absurd deduction game.

The morning of the fifth day of the dungeon.

The thin mist outside the window had not completely dissipated, and there were still some barely perceptible embers of abnormal energy remaining in the air.

Yu Xing woke up from her rest and stood by the window on the second floor of the office, her fingertips unconsciously tapping on the window frame.

A few branches brushed against his legs, conveying his hidden thoughts.

It's probably today; I need to go to church.

What did that magician do all night?

[I don't know. He always liked to act on his own, but he never caused trouble. Just leave him be! But what about the Green Demon? He's gone too.]

Little Ququ hasn't come back either. She's so busy; it feels like she's practically living at church...

[All scrolls are kings of scrolls.]

I'm going to eat and eat and sleep and eat and eat!

The last branch's conviction overwhelmed the others, and soon, the branches that had been thinking about this and that reached a consensus.

Hunger surged like a tide, and although yesterday's "hunting" in the slums temporarily relieved the most acute part, the emptiness originating from the body still lingered deep in the senses, reminding Yu Xing that it was time for a big meal.

Ghost Tree's hunger seemed endless. Perhaps because the state of cognitive distortion was about to pass, the scarlet mark on Yu Xing's tongue began its final revelry.

Eat more today.

The tongue speaks.

Yu Xing's gaze swept over the painting tube lying on the corner of the table. "Starry Sky" was like a sleeping heart in it, slowly but powerfully radiating distorted waves.

Yesterday, no one came to him about this thing all day.

Just then, there was a regular knocking sound from downstairs.

Yu Xing composed himself and slowly walked downstairs.

Standing outside the door was a young stranger dressed in a formal deacon's robe, his expression respectful and reserved, holding a letter stamped with the wax seal of the Church of the Harvest Mother Goddess.

“Good day, Investigator. His Excellency the Archbishop requests your immediate presence at the church. The investigation into the disappearance of Edgar White has made crucial progress and requires discussion with you and several other dignitaries.”

The sacred aura on the sealing wax was solid and warm, yet it also carried an undeniable sense of urgency. Yu Xing took the letter, her fingertips brushing against the cool wax seal, and nodded: "Understood."

After dismissing the deacon, he unfolded the letter.

The wording remained concise, but it clearly mentioned that "Investigator Qu Xianqing and Mr. Lingren will also be present."

What is supposed to come will come.

He straightened his trench coat and confirmed that the equipment distributed by the Ideal State, especially the enchanted ring, was correct.

He turned and went out, the morning mist dampening his shoulders.

Stepping into the Harvest Church again, the solemn atmosphere was tinged with an indescribable tension.

The deacon leading the way walked briskly, and most of the church members they encountered along the way had solemn expressions, talking in hushed tones about words like "dense forest" and "pollution," and the air was filled with a sense of impending doom.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door to the archbishop's office, the scene inside was almost exactly as Yu Xing had imagined.

Qu Xianqing had arrived, still dressed smartly, standing by the window with her arms crossed, like a pine tree in the snow. Or rather, she hadn't left the church at all last night. It was said that she was deeply trusted by the church and even had her own temporary residence inside the church.

Upon seeing Yu Xing, she slightly curved her eyebrows, her naturally smiling lips curving upwards, seemingly in a good mood.

The archbishop sat behind his desk, looking much more invigorated than in the past few days, his aged eyes gleaming with the light of having gained something from his studies.

On the desk in front of him lay a rare copy of "Random Thoughts," its leather cover worn and its pages yellowed, with several drafts of complex symbols and maps scattered around it.

The actor sat in a high-backed armchair against the wall, his posture so relaxed that he seemed to be the master of the place.

Today he changed into a dark gray casual outfit, which was less flamboyant than at the art exhibition and more reserved, but his unique temperament, which was a mixture of elegance and decadence, remained unchanged.

He was toying with a brightly colored bird feather that he had picked up from who-knows-where. When he saw Yu Xing come in, he raised his eyes and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips, which was his way of greeting her.

Putting aside everything else, the presence of the Archbishop was indispensable in enabling the actor and Qu Xianqing to coexist peacefully in the same room before Yu Xing's arrival.

“You’ve arrived, Investigator.” The archbishop’s voice broke the brief silence. He gestured to the empty seat opposite the desk. “Please sit down.”

Yu Xing sat down as instructed, his gaze sweeping over the book "Random Thoughts" before finally settling on the archbishop's face.

