Manager, give me a membership card too!

Chapter 394 Abigail Williams

Looking at the clean, luxurious church in front of him, which exuded a sacred and aura, Luo Xia pursed his lips, glanced at the old and dilapidated residential building next to it, and silently shook his head.

Regardless of the era or country, religion has always been the best means of accumulating wealth.

However, this was none of his business. He was there to save a person, a good person, not to investigate the church's finances; that was outside his job scope.

After quietly tidying his clothes, Rorschach paused with the silver carved cane in his hand, then strode towards the church not far away.

Push open the door

The church hall is decorated in a very traditional style, with statues of gods, crosses, pulpits, stained glass windows, and rows of neatly arranged wooden chairs.

A few townspeople, men and women, young and old, sat scattered on the chairs, praying. The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful, with a sense of sacred tranquility.

The only discordant element is that this pastor isn't very good; he seems far inferior to that guy, Kirley, and doesn't have the demeanor of a shepherd of God at all.

Looking at the priests in black robes not far away, whose brows lacked any semblance of divine presence, Rorschach curled his lip in disappointment. Whether in his own timeline or the original timeline, Kirei Kotomine was a devout believer before his complete fall from grace. It was only due to his unique physical constitution that he suffered a series of tragedies and disastrous consequences.

But what about these guys in front of us? Some were daydreaming, some looked impatient, and some were even taking advantage of female believers. Only the old pastor looked somewhat respectable, but he was just reading from a Bible without putting any emotion into it.

Rorschach rubbed the silver cane in his palm and walked toward the only reliable old priest.

Upon seeing Luo Xia approach, the old pastor closed the heavy Bible in his hands, his slightly cloudy old eyes swept over the unfamiliar man in front of him, and a kind and gentle smile appeared on his lips.

The perfectly tailored suits, the elegantly styled Oxford shoes, and the ebony cane with its engraved silver head—even Thomas Wayne, the mayor of Arkham, couldn't match this level of craftsmanship. He had only seen similar items in the big cities before being transferred to this godforsaken town.

This is a big, fat sheep!

"May God bless you, sir. May I ask what brings you here?"

The elderly pastor, with a full head of white hair, smiled kindly and spoke in a friendly tone, as if he were speaking not to a stranger, but to a long-time friend.

“Hello, Reverend. My name is Rorschach, and I just arrived in Arkham yesterday. I've come to visit my old friend, Sergio Paris. I wonder if he has some time now?”

"Pastor Paris...?"

The old pastor, who had been wearing a professional smile, froze upon hearing this, and his expression became somewhat awkward.

"Pastor Paris has been unwell recently and is not available to receive visitors at the moment."

Luo Xia raised an eyebrow and said, "That's perfect. I happen to be a doctor, and I think I can help him with his treatment."

The old pastor's smile grew even more awkward, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. After a long while, whether he suddenly understood or wanted to avoid angering Rorschach, this big fat sheep, the old pastor looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to the two of them for the time being, lowered his head slightly and said in a very fast voice:

“Sir, Pastor Paris has offended God’s wrath and is now being punished by ‘divine fire.’ For your own sake, forget this friend.”

"Did I offend God's wrath? Heh..." Rorschach muttered to himself with his eyes slightly narrowed. Suddenly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bundle of bright green paper from the inside pocket of his well-made suit. He gently patted the Bible cover in the old pastor's hand, just enough to cover the gold lettering on it.

The old pastor's expression froze for a moment, then his eyes widened, and his breathing instantly became rapid and heavy.

A rectangular green piece of paper, decorated with beautiful pictures and patterns, and marked with the number '100'.

Its quantity is one hundred.

Ten thousand US dollars!

James Gordon, the deputy sheriff of Arkham, earns only $120 a month. This stack of bills is almost equivalent to Gordon's earnings over ten years of hard work. Even the church receives only a few thousand dollars in donations a year, less than half of this stack of Franklins.

Swallowing hard, the old pastor almost instinctively covered the stack of banknotes with his sleeve and asked in a trembling voice:

"What do you desire, esteemed...sir?"

