Alchemy Principles of Type-Moon World

As the two were looking around, a priest emerged from the depths of the church. He was tall, with a kind smile on his face, dressed in a black robe and holding a thick Bible. He saw Weber and Sharma and nodded slightly.

"Hello, I am the priest here. May I ask who you two are..."

"Ah, this is Arvind Sharma, responsible for assisting the police in investigating the recent tomb robbery case. This is Weber Velvet, my assistant." Sharma took the initiative to step forward and shook hands with the priest.

"Is there anything unusual happening in the church's cemetery recently?" Sharma asked.

The priest's face suddenly became serious, his kind smile disappeared, replaced by sadness and fatigue.

"Ah...there's nothing wrong with the cemetery," the priest sighed, frowning slightly, "but there's something wrong with the crypt. I just discovered it this morning."

"Could you please take us to see it?" Weber asked hurriedly.

"Of course." The priest turned and motioned for the two to follow him. The church echoed with the sound of chimes, and the wooden floorboards creaked softly under the priest's footsteps. They followed him through a shadowy corridor, where a few old religious paintings hung on the walls.

"This morning, I discovered the lock on the crypt door was broken," the priest explained, walking around the tall wooden altar. "I check the church every night, and except for the main and side doors, everything else is locked."

"Hey? If you don't lock the door, aren't you afraid that someone will come and steal things from the church?" Weber couldn't help asking.

"James said, 'If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace! Keep you warm and well fed,' but you don't give them the things they need, what good is that?'" The priest smiled. "Good deeds don't come by empty words. If I lock the door, I might turn away those who come here seeking help at night."

"Besides, there's nothing valuable here." The priest shook his head, as if pondering his response. "Before I took over, this was a completely abandoned chapel. The most expensive item here is probably the icon."

"Oh, I bought those icons at a flea market. The frames and paintings only cost me five pounds," the priest smiled. "I treated them a little after I brought them back to make them look older." He pointed to a rather old-looking statue of Jesus in the corner of the wall. "The church never refuses anyone who needs help. Besides, if someone really wants to steal these odds and ends and sell them—"

"——I guess there's something he can't explain."

"To continue what I was saying, I check every day, so I'm pretty sure the crypt behind the church was locked last night." The priest said as he led the two to the back hall of the church, "But when I checked this morning, I found that the lock was gone."

"And there are obvious signs of disturbance in the crypt." As he spoke, the priest pushed open a small door in the corner of the back hall, revealing stone steps leading underground. The staircase was lit only by a faint candlelight, casting mottled shadows and making the entire space seem eerie and dim.

The priest bent down, fumbled around in an obscure corner, and suddenly flipped a switch. The electricity whirred, and a light slowly came on, dispelling the darkness of the stairwell. A bright glow illuminated the entire underground space.

"Don't look at me like that," the priest winked at the two people behind him, "Although for the family of the deceased, using candlelight will create a more atmospheric feeling—"

"—but for me, electric lights are more practical and, of course, more economical."

"Didn't you report the crime?" Sharma asked as he followed the priest downstairs. Their footsteps echoed softly on the damp stone steps.

"Ah..." The priest's expression instantly became embarrassed. He lowered his head slightly, looking quite helpless and ashamed.

"Maybe he hasn't had time to go yet?" Weber seemed to suddenly realize something and made an excuse for the priest.

"Thank you for your kindness." The priest turned his head and nodded gently to Waver, a hint of gratitude in his eyes. "The reason is indeed difficult to explain, but my actions have indeed affected your handling of the case."

The priest spoke slowly and gravely, his voice low and deep. "The reason is actually very simple. Those buried in the crypts are all people of high status." He continued, "Those buried in the surface cemeteries are generally ordinary people, and the church doesn't charge them much."

"The underground crypts are where the deceased, those of greater importance or status, are buried," the priest said with a self-deprecating laugh. "For example, some former major donors. The church doesn't have much income, so its main source of income is the regular donations from the families of these individuals."

"If they find out that the crypt has been robbed...ah." The priest shook his head and said no more.

