The middle-aged priest looked taken aback for a moment, then a hint of sadness crossed his face. “The hospital is on Third Avenue, but it’s been overrun by monsters.”

He paused, then his tone turned gentle and reassuring. “However, I can pray for God’s blessing upon you. His light will protect you and restore your health.”

Upon hearing this reply, Yining was equally taken aback.

“……”

He had originally thought the small town would offer access to valuable medical resources and had been looking forward to it, but it turned out he would still have to rely on the elusive power of faith!

Supported by the middle-aged priest, Yining stood up. With somewhat sluggish movements, he brushed the dust off his clothes and smoothed out the collar, which had been scorched by fire, soot-stained, and crumpled from the fall.

“My name is Yining.”

He took a deep breath, his voice regaining its calm: “Actually, I’m here to find a clergyman named Ziling. He told me I could come here to find him.”

“So you are Yining.”

A look of realization crossed the priest’s face, and a note of solemnity appeared in his eyes: “Before he left this morning, Mr. Ziling specifically instructed me that an important friend would be visiting.

He went with the archbishop to handle an emergency at the bell tower and asked me to apologize to you on his behalf. As for the problem you’re facing, once the current situation is resolved, I will help you resolve it.”

Is Ziling no longer at the church?

Yining unconsciously lowered his gaze, his brows slightly furrowed.

An incident at the bell tower?

Could he be in danger?

He couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

The only good news was that the problems with his heart, liver, and lungs could be treated.

Yet Yining didn’t seem as happy as one might expect, even though his own well-being should have been his top priority. Perhaps it was because his hopes had been dashed time and again; he pondered this carefully.

The middle-aged priest turned back to continue directing the crowd as they cleared the embers from the fire site. Yining’s gaze swept past the bustling crowd and settled on Zhang Xing, who was still helping to clean up the aftermath.

This gravedigger claims to be from the graveyard. What should he do with him?

He could lie and say he’s from the Desert, part ways with him, or return to the Graveyard together.

Since Zhang Xing had voluntarily revealed his identity as a “Graveyard player”—whether true or not—the chances of the two of them running into each other in the same area in the future were extremely high.

Yining ran through the conversation in her head and walked toward Zhang Xing.

“What are your plans from here on out?”

He asked casually, as if they were just making small talk.

Zhang Xing set a full bucket of water down at his feet, scratched his head, and laughed dryly. “I rode my bike here, so I’ll just ride back.”

Upon hearing this, Yining flashed a bright smile, though his eyes remained cold: “That sounds like the Graveyard District isn’t far from town.”

Zhang Xing stiffened, his expression turning uneasy. “What are you up to?”

At the same time, Zhang Xing’s mind was racing.

His special ability allowed him to see Yining’s in-game identity as “hollow puppet,” but for now, he had to pretend he didn’t know.

Only players in the graveyard had a chance to trigger the “hollow puppet” game identity when they killed their first monster.

Would Yining admit that his territory was also in the graveyard?

If he chose to lie as well, and the two went their separate ways, should he tail him, or find a secluded spot and take him out right away?

Following him involved too many variables; it wasn’t the best strategy.

Yet Yining seemed oblivious to his stiffness, naturally looking away: “Nothing, just curious. I want to buy some exorcism gear.”

Zhang Xing let out a quiet sigh of relief and quickly replied, “How much do you need? I have some monkey blood exclusive to grave robbers—I can produce about half a bottle a day. I’d like to trade it for fresh water.”

Yining replied indifferently, “Hold on a moment. I need to check with my merchant friend first to see if he has any demand for this.”

With that, he patted Zhang Xing on the shoulder. “Go get back to work.”

Zhang Xing scratched his head out of habit, picked up the bucket, and turned to jog over and join the crowd hauling debris. As he ran, every subtle expression on Yining’s face played over and over in his mind.

From their first meeting in the slaughterhouse to their journey together, to their conversation just now outside the burning church, Yining had struck him as extremely cautious. Yet when he had rushed into the fire to complete the mission, he had revealed a bold—even reckless—side.

This was a person who was bold yet meticulous.

So, was that seemingly ordinary conversation just a flawless ruse, or had he already seen through him?

He wasn’t a fool. Rather than engaging in endless speculation, it was better to eliminate the threat once and for all. He had to find a way to kill Yining.

In truth, the key reason Zhang Xing couldn’t perfectly disguise himself as a Graveyard player was that he simply didn’t know the way there.

Even the powerful Hunters’ Guild couldn’t find a precise way to enter the Graveyard—in the Dark Realm, space is warped and time is chaotic. That’s why they rely on players to hunt each other down.

