Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

May 26th, 9:00 AM.

In the reception room of the church in North Brook District.

Du Wei and Father Tony were still sitting as before, one on a chair and the other behind a desk.

However, this time, Father Tony's expression was very solemn.

"Mr. Du Wei, you did very well this time, and the church has a high opinion of you. They've decided to entrust you with all of New York's Evil Spirit cases. Do you have any other thoughts on this?"

"Not really, but isn't this too soon?"

"The church has made this decision after careful consideration. Your abilities surpass those of James and the others, and under the current circumstances, we can hardly find anyone more suitable than you."

"Okay, what do I need to do? What will I get?"

Upon hearing this, Father Tony nodded and said, "What you need to do is, until the situation in Massas City is resolved, handle the Evil Spirit cases in New York. In fact, there is a suspected Evil Spirit case here that requires your intervention."

"Besides the salary and benefits of an exorcist, you will also receive items for exorcism provided by the church."

As he spoke, to Du Wei's surprise, Father Tony took out a rectangular wooden box.

Upon opening the box, there lay a black, old-fashioned, long-handled black umbrella.

It looked exactly like the black umbrellas carried by the Evil Spirits on the bus.

Du Wei narrowed his eyes. Even without entering Spirit Vision, he could clearly sense the subtle and eerie aura emanating from the umbrella.

"What use is this thing?"

He looked it over, acknowledging that there were too few items capable of countering Evil Spirits. Being responsible for all the Evil Spirit events in New York meant he would face even greater dangers.

Father Tony took the black umbrella out and handed it to Du Wei, saying, "This umbrella has an ancient history, a product from the last century. It is said to be a noble's favorite collection and has been passed down in the church for a long time. The first person to use it had some connection with you."

Du Wei took the black umbrella and said with curiosity, "Connected to me?"

Father Tony nodded and continued, "Yes, its first owner was Mr. Andrew Dowqui. However, after he became a hunter, the umbrella was left to other exorcists and now its owner has become you."

Du Wei's expression was somewhat unusual. He tilted his head to the side, signaling for him to go on.

Father Tony then said, "As long as you open this umbrella, ordinary Evil Spirits will not be able to touch you. This will be of great help to you while dealing with Evil Spirits. Moreover, this umbrella is well-crafted; you needn't worry about it getting damaged."

Buttons shining, Du Wei examined the black umbrella closely.

The entire surface of the fabric was neat and clean. Although it was from the last century, it showed no signs of wear, indicating that its previous owners had cherished it dearly.

The whole handle was made of solid wood, coated with a layer of lacquer that made it perfectly straight. When caressed, one could feel a distinct coolness to the touch.

Du Wei set it aside and, pretending to be curious, turned to Father Tony and asked, "Honestly, I'm very curious about Mr. Andrew Dowqui's story. How did he become a hunter, and why has the church's attitude toward hunters changed so drastically from the last century?"

Father Tony let out a bitter laugh and said, "These matters were not supposed to be disclosed to ordinary exorcists. But you should be reporting to the church soon enough, and you'll find out eventually."

So, he began to explain, "Hunters began to emerge in the last century as an abnormal mutation in people who entered the Third Phase of Spirit Vision. They are more like Evil Spirits—more powerful."

"That was the church's heyday. But as the hunters deepened in their Evil Spirit Transformation, their consciousness began to warp, and hardly any humanity could be seen in them."

"And when humanity completely vanishes, that is the final step of Evil Spirit Transformation. Hunters completely turn into Evil Spirits..."

"The literal kind, and they are more terrifying than ordinary Evil Spirits, inflicting massive damage on the church."

"By now, you must have noticed that the church has weakened considerably. The number of personnel responsible for exorcism is only in the thousands, and some, like you, joined halfway through."

A glimmer of understanding passed through Du Wei's eyes, and he asked the question of greatest interest to him, "That sounds regrettable. Can't the risk of Evil Spirit Transformation be resolved?"

Father Tony fell silent for a while, as if considering whether to speak.

Du Wei was in no hurry and waited quietly.

His questions were all thought out in advance, showing a complete profile of an exorcist who was curious about hunters and sympathetic. There were no concerns about Father Tony detecting anything amiss.

Sure enough, after a moment, Father Tony spoke with a complex tone, "The chances of success are not very high... The five hunters imprisoned in the church's dungeon are examples of success, even though they often develop issues."

"Actually, the church is planning to send a hunter to Massas soon."

