Chapter 345: Preparations Before the Council
"A perimeter has been set up several blocks away, but once you get within a few dozen meters of the Memorial Hall, the police presence drops significantly," William thought to himself.
"The North American officials actually compromised on this... Hmm, what's that?"
On a secluded side street not far from the Memorial Hall, a delivery truck was parked by the curb.
Subsequently, several workers unloaded a box covered in black cloth from the truck. The box emanated a powerful aura of Holy Power.
William narrowed his eyes slightly and made a mental note of this.
After observing potential escape routes, he packed up his things and prepared to head to the next location.
The building he was in was a distance away from the Memorial Hall, but because it faced the venue directly, police were also deployed to patrol here.
After all, a Cabinet Secretary held a high position. In North America, famous for its assassins, such defensive measures were standard protocol.
Evading the patrols along the way, William quickly vanished into a first-floor ventilation duct.
At the same time, outside the perimeter of the Wilson Memorial Hall, a yellow and black caution tape blocked the road.
On the outer side stood many heavily armed police officers, all from the MPD (Metropolitan Police Department).
On the inner side stood several Holy Clergy Members wearing black robes.
The two sides simply stared at each other across the gap.
"Hey, the badge on my chest says Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, right? Why are we the ones standing on the outside?" A white police officer couldn't help but look down at his chest.
"Hmph, consider us lucky. Look at those guys in suits next door," a Black police officer beside him indicated a direction with his eyes.
"FBI?"
"Yeah. I heard from a friend that only some of their higher-ups were allowed inside. The rest of the agents all have to stand outside."
"Well, that's just..."
Similar conversations took place sporadically across several blocks.
Soon, a black sedan parked by the curb, and the two officers tactfully shut their mouths.
Gail pushed the door open and stepped out. Her tall, striking figure immediately drew a lot of attention.
Mark followed closely behind. He glanced around and hurriedly pulled Gail toward the Memorial Hall.
"Do you two have passes?" A Holy Clergy Member approached them.
Gail immediately flashed a silver amulet, which the Church had sent not long ago.
"Ah, friends from the Light of Humanity. Please, come in." Seeing the amulet, the black-robed Holy Clergy Member's attitude noticeably improved.
"There is a dedicated entrance for exorcists. You'll see it after going through the gate and turning left."
"Thank you."
Gail nodded slightly, then walked toward the steps with Mark.
Along the way, the two also saw a large group of reporters on the other side, being led through a side door by a Holy Clergy Member.
There were also quite a few people inside the Memorial Hall.
Just as the Holy Clergy Member had said, there was indeed a passage marked "Exorcists Only."
There weren't many people here, and their identities could be easily guessed from their attire.
Some carried long wooden boxes on their backs and wore metal armor. Others wore full-body robes that emanated a peculiar scent.
But regardless of their attire, they were quickly let through when passing the turnstiles. The Holy Clergy Members in charge of inspection didn't hinder them much.
"Knights, sorcerers... they actually accepted the invitation and came," Gail's eyes flickered.
The Light of Humanity was backed by the North American government, so their attendance wasn't surprising. But the Lord Knights had always had conflicts with the Church, which was somewhat beyond her expectations.
Compared to here, the situation at the "Non-Exorcist" passage was quite different.
"You have no right to take my belongings!"
An argument suddenly broke out in the lobby.
Gail looked in the direction of the noise and saw a middle-aged man in a formal suit being stopped.
His suit jacket was pulled askew, and he was currently frowning and glaring at a Holy Clergy Member.
"Please understand, sir. This item is contraband and cannot be brought into the council."
"Contraband?" The middle-aged man looked as if he had heard a joke.
"Look for yourself!" He held up a black thermos, pointing to a sticker on it. "It's a cartoon drawing! Have you heard of the Hulk?!"
The Holy Clergy Member nodded: "Bruce Banner, a superhero from MC Comics."
"Since that's the case!" The middle-aged man adjusted his stance, as if finding his confidence. "How can this thing be considered contraband!"
The onlookers nearby chimed in with agreement.
"The Hulk was created due to a mutation. This is also a form of evil invasion and could very well invite misfortune. Therefore, I cannot allow you to bring it in."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes went wide, wearing a "Are you kidding me?" expression.
