Chapter 16: Basic Exorcism Training
Ren nodded.
"I only found out after I was promoted to the Parish..."
According to Ren, when Church clergy were baptized, they all took vows of poverty and chastity.
But rules are dead, and people are alive.
Everyone knew the score; these rules were mostly to fool the rookies.
Therefore, many high-ranking clergy in dioceses and parishes had a few illegitimate children.
In the past, there was a high probability these children would never be acknowledged.
The lucky ones were sent to monasteries or lived as ordinary people in society.
The unlucky ones were abandoned at birth.
But ever since the Holy Word appeared, all the high-ranking clergy seemed to have a telepathic understanding and brought their children back.
The purpose was self-evident: to compete for the position of Saint.
At the same time, because they held high positions in the Church, whenever there were benefits to be had in the diocese or parish, they prioritized their own people.
For example, 5-year or even 10-year-old holy artifacts.
"It looks like everyone has a chance, but let's be honest, we're just there to make up the numbers."
Ren saw things clearly.
"But having said that, we still have to learn exorcism! The female residents of the community are waiting for me to save them!" He chuckled.
After listening to Ren, William understood—
The Church was still the Church. Wherever there were people, there were conflicts of interest.
It just depended on whose title was more convincing.
As for becoming a Saint, William naturally ruled it out immediately.
Considering the benefits this status brought, it wasn't hard to imagine the fierce competition it would trigger within the Church.
For a small priest like him with no background, trying to compete for the title of Saint would be a death wish.
Ren was thirsty after talking for so long, so he picked up the holy water on the table and gulped it down. Then he proposed staying overnight at the church.
Although exorcism artifacts had been distributed, most clergy members hadn't truly mastered how to use them.
Therefore, the Church had arranged for professionals to travel to various states to provide basic exorcism training for lower-level personnel.
This could be considered the Church fulfilling some responsibility.
As for improving exorcism skills later, that would depend on the individual.
There happened to be a training session in the city center tomorrow, and Ren planned to take William along.
"It's mainly about preparing holy artifacts, rehearsing exorcism scenarios, and so on..."
Local churches generally only offered this level of courses.
However, places like the Diocese or even the Vatican offered more professional exorcism courses.
But similarly, those places only recruited "core members." Unless invited, ordinary clergy were not eligible to participate.
"After the training is complete, two 'Young Masters' from the Parish will arrive."
Ren made air quotes with his fingers.
"They are carrying a commission issued by the Church and need assistance from our local church to complete it."
"When the time comes, we don't need to try to be heroes. They definitely brought stronger holy artifacts. We just need to stand on the sidelines and cheer!"
William said, "Sounds like you have to participate too."
Who knew that hearing this, Ren's face would immediately crumple.
"Don't mention it! My life in finance used to be so comfortable..."
According to Ren, since the appearance of the Holy Word, the circulation of holy artifacts had been assigned to the department managing finances.
Such an important position naturally had to be in the hands of "capable people," so Ren was demoted one level.
Therefore, after collecting this month's tribute, he also had to participate in the commission received by the Parish.
And since one of the tasks happened to be in William's area, he tagged along.
The night passed without incident.
...
The Next Day.
Early in the morning, William completed his daily spiritual practice as usual.
Current progress of various events—
[Psychological Counseling +1]
[Current Progress: Tier 1 (18/100)]
...
[Cleansing Sight +1]
[Current Progress: Tier 1 (268/1000)]
...
[Holy Water Consecration]
[Current Progress: Tier 1 (85/100)]
...
[Scripture Reading +1]
[Current Progress: Tier 1 (5/100)]
After helping Renai, the progress of Holy Water Consecration had accumulated quite a bit. It should level up after participating in this Church commission.
Meanwhile, Ren finally got up.
So the two drove to the city center.
The location was a nursing home owned by the Church, responsible for taking care of elderly people in need.
Of course, admission was free, considered a welfare benefit provided by the Church.
The two arrived at a large activity room where the elderly usually took walks.
Besides them, there were many clergy members from nearby churches, such as priests, deacons, and nuns.
The lecturer was a nun named Theresa.
She looked quite old, wearing round-frame glasses, and appeared very knowledgeable.
Theresa gestured for everyone to sit down.
"Today, I will teach you how to make Holy Water and how to determine its age."
Theresa took out some items as she spoke.
"To make Holy Water, you need purified water, salt, and a holy object..."
According to her, before making Holy Water, one needed to chant blessings over the salt and mix it with purified water.
Then came the crucial part—during the mixing process, the unfinished Holy Water had to be placed under a holy statue while devoutly chanting prayers silently.
After that, bottling it in a glass container completed the process.
Theresa took out a piece of paper.
This was a special paper made from sage, bay leaves, holy oil, and other materials, capable of detecting the purity of Holy Water.
She picked up the Holy Water and placed a drop on the paper.
The clergy members leaned forward to see.
After contacting the paper, the Holy Water quickly revealed a faint blue color.
"This is considered a success."
Theresa held it up to show everyone.
"Ordinary Holy Water will show this color, indicating that its age is under one year."
"If it fails, there will be no color."
"After this, you can enshrine it under a holy statue. As time passes, the color of the Holy Water on the paper will deepen."
A fellow church member raised his hand.
"So high-age Holy Water will appear dark blue on the paper?"
Others were also curious about this question.
Theresa smiled faintly.
"When Holy Water has been blessed for over ten years, it will appear purple. Over twenty years, it will be pink."
She then changed the subject.
"If it exceeds one hundred years..."
Everyone looked curious, including William.
"Then the drop on the paper will bloom with a dazzling golden light."
Seeing the longing on everyone's faces, Theresa poured cold water on them.
"But Holy Water over ten years old is rare, generally only found in the Vatican or large dioceses.
"As for century-old Holy Water... I've only seen it in sacred texts."
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Seeing this, Theresa interrupted, "Alright, now everyone try to make a portion of Holy Water."
Hearing this, everyone took out their materials, including William and Ren.
For a while, the activity room was filled with the sounds of chanting scriptures.
Shortly after.
"Success!"
A deacon stood up excitedly.
Theresa went over to check and saw a faint blue color left on the paper.
She nodded. Succeeding on the first try was very good.
But after this deacon, several people failed in a row, and Ren was one of them.
This was within Theresa's expectations.
The success of making Holy Water was also related to the individual's level of spiritual cultivation.
People who persisted in theological studies for a long time had purer Holy Light power, and the quality of the Holy Water they made was better.
The deacon who succeeded first held his head high. Seeing that others couldn't do it, he could barely suppress the smile on his lips.
Others might not know, but Sister Theresa had an unusual status in the Diocese.
Besides teaching knowledge, she was also responsible for another task this time.
To select potential talents to go to the Diocese for systematic exorcism study, in order to deal with the dangers predicted by the Holy Word.
"Looks like I have a good chance!" he thought to himself.
On the other side.
William also made a portion of Holy Water as required. He did this often, so he finished quickly.
However, usually, he just casually mixed the holy water and salt without so much procedure.
William took a drop of Holy Water and dripped it onto the paper.
In the next moment.
The pure white paper suddenly changed, blooming with a vivid blue color.
But it wasn't over. The blue color deepened, even showing faint signs of turning purple.
William raised an eyebrow.
At this moment, Theresa happened to walk up to him.