The Great Demon Holmes

Reverend Thompson, at the age of 48 this year, is a Contractor in the first stage of evolution.

At the age of 15, he had his awakening dream. At 16, he became a believer of the Holy See. At 19, he was promoted to the rank of Reverend with outstanding results. At 20, he underwent the consecration ceremony. At 27, he crossed the first stage and touched the threshold of the second stage, even developing a faint symbiotic connection with his contracted demon.

This kind of resume can undoubtedly be called a genius. The London Sanctum Journal even dedicated a report of over 3,000 words to him, claiming that once he enters the second stage, he will undoubtedly become a clergyman!

However, after that, Reverend Thompson remained in the first stage at the age of 30. At 35, still in the first stage. At 40, still in the first stage. And now, at the age of 48, he is still in the first stage.

The all-knowing and almighty Holy Light seems to be playing a little joke on him.

No matter how devout and diligent he is, he still cannot cross that threshold. Regardless of the years taking his body to the pinnacle of life and then starting its decline, he still lingers in the stage of twenty years ago.

Time has washed away all his talents, turning him from a genius into an ordinary person. Undoubtedly, this is a cruel torment.

Nevertheless, even so, this once genius reverend continues to pray devoutly every day. He has never married, nor has he had children, love, or friends. Even though he left the monastery more than twenty years ago, he still adheres to the precepts he followed when he first entered the monastery.

It seems that he is using his entire life to validate the phrase in the Third Section, 12th verse of the Gospel of Holy Light: "Devotion makes you strong, but if you have expectations, then it is not devotion."

...

At this moment, sunlight shines through his meticulously combed hair, revealing a serious and extremely displeased expression.

Someone as devout as him would undoubtedly be deeply annoyed by someone like Sherlock.

In his eyes, Sherlock is undoubtedly someone who comes from a powerful family but lacks knowledge and only seeks to add some credentials to the lower institutions of the Holy See through "connections."

Because this person has already undergone the consecration ceremony but doesn't even know about the classification of Contractors. This means that he hasn't attended the lectures for Contractors before the consecration ceremony.

A typical waste from a noble family...

However, despite his annoyance, Reverend Thompson couldn't really scold Sherlock out loud. After all, the letter of recommendation came from a High Priest!

Moreover, as a monk, he has the responsibility to evangelize and provide guidance, so he can only suppress his dislike and give Sherlock a brief explanation.

...

Contractors are divided into four stages, and this is not a secret; you can find it in popular books on the market.

However, those books rarely mention the two types of Contractors because they are only informed within the educational institutions established by the Holy See, such as monasteries.

They are known as "Manipulators" and "Symbiotes."

Let's start with the former, Manipulators... As the name suggests, they are skilled at controlling their contracted demons!

These individuals are usually extremely intelligent with astonishing computational abilities. They can control their contracted demons to an incredibly fine degree.

Take the old Reverend we met a few days ago as an example. His level of control is at an extremely high level. Every strand of the spider demon's silk, every movement of its limbs, is personally controlled by the old Reverend. In addition, the strength of the attacks, the feedback between gravity, inertia, and behavior, even whether the next step will be a misstep or if the next attack will be dodged by the opponent – all of these events are controlled by the Contractor personally.

Furthermore, they need to make instantaneous judgments or predictions before controlling their demons.

This requires Contractors to have extremely powerful brain computing capabilities. That's why when the old Reverend saw Sherlock, he had great hopes for him to become a Manipulator.

The advantage of this type of Contractor lies in the power and various functional abilities of their demons, such as invisibility, hypnosis, and shapeshifting. However, the Contractors themselves are not necessarily strong because all their strength is focused on controlling the demons.

On the other hand, there are Symbiotes.

These Contractors have weak control over their demons. In most cases, they simply tear open a void and release their demons, allowing them to act according to their instincts.

But the benefit is that Symbiotes can use more energy to perceive the changes brought by their contracted demons, thus making their bodies even stronger.

For example, Butler, the Deacon, is a typical Symbiote. His body has already reached the level where it can withstand firearms, and at the second stage, he can establish a more reliable symbiotic relationship with the demon, achieving a miraculous life form where the demon won't die as long as the Contractor is alive.

Of course, "Manipulators" and "Symbiotes" are not absolute. Just because someone likes meat doesn't mean they can't eat vegetables.

However, within the training system of the Holy See, Contractors are encouraged to focus on one direction, as being mediocre in everything means being weak in everything.

Apart from the four stages and the two types mentioned above, there is another crucial characteristic of Contractors... the control range.

It refers to the maximum distance between the Contractor and their demon.

In general, the control range of Symbiotes is relatively close, while Manipulators can have a much greater distance. Some Manipulators can even control their demons from a distance of two to three hundred meters, suddenly opening a void, commanding their contracted demons to kill their enemies, and then escaping.

If the demon is too far away from the Contractor, various situations may arise. Some demons may generate voids on their own and return to another world, some may break free from the Contractor's control and start killing indiscriminately, and weaker demons may even die directly, causing the Contractor to suffer from excruciating backlash.

In short, the control range is a key factor in determining the strength of a Contractor.

Reverend Thompson diligently explained these basic knowledge to Sherlock, although he didn't care whether the other party remembered it or not. He simply took out a document from under his desk:

"You must arrive at your post by 8 a.m. every day. If you don't take any action, you leave at 5 p.m. Late arrivals and early departures will result in deductions from your bonus. Lunch is provided, and your salary will be paid on the 1st of every month. All tasks or actions are eligible for dual subsidies from the government and the Holy See. You will also receive a free physical examination and psychological evaluation every three months."

After finishing, he pushed the document towards Sherlock. "Sign on the last page."

Sherlock took the document, flipped through it, and hesitated for a moment.

Finally, he smiled apologetically. "Reverend Thompson, it seems you have misunderstood... I'm not here to work."

"What?" Reverend Thompson frowned.

"You must not have carefully read the contents of the recommendation letter. It stated that

I am a detective who can assist you in executing tasks... 'provide assistance' does not imply an obligation or responsibility to help you."

"So, if you encounter any troubles, you can consult me. If I am interested, I will consider taking on your commission. Oh, by the way, my office has just moved to a new location and I haven't installed a telephone yet..."

As he spoke, Sherlock wrote a few lines on the last page and handed it back to Reverend Thompson.

Reverend Thompson, somewhat astonished, received the contract and scanned it. He discovered an address written where the signature should be: 221B Baker Street.

"If you need help, come find me here."

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