153: Chapter 154 Axis

Chapter 153: Axis

The entire space suddenly became stagnant in this second. Raindrops seemed to hover in mid-air in Locke's eyes. This was a manifestation of highly concentrated mental strength.

It wasn't until the other party spoke that Locke's hand, which was about to swing, stopped in mid-air, and the raindrops continued to fall.

Because the other party's voice and figure made him feel familiar yet strange, it wasn't until he noticed the complex holy emblem pattern on the priest's robe on the other party's chest that he reacted, "You are—Bishop Axis?"

However, the figure didn't respond to his words. After speaking to himself, he dissipated on the spot.

Like a phonograph that had been waiting there and was triggered by him, this figure disappeared into the rain after completing its mission.

Locke's heart pounded from this sudden sight. "This is a recorded image—the person who sent the flowers is the Bishop, and he is also a Transcendent."

Moreover, judging from the methods displayed by the other party, Bishop Axis's rank was definitely not low.

Because from the moment he arrived at the entire cemetery, he hadn't detected any Extraordinary fluctuations.

Locke now felt that the mist surrounding his parents' death had finally been lifted a corner. What he saw today also made him completely sure of one thing: his parents, Sally Elizabeth and Kevin Galahad, were definitely not ordinary Christian believers. They must have an inseparable relationship with the Supernatural World, and it was even possible that they were Transcendents themselves.

The recorded image left by Bishop Axis, who had been close to his parents when he was young, was the best proof.

Locke took several deep breaths, suppressing his surging emotions, and quickly returned to the jaguar car.

"Does Bishop Axis know something? Should I go to the appointment?"

Axis is the Bishop of St. Klingen Church, the largest church on Cross Street and even in the entire North District of New York. However, he usually comes and goes like a phantom, leaving all church affairs, such as Sunday services and prayers, to the priests and pastors below him.

This led to most residents of Cross Street not knowing him. Locke only remembered him because he had seen his particularly tall figure and unique voice when he visited the church with his parents as a child, which left a deep impression on him, allowing him to recall it after the other party finished speaking.

Little Seven, standing on the brim of his hat, shook off the raindrops from its feathers, jumped onto his shoulder, and blinked its long eyelashes, looking at him with some confusion.

"My Lord, why did you suddenly rush back from the cemetery? Did you discover anything special?"

"You didn't see what just happened!"

Locke's pupils involuntarily widened. He turned his head, looked at the bewildered Little Seven, and his tone became somewhat shocked.

Little Seven tilted its raven head, becoming even more puzzled: "My Lord, what exactly happened just now? Little Seven really didn't see anything."

"Hoo—!"

Locke's chest heaved violently, then he slowly closed his eyes. Beneath his eyelids, his eyeballs twitched frantically, digesting the sudden impact.

Little Seven didn't see it. This meant that only he heard Bishop Axis's recorded message just now. This method was a bit too miraculous.

At least from his perspective, it was no less than the teleportation spell his teacher Time had used on them at the island prison.

The other party's strength was evident from this.

Hmm?

Little Seven tilted its head left and right, staring at Locke, showing great incomprehension at the various emotions he displayed.

Locke calmed down for a few seconds, let out a heavy sigh, and his eyes gradually became serene.

"Nothing happened. Now, come with me to the Moonlight Bar. Remember, you can't speak in front of outsiders, or you'll have to stay in my hat."

"Caw caw, Little Seven understands." Little Seven nodded quickly, indicating it would definitely obey.

"But My Lord, can I have a Long Island Iced Tea then?"

"Long Island Iced Tea!" Locke's tone suddenly rose, and he said testily, "Where did you, a bird, learn to drink?"

"Alcohol?"

Little Seven's eyes widened suddenly, its expression turning somewhat shocked, then it quickly flapped its wings and explained, "My Lord, isn't Long Island Iced Tea a tea? How could it be alcohol?"

"Long Island Iced Tea is not tea, it's alcohol."

