145: The Experiment
Wait, just now... did that image from the Recording Orb mention me and Jasmine?
After hearing the words spoken by Howard's image, Lina froze for a moment, then hurriedly manipulated the Recording Orb to rewind and listened to that segment of audio again.
『Today's record has nothing to do with the experiment. Following my teacher's instructions... I found those two children in the ruins of that residential building, and in accordance with the prior agreement with my teacher, I took those two girls as my adopted daughters...』
"Instructions... what does Father mean by that?"
After confirming she hadn't misheard, Lina's brain went completely blank on the spot. Although she had always harbored suspicions about the truth behind the explosion that had caused her and Jasmine to lose their parents, she had never suspected it would have anything to do with her adoptive father!
In her impression, her adoptive father Howard had always been a very gentle person. He had treated her extremely well since childhood. Except for being slightly strict with her in learning magic, he had always treated her like his own daughter.
But why... judging by Father's tone in the recording, it seemed as though his going to the disaster site to find herself and Jasmine, and taking the two of them as adopted daughters, was not out of a priest's duty and kindness, but rather... a premeditated plan?
In an instant, cold sweat broke out across Lina's back.
If she remembered correctly, there was one and only one person her father would call "Teacher."
The former Cardinal, once the strongest fighter of the Church's younger generation, the previous holder of the Spear of Destiny Longinus, the son of the current Old Pope, and the one once considered most likely to succeed as the next Pope: Zophi Gregory.
He was also Howard's former teacher.
But if Lina remembered correctly, Bishop Zophi had died from unknown causes long before she and Jasmine were born.
No one knew why this pride of the Church had fallen. That year, the Old Pope personally ordered the matter to be classified as taboo, strictly forbidding others from discussing it and not allowing anyone to record it.
However, people at the time believed this was an order the Old Pope had issued impulsively out of excessive grief and anger over his son's untimely death. Even the Watchers had issued a similar order out of sympathy. As time passed, let alone the truth of the matter, even the existence of this incident was gradually forgotten.
Jasmine was two years older than her. When the accident occurred, she herself had only just turned one month old. In other words... if Father really had taken herself and Jasmine as adopted daughters because of Bishop Zophi's decree, then that legendary Bishop Zophi had predicted the occurrence of this accident two years before it happened, and had also accurately calculated the location of herself and Jasmine!?
If that were the case, it would be absolutely outrageous.
Could it be... the cause of the accident back then was really connected to Father... and even to Cardinal Zophi?
"Gulp..."
Lina swallowed with some trepidation. This was the first time in her sixteen years of life that she had felt such a bone-chilling cold.
The feeling that her entire life had been manipulated by others... how could that be explained in just a few words?
Most critically, regarding Howard, whom she had always regarded as her biological father... since even the reason he took in herself and Jasmine had such unknown secrets, were the various kindnesses he had shown her as a child real or fake?
Lina was somewhat afraid to continue thinking about it.
She feared her worldview would be overturned because of this.
Looking at the Recording Orb in her hand, Lina even began to hesitate about whether to continue watching.
However, she quickly made her decision.
The reason was simple.
"...Two years. I left the Church for two whole years. Wasn't it to find the truth? How could I... how could I stop right in front of the truth for a reason like this!?"
Lina gritted her teeth, summoned her courage, and pressed the play button on the Recording Orb once more.
『The experiment failed again... I don't understand where the problem occurred. The concentration of "black mud" has already been compressed to the extreme, yet still no subject can perfectly withstand its power. Could it be... that this experiment was impossible to succeed from the very beginning?』
Unlike the previous images of Howard that had appeared, the Howard who appeared before Lina this time had visible exhaustion on his face. He was emotionally low, as if he had suffered some indescribable blow.
『I don't believe it... Teacher's progress has nearly stagnated too. Perhaps the problem doesn't lie with the "black mud"... I have a premonition that if we can break through this bottleneck... we will truly be close to success!』
『Failure... failure after failure... the rate of acquiring experimental subjects has slowed down... if this continues, perhaps... this experiment may truly be declared a complete failure...』
『No, I cannot accept this ending... hope, there is still one last hope... those two subjects most likely to complete the experiment... we cannot delay any longer.』
『...Just as Teacher predicted, Subject One completed the first round of experiments effortlessly... even though this stage should have had the highest failure rate in the past... let's put the other subject's experimental plan on hold for now. Prioritize completing this one, perhaps we can accumulate more successful experience...』
『My goodness! The second round and third round experiments are complete too! In just half a year, Subject One has achieved what we couldn't accomplish in so many years and so many experiments! This is truly... unbelievable!』
As the image recording continued to play, the image of Howard appearing before Lina's eyes gradually shed the gloom and depression of the previous images. His emotions became increasingly elevated, and there was even a faint sense of excitement.
However... contrary to the image recording, Lina's spine grew increasingly cold.
『Success! Success! Teacher was right! Teacher was right!!! Despite some twists and turns, Subject One has completed all the experiments! She is now only one step away from becoming the perfect vessel! This may be the last time I return here. Once the perfect vessel is formed, our true plan can begin!』
『But in that case... Subject Two is useless... the experimental funds have been consumed quickly lately... perhaps I can... put her to good use?』
The recording stopped abruptly there, while Lina stood frozen in place, her lips pressed tightly together, not knowing how to describe the feelings in her heart.
Unknown experiments, subjects, black mud, perfect vessel... what exactly were Father and the others doing? Could this... be related to the truth of his death?
And regarding her and Jasmine's backgrounds... judging by the Recording Orb's records, perhaps Cardinal Zophi hadn't died... would he know something?
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