Chapter 197: The San Fernando Valley
When he heard the idea, a flicker of surprise passed through Faya's eyes.
What kind of information could possibly be uncovered away from the commission site? she wondered.
Under normal circumstances, once a commission was accepted, she and her peers would head straight to the local church outpost at the incident location. From there, local clergy would guide them to the scene to carry out the exorcism.
After all, such matters were never resolved in a single day. Beyond the constant struggle and contest against evil spirits and demons—slowly reclaiming stolen souls—only by reaching the site itself could one trace the true origin of the corruption.
The car left the airport via the eastern exit and headed north along Interstate 5.
Faya sat in the passenger seat. Watching the airport shrink in the rearview mirror, hesitation surfaced in her gaze.
"Don't worry. We'll arrive at the agreed time," Gideon said after glancing at her.
"If that's the case… then we'll follow your plan, Father Gideon," Faya replied with a forced smile.
Gideon caught the subtle stiffness in her expression and grew more alert.
But with so little information at hand, observation was all he could do for now.
They soon arrived in a sparsely populated, out-of-the-way area—somewhere most tourists would never choose to visit.
"Father Gideon, is there something unusual about this place?" Faya asked curiously.
"Maybe," he answered casually.
He pulled into a gas station—the busiest spot in the vicinity.
Picking up a magazine from the rack, Gideon went to the counter. The clerk was a young man with medium-length hair; the name tag on his chest read Jacob.
Jacob took the magazine, then noticed an extra bill in his hand—far more than the magazine's price. He looked up, puzzled.
"Sorry to bother you," Gideon said with a smile. "Could I ask you a few questions?"
Jacob's eyes darted between the two clergy. Seeing the handsome priest and the striking nun beside him, he flashed Gideon a knowing grin.
Slipping the bill into his pocket, Jacob leaned forward and lowered his voice.
"Hey, man! If you're looking for a motel, there's one right behind the gas station. I know the owner—can get you a room farther inside for privacy…"
Faya's mouth fell slightly open as she stared at Gideon in disbelief.
So this is the 'extra investigation' you meant?!
Realizing the misunderstanding, Gideon shook his head.
"I'm asking whether anything major has happened in San Fernando recently—large gatherings, events, things like that."
Seeing he'd misread the situation, Jacob shrugged and spoke normally again.
"If you're looking for some 'enlightened master,' you're late. The adult film star meet-and-greet ended last month."
He tapped the magazine on the counter.
Gideon froze, then followed his gesture. The cover read:
"Hot. Real. Zero Distance. Welcome to the San Fernando Valley—the Paradise of the Adult Film Industry!"
Faya turned and stared at Gideon again, suspicion written all over her face.
Gideon covered his face briefly. He hadn't expected this kind of industry here and hurriedly rephrased:
"I mean large memorials, exhibitions—things like that."
Jacob shook his head. "Only places like Los Angeles do those boring events."
Los Angeles lay just east of the valley; the two cities were very close.
"Any news about luxury villas or estates being sold at deep discounts?" Gideon asked next.
Jacob thought for a moment, then shook his head again. "Nope. Anyone selling those cheap definitely has problems. Who'd buy them?"
"Any strange rumors? Like an object that can grant wishes?"
"Father, that kind of thing only exists when you're high, dreaming, or watching movies."
"Any organizations recruiting people on the streets, spreading certain ideologies?"
"Well… yes."
"Who? Where?"
You two.
"…That doesn't count."
By now, Faya was completely bewildered. Gideon's questions seemed random and unrelated to the commission.
A troubling thought crossed her mind—After all this, does he still want to take me to a motel?
Just as she hesitated over how to respond, Gideon said, "Thank you for your help. Let's go."
Outside the gas station, Faya questioned him again, but he only replied that it was too early to draw conclusions.
They then turned south, entering Ventura Boulevard via Hollywood Boulevard—the most prosperous commercial district in the San Fernando Valley.
Perhaps because of its proximity to Los Angeles, the streets looked strikingly similar: wide roads, low-rise residences.
As Gideon drove, an odd sense of familiarity washed over him.
They stopped at shopping centers, cultural streets, police stations—places with heavy foot traffic. Each time, Gideon asked the same set of questions.
The answers were nearly identical.
Only then did he finally relax.
Sensing the shift in his mood, Faya ventured, "So… can we draw a conclusion now?"
