Youxi shook her head:
"Normally, no, but there will be some spiritual depletion, which can be recovered with a period of rest. However, if the Specter Nun completely dissipates, their spirituality will return to the church. I would then need to go back to the cemetery behind the church to re-summon them."
Li Andy nodded:
"Alright then, you test it out first and see what that sculpture and black mist really are."
After the fire rain subsided, Youxi closed her eyes and placed her hands in front of her chest, praying softly.
The Faceless Nun beside her slightly raised her head, looking a bit more agile.
She floated above the furnace and gently touched the statue.
In an instant, black mist surged again, engulfing the nun.
At that moment, Youxi felt a surge of overwhelming resentment and hatred impacting her, her heart felt as if countless ghostly hands were tearing at it, the pain almost made her fall to her knees.
"What's wrong?!"
Li Andy quickly held her, "Didn't you say there was no damage transmission!"
Youxi forced one eye open, her voice trembling slightly:
"Brother, that furnace… it really did smelt many living people! So many! Tens of thousands! Those black mists are condensed resentment, all imprisoned within the statue! Ugh…"
Youxi vomited a mouthful of sour liquid; the experience of her soul returning… was like crawling naked through a pile of rotting corpses filled with maggots.
She didn't lie to Li Andy; the Specter Nun being hurt indeed wouldn't cause harm to her body or soul.
But the sensory spiritual impact was unavoidable!
It was like seeing something disgusting; even without direct contact, it could still pollute your mind.
"Smelted many people?"
After hearing the description, Li Andy couldn't help but be stunned.
The earth remained silent, but it bore and recorded everything.
Every footprint, in a way unfathomable to mortals, was deeply etched within it.
Even the illusory and hazy 'Domain' could not exist without a reflection of reality.
He switched to his Soul Vision, and at this moment, that furnace, in his eyes, was enveloped by endless black mud, with distorted ghostly faces emerging from it, wailing, cursing, and damning everything in the world.
How was this a forging furnace?
This was a corpse-melting furnace!
"Didn't they say the accident only caused a dozen workers to die?"
"Why is it so exaggerated?"
What exactly happened here back then?
Before Li Andy could ponder, the black mud began to churn.
The furnace became incredibly uncomfortable; it collapsed to the ground, rolling in pain, lava flowing everywhere, and waves of scorching heat coming one after another.
But the stone statue inside always floated in the center and couldn't be expelled.
The indoor temperature rapidly soared, and even breathing felt like burning.
Li Andy couldn't bear it much longer, and the two girls were also on the verge of heatstroke.
He pulled out two bottles of holy water, pouring one on the girls' faces and stuffing the other into Youxi's arms:
"Hold on a bit longer, let the Specter pour the holy water onto the statue! Just throw the whole bottle in!"
Feeling a slight coolness, Youxi sobered up a bit. She urged another Specter Nun to quickly float above the furnace and throw the holy water bottle at the statue.
However, before the glass bottle could even touch the statue, it exploded due to the high temperature, and the holy water inside instantly turned into steam.
But fortunately, the steam also had some purifying effect, creating a large hole in the black mist.
The furnace seemed to feel a bit better, getting up and leaning against the wall. Half of the lava inside was slowly rising, just like the bullets in Li Andy's revolver could be infinitely generated.
The lava on the ground gradually cooled, and the air temperature finally dropped, bringing relief to the three people on the edge.
Li Andy pulled open his collar, took a gulp of holy water, and asked:
"How many bottles of holy water do you two have left?"
"Two bottles."
"One bottle."
Sophia and Youxi replied separately.
Li Andy thought for a moment, then asked:
"Did you bring salt?"
The two girls exchanged glances and smiled together:
"We did."
Li Andy couldn't help but smile too:
"It really is very similar to our time at the orphanage."
Once the room temperature dropped a few more degrees, the three of them once again approached the furnace.
Youxi took out the salt pouch and prayed silently.
The spirit of blessing infused into it.
Then, she raised her hand and sprinkled it, like scattered stars, falling onto the furnace, as if the first snow was falling on an unextinguished volcano.
The furnace twisted its body, facing the platform, seemingly 'observing' the three small figures above.
The black mist rapidly dissolved, gradually opening a large gap, revealing the sculpture at the center. Youxi quickly had the Specter carry the salt pouch and throw it onto the sculpture.
The fire burned away the pouch, and the salt crystals turned into fireflies, adhering to the statue.
Just then, the furnace seized the opportunity, suddenly tilted its body, and spat out the 'root of its illness' that had been plaguing it for so long.
The statue fell to the ground, and without the furnace's scorching, it seemed to break through its limitations, beginning to emit a large amount of ominous aura!
A giant ghostly face formed from black mist expanded and took root.
A cold, chilling wind swept through the entire space.
A thought suddenly flashed through Li Andy's mind: that statue might not be a creation born within the domain! It was intentionally placed inside the furnace. Its purpose was to use the furnace's endless lava to suppress the dirty things inside!
His seemingly kind act had actually opened Pandora's Box?
As his thoughts drifted, the furnace moved.
It grew limbs, leaped a small distance, and then sat down on the sculpture with a thud.
"Boom--!"
The ominous aura abruptly ceased.
"..."
Li Andy breathed a sigh of relief, closing his eyes to sense carefully; the statue's aura gradually withered.
But, why did that aura feel strangely familiar?
He couldn't recall it at first, but the next second, Youxi's words reminded him.
"Brother..."
Youxi hesitated as she spoke, "That statue gives me a feeling, it's a bit like... the statue beneath our church's goddess statue."
Li Andy froze.
Sophia raised an eyebrow:
"There's a statue under our church's goddess statue?"
Youxi explained:
"There's a secret room under the goddess statue, and inside the secret room, there's a strange statue. The 'medium' Anna asked me to use for borrowing things was it."
"Borrowing things... so it needs a medium?" Sophia's focus was a bit strange.
But Li Andy understood his sister's meaning. He licked his dry lips and asked:
"Do you think it's related to the church?"
Youxi pursed her lips:
"I don't know, maybe... it's just the same kind of thing as the statue in the church."
In the game, the description of the 'Jehovah Church' where the Night Raven Sisters were located was not very specific.
However, from fragmented information, it could still be deduced that there were many contradictions and ailments within it.
In the plot, Anna and the two others' timely rescues would always encounter various reasons that caused them to be late.
The academy clearly had such obvious problems, yet no one knew about them for a long time...
Thinking of this, Li Andy couldn't help but gasp.
It was inevitable for him to speculate with conspiracy theories.
Youxi's expression also became somewhat solemn.
Only Sophia looked bewildered and utterly confused.
What were these two talking about?
I... I didn't miss anything, did I?
Li Andy bit his teeth lightly and exhaled:
"Hopefully, this is just a similar object by chance, and hopefully... it has nothing to do with Anna and them."