182: Candy family

Chapter 180: The Candy Family

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone except Arthur's eyes lit up.

Ge'ertu'da was especially excited.

Arthur calmly pressed, "Describe her appearance and characteristics."

The Imp described her in detail.

Arthur turned to look at the girl, wanting her to confirm.

The girl shook her head, indicating that it was not her mother.

As Arthur knew, the Imp was always known for flattery and lying.

They were both selfish and cunning, always deliberately concealing key information to mislead others.

To put it bluntly, there were few truths in the mouths of such fellows; if half of what they said was credible, it would be a blessing.

Seeing that a heavy rain was imminent, Arthur ordered his subordinates to find a habitable farmhouse to temporarily take shelter.

After everyone had settled down, he began to interrogate the Imp unhurriedly.

Under the dual pressure of threats, inducements, and special methods, the Imp finally relented.

It revealed the hiding place of the survivors.

It was in the northeast direction of the Plantation.

Occasionally, people would come out from that direction to search for food and water.

And their leader intended to use the thriving cornfield to lure those survivors into a trap.

After learning this information, Arthur had Airo deal with the Imp.

The pathetic little fellow cursed Arthur incessantly before its death.

Vicious words continuously poured out of its mouth.

Ge'ertu'da had never heard such things and was too scared to even breathe.

The farmhouse everyone used to shelter from the rain was the best one on the farm, but it still leaked due to disrepair.

Drax dismantled the only table in the house and used it as firewood.

The blazing bonfire instantly lit up the small farmhouse and dispelled the chill.

Arthur told Ge'ertu'da to calm down, then asked her about the situation in the northeast direction of the Plantation.

The girl drank a few sips of water, composed herself, and said, "People here rarely go to that place.

"The older generation all say that place is under a terrible curse.

"The old residence of the Candy Family was originally built there, but it was abandoned for various reasons.

"Because of years of disrepair, the house is already a ruin.

"The most crucial thing is that the place has now become a swamp.

"My father said that in the past, there were still some people, blinded by greed, who wanted to search for treasure in the old residence, but most of them never returned.

"Even those who did return seemed to have lost their souls, and within a few days, they would walk into that swamp themselves and never come back."

After Ge'ertu'da finished speaking, Airo turned to Arthur and said, "It sounds like one of those absurd rural ghost stories.

"But if the situation is truly like that...

"Then there are only two possibilities: either that Imp is lying,

"Or there's a place in that swamp where survivors can live."

"Either way, once the rain stops, we'll go there and take a look," Arthur said.

At this moment, a blurred shadow suddenly appeared at the entrance of the farmhouse.

Drax, who was on guard, was the first to notice the anomaly, and he warned the others.

Amidst the pouring rain, more and more shadows gathered densely outside the door.

The shadows neither spoke nor attacked; they just floated quietly outside the farmhouse door.

Ge'ertu'da slowly stood up and walked step by step towards the door.

Heir wanted to stop her, but seeing Arthur shake his head, she stopped.

"Father, is that you? Father?"

Ge'ertu'da stopped at the door and called out tremblingly to the foremost shadow.

The blurred mass of shadow slowly condensed, gradually taking on a human form.

The figure of a middle-aged man appeared before everyone.

He looked at the girl, tears in his eyes, and opened his mouth, but could only emit a low sob.

Ge'ertu'da could no longer suppress her emotions and burst into tears on the spot.

She wanted to rush out of the farmhouse and run to her father, but Arthur stopped her.

The young priest, disregarding the heavy rain outside, walked directly towards the lingering vengeful spirits.

He said to them in a deep voice, "You have long since passed away; do not cling to the things of this mortal world any longer.

"If you are willing, I can guide you away from here."

The blurred figures transformed into human forms one after another; their faces were full of pain, and their expressions were confused.

But upon seeing the holy emblem in Arthur's hand, they slowly began to walk towards the young priest.

Arthur recited sacred prayers, setting out to guide these lost souls towards reincarnation.

Under his guidance, the souls gradually shed their pain, and smiles of relief appeared on their faces.

They reached out and gently touched Arthur to express their gratitude.

When it was Ge'ertu'da's father's turn, he waved vigorously at his daughter, making his final farewell.

Immediately after, he looked at Arthur with deep gratitude and transformed into points of light amidst the prayers.

Only after the last soul was purified did Arthur walk back into the farmhouse.

Airo found a relatively clean cloth and wiped the rain from him.

"Evil forces have trapped these deceased people here," Arthur analyzed while sitting by the bonfire, "They cannot find release,

and their resentment will grow deeper.

"Then they possess those scarecrows and begin to attack all living beings.

"Child, your father has found release."

Ge'ertu'da cried and thanked Arthur.

Heir gently comforted her by her side.

When her emotions had somewhat calmed, Heir asked, "What exactly happened to the Candy Family?

"Do you know anything?"

The girl wiped away her tears and replied, "I'm not very clear either.

"But an old lady who used to work in the manor told us some things about the Candy Family.

"She said that the Candy Family sold their souls to the Dark Lord to gain dominion over this land.

"Their Plantation specifically provided wine and food for the Dark Lord and his minions.

"It was precisely because of this that the crops planted here could have abundant harvests year after year.

"But in exchange, the Candy Family had to offer live sacrifices every year to pray for the fertility of the land."

Airo scoffed upon hearing this and corrected, "Marcus kept this Plantation because he valued the wine here.

"The Candy Family is the only family in the entire Qingfeng Valley that can brew Bloodvine Wine.

"That kind of wine is deeply loved by vampires. Continue, child."

Ge'ertu'da nodded and continued, "That old lady also said that the previous head of the Candy Family, Caval.

"He was an extremely terrifying person, violent and cruel, and often abused or even murdered the serfs in the manor.

"And many rumors said he was researching witchcraft.

"Ten years ago, Caval suddenly disappeared, and no one knew where he went.

"Since then, the entire manor was managed by his three sons."

Arthur interjected at the appropriate moment, "Two of his three sons have become monsters.

"I remember Jean and Luke, they died in the battle that night."

"Jean was the eldest of the three brothers, and Luke was the youngest," Ge'ertu'da added, "Among the three brothers, Marcel was the most unreasonable.

"He was also the one most like Caval.

"Six months ago, he also disappeared like his father.

"The servants in the manor privately speculated that his disappearance was also due to the family's curse.

"But not long after, the serfs in the manor also began to disappear for no apparent reason.

"My father and some others discussed returning to Mist Town to ask the Sheriff to investigate this matter.

"But the Candy Family and the overseers in the manor firmly forbade us to leave.

"And not long after, people in the Candy Family's manor also began to disappear one by one.

"I was so scared at the time that I secretly escaped from the manor and returned home.

"Father worried that I would be found by the Candy Family, so he hid me in the cellar. But after two or three days, no one came to search for me, not even the farm overseer made a move.

"We originally thought the matter had passed.

"Unexpectedly, not long after, the overseer took people and arrested Father, and then these terrible things happened."

Upon hearing this, Arthur already had a preliminary understanding of the entire matter.

He believed that as the investigation deepened, the full extent of the Candy Family's ordeal would eventually come to light.

The more they understood their enemy, the closer they were to victory.