"Why is it impossible?" Jiang Lu asked.
"Because I have tried for countless years and have always been unable to break free from these shackles."
The God of Redemption said, with a tone that was hard to tell if it was pride or regret, "Even I, who am worshiped and prayed to by thousands suffering in agony, cannot do it. Other than Him lifting the curse He placed upon me, I don't know who else could help me."
"Isn't that something? Just a geezer who gets anxious and rushes to gather troops at the sight of others fighting—look at how ominously you speak."
Jiang Lu was unfazed.
One second, the God of Redemption was talking about how God was anxious because of the war in the Underworld, and the next, boasting about their own greatness—it truly was a profound sense of disconnection.
Getting nervous watching others of the same caliber fight, only daring to pick on those weaker than oneself and eagerly marking them—wasn't that just cowardice?
But just as he was about to continue his criticism, the curse on his body suddenly worsened.
Not only did his body become extremely bloated, but even his field of view narrowed to a slit due to the swelling skin around his eyes.
"Instead of speaking rashly about Him, you should take a look at your own situation."
The God of Redemption sighed:
"This is just the aftermath of the curse, and you can't even withstand it. Do you really think you can deal with the source of the curse?"
Jiang Lu was now finding it difficult to speak; he felt as if his airway was blocked by something, struggling to even breathe.
Could it be that not just his skin, but even his throat was now filled with the same kind of flesh bumps?
Dammit, that's disgusting—better not think about it...
So, he gasped heavily and said with difficulty:
"You... don't talk smack, is there... a way to help me... alleviate this, I... feel like I'm... going to explode!"
"Come here," the God of Redemption sighed, gesturing for Jiang Lu to come closer.
The latter moved towards her step by heavy step.
"Stretch out your hand."
Jiang Lu followed the God of Redemption's instructions and lifted his arm, which was difficult and strenuous.
The God of Redemption seemed accustomed to those unsettling abnormalities and wasn't disgusted, taking Jiang Lu's hands directly.
In that moment, countless firefly-like, dark green light particles emerged from the arms of the God of Redemption, flowing into Jiang Lu's body.
It was just an instant, but the discomfort that not even his overseer's robe adjusted to the lowest sensitivity could withstand began to fade gradually.
In no time, Jiang Lu's breathing returned to normal.
The feeling of his body swelling as if it was about to explode also gradually subsided.
But just when he thought he was about to return to a state unaffected by the curse, the God of Redemption suddenly let go of his hands.
"Eh? Don't go, it's not done yet!" Jiang Lu was startled and anxiously tried to grasp the softness that had just slipped away.
But the God of Redemption was very resolute.
"I cannot heal you."
"Why?" Jiang Lu asked sternly, "Are you trying to keep me by your side with these superficial tricks? I'm telling you, this kind of behavior is unacceptable! Even if you have my person, you won't have my heart!"
The God of Redemption was at a loss for words, watching him speak more and more outrageously, already bringing up, "Where we come from, controlling others with drugs gets you shot," she had no choice but to explain:
"I am currently in a state of imprisonment, and the power I can utilize is limited. To conserve my strength, I even choose to sleep most of the time, only occasionally waking up to check on the situation inside the tower.
Just now, when you unlocked the staircase to heaven, I finally got a chance to catch my breath. Just restoring you to your current state has worn me out."
"Oh, I wronged you." After learning the truth, Jiang Lu also showed understanding, very reasonably, "Then this doesn't count as a willful crime, a fixed-term imprisonment would suffice."
After a pause, he looked towards the lower half of the God of Redemption, which had turned into a statue, "Oh, you're already imprisoned, so that's settled."
"..."
She did appreciate Jiang Lu's desecration of Jesus, but she suddenly realized that Jiang Lu was not cut from the same cloth.
His desecration of Jesus was not out of hatred for Jesus, but because Jesus was very suitable for the situation at that time. Now she was more suited to be the target of his blasphemy, and so she was also desecrated.
The person before her was an equal opportunity blasphemer.
Thinking this, the God of Redemption, who was deciding whether to let Jiang Lu become the new messenger, showed a tired look, "Anyway, if you want to fully recover, then send as many prisoners as possible to heaven. Otherwise, without my power being replenished, you won't last long."
But Jiang Lu had no reaction to her words.
"Are you listening to me?"
The God of Redemption was somewhat helpless.
Suddenly, Jiang Lu raised his head and pointed seriously at the lower half of her statue, "Don't tell me that thing is key to the curse, because it has cut you off from the contact with the dark tower, making you like a rootless weed that can neither gain power nor maintain control over the dark tower."
The God of Redemption's pupils constricted, astonished, "How did you know?"
Having received an affirmative response, Jiang Lu once again looked in wonder at the statue that barely outlined the legs of the God of Redemption, made of unknown material.
Previously, his vision had been compressed to a slit by a tumor, so when he got close, he only quickly glanced over the God of Redemption's attire, his view constantly filled with just her head as they spoke.
Now that the curse had slightly receded and his vision had returned to normal, he noticed an inconspicuous question mark on the statue.
It was the achievement obtained after his first accidental entry into the Spirit Realm in action!
[Great Detective: You've identified the real culprit at a glance!][Buff: An important clue will randomly appear each time you enter a mystery-solving type Spirit Realm.]["Infinite Prison" has been triggered]
[The God of Redemption inside the statue is isolated from the black tower, becoming exceedingly weak. Attempt to destroy the statue and rescue her!]
"Why didn't you say it earlier?" Jiang Lu complained a bit.
