Chapter 238: Exorcist Guild
Practicing Theology takes a very long time.
During the non-Brand Manifestation stage, people don't spend too much time on it.
Take the "Eyes" stage as an example.
If it's the Brand Manifestation of this stage, then like William, one must practice high-level Holy Arts such as the Holy Eye.
Otherwise, most people only practice the first-level Holy Art, Spiritual Vision.
After that, they will begin the practice of the next stage, "Skin," until they reach the stage of their own Brand Manifestation, and then delve into the direction of high-level Holy Arts.
This can maximize the use of Holy Power and allow one to become a qualified exorcist within a limited lifespan.
And the path William has to take can simply be summarized as—I want it all.
Therefore, the time he spends will also be more.
William rubbed his chin: "Currently, I can't start the practice of the 'Bones' stage yet."
To use Holy Power to forge bones, there is a minimum threshold condition—completing the basic practice of the previous stage, Skin.
According to William's current progress, he has to at least reshape another arm.
So he quickly clarified his goal—
First, take on a few low-rated exorcism commissions, and completely reshape the other arm under the premise of ensuring safety.
In this way, when taking on other commissions later, he can simultaneously practice the four stages of "Eyes, Skin, Bones, and Soul Body."
Thinking of this, he immediately prepared to head to the Commission Room.
But before that, there was one more thing.
William took out that leather glove.
Having lost the influence of Freddy's power, the glove seemed to have become an ordinary item.
But William, well-versed in the rules of American Horror, didn't think so.
Once sufficient conditions are provided, he believes Freddy will definitely return to the human world.
Moreover, from his perspective, he can find that a small portion of power still remains on the glove.
Although wrapped in evil aura, the inside is very precious Source Power.
At the same time, there is also a broken transparent chain on the surface of the glove.
This should be the connection between the soul and the physical body, but at this time it is manifesting on an item.
William can't help but suspect, could it be that the glove is Freddy's main body?
But due to the existence of the chain, he cannot extract the Source Power inside for the time being.
So he plans to seal this thing first, waiting until his theological practice reaches a higher level, maybe he can find an extraction method.
After putting away the leather glove, William began to consider the next commission.
"Mmh, this time maybe I can consider an 'Anomaly' rating."
Recalling the recently accepted tasks, the danger levels of many commissions were not low.
Most of the time, William had to focus on dealing with evil spirits and demons, and only a minority of the time could he advance his theological practice progress.
Therefore, he planned to give himself a "Vacation," first completing the Skin practice with low-level commissions.
"It couldn't be that Anomaly ratings also have pitfalls..." he thought inwardly.
After deciding, William immediately headed to the Seminary Commission Room.
But unfortunately, the Church didn't have any "Anomaly" rated commissions recently.
"Sorry, Father William, because of the transfer of Holy Clergy Members previously, it caused a lot of commissions to pile up."
Flora looked apologetic.
"All the low-rated tasks have been taken by the seminary students."
The corner of William's mouth twitched: "Could this be the Lord's revelation to me..."
At this time Flora suddenly remembered something.
She looked around, looking cautious.
"Father William, there is a place that might have Anomaly-rated commissions."
William raised an eyebrow.
Flora waved her hand, signaling William to come closer.
"Saying this will violate Church commandments; Father William, you cannot tell anyone else."
William immediately made a cross on his chest: "I swear in the name of the Lord."
Flora brushed her hair, only then lowering her voice and saying: "Have you heard of the Exorcist Guild?"
William shook his head.
"This is a place where North American exorcists gather; everyone trades intelligence and issues commissions inside..."
Listening to Flora's words, William understood in his heart.
This Exorcist Guild is equivalent to a large-scale communication place for exorcists.
Here you can meet exorcists from major forces.
Some exorcism supplies and special items from other exorcism forces are also sold inside.
And commissions in areas outside the Church's jurisdiction are generally issued in the Exorcist Guild.
If an exorcist is willing to undertake it, they can contact the issuer, and of course, they can also look for companions willing to cooperate within the Guild.
If sufficient transaction rewards are provided, one can even hire an exorcist to work for themselves.
"Even though they are all exorcists, the Church explicitly forbids any Holy Clergy Members from going to the Guild, because these places are all heretical powers."
Flora said quietly.
"Very Church-like style indeed," William thought inwardly.
At the same time, he was also surprised that Flora dared to say such things.
It seems after experiencing the death of her husband, she hadn't completely let go in her heart.
"Such a place, do the authorities not care?" William asked another doubt.
Exorcists, transactions, commissions...
Such a place can only exist in the gray area.
And as the higher-ups of North America, can they really rest assured with a bunch of people possessing supernatural powers gathering together?
Regarding this, Flora's explanation was "Forced by circumstances."
"Although we have a cooperative relationship with the authorities, it is not completely harmonious inside..."
