Outside the villa.
Next to the running Ford Raptor, both doors open.
Father Yorkes, having received the general information, thought for a moment and decided to leave anyway. This decisive manner left The Warrens feeling quite helpless.
Ed Warren looked at the tall and strong Father Yorkes before him, his hands involuntarily waving as he tried to persuade him to stay once more.
"Father Yorkes, we actually have spare rooms. Why don't you stay the night and leave tomorrow?"
"Yes, Father Yorkes," Lorraine added gently.
"We already prepared a room for you."
"No need."
York still refused resolutely, tossing the suitcase containing various sealed evil Spirit mediums into the back seat, followed by the glass cabinet sealing the annabelle doll.
"Regarding the matter of The Nun, I still need to investigate, and then I'm going to stop by a certain place. This time of day is exactly when things are most lively."
Hearing this, The Warrens exchanged glances. They instantly understood each other, recalling what Father Yorkes had said earlier.
"Father Yorkes, is the place you're going the secret location you mentioned?" Ed asked.
"Mhm."
York slammed the back door shut with a bang, turned back, and smiled at The Warrens.
He was quite fond of this couple. They were law-abiding and kind-hearted, constantly working on the front lines of the paranormal as ordinary people without demanding much in return.
Just like Ed's collection of evil artifacts, his main motivation was simply to prevent the evil Spirits within from escaping.
Thinking of this, York looked at The Warrens, who had been loving partners for many years, and said gently.
"Don't worry, I will deal with this 'Nun' as quickly as possible. Before then, you don't need to worry too much. Its power is currently only capable of small actions, such as appearing in your dreams or in the spiritual space..."
Watching the comforting priest before them, a ripple passed through The Warrens' eyes, and they were filled with gratitude.
"Father Yorkes! Thank you very much for your help!"
Seeing the moved expressions of The Warrens, York waved his hand, climbed directly into the driver's seat, and slammed the door shut again.
"That's that. If you encounter any paranormal incidents in the future, remember to let me know."
York shifted gears, his voice resolute and righteous.
"Where there is evil! There I shall be!"
This sentence lingered in The Warrens' ears. Before they could react, York stepped on the gas, and the Ford Raptor roared, speeding forward into the darkness.
His decisiveness was overwhelming. The Warrens were stunned... Lorraine subconsciously looked at her husband. The taillights had vanished, but Ed still stood in the posture of seeing him off.
"Father Yorkes is gone, Ed."
Ed pursed his lips, feeling Father Yorkes' words still echoing in his ears. He couldn't help but grasp his wife's hand.
"Darling, we need to work a little harder from now on."
Lorraine understood her husband's meaning and nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Ed smiled gently, holding his wife's hand as they walked toward the house.
"It's cold out. Let's go inside."
"Mhm."
"..."
The Ford Raptor, having left The Warrens' sight, departed the wealthy district, turned onto a car-free highway, and roared along.
In the driver's seat, York, having just finished his grand exit, controlled the car with one hand, habitually preparing to tap the music icon on the center console screen.
He planned to listen to music while dealing with the five attribute points he hadn't allocated yet.
He usually liked to do this when driving. However, before he could open the song he often listened to while driving, titled "Midnight City," there was a sudden movement in the back seat, like something scraping against glass.
Zzzzt~
York stopped his movement. Looking at the empty highway and sensing the subtly changing atmosphere, he couldn't help but chuckle.
They hadn't been gone long, and the evil Spirits in the back seat were already starting to cause trouble.
An ordinary person might not have sensed it, but York could feel the atmosphere beginning to mimic a horror movie—making one feel that the road ahead had no end, that he was utterly alone on the empty highway, as if separated from the world.
York glanced up at the car's rearview mirror. The zipper on the suitcase in the back seat was half-undone, and the glass cabinet sealing the annabelle doll was tilted and lying on the back seat.
"Tsk!"
Seeing this strange sight, York smacked his lips, withdrew the hand that was about to hit play, and quietly reached for the backpack on the passenger seat, pulling out the meritorious Bluetooth Speaker while unzipping it.
"I'll play a song for you."
York muttered to himself, as if truly speaking to someone, tossed the Bluetooth Speaker onto the back seat, then pulled out his phone, connected it, and tapped the play button on the screen.
Instantly.
A sacred and solemn recitation sounded inside the car.
[...]
[We cast you out, every unclean Spirit,]
[all demonic power, all intruders from hell,]
[all legions of demons,]
[all wicked cults and churches.]
[...]
As solemn recitation after solemn recitation sounded, wisps of holy energy appeared out of thin air and slowly descended.
"Ahhhhhhh!!"
"..."
York, who seemed to be able to hear the evil Spirits screaming, grinned.
These beast-like screams were more invigorating than any song.
After all, this was a "song" sung personally by the evil spirits—a group song, no less.
Treating these screams as appetizers, York silently summoned his Personal Panel and began allocating his acquired attribute points. The fixed mission reward from this morning before departure, plus the reward for completing the exorcism mission, totaled 5.5 attribute points.
Enough to be distributed across all his attributes.
With a thought, York first added one point to his all-around constitution, and a prompt sounded.
[all-around constitution increased from 34 to 35]
Next, he added one point to Spirit.
[Spirit increased from 83 to 84]
One point to Magic Power.
[Magic Power increased from 164 to 165]
The remaining 2.5 points were all added to Health.
[Health increased from 121.5 to 124]
[...]
