Chapter 186: Bearing the Burden

How to complete the mission.

Liberation equates to resolving the resentment.

To dissolve the resentment, York had to understand the history behind the female corpse and the source of her resentment.

Commonly, resentment arises from being misunderstood or treated unfairly in life, leading to intense dissatisfaction and hatred.

This emphasizes the emotion of suffering injustice.

York, drawing on the passage he had recalled earlier, began to piece together an understanding.

"Dealing with demons" refers to communication or transactions with demons or evil spirits.

And "practicing witchcraft," combined with the year 1963, reminded him of a historic event he had read about in a secret room.

In 1962, a year before 1963, a gruesome historical event occurred in Massachusetts, America - the Salem Witch Trials, related to the earlier-mentioned Bathsheba spirit.

York looked at the female corpse, whose face had returned to a human color.

"A witch?"

He tentatively tested this idea, and the atmosphere's sudden change confirmed the corpse's response.

York sighed, realizing he had encountered another victim of the Salem Witch Trials.

In this extraordinary parallel world, real witches might exist, but most of those persecuted in witch hunts were innocent.

As the saying goes, "When you are accused of being a witch, you better be one."

Regardless, the intense resentment on the female corpse's body indicated she had suffered inhuman torment and died in agony.

Churches, often seen as the driving force behind witch hunts, were in reality used by malicious individuals or local gentry for their cruel acts, manipulating religion for their gains, like confiscating property or saving food.

So, the victims were usually the vulnerable – lonely women, the elderly, etc.

The criteria for defining a witch were simple and cruelly arbitrary.

York looked at the female corpse, understanding everything now.

The contorted corpses in the photos, though not her intent, were a result of the curse she unleashed before death, causing others to bear her pain and suffering.

Her anger at sensing York's presence stemmed from the church's indifference at that time.

Though the church always denied the existence of witches and witchcraft and didn't participate in witch hunts, their passive stance allowed the public to misuse their name and let the witch hunts escalate, holding a share of the responsibility.

Of course, York understood the context – the church was divided and challenged by secular powers at that time.

But how could the ordinary woman, the female corpse, understand all this?

"I know you suffered."

York stared at the corpse, recalling the curse he had just resolved.

"The passive curse of murder, I've already resolved it for you. Now it's up to your will."

York deactivated his Eye of Magic, repressed his psychic power, and looked at the female corpse with a calm smile.

"Then let me bear your pain."

As he spoke, York and the corpse locked eyes. He felt she had been listening all along.

But she didn't act, and the bell rang again, signaling his re-entry into the illusion space. York adjusted his robe's collar.

Considering the passive curse and the twisted corpses, the truth, and the word "liberation," he understood why a Grade I event had a reward of 15 points.

Only by bearing the pain the female corpse had endured could she be liberated and move on to her destined world.

York looked at the still motionless corpse, placing his hand on her cold forehead.

"Don't worry, I can withstand it."

As he spoke, York's magic surged, regardless of her acceptance or rejection.

[10 Points of Magic Used]

Under his control and will, a deep red séance circle appeared on the floor, covering the entire room.

The light from the circle spun, enveloping the autopsy room.

In an instant, a series of illusory memory fragments appeared around York, like a revolving lantern, each fragment playing out scenes of the female corpse's torture.

"The first one."

York looked at the memory fragment before him, depicting a young, attractive woman being beaten by a crowd, her limbs brutally broken.

[She always stays indoors!] [Janet Laurie is a witch! Break her limbs!] [....]

"So, your name is Janet Laurie," York murmured, his expression complex.

As he watched the scenes and suppressed his psychic power, he touched the memory fragment.

Instantly, a mild pain transmitted from his wrists and feet.

Caught in the illusion and séance connection, York began to experience the same situation as Janet Laurie.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

York felt as if his wrists and feet were being struck as in the fragment. Thanks to his extraordinary physique, he could withstand the pain without breaking his defense.

"My life only dropped two points; good, I guessed right, otherwise..."

York glanced at his life value, relieved. Without his superhuman constitution, he couldn't have withstood this sudden attack.

This explained the moderate difficulty and danger level of the mission, worth only 15 points.

"All connected."

"The second one."

As the first memory fragment shattered due to his absorption of the pain, York looked at the next one.

After her limbs were broken, Janet Laurie was tied to a huge cross with oil-soaked coal beneath it.

[Burn her! Burn her!]

The surrounding mob, faces twisted in madness, threw stones at Janet, each blow landing on her face and body, covering her in blood, knocking her teeth out.

York saw someone pick up a tooth, wrap it in cloth, and stuff it into the injured Janet's mouth with a sinister smile...

York's feelings of complexity deepened as he continued to touch the fragments.

The next second, he felt as if his entire body and face were being pelted by stones, a mild sensation, but like the previous attack, within his tolerance.

"The third one."

Now, the coals were

lit, the flames illuminating the faces of the mob as Janet Laurie, tied to the cross, began to feel the intense heat. Amidst immense pain, she awoke to reality and, before being consumed by the fire, issued her curse.

"I, Janet Laurie, curse you..."

York watched the memory, touching the third fragment, feeling the temperature around him slowly rise.

"It's hard to watch..."

He muttered, eyes fixed on the laughing mob in the fragment.

As he clicked the fragment, the temperature around him seemed to soar, simulating the heat Janet experienced as she was burned alive.

York, feeling the increasing heat, understood the magnitude of what Janet had suffered. Each memory fragment not only revealed the horrors she endured but also transferred a part of her pain and suffering to him.

Despite the intensity of the experience, York's resolve didn't waver. He knew that by bearing her pain, he was not only understanding her story but also helping her find peace. His actions were a testament to his strength and empathy, facing the cruel injustices of the past and acknowledging them in the present.

The flames in the memory grew larger, engulfing Janet, her agonized screams echoing in the silent autopsy room. York, enveloped in the illusory fire, silently accepted the pain, determined to see through his commitment to liberating her tormented soul.

As each memory fragment shattered, the curse and resentment that bound Janet's spirit weakened, gradually leading her towards the liberation she had been denied in life. York's unique ability to empathize and bear the pain of others made him the perfect conduit for this process of healing and release.

With each fragment he touched, York not only brought Janet closer to peace but also reaffirmed his own strength and purpose. In facing the darkness of the past, he shed light on the path to redemption and closure, both for Janet Laurie and for himself.

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