absurd deduction game.

The clear pool water reflected Yu Xing's figure.

Looking into the old nun's deep, calm eyes, which seemed to see right through people, he knew she must have a purpose in coming to him. A perfectly timed, slightly bewildered, polite smile appeared on his face.

"Of course, the angels are sculpted so lifelike, full of...divine beauty. The teachings and grace of the Mother Goddess are always so comforting."

The old nun's smile seemed to deepen slightly. She slowly walked to the edge of the pool, extended her finely wrinkled hand, and gently brushed the clear water. Her gaze, however, remained fixed on the angel statue, her tone carrying a distant sigh:

"Yes, so perfect, so sacred, as if it could cleanse all the filth and pain of the world. People are always easily attracted to such appearances, seeking solace, aren't they?"

She subtly shifted her tone, like a gentle breeze rippling across water: "Like the tragedy in that house on Rose Avenue... I've heard about your feat, Investigator, your abilities are truly admirable."

"I also witnessed that horrific event. Thirty years have passed, and it remains like an unhealed scar, hidden beneath the town's glamorous surface. The Mother Goddess's mercy seems to be everywhere, yet ultimately... it failed to illuminate that corner and avert that inevitable madness and destruction."

Her tone was calm, as if she were simply stating a well-known fact, but the implication was exceptionally clear—she was suggesting that the church was powerless in the face of some real threat originating from deeper darkness.

Yu Xing understood, but a perfectly timed look of doubt appeared on his face. He frowned slightly, his tone inquisitive: "Sister, do you mean... the glory of the Mother Goddess is somewhat lacking? Or does the Church actually know more about the tragedy of the Riel family, but failed to prevent it?"

Upon hearing this, the old nun slowly turned her head and looked at Yu Xing.

Her kind and calm smile remained unchanged, her eyes were still gentle, and even carried a hint of an elder's tolerance towards a younger person.

She gently shook her head, her voice soft yet carrying an undeniable air of acquiescence:

“Young investigator, you’re overthinking it. I was just lamenting the impermanence of life and the unpredictability of fate.”

"The grace of the Mother Goddess is far-reaching, but individual choices and circumstances are sometimes not entirely subject to external interference. As for the Church... we always fulfill our duties and follow the guidance of the Mother Goddess."

She turned her gaze back to the angel statue, as if her earlier pointed remark had been merely a casual remark: "This angel is simply beautiful and holy in the literal sense, symbolizing hope and protection. Nothing more."

A perfect evasion, an impeccable posture of devotion.

Yu Xing looked at her, but didn't ask any further questions. Instead, a barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips.

He nodded, as if accepting the explanation: "I see. It seems I misunderstood. Thank you for your guidance, Sister."

The two stood by the pool, the atmosphere seemingly harmonious, sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows, casting dappled light and shadow on the water's surface.

The angel statue still smiled compassionately, holding her ears of wheat, as if silently witnessing this seemingly calm but actually turbulent dialogue.

But the conversation did not last long.

Just as the words were spoken, a series of light footsteps approached from afar.

"Mr. Yu Xing!"

Yu Xing turned her head and saw the young church member with blue eyes and golden curly hair who had been there when the equipment was distributed on the first day walking briskly towards her with a bright, sunny smile on his face.

He first addressed the old nun respectfully and affectionately, "Auntie Tian."

The old nun, Tian, ​​nodded gently to him without saying anything more. She glanced at Yu Xing again, then turned and calmly disappeared into the shadows of the church's deep corridors.

The young man then turned to Yu Xing, his bright blue eyes sparkling with undisguised excitement and curiosity: "Mr. Yu Xing, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Ai Fan, and I am a junior deacon of the church."

He performed a standard church greeting, then said eagerly, “The archbishop is waiting for you in his office, please come with me!”

Yu Xing nodded slightly and followed the young deacon named Ivan through the church's magnificent cloisters.

Ivan was clearly a lively and cheerful person; he talked non-stop the whole way, his voice full of youthful energy.
"You might not know, but the news of you solving the 'Scarlet' incident on Rose Avenue has gone viral in the church!" Ivan exclaimed excitedly. "My God, 'Scarlet's' level! In all the years I've been in the church, I've only heard about it, never witnessed any such operation firsthand! Everyone is incredibly curious, discussing who you are, this amazing investigator who could single-handedly handle such... such an incredible situation!"