Luo Xia straightened his collar as he took out his money, and replied with a smile, "This should be enough to appease 'God's' anger, right?"

The old pastor's expression was hesitant, as if he still had something to worry about. But before he could speak, Rorschach pulled out several more stacks of Franklin and casually tossed them into the old pastor's arms.

"What if we add these?"

Smelling the ink fragrance emanating from the green paper scraps in his arms, the old pastor's expression seemed to change, once again filled with holiness and compassion.

He casually tucked the stacks of banknotes into his pocket, then picked up the thick Bible in his hands, covering the bulge in his clothes, his face full of warm smiles.

“Poor little Paris is feeling unwell and naturally needs to see a doctor, a perfectly legitimate reason that even the great God cannot refuse. This way, sir, I will take you to see him now.”

After the old pastor finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the depths of the church, and Rorschach naturally followed.

After passing through several rooms that appeared to be the clergy's quarters, Rorschach followed the old pastor out of the church through the back door and headed toward a wooden building that looked like a warehouse or something similar not far away.

Before they even got close, a series of low sobs reached their ears. Seemingly to avoid any misunderstanding from Rorschach, the old pastor leading the way explained with an embarrassed smile:

“It’s Betty and Abigail, Paris’s daughter and niece. Ever since Paris ‘got sick,’ we’ve locked his room to prevent him from infecting others and not letting anyone near it.”

After the old man finished speaking, he turned around and continued leading the way, completely unaware of the shopkeeper's increasingly dangerous gaze behind him.

Even his own daughter and niece weren't allowed near him, so these priests naturally wouldn't waste their time caring for Paris, leaving him to fend for himself. Several days passed, and now Mr. Paris's condition had horribly deteriorated to an extremely wretched degree.

Following the sound of crying, and turning the corner of the wooden house, the door of the warehouse came into Rorschach's view. At the same time, the source of the crying also came into Rorschach's field of vision.

The first thing they saw was a blonde girl with short, flowing hair. She looked about seven or eight years old, with a very cute appearance and the innocence and naivety typical of girls her age. However, the girl was now leaning sadly against a wooden door, calling out in her hoarse, tearful voice to the person inside.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy..."

The little girl was too young to think of any complicated words, so she could only keep calling out to her father, hoping to get even the slightest response.

The sorrowful and helpless young girl's soft, mournful cries, like a cuckoo weeping blood, would move even the most hardened person standing here. Unfortunately, the old priest beside Rorschach wouldn't. Not only that, but out of Rorschach's sight, he gave the weeping girl an undisguised look of disgust.

As the daughter of Pastor Paris, Betty Paris always lived with her father in the church. Naturally, all of the girl's food, clothing, and daily expenses were paid for by the church.

A woman who freeloads every day naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of the other priests in the church. This dissatisfaction reached a new level after Abigail, Paris's niece, arrived in Arkham seeking her uncle's protection.

They could tolerate one mouth to feed, but now they've brought along another freeloader, a helpless little girl who can't lift a finger. How can anyone else be happy with that? Their money is all hard-earned, swindled from those believers; how can they waste it on something like this?

Despite his dislike for them, the old pastor still had to maintain appearances. Especially after learning that Paris had a very wealthy friend, his opinion of the two young girls completely changed.

These aren't just two freeloaders; they're practically two golden hens. The man behind them is willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars just to see Paris. After that guy Paris dies, how much will he be willing to pay to 'redeem' these two girls registered at the church?

Thinking about the blissful, decadent life he would enjoy in the future, the old pastor's face flushed with excitement, and his gaze toward the two young girls became both fervent and strange.

“Betty, Abigail, your father’s friend has come…”

Overjoyed, the old pastor stepped forward, about to greet the two little girls standing at the warehouse door, when suddenly his body jolted, his eyes rolled back, and he fell forward with a thud onto the pebbly country road. His face was probably now a sieve.

The sound of the old pastor falling to the ground naturally caught the attention of the two little girls at the door, and naturally, they also noticed Rorschach standing behind the old pastor.

