Chapter 4: The Body is Hollowed Out (Please Read Next)
163 years ago, a red moon appeared in the sky, and the sun could not block its brilliance.
Since then, legendary evil creatures have begun to become active in the world, including werewolves, vampires, leopards, evil spirits, etc., but various extraordinary rituals of the church buried in the pile of old papers have also been brought to light.
In every church, a sanctuary chamber was built underground.
Intricate magic arrays were carved on the walls of the sanctuary and the floor of the church hall.
The magic circle can collect the light of faith emitted by the believers' devout prayers, purify it into liquid and store it in the sanctuary.
This kind of light cannot be seen by mortals, only extraordinary and mysterious people can get a glimpse of it.
The holy water sold in churches that is said to cure all diseases is nothing more than this sacred liquid diluted with water.
The town of Zak is not big, and the power of faith collected every year can only be used to hold one or two sacred baptism ceremonies. How can Nick not feel bad?
"A large amount of black mist was purified from your body during the baptism. It was the soul toxins left in your body by the evil spirits. If it weren't for the purification of these two holy baptisms, these things would have accumulated in your body for a long time, and you would have been destined to become a mad villain."
The priest said with an expression that he had made a good deal: "100 gold shields for a brand new life is not expensive at all. You still have a long way to go in life."
After hearing this, Crown was completely sure that he had passed the test, and he finally felt relieved.
As for the so-called debt, he automatically ignored it.
At worst, I can become a deadbeat. I obeyed the law in my previous life and was afraid of owing others. It might be nice to try a different life experience in this life, he thought.
. . . .
As night fell, three fires were lit in the square outside the church, and the priest performed cremation for the believers who had died in the evil spirit incident.
Eighteen people from three families died in the incident. Familiar neighbors and friends came to see them off. A dense crowd filled the place, and everyone placed candles on the stone surface of the square.
People believe that candlelight can illuminate the soul's path to the heaven of the gods.
Crown stood by a fire, looking sad.
He has completely absorbed the original owner's memories, and his words are truly sincere at this moment.
With the blazing fire reflected in his eyes, he crossed his hands on his chest and prayed silently in his heart: "May the fire purify our sins, cleanse our souls, and may there be no sorrow in heaven."
From time to time, familiar friends would come over and give him a hug or pat him on the shoulder, and Crown would respond with a grateful smile.
The flames gradually died down, and the night wind chilled his forehead.
Crown placed his family's ashes in a black ceramic jar, ready to bury them in a wild cemetery during the next budding month, and plant a pine tree.
In the teachings of the Lord of Fire, people come into the world, experience all kinds of suffering to pay for their sins, are purified in flames after death, and are then thrown onto the land to nourish growing plants. These plants can then serve as burning fire to illuminate the world, allowing the world to cycle.
The nuns also buried the ashes of two other families who had no other relatives.
The crowd gradually dispersed and the candlelight in the square gradually went out.
Nick came over at this time and said: "Houses that have been invaded by evil spirits must be purified before they can be lived in again. You can stay in the church keeper's hut tonight. I will purify the house tomorrow."
Clown bowed his head and said, "Thank you, Father. Is there any additional fee?"
"Haha," the priest was amused, "Not this time. It is my duty to let the place where believers live be bathed in the glory of our Lord."
Since you owe me a lot of money, it’s free this time!
Nick was silent for a few seconds, then said comfortingly: "The dead are gone, and the living must remain strong. May the light of the Lord of Fire shine upon you and me!"
“May the light of the Lord shine upon you and me!”
. . . .
The gatekeeper was an old man with a wrinkled face and gray hair.
He used to be an old widower. After the church was built three years ago, the priest took pity on him and gave him this job.
Although the salary is pitifully low, the church provides three meals a day and the food is pretty good.
The priest must have explained it. When Crown arrived here, the old man kindly pointed to the small door inside the room and said gently: "You sleep inside tonight. The bed is a bit narrow."
He sighed again, "It's a shame that old Moya is still in his prime."
Clown choked up a little and bowed his head slightly: "Thank you!"
He said nothing more, walked into the inner room and closed the door gently.
The room was very small, with only room for a narrow bed and a chair. A mirror with a wooden base and about a foot wide stood against the wall, with two cracks on the surface.
Crown placed the pottery jar under the bed, thinking that he would go to the patrol station to pick up his belongings tomorrow.
As soon as he lay down on the bed, he fell into a deep sleep.
I don’t know how long it took, but the moonlight secretly shone on the face of the sleeping person through the small window of the house.
Crown suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in bed.
He got out of bed barefoot, walked to the mirror, and looked at the person in the mirror with his head tilted.
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
The pupils of the person in the mirror changed from dark brown to yellow brown, then gradually elongated and flattened, forming strange vertical pupils.
A few thick whiskers grew on his face, and he grinned, with two long fangs growing out of his upper and lower mouth.
All this was only reflected in the mirror, and there was nothing unusual about Clown outside.
Black smoke came out of the ears of the person in the mirror, and an octopus monster with tentacles all over and sharp teeth in its mouth was fully revealed.
The monster's tentacles grabbed the edge of the mirror and it jumped out of it, causing ripples in the mirror.
Crown then closed his eyes, his body floated in the air, and drifted back to the bed.
The monster's body slowly became transparent and flew up out of the house. The roof did not pose any obstacle to it.
Under the eaves of the gatekeeper's hut hangs an ancient copper bell the size of a kettle, with the bell covered with intricate flame cloud patterns.
The copper bell made a clear sound, but then stopped abruptly.
The old man wrapped in a fur coat and sitting on a chair to keep watch was awakened from his sleep when he heard a bell that rang straight to his heart.
He pricked up his ears and listened carefully, but only heard the faint sound of wind outside.
The old man shook his head, wrapped his coat tighter, lowered his head and fell into a deep sleep.
. . . .
Early in the morning, Crown clenched his fist, beat his lower back, and walked out of the house with a sad face.
I just took a nap, why do my limbs feel weak?
He felt like he was walking on cotton.
"What's wrong with you? You look so bad," Nick, who was walking towards him, looked puzzled.
I felt like my body was hollowed out. Clown smiled bitterly: "I don't know what happened. When I woke up, I just felt very weak and powerless."
Apparently, the power of that evil spirit was more evil than expected, and holy baptism did not completely eliminate its influence.
Nick narrowed his eyes in thought.
Crown pounded his lower back again, glanced upwards casually, and suddenly froze.
The church is not short of money, right? He pointed to the brass bell under the eaves and asked his doubts: "Father, why does this exquisite brass bell have no bell tongue?"
(End of this chapter)