Chapter 258 — An Unexpected Journey
In a narrow alley by the street—
Gideon opened his eyes and quickly climbed to his feet.
A cross was clutched tightly in his hand. Dense runes surfaced across his forehead and neck, while an invisible barrier enveloped his body.
Two golden rings appeared within his pupils as he carefully examined his surroundings inch by inch.
"Where is this place? Wasn't I inside the house just now…?"
The alley was narrow and dim. The ground was filthy, and tall buildings loomed on both sides. The air carried the sour stench of garbage.
It looked like part of a city district.
And Catherine and the others were nowhere to be seen.
After confirming there was no immediate danger, Gideon checked his own condition.
His clothes were somewhat torn, but there were no wounds on his body.
He replayed the events in his mind.
When the evil spirit's power had erupted, violent winds had filled the room. Gideon had immediately activated the preparations he had set in advance.
Even so, the demon's power had proven difficult to suppress.
When cracks began appearing in the surrounding space, Gideon's vision had suddenly gone dark.
And when he regained consciousness—he was here.
Ahead of him, sunlight poured brightly across the alley's exit.
It was daytime.
Gideon stepped out of the alley.
Shielding his eyes with one hand, he squinted and looked around.
A wide asphalt road stretched before him.
On both sides stood industrial-style buildings with red-brick walls and old-fashioned fire escapes.
The street was somewhat dirty as well. Newspapers and discarded bags were scattered across the ground.
The men mostly wore soft-brimmed fedora hats, white shirts, and dress trousers—giving them the appearance of proper gentlemen.
The women also wore hats and knee-length dresses.
Most pedestrians had serious expressions.
Even while walking, many held newspapers, constantly circling or marking something on them with pens.
Farther away, the scenery changed dramatically.
Towering skyscrapers dominated the skyline, their mirrored exteriors reflecting golden sunlight.
No matter how he looked at it, this was not a quiet suburban town.
It resembled the financial center of a massive metropolis.
"Where the hell did I get sent to…?" Gideon muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed.
He walked over to a newsstand by the street and asked for directions.
The answer he received surprised him.
"This is New York, damn it—Manhattan, New York! The only place in North America still maintaining prosperity! Are you drunk, Father?"
But another detail shocked Gideon even more.
According to the date printed on the newspaper—
he was several decades in the past.
"What the… Is this a second time travel?"
Gideon covered his face.
He had never encountered something like this before.
However, his theological abilities and his system panel progress were still intact.
That meant he was still using his original body.
So Gideon concluded that he was still in the same world as before.
For now, he had no clues about how to return.
With so little information available, he could only choose a random direction and start walking.
After some time, Gideon arrived at a plaza.
"New York University…" he read aloud from a nearby sign.
At that moment, a voice suddenly called out behind him.
"Oh! Father, you haven't gone in yet? The cultural seminar is about to begin."
Gideon turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a suit.
"And you are…?"
"John. I'm responsible for preparing this archaeological research event."
John extended his hand.
"Please come with me. The materials Father Merrin brought still need to be checked by you."
Gideon's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Father Merrin…?"
Isn't that the priest from The Exorcist?
Could it be…
Gideon immediately nodded and followed the man named John.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a classroom.
Several crates were stacked inside, filled with antique artifacts. A few staff members were busy counting and cataloging them.
"Oh, thank heavens—someone finally showed up!"
One of the workers approached Gideon and handed him a registry.
"These are the materials Father Merrin will use later. If everything is correct, please sign here."
Gideon smiled faintly and signed the name:
"Luen."
"Father Merrin is in Classroom 07 next door," the worker said.
"He just asked someone to move these items earlier. Do you need help carrying them?"
Gideon glanced at the large crates and replied immediately,
"Thank you for your help. I'll handle it from here."
The man sighed in relief.
"Much appreciated."
Gideon pushed the cart toward Classroom 07 and knocked lightly on the door.
After a moment, the door opened.
Standing before him was an elderly man with gray hair.
The old man was clearly startled when he saw Gideon's face, but he stepped aside nonetheless.
"Thank you for bringing the materials in."
Gideon nodded.
He had already recognized the man.
This was Father Merrin, the priest who ultimately sacrificed himself in The Exorcist.
Inside the classroom sat many students. Gideon could immediately feel numerous eyes focusing on him.
"Students," Father Merrin said,
"This is the statue I excavated at the archaeological site. It originates from Mesopotamian civilization and Assyrian mythology."
He opened the crate and took out a metal artifact.
Gideon turned to look—and frowned slightly.
