When nightfall had not yet fully descended and daylight hadn’t entirely dissipated, in this moment of twilight, the townspeople gathered in the town square, waiting for the Priest’s sermon.

Bologue easily found the location of the square, and his appearance immediately caught the attention of the surrounding townspeople. Of course, this small town was already obscure, and after falling into the chasm, its connection to the outside world had further weakened.

In this secluded town, the appearance of any outsider is extremely conspicuous. Even if Bologue wanted to hide his whereabouts, it became challenging, though fortunately he didn’t intentionally force it.

This time Bologue had clear identification. He didn’t have to sneak around, and his weapons were hidden inside the suitcase. From the outside, it merely looked like a regular toolbox used for surveying.

After inquiring, Bologue roughly understood what had happened inside Gray Stone Town since the Plague of Decay.

At first, just as Bologue knew, the earthquake altered the terrain, claiming the lives of many townspeople. Some wanted to leave, while others chose to stay, until about a month later, several crimes occurred in Gray Stone Town.

"What happened?" Bologue asked curiously.

"Someone dug up the ruins, found the bodies of the deceased, stripped them of their possessions, and then buried the bodies prominently in the ruins."

When mentioning these matters, the townspeople’s faces were full of disgust. Such desecration easily stirred up collective anger.

"The sheriff investigated for several days without any results, until... until the Priest got involved."

Mentioning the Priest, the townspeople’s eyes lit up, excitedly recounting his legend.

"One morning, the Priest found the sheriff and said he had leads on the criminal. Then he took the sheriff to find that criminal... it was Gami, the damned Gami who committed such acts," the townspeople said through clenched teeth.

Bologue asked, "Did Gami face judgment?"

"Of course," a townspeople said, "He faced divine judgment."

God?

Bologue paid attention to this word; clearly, the course of events differed somewhat from his expectations.

"The Priest said that when Gami committed the crime, he happened to catch him. Thus, he persuaded Gami, enlightened him, and under the Priest’s guidance, Gami chose to confess to him. Knowing his own grave sins, Gami self-immolated that very morning in front of the sheriff and others."

"Self-immolated?" Aimou exclaimed.

She found it difficult to comprehend Gami’s transformation. Someone capable of desecrating corpses surely wasn’t a good person, yet he was persuaded by mere words? Even admitting his guilt deeply and choosing self-immolation?

Even if he were judged by law, at worst he would be imprisoned for many years, without endangering his life. Yet he chose death himself, and in such a cruel manner.

Could Gami have been a devout person all along, and such acts were merely a momentary lapse?

"Solving a single case hardly warrants such reverence?"

Bologue looked around; the townspeople gathered here were increasingly numerous, nearly the entire town was present, just to listen to the Priest’s sermon. More unsettling for Bologue was that nearly everyone wore religious Holy Relics to some extent.

It seemed under the Priest’s operation, the whole town had embraced the divine.

"This is just the beginning of miracles."

The townspeople’s eyes revealed fervency, patiently recounting the Priest’s miraculous prowess to Bologue. Such gazes Bologue had seen too many times, resembling those fanatics who preached to newcomers.

The townspeople said, "Disaster led to chaos, chaos brought sorrow and crime. During that time, besides Gami desecrating corpses, many others took advantage of the chaos to commit evil, leaving the sheriff exhausted. At this moment, the Priest stepped forward. Under his persuasion, all sinners confessed their sins and accepted punishment."

Bologue felt a vague unease, "What punishment?"

"Self-immolation, hanging, beheading... anything."

At this point, the townspeople’s bodies trembled not out of fear, but due to excitement, "No one forced them; they willingly confessed to the Priest and voluntarily chose such punishment."

The townspeople’s faces showed proud smiles, "In the following months, under the Priest’s grace, the order in Gray Stone Town reached perfection, becoming an Earthly Celestial Kingdom free from any crime."

"Because all criminals before the Priest would voluntarily confess and accept punishment," another townspeople interrupted the conversation, quickly continuing.

"Not only has crime vanished," another person spoke, "The Priest has diligently managed this town, he opened trade routes, built welfare projects, he allowed everyone to live a good life."

Voices rose and responded one after another. Bologue looked around, there were men and women, young and old, everyone speaking to him about the Priest’s greatness. Everyone’s face carried an authentic smile.

But Bologue couldn’t empathize with them at all; he only felt unease and fear.

Bologue held Aimou’s hand in a corner where townspeople could not see. In the power of Heart Overlapping Shadow, two hearts briefly resonated.

"They have idolized that Priest... or rather, that Priest is using some power unknown to us, he has controlled this town and elevated himself to the status of god in the townspeople’s hearts." Bologue’s voice directly echoed in Aimou’s mind.