Chapter 393: Return

"It's okay, this isn't your fault."

A gentle voice emerged from the thick fog, significantly easing the tense atmosphere.

"I've already had the people here dispersed, so it shouldn't cause any impact."

The clergy felt a relief, though the soldiers behind them, looking at each other, weren't sure what was happening.

The abyss-like depth of the fog, swirling with strange powers, had unnerved everyone, feeling like something monstrous with gaping jaws lurked within.

But now, with the reassurance of these few sentences, a long-missed sense of security returned.

"It's Bishop York's voice," Father Carmes said, somewhat surprised.

He had once proposed to the bishop the idea of using artillery for a sweeping strike, an idea that was regrettably rejected.

So, this voice breaking through the tension brought a great sense of relief to him, igniting a sudden surge of joy.

Father Ethan nodded, his gaze still fixed within the fog. Although the strange force prevented clear sight of what was inside, their vigilance remained essential.

Without seeing Bishop York himself, the commander could not afford to relax.

At that moment, someone exclaimed, "Father Ethan, look above, the fog seems to be dissipating a bit."

Father Ethan immediately followed the direction indicated by the voice. The fog that had covered the sky and stood off against their barrier was indeed starting to thin.

The sky above finally became visible.

The dispersal was swift, and soon the woods below started to show.

Then, everyone saw figures emerging slowly from the depths of the road.

An adult, supporting a little girl with his left hand while holding another little girl's hand with his right.

As the fog quickly dissipated, the figures walking on the main road became clearer.

The adult was dressed in a black robe with purple trim, the little girl in his arms wore something akin to cowboy attire, and the girl he was holding by the hand wore a white dress like a true princess.

"Bishop York has come out!" Father Carmes was the first to shout.

Father Ethan breathed a sigh of relief, the immense pressure vanishing instantly.

Seeing the increasingly clear figure of the young bishop, he felt a great sense of security.

"Let's go greet Bishop York!"

Father Ethan decisively led the group of West Virginian clergy forward.

But seeing the young bishop's smiling face, Father Ethan remembered the words of his own bishop.

"Believe in your future Pope."

"He is our future Pope; you, at least, should have some faith in the Pope you will serve."

"..."

......

After returning from Silent Hill, York handed little Sharon over to her anxious mother Ros and arranged for their escort back home.

Then, he had a meeting with Alesha and the people of Lost Town.

In a sense, the residents of Lost Town and the scattered descendants of the indigenous people throughout the Free States of America were Alesha's subjects.

The rest, such as the residents' arrangements, were handled by others. At his level, York only needed to oversee the broad directions.

In his previous life, he had heard a saying that he found quite apt.

"A word from above, a run with broken legs below..."

With the fog dissipated, Lost Town resumed normal operation.

Outside the town, on a main street that connected to an outer passage, York leaned against a car door, withdrawing his gaze from the direction of the town and looked towards the solemnly standing priest nearby.

"Father Ethan, there's no need to be so tense in front of me; you can relax. I'm not as strict—or rather, as rigid—as Bishop Josefini."

For some reason, this old priest, who might be one of Bishop Josefini's chosen successors, had been quite restrained in his presence, unable to relax.

York half-wondered if he was like Alesha, unable to contain his spiritual power, making his gaze and actions exert great pressure on others.

In fact, the direct manifestation of spiritual power is sensation, as illustrated in his previous life by the anime One Piece, where the protagonist possesses Conqueror's Haki.

However, after sensing carefully, he confirmed that he wasn't leaking any power from his body, and his presence should seem quite ordinary.

Yet, he couldn't understand why the old priest's attitude was so reserved.

While a bishop, indeed, it seemed an excessive reaction.

In some ways, priests and bishops were both clergy; like faith, they didn't differ in stature, only in ecclesiastical hierarchy.

"Yes, Bishop York." Father Ethan responded respectfully, yet his demeanor remained unchanged, standing as rigidly as monks typically would in a protective stance.

York twitched the corner of his mouth, assuming the priest's strong faith was influenced by Bishop Josefini, who indeed valued decorum.

Thinking this, York casually asked while waiting for Alesha.

"How has Bishop Josefini been lately?"

Father Ethan nodded, his responses punctual and serious: "The

 bishop is well, as always. He occasionally mentions you."

York chuckled: "Me? Probably not in good context, I've been quite the troublemaker."

Father Ethan shook his head: "No, the bishop said you seem somewhat indolent but actually possess great talent and are a devoutly good person."

"Me?" York paused, then laughed, not denying the assessment.

Thinking back, his journey had indeed been peculiar; despite appearing lax, he had previously attended every possible session, although primarily for the paltry 0.5 attribute points. To outsiders, however, this undoubtedly symbolized his devotion.

"Yes," Father Ethan confirmed earnestly.

"Ha," York didn't dwell on the topic, turning his gaze back towards the town.

On the street, a group of adults was accompanying a little girl walking towards them.

The scene was somewhat abrupt yet harmonious, as if it was meant to be.

Only Father Ethan furrowed his brow slightly.

If he wasn't mistaken, this girl seemed to be the deity York had mentioned.

This seemed dangerous.

But then, remembering that Bishop York had taken charge of the situation, Father Ethan's brow smoothed.

