Uriel thought this guy was crazy. "It's completely inexplicable. It doesn't matter whether it's the End of Mystery or the Starless Night. It's an association of demons - think about it, what does this mean?"
"A home that belongs to us, a refuge for our wandering companions."
"I think it's a place of rebirth. The devil always walks alone. Could it be that you have forgotten the reason for doing this?"
"The butcher's knife on the execution platform can end a life, but the loneliness in the dark can freeze the soul. Sometimes the latter is more terrifying." Gunther said, "If you are willing to remain silent, Mystery will not force you. We will respect your choice."
"I've had enough of hearing this."
"This is what Witek asked me to tell you. He said that you will not agree immediately, but just like a hunter entering the jungle to hunt... for such an uninvited guest, it is necessary to leave yourself an escape route in a crisis-ridden situation." Gunther disappeared into thin air as he backed away, "I hope you can consider this path. It's not that we force it, but that you must."
Required? He didn't believe it. "I know what I have to do."
Gunther's voice returned behind the apprentice. "He regards you as a friend, but he hopes to be a companion more. The time has come, let's go in." He said the last words very seriously.
Uriel was unaware of his reminder. In the apprentice's vision, the mysterious aura shrouding the church slowly faded away, spreading in the opposite direction like ripples. He held his breath and stepped into this sacred hall.
"The hidden spirit is the white dove born on the second night." As soon as he finished reading, he disappeared. "Don't stay too far away from me." After all, the range of divine magic is limited.
…
On the huge copper plate, the pointer swung before my eyes. Strange divine characters replace the numbers and are engraved on the edge of the dial. Wittek dialed it on time, and the golden ripples around them disappeared instantly. The effect of the magic has been transferred, but it doesn't matter, they have already controlled the eyes of the church. Both men breathed a sigh of relief.
"I didn't expect that he was actually a priest of Gaia." Miss Detective sighed, "A priest of a high tower. Gods above me, this is really a fantasy!"
The Sheriff nodded approvingly.
"You arrived really late." Agatha put a stack of paper under her butt and motioned to Witek to take off the patrol badge on her chest. "Although our identity is obvious, it is best not to be so arrogant on the church's territory."
"No one can see me," Sheriff Witke assured her.
"I mean on the street."
"You must be considerate of the wounded, Mademoiselle Poirot."
"Well, I'm just worried about you getting entangled with that woman Minerva. You know, she always chases me, as if I am a multi-millionaire worthy of her life. If she catches a little bit of prying By the chance of finding our secret—and don't expect any way to silence her—the Sheriff's Department will be discredited."
"Uriel and Gunther are reliable people."
Agatha pulled out a piece of paper from the pile, which was a picture of a pearl necklace. She glanced at it and threw it aside, and then pulled out a questionnaire about the circulation of jewelry in Dead End Alley. "Oh, you too. In fact, I can form my own team and relieve some of the burden on our reliable friends." She folded a corner worriedly. "You shouldn't have brought these damn things to me."
"Chief McCann must have me hold it—"
"Because that's your job? In my opinion, these are useless scraps of paper. If they sent two more people to check the entry and exit register of Minerva's residence, they might be able to gain a lot. What thief is there? Would you be stupid enough to sell the jewelry as soon as you steal it?”
Searching for lost things was a good job, and Agatha could think of the kind of people who got this kind of job with her toes. It's a good thing that Witek was among them. When dealing with the Hobson incident, he at least knew how to go to Dead End Alley to get information. As for how he came into conflict with Hobson, judging from the uncooperative attitude shown by the gambler, Agatha felt that there was no need to delve into it...
"After all, for the owner, finding the lost item is definitely more important than catching the thief." Wittek paid attention to the magic base and answered her casually. "And not every patrolman has the courage to offend the bad guys." His words were depressing.
But you did. The detective lady suddenly realized that there was no connection between Whittaker and Hobson. "You take risks in this business," she said. "Like Gunther and Hobson planning to kill you and the priest first, leaving Bowman behind."
"Like Minerva enjoys causing trouble for you."
"She's not a risk yet."
"So, running around with a wanted warrant, interfering in other people's cases; treating suspects as friends to inform each other of the inside situation, investigating gangs, and even involving Bai Zhi's apprentices in the case - these are in the eyes of our Detective Queen It shouldn’t be considered a risk.”
"And break into the church headquarters with your boss." Agatha laughed, "You forgot this."
"Anyway, I hope I can do something big so I can find a new place to live in the outer ring area." The Sheriff said frankly.
