Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

4:09 PM.

After spending half a day of brief tranquility with Alex, Du Wei suddenly received a text message from Father Tony.

The church had issued a notice that they would send someone to New York in three days to investigate Dusk Bell Church and Goliath Winery. Explore new worlds at empire

This included two bishops.

As the Exorcist responsible for New York, Du Wei needed to go to the church.

Not only to provide an alibi for his absence but also with the intention of getting something from Father Tony.

Thus, after bidding farewell to Alex, Du Wei drove the "brand new" McLaren GT to the church.

...

The road was clear, all the cars deliberately maintained their distance or made way.

About ten minutes later, Du Wei arrived at his destination.

At that moment, the aged Father Tony was at the church entrance, pushing a cart loaded with goods, his face flushed red.

Seeing a luxurious sports car parked nearby, his expression immediately turned into one of great surprise.

And when Du Wei opened the car door and stepped out, Father Tony exclaimed.

"Good Lord... Mr. Du Wei, this car... are you robbing a bank, or did you spend a fortune renting it?"

Without much thought, Du Wei closed the car door and said indifferently, "Neither, it's a gift from my girlfriend."

Unable to hold back, Father Tony blurted out, "Since when do you have a girlfriend? And... a gift? Lord in Heaven... I've never seen anything so insane."

Shrugging, Du Wei replied, "Neither have I, but that's the reality. In fact, that's why I'm here today, to tell you that I'm going to meet her parents with her."

In the end, he added, "Also, I'm planning to get something from you that could defend against Evil Spirits to give to my girlfriend, the price is negotiable."

Business is business, personal is personal.

Both Father Tony and Du Wei were very clear about that distinction.

"There's something," Father Tony frowned and said, "But are you going to leave New York? For how long?"

The church held Du Wei in high regard; otherwise, they wouldn't be sending two bishops. Normally, one bishop with other personnel would suffice.

If the church's people arrive and Du Wei is not in New York, it would cast a poor light on the church.

Even though Du Wei is of Asian descent, the church's current situation wouldn't focus on that; if possible, having an Asian bishop in the history of the church wouldn't be unacceptable.

Hearing Father Tony's words, Du Wei explained, "Two days should suffice, I'll be back before the church's people arrive."

Two days were enough for him to resolve matters in Massas City.

Father Tony breathed a sigh of relief and, while pushing the cart into the church, called out, "As long as you don't miss the timing, that's fine. Anyway, cases of Evil Spirits in New York have been basically nonexistent lately, so you don't need to wear yourself out too much. It's alright to take care of your own business."

Behind him, Du Wei's dark eyes grew more obscure: "That's precisely what I think."

After the two entered the church, unlike usual, Father Tony did not lead him to the reception room but to the basement.

...

The basement was located in the church's backyard, a staircase descending downward.

Du Wei assisted Father Tony carefully by lifting the cart so it wouldn't bump or knock against anything.

Downstairs, they came upon a heavy iron door.

Father Tony loosened his grip and wiped the sweat from his forehead, smiling at Du Wei, "You've really saved me some trouble. The items on the cart are supplies sent from the church. Without your help, moving them into the cellar would have meant doing it one by one."

Du Wei said with a faint smile, "You can also call on me to help in the future, it's not a bother."

Father Tony nodded satisfactorily, pulled out his keys from his pocket, and opened the door, inviting Du Wei to come in with him.

The basement was dimly lit.

It was only when Father Tony flipped the switch on the wall that the interior brightened up and the surroundings became clearly visible.

Du Wei's gaze swept over the area, noticing many items scattered about.

There were rusty crosses, wooden ones, silver ones, and even golden ones.

There were also some gold coins...

Some strange beakers and jars, and even a priest's attire.

There wasn't a single item that seemed capable of dealing with an Evil Spirit...

"This is not quite what I had imagined."

Du Wei shook his head, unable to help but comment.

In his view, Father Tony's place was the New York exorcists' headquarters; although there was only one exorcist now, the church's supplies had never been lacking.

Logically, there should have been many items.

Father Tony explained with a bit of embarrassment, "As you can see, the cellar is quite empty, but it wasn't like this before. There was a lot of Holy Water and shrouds, as well as items like that display cabinet, but many things were transferred due to the situation in Massas City."

Du Wei had an epiphany and understood a bit more about the dangers of Massas City.

However, Alex had already been collecting information on Massas City so he wouldn't be rushing there blindly.

At this moment, Father Tony began unloading items from the cart.

While unloading, he said, "This time two bishops are visiting, and some of the items are prepared in advance for them, but as the person in charge in New York, you have the right to purchase some."

As he spoke, Father Tony said with a touch of helplessness, "If it were your wife, there wouldn't be any issue about money; the church wouldn't care about such a trivial matter, but she is just your girlfriend... You understand, right?"

Du Wei nodded, "Of course, I know. So, what good items do you have?"

He needed to ensure Alex's safety.

Father Tony replied, "There is one, but it's rather insignificant."

As soon as he finished speaking,

Father Tony took a white box from a pile of items.

It looked like a gift box for some kind of jewelry.

Upon opening it, there lay a silver-white Cross Necklace, but its style seemed old and not quite like the kind worn by clergy.

"Wearing this necklace will prevent an Evil Spirit from laying hands on the wearer for a while, but if the person had already been targeted by an Evil Spirit before that, then it's not very effective."

Du Wei took the necklace, feeling the coolness in his palm, and mused, "So it can't be used against an Evil Spirit, only as a precaution beforehand?"

Father Tony nodded, "Yes, typically, these are for novices who have just become exorcists, to help them adjust to incidents involving Evil Spirits."

Afterwards, Father Tony added with a hint of distress, "Of course, compared to its effect, the price is steep... because the necklace itself is quite valuable."

Du Wei felt a headache coming on, "How much?"

Father Tony said, "Two hundred thousand... Of course, you can also offset it with your remuneration from Goliath Winery, especially since Mrs. Victor has given half a million as a reward."