Silas's gaze didn't linger on the patterns for long; instead, he quickly located the soul, which was now completely muddled and trembling uncontrollably.
For some reason, this soul even showed signs of dissipating; it was extremely weak and unstable.
Having done this once before, Silas, with practiced ease, guided the soul into his embrace. Through the nourishment and comfort of his Spiritual Energy, he helped it open its heart.
"My child, who bullied you? Who imprisoned you here?" Silas asked softly.
The soul trembled as it replied, "It was my teacher, the leader of the Death Cult, Oliver Finn."
"Why?"
"He… he said the Death Cult could no longer develop here, that he needed to find a new place. But he wanted to make those police officers pay a price. He said he would come back and told me to wait for him here."
The soul, like Chuck before it, was completely unaware that it had been killed by its own mentor.
"Where did the other remaining members of the Death Cult go?" Silas continued his gentle questioning.
The soul whispered, "They left here under my teacher's leadership. We found new partners. Teacher said that once he has accumulated enough strength, he will reign over this city again and bestow upon me supreme glory."
Hearing this, Silas slowly clenched his fists. "Do you know where they went?"
"I don't know." The soul flickered.
"If he wanted revenge, why didn't he just detonate it directly? Why guide us here?" Silas continued to ask.
The soul whispered, "Teacher said that direct explosions are the crude acts of terrorists. We are walkers who purify the world; even revenge must be carried out with composure and elegance."
"...This old bastard's head must have a hole in it!" Silas cursed inwardly.
After clarifying some core issues, Silas used his self-created prayer to deliver the soul, sending it to his Icy Warship.
This time, Silas shed no tears; he had learned restraint and adaptation.
Just as he was about to stand up, he noticed a folded letter in the crevice of a nearby wardrobe.
After confirming it had no mystical effects, Silas picked up the letter and opened it.
The content wasn't long.
Dear Jeros,
I hope this note is found in the ruins, stained with the blood of those police officers. Otherwise, my plan to use my lovely student's corpse to lure the police would have been a waste. However, it's not impossible that you might find this letter in this crevice. If you do, congratulations, you've temporarily won this round. But be careful! On some future day, death will quietly arrive again – Your old friend, Oliver.
Seeing this, Silas was momentarily at a loss for words.
Taking the letter out of the room, Silas handed it to Jeros and then recounted his conversation with the soul in detail.
"You can actually communicate with souls!?" Hearing Silas's words, Marx and Poppy looked somewhat astonished.
Silas was taken aback. "Isn't communicating with souls the most basic ability of a Priest?"
Logan, standing nearby, looked at Jeros with a strange expression. "How have you been teaching this child?"
Jeros put away the letter he had finished reading. "He only became a Priest three days ago and has already handled two major cases. I'm very busy on my end and have had no time to teach him. You know the current situation in Bayne City very well."
Silas asked, feeling a little unsure, "Is there a problem?"
Logan sighed and explained, "Priests can indeed soothe souls, purify resentment, and bring them redemption and release. However, in this process, Priests and souls cannot communicate in any way. This isn't an issue of skill level. It's that the Priest profession itself doesn't involve such knowledge or abilities."
Silas was stunned upon hearing this, then suddenly remembered: the Priest profession indeed lacked such an ability.
This ability of his had been extracted from the evening bell at the top of the temple; he had possessed it even before becoming a Priest!
Marx explained, "Generally, professions that can hear the abilities of souls are Spirit Mediums, or Necromancers, or possibly Musicians."
Silas scratched his head. "Then what does that make me?"
"Consider it a talent! Many people nowadays can see things they shouldn't see and hear sounds they shouldn't hear. It's nothing particularly special. Don't feel burdened by it," Jeros explained.
Silas nodded, not pressing further.
He agreed with Jeros's explanation. After all, in the Cthulhu Mythos, there were often talented musicians, painters, and the like who could hear the whispers of those evil gods.
Jeros then said, "I've crossed paths with Oliver Finn several times. He's at least a Master-level Soul Hunter, a very troublesome madman. However, he doesn't seem to know we have Silas. This letter and the soul's words are trustworthy."
Logan nodded. "I think so too. Although it's somewhat regrettable, at least the matter of the Death Cult in Bayne City has come to a temporary end."
Jeros nodded, took out his pocket watch, and looked at it. It was almost eleven o'clock.
"Silas, you performed exceptionally well this time. You can go home and rest now."
Silas, already extremely hungry and exhausted, felt as if he had been granted amnesty upon hearing this. Without any pretense, he readily agreed, bowed, and quickly left.
When Silas returned home, he found the lights in the living room still on.
Ada was sitting on the sofa by the fireplace, reading a book.
Seeing Silas's exhausted face, Ada asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Silas waved his hand. "I'm fine, just mentally drained, and I haven't had dinner, so I'm a bit dizzy."
"I'll heat up dinner!"
The current scene was just like when Silas had first returned a few days ago.
Seeing this, Silas felt a sense of déja vu.
The last time such a scene occurred, his entire life was still shrouded in the shadow of fear and worry.
But this time, the Death Cult had withdrawn from the city. At least he and Ada were safe.
"During this time, I must get stronger as quickly as possible and accumulate my own power," Silas resolved in his heart.
Dinner was quickly prepared. Today, in addition to bread and mashed potatoes, Silas also saw sausages and bacon.
"Is today some special occasion?" Silas looked surprised.
Ada smiled. "No special occasion, just to help you recover. You looked really unwell yesterday."
Silas was deeply moved upon hearing this and said in a low voice, "Meeting you is the greatest fortune of my life."
Ada smiled faintly. "Me too."
Lying in bed after dinner.
"The potential threat has been temporarily removed, and this matter can be considered closed for now. My life will now enter a period of very stable development. I need to familiarize myself with the knowledge of this world as quickly as possible and improve my strength and status."
"I need to pass the probationary period and join the Church as soon as possible to obtain systematic learning and knowledge."
"Learn some science-related knowledge. With the divine CPU, I can master it quickly, and thus transform some of Earth's technology here as soon as possible. This is currently the safest and fastest shortcut to enhance my own value."