Lord of Prayer

Chapter 423: Chapter 273: Soul Crystalization

[Forbidden Object B-025: Wishing Box.

Appearance: A rectangular treasure box seemingly crafted from gold. It boasts an ornate design, with a surface covered in exquisite openwork and mysterious engravings.

Known Abilities:

1. Fulfills the holder’s wishes (with a chance of the wish being twisted).

2. It is an Activated Forbidden Object with self-awareness and will entice others to open it.

Case 1: Year 98 of the New Calendar, Russia. The first reported sighting related to the Wishing Box. The first holder wished to rob a bank vault. Before the Special Operations Team could arrive, he wished to escape, but the wish was fulfilled in a twisted manner—only his upper body fled the scene. That afternoon, the Special Operations Team found the man’s upper half in his home, but the Wishing Box had vanished without a trace.

Case 2: First half of Year 102, New Calendar. The Wishing Box appeared in Eastern Europe. The suspected second holder used it to call down a corrosive, toxic rain upon a small town, resulting in over five thousand deaths and severely damaging the local ecosystem. The second holder then vanished without a trace.

Case 3: Second half of Year 102, New Calendar. The Wishing Box appeared in Yingzhou. The suspected third holder used it to place an area in a state of temporal stasis, intending to commit indecent acts against the women within. 0.56 seconds later, the temporal stasis was lifted, the holder disintegrated into a pile of flesh, and the Wishing Box vanished into thin air. A security camera recorded the entire event.

Case 4: Year 105, New Calendar. The Wishing Box appeared on the Eastern Continent. An Investigator, nearly 60 years old, woke up one morning to find an unknown treasure box on his nightstand. He then clearly heard the voice of his deceased wife, begging him to open the box and resurrect her.

After a mental struggle that lasted for dozens of minutes, the Investigator broke free from the box’s bewitchment. Relying on his remaining sanity, he fled his home and began screaming hysterically in his residential complex. Fifteen minutes later, he was taken to the hospital. During a brief moment of lucidity, he managed to call the Star Association.

The Special Operations Team arrived at the Investigator’s home ten minutes later but found no trace of the Wishing Box.

That afternoon, after receiving treatment, the Investigator regained his sanity and recounted his experience to the Star Association.

This case confirmed that the Wishing Box is an Activated Forbidden Object that actively entices humans to open it. Those without strong willpower find it difficult to resist.

Case 5: Year 109, New Calendar. The Wishing Box appeared in America, was contained by a mysterious Ascender, and was involved in the ████ Incident. This Ascender used the Wishing Box to directly withstand an attack from an Uncrowned. In the ensuing melee, they obtained a High-Tier extraordinary material before using the Wishing Box to escape the battlefield and disappear.

As a result of this case, the Wishing Box’s threat level was raised to B-Level.

Case 6: ...

...

Negative Effects: Bewitches the holder’s mind, requires human sacrifices, and the holder has a chance of dying due to a twisted wish. No holder has survived for more than two years. Other negative effects are unknown.

Containment Conditions: Unknown.

Holder: Unknown.]

...

Information about Forbidden Object B-025: Wishing Box flashed through Zhou Chen’s mind. He didn’t speak again, instead waiting quietly for Calia’s explanation.

"Today, when I went out to assess the current situation with the Crystal Disease, I heard that a mysterious, black-robed Ascender has appeared in the city. He specifically hunts Ascenders who serve the North Carolina Government. Some say he wields an omnipotent Golden Treasure Box; he only needs to tell the box who he wants dead, and that person will die violently.

The ignorant masses worship him as a god, but he is cold, merciless, and his actions are unpredictable.

Some begged him for money, and he granted them gold and silver.

Some begged to leave this miserable country, and he granted them death, allowing them to find eternal peace, far from the pains of the mortal world.

Some begged him to cure their Crystal Disease, and he caused every patient with the disease on the entire street to recover."

At this point, Calia sighed softly. "However, after the Black-robed Man left, every single one of those who had been cured died a sudden, violent death. And those who had begged for money returned home only to find all their family members had died under mysterious circumstances.

I saw a crude sketch of the box on the black market. Both its appearance and its abilities match the description of Forbidden Object B-025: Wishing Box.

I had a feeling you would be very interested, so I informed you of this news at the first opportunity."

’It certainly sounds like it grants wishes, but the price is the lives of your loved ones, or even your own? This is a lot like those Demons who love to toy with humans through contracts...’ Zhou Chen nodded on the surface.

"Lady Calia, you’ve done well. I am very pleased with this information."

The next second, Calia saw that her Wish Points on the System Panel had increased by 50.

"This is the reward you’ve earned," the Lamp God said with a light chuckle.

Information about another B-Level Forbidden Object might not have been worth this much, but this was the Wishing Box. As the God of Wishes, there was no way Zhou Chen would let this Forbidden Object go.

"Thank you for your generosity!"

