Todd, who had returned from the smelter, went headlong into the laboratory, leaving Huggins, Edgar, and Jerry looking at each other in the underground hall.

The three of them summed up with each other, and in the end, Huggins stepped forward, gently pushed open the door of the laboratory, looked at the monk apprentices who were busy in the pile of bottles and cans, and said carefully: "Todd, if our opponent is really a demon, maybe it would be better to let the people of the church come forward." ”

Carefully pouring the "ferric chloride" solution into a test tube that could be carried around, and then sealing it and putting it on the shelf in a small wooden box, Todd raised his head and looked at the man with some confusion. The other party's face was full of worry and faint fear, and he instantly understood what Huggins was thinking.

While adjusting the chemical materials, the monk apprentice who packed the large bottles and cans stood on tiptoe and patted the man's shoulder, giving the other party a "don't worry" look, but Huggins showed no signs of relaxation at all, but became even more uneasy.

For a few hours in the afternoon, Todd had everything he needed to remove the curse. After repeatedly telling Huggins and the three to handle it with care, he handed over the several wooden boxes he had brought with him to them for safekeeping. Then we arrived at the monastery gates, and set out with Aiden Kom and other craftsmen and apprentices who had been waiting for a long time, towards the village of the Cursed.

After less than an hour's walk from the monastery to the southeast, before the sun set, Todd and his party reached the edge of the Raven Forest, and the destination of this exorcism journey, Chigi Village, also appeared in his field of vision.

Unlike in previous lives, the so-called village here is very small. The whole village usually has only 100 people, and even a few dozen people in smaller villages. Such populated areas are scattered like stars throughout the plain, and there are more than 200 of them that can be named.

Qianmu Village covers an area of less than 100 acres, and standing at the entrance of the village, you can even see the boundary between the end of the village and the forest. Despite this, the interior of the village is "small and full of organs", with churches, village halls, warehouses, and wells. Due to their proximity to the forest and abundant timber resources, most of the villagers' houses are made of logs, which looks more beautiful than other places in the plains.

Following Aiden and the others, Todd walked through the dirt road of Chigi Village, and the conspicuous monk's uniform on his body made the villagers talk.

The dwelling of the cursed artisans was close to the edge of the forests and fields, and it was believed that the monk was coming to exorcise the evil spirits, and a large number of people gathered at the door of the hut early in the morning, many of them from neighboring villages and even towns, men and women, young and old, dressed in different clothes, each with various expressions on their faces, curious, surprised, suspicious, and confused.

Ignoring the noise of the crowd outside, Todd walked into the low bungalow in front of him, guided by the forward team. Inside, the untrimmed mud floor was sprinkled with rush grass, and even though it was early spring January, a cold wind was pouring in through cracks in the crumbling wooden walls.

The unconscious craftsman lay on a bed in the middle of the hut, and a circle of people stood beside him. Aiden Combe took the initiative to talk to a stocky middle-aged man, who nodded, walked up to Todd, and bowed his back slightly: "Heavenly Father is above." Your Excellency, we have been waiting for you. I'm Ackerman Shokola, the village chief here. ”

Listening to the other party introduce himself to the people in the house, Todd was a little dizzy, there were the village chief of the nearby village, the squire of the fiefdom, the respected old man, etc., many names he had just heard and forgotten, but there was only one person who impressed him a little.

Father Moore Rupert, the priest of the church in Chigi Village, was the first person in the church that Todd came into contact with.

Father Rupert, a young man who was very arrogant and somewhat hunchbacked, always liked to look down on others with his head held high, with a silver cross on his breast, and looked at the boy with three points of wonder and seven points of contempt, as if he had seen 'a sheep find the hunter on its own initiative and ask for meat when he opened his mouth'.

"I never imagined that the monks would put down their books and step out of the high walls to provide exorcism services to the faithful. ”

The tone sounded a bit aggressive and unfriendly.

Todd rolled his eyes and said, "The Lord's Word of Exhortation, Book 3, Chapter 9, Article 31. ”

Before the priest could react, the monk was already reciting the scriptures: "The service to the believer should be above all else and without delay." If, while praying, someone asks for help, go with peace of mind and offer this act as a prayer to the Father. Don't feel uneasy or guilty about interrupting prayer. To suspend one good work to God for a moment is to accomplish another, and the Father is not to be slowed down......"

Ignoring the jaw-dropping Moir Rupert, Todd turned his face to the village chief, Ackerman Shokola: "Let everyone out, I'm going to start preparing for the exorcism." ”

Some people of high status immediately expressed their opposition.

I came all the way to see the monk's ability to exorcise demons, and there was no reason to be turned away.

That's what you're waiting for.

Pretending to be embarrassed, Todds thought for a while, and finally agreed to the people's request, but only on the condition that they could not come in until 30 minutes later, on the grounds that the ceremony venue should be set up.

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After 30 minutes.

The sky was getting darker and darker, and the crescent moon hung like a hook in the sky.

More and more people gathered outside the house, but inside it was only the monk Todd and the cursed craftsman. Compared to the silence inside, the outside is as bustling with people as the scene of a market.

Just as the people began to get impatient, the closed door of the hut opened. Todd, dressed in a monk's suit, stood at the door and said to everyone, "The exorcism ceremony is ready...... Looking at the people outside the door, Todd continued: "Once the ritual begins, I can't guarantee what will happen, even if there will be a 'demon devouring man' situation. ”

As soon as they heard this, people retreated, and the desire to try it was gone.

"From now on, no one is allowed to make a sound, otherwise the devil will be alarmed, and the Father will punish him! With that, Todd turned and disappeared into the doorway.

Eventually, after some debate, the following six people participated in the exorcism: Huggins, Jerry, Aiden Comb, Father Rupert, a knight-squire who had returned home from the battlefield, and a sheriff from a nearby town.

The village chiefs, Ackerman and Edgar, remained outside the house and were responsible for maintaining order to keep the premises absolutely quiet.

When the six men entered the craftsman's hut, they were so surprised by the strange arrangement of the room that they forgot to speak.

The windows, the stoves, the holes, every crevice in the room that could lead to the outside world was pasted with black paper, and each one was painted with white plaster.

The craftsman's bed was moved to the center of the room, and the unconscious cursed was covered with a brown linen cloth with a white cross painted on it.

Finally, with the bed as the center, a huge cross was painted in white ash on the floor of the room, and seven candles were placed on the four sides of the cross.

"This is an exorcism ritual?!"

The priest first raised a question, he has participated in more than 100 such things, and most of them used holy water and scriptures as ritual means in the past, but he has never heard of such a scene, let alone heard of it!

Todd ignored him and led the six to the craftsman's bedside, motioning for them to stand on the left and right ends of the cross, and the lower end of the cross. The seven candles correspond to seven men, Huggins and Jerry Jerry on the left end of the cross, the priest and sheriff on the right, the village chief and squire at the lower end, and himself at the top.

"Before I start exorcism, there are some taboos I want to tell you. In the completely darkened room, Todd's face seemed a little bright and weak in the faint light of the candles, and his voice was so low that his heart was numb: "First, you must not make loud noises during the ceremony, second, until the ceremony is over, you must not leave where you are now, no matter what happens, and third, you must not touch the paper and linen with the holy signs." If you hear and agree to obey, please repeat it. ”

In order from left to right, everyone repeated the three taboos, and the voices outside the house became lower and lower, and a strange atmosphere crept in the air.

Taking out the scriptures from his bosom, Todd looked at the six participants who were nervous as if they were facing great enemies, covered the hood of the monk's robe over his head, bowed slightly, and said, "The ceremony begins." ”