Watching the fire in the air flicker on the verge of extinction, leaving only some embers, York casually slid the linebaugh into the holster at his waist, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
Evil spirits belong to a category of soul entities that are immune to most conventional forms of attack, and the stronger ones can even use special methods of attack.
Even so, evil spirits are ultimately weak; in the known hierarchy, they are relatively low-level malevolent entities.
Ordinary people like Ed and Lorraine can attempt to exorcise them as long as they figure out the spirit's fixed behavioral patterns and the reasons or conditions for their appearance.
As for why they don't perform the exorcisms themselves, it can only be said that they follow the rules, understand right from wrong, and simply lack a license from the Church.
Of course, for those unconventional exorcists who don't care and perform exorcisms privately, it doesn't matter; there are so many exorcists in the world that it's impossible for the Church to monitor everyone every day.
For the private actions of these people, the consequences are generally borne by themselves.
If the impact of these consequences is too great, harming innocent people or causing unrest and instability in peaceful society, then the Church's Tribunal has the responsibility to personally intervene and hold them accountable.
Similar to how in society, if someone affects public order and safety, the police will step in to make an arrest.
In this regard, the Church happens to be an alternative type of police station.
York slowly buckled the holster at his waist.
So he joined the Church not only because it was easy to trigger random tasks and earn more attribute points but also for this reason.
To act freely in the name of justice, earn attribute points to become stronger afterward, and finally have someone to help clean up the mess.
Why not... At this stage, evil spirits are actually equivalent to alternative walking point packs to him, much like experience packs in a game—ants that can be crushed at will.
Yet, it was precisely these walking point packs that he rarely encountered; currently, more than half of the attribute points on him were contributed by those thankless, vengeful, and nagging demons.
Recalling past experiences, York felt a sense of regret; it was difficult for him even to be a hyper-efficient grinding machine.
"But it's alright, I earned five attribute points today, so it wasn't a waste of effort."
Setting aside his thoughts, York buckled his holster and prepared to head back to report the exorcism results to everyone waiting upstairs as per routine.
But at the very moment before he finished turning around, a sudden "poof" sounded, and some white powder appeared out of thin air on the ground where the embers had just finished burning.
"Eh?"
When this scene appeared, York immediately stopped, looking at the white powder by the back door with a look of surprise in his eyes.
Some powerful evil spirits do indeed leave something behind, such as the Spirit Powder on the ground; its most significant use is being able to cause damage to non-physical evil spirits, giving ordinary people a chance to kill them.
For him, the only use was to sell it to others in exchange for something else.
"I didn't expect this evil spirit to drop a treasure chest?" York could only walk over, casually take out a Franklin bill to collect the powder, put it into the small bag he had been carrying, and then return.
At this moment.
Because of the gunshots, everyone upstairs except for The Warrens and Drew—Theodore's family—was in a state of fear.
The hostess, Tracy, trembled as the gunshots rang out; she stared intently at the empty hallway and said nervously.
"Father York... York, he won't be in any danger, will he?"
The evil spirit transformed from Ronnie Defeo had left a very deep impression on her.
"It's alright, Mrs. Tracy. Father Yorkes's method of exorcism is a bit special; gunshots and explosions occur frequently, but it is very effective."
The gentle Lorraine had been playing the role of the comforter, explaining the reasons to the nervous Tracy, as well as to Theodore and his son.
"Ed and I have collaborated with Father Yorkes for a long time. With Father Yorkes's strength and rich experience in exorcism, this evil spirit is not very troublesome."
"Yes."
Ed, who had been standing guard in front, nodded with a smile, confirming Lorraine's words.
"We have also encountered very powerful evil spirits, but Father Yorkes was very relaxed throughout the entire process..."
Speaking of this, Drew, who was also guarding beside Ed, had already pricked up his ears; having long since made York his idol, he subconsciously asked.
"Mr. Ed, can you tell me more about Father Yorkes in the future?"
Hearing this, Ed looked at Lorraine, and as they looked at each other, a trace of memory flashed in both their eyes.
"Of course..."