Looking at the two girls who were looking at him with timid eyes, Rorschach's gaze lingered on the younger Betty for a moment before focusing on the older girl.

It was a girl who was the complete opposite of Betty, who was wearing a white dress. She was about twelve or thirteen years old and about 1.5 meters tall. She was wearing a strangely styled black bubble dress and a cute little black hat.

Her dazzling golden hair, as bright as a full ear of wheat, cascaded from her cute little hat down to her lower back, adorned with a few yellow and black ribbons that accentuated her delicate, doll-like face.

However, what impressed Luo Xia the most was undoubtedly those pair of azure eyes. When gazed upon by those clear eyes, the shopkeeper always had the illusion of being observed by countless 'people' at the same time.

What an adorable little girl! No wonder she's my 'daughter'. She's a million times cuter in person than in the card art.

Looking at the blonde girl who was subtly shielding her cousin Betty behind her, Rorschach smiled, a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a feeling of mixed emotions, including nostalgia and regret) washing over him. If one were to ask why he referred to a girl he had only met once as his 'daughter,' it was naturally because the shopkeeper had already recognized her.

阿比盖尔·威廉姆斯

When Rorschach first heard the name, it sounded vaguely familiar, but he didn't think much of it; after all, there were probably tens of thousands of girls named Abigail in the world. However, when he saw the girl's face in person, Rorschach recognized her immediately.

She is one of the main characters in the legendary Salem witch trials, and also a gacha character in a certain pay-to-win mobile game in her previous life. Back then, Rorschach spent a lot of money to bring this new "daughter" back to Gari.

According to the system's previous explanation, all of Rorschach's game characters had been transformed into real beings, and Abigail, his 'daughter,' was no exception. Although he didn't know why she acted as if she didn't recognize him, it didn't stop Rorschach's increasingly sour mood from returning to cheerfulness.

However, now is not the best time to talk to the two little ones. He will talk to them properly after he finishes his business.

Thinking this, Luo Xia glanced at the deathly silent door of the warehouse next door, and a bright and sunny 'big brother' smile appeared on his face.

“You must be Betty and Abigail? My name is Rorschach, I’m a doctor and a friend of Paris. I heard about Paris’s situation and came back to Arkham.”

Looking at the handsome man in front of them, the two girls unconsciously lowered their guard. After exchanging glances, Abigail, who was older, took the lead in communicating with him.

"Are you really Uncle Paris's friend?"

Silly girl, from the moment I saw you, Paris has been my 'friend'. Of course, I can't say that directly to these two little ones.

"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have come all this way to treat her."

Betty, who was hiding behind her cousin Abigail, heard the word "treatment" and excitedly jumped out from behind her cousin, looking at Rorschach with a nervous and anxious expression, asking:

"Can you cure my father, Uncle Rorschach?"

“Of course, that’s why I’m here. You two wait here for a moment, and we can talk after I’ve healed Paris.”

Smiling, Rorschach patted Betty's head, nodded to Abigail who was hesitating beside him, straightened his clothes, and looked at the warehouse door not far away.

"It's time to show the real technology."

Chapter 395 Poisoning

Chapter 395 Poisoning

Luo Xia casually tore open the lock on the door, which seemed like an insurmountable barrier to the two girls, and opened the door.

Feeling the stench that suddenly hit him, Luo Xia paused, subconsciously glancing at the two girls beside him who were looking at him expectantly.

"I need absolute quiet to treat my illness, so please don't come in and disturb me."

With that, Rorschach stepped into the warehouse, which reeked of decay, and closed the wooden door behind him. The two little girls, being very sensible, stayed put and silently prayed as they watched the door close, hoping that a merciful and almighty God would bless their family with recovery.

Ignoring the two girls who had already bowed their heads in prayer at the door, Luo Xia also began to move into the warehouse after closing the door.

The further they went in, the more serious Luo Xia's expression became.

The warehouse was in a terrible environment: dark, damp, stuffy, and poorly ventilated, with all sorts of insects and rodents everywhere; it was practically a giant petri dish for bacteria.

Even an ordinary person without illness or disaster might get sick if they stay in this place for a long time, let alone a patient who is already physically weak.