The statue had the head of a grotesque demon, wings on its back, and an appearance eerily similar to the evil spirit they had encountered earlier.
"According to historical records," Merrin continued,
"This represents an ancient evil deity named Pazuzu—a god associated with storms and disease."
Father Merrin wrote the name on the blackboard.
"Pazuzu… So it really is an evil god," Gideon thought to himself.
A thousand years ago, it wreaked havoc in the human world before the Church finally sealed it underground.
At that moment, a student raised his hand.
"Father Merrin, if you dug it up, wouldn't that mean the evil god could regain its freedom?"
The question immediately caused scattered laughter throughout the classroom.
Father Merrin spread his hands with a smile.
"That's a reasonable point. But this is only a myth. Just like today—most cases that appear to be possession eventually recover through psychological treatment."
He spoke lightly, but a faint trace of worry flickered across his eyes.
"Alright, now take a look at this."
Merrin drew the outline of a coin on the blackboard.
"This is a silver coin excavated alongside the evil deity. It is also called the 'Apostle Emblem.' It served as a sacrificial object used by the Church to seal evil forces."
After giving a brief introduction, he continued,
"This silver emblem is currently kept by the Church and is considered an important clue in the study of early Church culture."
A female student raised her hand.
"Father Merrin, I've read in Church records that there are twelve of these emblems, corresponding to the twelve original apostles. Is that correct?"
"Your preparation is impressive," Merrin praised her. "But that record is actually incorrect."
"In the Assyrian text Hymns, unearthed more than a decade ago, there is a reference to the silver emblem."
"The object itself was originally an exorcism artifact. No matter where it was taken, it could sense the power of Heaven. Because of this property, it was widely used in sealing evil."
"At that time, the Church produced many silver emblems—far more than twelve."
"The number twelve actually comes from another legend."
"The twelve original apostles, in order to resist evil invading the human world, sprinkled their own blood upon silver emblems, allowing the power granted to them by the Lord to bless the artifacts."
"From that moment on, twelve of those emblems became extraordinary. Later believers called them the Sacred Apostle Silver Emblems."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gideon's eyes lit up.
These holy relics are incredibly powerful. They contain genuine power from Heaven itself. It was through them that believers managed to survive the invasion…
A student asked curiously,
"Was the one you excavated one of those twelve?"
Merrin shook his head.
"I don't know. Over the long course of history, most of these silver emblems were gradually lost."
"However, the excavated texts do record a method by which an ordinary silver emblem can receive a sacred blessing."
Gideon immediately perked up.
"…One must possess a silver emblem, and a priest who is deeply devout, courageous, and pure of heart must sprinkle his blood upon it. When that happens, a miracle may occur."
Father Merrin sighed.
"Well, that definitely doesn't refer to me. I'm rather afraid of pain."
The classroom burst into laughter.
Ring… ring…
The bell sounded.
"Students, if you are interested in Church archaeology, feel free to send your research to my email," Merrin said.
Gradually the students left.
Soon, only two people remained in the classroom.
"You are…?"
Father Merrin asked while packing his things, glancing toward Gideon.
Gideon introduced himself.
"Father Gideon? Would you mind helping me pack these up? My back isn't what it used to be."
Gideon nodded and stepped forward to help.
"Which church are you from?" Merrin asked. "I don't think I've seen you before."
"The community church in West Philadelphia."
"Oh—that explains why your attire looks a little different," Merrin said with a nod. "Are you here to replace Father Martin? I haven't seen him all day."
"Actually… no. I was just passing through. Mr. John seems to have misunderstood."
Hearing that, Merrin quickly realized Gideon wasn't part of the event staff and immediately apologized.
"Please don't mind it. I've always had a strong interest in Church texts."
"Oh? Really? That's rare!" Merrin said, visibly pleased. "Very few young clergymen focus on such things these days."
The two chatted for a while about Church knowledge.
Thanks to decades of accumulated knowledge from the future, Gideon even surprised Merrin with his theological understanding.
"I'm quite interested in the Sacred Apostle Emblems…"
Taking advantage of the moment, Gideon finally asked his real question—whether the emblem possessed any spatial power, such as the ability to connect to Heaven.
Father Merrin chuckled and shook his head.
"Father Gideon, that's just a legend. It's a story the Church uses to attract believers."
"Even if it were true, not many people care about it these days."
"These past few years the economic crisis has been severe. Factories have moved overseas, and many people have lost their jobs…"
"As a result, fewer and fewer people believe in the Church. Some clergy can barely make ends meet."
