Chapter 19: The Abandoned Church
On the street.
Fallen leaves and garbage were piled up haphazardly, looking like no one had swept for a long time.
Most of the roadside shops were closed.
Crooked signs and "For Rent" notices on the windows all displayed the town's decay.
There was almost no one on the street.
Occasionally, one or two people were reading newspapers on the roadside, but they immediately hid when they saw William and the others.
Luen tried to ask for directions several times but failed.
William, on the other hand, was observing the surrounding terrain.
"There is only one route to leave the town, which is the bridge we crossed earlier. This is indeed risky..."
William pushed open the door of a closed bookstore.
Creeeeak.
The old wooden door broke the silence in the shop, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Cough cough...
Ren followed him in.
"What are you doing here?"
William didn't answer but searched the shelves.
Soon, he found a map of the town.
Patting off the dust, William unfolded the map.
According to the map, the town was built along a river. The bridge was located where the town was most densely populated.
After that, passing through a dense forest, there was a private estate.
On the west side of the town was a funeral home, and the church was there too.
To the east was a small lake, where there was also a building marked "theater" in fancy script.
Between the two was a cemetery where the town's residents were buried.
Looking at the general layout on the map, William knew his arrangements were correct.
When they entered earlier, he had specifically extended his preparations along both sides of the entrance.
This way, no matter where they evacuated from in the town, he could ensure there were spare supplies along the way.
Now with the map, William could choose the best escape route!
Being prepared for danger in times of peace and always being ready to run—this was the survival rule in the world of American horror stories!
William walked out of the shop, holding the map and comparing routes.
"Escape Scenario 1: If it's night and the car is destroyed, I need to find emergency supplies within a few minutes..."
"Escape Scenario 2: If we fall into some kind of illusion and the things before our eyes are deceptive, I need something to guide the way..."
Based on these thoughts, William finally chose a path.
It was a nearly straight road. As long as he placed holy artifacts along the way, he could use them as landmarks.
Seeing this, Luen and Olivia thought he had discovered something.
But when they came over to look, this priest was still setting up escape measures.
Luen was greatly shocked; he felt his worldview was being reshaped.
On the contrary, Olivia had a sudden realization.
"He must have encountered many dangers but lacked good defensive holy artifacts, which is why he is so cautious."
"The life of a local priest is so impoverished. Lord above, I should help him!"
Thinking of this, Olivia took out a wooden tag.
This was one of the hundreds of amulets her father had given her; she grabbed a handful every time she went out.
Her father said these were holy artifacts blessed by a Cardinal, very effective against evil spirits.
"Father William, please take this. It will protect your safety."
William had just buried a crucifix in the ground when he looked up.
And met Olivia's sincere gaze.
DANGER!
William's hair stood on end.
He turned slightly and sensed the unfriendly look in Luen's eyes, so he had a flash of inspiration.
William put on a resolute look and pushed Olivia away firmly.
"No!"
"Your status is noble, especially Father Luen, who will surely become a pillar of the Church."
"The future of the Church lies with you. You must protect yourselves."
Originally, seeing Olivia getting close to William, Luen was a bit unhappy.
But hearing this, he actually felt like he had misjudged the man.
"Yes, before coming here, Father also taught me that to be supported by others, one must be magnanimous. Even Olivia can do it; I can't be looked down upon."
So Luen generously took out two crucifixes and gave them to William and Ren.
"Take these. They are 3-year-old holy artifacts. As the person in charge of this commission, I have an obligation to protect your safety."
Olivia nodded too. "Father Claus is right."
Seeing her agree with him, Luen straightened his already upright back even more.
"It would be even better if you called me 'Father Luen'..."
William looked at the nearly 10-year-old holy artifact in his hand (the one he made earlier, not the one Luen gave him - Note: The text implies he is holding Luen's gift, but internally comparing it to his own. Or perhaps he's hiding his own better ones. The translation reflects he accepts Luen's gift), knowing he couldn't refuse again, so he accepted it with "great emotion."
At this time, Luen also mentioned that when asking for directions, someone told them to find the Ashen Family (likely referencing the family in Dead Silence, possibly Edward Ashen/Guard).
They were the richest family in town and had an estate nearby. They should be able to get some information about the commission from them.
Someone also needed to go to the church.
So the four split into two groups.
Olivia, Luen, and Ren drove to the estate.
William went to the church alone.
...
Crossing a patch of woods, William came to a clearing.
A church stood here.
The style was very similar to his own, but it had been abandoned for a long time. Even the surrounding tree branches had climbed onto the roof.
Using [Night Vision] (to see spiritual auras), William didn't observe any signs of evil.
But just in case, he still set up a Demon-Trapping Array on the perimeter.
Pushing open the church door, a smell of mold filled his nose.
William frowned, adjusting to the environment.
The interior of the church was small; he could see everything at a glance.
Overturned tables, broken candlesticks... there didn't seem to be anything special here.
William walked up to the holy statue.
The head of the statue on the cross had broken off, and there were some dark red stains on it.
Click.
William suddenly stepped on something.
He picked it up and saw it was a diary.
William flipped through it and read:
"January 13, cloudy. I prepared my performance meticulously, but they mocked my imitation!"
"March 6, sunny. After months of practice, I made the perfect work. It will definitely work this time..."
"March 14. I failed."
...
"December 7. I found the way to become the best puppet master. I just need to sacrifice my child!"
Besides these entries, there were some drawings in the diary.
One depicted a warrior riding a black horse, surrounded by strange symbols.
A name was marked below—Cimeies.
This was the 66th demon of the Ars Goetia (Lesser Key of Solomon), governing knowledge and language (grammar/logic/rhetoric).
William recognized instantly that this was some kind of sacrificial ritual.
And the owner of the diary wasn't hard to guess. It must be Mary Shaw.
"So her knowledge of puppet making came from here..." William thought.
Honk honk.
Suddenly, a car horn sounded outside the church.
William walked out and found his three teammates.
"Did you find anything?" Luen asked.
William handed over the diary.
"I knew it was a cult ritual! Mr. Ashen actually said there wasn't one!"
It turned out the group had gone to the estate and met Mr. Ashen.
He stated that the town's population was sparse because of its remote location, not because of cultists as Luen claimed.
As for the idea of rebuilding the church, Ashen expressed support, but on the condition that they help conduct a funeral for his daughter-in-law.
She had died in an accident, and Ashen's son, Jamie, brought the news yesterday.
Although they didn't find the cult, rebuilding the church was also one of their goals, so Luen agreed.
So after finding William, they were heading to the nearby funeral home to discuss matters with the mortician, Henry Walker.
Hearing this, William realized that Ren and the others must have met Edward Ashen from the original story.
But he remembered that man had died long ago.
So the person Luen and the others made a deal with was...