"What use is there in telling you?" The God of Redemption slightly tilted her head up, making sure the bitterness on her face was not seen by Jiang Lu, "It's the curse materialized as chains on my body. It is so hard that even the Lance of Longinus can't damage it, unless the archangel uses His Red Cross Holy Sword to cut it down; otherwise, no one can break these chains."
```
Click.
The God of Redemption was startled, looking down at Jiang Lu.
"Ah!" Jiang Lu laughed awkwardly, pointing at a piece of flaked-off statue, "Accidentally scratched it off..."
"What?! How did you do that?!" The God of Redemption's eyes widened in shock.
"Unparalleled hardness is just infinite physical resistance, right?" Jiang Lu boasted proudly, "Unfortunately, I happen to be very good at breaking defenses."
——[Hand of the Evil God (Fragment Four)][Fragment Four Power: Total Armor Penetration, Attacks Ignore Physical Resistance]
Right now, Jiang Lu's left hand was covered with a layer of phantom-like aura that only he could see. Although at his current level and attributes, he couldn't unleash its original power, it was more than enough to scratch off a bit of wall plaster.
The God of Redemption's eyes bulged, her heartbeat became abnormally intense: "How do you ..."
"Don't worry about the others." Jiang Lu stood combatively like a teddy bear, "Do you want me to help you get it out?"
"Yes!"
"Good, then stay quiet for now, don't distract me."
"...Fine."
Anyone who has sat against a school wall knows that picking at it is a skillful task, requiring not just the right angle, but also the right amount of force. Otherwise, you'll only leave useless marks and risk hurting your fingernails.
Jiang Lu was seriously engaged in the task, and perhaps to keep the God of Redemption from getting bored—or maybe because he was bored himself—he started to make small talk.
"How old are you this year, sis?"
"Why are you asking this?"
"Oh, it's impolite to ask a woman's age, right? Let's change the subject. What does our big brother do?"
"...I don't have a big brother."
"Yo, sis, you're still single? With your qualifications, it must be hard to find someone, huh?"
"..."
"Sis, do you think I'm applying the right amount of force?"
"???"
Finally, the statue was really, severely scratched by Jiang Lu.
He started from the back of the God of Redemption, and the part he scratched was incredibly tricky. Except for her feet soles, half of her calves, and the upper half of her thighs, the area around the knees and the front of her legs were all still embedded in the statue.
Pleased with his work, he looked at the God of Redemption's barely-touching-the-floor snow-white tender feet and her tight, curse-corroded calves which were bereft of any concealment, clapping his hands, "Great success!"
"Wait a minute!" The God of Redemption twisted her body anxiously, "I haven't come out yet, why didn't you completely destroy it?"
"Are you joking?" Jiang Lu spread his hands, "Oh, let you out, then you regain your strength, and then I'm at your mercy? Do you think I'm a big sucker?"
"Do you think I can't deal with you now?" The God of Redemption was desperate, threateningly.
"That's up to you." Jiang Lu chuckled chubbily, "After all, if you kill me, just wait for what's-his-name Michael to come save you with the Holy Sword."
The God of Redemption fell silent.
"What do you want?"
"You've got to remove the curse first, right?" Jiang Lu made a face, "Other things, I'll consider."
At that moment, something suddenly occurred to the God of Redemption.
"We don't need to go through all that trouble, how about considering..." She revealed a bewitching smile, "forming a contract with me?"
Jiang Lu looked at her suspiciously: "What sort of contract?"
The God of Redemption explained earnestly, "Genesis chapter two, verse twenty-four, God said to Adam, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh, to support each other and not betray, also known as the Covenant of Adam."
"What the heck?" Jiang Lu was stunned.
Who would have guessed, family, the dungeon NPC wants to marry me, how awkward!
The God of Redemption seductively said, "As long as we form this contract, you won't have to fear me harming you, and I won't worry about your betrayal, for from the moment we make the contract, our fates will be bound together."
"This doesn't sound good..." Jiang Lu glanced shyly at the God of Redemption and quickly lowered his head, coyly saying, "This is my first time after all... "
The God of Redemption was eager to be rid of the cursed shackles, and she believed that since Jiang Lu was able to destroy the shackles that even the Lance of Longinus, known as the Spear of Destiny, couldn't break, it proved that he definitely had the power to confront a god.
Holding on to her hatred of God and her eager expectation to regain control of the Tower of Redemption, also known as the Black Tower, she was eager to bring Jiang Lu into her camp.
In dealing with such a person with unlimited potential, she was even willing to offer herself.
"That's not important, it's my first time too." The God of Redemption said boldly, without blushing or hesitation, "Have you ever heard of mana replenishment? My redemption is even more sacred and nobler than those lowly witches. Are you sure... you don't want to?"
Jiang Lu always considered himself an understanding person.
With things having come this far, to decline further would be somewhat discourteous.
It's just a dungeon, once the quest is complete, he had to return to Uganda anyway, so experiencing hidden storylines wouldn't be too bad.
With this thought, Jiang Lu asked somewhat sheepishly, "About that... can I set you free later?"
Facing the God of Redemption's suggestive look, he explained, "I need to verify that so-called contract isn't a deception, right? I'm a vulnerable member of society without much sense of security."
"Whatever pleases you."
Jiang Lu snapped his fingers, and patted the messenger who was still immersed in pondering the meaning of their life nearby.
"Huh? What's up?" The messenger snapped out of their reverie.
Jiang Lu coughed twice, his gaze drifting, "Well, I'm still cursed and can't move freely, come over and give me a push."
```