Chapter 170 – A Wrong Turn?
Gideon immediately sat up straight.
Even thirty-year holy oil was already classified as a sacred relic.
A fifty-year vial—
Even in the Vatican, it would be considered a priceless treasure.
Sold by the drop, it would still fetch an astronomical price.
He leaned toward the bottle.
Inside, the liquid shimmered in a deep golden hue and gave off a unique fragrance.
Just breathing it in was enough to refresh the spirit and clear the mind.
And holy oil of this caliber no longer served merely to strengthen the body.
According to Jolan's accompanying letter, once holy oil exceeded fifty years in quality, applying it carried a chance of touching the boundary of a Holy Domain.
This was a high-level application of holy power.
Within a Holy Domain, demons and evil spirits would be forcibly expelled, while curses and corruption would be completely purged.
"Where holy light shines, evil cannot remain."
However, cultivating a Holy Domain required massive amounts of high-quality holy oil.
Even in the Vatican, this was an impossible luxury.
The Church had too many clergy.
No one individual could monopolize such resources.
As for holy oil exceeding one hundred years…
Jolan had mentioned it only briefly.
At that level, one might witness Divine Authority itself—
A state closer to godhood than humanity.
Untouchable. Unapproachable.
The letter was deliberately vague.
Whether Jolan truly didn't know, or simply chose not to say, was unclear.
But to Gideon, it all sounded like a carefully wrapped incentive—
A promise that if he worked hard, he might reach that realm one day.
Even so, this reward was real enough.
And clearly compensation for hiding his contributions during the incident.
Besides the holy oil, the Church also granted:
ten years' rent reduction for the House of Rest
a large financial reward
As for being kept out of the spotlight—
Gideon was more than happy.
He had no interest in becoming some public "holy celebrity."
Since they were willing to pay, he naturally wouldn't decline.
But the holy oil…
He wasn't planning to use it immediately.
Instead, he intended to try refining it—
To see if it could be raised to one hundred years.
If successful, this would become an invaluable trump card.
After storing everything away, he checked the progress of his abilities.
He had never neglected his daily study routine.
And after several recent commissions, the improvements were obvious.
---
Skill Progress:
[Psychological Counseling]
Current Rank: Level 1 (832 / 1000)
[Holy Water Purification]
Current Rank: Level 2 (357 / 1000)
[Holy Water Blessing]
Current Rank: Level 1 (995 / 1000)
[Scripture Reading]
Current Rank: Level 1 (475 / 1000)
[Ignatian Exercises]
Current Rank: Level 1 (153 / 1000)
Because he had saved so many souls during the incident, Psychological Counseling surged dramatically and would soon rank up.
He also relied heavily on holy water as his main weapon.
As a result, Holy Water Blessing was on the verge of breakthrough.
He planned to hunt down a few minor spirits in the next few days and push it over the threshold.
Once completed, he would be able to craft higher-grade holy water.
As Gideon reflected on recent events, one thing was clear—
Twenty-year relics were no longer enough.
In this "American horror" world, a single commission could lead to a named demon.
Some entities were no longer even afraid of holy artifacts.
Cult activity was rising rapidly.
Sacrificial rituals were becoming routine.
Mental corruption spread like flyers on street corners.
And humans weren't exactly at peace either.
Besides internal Church struggles, various exorcist organizations were quietly expanding.
Faced with this reality, Gideon knew something critical:
Caution alone was not enough.
He had to become stronger.
Otherwise, one unlucky encounter with a descending demon—
And he'd be reincarnating whether he liked it or not.
Right now, the world was relatively calm.
Which meant…
This was the best time to grow.
---
Training Plans:
Scripture Reading and Sacred Gaze would be raised steadily through daily training.
Ignatian Exercises progress depended heavily on high-quality holy oil. Refinement would multiply its efficiency.
Holy oil sources beyond the Vatican depended on luck. Ancient relics buried by war or time might still lie hidden somewhere in the world.
As for Psychological Counseling and Holy Water Blessing—
Those required action.
Purifying evil.
Saving believers.
Constant engagement.
Gideon exhaled.
"Looks like I'll be taking more exorcism commissions."
The position of guest professor came at exactly the right time.
According to the appointment letter, Gideon only needed to teach at the theological seminary periodically.
The rest of the time, he was not required to stay on campus.
More importantly, he was granted unrestricted access to the Church's exorcism commissions.
These missions were issued by clergy from all across North America and uploaded into the Church network for sharing.
Some requests had been shelved due to extreme danger.
