The male supporting character was actually myself.

Child, you saw it too.

Our village is too remote and too far from the city, so the villagers can only make a little money by logging.

Although I am too old to know what special uses black oil has, it is certainly a good thing that the church is willing to pay a high price for it and that the villagers can live a good life with it!

A doctor?

There aren't any in our village.

If you have any discomfort such as a headache or fever, I can pray for you, or you can go to the back of the village to find Granny Masha. She can make some herbs and brew them into a kind of medicine that should help.

If it's serious, I still recommend going to the city to see a doctor.

Werewolf?

Haha, kid, I'm sure you've been fooled by those guys who love to brag.

How could there be werewolves?

It was just a pack of wolves howling in the distant mountains at night.

I've lived here almost my whole life, and I've never seen anyone who can turn into a wolf!

The old priest was very old, and he would sometimes pant as he spoke.

Even though he was very talkative, Jiang Chen didn't bother him for too long.

The carpenter's grandmother was the old woman he had seen in front of the dilapidated hut in the village yesterday.

From a female perspective, she is quite tall and robust, but she probably has some leg problems, which makes it difficult for her to move around.

"That dog? It belongs to the butcher!" The old lady had expressed her dissatisfaction with the oil extraction yesterday. When Jiang Chen asked her about the dog, she slowly wound the ball of yarn with her left hand, pursed her lips, and said with a look of disgust, "Stay away from it!"

I saw that dog with an evil red gleam in its eyes; I dare say it was definitely an evil creature!

The village was disturbed by all sorts of messy things.

First, there was the butcher's dog.

It had an evil aura about it, and even bared its teeth at the holy water we brought;

Then there's the extraction of black oil, which is something only the devil possesses!

How could you possibly touch the evil black waters of hell?

No matter how I try to persuade the children, they won't listen. If there's any way to destroy that evil cave, I will definitely stop them! Stop them at all costs!

Grandma Martha?

Oh, that's a really nice person.

If you're feeling unwell, going to her is definitely the right thing to do; you can also talk to her if you're in a bad mood.

I've always believed that Martha is a magical person; being with her will make you feel happy and peaceful.

I'll go see her later too; my old leg problem has flared up again, and I keep tripping and falling while walking, it's really a headache..."

Before saying goodbye, Jiang Chen noticed her legs and feet. The sole of her right shoe was rubbing quite badly, which gave her a rough idea that her walking posture would cause her to drag her right leg a little.

“Grandma Martha is a very nice person.” When he arrived, he ran into Duan Chengze, who had just come out. Duan Chengze said softly, “It’s just that her hearing seems to be a little impaired. She’s not left-handed.”

As Jiang Chen walked through the half-open wooden gate, he noticed that the yard was very clean and tidy.

The house is planted with herbs such as rosemary and lavender, and bunches of dried herbs and herbs hang under the eaves of the stone house. The whole house is spacious, bright and airy, and looks very comfortable.

"Dong dong!"

He had just knocked lightly twice on the wooden door when he heard a soft, aged voice from inside, "Come in, child, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Poor hearing?

Jiang Chen turned her head suspiciously to look at Duan Chengze, who had already walked away, and frowned slightly.

This level of hearing doesn't seem to be related to poor hearing; it's likely that the other person didn't want to answer the question the protagonist asked directly.

Pushing open the door, he found the room spotless, with bright sunlight streaming in through the large windows, creating a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere, and the utensils on the wooden cabinet gleaming.

The meticulously crafted tea set shimmers with light, appearing both antique and substantial, yet also sparkling and lustrous.

The room was very quiet, as if it were inhabited by a group of little elves.

"Child, come to the back room." The old, gentle voice guided him into the room behind the living room.

An old woman wearing a light gray headscarf sat smiling on a cushion, spinning thread on a spinning wheel.

"Have a seat." She pointed to the soft cushion in front of her, looked her up and down, and said with a smile, "I've been waiting for you since yesterday, but you didn't come. Luckily you're not too late. Let's get started quickly."

As she spoke, Grandma Martha took out a crystal ball from under the hem of her gray-blue puffy dress.

"You're a witch?!" Jiang Chen stared blankly as she openly started playing with the crystal ball, then glanced warily at the living room and asked in a low voice, "Should I lock the door?"

She smiled and waved her wrinkled hand, "No need, no one will come over now, we are safe."

I bet you're really curious about why I was waiting for you, right?

"Don't rush, come and take a look."

The crystal ball slowly rotated, and soon the mist inside dissipated, revealing Jiang Chen's appearance!

