Chapter 193: The Exorcism Workshop
Gideon asked with some curiosity, "Can't holy relics be used to purify it?"
Flora gave an awkward smile. "Sorry… that isn't my affinity, so—"
She quickly took out a long key.
"Father Avery Carter from the Exorcism Workshop might be able to answer your questions—of course, that's if you have the time."
She blinked, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
"After all, holy power is extremely difficult to cultivate."
With things said to this extent, Gideon had no reason left to refuse.
He accepted the key and headed toward the exit.
"West wing of Dey Church, first floor. You'll see a very conspicuous flag there," Flora waved from behind.
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West Wing of the Church
"A conspicuous flag, huh…"
Gideon's lips twitched as he looked at the small banner hanging on the wall.
Against a black background was printed a red-faced, horned demon.
"And this is actually allowed inside a church?"
Besides him, quite a few theology students were gathered at the doorway.
One young cleric stepped forward and banged hard on the door.
"CAR! TER! FA! THER!"
His face was flushed, hair messy—it looked like he'd been waiting here a long time.
"Maybe he went out," someone whispered.
"Impossible. He hasn't left the church in three months…"
Listening to the murmurs, Gideon silently tried to guess what kind of person this "colleague" was.
After a long while, the wooden door of the Exorcism Workshop finally creaked open.
A blast of passionate heavy metal music poured out.
Then a Black priest stepped out, bobbing his head to the rhythm.
He looked to be in his fifties, but his physique was powerfully built, with a thin layer of graying stubble on his chin.
"Hey! Young people—have you felt death today?" Avery Carter struck an exaggerated pose as he greeted them.
Gideon froze on the spot.
Wouldn't behavior like this get him disciplined by the Church?
"Father Carter—I—Father Carter! Please turn the music down!" the cleric who'd been pounding on the door shouted.
Moments later, silence returned to the hallway.
"What do you want?" Without the music, Avery instantly looked listless.
At the question, the crowd erupted.
"Father Carter, we're here to collect today's materials!"
"I just accepted a Disturbance-grade commission yesterday—I need to boost my holy power before heading out!"
"I've been stuck at the Bone stage for three months now—clearly I haven't accumulated enough holy power!"
The students clamored over one another, completely surrounding Avery.
"Stop!"
He covered his ears and yelled.
The crowd immediately quieted.
"You lot—do you have any idea how dangerous corrupted remains are?!"
Avery swept his gaze across the crowd.
"Every time there's a student with a 'Eyes' manifestation, they get taken away immediately. Not a single intern is ever left for me."
"It takes me a full two days to process a single set of remains—just to suppress the evil to a level that can be absorbed."
"And all you know how to do is reach out and demand more. Are you trying to get me completely corrupted by evil?!"
The theology students around him lowered their heads in unison.
This priest was allowed to complain—but they were not allowed to argue.
Gideon rubbed his chin.
So this really isn't a good job… No wonder this priest can afford to be so unruly, he thought.
Anywhere else, Father Avery would have been dragged away long ago.
At that moment, Avery finally noticed Gideon.
The young man hadn't rushed forward like the others, which immediately piqued his curiosity.
"Hey. You."
Avery waved him over.
"Out of the only two materials available today, one goes to you."
The moment those words left his mouth, Gideon felt countless eyes snap toward him.
Envy. Curiosity. Jealousy.
This reaction wasn't Avery's fault.
Purifying evil remains was both dangerous and time-consuming. Even though he practically lived in the Exorcism Workshop, the amount of refined source material he could produce was extremely limited—nowhere near enough to meet the academy's demand.
That was why anyone who arrived even slightly late walked away empty-handed.
"Brother, which instructor are you under? I'm Professor Faya's student—she needs help with—"
"I just crafted a two-year holy relic. I can sell it to you at a loss—"
"Brother, the bishop teaches us to observe etiquette. You arrived later, so—"
The students surged toward Gideon all at once.
"Thank you for the offer," Gideon said calmly with a smile. "But please give it to someone who needs it more."
For a brief moment, the air went completely still.
Everyone stared at him, wondering if something was wrong with his head.
But since someone was voluntarily stepping aside, no one was about to refuse.
The crowd immediately turned back toward Avery.
He pushed through them and stopped in front of Gideon, circling him.
"You… you're not possessed by a demon, are you?"
Then, with suspicion, "Or are you new? Relax—Dey Theological Academy strictly forbids any form of coercion. Violators are expelled immediately."
