The beast-head statue from Sturton had flown through the air like a leather ball.
It then followed an arc downward and, with a splash, fell into the nearby river, disappearing without a trace.
Beneath the cloak of night, not a single ripple remained.
[You killed a monk from the Red Apple Church, Sturton (possessed by Bishop Newman), and earned 500 experience points.]
[Your actions have had far-reaching impacts; the Red Apple Church now considers you an enemy and will initiate a manhunt!]
Chen Lun disregarded the glaring red alert box with disdain.
He walked a few steps to the spot where Sturton had fallen, bent over, and picked up two items.
[D-level Mysterious Object: Golden Goblet]
Item Description: A specially made goblet from the Red Apple Church, functional in pairs, capable of long-distance communication.
Pour the fresh blood of a virgin into the goblet to establish vocal communication with another goblet holder for twenty-four hours.
Ah, the bright red craft, the aroma of a virgin, your soul shall serve as the messenger, bringing forth my gospel …
Chen Lun looked at the golden chalice and frowned slightly.
He squeezed it forcefully, and the goblet in his hand creaked.
Suddenly, a tremendous strength seemed to exceed its threshold, and with a bang, it shattered into pieces.
A [D-level Mysterious Object] was thus destroyed.
"Huh… hateful thing, mustn't be left intact!"
Chen Lun destroyed it not solely because the item's description was disturbing.
It was more because it came from the Red Apple Church and could very likely have been tampered with. It would be troublesome if it were used to track him down.
It was of little use to him anyway, better to destroy it.
The golden fragments in his hand slowly softened and then turned into a golden mud.
The color gradually faded, merging into a red ball resembling "flesh mud."
[You've obtained a Low Sequence Flesh Faction Mysterious Substance]
Chen Lun added it to his panel, bringing his total to four portions.
This was incredibly precious and useful.
Whether for crafting Transcendent items, forging artificial [Mysterious Objects], or advancing in Sequence, it had its uses.
Next, Chen Lun examined the hand crossbow.
[C-level Mysterious Object: Tongue of Gluttony]
Item Description: An old, wooden mini hand crossbow, easy to carry.
On one side of the crossbow, there are sharp, tooth-like patterns indicating it's imbued with the power of flesh.
No need to load crossbow bolts; simply pull the trigger to fire a bait arrow, attracting spirits from the Spirit World to devour the target.
It seems to have originated from a benevolent gourmet.
He was passionate about cooking various delicacies to entertain guests.
Until one day, a visitor from the Spirit World knocked on his door.
Thus, the gourmet made himself into a delicacy, serving himself to be enjoyed …
Item Effect: The person hit will temporarily lose 10% of their life limit, up to a maximum of 30%. They will also fall into an extreme state of hunger.
Item Cost: Each bolt fired will significantly reduce physical strength, depending on the circumstances.
Chen Lun found this [Mysterious Object] surprisingly high-quality and effective, even comparable to some of the lower-tier [B-level Mysterious Objects].
A hand crossbow that, in a sense, came with unlimited ammunition.
Its lethality was stunning, the higher the health of the target, the greater the benefit, making it a nemesis for "blood tanks"!
The cost of drawing physical strength was insignificant, Chen Lun even wanted to shout out loud—
Come! Drain me!
Chen Lun tucked the hand crossbow into his waist and turned to walk back.
As hunting down Sturton had taken him away from his path, there were still some remnants near the Red Apple Church that needed clearing.
To provide a better gaming experience for all players arriving in this world, Chen Lun decided he would manually weaken the version's antagonistic forces.
His spirit of heroic sacrifice for the players brought tears to his eyes once again.
"Who knows what else is hidden inside that church …?"
"These heretics undoubtedly oppress their neighbors and exploit the common folk. I must confiscate all their illicit gains!"
The more Chen Lun thought about it, the faster he walked.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared at the end of the street.
…
Inside the Red Apple Church.
The prayer room.
Chen Lun quietly stood by the female corpse.
He sighed softly and closed her wide-open eyes.
Behind him, on a long bench, was a small box.
It contained all the valuables Chen Lun had collected from scouring the entire church.
During the search, he found some flatbreads, which he ate to alleviate his hunger.
The remaining guards of the church and the rotten hounds were also slaughtered by him, earning him a decent amount of experience points.
Moreover, Chen Lun uncovered a secret passage leading to the outskirts in a hidden corner, which he guessed connected to that previous prison.
With silence all around, Chen Lun transferred all the brimming coins in the small box to his panel.
176 Gold Pounds, 684 Silver Ducats, and 3455 Copper Kros!
It was indeed a substantial gain, and Chen Lun unapologetically accepted it.
Bang!!
Chen Lun quickly turned his head.
A fiery gust of air and a piercing sound passed by his ear, followed by a hole suddenly appearing in the prayer podium, sending wood splinters flying.
"Don't move! Shelter investigator! Please cooperate with the investigation!"
Chen Lun slightly tilted his body and saw two young people at the door wearing white uniforms.
Each of them held an old-fashioned single-handed flintlock gun, with one of them having smoke rising from the muzzle, clearly having just fired.
