The Gentleman at the End
Chapter 428 - Chapter 428: Chapter 426: Plague Book, Path and Old World

Chapter 428: Chapter 426: Plague Book, Path and Old World

Just as Yi Chen was preparing to leave the hotel,

and was about to say farewell to the Duke in his brand-new attire, he felt something odd again, a strange sensation from the lining of his clothing.

“The ‘Skin Sack Bible’?”

The right foot he had extended to step out of the hotel’s grand entrance retracted,

As the merchant association was relocating, most of the hotel’s guests had left, leaving only a few Golden Masks cleaning the lobby,

Yi Chen found a sofa near the corner to sit down, pulling out the Skin Sack Bible,

This book, produced by the Skin Factory and specifically belonging to the Source Epidemic Area, had also been tainted with black. The human face on the cover was particularly noticeable, as it showed signs of decay and death, with white bone even exposed on the right cheek.

Before Yi Chen had the chance to ask Yellow Skin what was going on,

a Golden Mask, holding a mop and wearing an apron, sat down with a plop next to him and looked at the Plague Book that had been affected by the Black Death Skin, its mask’s expression beginning to frown as well.

“You’ve actually changed the nature of the Plague Book… This is the first time I’ve seen such a situation. This means you are using a power not of the Old World to change the essence of the pathogen.

It’s dangerous if you get discovered. Some extremists and conservatives from the Old World may very well consider you an archenemy who must be eradicated before they can rest easy.

Our merchant association doesn’t mind though, His Grace the Duke is quite progressive and keeps up with the times.”

Yet Yi Chen looked puzzled, “Why can you deduce that I carry a power not of the Old World merely from the change in nature of the Plague Book?

And what exactly is the essence of the Plague Book? Could it be related not only to the Source Epidemic Area but also to even deeper entities of the Old World?”

The Golden Mask took off his apron and handed the mop to another Golden Mask,

“It seems you’re still unaware of this fact, which is not surprising, given that you’re not one of our infected, and you haven’t been Open Source for that long… I’ll have a chat with you about it.”

The Golden Mask placed an arm on the gold-plated round table in front of him, and some disease effect related to gold was released,

Hum~ A miniature ripple spread across the surface of the round table, which then liquefied, transforming into a floating golden sphere.

However, the sphere wasn’t smooth; its surface was full of pits, cracks, and granular protrusions.

“If you think of this sphere as the Old World, according to normal material development, our world shouldn’t even exist. That’s why certain external forces would stop at nothing to annihilate us, even shattering the Evil Sun.”

Thinking back to that world war is truly terrifying, hiss~ too frightening.

But even though the other side won a rather brutal victory, they still couldn’t completely erase us. They could only attempt to halt our development and reproduction by blocking the Old World’s various rules.

What they didn’t expect, however, is that the Sick Focus could still survive by infecting other worlds.”

The Golden Mask controlled the golden sphere while talking,

with tendrils growing out of its surface, representing the Old World’s “World’s Foot,” assuming a posture of swimming, symbolizing the Old World’s ability to move freely between planes, to parasitize and infect other worlds.

“The Old World was able to withstand the joint assault of multiple planes,

to continue its concealed activities under lockdown,

and even to quietly latch onto your peripheral world inhabited by lower beings, providing infection, plundering, and World Assimilation. All this is due to the true body of the Old World, the Origin Patient who stays in the depths of the World.

All illness stems from Them, and even the entirety of the Old World is just the proliferated, mutated, and worsened tissue structure They have generated. We are just the ‘microorganisms’ and ‘carriers of disease’ within this structure.

The ‘Open Source’ that you underwent is precisely the process of establishing a connection between your own illness and the Origin Patient,

“”

“We refer to Him as ‘Disease Master’.”

“But except for beings of the Duke’s caliber, none of us have ever seen Him, nor do we have the qualification to meet with Him.”

“He personally created all the Source Epidemic Areas as an important foundation of the Old World, playing an indispensable and key role, with the Cancer Palace responsible for providing the Old World with endless energy, the Original Tomb responsible for receiving the dead and waste disposal, the growth and processing at the Skin Factory, and the guard of prisoners at the Monastery.”

“Since the Source Epidemic Areas are designated by the Disease Master, they naturally also enjoy privileges.”

“Each Source Epidemic Area is granted the qualification to create and write the ‘Plague Book’, handing the Plague Book to descendants with enough potential can greatly speed up their developmental rate and significantly increase the efficiency of talent cultivation.”

“This is also the main reason why the Source Epidemic Areas endure over time and other powers struggle to catch up.”

“Plague Books cannot be copied or altered, because each one is associated with Origin Disease.”

“Is that so… If I accidentally altered the Plague Book, might I provoke the Disease Master’s rejection and targeting?”

“I don’t know about that, you just be careful.”

“The moment you Open Sourced, the Disease Master had already taken notice of you, and whatever you have on you, He would naturally see it all clear as day. Since He has not intervened with your illness up until now, it also indicates that He might be tacitly permitting your existence.”

“Or perhaps, He simply doesn’t care about such a small entity like you.”

“When you reach a higher level, perhaps that’s when you’ll attract attention or the kind of targeting you’re worried about.”

“A higher level, huh…” Yi Chen seized the opportunity to ask about the issue he had been concerned with, “Speaking of which, what exactly are the ‘Paths’ that lead to something beyond Open Source?”

This question made Jin, with the Golden Mask, pause, “Paths? You’re almost at the Open Source Limit, and you don’t even know about Paths? Hasn’t anyone ever told you?”

“No, they haven’t.”

“Alright, look here…”

With a snap of his fingers, Jin, with the Golden Mask, started the deconstruction of the golden sphere suspended in midair, gradually revealing the innermost structure,

Giant ‘neurons’ crisscrossed inside, all leading to the deepest parts, pointing to the Origin just mentioned.

“When you Open Sourced, you should have seen these strip-like objects deep within the Old World, right? They look a lot like the neurons in your brain, as though they are pathways leading to the center of the world,

They symbolize ‘Paths’,

They are your pathways to lean toward Origin, to come closer to Origin, to touch Origin… As you can see, there is a vast number and complex types of Paths. Selecting a Path that suits your own illness is crucial; many who fail make their mistake in choosing their Path.

Take the ‘Skin Bag Guest’ you bought before, for example.”

“As a premium customer of the Duke, when you’re faced with choosing a Path, you could simply pay to buy a ‘Path Guide’ from the Duke. With a bit of luck, you might directly get the ‘Known Path’ that’s most suitable for you, which is the easiest method.”

“Of course, if all the Known Paths do not match you well enough, you’re also free to seek your own Path,

After all, there are still about 40% of Paths that have not been explored, never touched by anyone, and no one knows the difficulty or the effects of the illness they bring.”

“Once you successfully pass through a Path, you can achieve a breakthrough from Open Source and reach a higher level.”

“I’ve heard that the young man who met the Duke with you had already accomplished the rare ‘Moon Path’, and I can even feel the imprint he left inside you.”

“That silver-haired young man is very special; you should be careful.”

“Understood, thank you, Mr. Golden Mask, for clearing up my questions. I’ll definitely discuss the brain with you next time I have the chance.”

“No rush~ There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, go tend to your affairs. And remember to keep the Plague Book safe; in case you really stir up trouble, you could also come to our Commercial Association for shelter and join us in exploring the world.”

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