The priest's fingers groped over an old iron door, gently sliding along the cold, hard iron pattern, making a faint scraping sound. The hinges creaked softly, and the door slowly opened. Behind the door, a dim tomb appeared. The air was filled with a dull, musty smell, like a basement that hadn't been ventilated for a long time. The sarcophagi were neatly arranged, showing no signs of having been opened.

It seems that Lion Jie Jie Li's recovery work is very good.

Yet, in one corner of the tomb, clear signs of excavation stood out. The rubble and loose soil on the floor showed signs of having been disturbed. The earth had been roughly dislodged, as if driven by some urgent force. The perpetrators had clearly acted in such haste that they neglected even the smallest details of cover-up. The traces of excavation lay scattered and chaotic, with no attempt to restore the original state. The soil had been haphazardly piled to one side, creating a chaotic and disorganized appearance.

"Do you feel it?" Weber asked in a low voice.

"Yeah," Sharma nodded, "there's clearly some resentment left."

Judging from his senses alone, this resentment was like a stream without a source, a mere remnant in a dried-up riverbed. Sharma took a deep breath and scanned the tomb, trying to catch more clues.

"Hmm..." Weber suddenly turned around and asked the priest, his eyes fixed on the obvious traces of excavation, "Excuse me, can I dig a little deeper here?"

The priest looked at Weber with a little surprise, but then nodded: "The shovel is in the garden, I'll get it for you." He turned and walked away quickly, disappearing into the dark passage of the tomb.

A few minutes later, the priest returned to the tomb with a rusty shovel. Weber took the shovel, squatted down, and began to dig in the obviously disturbed area.

The shovel made a "crunching" sound in the moist soil, and every time the shovel was used, the soil splashed. Weber dug carefully, trying to keep the excavation range in a relatively small area to avoid causing unnecessary damage to the structure of the tomb. The soil was gradually stripped away -

—revealing the concrete buried underneath.

"The sewer should be behind it." Weber wiped the sweat off his face while Sharma took the shovel and filled the gap with the excavated soil. "I think I have an idea."

"I had subconsciously overlooked the possibility that the church could also become a node." Weber said, "Let's say inside the church..." Weber quickly realized that the priest next to him was different from the priests of the cathedral church he had met before. He was just an ordinary person.

"Follow the sewer and mark out all the churches. We have to go check them out. It's time to go." Weber interrupted his own reasoning and signaled Sharma to prepare to leave.

"You two, I have a request." The priest hesitated for a long time, and only spoke when he saw the two were about to leave. His voice was low and pleading, "Could you please keep what's going on here a secret?"

"sure……"

"I'm sorry, I understand your point of view," Sharma interrupted Weber, "but I must submit the evidence here to the court."

"Is that so?" The priest was silent for a moment, forcing a gentle smile on his face, but he couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes. "I understand."

"I understand your concerns, but I cannot conceal any crimes committed by the prisoner," Sharma said calmly. "I will try to apply to the court to keep the evidence confidential during the trial as much as possible, but I cannot pretend that this incident did not happen."

"We can conceal a criminal's crimes, but we cannot conceal his karma. Karma in this life should be repaid in this life. If his crimes cannot be brought to justice, then his karma will not be repaid in this life."

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Sorry, my friend who had just broken up with her boyfriend went to the bar to drink again. When she was almost drunk, she received a call asking me to rescue her. Although it was a bar, I felt it was not a good idea to abandon someone there, so I took some time to pick her up. After dropping her off at her house, I rushed back to start writing, and I managed to finish this chapter before midnight.

This story tells us not to fall in love, because the end of falling in love is like this, it’s so funny, I can laugh at my friends for at least a year.

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Some of Sharma's ideas are portrayed a little more here. My idea is that since his paranoia is mentioned, it should be reflected in the plot. Then combined with the Hindu concept of karma, the final result is like this. Although it may make people dislike him a little, I think this is the only way to make it a very three-dimensional image.

The above is for reference. Please vote and give feedback. Thank you!