Gideon realized the misunderstanding and said calmly, "I was sent by Flora to help you purify the remains."
Avery froze—then jumped.
"You're that new guest professor?!"
News of a newly appointed professor had spread throughout the academy in the last two days.
Young. Instrumental during the Remembrance Day incident. Personally invited by Archbishop Borja.
The students looked at Gideon with open admiration.
They were the same age—yet he was already far ahead of them.
Avery himself could barely contain his excitement.
"After all these years… the academy still hasn't forgotten about this old man."
He immediately tossed the two material containers aside and ushered Gideon inside the Exorcism Workshop.
Bang.
The heavy wooden door slammed shut, shaking dust loose from the ceiling.
Gideon raised an eyebrow.
The interior was constructed entirely of stone bricks, each engraved with church runes. Behind the door was a small chamber connected to a long, narrow corridor.
The door itself was inscribed with a powerful formation—Gideon could feel the strength radiating from it.
But what caught his attention more was Avery.
The priest blocked the doorway, staring intently at Gideon—so much so that Gideon instinctively gripped the cross in his pocket.
"Father Avery… is something wrong?" Gideon asked cautiously.
"Oh! Nothing—nothing," Avery replied quickly, nearly slipping up. "Just… making sure the evil remains don't leak out."
"That's why the door has to stay shut."
Gideon nodded thoughtfully.
"So the remains are only sealed, not completely destroyed?"
He recalled that during his own exorcisms, he always annihilated the enemy entirely.
"Only partially," Avery explained, finally sounding professional. "The malicious intent is removed first. That way, the remaining power can be purified."
"Which brings me back to my earlier question," Gideon said. "Why not just use holy relics to purify them?"
Avery laughed.
"Man! If we did that, it'd be a disaster."
He gestured animatedly in the air.
"Purification—no, refinement—is delicate work. You have to precisely locate the evil aura and strip it away from the source power using holy energy."
As Avery spoke, Gideon gradually understood the process.
It was like a chemical experiment—separating two substances fused together, only at a far more microscopic and metaphysical level.
Using holy relics would simply erase everything, including the valuable source power.
"Come on, young man," Avery said, waving him over. "Let me show you."
They passed through several doors covered in sealing formations before arriving at a wide, circular chamber deep underground.
A statue of Jesus hung from the domed ceiling, gazing down upon the room.
Wooden shelves lined the walls, each holding ceramic jars—remarkably similar to the storage room beneath the West District church.
The entire floor was one massive formation array.
Security here is airtight, Gideon noted.
Avery led him to a workbench, donned gloves, and removed a charred limb from a jar—its origin unclear.
"Use your Sacred Eye," Avery instructed.
Gideon had already activated it the moment he entered.
In his vision, the limb was wrapped in dense, ink-green evil energy—its former owner had clearly been powerful.
"See those transparent, fluid-like traces?" Avery pointed.
"That's the evil aura. Hard to capture. Highly corrosive."
Gideon frowned.
"Transparent?"
To him, the green aura was practically solid.
He said nothing, filing the discrepancy away.
"Our job is to channel holy power into the eyes, project it onto the aura, and completely assimilate it."
Energy surged in Avery's eyes. A golden ring formed around his pupils, with faint additional patterns beginning to emerge beyond it.
Gideon's gaze sharpened.
The power Avery used was indeed similar to his own Spiritual Sight—yet Gideon had no such visible markings.
Avery began the purification.
A thin stream of holy energy shot from his gaze. A tiny portion of the remains began to change.
The clash of energies was subtle—imperceptible to ordinary people.
But the evil resisted fiercely, swallowing the holy power almost instantly.
Avery had to pour in more.
Back and forth they struggled. Sweat soaked his robes as he repeatedly drank holy water to sustain himself.
After dozens of minutes, Avery finally exhaled.
"Done."
He smiled and set the remains down.
Gideon stared, stunned.
Most of the green aura remained—but a small patch, no larger than a fingernail, was different.
Pure. Clean.
More surprisingly, it carried a faint power eerily similar to what Gideon had sensed during the Awakening Ceremony—the Unknowable Space.
So this is source power… he realized.
Its nature was fundamentally different from ordinary holy energy.
Used in exorcism, its effectiveness would multiply severalfold.
Gideon looked up.
Avery looked exhausted—but still held his chin high, clearly waiting for praise.
After hesitating for a moment, Gideon finally voiced his question.
"…That's it? Just that much?"
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