The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

Outside, after a walk of more than an hour, George and his two companions sat on a sunny patch of grass outside the mansion, sharing food from a wicker basket and enjoying the warmth of the rising sun.

Just as the three of them were drinking and taking a short rest, George saw a servant carrying an insect-killing device walking towards them from the forest path.

After the manservant approached, he first bowed to George, then nodded to the inspector and Bates, and reported in a slightly faster-than-expected manner.

"Young Master, Inspector, Lieutenant. I cleared the grove of trees to the north as instructed, all the way to the edge of the island, without seeing any insects attacking. The insect carcasses on the ground had all turned to dust. Finding nothing amiss, I returned to report."

George nodded: "Thank you for your hard work."

After the male servant finished speaking, he respectfully stepped aside.

George turned to the inspector: "Inspector Douglas, what's your opinion?"

The inspector did not answer directly, but instead made a gesture.

"You'll know once you go into the spirit world."

George understood immediately, closed his eyes, and let his consciousness sink into the warm spiritual fire within his body.

A familiar yet strange sense of detachment washed over him, and when he "opened" his eyes again, the world was different.

Everything in the material world was bathed in that unique, cobalt blue halo.

The outlines of the meadows, trees, mansions, and lakes all become soft and flowing, as if covered with a light layer of oil paint.

He immediately turned his "eyes" to the entire Paradise Island.

Previous disasters had all manifested different anomalies in the spirit world.

But at this moment, as George looked around, the ominous black aura was gone from the island—whether it was around the mansion, in the woods, on the lakeshore, or in the direction of the dock.

The influence of the Abyss... has indeed dissipated.

He turned to the inspector beside him.

In the spirit world, the image of an inspector differs from that of an ordinary person.

His body outline was clear, but not like George's, which was composed of spiritual light; rather, it resembled a faded, slightly transparent pencil drawing.

The edges are clearly defined, while the interior is a uniform pale gray that shimmers with a warm light.

The book "The Shocking Secret!" mentions that it is a manifestation of the stable existence of spirituality within the mortal body.

There were no unusual entanglements or erosions around him; his overall state was peaceful, stable, and intact.

This contrasts sharply with the image of the viscount he knew.

George still remembers the image he saw when he first entered the dream realm under the Viscount's guidance.

A humanoid flame, burning fiercely and radiating blinding light, was wrapped in strangely colored threads, and an ominous black shadow was devouring the light.

"Inspector, what is the typical image of a superhuman in the spirit world?" George asked in the spirit world.

Douglas's "pencil drawing" image is slightly turned towards him, and his expression is still recognizable even though it is faded.

"It depends on many factors: rank, standards, achievements, one's own condition..." Douglas's voice also echoed in George's mind.

"But generally speaking, as long as a superhuman is stable and controllable, apart from some unusual phenomena such as glowing or dimming, their outline should be clear and stable in the spirit world, and their internal structure should be relatively uniform."

He paused for a moment: "I am a Venerable Lawgiver, but I have not yet begun my work. My appearance in the spirit world is as you see it now."

Those immortals who have accomplished their deeds and are close to ascension may have dazzling appearances, even possessing various inhuman features, but their outlines should still be clear.

George paused for a moment, then began to describe the Viscount's appearance.

"My father... In the spirit world, he was a humanoid flame that burned fiercely and shone with blinding light. He had almost no clear and stable outline. Inside, there were countless strange-colored threads wrapped around him, and black shadows were constantly eroding his light."

Douglas waved his hand.

"His 'achievements' went awry, causing him to be unable to integrate his own power, blurring the boundary between power and 'self'."

He turned his attention back to the present moment, seemingly unwilling to say more.

"The extraordinary disaster on the island has indeed been resolved. That's good, George, congratulations. But the aftermath of the previous three 'victims' has not yet been eliminated."

George knew who he was referring to.

"The influence of 'The Comedian' is often persistent and corrosive, slowly distorting a person's foundation. The 'pollution' of these three people needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible," Douglas said seriously.

"George, do you have a way to handle this now?"

George did not answer immediately.

He opened his eyes, detached himself from the spiritual realm, and returned to the material world.

The sun shone on my face, the grass exuded a fresh scent, and everything was peaceful.

He looked at the inspector: "Mr. Douglas, I think we should know the outcome by noon."

Douglas stared at him for a moment, and all he saw in those eyes was certainty and resolve.

He nodded slowly, a genuine smile appearing on his face.

"I'll wait and see," he said. "If the problem is resolved by noon, then this matter can be temporarily put to rest..."

At this time, the other servants also returned from different directions one after another, reporting that the cleanup was complete and no more abnormal insect swarms were found.

George stood up, took the "resonance insect killer" back from them, and solemnly thanked the servants.

"You've all worked hard. Please get some rest now," he said.

"Especially Thomas, you've been with me all night and need to catch up on your sleep. These devices are temporarily stored in the alchemy room; they might be useful later."

The servants responded and left.

George watched them leave, then turned to Douglas and Bates and said:

"I'll head back to the alchemy room to prepare. If it's convenient for you two, you can rest for a bit in the mansion or soak up some sun in the garden. We'll see the final results after lunch."

Douglas waved his hand: "Go ahead and do your thing. Kelly and I can wander around the manor and enjoy the scenery now that the scourge has been dealt with."

George nodded slightly, then quickly returned to the alchemy room on the third floor of the mansion with the recovery device.

Back in his familiar room, he carefully put away the "resonance insect repellent" and immediately began preparing for lunch.

He first continued the work of refining the Holy Grail Spring, which he had started yesterday but was not yet finished.

Most of the materials have been processed; only the final step of spiritual infusion under sunlight remains.

He took out the prepared semi-finished materials again and preheated some of them.

He then produced the Viscount's prepared book, "Training and Health Preservation: The Secrets of the Warrior," along with a stack of photocopies of notes by the swordsmanship master Richtenauer.

He hadn't had time to review these things before, but now he planned to finish reading them as soon as possible and then hand them over to Bates.

Time passed in alchemy and study.

At noon, although the host was still absent from the long dining table, the quality of the food remained undiminished.

Meat pies made from the leftovers of yesterday's roasted venison, served with fresh vegetables and thick mashed potatoes; a creamy mushroom soup; and Mrs. Patmore's special apple pie sprinkled with cinnamon sugar for dessert.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was much more relaxed than ever before.

Inspector Douglas praised the cook's skills, and Kelly was also quite satisfied with the meal.

Uncle Albert seemed much more relaxed, and even chatted with Frederick for a few minutes about the purchase of new horses on the island.

After lunch, while everyone rested for a while, George left the alchemy room with the prepared potion materials.

He knew the way well and arrived at the rooftop of the mansion, finding a suitable outdoor spot.

This place is rarely visited on weekdays, and the midday sun can just cover a section of it at the perfect angle.

He put down the tools he was holding and began to set up a small altar.