On the street.
Leaves and trash were scattered carelessly, showing signs of long neglect.
Most shops by the roadside were closed.
Crooked signs and "For Rent" notices on the glass all testified to the town's decline.
Few people were on the street.
Occasionally, one or two read newspapers by the roadside, but upon seeing Gideon Black and his group, they quickly hid.
Luen tried several tis to ask for directions, but failed each ti.
Gideon Black, anwhile, surveyed the surrounding terrain.
"There's only one way out of town—the large bridge we crossed earlier. That's definitely risky..."
Gideon Black pushed open the door of a closed bookstore.
Creak.
The old wooden door broke the quiet inside, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Cough cough...
Huang Ren followed him inside.
"What are you doing here?" Huang Ren asked.
Gideon said nothing and searched the bookshelves.
He soon found a map of the town.
Brushing off the dust, Gideon spread the map open.
According to it, the town was built along a river.
The bridge was located at the most densely populated area.
Beyond that was a dense forest, behind which lay a private estate.
To the west side of the town was a funeral ho, and the church was also there.
The east side had a small lake, near which stood a building marked in cursive as "theater."
Between the two was a cetery housing the town's deceased residents.
Seeing the town's general layout on the map, Gideon knew his previous preparations were correct.
When entering earlier, he had deliberately extended his setup along both sides of the entrance.
This way, no matter which part of town they evacuated from, supplies would be available along the route.
Now with the map, Gideon Black could select the optimal escape route.
Always plan ahead and be ready to run—that was the key to survival in a world filled with supernatural horror.
Gideon stepped out of the store, holding the map as he compared possible routes.
"Escape scenario one: if it's night and the car breaks down, I'll need to find ergency supplies within minutes..."
"Escape scenario two: if we fall into so kind of illusion where our vision deceives us, I'll need objects that can guide my direction..."
With these thoughts, Gideon ultimately chose a nearly straight road.
He planned to place sacred relics along it to serve as waypoints.
Luen and Olivia saw this and thought Gideon had discovered sothing important.
But when they ca closer, they realized he was rely setting up escape thods.
Luen was shocked, feeling his understanding being challenged.
Olivia, however, suddenly had an epiphany.
"He must have faced many dangers but lacked proper defensive relics—and so is especially cautious."
"The life of a local priest is so harsh. Oh Lord, I should help him!"
Thinking this, Olivia took out a wooden talisman.
It was one of hundreds of amulets her father had given her; whenever she went out, she grabbed a handful.
Her father said these were sacred relics blessed by a cardinal and were very effective against evil spirits.
"Father Gideon, please accept this. It will protect your safety."
Just as Gideon buried a cross in the soil, he looked up.
His eyes t Olivia's sincere gaze.
Danger!
Gideon's hairs stood on end.
He turned slightly and noticed a dark look flashing in Luen's eyes.
Suddenly inspired, Gideon decisively pushed Olivia away.
"No!"
"You both have noble status—especially Father Luen, who will surely beco a pillar of the Church."
"The future of the Church rests on you. You must protect yourselves."
At first, Luen had been a bit displeased seeing Olivia get close to Gideon.
But after hearing this, he felt he might have misjudged Gideon.
"Yes, my father instructed before coming here that to gain others' trust, I must be magnanimous. If Olivia can do it, I can't be looked down on either."
So Luen generously pulled out two crosses and gave one each to Gideon and Huang Ren.
"Here, these are three-year-old relics. As the lead on this assignnt, I have a duty to protect your safety."
Olivia nodded in agreent.
"What Father Clauso said is right."
Luen's already proud posture straightened further.
"It would be even better if you all addressed as 'Father Luen'..."
Gideon looked at the relics in his hands, which were nearly ten-year-old quality, and knew it was not the mont to refuse. He accepted them with great apparent gratitude.
At this point, Luen ntioned soone told them earlier to seek out the Ashen family.
They were the town's wealthiest family, with an estate nearby.
eting them should provide more details about their mission.
Soone also had to check on the church.
So the four split up—Olivia, Luen, and Huang Ren drove to the estate, while Gideon went to the church alone.
Passing through a patch of woods, Gideon arrived at a clearing.
There stood a church, styled similar to his own but abandoned for a long ti.
Branches climbed over the roof.
Using his Ethereal Sight, Gideon detected no signs of evil nearby.
Still, just in case, he set up a containnt formation around the periter.
Pushing open the church door, a musty sll filled his nostrils.
Gideon frowned, adjusting to the environnt.
The church interior was small—one glance revealed everything.
Tables overturned and broken candlesticks—a place seeming ordinary and unremarkable.
Gideon approached the altar.
The statue's head on the crucifix had long since broken off, stained with dark reddish marks.
Clack.
Gideon suddenly stepped on sothing.
He picked it up. It was a diary.
Flipping through, he read entries like:
"January 13th, overcast. I carefully prepared the performance, but they mocked my imitation!"
"March 6th, sunny. After months of practice, I made a perfect piece—this ti it must work..."
"March 14th, I failed."
...
"December 7th. I found a way to beco the best puppeteer—but it requires sacrificing my child!"
Besides these notes, the diary contained drawings.
One depicted a warrior riding a black horse, surrounded by strange symbols.
Below was a na—Symlorri.
He was the 66th of the 72 demons of Solomon, lord over knowledge and language.
Gideon imdiately recognized this as a sacrificial ritual.
The diary's owner must be Mary.
"So that's where she learned her puppeteering skills..." Gideon thought.
Beep beep.
Suddenly, a car honked outside.
Gideon stepped out and saw the three teammates arriving.
"Did you find anything?" Luen asked.
Gideon handed over the diary.
"I knew it was a cult ritual! But Mr. Ashen denied it!"
It turned out the group visiting the estate had t Mr. Ashen.
He claid the town's low population was due to its remoteness, not cult activity as Luen suspected.
As for rebuilding the church, Ashen was supportive—on the condition that they held a funeral for his daughter-in-law.
She had recently died in an accident, and his son Jamie brought the news the day before.
Although no cult was found, restoring the church remained one of their goals, so Luen agreed.
After eting with Gideon, they planned to visit the funeral ho nearby and negotiate with undertaker Henry Walker.
Gideon realized that Huang Ren and the others must have t the original Edward Ashen.
But he rembered that man was long dead.
So the person who made the deal with Luen and the others was...
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