Chapter 44: Sky-High Resentment

The moment the two got out of the carriage, they saw that the vast dock was surrounded, three layers deep inside and three layers deep outside, by a crowd of onlookers.

"Make way! Make way! Police!" Jack took out his police badge and shouted in his rough voice.

The people in front, upon hearing him, cooperatively made a path.

Silas walked along the path. Most of the people on either side were dockworkers and sailors temporarily ashore for rest.

"Priest Sotos, please help those poor souls return to the embrace of the Tri-Moon Goddesses," a woman in plain clothes said in a low voice, tears welling in her eyes.

Silas nodded gravely. "Please rest assured, kind lady. The Goddesses will not abandon Their children."

As they passed through the crowd and crossed the quarantine line, Jack said in a low voice, "I have to say, your current temperament really is more like a kind priest than a mysterious agent."

During this period, daily companionship with church scriptures, coupled with the deepening physical transformation from the Priest Potion, had made Silas's appearance approachable and his temperament calm and gentle. Anyone who came near could feel a special warmth.

Silas casually took out The Lunar Codex from his Church pouch. "It's all thanks to this."

As they spoke, Roland had already walked over. She handed them two grey face masks and said to Silas, "Be mentally prepared. Master Jeros is waiting for you."

Silas put on the mask, nodded, and went up the steps to the wooden loading platform.

This platform was very wide, a professional platform specifically for loading and unloading large cargo ships.

At this moment, many yellowish-brown sacks and wooden boxes were still piled around, presumably cargo ready to be loaded onto a ship.

There were at least thirty police officers patrolling on the platform with vigilant expressions.

In addition, Silas once again saw other mystical organizations of the Church.

It was a group of nuns dressed in black and white church robes. Over their robes, they wore tight-fitting leather armor. They wore nun's coifs on their heads and grey masks on their faces.

They were fully armed, with silver-grey goddess insignias hanging on their chests. Some carried greatswords, some held heavy, steam-powered cogwheel rifles, and others wielded dual blades – a diverse array.

Although their demeanors varied, they all exuded an indescribably sharp feeling.

"Although I've seen them several times, each time they give an indescribably stunning impression," Silas sighed internally.

This incident was too significant. During the previous lockdown, only four Exorcist Nuns were deployed. This time, an entire squad of seven had come.

At this moment, they maintained a certain distance from each other, warily observing the surroundings.

Further ahead was the ghost ship, docked in the ship lock.

It was a large ocean-going sailing ship, at least sixty meters long, built entirely of black ironwood, truly magnificent.

However, the ship currently had no sails, only bare masts and a messy gunwale.

This sailing ship was not dilapidated, completely different from the decrepit ghost ships seen in movies.

Walking up the gangplank onto the deck, before Silas could take a closer look, he saw that the entire deck was covered in crimson blood and strange symbols.

Various crew members had had their arteries slit by some kind of weapon with blood grooves, bleeding to death in a very cruel manner.

Although the bloodstains were frozen due to the low temperature, Silas could still smell an overwhelming stench of blood.

Silas's stomach began to churn.

Forcibly suppressing his discomfort, Silas focused his gaze on Jeros, who was standing at the entrance of the ship's cabin.

Beside Jeros were five young men, dressed in black church robes, with strong, burly physiques.

These five wore black leather fedoras. Their close-fitting church robes looked very high-quality, not only with embroidered shawls on the shoulders but also with golden, lightning-like patterns on the chest and cuffs. Beneath their robes, they wore shiny black leather boots, giving an overall impression of cold, sharp austerity.

They carried longswords, axes, or other such weapons, or large-caliber pistols and rifles.

These were the priests belonging to the Church's Divine Punishers, each an elite combatant.

At this moment, they looked respectful, discussing something with Jeros.

"Master Jeros!" Silas walked over and bowed.

Since this was already a mystical site, Orson Heath, Jack, Roland, and the others could only watch from outside the ship.

Jeros nodded. "You've come at the right time."

Silas looked up and saw that Jeros was not in good condition. He had two hideous wounds on his face, as if scratched by something, and a mangled wound on his chest. Although the bleeding had stopped, it was very frightening.

There were also wounds on his shoulders, as if sliced by a sharp blade.

More strikingly, Jeros's face was deathly pale, the blood vessels beneath his skin had turned jet black, and his eyes shone with a piercing, soul-stirring light.

This was the state of a Demon Hunter after consuming a potion; the black blood vessels were filled with terrifying toxins. Yet, it was these toxins that gave him his extraordinary enhancements.

"Are you alright?" Silas asked with concern.

Jeros nodded slightly. "Dealt with some resentful spirits here. Suffered some minor injuries."

"Resentful spirits have formed here?" Silas looked startled.

Resentful spirits were similar to vengeful ghosts – irrational, incredibly frenzied, and extremely aggressive.

Jeros nodded. "Six appeared. Just dealt with them."

"Master, there are a total of fifty-four deceased here. Calculating based on this level of resentment, the souls of three people can condense into one resentful spirit. So, at least eighteen resentful spirits will form. You've only just dealt with six. With our current situation, we are completely unable to handle the resentment here. We can only watch as these souls turn into resentful spirits," one of the five, a blond young man in his thirties who appeared to be the leader, said anxiously.

Jeros said calmly, "Father Anthony, do not panic. We still have other Priests."

Father Anthony turned to look at Silas. He didn't know Silas, only that he was a novice apprentice who had just become a Priest.

"Master! The situation is urgent. Such a Priest apprentice needs at least half an hour to purify one soul. With his current Spiritual Energy, he can deliver two souls at most before being exhausted. And in that hour, at least six new resentful spirits will appear. I suggest we immediately burn this ship completely and incinerate the bodies with holy fire water. This is the safest way to reduce the danger."

Jeros said calmly, "If we burn it, we won't be able to uncover the secrets behind this. Such a heinous matter must be thoroughly investigated."

"But for the safety of the citizens…" Father Anthony was completely agitated.

Jeros waved his hand. "Even if it means sacrificing the lives of some citizens, if we can find out and capture the mastermind, these costs are well worth it. Sacrificing a few to secure the happiness of the many has always been the way in the development of history."

Hearing this, a shiver suddenly ran down Silas's spine.

Only these emotionless Demon Hunters could speak such words that violated human ethics so calmly.

Anthony still wanted to argue, but Jeros interrupted him, "Bishop Ron asked you to assist me. Just do your duty and don't overthink things."