"I..." He was interrupted just as he opened his mouth.
"If you wish to participate in the council, please follow the regulations. Otherwise, I will have to ask you to leave," the Holy Clergy Member's tone turned cold.
The middle-aged man took a few deep breaths, then reluctantly nodded.
"Do I really live in America?" He mocked himself and handed the thermos over.
"Please, come in." The Holy Clergy Member immediately stepped aside.
The onlookers were equally incredulous, but they were all here on assignment and couldn't just get kicked out, so they all remained silent.
Subsequently, several other people proactively pulled out items they deemed "suspicious."
Looking closely, it was just things like cigarette cases and keychains.
"Phew... good thing we gave our stuff to Claire beforehand," Mark whispered.
"This rule isn't aimed at exorcists," Gail said. "Let's go. Time to get down to business."
The two didn't follow the crowd toward the council hall. Instead, they slipped away unnoticed down an adjacent corridor.
Third Floor, North Corridor Equipment Room.
Gail pulled out a key, looked left and right for a moment, and then inserted it into the keyhole.
"Get in, quick!"
After the door opened, she grabbed Mark and pulled him inside.
"Hey, this feeling of a secret two-person operation is pretty nice," Mark said, looking around.
"Hurry up and find it. The council is starting soon," Gail said.
A moment later, the two found a black bag inside a metal cabinet. Opening it revealed numerous holy artifacts.
"This many!" Mark's mouth hung open.
"Claire is amazing. To be able to bring these things in under such strict security."
Gail squatted down and brushed her hair back: "This is D.C., the center of power in North America. It would be strange if she couldn't."
Hearing this, Mark nodded; that made perfect sense.
Subsequently, Gail took a walkie-talkie from her bag and pressed the call button.
After a burst of static, William's voice came through: "There's a pocket on the side of the black bag. Inside is a structural map of the Memorial Hall."
"Huh... how were you so sure we found the bag?" Mark couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
"Mr. Mark, there are only two possibilities for this situation to occur," William's voice quickly replied.
"First, Claire's professional competence is utterly terrible. Second, the items were discovered."
"If it were the second scenario, you two would have been apprehended long ago and wouldn't have the chance to use the walkie-talkie."
"But if it's the first scenario, that only proves that the professional competence of North American agents is truly lacking."
Gail rolled her eyes beside him.
"I was just curious, hehe..." Mark looked sheepish and scratched his head.
William said: "So, after wasting a little time, can we get back to business?"
"I found the structural map," Gail had already opened the side pocket. The unfolded blueprint had some notes and drawings on it.
"Excellent. Now, following the sequence marked on the blueprint, place these holy artifacts in specific locations," William said. "By the way, this is indeed a magic array."
"Is there an evil existence in the Memorial Hall?" Gail couldn't help but frown.
"It's just a preventative measure to ensure we hold the initiative under any circumstances," William said, recalling the box covered in black cloth from earlier.
"I understand!"
Second Floor, Guest Lounge.
"Secretary Underwood, these are the professional materials provided by the exorcist. Please try to familiarize yourself with them as much as possible before the council begins."
Claire, wearing a solid black turtleneck sweater, leaned over and handed a stack of paper documents to a middle-aged man in a tailored suit.
"Thank you, Claire," Underwood smiled.
"Where is the exorcist? How can he not be present at a meeting like this?"
A man standing next to the Secretary—his Chief of Staff—spoke up.
"Heh, with an attitude like that, he definitely must be from the Church," Nick chimed in. He was also present.
Claire narrowed her eyes slightly and then had no choice but to explain: "Mr. Secretary, that exorcist's identity is quite sensitive and is highly likely to cause misunderstandings with the Church, so..."
"I don't care about excuses! Go find him immediately!" the Chief of Staff yelled.
At this time, Underwood raised his hand, stopping his subordinate's rudeness.
"Being able to consider our relationship with the Church, this Mr. Exorcist is very thoughtful. Furthermore... the contents of these documents are very detailed, enough to handle this council."
He waved the file in his hand. The title read: "On the Impact of Evil Existences on Humanity."
"Secretary, the President left you a message," a female secretary walked out from the next room.
"A message?" Underwood raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like his style."