Making the worst possible prediction in his mind, Rorschach pushed open another wooden door.

In an instant, countless large, plump green bottle flies swarmed towards him through the crack in the door, seemingly eager to taste this fresh 'food'. Then...

Lightning flashed and lightning streaked across the sky.

Dazzling electric snakes danced around Rorschach, annihilating any 'foreign objects' that tried to approach him.

Luo Xia led Lei Guang into the house. He frowned as he looked at the swarm of buzzing insects in the room. With a thought, the lively little insects fell to the ground like kites with broken strings, as if it were a filthy, dark rain.

With a wave of his hand, he whipped up a gust of wind, carrying the trash out of the narrow ventilation opening. Luo Xia then focused his gaze on a curled-up human body in the corner.

To be honest, if it weren't for the priest's robes that were stained with all sorts of strange liquids, Rorschach would have had a hard time associating that 'thing' with a human.

Because the scene before him was simply too horrific.

The room was rotten, dilapidated, and reeked of a pungent stench. Before Rorschach cleared the trash from the room, rats and various insects crawled all over the body, tearing and gnawing at the flesh that was barely clinging to life.

Fortunately, the pastor Paris was not completely dead. Though the movement was slight, his thin chest was still rising and falling slowly.

At the same time, seemingly awakened by Rorschach's earlier actions, Paris, who was on the verge of death, struggled to open one eye, staring blankly at the air in front of him, muttering something indistinctly.

"God, is it... Your messenger... who has come to guide me? I... cannot die, Betty... and Abby need me... I... cannot... cannot..."

The murmured words seemed to have exhausted his last strength. Before Paris could finish speaking, the light in his eyes began to fade, and his chest, which had become skin and bones due to disease and hunger, stopped rising and falling.

Upon seeing this, Luo Xia immediately raised his hand and lightly snapped his fingers.

"Now is not the time for you to die, Paris."

As Rorschach finished speaking, the being named Paris was imprisoned in the sandbox of cause and effect.

Glancing at the dark red scenery around him, the man smiled and tapped Paris's chest with his silver cane.

The next moment, a dense, almost tangible power flowed into Paris's body through the dark wood staff in Rorschach's hand. This power was so overwhelming that the weakened man was instantly torn to pieces, his blood, carrying a slightly putrid odor, spraying everywhere.

However, Luo Xia didn't seem surprised by the man's state; rather, it was intentional.

The man named Paris was on the verge of death. His body was mutilated, decaying, oozing pus, highly infected, and his internal organs were failing. His hands and feet had become gangrenous, like charcoal. There was no other option but to remove his limbs.

Even if such a person were saved by luck, they would be bedridden for the rest of their life, an ending that Rorschach did not desire. As the first "gift" for his beloved "daughter" Abigail, this matter had to be handled perfectly.

Therefore, he chose to completely 'disintegrate' this man's existence and then use the Free Form to reassemble and transform him into a special Mystice. As for the core artifact of Mystice...

Rorschach tilted his head and looked next to where Paris had been sitting. There, a black-covered Bible sat quietly.

With his left hand continuing to weave Paris's new body in a free-form style, Rorschach stretched out his right hand and beckoned to the black Bible, which had been gnawed to pieces by rats and slowly came to him.

“Your god is indifferent to you, all your efforts and sacrifices have yielded no reward, and your devout faith has been in vain. But it doesn’t matter, what he is indifferent to, I will care about. What he has not responded to, I will respond to. What he is unwilling to reward, I will reward.”

"Stay true to yourself, Paris, and continue doing what you have always done. Spread the goodness and hope of humanity, and let people know that kindness and justice still exist in this world."

“So…” He grabbed at the blurry humanoid figure composed of countless free forms in front of him. The humanoid figure, which vaguely resembled the original outline of Paris, transformed into a small ball and came to Rorschach’s front. Then he slapped it into the Bible in his right hand.

"Then your new life will not have been in vain."

In an instant, a holy and dazzling light slowly bloomed in this dirty and dilapidated little wooden house!