absurd deduction game.

Although these chattering words were chaotic, they pieced together the grim situation that Rio Rif had faced in the two days since Yu Xing and the other two left.

The pollution brought by the Chaos Rain continues to ferment. The collapse of the City of Terror does not seem to have immediately reversed the deterioration of the real world. In fact, it may have even exacerbated the imbalance due to some chain reaction that they are unaware of.

Yu Xing listened quietly, without rushing to explain their whereabouts.

He noticed that although the church members who came to see them were relieved to see them, their brows were shrouded in an inescapable gloom and deep exhaustion. Clearly, dealing with the endless stream of strange events in the past few days had put them under tremendous pressure.

Qu Xianqing stood with his arms crossed, expressionless, seemingly unmoved by the concern and inquiries. He only occasionally glanced out the window at the dark sky that had been visited by the chaotic rain.

Honestly, after seeing the sky in Terror City, which had no atmosphere and looked straight at the universe, the night sky in Yolikev Town in the real world was strangely reassuring.

The actor appeared indifferent, but the slight sarcasm at the corner of his mouth revealed his displeasure with these noises.

Seeing this, Ivan quickly stepped forward to interrupt his colleagues: "Everyone, everyone! These three investigators have just returned from a dangerous situation. Their operation was of a very high level, and the danger far exceeded what we are experiencing now. It's not an escape as you imagine!"

"The archbishop is still waiting in his office. He has important matters to discuss. Please calm down and go about your business."

The old nun seemed to curl her lips into a smile in the shadows.

The others realized their lapse in composure, took a deep breath, regained their composure, and nodded slightly to Yu Xing and the other two: "We apologize, we were too excited. Your safe return is a blessing from the Mother Goddess and a stroke of luck for the town."

They stepped aside to make way, and then dispersed to go about their respective duties.

Yu Xing exchanged a glance with the old nun, gave her a cryptic smile, and then said to Ai Fan, "Let's keep going."

Ivan nodded and led the way: "Okay...please come this way!"

The three followed Ivan through the familiar corridor once again, heading towards the archbishop's office.

Compared to my last visit, the religious paintings hanging on both sides of the corridor seemed to be shrouded in a deeper shadow, and even the air seemed more stagnant. Candlelight shone faintly from under the cracks of some room doors, and low prayers could be heard. Clearly, even inside the church, the night was not absolutely safe.

Along the way, they encountered two low-ranking priests in a hurry. When they saw Ivan leading Yu Xing and the other two, they did not ask any questions, but simply bowed and left quickly.

When Ivan reached the heavy wooden door of the archbishop's office, he stopped, carefully straightened his robes, took a deep breath, and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in." The archbishop's slightly aged but still steady voice immediately came from inside the door, though there seemed to be an undisguised weariness in his voice compared to when they left last time.

Aifan pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Yu Xing and the other two in.

The scene inside the office came into view.

Compared to before, this place seems a bit more cluttered. The neatly stacked files are now scattered on the desk and the coffee table next to it, and they seem to contain defense maps or event records of certain areas.

In addition to the familiar scents of old books and spices, there was also a faint hint of the bitter aroma of herbs in the air.

The archbishop was not sitting behind his large desk.

He stood by the window, his back to the door, his hunched figure appearing somewhat frail in the flickering candlelight.

He was gazing out the window at the gloomy night, shrouded in chaotic rain that seemed never to dissipate, his hand gripping his staff inlaid with a huge piece of amber tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Hearing the noise behind him, he slowly turned around.

In just over two days, the old man's face seemed to have aged even more, with deep eye bags and wrinkles that appeared to be more pronounced. However, his calm gaze brought a sense of peace to those who looked at him.

“Praise be to Mother Goddess, you have returned safely.” The archbishop’s gaze fell on them, as if to confirm that they were truly unharmed. “After you entered the City of Terror through the Starry Sky, I kept wondering if you could obtain the truth in that unknown land, retrieve Edgar’s lost soul, and find your way out. This worry reached its peak when I discovered that the badges you were carrying were ineffective. I had prepared for the worst.”