But as he spoke, Ed suddenly saw something and immediately broke into a bright smile.
"Father Yorkes is back!"
"..."
[22:23]
Confirmed the end of the exorcism.
Led by York, the group, including The Warrens and Drew, bid farewell to the tearfully grateful Theodore family.
[22:59]
Since it was too late and they needed to investigate the problem with Lorraine, the location shifted again to The Warrens' home, an elegantly decorated and modern villa.
The Warrens had been on numerous television stations and had given specialized lectures, making them quite wealthy, so the size of the villa was substantial.
It was large enough to have personal studies and dedicated hobby rooms for Ed and Lorraine, a huge living room, a kitchen, and so on.
There was also a room that surprised him and where he sensed some evil aura.
Visiting for the first time, York was somewhat curious; before understanding the source of the ill omen on Lorraine, he first asked The Warrens to take him there for a tour.
Upon learning more, the items in this room were all vessels and mediums from the paranormal events The Warrens had experienced.
What are vessels and mediums in paranormal events? They refer to things that were once possessed by evil spirits or containers that have evil spirits sealed within them.
According to them, keeping these things with Demonologists like themselves was at least safer than anywhere else.
This reason was indeed correct, because no matter how these things were damaged or burned, the evil spirits inside always remained.
There were indeed many vessels in the room, a dazzling array of all sorts of things, with an evil aura lingering among them, wafting towards him.
However, looking at the dazzling array of evil spirit vessels inside, especially a somewhat terrifying-looking doll sealed in a glass cabinet, York's pupils contracted; in his eyes, the evil spirit inside this terrifying doll was about to break through the seal.
"Since these are all vessels and mediums from paranormal events, do you have a pastor come regularly to chant and pray for blessings?" York couldn't help but ask.
"Or does a Father from the Church come to take a look?"
Pastors belong to another group; specifically, a pastor's duties tend toward daily matters such as weddings, baptisms, funerals, psychological counseling, and so on. Although they don't have the exorcism skills of a Father, they are clergy of the same level and naturally possess the power of faith.
"Yes." The Warrens nodded and said seriously.
"We won't forget that; every week we invite a pastor to come regularly for recitations and blessings. As for the Church, you are the first..."
Hearing this, York couldn't help but look at The Warrens beside him, focusing on Ed.
This guy was the leader; as an ordinary person, he actually dared to collect these sinister things—his courage was indeed exceptionally large among ordinary people.
No wonder he could become a Demonologist registered with the Church as an ordinary person.
York sighed with emotion, remembering that their daughter and parents also lived in this villa, and shook his head.
"Ed, can I make a suggestion?"
Ed and Lorraine looked at each other, "Father, please speak."
York's gaze was fixed on the doll that was already emitting an evil aura, and he suggested sincerely.
"In the future, it's better to collect fewer of these evil things. Even if you have rich paranormal knowledge and Lorraine is here, one day these things will accumulate and instead backfire on you, and even involve your family..."
These words were a bit heavy; The Warrens were stunned and subconsciously looked at the vessels in the room, such as the doll, the old wall clock, or the items on the shelves.
Ed's brow furrowed slightly, and he couldn't help but say.
"Father Yorkes, is there a problem with these vessels? We often invite a pastor to come for recitations and blessings..."
"Yes!"
York interrupted, "Ed, exorcism is a Father's job."
York did not hide anything from The Warrens, who could bring him random tasks.
"In my eyes, do you know which things are the most dangerous?"
As he spoke, amidst The Warrens' grim and worried expressions, York looked at the items in the room.
"The annabelle doll in the sealed cabinet has three layers of seals, and the evil spirit inside has already broken through the second seal. As long as it breaks through the third seal, it can reappear in the human world."
"Also the Drumming Monkey on the shelf, the knives, the wall clock..."
The Warrens' expressions became increasingly grim, especially Lorraine's; despite having Yin-Yang Eyes and being familiar with spiritualist rituals, she hadn't sensed it at all.
"Father, then what should we do now?"
York's eyes remained calm; evil spirits were still very weak to him, let alone sealed ones.
