There are always those individuals who, merely by standing there, become the center of attention for all.
And there are those who, just by their presence, bring an immense sense of security to everyone around them.
Yorkshire was such a person.
His arrival dispelled the gloom in everyone's hearts.
Hence, the relaxed mood of Ed and Drew this morning was not without reason.
As Yorkshire, a man of imposing stature, entered the room, his strong presence was deeply felt by Theodore's family, who had never met him before.
"..."
"Thank you, Father!"
As the head of the family, Theodore looked at the priest before him, his face full of gratitude.
They had already visited the local church seeking help, but since their child, Albert, hadn't been baptized and they were not church members, the verification process was longer than for actual believers.
By the time help arrived, it might be too late...
"Thank you for helping us!"
Theodore understood that the priest's presence was a great kindness to his family.
"You're welcome, Mr. Theodore," Yorkshire replied, glancing at Theodore's closely huddled family. He was aware of the church's situation; at times, the church could be quite authoritarian and cold-hearted.
There was a distinction between those close and those distant. For non-members, a priest who performs exorcism without headquarters' permission takes full responsibility for the consequences. Therefore, even if a priest wanted to intervene, they had to weigh the pros and cons.
"I am aware of your situation. There is indeed an issue, and the church would have eventually sent someone. So, I am merely here a bit earlier."
Yorkshire said this and then paused, observing Theodore's still grateful family. He continued, "What's most important now is that, from this moment on, you follow my instructions."
Theodore's family nodded earnestly.
"Alright, Father."
Seeing this, Yorkshire smiled and turned his gaze to Ed and Drew, who were waiting for his orders.
"Let's begin, then."
"Yes, Father!"
Everyone nodded.
...
Rip!
Yorkshire opened the first backpack and, following the usual procedure, handed over some tools to Ed to surround and confine the house. The goal was to restrict the movement space of the evil spirit.
Not just on the outside, Yorkshire also instructed Drew to place consecrated crosses in various places inside the house to provoke the evil spirit and indicate its location.
Evil spirits naturally despise anything with light. It's an irreversible fact. Placing consecrated crosses in front of an evil spirit is akin to hurling feces at a human's face - disgusting and harmful.
Beyond these, after directing the initial preparations, Yorkshire silently picked up another backpack and placed a blessed Bluetooth speaker in the corridor where the evil spirit was most likely to appear. This was his most important task. For his current strength, exorcising evil spirits was simple, and his primary reason for being there was to experiment with recording and the potential of holy water in triggering random missions.
Unfortunately, no random mission was triggered.
Until nightfall...
Under Yorkshire's arrangement, everyone stayed in the room at the end of the corridor, which was the master bedroom of Theodore and his wife.
As night fell, the atmosphere naturally became more terrifying. As time flew, the clock approached 10 PM.
Theodore's family, already tormented, still huddled together despite the presence of a priest. Gentle Roland comforted them, while Ed and Drew waited silently for the priest's orders.
Yorkshire glanced at the clock beside the bed.
The time was now [21:55].
"Five more minutes..." Yorkshire withdrew his gaze, looked back at the people, and finally rested his eyes on the humidifier in the corner.
The humidifier, also known as a nebulizer, works by heating the water in the tank, turning it into mist, and increasing the humidity in the air. It's a common middle-class accessory.
This means it can turn the water into mist and spread it around the room.
Thinking for a moment, Yorkshire took a bottle of holy water from his backpack and walked towards the humidifier. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he opened the dry water tank and poured the holy water in.
He wouldn't have done this in the past because the amount of holy water was too limited. In those days, the quantity of holy water depended on the light under the church's Jesus statue or what was known as the power of faith.
The limit was predetermined.
If there was more produced one day, there would be less on another. So, he usually wouldn't be so extravagant.
Mainly, the lack of churchgoers cut off Yorkshire's desire for extravagance.
Now, with the ability to bless and recover spiritual energy, this limit has been broken. He can now produce 500 grams daily, using it as he pleases.
"Father Yorkshire, what are you doing?" Drew asked, puzzled.
Yorkshire had just poured out about 500ml, or roughly 500 grams, of holy water. He closed the lid and calmly replied, "These water vapors in the air will prevent the evil spirit from entering, thus protecting you from invasion."
"Ah?" Drew was stunned, not quite understanding.
The Warren couple exchanged glances. Ed asked, "Father, did you pour all holy water?"
"Yes, the essence of holy water is pure water," Yorkshire said, pressing the humidifier's button to start it. "It's perfectly suitable for this machine and won't pollute the air. Its holy properties will protect you from evil spirits."
This explanation left everyone but the Warrens dumbfounded, and even Drew was thinking about buying some.
Sensing their thoughts, Yorkshire continued calmly after standing up, "If you wish to purchase, you can visit the Pluto Church. You can exchange a certain amount of holy water for a donation. The price is affordable."
This statement left even the Warrens, who knew Yorkshire well, with a wry smile.
"Father Yorkshire, isn't selling this prohibited?"
"Why would it be?" Yorkshire asked back, looking at Ed. "The world is vast, Ed. There's so much you don't know, which is also a good thing. If you understand a bit more..."
Here, Yorkshire couldn't help but think of the wealthy and official organizations that operated in this way. This is how they played the game.
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