"Ah!" Little Seven immediately drooped on his shoulder.

Locke didn't bother with it. He twisted the key, stepped on the accelerator, and the speed rapidly increased. The black jaguar let out a roar under the continuous rain, then broke through the oppressive rain wall at an extremely fast speed, roaring towards Central Street.

He didn't plan to talk to Bishop Axis immediately but intended to join the Church of the Night Goddess first to add some bargaining chips for any potential negotiations later.

He couldn't guarantee whether Bishop Axis was good or bad right now.

In short, Locke felt that caution was not a bad thing.

At the same Time, in a monastic cell in the deepest part of St. Klingen Church, the largest church on Cross Street, Axis opened his eyes and looked remotely in the direction of the cemetery.

"Have you returned, my nephew?"

More than just the church faction was watching Locke. When he drove this black jaguar, which had almost become a ghostly legend, into New York City, in a particularly special office in the FBI New York Queens branch, a very capable woman immediately learned of Locke's movements.

And this department was precisely the Federal Supernatural Task Force, the mysterious department that rookie patrolman Lanus attempted to join, a special organization disguised as the FBI.

They are behind many counter-terrorism and mysterious incident investigations.

"Ms. Jones, we've found the Transcendent who was suspected of speeding outside the ring. He's currently heading towards Central Street. Do we need to immediately restrict his personal freedom?"

A burly man in an FBI uniform walked in from outside, then handed a photo intercepted from a surveillance camera to the policewoman named Jones.

Alethea Jones is a federal supernatural investigator with sexy red lips and a hot figure. She was specially dispatched by the Vatican to Queens to help the FBI oversee supernatural task force operations.

She took the photo the burly man handed her, glanced at the ordinary-looking man in it, and instructed, "Keep a close eye on him. For now, don't act rashly. However, if this wild Transcendent shows any tendency that could endanger social safety, then immediately arrest him. If necessary, you can kill him directly."

"Yes!" The burly man retreated immediately after receiving the order.

After the man left, Alitea threw the photo onto the table, then clasped her hands and closed her eyes, praying to the icon on the wall.

On her desk, several sealed files were prominently displayed, each stamped with multiple top-secret seals.

One of them clearly read: 'The Bizarre Death Case of Christian Kevin Galahad of Cross Street,' which was precisely the case of Locke's parents.

It seems things were just as Locke suspected: there was something fishy about his parents' deaths.

However, the bag was sealed, and no one knew how far the Federal and Vatican Supernatural Task Forces had investigated this case.

And what was their attitude towards this incident?

The scene changes. The black jaguar suddenly braked, its speed dropping from 60 mph to zero, stopping steadily in front of a tavern.

Because it was in the city, Locke took nearly 20 minutes to drive the car from Cross Street to the Moonlight Bar at 92 North Central Street.

After parking the car, Locke put on his hat and tidied himself up before getting out.

As soon as he got out of the car, a large wooden sign came into view, with the words 'Moonlight Bar' written on it. To the right of the sign hung a crescent-shaped incandescent lamp.

Standing at the doorway, Locke cautiously observed the situation inside the tavern through the glass.

Inside the tavern, neon lights flickered. Young men and women, as well as middle-aged men and married women, were singing and dancing. However, as his gaze moved from left to right to the bar, he was surprised to find that the bartender was a burly man over 1.8 meters tall. In his normal state, he looked even more robust than Locke when he transformed into his Night Demon state.

And what was most striking was that he was wearing an Owl mask, which made him look quite comical.

"It seems this guy is the contact person for the Church of the Night in this tavern."

The moment Locke saw the mask, he made a decision in his heart. However, he didn't expect the people of the Church of the Night to be so cautious as to wear masks even during business hours to conceal their true identities.

"Don't these guys know how to use disguise? Isn't wearing such a mask even more eye-catching—"

Locke didn't understand their choice but respected it. He turned and gave Little Seven a look, and Little Seven nodded affirmingly.