"I wish you could," replied the detective meaningfully. She changed a document, lowered her head and studied it carefully, trying to analyze the whereabouts of the pearls from the strings of data.
…
Uriel stopped as a group of knights passed by. "They are also protected by the goddess." He told his companions. "It is best to avoid them. The effects of divine magic will change as the belief is shaken."
"You seem pretty determined."
"Yes, but beliefs are always changeable." He felt that his voice was a little strange, but fortunately Gunther didn't seem to notice it.
They advanced some distance further, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. The church is in the shape of a cross from a bird's eye view, and no matter how intricate the interior is, people will not get lost. Uriel stepped on the pure white marble tiles, and he didn't even have to distinguish the direction along the way. He lit candles on the side wall of the dark spiral staircase, pushed open the narrow door behind the curtain, dodged the patrol route of the Knights of the Cross as if predicting, and finally crossed the main trunk of the cross.
Uriel raised his head and stared at the huge stone courtyard in front of him. This is an abrupt ring-shaped stone door with a completely different style from the entire church. It is engraved with stories, words and patterns, and brilliant colorful carvings. Floating light dances in the smooth and dry crevices. In Knox, it is no longer shrouded in the halo of religious belief, but truly possesses a certain sublime mystery.
"What is this place?" Gunther asked.
"The heart of the church," he said slowly. "This is a monastic church, it must be."
"I don't understand how it's any different from a normal holy place."
"The clergy live here. The nuns are usually on the right, and the yard is filled with silver lilies. The monks live on the left side of the wall, and there is a small cemetery behind it."
"The cemetery was set up outside the city."
"It's different. Believers devote themselves because of their faith, and their souls will enter Gaia's Kingdom of Heaven. The church must have its own resting place and will not share it with others."
"That doesn't sound like Gaia's style."
"The goddess knows rewards and punishments, but gods do things differently than we do. In his eyes, certain things are necessary."
"You know Gaia better than I do," Gunther said.
"It is a mortal delusion to speculate on God's will." Uriel replied, "I just know the church better than you. In fact, I grew up here... It is a similar place, the sanctuary of Gaia. In addition to mystery and magic, Nothing is hidden from me here.”
"That's great." Gunther seemed to mean it. Button took on a human form beside him, "Do you know the secret rooms of the church?"
"The goddess does not believe that there are any frank things in this world that cannot be said openly to others, so there are few secret rooms in churches... But precious and dangerous things must be controlled, and believers need a hidden space to contribute to the stability of order. Intend."
"It seems that the peace of Knox depends on these priests." Gunther sighed, "I hope what we are looking for will not destroy the world. So where is he now?"
"I think it's right in front of you." Uriel watched him reach out his hand and quickly stopped him. "There is magic here, can't you see it?"
Gunther turned around, a strange expression gradually seeping into the expressionless mask on his face. There seemed to be some pity in his eyes. "I saw it, and I felt it. But that's exactly what it's for—" The buttonman raised a hand and pushed open the boulder door easily.
Uriel froze in shock. He opened the door, it was impossible. Sealed divine magic does exist, and no one can bypass it and enter the monastery. Although the gap between the inner and outer worlds can always surprise people, it is not difficult for apprentices to understand the magical arts and the church's system. He knew that no disturbance was allowed near the cemetery, so he concluded that the magic base must be placed outside. However, the magic on the door was still shining brightly, as if it had been open to all comers. Did someone forget to close the door, or...
The light path on the stone door dimmed instantly, and the dark chains fell on his head with the sound of wind.
A trap! The thought frightened him. Uriel felt the cold breath coming towards his face. What made him unable to move was not only the pain in his shoulders, but also the weakness caused by the fire.
There were two corpses lying outside the small auditorium. No one knew why they looked so peaceful. Iron-gray lines covered the monastery floor, like cracks in pure white marble. They gathered in the center of the masonry archway, at the foot of a black icon with its back to them. This seems to be another decoration that is very different from Gaia's religion: a dull and heavy armor is hung all over the body, making it difficult to see the full size of its body. Bone-like silver tassels hang under the cloak, and dark arm armor and a belt made of fine leather are vaguely exposed under the raised silk. It wore iron gloves, and blood dripped from its fingertips.
Then the icon turned around. At this time, it is really difficult to convince people to use "it" to refer to it. The eyes under those visors have a strange color that cannot be reproduced by any glass gem, almost a mysterious cycle of life and death.
The goddess is on top. Uriel held his breath. He is a devil.
"It seems that the unruliness of the church members will always disappoint people." Gunther was indifferent, "Let's go in."
()