At this, Du Wei's pupils contracted, "What happens after the situation is resolved? What will become of that hunter? Will he still be imprisoned in the dungeon?"

Father Tony sighed and replied, "Of course, they will be. They are all on the verge of losing control and cannot stay outside for too long."

"Don't they have any complaints?"

"Their consciousness is troubled, they are hardly ever lucid, but I can tell you that the church did not conceal these issues while helping them with their problems."

"They all volunteered."

""Well, this is truly a world of despair."
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Du Wei's tone was somewhat complex, feeling an irresistibly strong urge to vent.

From his initial encounter with an Evil Spirit to becoming an Exorcist, the time had been brief, yet the impressions were profound.

The church wasn't as powerful as he had imagined, even heading into its twilight.

The Evil Spirits had never weakened, with no sense of balance in sight.

This was precisely because, based on the population, the proportion of Evil Spirits was minuscule; otherwise, no one could survive in this world.

At this moment, however, Father Tony shook his head at Du Wei and spoke in a deep voice, "Mr. Du Wei, this world might seem sad, but it is not without hope."

"The church is already working on a way to let hunters maintain their self-awareness," he added.

Hearing this, Du Wei agreed, saying, "Well, that's good news. But why do you know so much secret information? It seems different from what you've said before."

Father Tony laughed awkwardly, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not hiding anything from you anymore. In fact, it's because my status within the church increased a bit after you uncovered the information about the bus last time, so I was able to learn these things."

As he spoke, he looked at Du Wei with some curiosity and asked, "Are you interested in hunters?"

Du Wei responded indifferently, "Why not? Mr. Andrew saved me once in a sense, you understand, right?"

Father Tony had only asked casually, and seeing Du Wei's response, his curiosity waned.

Then he stood up and rubbed his lower back; he was getting older, and his back wasn't very good.

Meanwhile, Du Wei was sorting through the information, and now he had a headache.

It seemed the church had a potential solution to the menace, but it was still in the experimental phase, and the chances of success were slim.

The critical point was that the church's attitude toward hunters was something he had heard from Father Tony, in other words, one side of the story.

Without having seen it with his own eyes or knowing more, Du Wei was not going to reveal his identity.

A hunter who hadn't completely lost control, if discovered by the church given the current situation, would likely be turned into a tool for combating Evil Spirits, or perhaps an experimental subject?

That an exorcism power so dreaded its own top hunters only highlighted its extreme internal weakness.

Thinking this, Du Wei asked Father Tony the question on his mind.

He folded his arms, his gaze inscrutable, "By the way, the Veda Sect made a move on me. I encountered a corpse that seemed like an Evil Corpse."

"What?"

Father Tony was taken aback, then immediately walked over to Du Wei, asking urgently, "You mean the corpse? Was it very similar to a mummy, with all of its organs hollowed out?"

Du Wei thought about the dissected corpse in his home, his expression odd, "Hmm... pretty much, but I've taken care of it. I'm very curious about what this thing is all about."

Father Tony took a deep breath, his tone angry, "That's desecration. Those people from the Veda Sect are all fiends who belong in hell... they really deserve to die!"

Slap...

Father Tony couldn't help but slam the table hard.

Then with a voice filled with loathing, he said, "That body must have killed many people when alive, which is why it was chosen as material by the Veda Sect."

"Material?"

"Yes, its soul would be tormented, bound to something, often a weapon used to kill, and the Veda Sect would use a curse-like method to put the information of their target within the chest of the corpse."

"The more specific the information, the faster the corpse can find its target."

"And such a thing, internally called by the church as the Evil Corpse, is not an Evil Spirit, but it possesses some similar properties."

...

After leaving the church, Du Wei had an additional black umbrella and a dossier on the suspected Evil Spirit incident.

Having received benefits from the church, he was also expected to resolve some trouble in return.

However, according to what Father Tony had said, the matter wasn't troublesome, and even the existence of the Evil Spirit was ambiguous.

So, he decided to take advantage of the free time to check it out, and at night, he would deal with the Veda Sect.

By then, he would give the people of the Veda Sect a huge surprise.

He hailed a car and instructed the driver, "To Goliath Winery..."

Then he sat in the backseat and opened the dossier.

[Goliath Winery is located in the western suburbs of New York. Its owner, 31-year-old divorcee Goliath Viktor, encountered some strange phenomena a few days ago. She found that there was an invisible person in the winery...]