Chapter 533

Chapter 533: Blessing Ceremony

The church in the small town was not large, and the pews inside could seat no more than eighty people. A priest clad in a slightly white robe was reciting prayers quietly with his back to the door. On the stone wall directly ahead, there was a carved depiction of an angel descending.

The angel had six wings that burned like flames, her eyes slightly closed as if tears were flowing down her cheeks. Her expression was one of compassion—this was the image of Israfil, the Water Angel.

After knocking on the door, Lohil and her companions entered the church.

“Hello, are you the priest in charge here?” Edward removed his hat, bowing respectfully.

“Yes, I am,” the priest turned around. His face was somewhat gaunt, and he looked quite old.

“Respected Keeper of Light, my wife and I have traveled here. We love the environment, but yesterday she suddenly had a nightmare, seeing scenes beyond belief. She’s been feeling unwell ever since.”

“So, we would like to ask you to lead a ceremony for tranquility and blessings. Do you think it’s possible?” Edward said, holding hands with Margaret, comforting his beloved.

The priest looked at the four of them for a few seconds before nodding slightly.

“I understand your request, but such ceremonies require considerable effort.”

“I understand. Angels in this world also need apples and bread. This is a small offering from me, donated to the church.”

Edward took out two Extraordinary gold coins from his pocket. In the dimly lit church, these coins emitted a unique luster.

“Thank you for your devotion; may light walk upon the earth,” the priest nodded slightly, then asked them to sit for a while as he prepared the materials and personnel.

Ten minutes later, another priest and a nun arrived at the church, bringing the total number of clergy to three.

The nun first brought clear water for Margaret to wash her face and hands, then had her stand before the carved angel.

Then, the two priests lit two incense sticks beside Margaret, filling the church with a calming aroma.

The church doors and windows were already shut, and only the afternoon sunlight filtered through the colored glass windows, casting light onto the floor.

The church became exceptionally quiet.

The nun recited the names of the three Archangels, sprinkling droplets of dew.

These dewdrops, under the influence of Extraordinary power, dispersed into tiny particles and burned, making everyone present feel refreshed and calm.

Next was the work of the elder priest. Holding a small scepter, he raised a circular magic circle on the ground, enveloping Margaret within it. The magical energy flowed according to the ritual, gradually calming her consciousness and soul.

This was followed by a five-minute period of chanting and soothing.

Once everything was over, the elder priest had a slight sweat on his forehead.

Edward expressed his gratitude and helped Margaret up.

“No wonder you are a priest of the Holy Land,” he added with praise.

They chatted for a bit before bidding farewell and leaving.

When they returned to their inn and gathered in a room for discussion,

“The priest’s technique and the ritual process were correct, but there’s one flaw—the number of participants. Typically, a mid-level tranquility blessing ceremony requires five people to achieve the best results,” the makeup artist commented.

“That’s true. During our conversation before leaving, the elder priest mentioned that their church only has these few members. This differs from the usual church practices.”

“A town-level church should have at least two priests, one nun, and two knight guards. That would be standard. Considering emergencies and backups, usually having three priests of different ages would be ideal.”

“But when I left, I only saw one knight at the church entrance. The townspeople said that it had been like this for a long time, with just one knight guarding.”

“There’s something off, but we can’t confirm it yet. Puppeteer, did you find anything?”

“Yes. All four of them, including the knight at the entrance, have been contaminated by Chaos Phantoms,” Lohil said calmly.

“How is that possible?”

The makeup artist covered her mouth in disbelief. She felt the priest’s spirit was very devout during the ceremony.

“Oh, looks like we’ve finally found the right people. Haha.”

Red Hat remained much calmer, not asking how the girl knew. This was the secret of the other team members, but since a new member was specifically sent, it indicated that she had special talent in this area.

“Do we arrest them now?” Lolan Hill sat in a chair, holding a doll, curiously watching the three in front of her.

“Not yet. Let’s observe for a while and see if they contact anyone else. Also, we need to find out why Priest Maoshu disappeared recently. Was he silenced by them?”

“It seems we’re finally going to start working.”

Black Bull picked up the teapot on the table and drank deeply, his expression relaxing.

—

Over the next two days, they questioned the townsfolk in detail about the situation in the church and continuously observed covertly to see if these people had any connections with others.

“Priest Maoshu disappeared half a month ago. He and Jina were childhood sweethearts.”

“What’s interesting is that Jina also died recently, reportedly attacked by a demonic beast in the mountains. When others found her, only her mutilated body remained.”

“Where did she die?”

“About twenty miles away in a remote village. Maoshu and Jina grew up there.”

“It looks like we’ll have to visit.”

So, that night, Red Hat and Puppeteer agreed that Makeup Artist and Black Bull would stay at the inn, continuing to monitor the church from afar. Red Hat and Puppeteer would travel to the village that night, aiming to return before dark the next day to decide their next move.

“This is for you.” Red Hat placed a cylindrical pendant in Lohil’s hand, its color pale yellow, feeling somewhat hard.

“If you encounter danger or trouble, break it. Others will sense it. And everyone else has one. If it breaks, you’ll know roughly what happened.”

“Alright, but aren’t we supposed to act together?”

“Yes, but circumstances change quickly. Who knows what might happen. If I’m gone, give me a signal, and you should escape immediately.”

Red Hat gave a mocking smile.

Lolan Hill blinked, looking at the team leader. Despite his strength, he still made such remarks.

“Alright, I understand.”

Lohil thought for a moment, tying the crystal pendant to her wrist with a thin string, covering it with her sleeve.

Seeing her obedient and cautious manner, the others smiled in relief.

What a reassuring child.

To be honest, they were most afraid of arrogant and irrational members. Sometimes you couldn’t say they were bad, but they were just infuriating.

— End of Chapter