Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 445 Saint Imprisonment
There are also specific customs surrounding the burial of saints within the congregation of the bishop.

For example, a crystal coffin should be used, placed below the altar, so that people can pay homage to the saints through the crystal coffin and pray over the saints' remains.

But the churches here clearly don't do that.

"Well, I really didn't expect that."

Li Wei stroked his chin, staring speechlessly at the saint's coffin before him, and muttered a complaint under his breath.

Finding the coffin didn't take the three of them much effort, but the problem lay in the coffin itself. Unlike the other saints' coffins, which were placed beneath the altar, it was placed in the catacombs—or rather, it was the only coffin in the entire catacombs.

The coffin was not placed on the ground; instead, it was bound by several heavy chains and suspended vertically in the air.

Not only is it upright, but it's also upside down.

"This shouldn't be a ceremony for a holy bishop, right?"

Li Wei looked at Elizabeth beside him and asked, but the latter shook her head with a serious expression.

"The Holy Bishop has never performed such a ceremony; this is blasphemy!"

"That's very strange..."

Li Wei narrowed his eyes, staring at the stone coffin hanging upside down in mid-air. Logically speaking, people build churches to commemorate saints, so they should be properly buried. But now it seems that these knights' bodies have not only not been properly buried, but have been locked here in a way that is akin to desecration or a curse.

Adding to the strange circumstances surrounding the church, it seems less like a memorial and more like a kind of seal.

However, as for the specifics...

"Katie, get this thing down."

Levi took a step back and then spoke, while Katie turned her head somewhat uneasily and looked timidly at Levi.

"Mr. Li, Mr. Li Wei, is there something fishy going on?"

"In such situations, it is usually the dead who come back to life and crawl out of their coffins."

"Ah, that's right."

Upon hearing Li Wei's answer, Katie's previously uneasy expression brightened considerably, and she lightly clenched her fist.

"Okay, let's take a look at mine!"

Hmm, it seems the little girl isn't afraid as long as it's not a ghost.

Katie stepped forward, leaped up, reached out and grabbed the chains binding the coffin, and pulled hard!
"Hey!"

With Katie's sharp cry, the chains snapped with a series of clangs, and the stone coffin, now freed from its chains, fell heavily to the ground.

"Boom!"

A loud crash rang out, but the sarcophagus showed no sign of breaking. Katie was startled by the sudden noise and darted behind Levi to hide.

"………………………"

The sarcophagus lay motionless on the ground. After a while, seemingly relieved that there was no reaction, Katie stepped out from behind Levi again.

"Phew, thank goodness, no ghosts."

As she spoke, Katie approached the sarcophagus again, then reached out, grasped the lid, and lifted it up…

“Mr. Li Wei, this coffin is locked.”

Katie turned her head in surprise and looked at Levi, saying something. She had originally thought that only the lid of the sarcophagus was tightly sealed, but she hadn't expected that the entire sarcophagus was actually locked.

"Oh? This is even more interesting."

Hearing Katie's answer, Levi became even more puzzled, while a look of keen interest appeared on his face. The bound sarcophagus, which was itself locked, seemed to Levi more like a way to prevent what was inside from getting out than to protect what was inside.

At that moment, Elizabeth came to Levi's side and whispered something.

"Perhaps we shouldn't open it rashly, Sir Levy."

"why?"

"Because this is clearly some kind of seal, and seals are generally used to prevent certain uncontrollable things from happening..."

“Yes, Miss Elizabeth.”

Li Wei interrupted Elizabeth and spoke up.

"That's why we need to open it."

"Hey?"

"You haven't forgotten that this church we live in now doesn't believe in God, have you?"

"ah……………"

Upon hearing this, Elizabeth immediately realized what was happening. Indeed, generally speaking, her thinking was correct. But the problem was that, as things stood, the purpose of this church's construction might not have been so simple!

If this is a church that worships demons, then what exactly are they trying so hard to stop and seal away?
This doesn't seem hard to guess at all!
"Open it, Katie!"

"Okay!"

Upon hearing Li Wei's order, Katie clenched her fist, aimed at the lock, and threw a punch.

"boom!"

The next moment, the lock on the sarcophagus was smashed to pieces. Then Katie reached out, grabbed the lid of the sarcophagus, easily lifted it up, and threw it aside with a "bang".

Well, judging from the sound alone, the lid of this stone coffin is probably heavier than that of an ordinary coffin.

However, Li Wei was used to it. Holding the persuader in one hand, he carefully stepped forward to examine the contents of the coffin. Even though Li Wei was somewhat prepared, what appeared inside the coffin still surprised him.

A middle-aged man lay in the coffin.

He wore a long robe, clutched the pendant of the All-Knowing Eye tightly in his hand, and his expression was tense, filled with pain.

"Hey? Isn't that the priest from the mural?"

At this moment, Katie also clearly saw the man's appearance in the coffin and exclaimed in surprise. Katie was right; this man was none other than the priest that Levi had seen in the mural. In fact, the priest's appearance and age were almost identical to those in the painting. Assuming the time depicted in the mural was accurate, the priest likely died not long after that.

