The disjointed message startled Jean. After carefully looking through everything, she could not find any other explanation; only this single line of text sat there, all alone.
She looked at Shiraori with confusion.
Shiraori wore a nostalgic expression and explained to Jean, "The seven deadly sins are one of the elements that make up a human; everyone possesses the seven deadly sins."
Then, she glanced at Jean and added, "Uh, I should say every ordinary human possesses the seven deadly sins."
Jean never expected to be called out for not being human in such a way.
Shiraori did not seem to care and continued:
"Humans are extremely complex beings. Not only do they possess the seven deadly sins innately, they also have the corresponding seven virtues. These traits act simultaneously in various directions, influencing human behavior while also keeping each other in check."
After weaving the fourteen words for the seven deadly sins and the seven virtues in mid-air with spider silk, Shiraori continued:
"For example, when a person is greedy, laziness will hold them back, generosity will hinder their actions, arrogance will push them into the abyss, envy will cause them to lose their way, diligence will lead them to success, temperance will make them stop while ahead, and lust will deteriorate their body."
Jean was listening with great interest at first, but it took a weird turn at the end. However, engaging in yuri would not cost her anything and could even be physically beneficial, so Jean was not worried at all.
"Therefore, under normal circumstances, a single element cannot be called a person's defining trait. However, there are always exceptions. When a person uses their will to strip away the interference of all other elements and purely practices a certain sin or virtue, the element they practice becomes their trait, and at that moment, they can obtain a corresponding benefit from it."
"But I don't feel like I've reached that point. People like that give off the impression of either being some kind of ascetic monk or some lawless, wicked villain," Jean asked.
"That brings us back to what I just said. You and I don't possess these elements ourselves; we are like a blank sheet of paper. So, when you obtain the first element from the outside world, it is bound to be purified. Don't you feel like that's a great deal?"
Jean suddenly remembered what Esdeath had said to her before:
"I think I understand what you are lacking: greed. To crave things that are out of reach is the driving force of biological progress, and even more so, it is an instinct!"
'I don't know if this greed is the driving force of biological progress, but it certainly has become the driving force for my own progress.'
"Then, Sister Shiraori, how can I know exactly what benefits it brings?" Jean continued to ask.
"If you want to know, you could ask 'D' to appraise it, but it's uncertain if she will take the opportunity to mess with your head. As for other methods, you have to figure them out yourself. But there is one thing: do not let any outsiders perform this kind of in-depth appraisal."
Since she could not determine the specific effects for the time being, Jean turned her attention to the next item.
[Trait Acquired: Blessing · Ice Attribute Affinity]
This time, there was a detailed explanation:
[Blessing · Ice Attribute Affinity: Received the most sincere blessing from an existence representing the Ice Attribute in a certain world. Increases favorability with Ice Attribute lifeforms, increases Ice Attribute resistance, increases Ice Attribute damage, and significantly improves Ice Attribute adaptability.]
This representative existence was naturally Esdeath. That scumbag woman really left a lot of things for her. Doesn't this just make her miss her even more? Jean clicked her tongue inwardly.
---
She checked the system again. The nichirin blade seemed to have changed, but it indicated that it required a professional craftsman's appraisal and evaluation. There was nothing else special in other aspects.
The only thing of concern was that the azure spider lily was gradually melting. This kind of flower was said to only bloom for a very short time, and Jean was afraid that something might go wrong once it melted.
But as the saying goes, what you fear is what happens. Just as Jean picked up the flower, she discovered that a petal had already been exposed.
Subconsciously, she touched it with her hand, and suddenly, the system sent a notification sound.
[Optional component discovered. holy relic system unlocked.]
[Corresponding holy relic 'Flower of Life', proceed with fusion? Note: The fusion process is irreversible. Once selected, the subject at this position is fixed and can only be further strengthened.]
She glanced at Shiraori with an inquiring gaze, and Shiraori nodded as well.
Her inner desire was also urging her on, so Jean did not hesitate any longer and clicked confirm.
Next, the entire flower turned into blue light and merged into Jean's body, leaving behind only an ice shell that shattered in the blink of an eye.
However, Jean did not have the time to worry about that now. As the fusion began, a massive amount of life force poured into Jean's body. This feeling was several times stronger than when she had directly consumed the juice of the higanbana before.
After this life force permeated her entire body, even more wondrous changes began. First, her whole body suddenly started to feel extremely hot, then extremely cold. During this repetitive process, Jean discovered that she seemed to be able to see the existence of life force.
At the same time, she realized that becoming cold was the sensation of her body expelling life force, while becoming hot was the sensation of absorbing life force from the outside world.
After Jean got used to this feeling, the cycle of hot and cold stopped, and then the system popped up a window:
[holy relic fusion complete]
Flower of Life: azure spider lily
Feather of Death: None
Sands of Time: None
Goblet of Eon: None
Circlet of Logos: None
Activation Effect: Total life force significantly increased, life force recovery speed significantly increased, life force manipulation.
Clenching her fists, Jean felt that she could now perceive the concept of life more tangibly. Besides that, the most intuitive change was that she could clearly feel her strength had increased, and perhaps her endurance had also improved.
At the same time, she placed her hand on her chest and could feel that the flower was inside her body, but it did not truly exist in any specific part; or rather, Jean herself was the azure spider lily.
Perhaps that is what the word 'fusion' means.
However, looking at the holy relic system with four empty slots, Jean felt quite speechless. This was probably unexpected yet reasonable.
Although there were no signs before, it was quite reasonable for Jean to have a Genshin-style system, given she was from Genshin.
'Reasonable my ass! Screw this!' Having grinded the Crimson Witch domain for over a month without finishing Diluc's build had already become a psychological trauma, okay!
She did not expect that in her second life, she would still have to run around for holy relics...
Fortunately, the effect of fusing the holy relic was exceptionally significant; just standing there, the various wounds on Jean's body began to heal.
Even her bottomed-out stamina had recovered to seven or eight tenths, and she felt like she had endless energy throughout her body.
This allowed Jean to shake off her previous slump and become high-spirited.
At this moment, Shiraori spoke up: "I originally planned to let you rest for a day, but seeing that you have recovered quite well, then come on, let me show you this land of miracles cast by everyone!"
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 50 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon:
patreon.com/MariaLight
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!