Interlude: Who dug up the graves of the British royal family? : 9. End

On a late autumn night, the bell tower of Westminster Abbey was shrouded in a thin layer of mist. Moonlight pierced the clouds, casting a chilling glow on the ancient stone walls. Atop the bell tower, a chill wind howled, picking up a few fallen leaves, which swirled in the night. Xing Qingfeng and Shizi Jiejieli stood atop the bell tower, quietly observing the movements in the church's forecourt.

Moonlight shone on the stone walls of the bell tower, casting shadows on the two figures. The bells behind them fell silent, the only sound in the silence being the gentle rustling of clothing in the wind. The city lights blazed in the distance, but the clamor of modernity stopped at the church door, daring not to disturb the peace of the deceased.

"Do you think that man is suspicious?" Xing Qingqiu asked in a low voice, pointing his chin at a figure below the church.

The figure looked particularly lonely under the dim streetlight. He looked around cautiously, and after confirming that no one was paying attention, he quickly moved towards the side door of the church. His movements were swift and agile, but unfortunately, to the two people on the top of the bell tower, he looked like a drama queen, like a psychopath, constantly walking close to the wall.

——Maybe he really thinks he is an agent.

He was wearing a dark windbreaker with his hat brim pulled low, so his face couldn't be seen clearly. Only the occasional reflected light revealed the tools in his hands.

"Can you see clearly what he's holding?" Lion Jie Jie Li asked, "Magic ceremonial outfit?"

"No, it looks like a crowbar." Although this distance was nothing to Xing Qingqiu, he still squinted his eyes and carefully observed the man's every move. "Oh, his concentration level, let's just let him sneak into the Pentagon on another set."

The figure crouched down and carefully pried open the church's side door with a crowbar. His movements were gentle and quick, clearly an expert. The door opened a crack, and he quickly squeezed through, disappearing into the darkness of the church.

"No, why would he use a crowbar?" Xing Qingqiu's brain was a little confused. He looked at the figure sneaking into the church with a blank face. "I remember that the door was not locked at all?"

"We'll find out if we follow them." Lion Jiejieli turned and prepared to go down the narrow steps of the bell tower. "Maybe it's some kid from some family."

They reached the side door of the church and pushed open the newly pried-open gap. The interior of the church was completely dark, with only a few beams of moonlight shining through the stained glass windows, casting mottled shadows on the floor.

"This door is indeed not locked." Xing Qingyu said after checking the wooden door.

The air inside the church was filled with an ancient and solemn atmosphere. The stained glass windows depicted scenes from the Bible, which looked particularly sacred in the moonlight. The long aisles were lined with neatly arranged benches on both sides, and the altar in the center looked particularly solemn in the dim light.

"What do you mean? I'll go over and take a look first?" Xing Qingfu asked casually, but he didn't intend to wait for Shizi Jiejieli's response, but followed him with a swagger.

"Hey... aren't you afraid of being discovered... huh?" Shizi Jiejie watched helplessly as Xing Qingyu followed him. He even walked in front of the man and looked him over openly without being noticed. "This... I haven't been back for a few years. Are the alchemists in the Clock Tower so outrageous now?"

The man was in a corner of the church, concentrating on the crowbar in his hand, and it was obvious that his target was the tombstone in front of him. His movements were cautious and quick, proving that he was quite familiar with this illegal behavior.

——However, he obviously didn't notice Xing Qingfeng behind him.

Xing Qingyu stood behind him, watching him silently, taking in every movement. He pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket and began rapidly drawing magic circles and symbols on the ground. The fine powder shimmered in the moonlight, coalescing into intricate patterns.

The man then pulled out several black candles from his pocket and carefully placed them in the four corners of the magic circle. These candles emitted an unsettling odor, a mixture of decay and death—corpse oil candles. The rich scent permeated the air, causing Xing Qingfeng to frown.

Then, he held a candle and prepared to light it——

——But it didn’t light up.

The flame of the match went out the moment it touched the candle's cotton wick. No matter how hard he tried, the candle wouldn't light. The man tried several times without success, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. His fingers trembled slightly with nervousness, and it was obvious that he was anxious.

"Come, let me help you." A hand holding a lighter reached out from behind the man and tried to help him light the candle. The flame swayed in the breeze, illuminating Xing Qingqi's face.

