Chapter 403: Spiritual Communication and Herding
Tick, tick.
The sound of dripping water came to Angel's ears, and his confused eyes refocused. He found that the dark cave, the bloody altar, and the three serious-looking punishers that were in front of him just a second ago had all disappeared without a trace.
She was now standing in a small stone chamber, surrounded by moss-covered brick and stone walls with countless narrow holes, most of which were empty, and a small number were filled with long-dried human remains.
There was a low exit on the side that was only wide enough for one person to pass through. It was also pitch black outside, as if countless evil spirits were wandering around, watching Angel.
The ceiling above my head was also made of bricks. The adhesive between the bricks had been destroyed by years of water seepage, and the dripping water formed small puddles on the ground.
Am I being pulled into a dream?
This was Angel's first reaction. She reached out and grasped the Secret Holy Symbol, which felt warm from her body temperature, not the coldness that kept her awake after entering the dream.
Is it reality... No, it could also be a deeper dream that even the Secret Holy Symbol cannot resist. Or maybe the light emitted by the symbols around the altar just now teleported me to a location connected to it?
Pop.
She tried to move her feet, but kicked something soft. Looking down, she saw Miller, the Storm Church Bishop who had just died at her hands. The Wind-Favoured One, whose chest had been pierced and infused with purifying power, stared at Angel with wide-open eyes.
Miller, who was also lying on the altar, also appeared here, which means that the possibility of a problem with the "living sacrifice ceremony" is greater... Could it be that this so-called "Weather God" sacrificial ceremony was activated by Miller's own blood before the living sacrifice requirement was met, and sent us to some primitive ruins left over from hundreds of years ago?
Holding the revolver tightly, Angel first walked towards the only exit, carefully stuck her head out to look at the situation outside the door, and found that the stone chamber was connected to a dark corridor, which was also made of large yellow bricks. It seemed to lead to the infinite distance, and on both sides were narrow doorways similar to the one she was in.
Instead of going out to explore rashly, she returned to the stone chamber and looked at Bishop Miller who was dead at her feet with worry.
Originally, she planned to reveal her identity and take Donna and Cecil away and return to the White Agate. Cecil might need to return to a large port for further treatment, and the emotionally traumatized Donna also needed to return to her parents immediately.
As for the bishop who betrayed the Church of Storms, the Mandated Punishers would have to deal with him themselves. They would have to recover the Beyonder characteristics of Sequence 6, and even before that, they would have to communicate with him to understand the reason for his betrayal.
But now…
Seeing the deep blue and green light gradually emerging from Bishop Miller's body in the spiritual vision, Angel knew that he would soon be of no use in spiritual communication.
She sighed inwardly, took out a small mirror, and prepared to perform magic mirror communication.
In the previous battle, she had lost a magic mirror that served as a substitute, but after being promoted to Sequence 5, the Witch of Pain could have more than one magic mirror of her own, so Angel brought three.
After a short ceremony, Miller's pale face appeared in the mirror, and his light brown eyes looked coldly at Angel outside the mirror.
"Miller, what is the purpose of this bloody human sacrifice? Is the thick fog and strong winds in Bansy Harbor related to it?"
Angel went straight to the point and began to inquire about the real reason for the incident in Bansi Port.
"The ceremony was not bloody. In fact, it was what protected Bansy Harbor, not the Storm Church and the church."
Miller's spirit in the mirror said in a daze.
"Thick fog and strong winds are not uncommon here, occurring about once a week. But they appear simultaneously in the evening, and only this ancient ritual can stop them."
"What will happen if we don't stop it?"
Angel asked, and she suddenly remembered the expressionless local residents in the Green Lemon Restaurant in Bansy Port and the tradition of "staying indoors".
Are those the ways to deal with "disasters"?
"Ancient tradition holds that this is the wrath of the 'Weather God,' and that it must be appeased with the flesh and blood of living people. Otherwise, there won't be a single living person left on the entire island, and the 'disaster' will even spread to other areas. I simply did what I was supposed to do."
Miller's eyes regained some clarity, even a hint of fanaticism, which made Angel feel a little incredible.
Could it be that this cult leader, the corrupt bishop who sacrificed innocent people, is actually the dark hero who protects Bansi Port?
But what about those headless zombies and flying heads? He had transformed all the cultists into those horrible looks right in front of everyone...
"So the 'Weather God' is real, and the Church of Storms hasn't solved the island's troubles?"
She saw Miller's figure in the mirror begin to dim, and knew that the time for communication was running out, so she continued to ask faster.
"He may have existed before, but he's nowhere to be found now," Miller denied, shaking his head. "The danger to Bansi comes from Bansi itself, or rather, from the original 'Bensi Town.'"
Binxi Town!
Hearing this term, Angel immediately thought of the evil spirit trapped in the underground ruins of Backlund. He tried to trick Angel, Klein, and Sharon into releasing him, and suggested going to "Benxi Town" to look for clues.
