Esoteric Religion

Lin Ruo felt somewhat bewildered. What had just transpired left him with a sense of unease. He had killed the individual who had replaced Lier, a person filled with murderous intent for reasons unknown. Lin Ruo had conducted a ritual to channel her spirit.

The psychic process had proceeded without any hitches. After successfully communicating with the remaining spirit of "Li Er," Lin Ruo's first inquiry pertained to Lier's whereabouts. The result, unsurprisingly, confirmed her brutal murder by the imposter. Her body had been discarded in the Eastern Borough , and its current location remained uncertain.

Although Lin Ruo had anticipated this outcome, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. What he sought next was information regarding the imposter.

As he delved into the information through dream divination, Lin Ruo witnessed a peculiar scene. In a dimly lit Building, a strange girl knelt in fervent prayer before a colossal and magnificent statue.

If Lin Ruo had taken a closer look at the statue, he would have noticed it depicted a blind man with numerous scars adorning his body and no ears.

This revelation jolted Lin Ruo, and a sudden realization struck him.

Wait, Colonel?!

The old, blind, scar-ridden figure?

A believer as sharp as a weapon!

Burning Blade Church? Esoteric Imitation?

As Lin Ruo contemplated this shocking possibility, the dream abruptly shattered, and along with it, the remaining spirit of "Li Er" dissipated entirely.

Lin Ruo experienced a sudden, throbbing pain in his head. He opened his eyes to find the lifeless corpse before him, the last vestiges of "Li Er" gone. He couldn't help but wince.

Lin Ruo was certain that the psychic connection had failed abruptly, and the opponent's spirit had completely disintegrated - not a normal occurrence. Something had disrupted him.

Just at that moment, the face of "Li Er," which had appeared flawless, blurred suddenly. Her entire form morphed from the brown-haired Lier to the girl Lin Ruo had seen in the dream.

Simultaneously, something fell from her face. Moreover, Lin Ruo observed the scarred skin on her neck begin to emit an eerie glow, revealing a bone-white, crescent-shaped object in its place.

Lin Ruo stared at these two suspicious items, hesitating for a moment before picking them up.

Just as he was about to search for more clues on the girl, his spiritual intuition sounded an alarm.

Lin Ruo raised his head and glanced outside, where members of the Mandated Punishner Squad were rapidly approaching from the end of the street.

Balancing the risk of revealing his identity as a favored person of the Goddess and the need for a strategic retreat via the Spirit state, Lin Ruo stood up, activated his secret badge spiritually, and entered the Secret State.

While he had no fear of disclosing his identity, Lin Ruo had no intention of tangling as a favored person of the Goddess unless absolutely necessary. Furthermore, his spiritual intuition suggested that there might be no further clues on the girl.

He cast one final look at the Punisher Sqaud who had become something akin to a Recurring Appearance , and then, in his Secret State, Lin Ruo departed the cafe.

However, Lin Ruo didn't immediately head home. Instead, he walked toward the Eastern Borough .

His objective: to locate the discarded body of Lier.

At dusk, inside Lin Ruo's detective office:

"Detective Ross, she's disappeared! She's disappeared!"

Ilimi Katy, who had rushed to the detective's office, walked in and couldn't contain his anxiety as he immediately said to Lin Ruo, "What should I do now?" His face was filled with worry and a hint of relief.

This reaction was not surprising. His anxiety stemmed from the fear of not being able to find his real girlfriend after "Lier" had disappeared. However, there was also a sense of relief because he had escaped the threat.

"Calm down, Mr. Ilimi Kati," Lin Ruo said, casting a glance at him. He realized that the Mandated Punisher's had likely suppressed any news related to the afternoon incident. This was standard procedure for official Beyonder.

Lin Ruo knew the protocols well. He understood that the Punishers would undoubtedly investigate matters concerning "Li Er." The first person they would scrutinize was Ilimi Kati, the boyfriend of Lier.

In this situation, if Lin Ruo did nothing, he would easily become a subject of investigation himself and fall under the Punisher's scrutiny. Therefore, he had to reveal his identity as a favored individual of the goddess, connecting it to his identity in Tingen.

Lin Ruo poured a cup of coffee for Ilimi Kati and spoke with a sigh, "Mr. Ilimi Kati, I'm already aware of the situation, and I'm sorry about what happened."

"I will continue to investigate the whereabouts of the real Miss Lier. However, now that the person impersonating Lier has disappeared, our crucial lead has been severed... You need to be mentally prepared."

Lin Ruo had no intention of telling Ilimi Katy that he already knew the location of Miss Lier body and had arranged for it to be placed properly. In two days, he would anonymously notify Lier's parents to retrieve their daughter's body.

However, he didn't plan to abandon Ilimi Katy's case. As a regular detective, it was only natural not to give up on another investigation in this situation. He intended to appear as a regular detective in this incident, striving not to draw the Church attention. After all, if a low-level Beyonder in this world didn't reveal any abnormalities, it would be challenging for others to notice.

Lin Ruo couldn't help but think, "I didn't create an image before, and now I have to clean up the mess…" He felt a bit exasperated.

"I understand," Ilimi Katy replied, looking somewhat disheartened.

Observing that Lin Ruo had comforted him briefly and having found an excuse to use the restroom, Ilimi Katy returned, now possessing the simulated ability to influence others. Through hypnosis, he had made Ilimi Katy forget about his earlier agitation and had evened out his mood. After chatting a bit more, Lin Ruo saw him off.

Closing the office door, Lin Ruo, who had successfully simulated the ability to influence others, stretched lazily and retrieved a metal box from his pocket.

Opening the box revealed the items he had obtained from "Li Er."

Lin Ruo muttered to himself, "Who are these people?" He picked up one of the items, and the sensation of green grass washed over him.

Having divined these two items, he already knew what they were: not extraordinary characteristics, not extraordinary items, but "influences."

A third-level "Moth Influence" and a second-level "Blade Influence."

These were elements directly from a game Lin Ruo had played: the Esoteric Simulator.

In the Esoteric Simulator game, influencers played a crucial role. They ranged from common ones like comfort, fear, and fascination to legendary influences with unique attributes. These elements were pervasive throughout the game.

As Lin Ruo considered the literary world and the Beyonder world, he wasn't surprised by the emergence of the Esoteric Simulator in reality. What puzzled him more was why there were members of the Esoteric faith in the Beyonder world.

Could this world be a fusion of the Esoteric and the Beyonder world ?

No, that couldn't be. Whether it was from the original owner's memories or the information he had gathered during this period, there was no mention of Influencers in this world.

However, Lin Ruo had another pressing question: why had the Blade Believer suddenly targeted him?

Lin Ruo narrowed his eyes and finally made a decision.

He intended to visit the Saint Samuel's Church of the Night Goddess in Backlund as the favored one of the goddess. There, he would inquire about information regarding the Esoteric religion.

If they were unaware of it, then this matter was indeed significant