"Thank you...ah!" The man was about to stand up when Xing Qingyu pressed his shoulder back. His palm was incredibly powerful, like a piece of iron plate pressing on his shoulder, making the man unable to move.

"Don't move, or I can't guarantee you won't lose a couple of pieces later." Xing Qingyu tried hard to suppress his laughter, a half-smile plastered on his face. He waved behind him, signaling Lion Jiejieli to come over. "Hey, uh...what's his name...never mind, come over and see what this guy is doing."

Lion Jie Li slowly approached, scanning the magic circle and the black candles in the dim moonlight. He glanced down at the tool in the man's hand and frowned. "That's quite strange. It's actually a voodoo item."

Xing Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? I've seen some similar things in Haiti, but they're nothing like what he's using."

"He also sewed together the black magic of medieval Europe." Lion Jiejie Li examined the layout on the ground, gently flicking a few candles with his fingers. "Voodoo was originally a primitive sect in West Africa. Later, during the triangular trade period, the locals were sold to Latin America by the French. Then, local religions and various Catholic rituals were integrated, and modern voodoo developed."

"It's basically confirmed that this guy did it." Xing Qingfeng nodded. "What should we do? Send him to the police station or the Legal Affairs Department?"

"Send him to the Legal Affairs Department. I don't want to deal with the people there."

"Really... Shit, you still dare to resist?" At this moment, the man suddenly attacked, pulling out a pitch-black dagger and swiftly stabbing at Xing Qingyu. The sharp blade gleamed coldly in the moonlight as it pierced Xing Qingyu's waist. The intense pain made him gasp, "Hiss... No, are you all trying to pick on my kidneys?"

Xing Qingfu casually pulled out the dagger from his waist. The blade, stained with crimson blood, looked particularly eerie in the moonlight. Shizi Jie Li could clearly see the flesh and blood drawn by the dagger's barbs crystallize upon leaving its owner's body, then dissipate into the air as dust. Fresh blood flowed from Xing Qingfu's wound, quickly filled with a layer of emerald green crystals.

These crystals seemed to be alive. They quickly covered the entire wound and began to gradually transform into flesh and blood. The whole process took less than a few seconds, and Xing Qingqi's wound was completely healed, as if he had never been injured.

"What a monster..." Lion Jie Jieli, who witnessed the whole process, sighed inwardly.

"I'm truly impressed! Can you all behave yourself?" Xing Qingfeng casually pulled a tube of mercury from his pocket. Driven by magic, the mercury, like a nimble snake, pierced the necromancer's body with pinpoint accuracy. "Let me tell you, this thing is sensitive to magic. If you dare to move it again, it'll destroy your magic circuits."

The man felt a sharp pain, his body rigid, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. He could feel the mercury moving through his body, as if licking his nerves with precise precision, and any slight movement brought piercing pain. The cold sweat slid down his forehead, glistening brightly in the faint moonlight.

"I'm too lazy to interrogate him. I'll just throw him to the clock tower." Xing Qingfeng mercilessly grabbed his collar and dragged him away from the church. The man's body rubbed against the ground, making a dull sound, accompanied by his groans, which sounded particularly miserable.

Shizi Jie Li carefully examined the man's set-up of the magic circle and ritual supplies. He put the black candles into his bag and then gathered up the chalk and talismans on the ground. The lines of the magic circle blurred beneath his feet. He briefly cleaned the graveyard, ensuring there were no suspicious traces. Then, Shizi Jie Li hurriedly followed Xing Qingjiu.

"By the way, how did you know that he would come here?" Lion Jie Jie Li suddenly asked.

"I told you, I believe in his ability, but I believe even more in his stupidity." Xing Qingfeng sneered, a sarcastic smile on his face. "This is indeed the optimal solution. In fact, every point he arranged is the optimal solution or a near-optimal solution—"

"—His abilities are indeed impressive, but he's also incredibly stupid." Xing Qingfeng sneered at the poor magician he was dragging along, struggling weakly on the ground. "To be honest, the word problems I usually solve to kill time look more like practical problems than his formations."

"At least those questions would try to interfere with my calculations and make me take detours. As for this guy?"