All attribute values had been allocated, and the sensation within his body was naturally incomparable.
York couldn't help but let out a long breath. The recitation and the increasingly weak screams behind him acted like a combustion enhancer, making the feeling within him burn brighter and making him feel even more comfortable.
"Extremely comfortable!"
York's emotional voice drifted out the car window, carried farther and farther by the wind.
Drifting all the way to Stanford City.
Half an hour later.
The Ford Raptor stopped in front of a church.
By this time, the sensation within his body had completely vanished. York glanced at the tightly closed St. Luz Church, reached for the phone in the center console, and tapped the pause button.
The continuous recitation inside the car immediately stopped.
York looked back at the annabelle doll and the items in the backpack, sensing the weakness of the evil Spirits within, and couldn't help but laugh.
"I don't know if you can understand human speech, but what I want to tell you is: be good and sensible while you're with me. Don't try any tricks,
"otherwise, I'll put a speaker in front of you and educate you daily about the grace of our God."
York focused on the annabelle doll inside the glass cabinet. Among the sealed evil Spirits, he could sense that the one inside this doll was probably the strongest.
Yet, for some reason, after all the education and preaching along the way, he suddenly realized that the doll, which usually looked terrifying, was no longer scary; instead, it seemed to reveal a feeling of being very wronged.
"Since you aren't speaking, I'll assume you understand."
York chuckled, opened the door, got out, and after closing the door, stared at St. Luz Church, which was swallowed by darkness. He knew this infamous old guy definitely lived inside St. Luz Church.
As a backbone force within The Church, a priest's duties are inherently destined to be hated by demons or certain evil cults.
Therefore, generally speaking, priests usually live in The Church unless absolutely necessary.
Because for a priest, a church filled with holy attributes is the safest place; even if evil entities specifically come seeking revenge, the power the priest can exert within The Church is maximized.
[12:31]
Bang bang bang!!!
Standing in front of the tightly closed doors of St. Luz Church, York clenched his hand into a fist and hammered the large door without reservation.
His 35 points in all-around constitution were already superhuman.
Under his hammering, the tightly closed door shook with every strike, and dust was shaken out from the gap beneath the door with every vibration.
Bang bang bang!!!
In the dead of the silent night, the sound of hammering on the door became especially noticeable. Soon, lights appeared in the windows and doors of St. Luz Church, which had previously been dark.
Seeing figures moving inside, York curved his lips and stopped hammering.
Before long, the main door of St. Luz Church opened, revealing an old man wearing pajamas, his face kind and showing the traces of time.
He leaned against the edge of the door, looking helplessly at the young man who was two heads taller than him.
"York? Do you need something here?"
"Father Luz, long time no see." York tilted his head and glanced behind the old man. Not far away stood a nun and two fully armed Monks carrying Knights Swords at their waists.
Hearing the indifferent tone, Luz's expression twitched. No one who is woken up in the middle of the night would be in a good mood.
"York, you're not going to tell me that you woke me up in the middle of the night just to say that one sentence, are you?"
York withdrew his gaze and smiled nonchalantly. "Of course not, Father Luz. Do you know a Frenchman..."
When he mentioned the Frenchman, York deliberately observed the old man's expression. The man's pupils clearly shifted at that moment.
"Falanci Renqi's situation? I came for him."
The wrinkles on Luz's face tightened, forming lines, as he looked up and stared at York.
"How do you know about Falanci Renqi?"
York remained unperturbed and said calmly, "The evil Spirit on him targeted my friends, The Warrens. I need to understand the full story."
Luz instantly understood everything. He sighed, "Alright, I see. This matter is my fault. I didn't investigate clearly, otherwise..."
York's expression didn't change, but he instantly felt that the matter behind this was not that simple.
As Luz spoke, he stepped aside and said.
"Come in. Since you came all this way, I will explain everything to you."
"Okay."
York strode into St. Luz Church and nodded toward The Nun, who was already middle-aged, and the two Monks.
The standard configuration of The Church: a nun to assist the priest with daily affairs, and Monks responsible for protecting the priest.
He had them too, but he had refused.
The Nun and the two Monks quickly bowed in greeting.
With a click, Luz closed the door, walked next to York, and waved his hand at them.
"You may go back to sleep."
"Yes, Father."
The Nun and the Monks bowed again, then left their spots and walked toward the annex building.
Watching York see them off, Luz, standing nearby, spoke.
"Are you a little envious? You could tell Headquarters, and even if the Bishops dislike you, they would still assign you..."
York shook his head, interrupting him. "No, I'm still used to being alone."
Luz understood somewhat and stopped insisting. "Fine, just keep being unconventional."
Saying this, he took the lead and walked into the main building.
"Come in, York."
Hearing this, York glanced at St. Luz Church, which was newer and grander than Pluto Church, subconsciously pursed his lips, and followed him.
The exterior was all new, and the main building of St. Luz Church was naturally no exception; at least every decoration was striking.
The pews were neatly arranged, facing the Jesus Statue whose posture never changed, illuminated by the soft candlelight as if in pilgrimage.
Seemingly noticing York observing, Luz said calmly.
"You sit first. I'll go grab something."
"Mhm."
York nodded, sat directly on a pew beneath the Jesus Statue, closed his eyes, clasped his hands, and began a formal prayer.
It was exactly the start of a new day, and the daily fixed mission had already appeared.
In Luz's eyes, the tall, strong priest's face was full of piety. He shook his head and walked toward a side path...