As far as he knew, aside from following a genuine Graveyard player inside, there was only one other way—and it was extremely difficult.

The objective is to kill a specific 【key NPC】 who knows the location of the Graveyard; there’s a chance they’ll drop a map revealing the route to the Graveyard. But finding that kind of NPC is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Zhang Xing glanced at the church, where the fire was gradually being brought under control. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the turning point in this fire was undoubtedly due to Yining completing that questline.

That guy might have already won over the church’s original inhabitants. Since they’d appeared together, perhaps…he could take this opportunity to pry some valuable information out of these locals.

Another hour passed, and with everyone’s combined efforts, the fire at the church was extinguished.

Miraculously, the church building remained completely undamaged, as if the massive fire had never happened—it felt like nothing more than a vivid collective hallucination.

However, the glass shattered by Yining on the second floor, and the fallen shards were very real.

The elderly priest in charge motioned for Yining to enter the church. Zhang Xing, ever the team player, stayed behind to help the others clean up the mess left by the fire.

It was 3:00 p.m., with five hours left until nightfall.

In a simple prayer room inside the church, Yining received what was called “God’s blessing.”

The middle-aged priest had Yining cover his eyes with his hands, lit several candles, and arranged them in a circle to enclose Yining in the center. As the chanting of scriptures began, a warm sensation washed over Yining. The white light expanded and contracted, and the countdown for the growth cycle components in his status bar visibly sped up!

When the countdown returned to normal speed, only a string of extraordinarily beautiful numbers remained.

【Heart Growth Cycle 00:59:59】

【Liver Growth Cycle 00:19:59】

【Lung Lobe Growth Cycle 00:59:59】

【Trachea Growth: 00:59:59】

【Player Status: Healthy】

Yining gave himself a thumbs-up. That was so cool.

He was extremely satisfied.

“The blessing I prayed for you isn’t as potent as the Bishop’s. If you don’t take good care of your body from now on, you’ll still have to go through these terrible things,” the middle-aged priest cautioned.

“What does a more powerful blessing do?” Yining asked immediately. “Will it prevent missing body parts for three days?” 

“…It will simply restore you completely,” the middle-aged priest replied, sounding a bit exasperated.

That’s still pretty powerful.

Yining clenched his fist silently.

He was determined to establish a good relationship with the Church and build a long-term, stable model for development.

“Thanks to your help this time,” the middle-aged priest said, “the source of those black flames is the resentment and malice of this world. It will reappear at regular intervals, and if not dealt with in time, it could very well burn the entire world to the ground.”

Yining asked curiously, “Was it because the bishop wasn’t here that the church suffered an accident?”

The middle-aged priest nodded. “Today, the town’s bell tower was attacked by a powerful monster. The bishop had to protect the great bell there from being destroyed.” Yining had indeed seen posts on the game forum where players in the town mentioned faintly hearing the bells ring at six in the morning and six in the evening.

“I read in the newspaper that the number of monsters is increasing. Could that have anything to do with this fire?” Yining asked.

“As the number of monsters increases, so does the intensity of their malevolence, giving rise to resentment. Meanwhile, the most skilled demon hunters are being hunted down by the Hunters’ Guild. Now, only the Hunters’ Guild has the strength to confront those monsters, but they won’t choose to do charity work. Those people believe in the law of the jungle and will only take on those with strength and do only what benefits themselves.”

The middle-aged priest answered with great patience, like an NPC whose sole purpose was to explain the game’s lore.

“Does the Church choose to shelter ordinary people because of the greatness of God?” Yining put on an expression of eagerness for the truth at just the right moment.

“Yes, we worship the God of Life. Every life is an innocent lamb…” The middle-aged priest said, making a gesture of prayer.

The Hunters’ Guild can issue server-wide bounties on players. It now seems they are not only powerful but also tightly organized and immensely influential.

But ever since learning they’d publicly placed a bounty on Graveyard players, Yining had realized that he and this organization were destined to be enemies, not friends.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend—he must cultivate a good relationship with the Church.

“One more thing,” Yining asked. “I’ve heard that after the Eternal Night Cataclysm, a large number of outsiders will appear. How much do you know about them?”

The cleric shook his head. “As for the outsiders, perhaps only the Creator knows.”

So this world still has the concept of a Creator.

The game system informs Yining that this is “the world people reach after death,” so it must be either heaven or hell, the Celestial Realm or the Underworld. The attractions in heaven and the Celestial Realm include the “River of Milk and Honey” and the “Pond of Immortality in Dongting Lake,” while only hell and the Underworld are prone to fires, featuring settings like the 【Unquenchable Fire】.