But... those murals are hundreds of years old. How could a corpse be preserved for so long?
Just then, something even more unexpected happened.

Suddenly, the priest opened his eyes and stared intently at Li Wei and the others. Then, he opened his mouth and uttered a language that Li Wei had never heard before, which was indistinct.

"What is he saying?"

Li Wei quickly raised his gun and aimed it at the priest's head. He wasn't sure what was going on, nor did he know what the priest was saying. If he was chanting some incantation or curse, it would be better to shoot him dead as soon as possible!
"Please wait a moment, Mr. Li Wei!"

At this moment, Elizabeth rushed forward and stopped Levi's actions.

"He's speaking the ancient golden language of the Holy Sepulchre! He's asking us for help!"

"Oh?"

Li Wei stared at the priest. He had heard of this ancient golden language before. It was said to be a language that only clergy of the Holy See were qualified to learn. It was called the ancient golden language because it was rumored to be the language used by the gods when communicating with the golden descendants, and it was full of divine power.

Of course, whether that's true or not, Li Wei wasn't sure. This stuff wasn't taught in the library; only seminaries taught it, so Li Wei didn't know it either.

"Then ask him what exactly happened?"

Li Wei gestured with his chin towards the priest, giving the order. Elizabeth hurriedly stepped forward and began speaking to the priest in that peculiar language.

Levi couldn't understand what the two were saying, but he could see that Elizabeth's expression was quite interesting, turning pale and then green, neither of them looking happy.

"what did he say?"

"He... he told me what happened to him... It was horrible! I never imagined that such blasphemous things could happen!"

Elizabeth then told Levi and Katie what the priest had told them.

The story begins with the priest leading twelve knights into the cave. After entering, they were attacked by demons, suffering heavy casualties. In the end, only the priest survived, believing he would perish there.

But then, something strange happened.

Before he died, the priest saw a dark shadow appear before him and then enter his body. He was then astonished to find that his body, which he had previously lost control of, was rising from the ground once more. But unlike before, this time his body seemed to be manipulated by something, and although the priest maintained his rationality, he could only watch helplessly as his body acted on its own.

Not only that, he also saw the guardian knights who had previously appeared dead rise again. They then walked out of the cave and announced to the travelers below that the demons had been vanquished! This was a miracle bestowed by the gods!
Upon hearing the news, the travelers wept with immense gratitude. However, witnessing this scene chilled the priest to the bone.

He wanted to tell everyone else that this was all a trap! A trap!
But he could do nothing but watch as his body was manipulated by the demon. After that, the travelers settled here, and they built thirteen churches and a monastery above the demon's cave, as required by the demon that possessed the priest.

On the surface, it was used to seal away demons, but the priest knew that these demons were doing it for ulterior motives!
Sure enough, after the church was built, something even more terrible happened.

The demon placed him in a sarcophagus, bound him, and hung him upside down.

Then, the priest finally realized what it wanted to do.

It needs power!
The believers who pray in this church naturally experience the power of faith, a power that should rightfully be passed from saints to God. However, now, this power is being transmitted to the devil through the priest bound by evil rituals!
But the priest could do nothing. He could only watch in horror as the ignorant villagers gradually succumbed to the devil's sweet words, completely unaware that everything they praised, admired, and believed in was a lie. These villagers not only contributed to the devil in life, but were also enslaved by him even in death.

The demons, by tormenting the souls of these villagers, are building a blasphemous army—an army of destruction filled with pain, hatred, and death!
One day, it will leave this place and bring a new order to the world!

"But why didn't it do that?"

Li Wei asked the question, and the priest responded after hearing Sister Elizabeth's translation.

"It needs a vessel! A perfect vessel! A vessel where its soul and body are perfectly aligned, a vessel that can allow it to descend into the world!"

"…………………"

Hearing this, Li Wei frowned.

"Can a spiritual medium work?"

“Of course, the medium… possesses powerful soul energy… but that’s not enough. It must resonate with your soul, otherwise… it cannot leave this place…”

"In other words, any medium who meets this demon's requirements could potentially become its vessel?"

“That’s right, he bound us here, using us to steal the Holy Lord’s power, turning us into his accomplices and lackeys…”

At this point, the priest trembled violently.

"It has found us! Quick, kill me! Kill us! Only by destroying us will the evil that imprisons this place be weakened..."

"Aaaaaaahh ...

However, before the priest could finish speaking, a piercing scream suddenly came from outside.

Upon hearing this voice, Li Wei raised the Persuader in his hand without hesitation, aimed at the priest's forehead, and pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

The bullet pierced the priest's head, shattering it into pieces like a watermelon. However, in the next instant, the priest's body began to rapidly decompose. In the blink of an eye, his body in the sarcophagus had completely vanished, leaving only a pile of weathered dust.

"Alright, now we know how to solve this problem."

Li Wei gripped the persuader's hand tightly and looked at the two men.

"Get ready to do it!"

(End of this chapter)