A virtual window, visible only to him, automatically popped up. York was genuinely a little surprised looking at this quest window.
He had never expected that something like this could trigger a random quest.
But whether or not to accept this random quest, he hesitated.
Based on all the information currently available, it's likely there are more than just the four man-eating demonss Jessie mentioned; there might be a man-eating demons den somewhere.
Thinking of this, York subconsciously glanced at the car window on the driver's side. If he wanted to clear out the man-eating demonss, he would probably have to venture into this dense forest. This wasn't exactly troublesome, but he found it a bit annoying and was feeling lazy.
However, after careful consideration, York decided to accept this random quest.
The main reason was that the car couldn't move, and they were in an area without signal. Carly's injuries couldn't be delayed for too long, so he could only try to find transportation at the man-eating demons's den.
The rest was just doing things as he went. Killing a few man-eating demonss wasn't very difficult for him, and even if it didn't work out in the end, there wouldn't be much loss.
"Accept quest."
"Quest accepted successfully."
"..."
The quest window in front of him automatically disappeared, and then Jessie's voice rang out.
"Father, what should we do next?"
York didn't answer, he just took a pistol from the glove compartment in front of him and handed it to her.
"Can you stay here quietly? I'll be back in a while."
Jessie was visibly flustered and didn't take the pistol in front of her.
"Father, where are you going?"
Looking at Jessie, who seemed helpless and wanted him not to leave, York had a bit of a headache.
He also didn't know how to handle the still conscious Jessie. If he let her come along, he'd have to be prepared to drag a burden. If he didn't let her come, her kitten-like appearance was too pitiful.
"I want to go clear out those man-eating demonss and save your friend. Are you willing to, for your friend..."
However, before York could finish his grand speech about self-sacrifice, Jessie suddenly took his pistol and said earnestly,
"Father, I'm coming with you!!! I know where those man-eating demonss appear, their den..."
Looking at Jessie, who suddenly had a serious expression, York raised an eyebrow slightly.
What... what more could he say? Having someone lead the way in the dense forest at night versus fumbling around by himself meant the time spent wouldn't be proportional. York could only consider this the price of having a burden.
Of course, to make things a bit easier and prevent himself from becoming a protagonist in some movie, York made three rules with Jessie.
Obey him, go where he told her to go, stay where he told her to stay, and no making a sound... Jessie nodded obediently.
Seeing this, York looked at Carly, who was semi-conscious and seemed to still have some awareness. He reached out and pulled her eyelid, unexpectedly, she opened her eyes and said weakly,
"Father, I'll wait for you here."
Turns out she was quite conscious... Jessie, beside her, was a little moved and grabbed Carly's hand.
"Carly..."
Carly's pale face managed to force a smile. "I'm fine, but you two need to be quick. I'm afraid I'll get scared..."
"I have a solution," York said calmly, looking at this scene of sisterly affection.
"I can give you an injection..."
...And just like that, he gave her an injection. After Carly nodded, York used a needle, found from who knows where, to inject into Carly's shoulder, pressing to slowly administer the liquid.
As the medicine took effect, Carly instantly fell into a deep sleep, slumping in her seat.
York put away the needle with a satisfied expression. He always kept sedatives on hand for exorcisms, and now they came in handy.
"First, move her to another, safer place."
"Okay!" Jessie nodded.
The two began to work together to move Carly to a not-too-distant tree hollow, then returned to the car to organize their equipment.
Jessie hadn't used a shotgun before, so York could only give her the pistol, while he took two Winchester M1897s.
Both Winchester M1897s were fully loaded with special slug rounds.
Although he could reload while shooting, alternating between these two shotguns would ensure his firepower output, saving a lot of time. Plus, with two boxes totaling forty slug rounds, he wasn't saying he could kill gods or Buddhas, but as long as it was a carbon-based life form, York would kill it for them to see... After organizing, York looked at Jessie beside him and found her staring blankly at the mangled corpse on the ground and the car body covered in blood and flesh fragments.
York calmly called out,
"Let's go!"
With that, he walked in the direction the man-eating demons had come from.
"Ah, okay..."
Jessie, as if waking from a dream, quickly followed. Because she had personally witnessed the terrifying man-eating demons's demise, her sense of security was completely overflowing at this moment.
Shrouded in darkness, the two walked together into the dense forest beside the highway, like entering the gaping maw of some giant beast.
Gripping the Winchester M1897, York looked up.
The dense trees soared into the clouds, their canopies intertwining to form a thick barrier. This meant that the advantage of night was infinitely amplified here.
On the highway, visibility was a few meters; here, it barely reached one meter. A gust of wind blew, causing the leaves and branches to tremble and rub, creating sounds in the darkness that were enough to deter anyone from venturing deeper.
"It's still very troublesome. Should I abandon the quest?"
York rubbed his eyes again. He had magic, so the environment here didn't affect him, but it was different for Jessie, who was still human.
He looked back and saw Jessie turning her head in all directions. She seemed to be fumbling around, unable to discern any direction.
Indeed, just as he had guessed, Jessie ultimately couldn't tell directions.
"Father, I... I can't see clearly."
Watching Jessie still trying to discern directions, York frowned slightly and hung the crucifix from his neck around hers.
"Don't move. I will let the Lord give you eyes that can see in the dark."
His cheat could indeed only be used by him; it was like his own mana bar, which could be restored over time or by drinking potions. But it could also be forcibly used by others for certain abilities, such as dark vision, by deducting from it.
However, the cost was a permanent deduction, after all, he hadn't learned how to use this magic yet, only through the system's conversion... Jessie froze, staring directly at the sturdy chest in front of her. In the darkness, it looked like a solid wall to her. She knew who this was, and the guilt, unease, and anxiety caused by the darkness instantly vanished without a trace.
"Father?"
At that moment, Jessie already felt a hand caress her eyes. She quickly quieted down. Although she didn't know what the Father was doing, being quiet was the best thing she could do right now.
"Do you want to deduct two magic points for the overlay?"
Listening to the prompt in his ear, York looked at the incredibly obedient Jessie, feeling a pang in his heart. But to allow Jessie to see clearly and lead the way, he still chose to spend two magic points.
As soon as he entered the dense forest, he realized the difficulty of exploration. Relying solely on himself, it might take more time than imagined, and by then, the woman outside would probably be in mortal danger.
"Yes!" York silently murmured, resigned.
"Two magic points have been successfully deducted."
This time was a bit of a loss, but not entirely. If the quest succeeded, deducting the two points he just spent, he would still gain one point...