So, who is the creator of Hell—Satan the Devil, or King Yama?

Yining almost burst out laughing at this association—which he thought was amusing but was actually rather awkward—and quickly pressed his lips together.

Stepping out of the church hall, he found that most of the people who had helped put out the fire had already left. The puddles on the ground hadn’t quite dried up yet, leaving behind large patches of watermarks.

The area surrounding the church didn’t seem to be shrouded in endless darkness after all, but rather bathed in a faint halo of light, truly resembling a pure land blessed by God.

“You’re still here?” Yining spotted Zhang Xing leaning against a stone pillar by the church entrance, seemingly dozing off.

Zhang Xing slowly roused himself, his eyes rolling, and he yawned as he stood up. “Nope, I’m still counting on making a deal with you.”

Yining raised a hand to tuck a strand of hair, damp with sweat, behind her ear. Her movements were casual, but her gaze swept over Zhang Xing. “What about that butcher you mentioned? Why didn’t I see him just now?”

“I heard the church called all the fighters over to the bell tower. Good thing we didn’t run into them…” Zhang Xing gave a few hearty laughs. “I just picked up some intel. Want to buy it?”

Yining pulled a bottle of fresh water from his inventory and paid without hesitation.

After receiving the fresh water, Zhang Xing couldn’t stop grinning. “There’s a guy at the church who just graduated from the seminary. They call him an ‘outsider.’ You know what ‘outsider’ means—it means he’s a player just like us.”

“Apparently, he’s a pretty handsome guy with exceptional talent, deeply favored by God. In just a few short days, he’s already earned the church’s admiration. A lot of the locals around here know him, and he’s got a great reputation.”

Yining looked pensive. “What kind of abilities does he have?” 

“He can heal people!”

Zhang Xing spoke with exaggerated enthusiasm, “I’ve heard he can cure any and all intractable illnesses, but there’s one condition: you have to see him in person. Besides that, he seems to be able to lift curses and purify tainted areas, and he’s under a powerful divine blessing himself, though I’m not sure exactly how effective that is.”

After listening, Yining fell silent for two seconds before suddenly asking, “Before telling me, did you share this information with anyone else?”

Hearing Yining’s question, Zhang Xing instinctively flinched, replying uncertainly, “I—I posted it on the trading market… Is it not allowed? Is there—is there some kind of taboo…”

Yining smiled indifferently. “There are no taboos. I just thought some unscrupulous players might try to cause him trouble. But that’s none of my business. Everyone says you shouldn’t cross a doctor—especially a good one.”

After saying that, he ground his teeth.

After that, both of them fell silent, and the atmosphere turned awkward and eerie.

Zhang Xing racked his brain for a topic to break the ice. Finally, a thought struck him, and he said in a tone that sounded a bit like he was showing off a treasure: “Um, I helped put out the fire earlier, and a local gave me a map of an old warehouse. They say there might be some good stuff inside. Want to go check it out together?”

“……” Yining’s eyes suddenly narrowed, causing Zhang Xing to flinch in fear. He said coldly, “Do I look like a good person to you?”

Zhang Xing feigned guilt. He knew that given his persona as a “simple, honest, uneducated grave robber,” stumbling upon a map that might lead to treasure—and instead of keeping it for himself, inviting someone he’d only just met to join him—logically implied that the location marked on the map was extremely dangerous, and going alone would likely mean certain death.

And Yining’s current attitude was practically screaming “Get lost” right off his face. Not only did he show no greed for the invisibility cloak he’d been promised in return for saving his life, but he also seemed to have little interest in any potential “treasure.”

【Invisibility Cloak (Black)】

【Category: Cursed Item】

【Description: When worn, you become invisible to monsters. Not even the stars in the sky can see you, let alone the “gods” on the ground. You will be immune to dark corruption, erosion, and curses.】

But let me give you a word of advice: whatever you do, don’t try to figure out how it’s made—it’ll push your mental limits.

Yining is a good person.

But then again, good people don’t live long.

Good people rarely live long in this world.

And so, under Yining’s intimidating gaze, Zhang Xing darted into the darkness and vanished.

Yining remained standing at the church entrance, pulling the last orange-flavored hard candy from his pocket and popping it into his mouth to chew on. The hard candy crunched and crumbled in his mouth, and he felt an indescribable, inexpressible sadness welling up inside him.

He didn’t interact much with Ziling, but he knew that the guy barely spoke a word a day; forums and chat channels were off-limits to him, and the trading market seemed restricted as well.