As he led the way, he couldn't help but turn back to look at Yu Xing, his eyes filled with admiration: "I graduated from the seminary at Yolikev University, and I haven't been in the church for very long. To be honest, before today, I had no idea that such an old story was hidden on Rose Avenue, or that such terrible remnants existed. You didn't see the expressions on the faces of those old deacons who knew the inside story, each and every one of them..." He lowered his voice, mimicking the shocked and complicated expressions of those senior members, making it very vivid.

"Mr. Yu Xing, you are truly amazing!" Ai Fan exclaimed sincerely, almost regarding Yu Xing as an idol.

Yu Xing listened quietly, a faint smile on her face, without saying much. The young deacon's enthusiasm and naivety seemed somewhat comical in this church that seemed to hide many secrets.

It wasn't until they arrived at a heavy wooden door, carved with even more intricate patterns of wheat ears and vines, exuding a serene atmosphere, that Ivan finally suppressed his excited expression and became solemn.

He took a deep breath, straightened his robes, and then raised his hand to gently knock on the door.

"Archbishop, the investigator has arrived." The heavy wooden door opened silently inward.

Yu Xing raised his eyes and looked inside.

The room behind the door was more spacious than Yu Xing had imagined, but it did not feel empty.

The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling dark wooden bookshelves, crammed with heavy books with leather covers, yellowed scrolls, and sealed metal boxes. The air was filled with the scent of ancient paper, ink, wax seals, and a faint blend of herbs, creating a serene and solemn atmosphere.

A deep red carpet with an intricate pattern of wheat and grapes was laid in the center of the room. A large desk, also made of dark wood, was placed at the far end of the room. Apart from the necessary stationery and a silver desk lamp that emitted a soft glow, there were not many superfluous decorations on the desktop.

Behind the desk, an elderly man dressed in a solemn red robe slowly put down the quill pen in his hand.

He looked quite old, with a snow-white beard and hair that were meticulously combed. His face was kind, but his eyes were exceptionally clear and sharp, as if they could see into people's hearts, containing wisdom befitting his age and a long-standing dignity.

“Welcome, Investigator Yu Xing.” The archbishop’s voice was gentle and magnetic, carrying a reassuring power. He gestured for a chair in front of his desk. “Please have a seat.”

Yu Xing sat down as instructed, her demeanor composed.

The archbishop placed his hands on the table, his gaze fixed on Yu Xing, a mixture of scrutiny and barely perceptible admiration in his eyes: "First of all, please allow me, on behalf of the Harvest Church of Yolikev, to express my sincerest gratitude to you. You resolved the hidden dangers on Rose Avenue, eliminated a powerful source of pollution that had lingered for decades, and averted a potential disaster. Your courage and strength are truly admirable."

Yu Xing nodded slightly: "It's my duty."

The archbishop seemed to sense the doubts that might lie beneath Yu Xing's calm exterior. He took the initiative to bring it up: "Regarding Riel... I know that even though the matter has been 'resolved,' you may still have some doubts about what happened thirty years ago. After all, you personally faced the remnants of that pollution." He paused, his tone becoming somewhat distant, "If you're willing to listen, I, the negligent archbishop, can talk to you again about what happened back then."

Yu Xing certainly wouldn't refuse. This clue might lead to the hidden main storyline of the entire deduction. He nodded and politely gestured for Yu Xing to speak.

The archbishop's gaze seemed to pierce through time, returning to thirty years ago. He spoke slowly, his voice carrying the weight of memories:

“Ryle… he is indeed a highly gifted scholar, and has even received some favor from the ‘Apostles of Knowledge.’ That is why the Church noticed when he began to show an almost fanatical obsession with the stars that transcended the realm of conventional scholarship.”

"At first, we thought he was just caught up in some kind of academic obsession. But soon, his behavior became increasingly abnormal, and his words began to contain many... dangerous and chaotic concepts that did not belong to the orthodox knowledge system. He resigned from his teaching position, shut himself off, refused to communicate with the outside world, and his whole being was shrouded in an ominous fanaticism."

