https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-103-No-Sanatorium-in-Akeman-Town-/12850170/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-105-Hang-It-on-the-Wall-as-a-Trophy/12850172/
Chapter 104: The Pumpkin-Headed Evil Spirit
Chapter 104: The Pumpkin-Headed Evil Spirit
"So, you're saying you were being chased by a massive evil spirit with a pumpkin head? But why?"
In the church, Qin Muye was somewhat puzzled. The logic in their story was quite sound, but it lacked a crucial cause.
It was already noon. Qin Muye and Brandt had received the key from the mayor of Ackerman Town. The mayor was quite warm towards him, after all, as a clergyman, he could also help maintain the stability of the town to some extent.
"The evil spirit doesn't need a reason to chase us. Perhaps we were just passing by and got targeted," Brandt said, trying to remain calm.
Qin Muye became even more suspicious. He wasn't subscribing to the idea of victim-blaming, but the entire situation was full of peculiarities.
From their early morning escape and the nervousness of the three, Qin Muye felt that there was definitely something they were hiding.
"Where did you pass by? Can you show me?" Qin Muye seized on the key points in their words and asked.
"Father Andrew, I was just using a metaphor. I didn't actually pass by any specific place, do you understand?" Brandt's tone was a bit sharp, as if Qin Muye's probing had hit a nerve.
Qin Muye was now certain that this trio might have brought this upon themselves.
He didn't mind helping them, but their attitude and lack of cooperation suggested that they were likely at fault.
If they were ordinary people, hearing that Qin Muye wanted to investigate the location of the incident, they would likely have warned him about the danger and advised him not to go, rather than denying it aggressively.
Even if they weren't, their attitude wouldn't have been like this.
"Alright, since you're being so evasive, I don't know how to exorcise the evil spirit. I think you should find someone more capable," Qin Muye said with a shrug.
They expected him to deal with an evil spirit without giving any information? Did they think he was a fool?
"But you are a priest, and you have an obligation to exorcise that evil spirit," Winnie said, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction.
Andy remained silent, his mind working rapidly as he observed the structure of the church, seemingly plotting something.
"Sorry, I don't have that obligation, especially since I just started, right?" Qin Muye replied. Obligation? He wasn't a real priest, but a complete fake, so fake that he might as well have ordered eleven of them.
Upon hearing this, the three of them looked somewhat displeased.
"Besides, you three aren't residents of Ackerman Town, but outsiders, and more precisely, you might have been brought back by the enforcers and just escaped from prison. I must say, Brandt, you've got real guts for daring to wander around and even visit the mayor's office with me."
Qin Muye's tone was mocking. The law enforcement office was right next to the mayor's office.
As for how Qin Muye deduced this, it was all thanks to Brandt. The boy led him around aimlessly, clearly not knowing the way, which indicated that they weren't students from a private high school.
The first signs of their deception appeared early on. For instance, as residents of Ackerman Town, they didn't know that a new priest named Father Andrew was coming to the town. Even the town's notorious serial killer knew about it, let alone the residents.
The reactions of the mayor, the guards, and the townspeople he encountered during their wanderings clearly showed that the news had already spread throughout the town. Yet, these three were still surprised to see him.
Now it was clear that these three were using Qin Muye's identity as Father Andrew. Unfortunately, Brandt was still too inexperienced, revealing many flaws along the way. After re-evaluating the situation, Qin Muye quickly reached his conclusion.
Brandt and Andy exchanged a glance, seemingly communicating silently.
"If you don't tell me the reason, I can't help you. After all, under the gods, all are equal," Qin Muye said, improvising. He didn't even know what this Father Andrew actually believed in; there was just a cross in the church, who knew what it represented.
"We really don't know, we swear," Winnie said, her voice trembling with tears.
Clearly, she was frightened by Qin Muye's deductions, but she still refused to speak.
Winnie might not know, but the two men definitely did. Brandt had the nerve to bluff Qin Muye, and Andy, while bold enough to scheme against Qin Muye, was also a coward who only bullied the weak.
