As soon as the doll was taken out, Lorraine sensed the lingering evil on it; it wasn't particularly strong, and its owner likely hadn't awakened yet, but there were signs of it.
She touched the doll, clearly aware of the nursery rhyme.
"Can you seal this doll?"
John shook his head.
"The doll already has an owner."
Lorraine understood.
"Then let's take this doll back first. We will investigate the matter, but not now. If possible, I hope you can help us after passing the church's assessment."
John asked, "May I ask what this is about?"
Lorraine glanced at her husband, and Ed took over, beginning to speak.
"Recently, we've been investigating a doll incident. Do you know Annabelle?"
John, of course, knew Annabelle; this puppet was one of the series he understood best.
"I heard that originally, a couple, missing their tragically deceased daughter, tried to use some kind of witchcraft to recall her soul, but the so-called daughter was actually a demon in disguise."
Ed was surprised, "You actually know."
"I've heard a little about the doll. The 'Hundred Dolls' series was very popular at the time."
Ed nodded, then began to tell the story like a storyteller.
"We investigated for a long time and found that the incident originated with a man named Anthony in the Western region. He was a renowned puppet master, capable of making every puppet incredibly lifelike."
"The 'Hundred Dolls' series was very popular at the time, but Anthony's daughter, Annabelle, was involved in a car accident on the highway because she went to pick up a discarded doll."
"Gradually, Anthony and his wife missed their daughter so much that they even resorted to evil forces to let their daughter's soul reside in a doll."
"The uncertainty of summoning souls is great; the soul in the doll's body was not Anthony's daughter, but a cruel demon skilled at disguise."
"The demon had no name, but later everyone called her Annabelle."
"Actually, it was Anthony's daughter's name."
"This is..."
The Birth of Annabelle.
Emma had entered the living room at some point, listening intently to Ed's story with her large eyes.
Lorraine glanced at the little girl, finding her quite cute, just a little older than her own daughter.
John only understood at this point; although he knew of Annabelle's existence, he certainly didn't know the details as thoroughly as the Warren couple.
"Later, the doll disappeared, but we investigated and found that it was bought by someone and taken home as a gift for his wife." Ed paused here.
Clearly, their investigation had reached its current limit.
Lorraine and Ed felt some shame; after all, John was just a newcomer who hadn't even passed the church's assessment.
They were seeking his help, and doing so might bring him danger.
"No problem, I'm very happy to help Mr. Ed and Ms. Lorraine. If you need anything, you can call me anytime."
John appeared very enthusiastic. Although Annabelle was dangerous, he wasn't without ideas; he just needed to make a few small preparations before the Warren couple officially began their investigation.
After all, he had no means of dealing with demons in this regard.
Ed stood up and extended his hand, and John responded, shaking it.
"Thank you, John."
Lorraine also extended a hand.
"Thank you for your hospitality. Things have been so hectic recently that I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'll definitely treat you to tea when I have time."
The Warren couple left after completing the assessment and their investigation.
They had many things to do.
Emma looked at their retreating figures thoughtfully, then turned to John and asked.
"Annabelle? Is she more powerful than Mary Shaw?"
"I'm not very clear on that either." John couldn't answer this question; after all, he hadn't fought her. Perhaps one day he would be able to answer this question.
Emma's curiosity was strong, and she asked another question.
"Can that monster at your house that day beat them?"
"Probably."
John's tone was somewhat perfunctory, and Emma noticed, but she didn't ask further.
She wasn't one of those mischievous children who didn't know any better.
As long as John frowned, she would stop everything she was doing to coax him, whether by crying or acting cute and spoiled, she could do it all.
This was why John didn't dislike the little one hanging out in his yard.
Emma was frighteningly sensible.
The matter had come to a temporary close.
On the fourth day, Jennifer returned.
Jennifer had just dealt with those annoying matters and came back, thinking of getting intimate with her boyfriend to satisfy her cravings.
But as soon as she entered the door, she saw the little girl in the yard and was instantly stunned.
Could this be John's illegitimate daughter? Why had she never heard him mention it?
Emma looked at the big, brainless woman in front of her with unfriendly eyes and questioned.
"Who are you?"
Jennifer wasn't sure who this little girl was, so her tone was as gentle as possible.
"I'm John's girlfriend, the mistress of this house. What's your name?"
Emma eyed Jennifer suspiciously, seemingly a little disbelieving that John would actually like such a woman.
"You're not, you're not worthy of him."
Jennifer's defenses broke.
"What do you know, little girl? Where's Jhon?"
"Jennifer, you're back?"
Jennifer heard the voice and looked up to see John sitting on the second floor, sunbathing.
"Who is this little girl?"
John: "Neighbor David's daughter."
"???" A neighbor's daughter acting so arrogantly in her house, Jennifer almost thought she misheard.
But when she learned that Emma really was neighbor David's daughter, she was speechless. Where did this annoying brat come from?
She immediately started trying to kick her out.
"Go play at your own house! I'm the mistress of this villa now!"
"Impossible."
These three words revealed Emma's determination; if Jennifer dared to touch her, she would cry.
Jennifer wasn't one to be trifled with, and she grabbed Emma by the collar, ready to kick her out.
But Emma was also very clever, slipping into the house, dodging and hiding, and even taunting her face-to-face.
Jennifer was so angry that she went to John to complain.
John didn't have time to deal with the arguments and conflicts between the big and small.
Under the full recommendation of the Warren couple, John registered as an exorcist for the Holy See the next day.
As the saying goes, if you eat someone's food, you are indebted; if you take someone's money, your hands are tied.
What if the Warren couple asked him for help then? He couldn't just stand by and do nothing, could he?
To deal with Annabelle, he couldn't wait for supernatural events to come to him; he had to actively seek them out.
He could encounter them normally, but if he switched to a website that gathered most of North America's horror enthusiasts, that would be a high-incidence area for supernatural events.
There were many help-seeking posts there, and John planned to choose a few that he felt were suitable.
Mainly leaning towards evil spirits, demons, evil ghosts, and the supernatural side.
Even if it seemed suitable, there was no guarantee it wouldn't go wrong.
It was possible that a seemingly ordinary small matter could hide an evil powerful enough to swallow John whole.
Therefore, for unfamiliar help-seeking posts, he was cautious, cautious, and even more cautious in his selection.
To avoid ending up in a ditch.
...