Calia was incredibly excited. ’Could 50 Wish Points be enough for me to find a way to deal with the Crystal Disease? Even if it can’t, it will definitely push my research forward by leaps and bounds.’

She calmed herself and continued, "Mr. Lamp God, I also have something to report to you regarding the Crystal Disease.

In the early hours of this morning, I encountered a patient who had undergone Soul Crystalization."

’Soul Crystalization?’

Hearing this, Zhou Chen was stunned. ’Although the soul truly exists, it has no physical form. For the Crystal Virus to actually cause a soul to crystallize into a physical state... this is absolutely unprecedented!’

"The patient died shortly after, but his crystallized soul remained perfectly intact after his death. Normally, when an ordinary person dies, their soul is bound to collapse and dissipate. Unless a special artifact is used to preserve it, it’s impossible for a soul to remain in this world for more than ten minutes."

Calia said in a low voice, "I cut open the outer layer of crystal ore and chipped off a small fragment of the Soul Crystal for research. As a result, I was able to observe some of his memories within it. This indicates that the Soul Crystal is not an ordinary substance; it might even be an entirely new form of the soul...

I say this because two hours later, I found another case of Soul Crystalization, a child under five years old. The color of his crystallized soul was completely different from the man’s before.

The man’s Soul Crystal was foul and filthy, appearing black, while the child’s Soul Crystal, though a bit murky, was generally white. I strongly suspect that the color of a Soul Crystal represents a person’s good or evil nature—the more evil the person, the blacker the Soul Crystal, and the more good the person, the whiter it is.

If the truth is what I think it is, then this could be regarded as an entirely new state of the soul.

However, Fallen Paradise is behind the Crystal Disease... Even someone like me knows that Fallen Paradise is up to no good. Whatever they’re plotting is by no means simple.

It’s highly likely that Soul Crystalization is just the beginning."

After hearing Calia’s explanation, Zhou Chen frowned slightly.

’The Poison Master said their ultimate plan was to fuse the Apostle Factor with the Crystal Virus. Now that the Crystal Virus has evolved to affect the soul, what kind of sparks will fly if it combines with the Apostle Factor?’

’A person’s soul dissipates after death, and since the Apostle Factor can’t simulate a soul, Apostles don’t have them. But the Crystal Virus can cause the soul to crystallize...’ A chilling thought occurred to Zhou Chen. ’If an Apostle possessed a soul, it could have an independent consciousness. It wouldn’t be a useless robot, but a being that doesn’t age or die a natural death...’

’—Neo-Humans!’

"According to my personal statistics, the mortality rate for Crystal Disease is dropping significantly. Many patients are gradually adapting to the disease, and it’s no longer life-threatening for them. Some have even awakened abilities as a result. In the underground fighting rings, there’s even a new trend of the Crystallized participating in illicit brawls."

Calia sighed. "Humanity’s powerful adaptability has allowed us to survive until now, but it can also be exploited as a factor in experiments by those with ulterior motives... If I’m not mistaken, once the majority of patients have adapted to having crystallized souls and no longer die from it, Fallen Paradise will make its move."

So far, only a few cases of Soul Crystalization have appeared, with a 100% mortality rate. It seems like a rare occurrence, leading people to believe they are just special cases resulting from a mutation of the Crystal Virus. But Calia knew that with the Poison Master guiding the virus’s evolution from behind the scenes, Soul Crystalization would sooner or later become the primary manifestation of Crystal Disease.

When the Crystal Disease first began to spread rampantly, its mortality rate was also 100%. Yet now, that rate has plummeted, and many patients have adapted...

Once the symptoms of Soul Crystalization become widespread, it probably won’t be long before people who can adapt to a crystallized soul begin to appear.

At that time, this brand-new form of the soul will undoubtedly cause a massive earthquake in the academic world, and who knows what changes will occur in North Carolina’s situation.

"Interesting..."

The Lamp God, maintaining his customary style, nodded slightly. "This piece of information is also quite valuable."

Calia received another 50 Wish Points. The gloom she’d felt moments ago was instantly swept away, and she exclaimed with elation, "Thank you again for your generosity!"

·

After ending his conversation with Calia, Zhou Chen sat on the Obsidian Throne, lost in thought.

’Forbidden Object B-025: Wishing Box...’

He felt he had to make a trip to North Carolina and claim this Forbidden Object, which had abilities similar to his Wish Bottle. ’Perhaps it could make the Wish Bottle even more powerful—fusing powers from the same realm could strengthen the might of my Authority.’

’However, the situation in North Carolina is a mess. With its closed-country laws, it’s impossible for an outsider to enter without authorization.’

’Still, with my current Wish Points, opening a Space Gate from a distance wouldn’t be difficult. The Book of the Dead also contains records of Space Spells.’

’But if I suddenly vanish, how would I explain it to Jiang Che when I get back?’

’Hmm...’

Zhou Chen stroked his chin. ’Maybe... I don’t have to go in my own body?’

He thought of a skill he had just recently mastered:

—Human Body Refinement!