"There was absolutely no disguise, no attempt to confuse others. I could just raise my hand and draw a Hamiltonian path on the map. No point was unnecessary."

"Then, with a little speculation along this line, I can find the optimal solution point for converting this line into a Hamiltonian cycle, which is right here." Xing Qingfeng said, his tone full of confidence and contempt. "To be on the safe side, I've also placed some autonomous devices at several other possible points—"

"—and then this guy really just ran into me headfirst."

"Well, most of the magicians in the Clock Tower don't have much practical experience." Lion Jie Jieli agreed, his eyes falling on the man's pale face, and he was a little relieved that he was only tied up at the time.

"Kenneth is even better at fighting than him." Xing Qingfeng shook his head, a flicker of disdain in his eyes. Just as he was about to leave the church, he noticed a car parked outside. The headlights flickered coldly in the moonlight, illuminating the vague figure inside.

"Ah... no way?" Lion Jie Jie Li also saw the car. He squinted his eyes, trying to see who was in the car, but the next moment his expression changed. "Why is it that damn lawyer... What bad luck."

"What's wrong?" Xing Qingyu asked in confusion, his eyes turning to the car.

"That Indian guy in the car named Sharma is a stubborn lawyer from the Law and Politics Department. Looks like he's also come here to investigate." Lion Jie Li's tone was filled with disgust and helplessness. "Why is this guy investigating the case? What bad luck."

"I advise you to have less dealings with that guy. It's very troublesome to be entangled with him." Lion Jiejie Li waved his hand, turned around and walked in another direction, "I'm leaving first. Don't tell them I was here."

"Oh, by the way, I haven't asked you what your name is yet?"

The figure of Shizi Jiejieli was about to disappear in the night. His voice could be heard from afar, "My name is Shizi Jiejieli. Let's talk again next time we have a chance."

Xing Qingqiu dragged the dying magician out of the church. The night breeze, tinged with a hint of chill, made the corners of his clothes flutter slightly. He looked up and saw the door of a black sedan parked not far away slowly open. A thin, tan-skinned young man stepped out.

"Mr. Xing? Why are you here too?" The back door of the car was opened, and Weber looked at Xing Qingjiu in surprise.

"I went to my teacher's grave and prayed for him to bless me so I wouldn't fail next semester," Xing Qingfeng, known for his excellent character and academic performance, made up an excuse. "Then they caught a thief who was planning to rob the grave. This guy."

Xing Qingqi threw the magician to the ground. The poor man groaned in pain, as if he had realized his fate.

"What are you doing here, and who is this..." Xing Qingqiu pretended not to know Sharma and asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. "Are you also here to pray that you don't fail next semester?"

"Arvind Sharma," Sharma introduced himself calmly, sizing up Xing Qingjiu with a sharp gaze. "I'm in charge of assisting the police in investigating the recent tomb robbery."

In the moonlight, Sharma's face looked even more resolute, his eyes filled with scrutiny and suspicion.

"Oh, this is Xing Qingqiu, a third-rate magician." Xing Qingqiu noticed Sharma's concerns and took the initiative to shake his hand, then broached the topic. "But I don't usually study at the Clock Tower. I study in the Department of Physics at Cambridge."

"Third-rate magician, are you serious?" Weber complained in his mind and couldn't help rolling his eyes.

"The man you have might be the target of our Law and Politics Department." Sharma nodded slightly, revealing his identity as a Law and Politics Department member. "Could you please hand him over to me?"

Xing Qingqi raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes shifting between Sharma and Weber for a moment before he nodded. "Of course, but I've temporarily sealed his magic circuits. If you need to unlock them, you can contact Kenneth; he knows how to do it."

"Thank you." Sharma smiled, seemingly oblivious to Xing Qingjiu's hidden meaning. He bent down and carefully examined the magician. His fingers gently touched the magician's pulse, his gaze sharp and focused. Weber stood nearby, his eyes constantly shifting between Sharma and Xing Qingjiu, appearing somewhat nervous for some reason.

"Come to think of it, why are you guys acting together?" Xing Qingyu asked curiously.