Gideon blinked in surprise.
How did the conversation suddenly shift from supernatural evil to heavy economic realism…?
And hearing such blunt words from a priest felt strangely out of place.
He could only nod along politely.
"Well then, young man, I should be going."
Father Merrin slung his bag over his shoulder and handed Gideon a small note.
"This is the location where the silver emblem is kept. If you're interested, you may go take a look. I'll notify them in advance."
Gideon accepted the note with both hands.
"Thank you very much."
After seeing Merrin off, Gideon also left the campus.
He hadn't expected that this accidental trip would lead him to a clue about the Sacred Apostle Silver Emblem.
From Merrin's description, the emblem could channel the power of Heaven.
And in this world, Heaven seemed closely connected to the Unknown Space.
Which meant the emblem might truly possess spatial properties.
In that case, Gideon's hope of returning home might lie with this artifact.
"But something so sacred must be heavily guarded… how would I even get it out?"
Then he suddenly realized something.
The Sacred Apostle Silver Emblem required the blood of a devout and pure believer.
Stealing it…
…didn't exactly qualify as pure.
"I have sinned. May the Lord forgive my greed," Gideon muttered awkwardly.
But if he didn't steal it…
What other option did he have?
While he was deep in thought, someone suddenly bumped into him.
"Sorry," the man said quietly, bending down to pick up a box he had dropped.
"You're… a priest?" the man asked.
"Yes," Gideon nodded, examining him as well.
The man had medium-length hair and wore a black suit, built like a boxer.
But underneath the suit he wore a black clerical shirt, the early standardized attire of Church priests.
More importantly—
Gideon recognized him.
Father Carlos.
In the original Exorcist story, Carlos eventually drew the demon into himself and ended his own life to destroy it.
"Oh, I've never seen clothing like yours before," Carlos said curiously.
"I didn't damage your clothes, did I?" he asked, noticing the tear in Gideon's garment.
"Don't worry, that was already there," Gideon said with a faint smile.
His gaze drifted to Carlos's neck.
There hung a silver necklace, bearing a circular emblem engraved with a pair of wings.
"Good," Carlos said with relief. "I have something to attend to, so I'll be going now."
He waved goodbye and left.
Gideon watched him for a moment—then quietly followed.
Half an hour later.
Outside Manhattan State Psychiatric Hospital.
Father Carlos hurried toward the entrance, where a man was waving to him.
"Uncle… what happened to Mom?" Carlos asked anxiously.
"She started screaming and wouldn't let anyone near her. I had no choice but to bring her here first…"
The two quickly entered the hospital building.
Carlos was both a priest and a psychologist, responsible for hearing confessions at the church.
His father had died long ago, so he had lived with his mother ever since.
But due to his busy work schedule, Carlos rarely returned home.
His elderly mother was left alone most of the time.
Not long ago, she had accidentally fallen and injured her leg.
Medical expenses in North America were extremely high—and the economy was in recession.
Carlos simply couldn't afford proper treatment.
All he could do was bandage her wounds himself.
The guilt weighed heavily on him.
But this wasn't the first time he had faced such hardship.
His mother suffered from a vascular condition in the brain, which impaired part of her cognitive functions.
As a result, aside from Carlos himself, few people could interact with her normally.
The illness had dragged on for years.
Only after her recent fall did Carlos finally realize what truly mattered to him.
He had just resigned from his church position today, intending to find a higher-paying job so he could stay with his mother.
Inside the ward—
Some patients lay motionless in their beds.
Others seemed strangely excited, interacting with things that weren't there.
Seeing this scene, Carlos wiped his face roughly.
"Your mother's bed is in the far corner," a nurse pointed.
Carlos took a deep breath and walked in.
Several patients suddenly rushed toward him laughing.
He had to struggle to free himself from their grasp.
Finally, he reached his mother's bed.
She lay there restrained with straps around her wrists and ankles.
"Mom!"
Carlos rushed to her side.
His mother turned her head toward him—then immediately looked away.
"Why did you send me here…?!"
Outside the hospital—
Carlos faced his uncle.
"Why couldn't you take her somewhere else?"
"Like where? A private hospital? Who's paying for that—you?!"
Carlos wiped his face again.
After his uncle left, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
Just as he tried to light one, he realized he couldn't find his lighter.
"Looking for this?"
A voice spoke behind him.
Carlos turned around.
"It's you."
Standing there was the priest he had bumped into earlier.
The man smiled slightly.
"Allow me to introduce myself," he said.
"My name is Gideon."