His gaze finally settled on Yu Xing's face, and he smiled with relief: "Fortunately, you brought a surprise. I shouldn't have doubted the abilities of the senior investigators from Ideal Country."

Yu Xing met his gaze, nodded calmly, and said succinctly, "We went 'over there,' and Edgar White has been found."

"He asked us to bring back some crucial information, but he himself was unable to return to confirm his death."

The archbishop's pupils contracted slightly, and he felt a heaviness in his heart that he had long anticipated.

He didn't immediately press for details. Instead, he took a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions and waved to Ivan, who was standing by the door waiting for orders: "Ivan, you go out first. Stay outside the door and no one is allowed to approach without my permission."

"Yes, Your Excellency the Archbishop," Ivan replied respectfully, leaving the room and gently closing the door behind him.

The heavy oak door closed behind him, isolating the blond, blue-eyed young priest from all the noise and prying eyes of the outside world.

The only sounds in the office were the faint crackling of the candlelight, the archbishop, and the three investigators who had just returned from the realm of the ancient gods.

The flickering candlelight cast the shadows of the four people onto the walls and the files scattered on the floor, their lengths shifting like lurking ghosts.

The archbishop walked behind his desk and slowly sat down. He rested his staff beside him, crossed his hands on the table, and looked at Yu Xing with a solemn gaze:
“Now, tell me, what exactly did you discover in that ‘city of terror’?” “And, Edgar White… what was his last ‘message’?”

The archbishop's gaze was like a heavy boulder, pressing down on Yu Xing. The expectation, worry, and a hint of caution contained within it were almost tangible.

He didn't urge him, but waited quietly for the investigator who had just returned from the realm of the ancient gods to bring back some earth-shattering news.

Yu Xing did not speak immediately.

He first walked to the desk, his gaze sweeping over the scattered files. The maps drawn on them were marked with many scarlet crosses, and the hastily written annotations next to them were full of words such as "witnessed", "missing", and "pollution spread".

The faint, bitter scent of herbs in the air became clearer, emanating from an open, exquisite little box containing dark green ointment beside the archbishop.

“The situation is more complicated than we imagined, Your Excellency the Archbishop.” Yu Xing finally spoke, his voice steady, breaking the silence. He entered a dedicated role-playing mode, pretending that he really was an investigator who had lived in this world since childhood.

He stood directly beside the table, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of a dossier depicting a map of the slums, where a large area was circled in glaring red.

"The City of Terror... It is an extension of the will of the ancient gods, a living, twisted realm used to filter 'containers' and 'record' the rules of the material world."

“We found Edgar White there,” Yu Xing continued, his tone completely flat, as if stating a fact unrelated to himself. “But by then it was too late. He was trapped in an ancient machine called the ‘Coordination Core,’ his body deeply fused with the machine, and his consciousness becoming one of the ‘cornerstones’ that kept the city running.”

He omitted the detailed process of Edgar's descent from pleading to desperate madness, and went straight to the point: "But he retained some sobriety and revealed several key messages to us."

Yu Xing raised his eyes to meet the archbishop's gaze: "First, the secret cult of Yolikf Town has some kind of 'contract' with the ancient gods in the starry sky. The secret cult is responsible for spreading fear in the real world and selecting suitable 'sacrifices,' while the ancient gods grant them power and... long lifespans."

The archbishop's breathing was steady, as if he had already suspected something about the secret cult, but hearing such a conclusive accusation still clearly sent a chill down his spine.

“Secondly,” Yu Xing continued without pausing, his voice still calm, “the existence of the City of Terror and the activities of the Secret Cult are not ultimately aimed at creating chaos.”

"They were trying to tear apart the boundary between reality and illusion in Yolikf, to establish a larger and more stable 'channel' or 'coordinate' so that the power of the ancient gods could descend on a larger scale. That city was just an outpost and a testing ground."