"Can you give these things to me? I will periodically suppress and exorcise the evil spirits within."
The Warrens both breathed a sigh of relief and did not refuse.
"If you can."
"Of course," York stared at these vessels containing sealed evil spirits and said indifferently.
"I will keep them at my home or at Pluto Church."
York paused for a moment and looked at Lorraine, sensing the thick ill omen on her. Compared to these future experimental tools, his focus was instead on the source of the ill omen on Lorraine; this was a big fish, and the reward might not be less than that of the demon in the Jesse Building.
Twenty or so attribute points could cause a significant change in his strength.
"Before that, tell me what cases you've been in contact with recently or when you started to feel that something was wrong." York looked at Lorraine, whose face had turned pale, and continued calmly.
"Lorraine, the situation with you is even more serious than here."
As soon as these words came out, Ed, who had already learned of the entire situation, looked at Lorraine beside him with worry.
According to his understanding of Father Yorkes, if he said it was serious, then it was truly serious.
This matter actually all came down to him; from that one incident onward, Lorraine seemed to have become more easily startled and uneasy than before.
Feeling Ed's gaze, Lorraine took a deep breath, but she seemed to recall a bad memory, and her face turned pale.
"Father Yorkes, we will explain the origin of the matter to you."
"..."
The three of them moved to the study again.
The layout of The Warrens' study was no different from anyone else's; at least in his eyes, there were bookshelves filled with books and office desks and chairs, except that there was also a projector in The Warrens' study.
Ed stood next to the projector, glanced at the silent Lorraine who was hugging her arms, then looked at the Father sitting quietly in the middle, and began to recount the origin of the matter.
"We previously received a commission from St. Luz Church; Father Luz asked us to confirm the authenticity of this paranormal event."
Luz?
York thought of an old Father with graying hair at his temples; he knew this guy—notorious for only letting others like The Warrens take the lead.
"And this paranormal event is where Lorraine first began to see The Nun."
As Ed spoke, a strong sense of regret welled up in his heart, and he mocked himself.
"At the time, Lorraine sensed danger and didn't want to accept it, but I insisted on going."
York's brow quirked slightly as he looked at Lorraine sitting beside him.
Lorraine shook her head, her pale face instead showing a gentle smile.
"It's not your fault, Ed."
York's lip twitched slightly, and he turned his head back.
Seemingly sensing his wife's comforting intent, Ed barely managed to pull himself together and pressed the projector; relevant information immediately appeared on the screen on the wall.
"The victim is a Frenchman named Falanci Renqi. He exhibited all the behaviors of being possessed by a demon, but because all of this coincided with a certain type of mental illness—occasionally lucid, occasionally neurotic—we began a Séance to discern whether this was indeed a paranormal event, right here..."
York looked at the scenes appearing on the screen with a calm expression.
The Frenchman appearing in the images had a face similar to someone who had used drugs excessively; his eyes were sunken, with dark circles all around, and his lips were purple. He was not exactly the same as Marlon, the protagonist of a previous possession case he had exorcised, but they were broadly similar.
The screen dimmed and brightened as time passed, skipping the preparations for the Séance in the video. When the Frenchman, Falanci Renqi, was held in place by several people, Lorraine also appeared beside him and began to use her special ability to sense the presence within Falanci Renqi.
It was here that a problem finally arose; during the Séance, the Frenchman Falanci Renqi instantly went berserk, struggling and nearly breaking through the restraint of several large men, roaring madly at Lorraine.
And Lorraine also seemed to have sensed some terrifying presence or something she couldn't bear; her expression was dazed, she was paralyzed with fear, her face full of terror... "It was here that Lorraine began to see the presence of the 'Nun'."
Ed looked at the image of his wife's terrified screaming, a hint of heartache and remorse in his eyes.
"Lorraine told me about it, but I thought that after this incident, we wouldn't encounter that 'Nun' again. I didn't expect 'It' to appear again..."
Ignoring Ed's remorse, York stared at the madly roaring Frenchman in the video and silently recited his name: Falanci Renqi.
He had found the most important piece of information.