568 The Evil of Humanity Part 1 (1/2)
It was already noon when Shi Dong woke up.
But the sky was still dark.
In the city void of light, the difference between day and night seemed to have disappeared, as if time had solidified here. The city seemed to have fallen into an eternal slumber, and only shadows traveled through the streets.
The Westminster Abbey was empty as well. In the past, it used to be as crowded as a marketplace, with countless carriages and people coming and going.
At the moment, even sparrows were unwilling to come. Only dead leaves fell from the drying branches, scattering on the ground, and no one bothered to clean up.
”Don't you even have any handyman here?” Shi Dong asked.
”Everyone has been evacuated,” Mephistopheles replied. He said, ”The Royal Institute of Research, the Royal Academy of Music, Anbo Heavy Industry... The talent reserves of the institutions of high importance were all involved in the first secret evacuation, and have been secretly transferred to Birmingham before the war began. I sent the young priests away, and only a few old men like me have stayed here.”
Having said that, he sighed. ”Someone must stay behind to lead the evening prayers for people who are unwilling or unable to leave, right? The bishop of the previous generation passed the church down to me, and I vowed to guard it for the rest of my life. Looking back at my words now, I'm afraid that I may face significant difficulties in keeping my promise.”
”It's perfectly normal.” Shi Dong yawned. ”When you have a catastrophe for an opponent, you will lose many battles and win very few. It doesn't matter if the church is destroyed. At most, let the future generations build a new one.”
”My father was a stonemason. He taught me one thing when I was still very young—If an old house is on the verge of collapse, one should consider other options besides fixing it.”
Mephistopheles was silent for a long time, and said straightforwardly, ”Your father's method of educating you has certain problems.”
”Who said otherwise?” Shi Dong shrugged, then shuddered and lifted his pants. He looked back at the archbishop. ”Are you done with peeing?”
”It'll take a bit longer.” Mephistopheles said, ”Stop looking at me, I get nervous easily.”
”Aren't you blind? How do you know that I am looking at you?” Shi Dong asked.
”I know it when someone is looking at me. It has nothing to do with me being blind or otherwise!” Mephistopheles retorted.
”You should have switched to an artificial prostate gland a long time ago like what I did; it's much better,” Shi Dong commented
”Aging is also one of the joys of life.” Mephistopheles twitched his mouth in disagreement. ”People like you who like to change their body parts to artificial ones won't understand.”
”...Enough of the fiddle-faddles of old men.” Shi Dong sighed and leaned against the wall of the toilet. ”No point flaunting your seniority in front of me, little Mephistopheles. I was the one who brought you up, after all.”
Mephistopheles scratched his hair, and his attitude suddenly changed from a senile one to one of slovenliness. He fished out a packet of cigarettes from the inner pocket of his robe. ”Fancy a smoke?”
”Nah, I dare not, it will damage my artificial lungs.” Shi Dong shook his head. ”But I'm surprised to find out that you actually smoke. That's so unlike the saintly appearance you have been putting on.”
”Oh come on, Sir, only the dead can be revered as saints, for they no longer have opportunities to sin.” Mephistopheles ignited the cigarette, inhaled deeply, and puffed out a cloud of smoke. He relaxed and squeezed out two more drops of urine. ”I am already so old, yet I have never assaulted little boys sexually, never embezzled public funds, and never had any affairs with secret lovers. I have abided by the canon law and remained a virgin my whole life... My life is so pure and wholesome that it's abnormal. I'm sure God will forgive the occasional self-indulgence of people like me.”
”From whom did you learn the canon law?” Shi Dong questioned.
”Mr. Qatar,” came the archbishop's reply.
”No wonder.” Shi Dong shook his head. ”He died two years ago.”
”He was over 100 years old, it's normal. How did he die?” Mephistopheles asked.
”His domme whipped him to death, in bed,” Shi Dong replied.
”...” Mephistopheles was at a loss for words.
”So, you need not always talk about the canon law that a perv taught you.” Shi Dong glanced at him. ”We don't have many conversation topics between us. Let's talk about something that we are both interested in, such as catastrophes, such as war...”
”What do you want to know about them?” Mephistopheles asked.
”Leviathan,” Shi Dong said. ”Of the three seals that were set up back then, how many have been broken?”
Mephistopheles smoked in silence. In order to seal Leviathan, the past generations of emperors of Anglo set up three seals, one for each of the three stages of its reawakening. The breaking of each seal represented an increase in Leviathan's powers to a stronger level. The reawakening of Leviathan's consciousness meant that the first seal had disintegrated. The beginning of the resurrection of Leviathan's body meant that the second seal had been broken.
When the third seal was broken, Leviathan, the catastrophe that possessed both consciousness and flesh, one of the 'four living creatures' at the top of the hierarchy of non-humans, would descend upon the world completely.
After a good while, Mephistopheles mumbled, ”As far as I know, the second seal has been broken.”
Shi Dong was silent for a long time, then finally said, ”I thought you didn't say anything for a long time because you were trying to muster up enough force to urinate. I almost wanted to cheer for you.”
”Shut up, don't interrupt me.” Mephistopheles paused, and his voice became low. ”It's still brewing, I'll be done soon.”
”Nah, don't. Peeing at the mention of catastrophes is such a shameful thing,” Shi Dong remarked.
”...” Mephistopheles said nothing.