She raised her head, her wine-red eyes deep and bottomless in the dim light, reflecting the cold glow of the fluorite lamp:
"So, perhaps Bishop Luo Ning's formation doesn't even have the ability to transfer classes. That 'Chef'... is probably a later arrival, or... a being that's parasitic on the formation itself."
"After all, not all gods require faith to sustain them.... It's possible to feed on the 'sweet' emotions emanating from 'purified' souls, and the 'pain' they devour."
"Bishop Ronin thought he was offering syrup, but in fact, he was offering a part of the souls of all the residents of Maple Leaf Town."
"As for why there are no elderly people in Maple Leaf Town, I can't guess for now."
Monica closed Roning Feng's heavy, dusty notebook, and her fingertips seemed to still linger on the despair and obsession revealed between the lines.
The silence of the church is like an invisible net, enveloping this forgotten space and the two people who have glimpsed the forbidden truth.
"There's no answer in the notes." Mark's voice was particularly clear in the empty prayer room. "Regarding the 'Chef's' job change, and the disappearance of the old man... the source is still in the forest to the south, on the so-called 'Sugar Heart Stone'."
Deep in Monica's wine-red pupils, the light of the identification array slowly faded. She took one last look at the library, her eyes passing over the neatly stacked but dusty books, and finally stopped at the secret compartment of the low cabinet.
"Well. There's nothing more here except the dust of history and the struggles of Bishop Ronin."
"The remaining holy light is faint and pure, with no traces of dark blasphemy, nor any remnants of other divine powers... At least for now, it seems the problem isn't with the church itself, but with the activated formation."
She gently stroked the smooth body of Xiao Mu in her arms. The little guy seemed to feel the solemn atmosphere. His pink eyes rolled around, alertly sensing his surroundings.
"We must find the source. Whether it was Ronin's out-of-control creation, or a parasitic 'existence' that later took over."
Mark nodded, the trainee judge badge and cross necklace on his chest gleaming coldly in the dim light.
He took one last look at the sanctuary forgotten by time and turned towards the door.
"Let's go, it's almost midnight. Let's go meet that guy."
…
South of Maple Town, the ancient sugar maple forest stretches out its twisted branches under the deep night.
Unlike the carefully cared-for maple trees in the town, the trees here are taller and sturdier, with bark mottled like dragon scales and branches piercing the dark blue sky with fangs and claws.
The ubiquitous sweet fragrance in the air becomes particularly rich and sticky here, like solidified honey, which brings a slightly intoxicating feeling when inhaled into the lungs.
The moonlight, cold as frost, struggled to penetrate the layers of huge maple leaves.
Mottled and swaying spots of light filtered through the ground.
Underfoot is a thick layer of fallen leaves that has accumulated over the years. It is soft and silent when stepped on, with only the occasional crisp sound of a dead branch breaking, which seems particularly abrupt in the dead silence of the forest.
The cry of a night owl came from the depths of the forest, with a hollow echo.
Mark and Monica were like ghosts blending into the night, walking silently through the woods.
Monica's identification technique continued to operate, her wine-red eyes flickering with a faint magical light in the darkness, scanning every inch of land and every tree trunk, looking for abnormalities in the maple forest.
Xiao Mu was hugged tighter by her, and the small tentacles slightly retracted. The pink eyes vigilantly scanned the surrounding space that was cut into a strange light by the moonlight and shadows.
Soon, they found the "Sugar Heart Stone" that the proprietress mentioned.
It was a huge natural rock lying under the protection of some of the oldest maple trees, with an extremely smooth surface.
It has a warm, almost translucent deep amber color, like a large piece of solidified finest maple syrup.
The moonlight fell on the stone surface, and was reflected into a faint, dreamy colorful halo, which formed a sharp contrast with the deep darkness around it.
The air around the stone seemed to be slightly distorted, carrying an indescribable attraction.
Anyone who sees this stone will know that it is not an ordinary stone.
"This is it." Mark's voice was barely audible in the silent woods, but he couldn't help but complain, "If this thing were placed in Osborne Town, it wouldn't last a day before someone dug it up!"
He took off the bag on his back and began to prepare quickly.
He chose a relatively flat ground about ten steps away from the sugar heart stone, collected dry branches, and skillfully built a small bonfire.
The flames quickly rose, the orange flames leaping, dispelling a small area of darkness and bringing a hint of warmth, temporarily suppressing the unsettling sweetness in the air.
Mark took out the fresh venison that had been prepared long ago from the gap in the starlight.
I bought this at the town market when I left Osborne. The meat is tender.
He used the small knife he carried with him to cut it into even-sized pieces, and then skewered them with sharpened branches.
He avoids elaborate spices, simply seasoning it lightly with salt and a dash of ordinary black pepper purchased in Osborne.
The meat skewers are placed on the fire, the fat sizzles in the high temperature, emitting the original and tempting meat aroma.
This is the pure fragrance of human life, which is incompatible with the sweet fragrance that permeates the maple forest like a substance, forming a strange confrontation.
…
At the same time, on a small mound a few miles outside Maple Leaf Town.
Enzo paced back and forth anxiously, the gravel crunching under his heavy boots.
From time to time, he looked up in the direction of Maple Leaf Town. The deep maple forest, which looked like it was covered with a layer of hazy frosting under the moonlight, was exactly where Maple Leaf Town was.
It was now late at night and he could no longer see the lights on in the town.
"Damn it! I'm so frantic!" Enzo punched a nearby maple tree, which was as thick as a bowl, causing the leaves to fall. "There's no sound at all! Not even a scream! This is more f*cking exhausting than fighting with the Qizhi Society!"
Anna sat quietly on a rock, her emerald green eyes like the finest jade, gleaming in the night, fixed on Maple Leaf Town without blinking.
The elven archer's vision allowed her to barely catch the outline of the edge of the town and the maple forest in the south that looked particularly deep in the moonlight.
"There are no flames, no unusual magical fluctuations, no startled birds..." Anna's voice was as cool and clear as the night dew in the forest. "The town... is very quiet. Mr. Mark and the others probably haven't come into contact with the evil god yet."
Her fingers unconsciously stroked the cold wooden bow on her knees, and the cold arrowhead of the Demon-Breaking Arrow reflected a faint light in the moonlight.
She seemed to be comforting Enzo, and also seemed to be comforting herself.
"Enzo, wait a moment. Mr. Mark and Ms. Monica are both very cautious."
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