York's skin was thick. As soon as the ceremony was over, he handed all the responsibilities to Sister Erin, the deaconess nun.
This included the management of the Pluto Church, the replacement of candles and other items, and the long-awaited one-on-one sessions with the believers.
That evening.
York, carrying a huge backpack, appeared in front of the Sea Bend Hotel, still not forgetting Erin's stunned look.
"Hehe."
York let out a light chuckle, which made Jeffrey and Beck, who were following him, exchange glances. They communicated countless messages with just a look, feeling that the priest was in a rather good mood tonight.
Suddenly chuckling, York felt completely unburdened, just looking up at the Sea Bend Hotel bustling with people.
The hotel, with a history of a hundred years, had its exterior walls and windows decorated with meticulously designed colored LED lights, emitting a soft and warm glow.
These lights, penetrating the glass curtain walls, formed a dazzling and colorful picture in the night sky, adding a modern and luxurious atmosphere to the entire hotel building.
After observing for a while, York thought of a phrase, "brilliantly lit," then turned his gaze to the plaza in front of the bustling hotel building.
"Deserving of a hotel with a ninety percent occupancy rate, the atmosphere is indeed good, quite the trick."
Jeffrey also acknowledged this, "Father, do we need to clear the area temporarily? The hotel management will support our actions."
York shook his head, "Let's see how it goes first, maybe we won't need to clear the area."
With that, York, carrying his backpack, made his way towards the hotel building.
"Let's go."
Jeffrey and the others hurriedly followed.
As they stepped onto the hotel plaza, a group of people in uniform suits was already waiting, different from the usual crowd.
Jeffrey glanced at the group of people outside the hotel's main entrance and introduced them.
"Father, the man ahead is Garret Olin, the manager of this hotel."
York glanced over and saw a dark-skinned, middle-aged black man. His transparent demeanor and upright posture showcased his efficiency and capability.
Meanwhile.
As York observed, the manager of the Sea Bend Hotel, Olin, was also observing.
He was surprised. With his experienced eye, he found the leader's physique to be exceptionally robust, and his aura too outstanding, giving him an indescribable feeling.
At first glance, he felt he could trust this man unconditionally, enough to easily reveal all his secrets to him.
An unthinkable situation.
Was it because the other was a priest?
Olin shook his head, and when he looked again, the fleeting feeling had vanished, as if it had been just a moment.
Recalling the notice and orders from his boss, he quickly approached with a deep breath.
"Father York, I'm Garret Olin, the manager of the Sea Bend Hotel, at your service for any requirements."
York shook hands with the black manager, pleased with the attitude, although he knew it was the power granted by the church and official organizations.
"Manager Olin, I need the floors above and below suite 1408 to be empty when I check in."
Olin replied seriously, "Of course, Father, as you wish."
"Lead the way." York didn't want to dally, eager to find out if this incident was worthy of triggering a random task.
"Please follow me!" Olin gestured professionally.
York nodded and followed, along with Jeffrey and the others.
Upon entering the bustling hotel lobby, adorned with metal decorations and dazzling crystal chandeliers, luxurious and layered, York, thanks to his extraordinary senses, was drawn to a man at the front desk.
Front Desk: "Welcome to the Sea Bend Hotel, sir. Are you checking in?"
"Um."
Front Desk: "May I have your name?"
"Mike Anslin."
The man had just stated his name, then asked.
"Is suite 1408 currently available?"
Front Desk: "I'm sorry, sir, suite 1408 is already occupied."
Hearing this conversation, York glanced at the front desk, thinking to himself, lucky fellow, then followed Olin into the elevator, pressing for the fourteenth floor.
Interestingly, the number thirteen was missing from the elevator, so twelve went straight to fourteen, meaning suite 1408's floor was also technically the thirteenth.
Quite a coincidence, York thought calmly as the elevator ascended to the actual thirteenth floor.
Click!
As the elevator doors opened, the layout of the thirteenth floor was revealed.
The spacious hall and straight corridors appeared empty and silent, as if no one was there.
Olin, keeping his finger on the elevator's open button, looked around with a hint of vigilance, explaining the silence.
"Someone just died here, so this floor is temporarily unoccupied."
Jeffrey and Beck were also on edge, scanning every corner. Since learning of the supernatural forces at play, they could no longer regard this as an ordinary situation.
"Father? What do we do next?"
York squinted, not responding, just listening to the mechanical noise by his ear, not quite satisfied, accustomed to grandeur, now faced with mere biscuits, feeling somewhat unadjusted.
However, this incident qualified for triggering a random task, perhaps due to his current strength, hence the mere two attribute points' difficulty.
[Random Task Triggered] [Task: Exorcise the Spirit of the Room]
[Reward: +2 Attribute Points] [Accept/Decline]
[...] Considering the task's mere two points of difficulty, York naturally accepted, stepping forward out of the elevator.
[Acceptance Successful] [...] Noticing Jeffrey and Beck's intent to follow, York turned to smile at them.
"You don't need to come."
The two paused, stopping in place.
Ignoring their reaction, York pressed for the first floor, watching the elevator doors close before turning to head towards suite 1408.
If the two had followed, he might have had to take extra measures to take care of them.
As York walked, his eyes glowed with a habitual spread of demonic power.
Then, in his demonically enhanced vision, everything on the thirteenth floor appeared distorted, to the point of casting illusions.
York realized that anyone arriving on the thirteenth floor on a day adding up to thirteen was already in a peculiar space, targeted by this so-called spirit of the room.
"So, you only use illusions to lure? No wonder it's only a reward of two attribute points, weaker than a spirit that can cause actual harm."
Muttering to himself, York continued forward, pulling the backpack to his front, unzipping it to retrieve a bottle of holy water, uncorking it, and pouring it along his path.
As he did, he witnessed flames spreading wherever the holy water touched, restoring normalcy to everything it reached, eliminating the earlier sense of illusion.
Drip, drip, drip—the sound of flowing water ceased only when York stood before the real suite 1408.
"Under your control, to those people, any suite could be 1408, but to me, this is the real suite 1408."
York tossed the now empty bottle aside, smirking, and used the keycard obtained from the black manager to access the room.
Beep! The sensor light turned from red to green.
York turned the doorknob, entered, and began the exorcism..
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