"Yes, we really don't know anything, Father Andrew. You should be able to help us, right?" Brandt took out a stack of bills, his tone stiff.
"Tsk, this isn't about money, it's about people, understand?" What would Qin Muye do with the money? It would be somewhat useful, but the amount they offered was too little. If they had given him a blank check, he might have filled it with nine nines and been swayed.
Unfortunately, they had only a few thousand at most, less than what was in his wallet.
"Hmph, let's go." Brandt stood up, his expression sour. What else could he do? Kill Qin Muye? It wasn't impossible, but if he did, they definitely wouldn't be able to leave; they needed to escape as quickly as possible.
Andy and Winnie were hesitant. They felt safer staying in the church, but seeing Brandt's expression, they ultimately followed him out.
Qin Muye didn't care at all. He found the boy somewhat interesting.
Crimson crystals appeared in his eyes, and he saw a faint, malevolent aura surrounding each of the three. This wasn't their own aura but an external one, used as a tracking mark.
"A pumpkin-headed evil spirit? Sounds familiar."
"But why is there such an aura in my church?"
Faint, malevolent auras drifted around the church, not in large quantities but of various types.
It felt as though the church was suppressing an entire den of demons.
"This is a bit too much. No wonder no priest has come here for so long; even if one did, they would probably be gone soon." Qin Muye muttered. From the looks of it, most of the auras were well-sealed, but there were a few small leaks, occasionally letting something slip through.
For example, now, a bit of aura occasionally drifted by, but it was just a shadow without any movement, not too worrying.
"Let's call some people in, and we can have a righteous group fight later." Qin Muye immediately used the Lord's Summoning.
He chose the Apocalypse and the Evangelical Goblins.
In the next moment, a group of red-robed, tentacled humanoids appeared before Qin Muye.
There weren't many, a total of 101, with the extra one being the Apocalypse.
"Master, is this the new world? But the aura seems a bit off." The Apocalypse, upon arriving, was ready to cast a spell on Qin Muye.
"Not yet, first, transform into human forms. This is the human world, and there are all sorts of malevolent spirits around. We don't want to cause misunderstandings. You can release your true forms during the fight." Qin Muye said.
The Apocalypse was at level 26, and due to the Ascension of the Evangelical, he gained two new talents and ascended twice, at levels 10 and 20.
Mimicry Body: Can simulate the appearance of partially seen life forms.
Evangelical Hymn: Evangelical magic power +5, Evangelical magic consumption -5.
The second one was relatively normal, while the first was a weakened version of the Divine Sprout. If it continued to ascend, it could eventually simulate all life forms and objects, but for now, it could only simulate partial life forms and couldn't transform into objects like the Divine Sprout.
The Evangelical Goblins, naturally, had undergone secondary training and inherited the two talents from the Apocalypse, forming new skills.
Although they were weakened versions, they could still transform their flesh and blood to disguise themselves as humans without much issue.
The Evangelical Goblins were also special in that the intelligent magic network they could release was not elemental magic but the same Evangelical magic as the Apocalypse, though it was a weakened version. For example, the Blood Flesh Armor, which was military-grade in the Apocalypse's hands, could only be used on a single target by the Evangelical Goblins.
However, this didn't hinder the Evangelical Goblins' combat ability. They were Qin Muye's bodyguard team, the strongest in the entire domain.
Their tentacles writhed, and they quickly transformed into human-like forms.
"The situation is roughly like this. I'll give you a brief rundown."
Qin Muye gave a simple introduction of the situation, wondering if the Apocalypse had any ideas.
The Apocalypse pondered for a moment and then said, "Master, the town is too dangerous. Why don't we kill everyone?"
"???" Qin Muye was speechless. This idea was as bad as his previous plan to use the Crimson Infestation to cleanse the area.
"Our strength isn't enough, and fighting and killing could lead to our demise. Let's listen to me instead." Qin Muye thought, since neither idea was reliable, it was better to follow his own plan.
(End of Chapter)
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