Then, without hesitation, he pushed the door open and walked in with the black raven on his shoulder.

Ding-dong.

The copper bell hanging on the doorframe immediately made a crisp and pleasant sound as he pushed the door open.

However, this faint ding-dong sound was immediately drowned out by the heavy metal music inside.

No one stopped what they were doing because of his arrival. Although it was only dusk, the people in the tavern were still drinking, playing cards, and flirting.

However, Locke noticed that the burly man at the bar turned his gaze over the moment he pushed the door open.

Locke didn't hesitate. With a calm expression, he walked to the bar, found an empty booth, and sat down.

The burly man behind the bar was carving ice cubes with a small knife. Seeing him sit down, he glanced at him indifferently and asked, "Buddy, what would you like to drink?"

Hearing the question, Locke recalled the information his teacher had told him. He lightly tapped the bar with his index and middle fingers and replied without any hesitation, "Please give me a rose moonlight."

He then turned his head to look at the raven and gestured to the burly bartender, "Oh, and for my pet, a Long Island Iced Tea, no alcohol, just tea."

Hearing this, and seeing his iconic raven on his shoulder, the burly man's eyes behind the mask clearly fluctuated. He replied indifferently, "Long Island Iced Tea only has alcohol, no tea."

"What about rose moonlight?"

"We have rose moonlight, but do you know the rules?" The bartender threw the carved rhomboid ice cube into a wine glass, propped his elbows on the bar, and stared at him intently.

"If you have any bad intentions, I advise you to put them away now."

Locke felt a bit puzzled by the warning in his words.

How was this different from what Time had said?

He always felt that the other party seemed to have some hostility towards him.

However, facing the other party's questioning, he still nodded and gave an affirmative answer: "I understand all the rules. Please give me a rose moonlight."

"If you want rose moonlight, you have to tell me where you're from."

The Owl bartender stared at him coldly, his tone very indifferent.

Locke didn't hesitate: "I come from the night."

"Alright."

The bartender pouted, turned around, and took out a bottle of '82 Bordeaux red wine with its label still on from the wine rack behind him. He pulled out the cork and poured it into the glass with ice cubes.

Locke watched his actions, his face seemingly expressionless, but his heart was already complaining.

This is rose moonlight?

Isn't this just Bordeaux red wine from France?

Locke originally thought that this 'rose moonlight,' used as a contact signal for the Church of the Night Goddess, was some incredible item. But now, looking at it, it seemed to be just a special code name.

After all, ordinary people, if they wanted to drink it, would definitely just ask for a glass of Bordeaux, and would never think of asking for a rose moonlight.

Given this, using it for contact purposes was indeed fine.

The bartender slowly pushed the full wine glass towards him, but his hand was covering the glass.

"This establishment requires payment first, then drinking."

"This glass of rose moonlight costs 8 cents, buddy, do you have it?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure you have it? This is eight cents, not eight dollars." The bartender's tone carried a hint of doubt.

Locke's expression was composed. He put his hand into his pocket, pretending to take out money, but in reality, he was using his Personal Space to retrieve the contact badge. He then gently placed it on the table and pushed it forward.

"Here, eight cents."

The Owl bartender's eyes fluctuated even more intensely after seeing the golden light shimmering on the badge, as if with jealousy or shock.

In any case, Locke could feel that the other party's emotions were highly volatile, but he didn't rush. Instead, he picked up the glass on the table and drained it in one gulp.

He didn't know until he drank it, but once it was in his stomach, he felt a strong Extraordinary energy from the liquid.

This Extraordinary energy was quite gentle and easily integrated into his Extraordinary Factor.

"So this isn't ordinary Bordeaux."

After drinking this glass of wine, Locke felt that his total Extraordinary Factor had increased by nearly ten percent, which was not a small amount.

The bartender took several deep breaths, calmed himself, and then continued, "Put away your badge and follow me."

His voice carried an indescribable emotion, as if puzzled, yet also relieved.