Gideon nodded.
"Based on what we've found, there won't be any medium- or large-scale evil incidents in this city anytime soon."
Faya seemed to catch on and tried to summarize:
"Large exhibitions gather crowds—ideal for sacrifices, like the Philadelphia Memorial Day incident."
"Wish-granting objects… many demons use those to tempt humans."
"Chaotic ideological preaching… that resembles the methods of ancient god cultists."
Gideon raised an eyebrow. "Sister Faya, with that level of awareness, your survival rate in this world would be quite high."
Though she didn't fully grasp what he meant by survival rate, she understood the praise and dipped into a curtsy.
Still, she was puzzled. "But discounted villas—how does that relate to evil events?"
"Evil spirits and demons don't choose hosts based on property prices—unless someone died in the house."
Gideon smiled faintly. "In existing church records, over sixty percent of anomalies begin with a family buying a house like that."
Faya's eyes widened in surprise.
Gideon kept one thought to himself—in the American Horror world, that figure would probably be closer to ninety percent.
"I've never thought about it that way," Faya said in admiration. "I didn't expect you to notice such details."
She finally understood why he hadn't gone straight to the incident site.
If they were to encounter Remembrance Day Incident, both she and Gideon would very likely lose their lives.
Faya nodded silently, resolving to thoroughly re-examine every commission once she returned. At the same time, much of her lingering doubt toward Gideon quietly dissipated.
If he truly were to invite me… for the sake of fulfilling the Archbishop's orders… perhaps I could…
Just as her thoughts began to drift, Gideon opened the car door.
"It's about time," he said calmly. "Let's head to the site of the commission."
---
Southern San Fernando Valley
Gideon slowly backed the car along a main street.
Ahead of them rose a mountain—none other than the famous Hollywood Hills.
On the other side lived countless wealthy elites and celebrities. Gideon had flown over this place many times before.
Of course, that had been in games.
"Father Gideon, what are you looking at?" Faya asked curiously.
"Los Angeles feels familiar," he replied with a faint smile. "It gives me the strange feeling of coming home."
"You've lived here before?"
"In a sense… yes."
At that moment, a burst of noise came from ahead.
The two quickened their pace and soon arrived before a building.
Gray-white walls. Red-tiled roof. A tall bell tower.
This was the agreed-upon meeting location listed in the commission—
St. Charles Church.
Yet clergy were fleeing from inside.
Their faces were pale with terror as they dropped to their knees in prayer, drawing the attention of passersby.
Faya hurried forward and knelt beside one of the nuns.
Gideon, meanwhile, activated [Spiritual Sight], scanning the church.
"Dark, corrupted energy," he muttered. "These are revenants."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Why would they gather here?"
St. Charles Church stood in a busy district and had existed for decades without a single murder. Combined with the lingering aura of holy light, it should have been a place the undead avoided at all costs.
Faya soon returned.
"They say a large number of revenants have gathered inside," she reported grimly. "All clergy were driven out. Only one novice nun is still trapped within."
"The cause?"
"…The people who fell into a coma," Faya replied, her expression complicated.
"Their souls are missing. Their bodies are nothing but empty shells now—an irresistible temptation for revenants."
Gideon raised an eyebrow. "No defensive preparations?"
Faya shook her head. "Father Ivan was responsible. But according to the nun just now… he's already been killed."
"So bold?" Gideon rubbed his chin.
"The novice nun is named Irene. She urged everyone else to flee, but she herself was trapped."
Faya turned toward the church.
"We have to go in. She may know something crucial."
"I'll set up some measures around the perimeter first," Gideon said. "I'll join you shortly."
After a brief hesitation, Faya nodded.
Once she left, Gideon removed tools from his bag and arranged several restrictive formations outside before approaching the church.
"The doors are heavy," he murmured. "Would be troublesome if I got sealed inside."
The fleeing clergy widened their eyes the next second.
Bang!
The black wooden doors collapsed inward.
A lone figure in black robes stood amid the dust.
Gideon made his way toward the rear of the church.
Any door sturdy enough along the way was carefully—and deliberately—"laid down."
Before long, he entered a courtyard and saw Faya again.
She was on full alert.
What surprised Gideon most was her stance.
She gripped a cross in one hand, while the other held a long, ivory-white staff.
At a glance, the staff was clearly made of bone.