"It seems the church's research is very efficient," Yu Xing said calmly.

The archbishop nodded, his fingers lightly tracing the pages of the travelogue with an almost pious caution: "Thanks to the crucial travelogue provided by Mr. Lingren, after two days of intensive study and cross-referencing with the sealed files within the church, we have indeed discovered some previously overlooked, but crucial, clues."

His gaze sharpened, revealing a hint of excitement at having found his direction: "In his travelogue, Edgar not only recorded local customs and traditions, but also subtly mentioned his personal observations and speculations about some 'abnormal phenomena.' Especially in the manuscript notes he added after his last trip—that is, after returning from observing the aurora with Riel—he revealed a clear sense of unease and a desire to explore."

“We deduce,” the archbishop leaned forward slightly, his voice low, with the solemnity of sharing a secret, “that Edgar likely did not fully believe the official account after Riel went mad.”

"He used his writer's keen insight and traveler's knowledge to conduct some investigations in private. In the end, he chose to hide some of the key clues he found."

"Where are you hiding?" Qu Xianqing asked succinctly, her cold voice breaking the oppressive silence.

The archbishop's finger tapped heavily on a page of the travelogue, where a rough map was drawn in slightly messy handwriting, with a few ancient, distorted symbols marked beside it.

"Based on the hints in the travelogue and the correspondence between these symbols and certain records in the secret church scrolls, we believe that Edgar hid his discovery—possibly more detailed notes or other physical evidence—deep in the Forgotten Forest, a few cities away from Yolikef, near a place known as the Wandering Spring."

“Forgotten Forest…” Yu Xing repeated the name.

Is it a few cities away from Yolikev?
Isn't that a bit too far?

When I first met Carlos, this magician did manage to escape the storyline of a dungeon and run over a mountain, but what about the distance of several cities...

Even disregarding the high-speed travel methods of the strategists themselves, considering only the transportation in this era, a round trip would take more than half a month, wouldn't it? "It's a land that even the radiance of the Mother Goddess cannot fully illuminate, filled with uncertainty and ancient secrets." The archbishop, unaware of what Yu Xing was considering, spoke with a somewhat grave tone.

Qu Xianqing then asked, "Now that you've found clues, why hide them? This shows that Edgar doesn't really trust the Church of the Mother Goddess and is afraid that the Church won't help him, right?"

Her question was quite direct and blunt.

The archbishop also sighed.

"Perhaps that's the case, or there are other possibilities. We don't yet know what he went through back then. As for the Church... I as the Archbishop promise you that within the Church today, no one can get past my eyes, and you will never be betrayed by cooperating with the Church."

Yu Xing glanced at him, trying to gauge the weight of his words.

The archbishop noticed his gaze and stroked his gray beard: "As for those who have already turned to darkness, I have long since kept them out of important positions. They haven't been completely purged, but there are other arrangements."

The implication was that he knew Yu Xing had been spoken to by the old nun!
That archbishop is indeed quite capable.

Yu Xing felt relieved and asked, "Let's get back to the mission. How does the church plan to retrieve the clues Edgar left behind in such a vast dense forest?"

“In fact, I have already deduced the approximate location of the clues.” The archbishop looked at the travelogue on the table. “Conventional search methods are not only inefficient, but also prone to unforeseen circumstances, and may even alert some slumbering beings. Therefore, I have decided to use the Church’s reserves of power to directly teleport the three of you to the vicinity of the deduced area.”

"Teleportation?" The musician finally spoke, his voice tinged with a lazy interest. He set down the feather in his hand and turned his gaze to the archbishop. "That saves time on the journey. However, traversing space, especially in such a... strange and dangerous area, must come at a considerable cost, right?"

“That’s right.” The archbishop readily admitted, his expression serious. “The teleportation array requires the coordinated efforts of multiple high-ranking deacons to maintain, consumes a huge amount of resources, and is susceptible to interference from abnormal pollution at the target location, resulting in limited stability. The array can only keep you there for a maximum of twelve hours. Once the time is up, regardless of whether you have found any clues, you must immediately activate the return beacon.”

He took out three silver talismans engraved with wheat ears and star patterns and pushed them towards the three people respectively.

"This is a locating beacon. Pray to the Mother Goddess to activate it, and the guiding magic circle will pull you back. Remember, if the time limit is exceeded, the beacon will become invalid, and you may be forever banished to the crevices of space, or fall into an even more dangerous situation."

