Todd, who had come from the smelting pool, plunged into the laboratory, leaving Hudgens, Edgar, and Jerry staring at each other in the underground hall.
After discussing it among themselves, the three of them decided that Huggins should step forward. He gently pushed open the laboratory door and, looking at the monk apprentices busily working among the bottles and jars, cautiously said, "Todd, if our opponent really is a demon, perhaps it would be better to let the church handle it."
Todd carefully poured the ferric chloride solution into a portable test tube, sealed it, and placed it on a shelf inside a small wooden box. He looked up at the man, somewhat puzzled. The worry and underlying fear on the man's face instantly made Todd understand what Huggins was thinking.
While adjusting the chemical materials and packing up large and small bottles, the monk apprentice stood on tiptoe and patted the man on the shoulder, giving him a reassuring look. Unfortunately, Huggins showed no signs of relaxing; instead, he became even more uneasy.
Over the course of the afternoon, Todd prepared everything needed to remove the curse. After repeatedly instructing Huggins and his companions to handle everything with care, he entrusted them with the several wooden chests he carried. He then went to the monastery gates and, together with Aiden Colm, who had been waiting for a long time, and the other craftsmen and apprentices, set off for the village of the cursed.
Heading southeast from the monastery, after less than an hour's walk, Todd and his party reached the edge of Raven Forest before sunset, and the destination of their exorcism journey—Thousand Tree Village—came into view.
Unlike in my previous life, the villages here are very small. A typical village has only a hundred people, and some even have only a few dozen. These densely populated areas are scattered across the plain like stars; there are at least two hundred villages whose names I can recall.
Qianmu Village covers less than 100 acres; standing at the village entrance and looking far into the distance, one can even see the boundary between the village and the forest. Despite its small size, the village is surprisingly well-equipped, with a church, a village hall, a warehouse, and a well. Due to its proximity to the forest and abundant timber resources, most of the villagers' houses are built of logs, making them appear more beautiful and elegant than those in other parts of the plains.
Following Aiden and the others, Todd walked along the dirt road in Thousand Wood Village, his conspicuous monk's robes causing a stir among the villagers.
The cursed craftsman's dwelling was located near the edge of the forest and fields. He must have heard the news that the monks were coming to exorcise the demon, because a large crowd had gathered at the entrance of the hut early in the morning. Many of them had come from neighboring villages or even towns. These men, women, and children, dressed in different clothes, each had a variety of expressions on their faces: curiosity, astonishment, doubt, and confusion.
Ignoring the noise of the crowd outside, Todd followed the lead of the procession into the low bungalow in front of him. Inside, the unkempt mud floor was covered with rushes, and although it was early January, a chilly wind still seeped in through the cracks in the rickety wooden walls.
The unconscious craftsman lay on the bed in the center of the hut, surrounded by a group of people. Aiden Colm struck up a conversation with a burly middle-aged man, who nodded, walked up to Todd, and bowed slightly: "By God the Father, sir, we have been waiting for your arrival. I am Ackerman Shokola, the village chief here."
As the other person introduced the people in the room, Todd felt a bit dizzy. Among them were village chiefs from nearby villages, gentry from the fiefdom, and respected elders. He had only heard of many of these names before forgetting them, but one person in particular left a deep impression on him.
The priest of the Chiki Village Church, Moore Rupert, was the first person in the church that Todd came into contact with.
Father Rupert, an extremely arrogant and somewhat hunchbacked young man, always liked to look down on others with his head held high. He wore a silver cross on his chest, and his gaze toward the boy was three parts strange and seven parts contemptuous, as if he had seen a sheep approach the hunter and ask for meat.
“Fellow believer Todd, I never imagined that monks would put down their books, step out of their high walls, and provide exorcism services to believers.”
The tone sounded somewhat aggressive and unfriendly.
Todd rolled his eyes and read aloud, "The Word of God, Book 3, Chapter 9, Article 31."
Before the priest could react, the monk began reciting scripture: “Service to the believers should be above all else, and should not be delayed. If someone calls for help while you are praying, go in peace! Offer this act as a prayer to the Father. Do not feel uneasy or guilty for interrupting your prayer. Temporarily interrupting one good work for God is to complete another good work; the Father has not been neglected…”
Ignoring the astonished Moore Rupert, Todd turned to the village chief, Ackerman Shokola: "Get everyone out of here. I'm going to start preparing for the exorcism ritual."
Some people of high status immediately expressed their opposition.
They've come all this way just to witness the Taoist priests' exorcism skills; there's no reason for them to be turned away.
That's exactly what I've been waiting for.
Pretending to be hesitant, Todd thought long and hard before finally agreeing to the people's request, but on the condition that they could only come in 30 minutes later, because he needed to set up the ceremony venue.
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30 minutes later.
As darkness fell, a crescent moon hung in the sky.
More and more people gathered outside, but only the monk Todd and the cursed craftsman remained inside. In stark contrast to the silence within, the outside was bustling with activity, like a marketplace.
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