Not long after, two motorcycles stopped at the church entrance.
Behind this church was a cemetery where nearby residents were buried, and some passersby could also use it to rest; the church administrators allowed it.
"When will all this end?" Johnny immediately sat on a red-painted pew after entering the church. When he became Ghost Rider, although he couldn't control his body, he clearly knew what he was doing.
That feeling of being controlled by another person was truly awful…
Ailer sat next to Johnny and calmly said, "It's difficult. When you signed that contract from the devil, it became very hard for 'stability' to be associated with your life."
Johnny covered his face with his hands, feeling a bit desolate.
Johnny should have been enjoying flowers and applause, and a passionate kiss from his childhood sweetheart, but the arrival of the devil father and son ruined everything.
This kind of disparity was hard to accept…
But fortunately, Ailer appeared and pointed Johnny to a clear path, a way to break free from the contract's control.
"I know." With his face covered by his hands, Johnny's voice sounded a bit muffled, "I will find a way to get rid of this contract."
"I wish you success," Ailer encouraged.
Upon hearing this, Johnny took a deep breath, then looked around. Past memories surged like Water.
"I never thought I'd come here…"
"What's wrong?" Ailer asked.
"I remember this place. My biological father's funeral was held here. He was very devout, and yet I made a deal with the devil." Johnny chuckled self-deprecatingly as he spoke, then he stood up from the pew, "Since I've finally come here, I might as well go take a look."
With that, Johnny led Ailer out of the church and into the cemetery behind.
Johnny skillfully walked to a tombstone. This tombstone was somewhat simple, with only his father's name and the phrase 'Dear Father'. He knelt down, gently wiped away the dust from the tombstone, and softly murmured:
"Father…"
Ailer stood behind Johnny, quietly watching this man who was destined to be extraordinary.
"Good morning, boys."
At this moment, an old, strong voice came from behind the two. They turned around and saw an Old Cowboy leaning on a shovel, watching them.
The Old Cowboy smiled, but when he saw Johnny, his smile became meaningful.
"Take my advice, kid, you can't escape, especially after you've signed the contract."
"You know about me?" Johnny looked puzzled. "Who exactly are you?"
"Someone like you once." The Old Cowboy adjusted the brim of his hat. He rested the shovel on his shoulder and then said to the two:
"And you, you come with me too. I see you're carrying a Kamar-Taj token. We're on the same path."
The Old Cowboy led the two to a side room, which was where he lived as the cemetery caretaker. It was furnished with some simple daily necessities. He sat on the bed, and had Ailer and Johnny sit on chairs.
"During the day, he's just an ordinary person, but at night, he'll be possessed by a spirit. That's Ghost Rider. You'll want to judge evil souls, won't you?" The Old Cowboy seemed to know everything.
"Pretty much. My consciousness was hazy then; I didn't have any specific goal." Johnny said, covering his forehead, "I remember 'it' wanted to judge someone's soul, but it failed."
As he spoke, Johnny unconsciously glanced at Ailer. He remembered Ghost Rider wanting to use Eye of Judgment on Ailer, but this mysterious and powerful young man wasn't afraid at all and could even fight Ghost Rider.
"The Eye of Judgment isn't infallible; it occasionally makes mistakes." The Old Cowboy pulled out a hip flask from behind him. He unscrewed the cap and took a sip. "But that's the best weapon, and every Ghost Rider uses it."
"Are other Riders like me?" Johnny noticed an interesting thing in the Old Cowboy's words.
According to the Old Cowboy, it seemed there were other Ghost Riders in this World.
"Some, and you're different from the others." The Old Cowboy tightened the cap. "But like me, do you have time to listen to my story?"
"Yes!" Before Johnny could speak, Ailer made the decision for him.
Then, the Old Cowboy told the two a story.
"About one hundred and fifty years ago, there was a cowboy named Carter Slade. He yearned for freedom. One day, he met a You-Know-Who. The You-Know-Who granted him freedom but required him to sign a contract to become Ghost Rider and work for him. The cowboy disliked the You-Know-Who's way of doing things and betrayed him in what was theoretically the last mission, hiding with some things."
Ailer and Johnny both understood that the You-Know-Who the Old Cowboy referred to was Mephisto, and the cowboy named Carter Slade was the old man himself.
In other words, this Old Cowboy was once Ghost Rider, but he was old now and probably couldn't transform into Ghost Rider anymore.
"Are you referring to the San Venganza Contract?" Ailer asked directly.
"Yes, I hid it." The Old Cowboy looked at the two in front of him and asked, "Since you've found me, that means others are also looking for this, right?"
"That guy wants me to kill Blackheart," Johnny explained. "So he made me Ghost Rider."
"Blackheart… that guy still hasn't sorted out his father-son relationship." The Old Cowboy shook his head and said. He turned to look out the window and calmly stated:
"He'll probably discover this place soon. From now on, it's up to you young people."
"So, where exactly is that contract? After all, we came for it too," Ailer pressed.
This San Venganza Contract was very important. At least, Blackheart thought that if he got this thing, he would have a chance to overthrow his father. If one wanted to kill him, this was the best bait.
"My Kamar-Taj friend, you don't need to worry. The contract has always been with me. If you want to take this red-hot iron into your hands, I won't refuse you." The Old Cowboy said very frankly. He focused his gaze on Ailer and then said:
"What I'm truly worried about is that he will start with the people around you."
"Interesting." Ailer chuckled, thinking that he only had one person on his household register. If Blackheart could bring a living direct relative to him, then Ailer would consider him impressive.
"I… Wait, Roxanne! Can he really find someone I care about?"
Johnny himself was a lone wolf, with no relatives to speak of, but he had someone he loved, and that was his childhood sweetheart, Roxanne.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)