The scene he had witnessed in the fog was unforgettable, giving him a deeper understanding of the bishop's words.

He trusted Bishop York, believing that as long as York was present, this dubious deity couldn't stir up much trouble.

But as the little girl approached running, Father Ethan instinctively tensed as if facing a fierce beast, stepping back to protect the young bishop behind him.

Then he thought again, why be so nervous with Bishop York present?

This extremely uncomfortable feeling troubled Father Ethan.

"It's alright, I'm here, no need to be so tense."

Bishop York's words from behind immediately enveloped him in a sense of security, restoring all his feelings to normal.

Father Ethan exhaled softly, lowering his head as the girl approached.

"Yes!"

He knew all the anomalies were caused by this little girl.

Watching the still-defensive Father Ethan, York felt somewhat helpless as he turned to Alesha.

With Black-dress Alesha gone along with the inner world, the biggest beneficiary was this original Alesha.

By purifying the inner world and Black-dress Alesha's dark powers, what remained was the extremely pure original power, which inherently belonged to Alesha. So, when Alesha somewhat obliviously reclaimed much of her own power, it led to signs of her unable to control her own strength.

Thus, the spiritual outer world descended and altered the real world, manifested earlier by the fog and the ash-like snowflakes that fell.

Fortunately, since this power was inherently Alesha's, she still maintained sovereignty over it, reabsorbing the leaked power so as not to cause a major mishap.

Still, Alesha continued to leak residual power, unlike his stability.

This was why Father Ethan felt such immense pressure, as if facing a wild beast.

"Uncle York!"

Alesha ran over, her cheeks flushed, seemingly excited after chatting with her subjects.

York internally sighed; managing Sharon, Black-dress Alesha, and now Alesha was like dealing with three-in-one.

After absorbing Black-dress Alesha, this absorption actually included her emotions and related memories.

Thus, besides him and her own subjects, Alesha remained highly vigilant towards humans, ready to strike at anyone who crossed her set line.

Like now, Alesha ignored the protective Father Ethan, charging towards him while shouting.

"Here I come!"

Seeing this, Father Ethan, despite his reservations, stepped forward to intercept but found himself immobilized by an invisible force.

"Relax."

York patted Father Ethan's tense shoulder, saving him from potential harm, stepping forward and laughing:

"She's just a child, not the beast you see."

As Father Ethan paused, York walked towards Alesha.

"Uncle York, they agreed to it," Alesha halted, looking up at him, her face joyful.

Who would dare object? It's all up to you.

York smiled, patting Alesha's head, feeling a mix of dealing with Black-dress Alesha and Sharon.

"Alesha, do you really want to go out?"

Alesha blinked her starry eyes vigorously, nodding firmly.

"I want to be with Uncle York!"

"Alright then," York chuckled.

"Let's go back. I'll introduce you to a very gentle aunt, an aunt who looks cheerful but is actually a homebody with slight social anxiety, and a very reliable uncle,

oh right, and an uncle who seems carefree but is very caring."

"Uncle York, are they Erin and Hannah Auntie, John and Hill Uncle?"

"Yes."

...

[...]

[Successful attribute allocation]

[Health 315 increased to 335]

[...]

In the car speeding on the highway.

York allocated the twenty attribute points he earned from completing the Silent Hill mission entirely to his health

.

As particle correlation with health attributes appeared, health once again became a key focus for upgrades.

York multitasked, controlling the car with telekinesis while his eyes were fixed on the virtual attribute window.

His approach to allocating points was flexible, not limited to any specific attribute, prioritizing current needs.

Initially, because of enchanting bullets, he added points to magic.

In the early to mid-phase, for major enchantment projects and to avoid fatigue, he increased his health points.

In the mid-phase, for 3D mapping, holy attachments, and telekinesis, he added points to mental/spiritual power. Now, with the introduction of particles, he began focusing on health points.

The principle was to be adaptable and make the best use of resources.

As for physical strength, it wasn't a consideration as long as it was sufficient for current needs.

Another twenty points in attributes brought subtle changes to his body. York squinted, lifting the restrictions he had set.

Instantly, his vision filled with dense particles; the car was no longer metal and glass but a flow of differently colored particles. The highway, the passing vehicles, it seemed the entire world was made of these particles.

The sensation of controlling the entire world returned, along with an immense flow of information.

Fortunately, recent studies and a wealth of new physical science knowledge helped mitigate the massive information flow caused by countless particles, but it still felt like his brain might explode.

It was an uncomfortable sensation. As dizziness set in, York didn't force himself, closing his eyes to forcibly pull himself out of the state. When he reopened his eyes, everything had returned to normal.

"Better than before, lasted longer," York considered internally.

"But it needs to be used in conjunction with mental power."

Thinking of using mental power, York thought of Alesha.

Alesha was a live-in teacher in her own right, purely using mental power to create an inner and outer spiritual world. In terms of using mental power, Alesha was far more advanced than him.

Subconsciously, he looked back.

Alesha was sitting in the backseat, her legs raised in a crouching position, a piece of drawing paper on her lap, her left hand stabilizing it, and her right hand holding a paintbrush.

She was looking his way, blinking, then said.

"Uncle York, what were you just doing?"

___________________

(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)

If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT