169: Chapter 169 I'm not here to visit the church! I don't want to buy a ticket!

The ghost clearly hadn't expected someone to be able to resist its domain, and its movements froze for a brief moment.

Chen Mo seized the opportunity and pulled out another item—the [Sealing Pot] rewarded from the side quest!

"Now is the time!" Just as he was about to throw the pot lid, Mia grabbed him and pointed around, blushing slightly.

Chen Mo realized he had arrived in a beautiful and tranquil church, provided one ignored the torture instruments piled up in the corners.

Facing the altar, the magnificent murals on the walls displayed the church's immense power, but why did the [God] in these mural stories seem to be Mia?

From a small door beside the statue of Mia in the main hall of the church, a nun in a white robe with an incredibly rule-breaking figure hurried out. The blue lace on her robe made her appear even more kind and virtuous... (survival maintenance system prompt: Is the word "kind" being used in the wrong place?)

"Hmm? Did Lady Mia bring a friend to tour the church?" A shy flush appeared on the face of the Sword Maiden, possessed by the Original Owner.

"The Original Owner's bad taste is acting up again. Is he pretending to be a gentle nun this time?" Mia complained inwardly, but she didn't dare to expose him to his face.

If he got unhappy and left this detective surnamed Chen in the church, it would be a huge sin.

"Eh? And there's a special guest here?" The Sword Maiden waved the Holy Sword of Balance (incomplete version) in her hand, and a crimson ray of light shone down from the stained glass window at the top of the church...

"No—!" The ghost let out a final scream. Just like many bosses taken down by cheats, it was defeated before it even had a chance to unleash its moves.

The Sword Maiden, possessed by the Original Owner, did not have a black veil over her eyes this time. Her light blue eyes had less Charm and more purity. She turned to Chen Mo and said, "Please excuse the unseemly sight, guest. Oh? You even brought a gift? Lady Mia will be very happy."

She casually snatched the [Sealing Pot] from the stunned Chen Mo and placed it at the feet of Mia's statue; it actually looked like a good fit.

"Um, that's not a gift he gave me..." Mia really couldn't watch this anymore.

"Oh? Is that so? What do you say, guest?" The Sword Maiden's smile was still warm, but Chen Mo saw danger within that warmth.

"Yes, yes, it is a gift, haha." Chen Mo scratched his head. He had a feeling that if he said no, he might be finished off by a beam of light himself.

"I thought so. Then please, Lady Mia, take your friend on a tour of the church. The church will be leaving here in a little while, so I'll go busy myself with other matters. Excuse me!"

The Original Owner, controlling the Sword Maiden's body, bowed slightly to the two of them, then picked up the [Sealing Pot] and left through the same small door she had arrived from...

Once the Sword Maiden's voluptuous figure was far away, Chen Mo whispered to Mia, "Was I just robbed by your summon?"

"Uh, I think... yeah, that seems to be the case." Mia also had a look of total embarrassment.

"So, are all the summons of beauties also beauties? Oh well, a loss is a loss, at least she helped us deal with that ghost."

"She's not a summon. Next time you see her, she could be in any form, including a Goblin Hero. She is that soul I consumed and replaced..."

"What? The one just now was the victim? You ate her and didn't digest her?"

"Does that mean the torture instruments in the corner were used on you? My nose is quite sensitive; I can remember the scent of many things..." Chen Mo was still rambling to himself, but when he heard what Mia said next, he suddenly shuddered and looked at her with a strange expression, though he still found it hard to believe.

"Actually, I could have handled that ghost too. I also have administrative rights to the church..." Mia pointed a finger, and another crimson beam of light shone on the spot in front of Chen Mo.

...Chen Mo was truly silent.

Mia took him on a tour of the [Nightmare Cathedral], and Chen Mo carefully examined the murals on the walls as they walked, finally believing the story Mia had told.

It turned out that Mia hadn't lied to him from the beginning. If the content on the murals was true, then it was indeed as Mia said: "I usurped her body, consumed her soul, and became her!"

In an instant, Chen Mo felt his safety level drop even further. He gripped his [Wish Compass] tightly, "Isn't this thing supposed to increase luck? Did something go wrong today?" (survival maintenance system complains where you can't see: If it weren't for this thing, and the fact that you bought a ticket to tour the church, you would have long since turned into fertilizer for the church's roses...)

The two of them exited through the front door of the church, and were immediately met with the church fountain. The light pink spring water inside looked as beautiful as something from a fairy tale world under the light.

Just as Chen Mo walked toward the fountain, he was pulled back by Mia.

"That thing is very dangerous. Use your [Identification] skill to check it; most detective-type Adventurers should have this skill." Mia was truly terrified; she now forbade anyone from even getting a splash of this fountain on them.

"Let me see," Chen Mo cast [Identification] on the fountain. "WTF?!! What kind of spring water is this?"

"[Undying Love for Mia] This is the first time I've seen an item named after an Adventurer. After drinking it, one will love Mia for lifetimes and can do anything for her! No matter what state the drinker is in, even if it's a soul, they will be branded with the mark of this church and this love..."

Chen Mo was so scared he took three steps back, his legs trembling violently. Truth be told, given Mia's appearance and figure, if one were lucky enough to have a romance with her, it would definitely be a gain.

But this spring water turns the drinker into a simp, and the kind that can never be redeemed for eternity at that.

"This was concocted by the church saint you saw earlier... You can't touch it. You must be careful, extremely careful..."

Mia felt extremely ashamed of this fountain, so she didn't explain the full story to Chen Mo.

When the two reached the vicinity of the gate, they heard a soft call, "Lady Mia, guest, please wait a moment!"

The Original Owner came over gracefully, wearing the skin of the Sword Maiden again, followed by a large group of puppets that had just crawled out of the cemetery behind to sunbathe. Fortunately, Chen Mo didn't know about this...

The sight of a large group of hollow-eyed husks waving goodbye to Mia and Chen Mo made Mia so ashamed she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

But fighting would only result in mutual destruction, she couldn't win an argument, and she couldn't act as well as the other party, so she decided to let it go.

Space trembled, and the [Nightmare Cathedral] left this world. It also scooped away a large chunk of soil from beneath the office building. Mia and Chen Mo both stared at the cone-shaped pit, stunned for quite a while.

"Why do I feel like you are the greatest horror I've encountered today? Miss Mia, who is beautiful enough to topple nations?" Chen Mo's hand holding the cigarette was shaking. It's not that only ugly things are scary; it's that things which can take your life with a flick of a finger are what's truly scary.

"That [Rakshasa Ghost] behind us is probably also related to me. Do you want to know?" Mia said in a small voice, feeling a bit guilty.

"Let me think... You said you usurped your current body. I guess when you first became her, you were probably just an ordinarily pretty girl, and then some other encounters led you step by step to become what you are now." Chen Mo's detective sickness flared up again.

"So, where did your original body go? Holy crap? The [Rakshasa Ghost] wouldn't happen to be the shell you discarded, would it?"

The cigarette in Chen Mo's hand fell onto his thigh, burning him and causing him to stumble.

"In all likelihood, yes... because that Bone Dragon was pathetic..." When Mia spoke seriously, her profile was indeed very beautiful.

"So, what I'm about to watch is a life-and-death battle between a soul and a body, is that it?" Chen Mo reserved judgment on the "pathetic" part.

"Let's go, we'll know once we see it." Mia patted Chen Mo on the back and walked ahead.