Others remained untouched because no one could figure out what was going on.
But to Gideon…
These were all opportunities for growth.
Naturally, during missions the Church only provided basic support—lodging, basic supplies, and local contacts.
If identity issues, restricted travel, or wilderness travel were involved, the contractor would handle it personally.
And if a fatal accident occurred during a mission?
The Church bore no responsibility.
Gideon understood this clearly.
Resources were limited, and the Church was attempting to forge a new generation of elite clergy through survival of the fittest.
If you lived, you advanced.
If you died, you were replaced.
However—
With an Official Exorcist License, things would become much more convenient.
This credential was recognized globally.
Holders enjoyed:
free public transportation
complimentary hotel stays
unrestricted access to confidential local archives
In short, the authorities worldwide placed immense importance on resisting demonic influence.
"Sounds familiar…"
Gideon made a mental note to get one.
A few days later…
Gideon had restocked all the holy items he had consumed.
He also accepted several household blessing commissions and successfully advanced Holy Water Blessing.
As a result, his production capacity now reached thirty-year holy water.
Which meant…
He could now craft true relic-level holy artifacts.
Outside the Vatican, this tiny shop might already be one of the richest arms dealers in the Church.
With preparations finished, Gideon refused to idle.
One morning, after completing his daily studies, he put on his professor's robes and headed to Dey Cathedral.
Along the way, curious eyes followed him.
Young man. Professor's robes.
The contrast was striking.
Some even suspected he was a Vatican noble being "gilded" in a provincial assignment.
Fortunately, no one tried to stir up trouble.
---
The Commission Office
The office looked much the same as before.
And behind the desk sat a familiar face.
"Sister Flora."
Flora looked up, her face lighting with surprise.
"Father Gideon!"
She hurried out from behind the counter.
"I heard you were appointed guest professor! I was just thinking—you might come…"
They exchanged brief greetings.
After the Memorial Incident, Flora had finally learned the truth about how her husband, Father Wynn, had died.
She had also learned of Hans's death.
And that the accomplices linked to him had received Church judgment.
Under Jolan's authority, Dey Seminary had held a formal funeral service for Father Wynn.
After time and grief, Flora had returned to teaching.
"This is all thanks to you."
She bowed deeply.
Had it not been for Gideon…
She would never have received justice.
She might even have become a sacrifice herself.
Gideon crossed himself.
"Justice and purification are the Lord's will. I only followed His guidance."
Flora wiped her eyes.
"Oh, right—you're here to take on commissions, yes? Please, this way."
She led him to a digital terminal.
"This connects to the Church's shared mission network. All assignments are archived here."
"If you wish to take one, simply enter your name."
She demonstrated the process.
"I'll give you the physical files and item tokens afterward."
Gideon nodded.
"By the way," he added, "don't professors need to lead students on exorcism missions?"
"Where do I find them?"
Flora smiled.
"A new instructor must complete at least one mission independently."
"The difficulty must be no lower than Danger-level."
"Only after that can you lead student missions."
She hesitated.
"But if it's you, I could request special permission—"
"No, no!" Gideon interrupted immediately.
He vastly preferred working alone.
Taking care of children was exhausting.
And—
More importantly—
It cost money.
Unless the kids were funded rich like Silas, he had zero enthusiasm.
Fortunately, practical teaching only happened occasionally.
---
As Flora left, Gideon opened the mission database.
Virginia…
Louisiana…
Montana…
Assignments spanned the entire continent.
There were even missions from Southeast Asia.
"That region… seems to be full of ladyboys."
Among all listings, Corruption-level missions were the scarcest.
These were balanced in difficulty and got claimed instantly.
Disturbance-level jobs were minor cases and usually handled locally.
The hardest tier—Danger and Catastrophe—
Were everywhere.
Cult riots.
Demonic descents.
Every mission read like an early obituary.
Some veteran operatives traveled in joined teams.
The board even included a messaging system for forming groups.
Yet despite all this—
Some missions remained untouched.
Long enough—
That the Church would be forced to intervene directly.
This was also why elite Church combatants were perpetually in short supply.
Some threats could not be managed.
And when danger exceeded safe limits…
The victims were simply abandoned.
Gideon's gaze hardened.
He soon found one.
Rating: Danger
Location: West Virginia forests
Objective: Locate a missing girl.
Details were vague.
Only one clue:
Possible presence of cannibalistic creatures.
Further information required in person.
Cannibals.
Forest.
West Virginia.
Gideon froze.
"…That sounds like Wrong Turn."
---