Chapter 209: December (Seeking Subscriptions)

Time has unknowingly entered December.

Accompanied by the arrival of a light snow, the entire Golden Rose Street is covered in pure white.

"Without realizing it, almost half a year has passed since I woke up..."

Aaron sits on the balcony, holding a cup filled with hot cocoa, and exhales a trail of white mist.

Some time ago, due to the appearance of the Aaron Sotos Lingmu, the entire Green Forest City occult world suffered heavy casualties.

Afterward, many personnel from hidden factions surely came to inspect that ruined, cratered site.

After that ruin was destroyed, it became a true forbidden zone, just like the places where those Outer Gods had briefly descended.

To speak bluntly, the number of people killed by this serial killer is not even as high as the number of people who die from overwork in factories or in gang shootouts every day!

Aaron takes a sip of hot cocoa, a smile appearing on his face: "Because very few people survived, the Investigation Bureau doesn't talk about it, Liliyat and I don't talk about it, and Clark will at most tell the higher-ups of his school, so this matter is still a secret within a very small circle!"

"That ruin, I'm afraid, still has some loose ends..."

But Aaron knows that an undercurrent is gradually gathering within the Invis Kingdom.

"'Feast Attendants' occasionally appear, entrenched in Green Forest City; are they looking for someone?"

"The Green Forest Earl has a high probability of being an 'Immortal' who can persist in the Mortal World; which organization would dare to be his enemy? To violate his territory?"

"Actually, many young people are taking the opportunity to get married, because it is said that the serial killer only kills pure virgins..."

And, suspected to be an 'Immortal'!!!

Once this news is disclosed, it would be no different from a violent storm, not only sweeping across the entire Invis Kingdom but also detonating the entire world!

"However, it seems the Investigation Bureau intends to hide this secret?"

Although there were few survivors from the last exploration, they all know a secret—the occult master from a thousand years ago, that legendary inventor, the Green Forest Earl, is actually still alive!

Below, a lengthy report describes a series of serial murders that have recently occurred in Green Forest City.

Sylvia speaks of other news.

"Although the will within the power has been purified... the essence of the power will not change..."

Aaron's expression is solemn; he has no intention of hunting them.

Sylvia adds a critical hit against single people.

Even if the 'Lord of Hidden Corpses' briefly descends, it is at most a matter of avoiding the edge for a while and making a comeback later.

On that black-and-white photograph is a twisted human figure with no feet, floating in mid-air.

From the perspective of survivor bias, it is often quite reasonable.

"The only ones who don't believe it are probably the 'Lord of Hidden Corpses' and His followers..."

And because there were still living people from the previous exploration team, some information has been gradually leaked.

The other party is wearing a robe with a strange design, floating as they walk along a street.

"After I leave, following this wave of cleansing, I'm afraid Green Forest City will truly be able to return to peace."

And humans often have a sense of wishful thinking; after all, there are so many people, perhaps misfortune will not befall them...

"And this identity is becoming more and more likely to be exposed..."

And a few days ago, Aaron saw another piece of news—【Photography enthusiast inadvertently captures paranormal photo!】

Aaron continues to ask.

Aaron opens today's *Green Forest Morning News* and sees an eye-catching headline—【Copycat crime? Rain-night Butcher reappears in Green Forest City!】

He smiles and asks, seemingly casually: "Is there any news in our neighborhood recently?"

But Aaron knows that the photographer did not lie!

He did indeed inadvertently capture the appearance of a Spirit World Creature!

Aaron puts down the newspaper, walks into the living room, and sees Sylvia, who is busy.

But according to the reporter's investigation, there may have been horrific acts of cannibalism...

"Anything else?"

The key is... he isn't one!

"This is a bit awkward... perhaps, it is time to leave."

Aaron also vaguely knew the secret that Outer Gods can only briefly descend into the Mortal World, and that even their avatars will gradually disappear with the passage of time, which is why he conceived his previous plan.

"There is also Mr. William Mark; he is preparing to sell his house and move to a smaller villa. He will also lay off some servants because of this..."

After these disturbances passed, Green Forest City became much calmer.

"Anyway, I was a traveler to begin with."

The fate of any occultist who dares to divine is very miserable!

The entire occult world knows that the ruin is a giant trap! There is no benefit at all, but rather countless dangers, so no one is willing to stay any longer.

For a city with a population of one million, especially in this cruel yet civilized era, a murder case that appears every few days is sensational, but its impact is relatively limited.

"Many followers of Outer Gods and Hidden Existences, after seeing the ruins of that site, will probably also think it was a secret plot by the 'Lord of Hidden Corpses'..."

"Everyone has been feeling uneasy lately because of the appearance of the Rain-night Butcher, but fortunately..."

As for the true body of that Blood Cup Archbishop?

At that time, the other party's avatar died inside the mausoleum, and with the blockade of the Outer God's power, I fear the true body didn't get the slightest bit of news at all!

The victims were mostly young, pure women, and their deaths were miserable and terrifying; even the photos were sealed by Glamorgan Field and were not leaked.

"According to the descriptions in *Dreamwalking Notes* and *Bone Secret Manual*... that kind of floating humanoid seems to be the kin of the 'Lord of Hidden Corpses'—'Feast Attendants'. Their combat power should be roughly equivalent to a Non-human Existence; the strong among them might be comparable to the Fifth or Sixth Primordial Substance, and they possess the ability to shuttle between the Dream Realm and the Mortal World, making it very difficult to catch their trail... Ordinary people who see them will suffer mental shock, either becoming lunatics or being bewitched into murderous maniacs..."

"Why? Didn't I hear that the swindlers who cheated him had an internal conflict over the uneven distribution of spoils, which then led to the police, and the case was already solved?"

Sylvia says.

It is said that the photographer's mind was terribly frightened at the time, and he was admitted to a mental hospital afterward.

And the Investigation Bureau also acted quickly, trying their best to destroy that day's newspapers, and the very next day, they used the front page to denounce this kind of sensationalist behavior of forging photos.

"However, even if it is exposed, it does not matter!"

If he really is an "Immortal" of the Seventh Primordial Substance, then he can simply kill them one by one; even if more powerful Spirit World Creatures were to descend briefly, he could still use the special nature and suppression of the Mortal World to counter-kill them.

Aaron asked with slight curiosity.

"Yes, Young Master, but only a portion of the swindled funds were recovered... which has resulted in Mr. William Mark's financial situation not being very good, though... compared to bankruptcy, he is already quite lucky!"

(End of this chapter)