddenly revealed an extremely brilliant and vast starry sky map, in which the positions of the three main stars of Orion corresponded to the coordinates of the three major temples of the church.

"These...these coordinates!" David realized the importance of the matter.

He looked up at the tiny dots that sparkled as bright as diamonds. "If we find these three holy temples, we may be able to completely uncover all the secrets hidden by the first pope and the church!"

However, at this moment, the entire holy mountain seemed to groan because of this discovery, and the ground beneath the feet of the two men shook violently, shaking the surroundings like a coming tidal wave.

As the tremors intensified, a deep crack appeared beneath their feet, opening like a mouth of darkness, isolating them from the secret room.

"Quick! Catch me!" David reacted quickly. He reached out and grabbed Lucia, then jumped to the other side of the abyss with all his strength.

As they flew, they both looked sideways and saw tens of thousands of silver masks piled up like a mountain at the bottom of the abyss - those masks all had the face that Lucia was familiar with and afraid of.

"This is... my face!"

She screamed in horror. The blurry and distorted yet extremely familiar scene made her feel an indescribable uneasiness in her heart. "Is this my past? Have all the believers sacrificed themselves for me?"

"Don't be afraid, we will definitely be able to uncover all this." David looked straight ahead, held her little hand tightly, and passed on the warmth to her.

They finally managed to land on the other side, but the sense of crisis in their hearts became stronger.

All this seems to indicate that a bigger conspiracy is gradually unfolding, and they need to find the answer quickly to prevent a greater disaster from happening.

After adjusting their breathing, the two turned their heads again to gaze at the bronze star disk floating in the air, which was emitting a dazzling golden light.

And the first Pope in the shadow was still there, continuing his ceremony in an almost fanatical and tragic manner.

This time, they can no longer retreat, nor can they escape. This is not only an important mission to solve historical mysteries, but also an important mission to save the destiny of the future!

"We must stop this." Lucia nodded firmly. "If we allow such a ritual to continue, the consequences will be unimaginable."

She stared at the obscure runes on the thick stone wall in front of her, and stronger messages flowed from them - perhaps these runes were the key to breaking the current situation!
So, the two decided to explore this new space full of unknowns and dangers. They carefully bypassed the bronze star disk and touched the flashing runes again, hoping to find a way to crack it.

However, in the process, they vaguely felt that a force was slowly gathering and attacking them, and anxiety and threats were quietly growing...

At this moment, the uneasy emotions hidden in the dark turned into a tangible oppressive attack, causing great mental torment to the two.

"They want to devour us!" David gritted his teeth and yelled, "Focus and don't let them affect our will!"

As he shouted, the souls of the two seemed to resonate, and a new belief was formed invisibly to resist the invasion of dark forces.

"Cognitive pollution." Lucia shouted urgently, she tore off the hem of her skirt and covered her eyes with it.

"Don't look at those masks! They will affect our minds and make us fall into endless fear and despair!"

David nodded. Although he was full of doubts in his heart, he knew that the current situation was urgent.

Lucia's moonlight dagger drew a shining track on the rock wall, burning a way to escape.

They moved quickly through the passage, almost falling into the boiling fountain of light.

A warm and strange breath surrounded them. As they immersed themselves in the spring water, David heard a low and distant whisper like the root of the world.

That voice contained ancient wisdom and long history, which made him feel both familiar and unfamiliar.

"What did we hear in here?" David pondered.

He tried to use his consciousness to capture the vague flow of information, but he could only feel a fog.

As they gradually surfaced, the view became clear.

They found several gorgeous and strange crystal coffins floating in the depths of the spring.

In the floating light and shadow, he witnessed a woman who looked the same as Lucia but looked paler and weaker, sleeping quietly in a coffin.

That face was so familiar, yet it looked so fragile, like a petal about to break, which was heartbreaking.

"This is... me?" Lucia said in disbelief. She was trembling all over and speechless. "Who... is she?"

The coffin lid was engraved with ancient divine text: "Container No. 0784, consciousness connection completion rate 99.7%."

This word hit her heart like a hammer, reminding her of a long-standing but covered-up history of the church.

Everything that had ever been erased about the complex relationship between life, consciousness, and power.

"Is this the entity created by the first Pope's experiments?"

David murmured to himself, feeling an unprecedented uneasiness coming over him. "This is not just an individual case, but may be part of the entire church's experimental plan."

He turned to Lucia and said, "We have to get the truth out! This could affect you and the whole world."

At this moment, he had an idea and turned his gaze to the ancient divine characters on the crystal coffin.

"Perhaps, we can use the Silver Moon Sword to pierce this coffin and release or restart the information sealed inside!"

However, when he held the Silver Moon Sword and was about to pierce the crystal covering, a strong sense of uneasiness surged in his heart.

He recalled the shocking scene when tens of thousands of silver masks were piled up at the bottom of the abyss.

If these are the memorials of the former believers who have been reduced to nothingness, then any wrong decision could lead to irreversible consequences.

"But wouldn't doing so release some uncontrollable force?"

Lucia asked worriedly. Although she was eager to uncover the truth, she also understood the importance and potential risks of this decision.

Just as the two were hesitating, those mysterious, low and distant voices rang out again, surging like a tide and enveloping the two.

They seem to be trying to guide, warn, or suppress some force. They must make a choice!

Finally, after a moment of hesitation, David pointed forward with determination: "In order to understand all this, I have to take this risk."

As his action was completed, the Silver Moon Sword flashed coldly, infusing his will into it.

The strong rebound caused by the blade passing through the crystal shattered it, and a burst of colorful light shot up into the sky.

And at this moment, the entire holy mountain suddenly emitted a shrill sound, as if the seal that had been in place for thousands of years was finally about to be broken.

Even though there are vague shadows and dangers all around, the only thing we can do at this moment is to face it!

As the thin layer of glass covering the woman's face fell like an avalanche, the sleeper slowly opened her eyes, and all of this had turned into reality floating on the other side.

She looked at the two of them in astonishment. Countless streams of information converged into my mind from different angles. Pictures intertwined crazily, impacting my mind like a tide, tightly connecting the three of them.

This power seems to come from the depths of the distant universe, and also seems to come from the most primitive, real, painful and expectant cry from the depths of every believer's soul that has not yet been resolved!

The shadow of the first Pope spread out from all directions, constantly interfering with the scene, and at this time all the locked souls seemed to gradually wake up.

Six pairs of scarlet compound eyes suddenly lit up in the darkness, like stars in the abyss, staring at David and Lucia, emitting a creepy and low breath.

The voice of the first pope came from all directions, echoing in the air like an ancient spell: "You should not touch the placenta of time."

David felt a cold tentacle piercing the back of his neck, as if some creature was claiming his soul.

His body trembled involuntarily, and the Silver Moon Mark burst into an intense light, pulling him back to reality from his fear.

However, this power did not dispel the panic surging deep in his heart.

As the light flickered, he saw the truth that shocked his soul—

The Holy Mountain was not the mountain they had imagined, but a pale giant beast lurking in the rifts of time and space.

Those seemingly majestic, glowing mountains are actually His countless ganglia, each of which connects the unspeakable and complex entanglement between this world and another.

All the prayers that the church had poured into the Holy Mountain over the past thousand years had turned into immortal chains that bound the beast.

(End of this chapter)