For twelve hours, they searched for clues buried thirty years ago in an unknown and dangerous dense forest that even church members feared.

interesting.

The three of them stepped forward, took their respective talismans, and carefully put them away.

The archbishop nodded with satisfaction: "Mr. Lingren provided the vehicle for the crucial clue, Mr. Yu Xing astutely pointed out its connection to the current events, and Miss Qu Xianqing's abilities are evident to all. I am very reassured by the three of you working together. I hope you can temporarily put aside your past differences and prioritize finding out the truth and eliminating the threat."

The actor chuckled softly, a piece of wheat he'd picked up from somewhere twirling between his fingers: "Of course I have no problem with that. After all... I'm also quite curious about Mr. Edgar's whereabouts and the 'legacy' he might have left behind."

His gaze swept over Yu Xing almost imperceptibly.

They already knew the outcome of their plan to act together, so they wouldn't back out now. Yu Xing and Qu Xianqing didn't show any resistance and directly asked when they would set off.

"The Church is fortunate to have your assistance." The archbishop looked relieved, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief. "Without further ado, since the three of you have agreed, let's prepare the teleportation array immediately. Please make your adjustments, and we will meet in the prayer room in the church's basement in half an hour."

As they left the archbishop's office, Yu Xing and Lingren walked one after the other in the empty church corridor, while Qu Xianqing walked side by side with Yu Xing, remaining wary of the person ahead.

The performer suddenly slowed her pace, turned around, and looked at Qu Xianqing: "We're 'teammates' now, but the way you look at me from behind is still as cold as a knife. Can't you be a little gentler?"

Qu Xianqing pouted and said sarcastically, "Okay, dear little brother."

The actor: "..."

If Qu Xianqing scolded him, he had countless ways to make her uncomfortable, but if Qu Xianqing called him "little brother"... as expected of a soldier trained by Yu Xing, she could shut him down with just one sentence.

This is a very rare feeling.

Yu Xing didn't stop walking, nor did she even glance at him. She simply replied lazily, "Anyway, it's only a twelve-hour time limit. Just bear with it and it'll pass."

After saying that, he quickened his pace, leaving the performer behind. Qu Xianqing let out a emotionless "hehe" and chased after him.

In the shadows of the corridor, the performer watched the two figures disappear into the distance and raised an eyebrow.

……

Half an hour later, in the church basement.

The sacred prayer hall was far more magnificent than Yu Xing had imagined.

The towering circular dome was covered with murals depicting the Harvest Goddess blessing humanity, but at this moment, its divine radiance was overshadowed by the enormous and complex magic array on the ground.

The magic circle was outlined by silvery, unidentified metallic powder and inlaid with dozens of crystals that emitted a soft white light.

The lines meander and twist, seemingly stirring ripples of the laws of space; simply standing at the edge, one can feel the vibration and hum of the surrounding air.

Eight high-ranking deacons dressed in white robes with red trim sat cross-legged in the eight directions of the magic circle, their eyes closed and their minds focused, chanting ancient and obscure prayers.

Their faith, like invisible threads, is connected to the magic circle, maintaining its stability.

The archbishop stood directly in front of the magic circle, holding a staff inlaid with a huge piece of amber, his expression solemn.

He beckoned to Yu Xing, Qu Xianqing, and the actor: "Come on, kids, stand in the center."

One of the three might want to complain about the term "children," but this is clearly not the time.

They followed the instructions and stepped forward, sensing the increasingly intense energy fluctuations around them.

The power of faith imbued the air with a hint of "harvest" fragrance. Yu Xing seemed to see expressionless sheep raising their heads from the grass, gazing at him with the eyes of ordinary people.

To be honest, I also really disliked SAN.

In the Cthulhu mythos, even the gods have their own strange side.

"Relax your mind and body, and do not resist the power of the Mother Goddess," the archbishop reminded in a deep voice, before slamming his staff heavily on a specific point on the ground.

"In the name of the Mother Goddess, pierce through the fog and guide the lost lambs—"

Om-!
The entire prayer room trembled violently, and the murals on the dome seemed to come alive, with streams of golden, sacred light flowing into the magic array.

The silver lines instantly flashed with a blinding white light, completely engulfing the three figures. (End of Chapter)