Chen Lun narrowed his eyes and raised his hands towards the two.
The Shelter...
An official Transcendent organization of the Empire specializing in containing and suppressing [Mysterious Objects] and rogue Transcendents through force.
Chen Lun was very familiar with them.
In his past life, this force had the most players joining.
Although the Shelter was not one of the Seven True Gods' forces, it was backed by the Royal Family.
It possessed immense power and offered numerous advancement paths and rewards to choose from.
"Just the two of you?"
Chen Lun asked, his tone as if he were chatting with two old friends.
"Don't think about playing tricks, our colleagues are guarding outside, and the group leader is already on his way...
Although you are a Transcendent, we have captured countless Transcendents with our own hands, you can try it if you don't believe it."
One of the investigators said coldly.
"But now you have only two guns, are you sure you can hit me?"
"Why are there always arrogant fools like you, daring to challenge the authority of the Shelter..."
The two investigators exchanged glances almost imperceptibly, reaching a consensus.
They prepared to open fire together, to take down this guy in front of them.
But the next second, they heard a strong yet seemingly distant noise.
The two immediately saw stars, a nauseating feeling washing over them.
Before they had time to pull the trigger, they felt overshadowed by a tall figure, and the next second, severe pain came from their abdomen.
Bang! Bang!
Chen Lun knocked the two down with two punches, picking up their flintlock guns.
This kind of firearm was a black tech weapon crafted by the Transcendent workshop under the Shelter, capable of loading ten lead bullets at once.
Although not a "Mysterious Object", it was popularized among regular investigators.
Almost everyone had one, and it was extremely intimidating.
If more than three investigators fired at once, even low-sequence Transcendents would likely kneel.
After all, those of a low sequence had not yet escaped their fleshly bodies, with almost a certain death under dense firepower.
Five minutes later.
Chen Lun stood at the church door, looking at the group of four investigators lying in a row on the ground, still clasping each other in unconsciousness, and shook his head slightly.
Then he moved the female corpse over there, placing two gold pounds on the eyelids of the dead woman's eyes.
"This is all I can do."
He raised his hand and fired a shot into the church door.
Bang!!
The bullet hit a pre-arranged oil jug, igniting sparks that set ablaze the straw stack below.
The flames rose high, gradually engulfing the entire church.
Chen Lun turned and left.
Behind him, a sea of fire.
Boom!!
The long-standing church collapsed, with the fire becoming more terrifying, like daylight.
Many residents, awakened in the dead of night, hid behind their windows, witnessing this unforgettable scene.
Some excited, some silent, some calling out to the gods or whispering prayers.
Ralph stood not far from the church, quietly stopping.
The investigators Chen Lun had knocked out had now awakened, standing behind him with their heads down, not daring to make a sound.
"Team leader, should we pursue him? That guy might not have gone far..."
"Pursue?"
Ralph snorted coldly, turning around and took a puff of his cigar.
The smoke blew in the face of the talking investigator, stinging his eyes so he couldn't open them.
Yet he dared not really close his eyes, having to endure, tears streaming down.
"With just a few of you acting on your own?"
After he finished speaking, silence fell on the scene for a moment.
"You should thank her."
Ralph pointed to the female corpse on the ground.
The few investigators looked at each other.
Ralph bent down to pick up the gold coins from the eyelids of the female corpse, holding them in his palm, somewhat lost in thought.
"The reason he didn't kill you might also be because he hoped the Shelter could provide her a decent funeral."
He flicked his finger, and the gold coin fell into the hand of one of the investigators.
"Go then, find the Moon Church, bury this female corpse... and also find her family and give them some compensation."
Ralph rubbed his temple, looking troubled.
"Consider it us cleaning up the Red Apple Church's mess."
"Yes, team leader."
Ralph tossed away the cigar, stamped it out, and looked into the distance.
"Miscalculated, huh."
...
Outside the town's big bridge.
Chen Lun sat in the carriage compartment, taking one last look at Emerald Town.
Under the dim light of dawn, the town appeared incredibly peaceful.
[Completed B-level Side Quest: The Shattered Emerald Apple]
[You successfully destroyed the Emerald Town branch of the Red Apple Church and received the following rewards: 5000 experience points, 20 gold pounds, Floey's affection, 3 * Low-Sequence Flesh Faction Mysterious Substance, and 1 point of regional renown]
[Red Apple Church's affection for you has decreased; they will regard you as a mortal enemy, pursuing you relentlessly until death!]
Chen Lun smiled slightly at the last prompt.
This mission was triggered when he infiltrated the Red Apple Church and killed the first guardian.
He was very satisfied with the rewards, especially the regional renown.
It was akin to a type of reputation, effective on all NPCs.
It was not just a charm value; there were more unexpected benefits.
For example, after joining a faction, some rare items and precious rewards required a certain level of renown to qualify for access.
However, correspondingly, obtaining renown was extremely difficult, hardly accessible to ordinary people.
"Where are we going now?"
Floey sat beside him, quietly asking.
"To the future."
Chen Lun jokingly said, chuckling lightly.
Then he shouted to the outside of the carriage:
"Uncle Walsh, let's go!"
"As you wish, Your Excellency."