William quickly understood the nun's meaning.
The Church's power spreads across the entire world, with the Vatican as the center of power.
And North America is just one of its missionary lands.
Therefore, many times, the interests of North America are not the Church's primary consideration.
For example recently, due to a large number of Holy Clergy Members being transferred, the "Casualty rate of evil incidents" in America has significantly increased.
So the North American authorities cannot solely rely on the Church to expel evil.
At this time, an institution like the Exorcist Guild is needed to exist.
"You definitely don't know another item of the Guild!" Flora said.
Seeing William's puzzled face, she revealed the answer—Exorcist License!
"The Guild was jointly founded by several powerful exorcists. To cope with the frequent evil incidents, the Guild formulated the 'License' rule many years ago."
"This is a recognition for powerful exorcists!"
"Only exorcists holding a license can take high-rated commissions from the Guild, otherwise, they can only take some simple evil spirit cases."
"Of course, this is also to allow those exorcists to gain more convenience when completing commissions."
"Every exorcist in the Guild yearns to get a license, but it's too difficult!"
Flora waved her hand: "I'm going off-topic~"
"Anyway, you can go there and take a look; maybe you'll have some harvest."
After speaking, she picked up a pen and paper from the desk, wrote down an address, and then took out a silver coin, handing them both to William.
"Sometimes the Church needs evil remains to be handed in, and I will secretly go buy some too." Flora stuck her tongue out.
It seems the rule that "Holy Clergy Members are forbidden to go to the Exorcist Guild," just like other commandments, is "Flexible."
William smiled and took it.
He looked at the silver coin in his hand; a line of Latin was engraved on it.
Besides this, the material of the silver coin itself was also very special; with William's current physical strength, it would be hard to destroy it.
This silver coin is the voucher to enter the Exorcist Guild.
Otherwise, even if you go there, you cannot access any information about the Guild.
And after listening to Flora's words, William quickly realized one thing—
The Exorcist Guild very likely also has the authorities behind it.
Otherwise, how could an Exorcist License possess so many privileges in multiple regions worldwide?
Come to think of it, only an existence like America can make other countries give some face.
But these things are too far from William; right now he better focus on this commission first.
Philadelphia.
82 Sea Lion Street, Sea Lion Building.
This is the Exorcist Guild's stronghold in Philadelphia, located at the intersection of a fork in the road, presenting itself externally as a hotel.
William stood by the road, looking at this building at the intersection.
The Sea Lion Building is overall shaped like a triangular prism, with the tip exactly at the intersection.
Warm yellow exterior walls, pitch-black door frames...
Although similar to the surrounding architectural style, its geographical location still makes the Sea Lion Building quite conspicuous.
"The price of this land shouldn't be cheap..." William sighed inwardly.
Along both sides of the street are high-rise buildings, the gathering place of finance and commerce inside.
This street is undoubtedly the core prosperous area nearby.
For the Exorcist Guild to choose this place as its stronghold, the financial resources and strength behind it can be imagined.
William adjusted his belt and walked towards the building steps.
Today he deliberately changed out of his black priest's robe and put on a formal suit.
But because the clothes didn't fit well, the upper body effect inevitably highly resembled two professions.
Real Estate Agent & Insurance Salesman.
The people going in and out of the hotel all looked like guests.
William observed with [Holy Eye] and found no existence of supernatural powers.
Subsequently, he came to the hotel reception.
"How may I help you, sir?" An older manager spoke up.
He wore a suit and leather shoes, with a just-right smile on his face, looking quite professional.
William felt his pocket and placed the silver coin on the desk.
Subsequently, he clearly saw surprise in the manager's eyes.
"Excuse me, may I take a look?"
"Of course."
The manager picked up the silver coin and looked at it for a moment, then walked out from behind the reception desk.
"Please follow me."
No questioning of identity, nor looking down upon his attire.
William followed the manager through a corridor, subsequently arriving in front of an elevator.
The building only has fifteen floors, but after the manager took out a work card and swiped it, the elevator slowly moved downwards.
At this time, the manager finally spoke again: "Forgive my presumption, this should be your first time coming to the Exorcist Guild."
William nodded.
Hearing this, the manager smiled: "This elevator is the staff passage. Normally Guild guests will have a dedicated entrance, so that guests can conveniently carry exorcism tools."
He watched William stuff a crucifix into his pocket and slowly explained.
"So that's how it is."
"Before entering the venue, shall I introduce the situation of the Guild to you again?"
"This is exactly what I need, Mr. Manager." William stopped hiding.
"You can call me Farlin Morgan. If you have any needs in the Exorcist Guild, you can call me at any time." Farlin smiled. "The Exorcist Guild is a communication venue specially provided for North American exorcists..."