She wanted to ask further, but Miller's expression had begun to grow indifferent, and his figure gradually disappeared in the mirror. Angel could only ask one last question:
"Is this why you betrayed the Church of the Storm and killed your colleagues and acquaintances?"
The former Storm Church Bishop suddenly opened his eyes and said with his last bit of strength:
"I didn't betray Storm!"
After leaving these words, his spirit disappeared from the magic mirror.
After putting away the magic mirror, Angel began to recall and analyze Miller's answer.
The brief spiritual communication solved some of her doubts, but also brought more questions.
The "hidden danger" that Klein predicted did exist, and it was "Bansi," no, it should be "Bansi Town" itself. According to Miller, if human sacrifices were not used to stop it, the entire Bansi Port, and even other parts of the island, would experience even greater mutations that could kill everyone.
How did Miller know all this, hiding it from the Church of the Storm and taking matters into his own hands? He acted like a poor man, distrusted by his superiors and forced to deal with his problems privately. But the Mandated Punishers of Bansy Harbor were so eager to take out their Sealed Artifacts to deal with the monsters in the fog and rush to the mountaintop to deal with the cultists. It didn't seem like they were letting things go...
Add to that what he said at the end about not betraying the Storm Church... Could it be that the church intentionally allowed Bansi's abnormality, and this "conscientious" bishop had nowhere to turn to and could only use ancient living sacrifices to sacrifice a small number of people to save the majority?
No, that's just his one-sided account. Although psychics ask about a person's innermost memories and thoughts, that doesn't mean they're correct. Many cult members believe they're doing the right thing, but they're just not recognized by the world...
Due to the lack of further evidence, Angel no longer tried to analyze Miller's words. She planned to convey the information to the Mandated Punishers after returning to the port and let the Storm Church worry about it.
Next, it's the disposal of the body...
Bits of spiritual energy have been extracted from Miller's body. It will probably take a few minutes for it to form a complete Beyonder characteristic. By then, we can only return the Beyonder characteristic to the Punisher.
If you use the "Rose Necklace" to graze it, both the extraordinary characteristics and the soul will be retained in the necklace, especially the soul. Miller's memory may be the key to solving Bansi's vision!
Angel would not feel any psychological burden in herding this murderous and evil "Wind-loving One".
The most important thing is that there is an "empty space" in her necklace.
Thinking of this, Angel no longer hesitated. She took off the ruby necklace around her neck and pressed the dark red gem on Miller's forehead. After infusing it with a little spiritual energy, an invisible breeze floated around the corpse. They rotated and rose, gradually turning into a real visible vortex, in which Miller's soul appeared with a painful expression.
The extraordinary characteristics that were about to be released from the body were also attracted by the whirlwind, hovering above the corpse, and finally sealed into the "Rose Necklace" along with the soul. A deep blue light lit up in the middle of the gem.
Miller, the "Wind-loving One", became the shepherd's last lamb.
Three extraordinary abilities belonging to the Sailor Path also appeared in Angel's mind.
First of all, "Wind Control" allows Angel to summon thin and sharp wind blades from his hands like Miller, and can use the wind to support himself to fly a short distance off the ground, and even create an "air cushion" to prevent falling damage.
Secondly, "Ocean Affinity" allows her to grow fish-like subcutaneous scales and gills, allowing her to move freely underwater and breathe freely, which can last for more than half an hour.
Finally, "Weather Control" can also summon thick sea fog, like the fog in Bansy Harbor tonight, which obscures vision. It works better near the sea. Unfortunately, controlling different weather conditions seems to belong to different abilities, which is similar to the Devil's Words of "Apostle of Desire".
Although the three extraordinary abilities were not very powerful in combat—especially since Miller, who used them to fight, was lying at Angel's feet—they were a good supplement to his mobility, especially his affinity with the ocean. If the Red Skull pirates tried to rob the White Agate at noon, Angel would have this ability and could have swum directly onto the other party's ship and easily solved all problems.
Of course, the premise is that I can swim fast enough, which needs further verification... And if I do this, I will be more like a "Siren"...
Angel put on the necklace again, looked at Miller on the ground, and then looked at the compartments around the stone chamber that were obviously used to collect corpses. He had no intention of collecting the body for him.
"Next, we need to leave this strange underground space..."
Angel tried to use the magic mirror to try to figure out whether he was near Bansi Harbor or had been sent to a farther place by the altar and sacrificial rituals, but due to insufficient information, the divination did not give any results.
"Heh, a master of divination."
After some self-deprecating laughter, she gave up this mystical method and prepared to walk out of the area directly on foot.
Before that, she chanted the honorific name of Mr. Fool, hoping that this being could convey his current situation to his follower Klein so that he would not worry too much.
"Perhaps we could have him ask the Mandated Punishers if they have any clues to the altar's location... but that would expose Mr. Fool's presence..."
Muttering to herself, she gripped the revolver tightly, walked out of the stone chamber, and stepped onto the corridor that seemed to lead to endless darkness.
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