"Third, and this is what Edgar confirmed for us with his final existence—the core hub of this plan is very likely related to the town's 'Lighthouse Bookstore'."

“Lighthouse Bookstore…” the archbishop murmured, repeating the name, a sharp glint in his eyes. Clearly, the name had triggered some known clues or suspicions. He took a deep breath, struggling to process this shocking information, and asked in a low voice, “Then… Edgar…”

“He’s dead.” Yu Xing’s answer was crisp and straightforward, without any embellishment. “In the struggle against the will of the ancient god, the Coordination Core collapsed, and he perished along with that city. It was only through this opportunity that we were able to escape.”

He completely concealed the fact that the actor was collecting heart tissue to avoid trouble.

The performer chuckled subtly, earning a glare from Qu Xianqing standing nearby.

The archbishop remained silent for a moment, then slowly closed his eyes, his face revealing deep sorrow and a hint of relief.

He whispered a few prayers before opening his eyes again, his gaze regaining its previous composure and resolve: "May the Mother Goddess guide his soul to rest. He was a true warrior, holding out to the very end and bringing a crucial warning to the town."

He looked at Yu Xing and the other two, his eyes filled with gratitude: "Thank you, brave investigators. The information you brought back is invaluable. It confirms our worst suspicions and points the way for our next steps."

The actor wore his usual enigmatic smile, but his gaze was fixed on the herb box beside the archbishop.

He fiddled with the small accessory on his shirt: "It seems that in the two days we were away, the town was just as lively as that insane city."

His tone was languid, with a hint of nonchalance, to the point that would infuriate every church member except the archbishop: "The church is filled with the smell of 'purifying ointment'... The trouble caused by those little raindrops outside must be quite significant, right?"

Corrosion remover?
Yu Xing's eyes flickered slightly as she noted the name. It sounded like a medicine the church used to combat erosion and pollution.
The actors found out in advance again...

The archbishop's expression instantly became even more grave. He glanced at the box of herbal ointment, sighed, and wearily rubbed his temples. "Mr. Lingren's observations are quite astute. Indeed, although the Chaos Rain only lasted for two days, its subsequent impact... far exceeded our expectations."

He stood up, walked to a detailed map of Yolikef Town on the wall, pointed to several areas marked with special symbols, and said in a heavy tone: "The rain itself contains strong spiritual pollution and distorting power. In addition to directly causing a large number of plants and animals to mutate and go mad, the most troublesome thing is two new types of derivative monsters."

“Firstly, we call them ‘frogmen.’” The archbishop’s finger traced several marks near water sources or low-lying areas. “It seems that some kind of ‘embryo’ was mixed into the rainwater. They developed rapidly after the rain and became a frog-like monster with strong aggression and pollution.”

"Their most dangerous ability is to attempt to jump into the mouths of living people and merge with them, transforming the victims into a twisted half-human, half-frog form. The Church Knights and the investigators who stayed behind paid a heavy price to barely clear out most of the frogmen on the surface, but there are still some that have slipped through the net in the streets and alleys, especially in the slums, where we need to continue to investigate."

Yu Xing recalled the sense of panic she had sensed in the corridor earlier, hidden throughout the town, which seemed to be mixed with some inhuman, slippery, and cold thoughts.

“Secondly, it is more concealed and dangerous.” The archbishop’s voice grew lower as he pointed to the dense yellow markings scattered across the map. “We call them ‘Corpse Hearts.’”

"Some people who get caught in the rain will have their hearts rapidly rot under the influence of unknown forces, but the victims themselves are completely unaware of it, their perception is distorted, and they still believe that they are living normally."

"They would subconsciously and naturally dig out the hearts of other living people... They appear no different from ordinary people, and can even communicate normally, but inside... they are already walking corpses following the logic of monsters."

Qu Xianqing raised an eyebrow slightly, while the performer showed even greater interest: "Cognitive distortion?" (End of Chapter)