The initial content was similar to what William heard from Flora, but there was still new content.
For example, William could become a member of the Exorcist Guild, and in this way, he could obtain his own silver coin.
Besides the convenience of entry and exit, if he needed to trade items in the future, he could also hide his identity information, making the whole process safer.
"The silver coin is not only the voucher to enter the Guild but also an item to record Exorcism Points."
Farlin returned the silver coin to William.
"If you are willing to undertake the Guild's commissions, you will gain a certain amount of points after the exorcism is completed."
"Points can be exchanged for some items in the Guild, such as residence rights in a Guild-owned hotel somewhere, money, some special services, and evil materials."
"Of course, some materials might be too precious; you might have to supplement some items extra to reach a deal."
William nodded, expressing understanding.
Accompanied by a mechanical sound, the elevator reached the bottom.
After the doors opened, the noise was the first to rush in.
This seemed to be a large underground space, with many people in bizarre outfits walking outside.
Knights, mediums, wizards, demon hunters...
William took a rough look and recognized the origins of many exorcists.
Among them, only a few people wore Church attire, but looking closely, there were still quite a few "Plainclothes" retaining the habits of Holy Clergy Members.
At the same time, there were also many elevators in other corners of the Guild.
Although it's unclear where they connect to, presumably they are the exorcist passages Farlin mentioned.
"This is the main area of the Guild; the commission board and item exchange can all be found here." Farlin pointed in a direction.
William looked over and saw many people gathered in front of a long wooden board, with many papers stuck on it, exactly exorcism commissions.
"Actually using such a retro display method." The corner of William's mouth twitched.
"This is specially requested by our President." Farlin smiled upon hearing this.
"Classics never go out of style; this is the philosophy he has always insisted on."
William shrugged.
"The rating of Guild commissions is consistent with the Church. Although we are not harmonious with the Church, their assessment method is indeed good."
"After you have chosen a commission, you can go to the bar to look for Brad; he's the bartender."
Farlin pointed to an older black man.
"He will handle the follow-up matters of accepting the commission for you. If you want to exchange for some intelligence or items, he can also provide you with help."
"It really is a classic American movie..." William thought inwardly.
Speaking of which, from the time he entered the door until now, he found everything here highly resembled a certain killer movie series (John Wick).
He has reason to suspect the President of the Exorcist Guild is a movie fan.
At this time Farlin spoke again: "If you want to find a companion to complete a commission together, you can also ask in the hall."
"The Guild can guarantee the cooperation between you and your companion, and charge a certain fee. But we will not intervene in the subsequent specific exorcism, so you need to bear the risks during the action yourself."
"Of course, if you need a more private conversation venue, you can also go to the private rooms downstairs..."
William nodded thoughtfully.
At this moment, many people in the hall were looking for companions.
Among them, some quickly reached an agreement, while others seemed to have a dispute over interests. After the two parties got up from the table, they quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Afterward, Farlin introduced many rules to William.
For example, within the Exorcist Guild, no member is allowed to privately fight or kill each other, regardless of whatever hatred exists between the two.
Once discovered, not only will they be expelled from the Guild, but they will also be hunted down by all members of the Exorcist Guild.
Overall, the Exorcist Guild mostly plays the role of a "Middleman," providing a safe platform for exorcists.
The Church has a large family and a big business, so William hadn't felt it deeply along the way.
But if it were exorcists with weak forces, they probably wouldn't even know how to obtain basic exorcism information.
Looking at it this way, those who founded the Exorcist Guild indeed did a meaningful thing.
"What is that?" William pointed to several giant screens in mid-air.
"The Evil Resentment Leaderboard." Farlin said.
"This is the leaderboard measuring the situation of exorcists completing commissions."
"Oh? Then why isn't it calculated by the number of completions, but... resentment?"
Farlin said: "The silver coin in your hand is made of a special material that can absorb the resentment aura of evil spirits and demons."
"Whenever purifying evil, the silver coin will proactively absorb these auras. Of course, this will not have any impact on yourself."
"And the amount of aura absorbed will be displayed in real-time on this screen; members at all strongholds of the Exorcist Guild can see it."
"You can also understand it as—the Exorcist Strength Ranking."
William let out a "Ha" inside; this is undoubtedly a good way to stand out.
Presumably, many exorcists would constantly take on commissions to get a higher ranking.
After all, fame can bring status and money.
However, William still somewhat admired the Exorcist Guild's methods; to actually be able to collect a substance like "Evil Spirit Emotion."
"The leftmost screen displays the resentment values of the top twenty exorcists all year round. The rest will sequentially loop through the situation of the top one thousand," Farlin continued.
"If an exorcist gains a higher resentment value, it will also be displayed on the screen in real-time."
William immediately asked curiously: "In one commission, how much resentment value can purifying an evil bring?"
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