Yining didn’t like to gossip behind people’s backs, and he wasn’t one to pass judgment on someone like Zhang Xing. Yet he felt a deep sense of helplessness at Zhang Xing’s actions—selling Ziling’s information as if it were an ordinary commodity, without understanding Ziling at all or the rules of this world.

He hoped he would never have to see that man named Zhang Xing again!

Yining was genuinely worried for that online friend who might be facing danger at the bell tower right now.

He swallowed the orange-flavored sugar crumbs with a mouthful of saliva and was just about to leave when he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

Turning around, he saw the middle-aged priest. He was pulling on a black cloak, rushing out as he dressed, but paused in surprise when he saw that Yining hadn’t left yet.

“Has something happened?” Yining asked, offering his concern.

“I must go to the bell tower immediately. Someone says the vice-chancellor of the Hunters’ Guild took advantage of the chaos to attack our bishop!” the middle-aged priest explained, then called out urgently to the other young priests: “Lewis, Conna, Ian! Quick, grab your weapons and follow me!”

Two young figures quickly ran in from the side hall at the sound of his voice—a man and a woman, their faces still smudged with soot from putting out the fire, but their eyes already sharp.

But the third figure was nowhere to be seen.

“Ian, where is Ian?” The middle-aged priest called out twice more, only to hear a piece of terrible news—“Oh no! Mr. Myer! Something’s happened!”

A church servant stumbled in from the back door, his whole body trembling with fear: “Ian—Ian is… in the alley behind…”

The middle-aged priest, whose surname was Myer, felt his steps grow heavy with anxiety. The more chaotic the situation, the more he needed to keep everyone calm. He made a split-second decision and turned to the two young priests: “You two stay here and keep watch! Lewis, head toward the bell tower immediately and try to gather information, but don’t approach recklessly! Conna, you come with me!”

With that, he turned his back on the bell tower and, following the messenger, strode purposefully toward the dark alley behind the church. Yining followed as well; no one was there to shoo him away.

Ian lay dead in the dark alley near the church, his throat slit, his head nearly severed from his body, blood pooling on the ground. His eyes were half-open, his pupils dilated, and there was a deathly silence.

A few of the younger priests, less able to cope with the sight, doubled over and began retching at the sight of the bloody scene, while others turned pale and staggered, nearly fainting. Even the older ones wore expressions of grief and turned their faces away, unable to bear the sight any longer.

“No struggle—it was a single, fatal blow.”

Yining, who was probably the most level-headed and mentally composed of the group, quickly made a judgment. “Who did he come into contact with before he died?”

“……”

The young priests exchanged glances, some with a look of bewilderment in their eyes, others utterly exhausted; those close to Ian broke down and wept.

A sense of despair and oppression spread through the room.

“I don’t know who he saw before he died. Everyone was too busy putting out the fire, running back and forth…” “Ian said he went to the back warehouse to take inventory of the spare candles.”

“I also saw him exchange a few words with the water cart driver…”

The scattered bits of information couldn’t be pieced together into a clear picture.

Yining had no choice but to ask again, hoping to find a clue: “What was Ian’s job?”

“Most of Ian’s work lately has been conducting funerals and performing memorial services at the cemetery,” Father Myer replied succinctly. Conducting funerals means attending funerals.

Performing memorial services at the cemetery…

There should only be one cemetery near the town, within his own parish; there’s no need for more than that. Cemetery, graveyard, bounty, the Hunters’ Guild attacking the bishop of Lambs’ Town.

It seemed as though everything was connected, yet he couldn’t grasp the crux of the matter.

Yining thought about the suspicious individuals who had appeared today and realized that, among the group of locals, he and Zhang Xing stood out the most—they were the only two “players.”

Zhang Xing invited him to explore the warehouse together.

One of the locals rewarded Zhang Xing with a map of the warehouse.

Moving forward, the first time he met Zhang Xing was in the butcher’s workshop. The butcher had been called away by the priest—he didn’t know what for—and when he went to the church, he said he’d gone to the bell tower.

In short, he kept coming up with all sorts of alibis.

Yining had no formal training in criminal investigation; he simply had a gut feeling that something was off about Zhang Xing.

Assuming Zhang Xing was the murderer, he must have killed to gain something.

This guy might have some hidden twisted psyche, but it’s absolutely impossible that he killed in the heat of the moment—after all, no player currently knows whether killing a Native American would result in severe punishment.

What was he after?

Yining couldn’t fathom exactly why Zhang Xing killed, but he could work backward from the consequences of killing “Ian”: what would Ian’s death trigger?

—The result is that he’s speculating that Zhang Xing must have a motive for murder. He could even easily verify this hypothesis simply by returning to the graveyard. So Zhang Xing has set a trap for him!