Just as Gideon arrived, the situation shifted.
Several revenants lunged at Faya, drawing her attention, while another lurked behind her, intent on ambush.
Black patches spread across the revenants' bodies—clear signs of corruption.
Left unchecked, they would soon become wraiths.
"No wonder such anomalies formed," Gideon thought.
Compared to ordinary revenants, wraiths were vastly superior in mental assault and mind control. These had not fully transformed yet, but their strength was already formidable.
Just as Gideon prepared to intervene, he paused.
Several black holes suddenly opened along Faya's neck.
Bone segments burst forth and assembled into a skeletal shield, encasing her head.
The revenants' attack struck at that exact moment.
Energy rippled through the air.
From Gideon's perspective, he could see the revenants releasing a wave of force—only to be blocked by the holy power embedded in the bone shield.
"So this is skeletal manifestation…" he murmured in awe.
Each bone segment was linked by holy power and moved at Faya's command.
This was the first-tier sacred art of the skeletal stage—
Bone Reconstruction, allowing one's own bones to be externalized as weapons.
Gideon was reminded of someone else who fought using bones.
The Fourfold Theology truly is… peculiar.
Such an attack style was undeniably powerful—yet it originated from a place that preached holiness.
An odd feeling rose in his chest.
Before he could dwell on it, Faya was already struggling.
From her perspective, countless translucent spirits surrounded her.
But she was not Eye-Manifested.
Tracking multiple entities at once drained her mental strength, especially under constant psychic harassment.
She could only maintain a defensive posture.
She attempted to use the cross, but the revenants were cunning—coordinating their attacks to expose her openings.
When she saw Gideon arrive, her heart leapt.
"Please—help me!"
The revenants noticed him as well.
Seeing no visible energy fluctuations around the man standing motionless on the steps, two revenants charged him immediately.
Psychic assault surged through the air.
Yet one elderly revenant suddenly halted and turned toward its companion.
A female revenant—her skin pale and bloated, as though waterlogged.
She had already prepared a hallucination.
The next second, power surged into the human's eyes. Pain twisted across his face.
After prolonged torment, the rotting revenant believed she had successfully seized the body.
She smiled and opened her eyes—
Only to see the man still standing on the steps, gazing curiously.
Her companion stood beside him.
She frowned and looked down at herself.
Still dead. Still decayed.
At last, she realized the truth—
The elderly revenant had tampered with her mind.
She snarled and turned on her "ally," only to be struck again.
The two revenants fell into combat.
"So after corruption is purified," Gideon realized, "I can force revenants to act according to my will."
In their first exchange, he had already purified the elderly revenant.
If not for fear of alerting Faya, he would have done the same to the rotting one.
After repeated attempts, he had mastered this method.
The revenants attacking Faya noticed something wrong.
Seeing their companions turn on each other, they rushed over.
But before they could intervene, the corrupted pair abruptly attacked the others.
The reversal was sudden.
Several revenants were injured instantly.
When distance was re-established, disbelief filled their faces.
Weren't we supposed to steal bodies together?!
Why are you betraying us?!
Where's the trust between revenants?!
Before they could process it, more "righteous-looking" revenants defected.
In moments, the siege collapsed.
All revenants were subdued.
Faya stared in shock.
Though she could only perceive vague outlines, she clearly sensed their movements.
He can actually assimilate revenants and make them attack each other…
Gideon was far stronger than she had expected.
He took out a wooden jar and sealed the floating spirits inside.
These were all corrupted remnants—usable once cleared.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
Faya smiled. "Luckily you arrived in time. Otherwise, I'd have been in real trouble."
Gideon noticed the warmth in her tone but simply nodded.
"Have you found Sister Irene?"
Faya pointed toward a nearby room.
"When I tried to enter earlier, some revenants forced me back."
Gideon looked over.
A dense aura of death shrouded the room.
This was clearly the source of everything.
Yet the door was sealed by an immense force.
"Good thing I… opened the doors earlier," he muttered.
"You said something?" Faya asked.
"Nothing."
Gideon stepped forward and began setting up a formation.
Moments later—
Bang!
The door burst open.
Gideon staggered back a few steps before looking inside.
The room was in ruins.
A nun floated in midair, her garments torn in several places, exposing large swaths of pale skin.
Around her circled more than twenty revenants.
As the door shattered, every one of them turned their heads—