“I saw you in the crystal ball a few days ago.” Grandma Martha’s wrinkled face was even more pronounced in the light refracted by the crystal ball. “Some bad things have happened in the village.”

God has appointed me to guide you through your confusion.

My child, your future is in the crystal ball. Look at it carefully!

Chapter Thirty-One: Close Your Eyes When It Gets Dark 8

Jiang Chen carefully observed the crystal ball, only to see that the small sphere was sometimes dark and sometimes bright and dazzling, and he really couldn't understand what it meant.

“You are being deceived by a false vision.” Granny Martha looked at the crystal ball and carefully interpreted it. “Child, you are in a state of chaos.”

There is no clear road in either direction.

Breaking through the fog will be difficult, and there will be sacrifices and pain.

But you will eventually triumph!

Pay attention to the people around you; they may be the key to breaking your deadlock.

You need to find what you've lost; that's important, and you must get it back! Although I don't understand, the crystal ball shows that you already know what you're looking for, right?

Sorry, that's all I can see. Do you have any other questions?

The witch's prophecy sounded vague.

It feels like a devilish scenario, or like being controlled by the main system. Breaking the deadlock—does it mean the 'Close Your Eyes When It Gets Dark' scenario or a death game?

Does the key to breaking the deadlock refer to the protagonist, Duan Chengze?

Jiang Chen was completely bewildered, and he deeply understood the difference between Western magic and Eastern immortal arts.

Fortune tellers are straightforward and honest; they never engage in such frivolous practices.

Prophets, on the other hand, are all vague and ambiguous, and no matter how you look at it, they all seem to have something to do with it.

"I want to know who entered our place last night," Jiang Chen asked after thinking for a moment.

If the witch could provide the answer directly, the puzzle would be solved instantly!

"My God, this must be a demon!" Granny Martha was so frightened by what she saw in the crystal ball that her hands trembled and her face turned pale. "I can feel the evil aura emanating from him!"

"This is absolutely horrifying, child, you have to kill him!"

The scene of a person dressed in black killing and dismembering Avia last night appeared in the crystal ball.

The witch could only see the images and couldn't give specific names, which was quite frustrating.

“I know the cave you’re talking about. Don’t touch anything inside. Those things are cursed by demons. It’s a very special summoning circle. The caster can let their evil emerge from the summoning circle from a great distance.”

The user must be within the corresponding formation when using a summoning circle.

Unfortunately, I am powerless to help my child.

I am skilled in prophecy and herbal medicine, but I do not know how to exorcise demons.

"Besides, I'm too old; I no longer have the immense energy I had when I was young, and I can't offer you much more help."

The witch sighed, her expression somber and her face filled with sorrow. "Child, be wary of the evil essence that is summoned; it cannot be killed."

Find its body and pierce its heart with wood soaked in holy water.

In this way, even the most wicked person will have no chance of redemption!

Jiang Chen memorized the solution and continued, "Are there werewolves in the village?"

"Yes, but he's not the murderer." The witch put away the crystal ball and said solemnly, "Please, please don't hurt him."

Someone's here, so we have to end our conversation.

"Child, this lucky charm is for you; it will bring you good fortune."

Jiang Chen took a small white flower from Grandma Martha and put it in her shirt pocket.

As he came out of the house, he ran into an old man, probably in his sixties, with a disgusted expression. The man's height and build were very similar to the murderer's.

Upon seeing his expression, the other person immediately dropped it, replaced by a fawning smile, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Good afternoon, Inspector!"

Jiang Chen returned the greeting, and then the two went their separate ways, one leaving the courtyard and the other pushing open the door and entering the room without even knocking.

"This is unbelievable! Martha, you have to find a way to stop them!"

Finding a secluded spot, Jiang Chen began to listen intently.

Apart from that initial shout, the old man's voice gradually lowered.

With the little white cat gone, even with his excellent hearing, Jiang Chen, who was eavesdropping, could only vaguely hear some intermittent voices.

“That’s a good thing, Martha… All that talk about evil, filth, and hell is nonsense… I know you can… stop it… It was originally ours… A few deaths don’t matter…”

Their conversation was brief; soon after, the old man slammed the door and stormed off.

Jiang Chen followed him and found that he had entered the carpenter's house.

Carpentry wasn't actually his main job; he was originally just a farmer. As he had told Jiang Chen before, he knew some skills in making wooden barrels and enjoyed doing some carpentry work, which is why he was assigned to make large wooden barrels.

Amidst the clanging and banging, Jiang Chen only heard the carpenter's angry roar: "Get out! Get out of my house!"