The archbishop's voice deepened: "At the time, we even suspected that he might have come into contact with Tantric Buddhism. You know, those rats hiding in the shadows are always eager to collect all sorts of forbidden knowledge and bewitch those who are either mentally fragile or have an excessive thirst for knowledge. Riel's condition fits the characteristics of someone corrupted by Tantric heresies."

“We’ve sent people to monitor him, partly to confirm whether he’s really involved with cults, and partly to find an opportunity to intervene and pull him back from the brink of danger, at least… to ensure he doesn’t harm his family and community.” A complex emotion flashed in the archbishop’s eyes, a mixture of regret and a deeper sense of helplessness.

"What happened afterward...you must have learned something about it through some means."

He had already read the incident report and knew everything Yu Xing had seen in the mirror, so he skipped the cruel part and only said: "That blood moon... its appearance was completely beyond our expectations. It was not a cult method, but the manifestation of some ancient, more direct, and more terrifying force. Before that, no one expected that Riel's connection with the starry sky had become so close."

“Grove and the others… those excellent deacons died because of this.” The archbishop’s voice was very calm, but Yu Xing could taste a trace of sadness in it. “Their sacrifice is a huge loss to the church, and it also makes us realize that even if the esoteric sects are insects and rats hiding in the dark, they can still cause great disasters.”

"After that, not only our Harvest Church, but also several other churches of the true gods began to vigorously purge these cultists who were good at deceiving people, and with great success—oh, let's get back to the matter itself."

"We eventually cleaned up the scene, did our best to reassure and protect the survivors, and classified the matter as top secret in the hope of minimizing its impact, preventing panic from spreading, and also preventing... any more curious people from following in Riel's footsteps."

The archbishop's gaze refocused on Yu Xing, his tone heavy with honesty: "This is what happened from the Church's perspective back then. We weren't inactive, but some forces... truly exceeded the limits of what we could handle at the time. Only today, with your appearance, has this nightmare that has lasted for thirty years finally come to an end."

After listening quietly to the archbishop's account, Yu tapped her fingertip lightly on the armrest of her chair and posed a crucial question, her tone calm yet cutting to the heart of the matter:

"Thank you for your frankness, Archbishop. Given the severity of the incident, which even resulted in the loss of several elite deacons, why did the Church relax its monitoring and protection of Riel's wife, Emily, and her son for such a long period afterward? As a result, thirty years later, the contamination was able to resurface in Emily's body, nearly causing an even greater disaster?"

Upon hearing this, the archbishop's face showed a complex emotion. He sighed softly, "I personally presided over the purification ceremony back then, confirming that the spiritual pollution of Lady Emily and her son had been cleared and their memories properly sealed. Under the illumination of the Mother Goddess's emblem, there are indeed no more abnormal fluctuations in them."

“We observed them for a period of time, about a year, and their lives returned to normal. The children grew up healthily, and Mrs. Emily, although sad, was in a stable mental state.”

"Considering that long-term, conspicuous surveillance might cause them unnecessary stress and could even revive unpleasant memories, after assessing the risks, we gradually reduced our direct attention to them and shifted to irregular, routine visits by community priests."

He paused, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of weariness and regret: "Now it seems we underestimated the...latent and deceptive nature of that pollution. It wasn't eradicated, but rather lay dormant in a way we couldn't comprehend at the time, like a hibernating venomous snake waiting for its chance to revive. This was a misjudgment on our part, and I bear the blame."

Yu Xing nodded, accepting the explanation, and then threw out another clue: "There's another question. According to an investigator colleague of mine... who I'm not on very good terms with, he found in an old travelogue that the author recorded an astronomer friend from Yolikev University who became extremely fanatical about observing the aurora and eventually went mad."

"The time, place, and symptoms all match Mr. Riel's description perfectly. Could it be that the church has never discovered this travelogue and its connections all these years?"

"A travelogue?" The archbishop's voice paused noticeably, tinged with genuine doubt. He leaned forward slightly, his brow furrowed. "What travelogue? I've never heard of such a record. Investigator Yu Xing, could you be more specific?" (End of Chapter)