He smiled at the people around him, then took a memo from the secretary's hand.
There was only a short message written on it—Kevin, I figure you must be preparing for the meeting, so I won't disturb you further. I'll be waiting at 1600 until it concludes.
Underwood's eyes flickered.
He was forced to participate in this Exorcism Council while everyone else hid behind him. And now they thought a perfunctory message would comfort him?
How ridiculous!
"It's truly touching that the President can find the time to keep an eye on this amidst his busy schedule," Underwood smiled and stood up, tossing the memo aside.
Knock... Knock...
The lounge door was knocked on suddenly, and a Holy Clergy Member in a black robe walked in.
"Mr. Secretary, the meeting is about to begin."
"Then let's go."
First Floor, outside the Council Hall corridor.
Three men wearing longswords stood there.
"Mr. Hawkwood, the meeting is about to start. Can I stop now?" Squire Pence whispered, looking at a bearded man in front of him.
The latter was tall and looked very steady.
"You know... maintaining the Spirit Awakening state takes a lot of stamina, and there are no evil spirits around right now."
"Perseverance is an excellent quality of a knight. No slacking off!" Henry chimed in from the side. His forehead was already covered in fine beads of sweat.
"This isn't for training," Hawkwood said in a deep voice. "The Church is acting too out of line this time. Things might go wrong."
"Then... if a fight breaks out later, whose side are we on?" Pence blinked.
"Idiot!" Henry slapped the former's head. "Can't we just run!"
"S-sorry."
Hawkwood narrowed his eyes slightly; that wasn't what he was worried about.
The Church segregating North America from the other factions using the "Exorcists" pretext clearly harbored ill intentions.
Originally, he advocated that the Lord Knights not participate in this council, and the higher-ups initially agreed.
But who would have thought that as the council approached, the higher-ups suddenly changed their minds, even ordering him, a Templar Knight, to lead the team, without giving him a specific reason.
"Sigh... we can only take it one step at a time," he sighed inwardly.
Not far from the three knights stood a male and female sorcerer.
One of them was very short and wore a wide-brimmed, pointed hat.
"Witch Winona, I leave the potions in your care," Longbarn handed over a briefcase.
"Making a lady carry the luggage isn't gentlemanly behavior," a cold and beautiful witch remarked.
Longbarn adjusted his hat: "Hey, is that an invitation for a date?"
Winona was instantly rendered speechless and could only roll her eyes at him.
"By the way, why did we bring so many healing potions this time?" she asked in a low voice. "Was someone in D.C. invaded by evil?"
Longbarn shrugged: "Who knows. President Merlin specifically ordered this."
"He just told me I'd understand once we got here."
Winona could only shake her head.
Subsequently, she leaned close to Longbarn's ear: "Speaking of the Church, that priest we met at the Philadelphia high school last time... he wouldn't really collude with demons, would he?"
Hearing this, Longbarn hurriedly placed an index finger over his lips: "This isn't the Association. Don't talk about that here!"
"Tch... you were even the one who wanted to go find him back then," Winona crossed her arms.
Longbarn sighed. He indeed had a good impression of Father William and found it hard to believe he was that kind of person.
But since the two belonged to different factions, it wasn't his place to say anything.
At this time, the surrounding people began moving toward the council hall in unison. It seemed the meeting was about to start, so the two quickly followed.
In just a few minutes, the venue was packed with people.
Many reporters also stood along the walls; they were all specially invited by the Church this time.
Before long, a side door opened, and a group of people wearing white and gold robes walked in, quickly taking their seats on one side of the main stage.
Immediately after, a group of people in tailored suits also entered.
Among the first group, an elderly man stood up.
"Secretary Underwood, may the Lord bless you. It is our honor that you could attend this council." Parolin drew a cross on his chest.
"Cardinal Parolin, you bear the responsibility of purifying evil. You must also be working very hard."
The two shook hands, then smiled as they faced the audience below.
Click... Click.
A flurry of camera shutters quickly erupted from below.
After taking photos for the news covers, the two returned to their respective seats.
Parolin picked up a pair of glasses from the table, put them on, and then spoke: "I thank the North American officials, the Lord Knights..."
After a round of pleasantries, he quickly got to the main point.